Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

The South African National Parks (SANParks) has appointed new restaurant operators at selected camps in Kruger National Park as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance the visitor experience and invest in world-class tourism facilities.

SANParks said the appointments followed a transparent and competitive tender process that attracted several leading hospitality brands.

“The appointments coincide with the expiry of the previous concession agreements and form part of SANParks’ commitment to enhancing visitor experiences and maintaining world-class tourism facilities,” SANParks said in a statement on Monday.

The former Mugg & Bean at Lower Sabie will reopen as Sabie River Café, while the Wimpy at Pretoriuskop will become Le Lapeng Burgers and Grill. 

Tindlovu Restaurant at Berg-en-Dal will be transformed into Eziko Eatery, and the Cattle Baron at Skukuza will be refurbished to give it a fresh look and feel.

“Temporary dining facilities offering limited menus will be available during the refurbishment periods to ensure continuity of service. SANParks and the respective operators apologise for any inconvenience caused by the upgrades and appreciate visitors’ patience and understanding.

“The new operators will bring fresh concepts, investment and energy to some of the park’s most popular camps, contributing to economic growth, job creation and an enhanced tourism offering in Kruger National Park.

“SANParks looks forward to unveiling the upgraded facilities in the coming months.” – SAnews.gov.za

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Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Narend Singh has called for closer cooperation between government and the traditional medicine sector to cultivate medicinal plants and reduce pressure on species threatened by unsustainable wild harvesting.

The call comes as the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) estimates that 2 062 indigenous plant species are used in traditional medicine.

“That is about one in 10 of all the plant species in South Africa. Behind those plants stand more than 200,000 traditional health practitioners.

“Think about that for a moment. This is not a fringe practice. This is a health system. It is also under strain. Towns and cities want more of these plants than the wild can give. 

“Harvesting has become harder, sometimes reckless. Drought and a changing climate are making bad years worse. Poverty pushes people to take what they can sell today. And some of the trade is simply illegal,” the Deputy Minister said.

Addressing the India–South Africa Traditional Medicines Symposium and Exhibition in Durban on Saturday, Singh said the 2024 Red List of endangered plants shows that 154 commonly used medicinal plant species — and their unique genomes — are at risk of extinction because of overuse.

“If the plant goes, the medicine goes with it. You cannot keep a tradition alive in a storeroom. If we want traditional medicine to have a future, the plants have to have a future too.

“We have to learn to grow what we use, put back what we have taken, and leave enough for the next pair of hands. We have to manage these genetic resources and their gene pools responsibly,” he said.

Singh said the responsibility to protect biodiversity also extends to the digital DNA sequence information derived from these plants.

“As advances in biodiversity science increasingly rely on nature’s Digital Sequence Information (DSI), we must ensure that the benefits arising from the use of our biodiversity are shared fairly and equitably with all South Africans practitioners,” Singh said.

Against this backdrop, Singh urged the sector to accelerate the shift from wild harvesting to cultivation.

“SANBI is already in it with us. They keep the record: which plants and genetic resources are used, which ones are slipping, which populations are in trouble. They maintain the National Red List. 

“They help us name a plant correctly, grow it, and put it back, whether that means protecting it where it already grows or keeping it safe in cultivation. None of that works if it is done over the heads of the people who know the plants. 

“So, the institute is working with traditional health practitioners, traditional leaders, communities and the provincial conservation authorities,” the Deputy Minister said.

He said the goal was not simply to preserve rare species, but to ensure that rural healers could continue to access or grow the plants their patients need, while enabling households to earn an income without exhausting natural stocks.

“We are also trying to find the money to do this properly, not as a pilot that ends when the workshop ends. Under Component 2 of the Global Environment Facility (GEF-8) proposal, Securing Nature’s Contributions to People,” Singh said.

To turn this approach into practical action, Singh said SANBI had proposed a project focused on propagation, training and land restoration.

“Healers have already named 15 medicinal plants that are becoming hard to find in the wild. The proposal is to multiply those at scale. To hand mother stock and proper horticultural training to 1,800 traditional healers and community members, at least half of them women. 

“To restore 1,800 hectares of tired communal land in Limpopo, North West and the Eastern Cape. And to map a network of places that matter culturally, not only scientifically, in three provinces,” the Deputy Minister said.

Singh urged the sector to expand nurseries and build on the work already undertaken by SANBI and traditional healers, including the identification of 15 scarce species, the provision of mother stock, training for 1 800 people and the restoration of communal land.

“Let us build value chains that do not cheat the community at the end of them. Let us write down what is at risk of dying with the elders, and let us do it with their consent, not around them. 

“Let us make room for young people, and especially for women, who are already half the story and too often none of the credit,” he said. –SAnews.gov.za

 

 

 

 

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To further develop the local informal economy sector, the eThekwini Municipality is rolling out Informal Trade and Retail Markets By-law Review Roadshows, with the first session set to take place on Tuesday, 13 October 2026.

The roadshows will allow traders and sector stakeholders to share their views and contribute to shaping proposed changes that will strengthen and support the sector.

The roadshows will allow traders and other stakeholders to share their views on the proposed amendments to the Retail Markets By-law and Informal Trade By-law, which were promulgated in 2014.

The municipality is currently reviewing the regulations through the Retail Markets First Amendment By-law and Informal Trade Third Amendment By-law 2026.

The first consultation session is scheduled to take place at the iTRUMP Hall in Durban’s central business district on Tuesday. The session will get underway at 10am.

Chairperson of the Economic Development and Planning Committee, Thembo Ntuli, said the review aims to ensure that the regulatory framework supports safe and orderly trading while creating greater opportunities for participation in the local economy.

“The input of traders and stakeholders is critical to ensuring that the proposed amendments respond to realities on the ground,” Ntuli said.

The municipality said the sessions will help ensure that the regulatory framework remains responsive to the needs of the informal economy while supporting economic opportunities.

Other consultations will take place across the municipality’s regions during October and November.
In the Inner and Outer West, sessions are scheduled for 16 October at the Pinetown Civic Centre’s Council Chamber and 22 October at Clermont Hall, Clermont Sizakala Centre, starting at 9am.

The South Areas session will be held at uMlazi V Community Hall on 27 October, from 10am, followed by a meeting at Bester Community Hall on 29 October for the North Areas, starting at 10am.

The Coastal Areas consultation is scheduled for 5 November at Durban Surfing Club, while the Upper North Areas will host sessions at oThongathi Sports Centre on 10 November and Verulam Library on 11 November. All sessions will start at 10am. – SAnews.gov.za

 

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The South African Weather Service (SAWS) says the heatwave affecting northwestern KwaZulu-Natal will end on Tuesday.

“A heatwave, characterised by persistently high temperatures, is expected over the northwestern parts of KwaZulu-Natal from 11–13 October 2026. Meanwhile, extremely uncomfortable conditions are expected over the southern parts of the Eastern Cape,” the weather service warned.

SAWS said a surface trough was expected over the central and western interior this week, while a surface high would remain over the eastern parts of the country.

“Upper-air perturbations may contribute to the development of isolated to scattered thunderstorms over the central and eastern parts of the country,” the weather service added.

Partly cloudy and warm to hot conditions are expected on Monday, with isolated to scattered thunderstorms developing over the central and western parts of the country in the afternoon.

Severe thunderstorms are possible over the Eastern Cape and southern parts of the Free State.

Similar conditions are expected on Tuesday, with isolated to scattered afternoon thunderstorms over the central and western parts of South Africa.

Severe thunderstorms are possible over the Eastern Cape, the Free State and southern parts of the North West.

The public and stakeholders are urged to monitor official SAWS forecasts and warnings, which will be updated as the likelihood and severity of potential impacts become clearer.

SAWS also advised the public to avoid sharing information from unauthorised or unverified sources.

For regular updates, visit https://www.weathersa.co.za/ or follow SAWS’s official media channels. –SAnews.gov.za

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Through the Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy, government is releasing approximately 2.5 million hectares of State-owned land in various parts of the country to black farmers, as part of efforts to transform the agricultural sector and expand commercial farming.

In his weekly newsletter on Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the initiative will provide black farmers with title deeds, helping to build a new generation of commercial farmers and expand South Africa’s productive agricultural base.

“We can bring more land under cultivation, create a new generation of black commercial farmers and ensure that we grow enough not only to feed all our people, but to sell to markets across the world,” he said.

The President said land access, combined with financing, skills development, mentorship and training, is essential to enabling aspiring farmers to operate successfully on a commercial scale.

He said South Africa’s agricultural sector had immense potential for further growth and job creation, but that the benefits of its expansion had not reached all communities.

“Although our farming sector has flourished, many communities have remained on the periphery,” he said.

President Ramaphosa highlighted the success of Redlands Farm, a commercial dairy farm in Stutterheim in the Eastern Cape, owned and operated by young black farmers.

READ | President Ramaphosa calls for more Redlands-style agricultural enterprises

The farm has expanded its operations with support from the Land Bank, demonstrating how partnerships and access to finance can help emerging farmers grow their businesses.

“Redlands’ success shows that with effective partnerships, a transformed agricultural and agribusiness sector can boost the rural economy and create jobs,” he said.

The farm is a beneficiary of the Land Bank’s Blended Finance Scheme, which combines government grant funding with loan finance to support farmers.

The President said the scheme is helping farmers in various parts of the country establish commercially successful businesses, while encouraging other agribusinesses and commercial banks to participate in the programme and develop additional funding instruments for the sector.

Expanding agricultural opportunities

President Ramaphosa said South Africa’s agricultural sector has more than doubled since the dawn of democracy in 1994, with the country ranking as the world’s 32nd-largest agricultural exporter.

Agricultural exports reached a record R270 billion in 2025, with products including table grapes, maize, beef, wine, citrus, sugar and wool.

The African continent accounts for nearly half of South Africa’s agricultural exports, while other markets include the European Union and countries in Asia, the Middle East and the Americas.

The sector employs approximately 944 000 people, with a further 200 000 employed across the broader agricultural value chain.

However, the President said the sector remained characterised by unequal participation, with predominantly white-owned commercial farms accounting for most commercial agricultural output, while black farmers contributed only around 10%.

“We still have what has been called ‘two agricultures’. Being reliant on the productive capacity of a relatively small segment of the population to meet our country’s food needs is unsustainable. Our population is growing and with it, the demand for food,” the President said.

He said transforming agriculture was necessary to address historical inequalities, strengthen food security and ensure the sector could meet the country’s future food needs.

Building a new generation of farmers

The President said access to affordable, patient capital was another important requirement for emerging commercial farmers, noting that the Land Bank and the Department of Agriculture had introduced the blended finance instrument to address funding challenges.

He also highlighted the importance of developing the skills and practical experience needed to run successful farming enterprises. 

“We have to build a pipeline of skilled and productive commercial farmers who can sustain the sector. We must equip aspiring farmers with the skills, mentorship, training, technologies and other resources to farm successfully on a commercial scale,” he said. 

President Ramaphosa welcomed programmes led by agricultural commodity associations, including the Citrus Growers’ Association, Grain South Africa, the National Wool Growers’ Association, Potatoes South Africa, Red Meat Industry Services, the Milk Producers’ Organisation and Fruit South Africa. 

He said these organisations play an important role in building a more inclusive farming economy by supporting the development of emerging farmers.

Government is also working to expand and diversify export markets for South African agricultural products, while engaging farmers and agribusinesses on new breeding techniques and advances in agricultural biotechnology.

The President said stronger partnerships between government, farmers, businesses, lenders, traditional leaders and communities would be critical to building on the sector’s progress. – SAnews.gov.za

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