Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Through a formalised strategic partnership between the Departments of Tourism and Public Works and Infrastructure, government will unlock investment in tourism infrastructure and drive economic growth.

“If we want tourism to make an even greater contribution to economic growth and job creation, we must build the infrastructure that makes investment and new tourism experiences possible,” Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille said on Tuesday.

De Lille and Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson have formalised a strategic partnership through a Memorandum of Agreement to strengthen the preparation of priority tourism infrastructure projects and unlock greater private-sector investment in South Africa’s tourism economy.

Under the three-year agreement, the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure will support the Department of Tourism with specialist resources, including investment expertise and transaction advisory services. These resources will help strengthen the project pipeline and improve projects’ readiness for investment.

“This partnership will also facilitate the transfer of skills, knowledge and technical competencies to strengthen the Department of Tourism’s long-term capacity to prepare and facilitate tourism infrastructure investment. We must turn tourism potential into bankable projects, investment and ultimately jobs,” de Lille said.

The agreement comes just days after President Cyril Ramaphosa launched Phase Three of the Government-Business Partnership, with tourism identified as one of the key sectors capable of accelerating inclusive economic growth and employment.

The Department of Tourism will retain overall accountability for and ownership of its Investment Facilitation Service, while Infrastructure South Africa will provide the specialist technical and transaction support required under the agreement.

Infrastructure South Africa is a programme within the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure that provides infrastructure planning, management and delivery services.

“Through this partnership, we can help move priority tourism infrastructure projects from plans on paper to shovels in the ground, while crowding in private-sector investment and creating new economic opportunities across the country. This is another practical step towards our goal of turning South Africa into a construction site and using infrastructure as a catalyst for economic growth and job creation,” Macpherson said.

The partnership is also timely, as the Department of Tourism prepares to host the second Tourism Infrastructure Investment Summit in Gauteng from 30 September to 1 October 2026.

The summit builds on the inaugural event held in 2025, which created a dedicated platform to connect tourism infrastructure projects with potential investors and financiers.

The second instalment will continue to build a pipeline of credible, bankable tourism projects from both the public and private sectors. –SAnews.gov.za

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has secured Acknowledgements of Debt from companies found to have overcharged the University of Fort Hare for student accommodation leases.

This emanating from an investigation by the corruption busting unit into accommodation charges at the Eastern Cape based university.

“The SIU investigation revealed that the university engaged various service providers to lease and accommodate students. Upon analysis of the financial documents and lease contracts, [the] SIU established instances in which certain service providers were paid amounts exceeding those specified in the lease contracts.

“The recovery of funds underscores the SIU’s commitment to protecting the public purse and ensuring accountability. The SIU has since referred nine disciplinary cases at the UFH [University of Fort Hare] involving former and current officials linked to the leasing of student accommodation,” the SIU said in a statement on Tuesday.

Service providers implicated in the overcharging were “contacted, and findings were shared along with letters of demand”.

“Two service providers, Younus Atcha trading as Equicent Eastern Cape Developments (Pty) Ltd and Tshongwane Trust, signed the AoDs [Acknowledgement of Debts] after overcharging the university R302 814 50 and R2 928 163.84, respectively.

“However, the third service provider, Lynton and Harmony, refused to accept the letter of demand and did not sign the AoD. Instead, they requested the banking details, and Lynton and Harmony paid the full amount of R103,829.96 directly into the SIU bank account.

“Tshongwane Trust, which overcharged the university by R2 928 163.84, has already repaid R1 620 000. The current outstanding balance is R1 665 290.41, including interest. In contrast, Equicent Eastern Cape Developments and Lynton and Harmony have already paid their full amounts last year,” the statement read.

The SIU is authorised to investigate the affairs of the university under Proclamation R84 of 2022, as amended by Proclamation R194 of 2024.

“The SIU’s investigation at the UFH focuses on various issues, including the procurement and contracting processes for goods and services. It also examines maladministration within the Faculty of Management and Commerce and serious misconduct within the Faculty of Law, particularly regarding the improper registration and admission of ineligible students.

“The SIU is authorised to initiate civil proceedings in the High Court or a Tribunal in its name to correct any wrongdoing uncovered during its investigation and to recover financial losses suffered by the State, including funds paid for services not rendered,” the statement concluded. – SAnews.gov.za

President Cyril Ramaphosa says Operation Prosper has resulted in the arrest of 1 080 people and the seizure of firearms, ammunition, explosives, gold and illegal mining equipment, as government intensifies efforts to dismantle illegal mining networks. 

Responding to a parliamentary question on the progress of the operation, President Ramaphosa on Tuesday said tangible and measurable progress has been made since Operation Prosper was announced in the 2026 State of the Nation Address.

Joint operations by the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) have targeted illegal mining activities in the Free State, Gauteng and North West.

The operations have included high-visibility policing, vehicle checkpoints and air support, resulting in arrests, the dismantling of illegal mining sites and the confiscation of firearms, explosives and illegal mining equipment.

“Through interdepartmental coordination with the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, the joint deployment has resulted in the arrest of 1 080 individuals, among them armed suspects and undocumented miners,” the President said. 

The operations have also resulted in the seizure of 19 firearms, more than 2 000 rounds of ammunition and 41 commercial explosives.

Government has further seized 83 generators, more than 1 000 refining drums, nearly 2 000 kilograms of gold-bearing material and approximately 150 kilograms of gold.

“These actions have disrupted the operational and financial lifelines of illegal mining networks,” he said. 

The President said government is also taking steps to prevent illegal mining activities from resuming after enforcement operations.

The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources has closed a number of illegal shafts, with further closures planned.

Meanwhile, the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) continue to secure affected locations through foot patrols, vehicle checkpoints and air-to-ground monitoring.

The deployment forms part of government’s broader response to the illegal mining crisis, which has been linked to organised criminal networks, illicit economic activity and the use of firearms and explosives. 

Operation Prosper was announced by President Ramaphosa in his State of the Nation Address on 12 February 2026, as a coordinated intervention to combat illegal mining.

The latest figures indicate that the operation has combined law enforcement and military capabilities with interventions by the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources to disrupt both the operational and financial infrastructure supporting illegal mining.

Government’s approach includes targeting the people operating illegal mining sites, shutting down illegal shafts and confiscating equipment and materials used to sustain the illicit activities.

The continued deployment of SAPS and the SANDF at affected sites is also intended to prevent illegal miners from returning to locations that have already been subjected to enforcement action.

President Ramaphosa’s response comes as government continues to strengthen its efforts against illegal mining and the criminal networks that profit from the illicit extraction and processing of precious metals. – SAnews.gov.za 

President Cyril Ramaphosa says deep structural problems at municipal level are at the heart of South Africa’s water crisis, with government drawing on lessons from its successful response to the electricity crisis to restore reliable water supply and eradicate sewage pollution.

Responding to parliamentary questions on Tuesday, President Ramaphosa said the National Water Action Plan had been developed as a coordinated response to the country’s water challenges, following the approach used in the Energy Action Plan that brought an end to more than a decade of persistent load shedding.

“We have taken the same approach of focused, coordinated actions into developing the National Water Action Plan,” President Ramaphosa said. 

The President said the plan, which is overseen and coordinated by the National Water Crisis Committee, was developed following extensive consultation with municipalities, water boards and relevant government departments.

He said the plan was informed by an analysis of the root causes of the water crisis at municipal level and sets out both immediate interventions and longer-term reforms.

“It identifies actions that will significantly improve water service delivery in the short-term as well as actions – such as legislative and other reforms – that will take longer,” he said.

Both the Energy Action Plan and the National Water Action Plan form part of Operation Vulindlela, the reform programme coordinated and driven by the Presidency.

“The challenges in the water sector are caused by deep structural problems at the municipal level,” the President said. 

Among the problems he identified is the failure in many municipalities to ring-fence revenue generated from the sale of water and reinvesting it into water provision.

He also pointed to the lack of a proper separation between the functions of water services authorities and water services providers in most municipalities.

The President said government was nevertheless pursuing interventions that would improve water access in the short term while laying the foundation for longer-term sustainability.

These include projects aimed at expanding access to water in unserved communities and completing water services projects that have been delayed for extended periods.

“We are increasing support to struggling municipalities and strengthening interventions in poorly performing municipalities in terms of existing legislation,” the President said. 

Addressing corruption

Government is also targeting corruption and criminality that undermine water infrastructure and service delivery.

“We are also combating corruption and criminality in the water sector, including theft of metal parts for sale as scrap metal and the water tanker mafia,” he said. 

Implementation

The President expressed confidence that the implementation of the National Water Action Plan would ultimately resolve the country’s water crisis.

“Through the progress we are making, we are confident that the implementation of the National Water Action Plan will result in the resolution of the water crisis, both in terms of restoring reliable water to deprived communities and eradicating sewage pollution,” the President said. 

He said the plan is designed not only to respond to immediate failures but also to create a more sustainable water system.

“Importantly, it will address many of the immediate water challenges that communities face, while establishing a foundation for sustainable and secure water supply into the future,” he said. 

Strengthening municipalities

The President’s response came alongside a broader parliamentary question on the structural reforms being implemented to restore the capacity of municipalities and improve accountability.

He said effective local government is critical to improving people’s lives.

“Effective local government is essential to improving the lives of our people, supporting local economic development and creating the conditions for investment and job creation,” he said. 

The Constitution requires the three spheres of government to be distinctive, interdependent and interrelated, while placing a responsibility on national and provincial government to support and strengthen municipal capacity. 

“The strengthening of municipalities is an important priority of this administration,” he said. 

Government is focused on building a more capable, professional and developmental local government system by strengthening leadership and administration in municipalities.

Government has also sought to improve coordination across the three spheres through mechanisms including the District Development Model, while providing targeted support to municipalities experiencing the most severe governance and service delivery challenges. 

On accountability, President Ramaphosa said government had intensified oversight and monitoring and strengthened consequence management.

He said national government had also supported interventions in municipalities that were unable to fulfil their constitutional obligations and had strengthened collaboration between institutions responsible for governance, financial oversight and combating corruption.

Looking ahead, President Ramaphosa said government was close to completing a review of the White Paper on Local Government.

“Looking to the future, we are close to completing a review of the White Paper on Local Government, which envisages far-reaching reforms to this critical sphere of government,” the President said. 

He said the reforms were intended to build stable, capable and accountable municipalities able to deliver reliable basic services.

“These reforms are directed towards building stable, capable and accountable municipalities that can deliver reliable basic services.

“They are directed towards restoring public confidence in local government and creating an enabling environment for inclusive economic growth and sustainable job creation,” the President said. – SAnews.gov.za

National Treasury and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) have published amendments to the Export Regulations to allow zero-rating when movable goods are delivered for export from South Africa to terminal operators and port authorities.

The amendment relates to the section of the regulations that sets out the procedures to be followed by a vendor who elects to zero-rate the export of goods to a qualifying purchaser when those goods are initially delivered to a harbour.

“Under the current regulations, one of the procedural requirements for a vendor to supply goods at the zero-rate is that the goods must be delivered to either the port authority, the master of the ship, a container operator or the pilot of an aircraft, or be brought within the control area of the airport authority.

“It has come to government’s attention that, in certain circumstances, such as with the Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT), the wording of this requirement in the Export Regulations appears to be causing practical difficulties in application,” National Treasury said on Tuesday.

RBCT is privately owned and operates the coal terminals within the Richards Bay harbour precinct. It uses the port infrastructure, including berths, channels and other services, provided by the Transnet National Port Authority (TNPA).

“In terms of the strict interpretation of the wording of the Export Regulations, to qualify for zero-rating, the coal must be delivered to the port authority, which would be TNPA and not RBCT. However, since TNPA does not run the terminal, this requirement has become difficult to fulfil,” National Treasury said.

The amendments to the regulations have been published in terms of section 74(1), read with paragraph (d) of the definition of “exported” in section 1(1) of the Value-Added Tax Act, 1991 (Act No. 89 of 1991), together with the Explanatory Memorandum (EM).

The accompanying documents may be accessed on the National Treasury website: www.treasury.gov.za. –SAnews.gov.za