Category: Africa

The Department of Health (DoH) has called for vigilance of Mpox symptoms following a rapid increase in laboratory-confirmed Mpox cases in the past few weeks.

Some 19 cases of the viral disease have been reported, with the majority, 15, reported in Cape Town in the Western Cape.

Three cases have been detected in Gauteng and one in KwaZulu-Natal.

“Of concern is that 13 of the total cases were recorded between 13 August and 17 September, which suggests a rapid local transmission of this preventable viral infection.

“All cases/patients range in age from 23 to 50 years, with a median age of 36.5 years, and 18 of them are males with only one female,” the department stated.

The DoH noted that one of the most recent cases involves an “individual who travelled to Spain earlier this month and returned to South Africa on 14 September”.

“This person underwent testing in Spain after being informed of his probable case status.

“South African health authorities are in contact with the Spanish counterparts regarding laboratory test results of the individual to confirm his mpox status,” the department assured.

The DoH emphasised the importance of “continued surveillance, early detection, and public cooperation cannot be overemphasised in preventing further transmission”.

Mpox symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, fatigue and rash or skin lesions that may appear on the face, hands, feet, genitals or other body parts. 

“Typically, the skin lesions start as flat red spots before progressing to bumps, followed by fluid-filled blisters, then pus-filled bumps and eruptions into crusted scabs.

“The symptoms usually appear within 6 to 13 days after exposure but can range from 5 to 21 days. Therefore, anyone experiencing these symptoms, particularly if they have had close contact with a confirmed case or a suspected case, should seek medical attention immediately and avoid close contact with others,” the department said.

Symptoms may also present themselves in people who have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive.

“Mpox is transmitted mainly through close physical contact with an infected person, including skin-to-skin contact with the rash or lesions, and contact with contaminated materials such as bedding, clothing, or towels used by an infected person.

“Mpox-positive persons can also transmit the virus through respiratory droplets during prolonged face-to-face contact, uncovered coughing or sneezing. Vigilance remains essential, particularly in households, healthcare settings and among close social networks. Hand hygiene through frequent washing or use of sanitisers is one of the effective methods to prevent the spread of the virus,” the DoH noted.

Government has secured limited doses of Mpox vaccines (Tecovirimat) as part of its outbreak response strategy to disrupt local transmission.

“The health authorities will decide where and how to use these doses to contain outbreaks. Vaccination should be accompanied by continued adherence to preventive measures.

“Individuals and communities are urged to support those diagnosed with mpox and those suspected of being infected with the virus, because stigma and discrimination have the potential to undermine an outbreak response by deterring people from seeking medical care,” the department said. – SAnews.gov.za

Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana has noted and respects the Constitutional Court judgment declaring that the Public Procurement Act, 2024, was adopted in a manner inconsistent with the Constitution and is consequently invalid.

The judgment relates to matters brought by the Premier of the Western Cape Government and the City of Cape Town against the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, the Minister of Finance and others.

Godongwana said public procurement remains a key enabler of economic growth and development. However, he emphasised that this cannot be realised in a weak public procurement ecosystem that is not governed by a legislative framework designed to achieve a procurement system that is fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost-effective.

Such a system should also provide for the protection or advancement of persons, or categories of persons, disadvantaged by unfair discrimination. 

“Public procurement in its current state will not realise these constitutional principles as it is fraught with challenges that include corrupt activities, fraud, financial loss, poor planning, inferior deliverables, weak institutional capacity, irregular expenditure and failure to sufficiently stimulate local industries. 

“This is evident from the various reports, media exposés and Commissions of Inquiry that have taken place or are underway,” the Minister said. –SAnews.gov.za

By Sifiso Ngobese 
Digital technology has transformed childhood. It has changed how young people learn, communicate, access information and participate in society. For the basic education sector, technology presents significant opportunities to expand access to learning and information, strengthen teaching and prepare learners for an increasingly digital world.

But greater access also brings greater responsibility.

The same digital platforms that connect young people can expose them to bullying, harassment, intimidation, exploitation and harmful content. Cyberbullying, sometimes referred to as e-bullying, occurs when digital devices or platforms are used deliberately to hurt, threaten, embarrass, intimidate or humiliate another person.

Unlike traditional bullying, which may end when a learner leaves the school grounds, cyberbullying can follow a child home. A harmful post, photograph, video or message can be shared repeatedly and reach a much wider audience within minutes. For a young person, there may therefore be very little separation between what happens at school and what happens online.

This requires us to rethink what we mean when we speak about a safe school.

Safety can no longer be understood only in terms of what happens inside a classroom or within the physical boundaries of a school. The wellbeing of learners increasingly extends into the digital environments in which they communicate, socialise and learn.

Recent research referenced in this discussion illustrates the scale of the challenge. A 2026 study by Stellenbosch University and Artefact South Africa involving teenagers at five fee-paying Quintile 5 high schools found that 63.9% of participants had been involved in cyberbullying as victims, perpetrators or both. While the study is not nationally representative, its findings provide an important indication of the behaviours that can emerge in digital spaces used by young people.

For the Department of Basic Education, cyberbullying must therefore be understood as part of the broader work of building safe, caring and supportive learning environments.

School safety must extend into the digital world

The sector’s response is anchored in the National School Safety Framework, which provides schools with a structured approach to preventing and managing threats to learner and educator safety.

The Framework assists schools to identify risks, establish school safety structures and develop appropriate responses to challenges including violence, bullying, substance abuse and cyberbullying. School Safety Committees are particularly important because sustainable safety cannot depend on responding only after an incident has occurred.

Prevention, early identification, reporting, appropriate intervention and support must form part of the everyday culture of a school.

This work is complemented by educational and awareness programmes undertaken across the sector. The department continues to use campaigns, school programmes and engagements with learners, educators and communities to address violence and bullying, including conduct that originates or continues online.

Importantly, digital safety cannot be the responsibility of the education sector alone.

The department has therefore worked with the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies and Google through online-safety workshops aimed at strengthening awareness of the risks children encounter online and promoting safer and more responsible participation in digital environments.

These partnerships recognise an important reality: digital literacy is not simply about knowing how to operate a device. It must increasingly include understanding privacy, responsible online behaviour, digital footprints, misinformation, cyberbullying and what children should do when they encounter harmful behaviour or content online.

As access to technology expands, digital citizenship must become part of how we prepare children to participate responsibly in society.

Clearer boundaries are increasingly important

There is also a broader conversation that the education sector must continue to have about appropriate digital interaction between adults and children.

Technology has made communication between schools, educators, learners and parents easier. Used appropriately, digital platforms can support teaching, provide information quickly and strengthen communication between schools and families.
However, convenience cannot come at the expense of safeguarding.

Schools need clear governance arrangements governing digital communication, the use of mobile devices and social-media interaction. Communication involving educators and learners should take place through transparent and accountable arrangements where appropriate boundaries can be maintained, and misconduct can be identified and addressed.

This is part of the wider responsibility of creating environments in which children are protected both physically and digitally.

Parents and communities remain essential partners

Government and schools cannot address cyberbullying alone.

Parents and guardians have an equally important role. Conversations about online safety should begin at home and should happen regularly, rather than only after something has gone wrong.

Parents should take an active interest in the digital environments their children use, understand the applications and social-media platforms they access, discuss appropriate online behaviour and create an environment in which children feel able to report uncomfortable or harmful experiences.

Children should also understand that reporting cyberbullying is not an act of weakness. It is an important step towards stopping harmful behaviour.

Where cyberbullying occurs, evidence should be preserved. Screenshots of posts and messages, voice notes, photographs, videos and other digital material can assist schools and, where necessary, law-enforcement authorities in responding appropriately.

South Africa also has a legal framework that provides protection against various forms of harmful online conduct. Depending on the nature of the behaviour, legislation dealing with cybercrime, harassment, child protection and harmful digital content may become relevant. The Protection from Harassment Act, for example, provides mechanisms through which victims of harassment may seek protection.

But legislation alone will never be enough.

Our most effective defence is a culture in which children understand the consequences of their online behaviour; adults model responsible digital conduct; schools have functioning safety systems; parents remain engaged; technology platforms exercise responsibility; and government departments work together.

The objective cannot simply be to keep children away from technology. Technology is already embedded in the world in which they are growing up.

Our responsibility is to equip them to navigate that world safely, critically and responsibly.

A safer internet therefore begins with all of us.

Schools must educate and protect. Parents must remain engaged. Technology companies must strengthen safeguards. Communities must challenge harmful behaviour. Learners themselves must understand that the dignity and rights of another person do not disappear simply because an interaction takes place behind a screen.

Protecting children from cyberbullying is ultimately part of the same responsibility that guides all our work in basic education: ensuring that every child can learn, participate and grow in an environment in which they feel safe, respected and supported.

*Ngobese is Director: School Safety at the  Department of Basic Education

KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi has encouraged the public to remain vigilant as heavy rains are expected to continue on Friday in the southern parts of the province.

This comes after the South African Weather Service issued a Level 4 warning for disruptive rains that could lead to flooding of roads and settlements in the southern parts of KZN. The rains, which started on Thursday is expected to continue until Friday.

Municipalities expected to be affected include Ray Nkonyeni, Msunduzi, eThekwini Metro, KwaDukuza, Mandeni, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Kokstad, Impendle, Maphumulo, Mkhambathini, Inkosi Langalibalele, Ndwedwe, Richmond, Umdoni, uMlalazi, uMngeni, uMshwathi, UMuziwabantu, Umvoti, Umzimkhulu and Umzumbe.

The disruptive rains could lead to major disruption of traffic flow due to major roads being flooded or closed; damage to property and infrastructure, as well as loss of livelihoods and livestock; danger to life due to fast-flowing streams and deep water; displacement of affected communities; and some communities becoming temporarily inaccessible or cut off.

Buthelezi said the Disaster Joint Operations Centre (JOC), which includes all municipalities, law enforcement agencies, emergency services and social partners, has been activated.

Precautionary measures are also being put in place by municipalities to make safe havens available to communities living in informal settlements and low-lying areas.

Buthelezi encouraged communities, particularly those in the mentioned municipalities, to exercise extreme caution and take all necessary measures to ensure their safety.

“We are encouraging communities to take safety measures, as these rains pose a serious threat to life. All municipalities have been activated to open safe spaces. Our disaster teams will closely monitor the situation.

“We urge communities to comply with any safety measures that may have to be implemented. We further urge motorists to remain cautious, as some roads may be closed due to flooding. Avoid being on the roads unless necessary until the weather clears,” Buthelezi said. – SAnews.gov.za
 

The body of Gracious Nkomo has been positively identified as one of the women whose bodies were discovered along the R21 in Kempton Park in recent grim findings of the bodies of missing women in and around Ekurhuleni.

In a statement on Thursday evening, the South African Police Service (SAPS) said the 28-year-old’s body was identified by her family on Thursday after her body was found on 10 September 2026.

This follows the discovery of the bodies of nine women that were found in the Kempton Park area in Ekurhuleni.

Nkomo was found partially clothed and is the third woman who was discovered.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Gracious Nkomo during this extremely difficult time. Our investigators remain seized with these cases, and we will continue to pursue every available lead to ensure that those responsible for these murders are brought to justice,” Acting National Commissioner of the SAPS, Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane said.

Nkomo was identified at the Germiston Mortuary.

This, as the SAPS continues to investigate the murder of Nkomo, as well as the other cases involving women whose bodies have been discovered in the area.

Dimpane said investigations are progressing, with a multidisciplinary team of investigators working around the clock to establish the circumstances surrounding the murders and identify those responsible.

“As Kempton Park remains under intensified policing operations, investigations into these murders remain ongoing,” said the police.

Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa has assured families who are grieving their loved ones that the nation stands with them.

“All the families, friends and communities who have lost loved ones, know that the nation stands with them in their hour of sorrow,” President Ramaphosa said in his message delivered at the Memorial Dialogue against Gender-Based Violence and Femicide on Thursday.

The session was held at the Civic Centre in Kempton Park, with the President’s message delivered by Acting Police Minister, Professor Firoz Cachalia.

In a statement on Tuesday, the President assured that government shares the “concerns of all South Africans and we mourn the lives so cruelly taken away”.

“As a nation, we must stand up for the rights, safety and dignity of women and girls. As we do so, our hearts go out to all the families affected by the terrible events in the Kempton Park area.

READ | Ekurhuleni murders are a priority – President Ramaphosa

“If anyone has information about these incidents or if you are missing a relative or friend, please contact Warrant Officer Elvis Manyike on 082 465 7249,” President Ramaphosa said at the time. –SAnews.gov.za

In a significant milestone toward building a safer freight logistics system for truck drivers, government has launched a plan to improve truck-stop facilities by turning them into professionally managed sites where drivers can park, rest and access essential services.

The plan responds to findings that identified challenges at truck-stop facilities, including inadequate and unsafe parking areas; insufficient lighting and security; inadequate ablution and shower facilities; limited access to driver wellness services; inconsistent standards across facilities; and insufficient provision for women working in the road freight sector.

“We also observed trucks parked along roadsides and in other unsafe locations because appropriate rest facilities were either unavailable, inaccessible, or inadequate. 

“These conditions have implications beyond driver comfort. They affect road safety, driver fatigue, freight efficiency, cargo security, the dignity of drivers and ultimately the performance of our logistics system,” Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy said on Thursday at the N17 Truck Stop.

Government developed the National Truck Stop Framework to support a more coordinated national intervention.

The National Truck Stop Framework establishes a coordinated approach to the planning, development, management, standardisation, and improvement of truck-stop facilities across South Africa.

It provides common strategic direction for government, truck-stop operators, freight operators, investors and other stakeholders.

“The Framework seeks to ensure that truck stops increasingly become safe, secure and professionally managed facilities where drivers can park, rest and access essential services. It introduces an approach for assessing and classifying facilities according to the level of security and amenities provided.

“This is important because a truck driver should be able to understand the level of service and security that can reasonably be expected from a particular facility, but this Framework is about much more than parking trucks.

“One of the strongest messages emerging from the development of this Framework is that we cannot discuss freight efficiency without discussing the people who move that freight,” Creecy said.

Creecy added that driver fatigue remains an important road safety concern.

“A driver who has been travelling for several hours requires a safe place to stop, rest, eat, shower and recover before continuing a journey. Our objective must be to create an environment where taking a proper rest break is not regarded as an inconvenience, but as a normal and essential part of professional freight operations,” the Minister said.

Creecy noted that fatigue-related driver error has emerged as one of the major causes of vehicle crashes.

“Therefore, providing appropriate rest infrastructure must form part of our broader approach to road safety. Truck stops can also become important platforms for delivering wellness interventions, including health screening, fatigue awareness, road safety education and other support services targeted at professional drivers,” the Minister said.

During site visits, it emerged that some truck-stop facilities were not designed with women drivers in mind.

“The absence of dedicated ablution and shower facilities, adequate lighting, appropriate security measures and other gender-responsive facilities can become a practical barrier to women entering and remaining in the industry. However, infrastructure alone will not address this challenge.

“The National Truck Stop Framework therefore contributes to a broader objective: building a freight logistics sector that draws its skills and talent from the full diversity of South African society,” she said.

The Minister said the framework will have value only if it is implemented.

“Today’s launch must therefore not be viewed as the conclusion of this process. It marks the beginning of the next phase. The Department will continue working with provinces, municipalities, our Transport Entities, industry associations, truck stop operators, freight operators, organised labour and other partners to advance implementation.

“Our success should ultimately be measured not by the number of documents we produce, but by what changes on the ground for truck drivers and the freight industry,” Creecy said. –SAnews.gov.za

Government must create a better enabling environment for the macadamia sector by addressing constraints on market access, tariffs, infrastructure, logistics, regulation, investment and skills. 

This was said by the Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic), John Steenhuisen, during the Macadamias South Africa (SAMAC) MacDay on the Road 2026 event in Umhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday.

MacDay on the Road 2026 is a regional engagement programme through which SAMAC takes its industry platform closer to growers in key macadamia-producing areas. The KwaZulu-Natal event is one of four regional engagements taking place during September.

Steenhuisen said the international trading environment was becoming increasingly complex, with countries paying greater attention to food security, supply-chain resilience, standards and domestic economic interests.

“South African agricultural exporters cannot take anything for granted anymore. We need to deepen existing trade relationships while identifying new markets and opportunities for South African goods and services,” said Steenhuisen.

He said market diversification should remain a priority, requiring government and industry to identify growing demand, understand consumer needs, increase South Africa’s market share and address export barriers.

Steenhuisen highlighted efforts to expand agricultural market access, including work to open the Chinese market to South African cherries, as an example of the importance of government and industry cooperation on sanitary and phytosanitary requirements, market access and tariffs.

Turning to the macadamia sector, he said international demand for South African products exists, but price and tariff conditions affect competitiveness, with India being an example where tariff barriers remain a concern.

“We are not asking for special favours, we’re not asking for special treatment. I think what I hear the industry saying is that we want to be able to just compete on a fair and equal basis with our competitors around the world and then let our quality and our product speak for itself,” said Steenhuisen.

Steenhuisen committed to leveraging South Africa’s trade and cooperation relationships to pursue improved tariff conditions for South African products, while supporting existing growers and creating opportunities for new entrants and small-scale farmers.

“What government needs to do is look at ways in which we can create a much better enabling environment for you to unleash your talents, your abilities, your innovations in pursuit of growing the sector,” said Steenhuisen.

Infrastructure and logistics, particularly the efficiency of South Africa’s ports, were also identified as critical to export competitiveness. 

Steenhuisen said the public-private partnership at the Durban port presented an opportunity to improve the movement of goods and support export-oriented sectors.

Looking ahead, he identified five priorities for strengthening the partnership between government and the macadamia industry: productivity; quality; market access, diversification and tariffs, value addition and inclusion and sustainability.

On productivity, Steenhuisen highlighted improved yields and farm-level efficiency through mechanisation, new breeding techniques, biological inputs and technologies such as drones. On quality, he stressed consistent quality and food safety to protect the reputation of South African macadamias internationally.

He said South Africa also needed to capture more value through processing, manufacturing, innovation, marketing and branding, including through products such as macadamia oil.

“The theme running through today is ultimately making better decisions for the future. Better decisions in the orchard, water, research and technology, processing, quality, markets and better decisions about how we build an agricultural economy in which more South Africans can participate,” said Steenhuisen.

Steenhuisen said the macadamia industry had an important role to play in South Africa’s agricultural and agro-processing future and reiterated the dtic’s commitment to working with the sector to address constraints and unlock opportunities.

“There’s an open door to address constraints, to unlock opportunities, but also to work together to strengthen the conditions that will make it easier for all of you to be able to contribute, grow, and most importantly, profit from these endeavours,” he said.

He encouraged growers, processors, researchers, industry organisations, investors and government to use MacDay to identify practical actions and partnerships to move the industry forward. – SAnews.gov.za