Category: Africa

The City of Cape Town has completed a major refurbishment at Vygieskraal Athletics Stadium in Athlone, enhancing the facility’s usability.

The upgrade to the stadium included the installation of brand-new floodlighting, roofing repairs valued at nearly R1 million, and the restoration of the shot put and long jump areas. 

In a statement on Saturday, the city said plumbing and electrical systems have also been improved, while new spectator seating will enhance the visitor experience. Further upgrades include ongoing work on the effluent line as part of scheduled maintenance.

These works form part of a wider investment intended to improve the stadium’s functionality. The adjacent rugby facility has also seen upgrades, with parking and fencing projects completed during the current financial year. Additional lighting will be installed in the new financial year.

“These milestones demonstrate the city’s commitment to quality public sporting infrastructure. By investing in these upgrades, we’re ensuring that athletes of all ages and abilities have safe, welcoming, and well-equipped spaces to train and compete. 

“It will ensure our sports facilities offer safe, quality spaces for communities. By continuing to invest in these refurbishments, we are creating lasting value and supporting a healthier lifestyle for residents,” Member of Mayoral Committee for Community Services and Health, Francine Higham said. 

The city said that work on the Wesfleur Athletics Track in Atlantis and the Blue Downs Athletics Track is still in progress and is expected to be completed before the upcoming athletics season.

The total investment in the reinstatement of athletics tracks at both of these facilities is approximately R60 million. 

The athletics refurbishments are part of a strategic citywide programme guided by a 2021 Athletics Study, with the goal of achieving Safety at Sports and Recreational. Events Act (SASREA) compliance and expanding access to facilities across Cape Town. The objective is to secure SASREA grading and ensure safer, more accessible facilities across Cape Town. – SAnews.gov.za

The City of Cape Town has lauded the recent sentencing of a convicted cable thief to 15 years behind bars, hailing it as a step in the right direction in the fight against rampant cable theft.

The 55-year-old man was arrested by the City’s Law Enforcement Metal Theft Unit in Kraaifontein on 13 November 2023. He was found in possession of eight bags of stolen Transnet overhead copper cable weighing over 400 kilograms, with a street value of R558 000.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the city confirmed that the suspect was prosecuted in terms of the Criminal Matters Amendment Act 18 of 2015 and sentenced in the Blue Downs Regional Court in April this year.

“On the day in question, the Law Enforcement Metal Theft Unit received information about stolen overhead cables being stored at a property in Wallacedene. They spotted a male leaving the property in a red Opel Astra and followed him. When they stopped the vehicle along Voortrekker Road, officers found the copper cable,” the city said.

The suspect was taken to Kraaifontein SAPS, where a Transnet representative confirmed that the cable had been stolen.

The city described the 15-year sentence as one of the most significant outcomes resulting from an arrest by its enforcement units.

“Although, to be fair, we do not always know how the story ends, as there is no mechanism that ensures feedback on investigations and convictions. Even in this instance, we came to hear about the matter more than two months after it concluded, but it is welcome news nonetheless, and we commend everyone who had a hand in the successful conclusion of the case, starting with our Law Enforcement Officer who made the arrest,” the city said.

However, the city warned that cable theft remains a significant threat to essential services and infrastructure. In response, it has scaled up the Metal Theft Unit (MTU) in recent years, deploying more officers and technology such as drones, CCTV, and infrared cameras.

In the past 11 months alone, the MTU has made 126 arrests, recovered over a kilometre of stolen cable and nearly two tons of stolen metal. Officers have also completed 4 706 patrols in hotspot areas, conducted 1 573 scrapyard compliance inspections, responded to 501 public complaints, and issued 3 634 by-law fines.

“The illicit scrap metal trade is arguably one of the biggest challenges. We need greater intervention at national level to take the shine out of the trade, and we need consistently strong signals from the criminal justice system that this type of criminal activity won’t be tolerated,” the city added. – SAnews.gov.za

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Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, has laid out a firm and focused roadmap for the department, telling Parliament that the Strategic Plan and Annual Performance Plan being tabled is not “a wishlist” but a policy-driven programme aimed at driving institutional change. 

Presenting the department’s five-year Strategic Plan to the Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Chikunga emphasised that the plan is guided by constitutional responsibility and not rhetoric.

“We are not presenting a wishlist. We are presenting a focused, policy-driven programme of work. And we welcome your oversight, because it helps sharpen our ability to deliver,” she said.

The Minister stressed that the plan was crafted around three core strategic areas, including strengthening the fight against gender-based violence and femicide, responding more directly to youth unemployment and exclusion, and building a truly inclusive state for persons with disabilities.

“This five-year Strategic Plan is not just an internal planning document. It is our contract with the people of South Africa, a commitment to act with focus, discipline, and integrity in advancing their constitutional rights.

“We’ve taken time to reflect honestly on where we are. There are areas where progress has been made, and others where we are simply not moving fast enough. This plan is our attempt to be more deliberate — to do fewer things, better — and to ensure that what we prioritise has the full weight of policy, legislation, and institutional backing,” Chikunga told the Portfolio Committee. 

Scaling up, accelerating delivery

On Gender-Base Violence and Femicide (GBVF), the Minister said the department is moving from “crisis response to institutional permanence,” with efforts underway to finalise the appointment of members to the National Council on GBVF. 

Once established, the Council will serve as a key anchor in implementing the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on GBVF.

“In the interim, the department is strengthening the Technical Task Team, aligning sector departments behind the NSP priorities, and expanding provincial implementation support — with a specific focus on prevention, justice, psychosocial services, and the economic empowerment of survivors,” Chikunga said.

On youth development, she highlighted the revitalisation of the National Youth Machinery and the alignment of National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) support with initiatives such as the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention and the National Pathway Management Network.

Regarding disability rights, the department is enhancing the Disability Rights Machinery, rolling out infrastructure audits to promote universal design, and working with municipalities to improve accessibility.

“We know these challenges won’t be solved by one department. But we also know that if we don’t lead decisively on these issues, they will remain peripheral in the machinery of the state,” she added.

Advancing legislative agenda

Chikunga revealed that the department will push forward with four key Bills during the current Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) period:

• The National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Act — Parliament is finalising Council appointments, while the department works with Treasury and DPSA to operationalise the Council by 1 April 2026.
• The Women Empowerment and Gender Equality (WEGE) Bill — To be submitted to Cabinet this term, aimed at improving compliance with gender equality frameworks.
• The Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill — In final drafting stages and aligned to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
• The South African Youth Development Bill — Still being refined to streamline youth development coordination across the state.

“One of the most powerful tools at our disposal is the ability to legislate to move from policy intent to enforceable obligation. The test of any legislative agenda is not how many laws we pass but how well we implement them,” she said. 

Building institutional discipline

Chikunga underscored the need for strengthened coordination and evidence-based delivery, with a plan to embed gender, youth, and disability imperatives in planning and budgeting frameworks across departments.

“We’ve spoken about focus, impact, and accountability. But none of that is possible without strong coordination systems. If implementation falters, it is often because coordination is weak and we are determined to fix that,” the Minister said.

She outlined ongoing work with Stats SA, Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME), and other sector partners to strengthen Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) systems, track disaggregated data, and ensure community-level feedback informs decision-making.

“Our aim is to move from episodic coordination to institutional discipline. From fragmented responses to coherent delivery. Because ultimately, our success will not be judged by what we announce but by what we achieve,” she added.

Chikunga also acknowledged the gravity of the issues at hand, including youth unemployment, violence against women, and systemic exclusion of persons with disabilities. 

“We are not starting from zero. We are building on foundations — some strong, some uneven — and we intend to accelerate what works, correct what doesn’t, and ensure that our programmes are matched by institutional capability. 

“We do not take this space for granted. It is a moment of reflection, of accountability, and of alignment between the work we do as a department and the constitutional responsibilities that we collectively carry,” she said. – SAnews.gov.za

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International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) Minister, Ronald Lamola will lead South Africa’s delegation to the 4th International Conference on the Financing for Development Summit, scheduled to take place in Seville, Spain, from 30 June – 3 July 2025.  

The conference is convened at the invitation of President Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón of the Government of Spain and United Nations Secretary – General António Guterres. 

In a statement on Saturday, The Presidency said the conference aims to address new and emerging issues in financing for development, including the need to fully implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and reform the international financial architecture.

“President Ramaphosa has delegated Minister Lamola as the Head of Delegation for the Summit following recent political developments that require close monitoring and management in the country. 

“South Africa’s participation at the Summit aligns with its G20 Presidency objectives of solidarity, equality and sustainability in complementing and supporting the Summits’ goals of reshaping the global financial system in support of the Sustainable Development Goals,” the Presidency said. 

On the margins of the 4th Financing for Development Summit, South Africa will convene a side event under the theme: “Forging a common agenda to achieve debt sustainability in developing economies”.
 
South Africa seeks to advance through cooperation and collaboration, sustainable solutions to tackle high structural deficits and liquidity challenges, and to extend debt relief to developing economies which disproportionately affects countries in Africa.  

The side event will bring together leading voices from various debt-related initiatives to identify synergies and areas of convergence. It will seek consensus and highlight solutions that enjoy broad support.

South Africa’s delegation to the 4th International Conference on the Financing for Development Summit comprises the Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Maropene Ramokgopa, Deputy Minister of Finance David Masondo, and senior government officials. – SAnews.gov.za