Category: Africa

Deputy Minister in the Presidency Kenny Morolong has described the establishment of local community radio station, Pheli FM, as a beacon that has touched countless lives, offered hope and served as a trusted companion.

The deputy minister, together with the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA), handed over studio equipment at Pheli FM situated in Atteridgeville, west of Pretoria, on Friday.

The new studio equipment is expected to improve the station’s broadcasting and production capabilities and enhance the quality of its content while providing a more efficient working environment for presenters, volunteers and producers.

“Celebrating 10 years on air this past December is no small feat. It is indeed a testament to the station’s fortitude in an ever increasingly tough media landscape,” Morolong said.

Morolong praised the station’s longevity, citing it as the true ethos of community radio. 

“Pheli FM is deeply embedded in the daily life of the people it serves. It knows the heartbeat of local schools, the small businesses, the community organisations, religious centres, sports clubs and the young people in this community actively searching for opportunities,” he said.

The deputy minister noted the station’s collaboration with residents in documenting the history of Atteridgeville.

“This project highlights just how intertwined the station’s identity is with the people themselves.  When a community has a platform to speak and engage on, it gains the power to find its own solutions. 

“Like so many townships across our country, Atteridgeville continues to wrestle with deep-seated challenges of crime, unemployment, poverty and limited opportunities which are all direct consequences of the legacy of apartheid.   

“We must remember that this township was deliberately designed by the apartheid regime under the Group Areas Act as a segregated dormitory settlement. To overcome this history, we need media platforms that do not merely broadcast what is wrong but actively illuminate what can be done,” Morolong said.

He added that there is a need for platforms that connect people directly to opportunities, inspire young talent and strengthen social cohesion.

“Pheli FM has chosen not to stand on the sidelines, but to stand with this community as part of the solution. You have embraced your mandate to inform, educate, and entertain by actively countering the weight of history by cultivating a culture of skills development and hope.   

“By opening your doors to train local youth as presenters, producers and technicians, you are placing real tools for growth directly into the hands of the community.

“The importance of community media in South Africa cannot be overstated,” he said.

The deputy minister said since the 2004/2005 financial year, the MDDA has funded 361 community radio and television stations. – SAnews.gov.za

Durban Tourism has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the tourism sector and supporting local tourism enterprises through the handover of tools of trade valued at a combined R720 000 to 24 tourism businesses.

The beneficiaries emerged as first and second runners-up in the fifth Durban Tourism Business Awards, held in June 2026.

Category winners received their prizes at the awards ceremony in June, while this week’s handover completed the prize-giving process, with the runners-up receiving tools of trade tailored to their operational needs.

The support included electronics, furniture, office equipment and other essential business tools, based on the specific requirements identified by each beneficiary.

The intervention is aimed at strengthening the businesses’ day-to-day operations, improving their capacity and creating an enabling environment for them to grow and contribute meaningfully to Durban’s tourism economy.

eThekwini Municipality Chairperson of the Economic Development and Planning Committee, Thembo Ntuli, said the city recognised the important role played by innovative tourism businesses in growing Durban’s tourism offering.

“The success of Durban as a tourism destination is linked to the strength, resilience and competitiveness of the businesses and people who form part of our tourism value chain. The handover of these tools of trade is about ensuring that our tourism businesses have the necessary resources to strengthen their operations and grow,” Ntuli said.

He added that supporting tourism enterprises is critical to building a vibrant and inclusive tourism economy that creates opportunities for local businesses and communities. –SAnews.gov.za 

Government, working with the private sector, is making tangible progress in the fight against Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD).

This is according to Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp, who addressed the TLU SA Congress held in Pretoria.

Over the past week, the North West province recorded no new cases of FMD for the first time since December 2025.

“Government and the private sector have worked together to import over 23 million vaccine doses. We are making steady progress with the vaccination of cattle in all provinces.

“Every single commercial dairy cow in South Africa has received their first dose of vaccine. That is over 1.38 million animals. Second-round booster distributions are already moving forward rapidly. Government must not become a bottleneck in animal healthcare. That is why we established a legal path for farmers to vaccinate their own herds,” Aucamp said.

READ | North West records first week with no new FMD cases
 

To date, more than 1000 farmers have registered on the department’s online systems to be classified as an authorised person to vaccinate their own cattle.

“Farmers also have the option to use any of the approved online systems provided by private sector stakeholders, such as the platforms provided by RMIS [Red Meat Industry Services], SAAI [Southern African Agri Initiative] and Buffalo Analytics.

“I want to urge farmers who have the means to proactively vaccinate their cattle to do so,” the Minister said. 

The registration process is as follows:
·       Apply on the FMD Reporting system to be approved as an “Authorised Person” to administer the FMD vaccine.
·       Once you are approved as an “Authorised Person”, you will be required to give notice five days (it will change soon) prior of your intention to vaccinate.
·       Notice should be given to the Provincial Director: Veterinary Services or the State Veterinarian in your area. You will then be able to procure the FMD vaccine directly from the veterinarian in your area.
·       Importantly, within 14 days after administering the vaccine, you must provide the local State Veterinarian with the required feedback on the vaccines that you have administered. This feedback report will include various details of the animals vaccinated, the vaccine used, and the location of the farm where the vaccine was administered.

“This feedback can be done either via the online system or in writing. When you manage biosecurity on your own farm, our national defence against animal disease grows stronger,” Aucamp said.

He told the congress that partnering with government can “unlock incredible potential”.

“We can cut through red tape, streamline strict regulations, and open lucrative new export markets. Joint action, as seen in our fight against Foot and mouth disease, allows us to secure necessary vaccines faster and protect vital supply chains.

“When state policy aligns directly with the practical needs of organised agriculture, we create stability. Government creates the enabling framework, and you do what you do best: farm productively and ensure food security in the country,” Aucamp said. – SAnews.gov.za

If South Africa is to achieve meaningful economic transformation, women entrepreneurs must be given more access to finance, markets, procurement opportunities and investment, Minister for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Sindisiwe Chikunga said on Friday. 

Delivering a keynote address at the Womanpreneur Pitch & Match 2026 at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) in Sandton on Friday, Chikunga said women’s economic empowerment remained one of the unfinished tasks of South Africa’s democracy.

“Women’s economic empowerment is not only a matter of social justice; it is a growth and development strategy. The reality, however, is that we have not yet translated this extensive policy and legislative architecture into the scale of economic empowerment required to achieve real justice for women,” Chikunga said.

Chikunga noted that the Womanpreneur Pitch & Match has evolved from a competition into a genuine instrument of economic transformation, connecting women entrepreneurs to capital, markets, investors, and supply chains.

She linked the event to the country’s commemoration of 70 years since the 1956 Women’s March, 50 years since the 1976 Youth Uprisings, and 30 years of the Constitution.

The Minister said the women of 1956 marched for dignity, while the youth of 1976 rose for opportunity, with the Constitution subsequently enshrining dignity, equality, and non-sexism as foundations of democracy.

“Today, our task is to translate those victories into economic inclusion,” Chikunga said.

Chikunga said the country needs to work towards a society where women with viable business ideas can access the capital, markets, networks, and opportunities required to grow.

Strengthening women’s participation in the economy

The Minister highlighted several government interventions aimed at strengthening women’s participation in the economy. 

These include, among others, preferential procurement policy, which now requires at least 40% of public procurement opportunities to benefit women-owned and other designated enterprises, while Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment encourages companies to support women-owned enterprises through supplier and enterprise development.

She also pointed to the Public Procurement Act, signed into law in July 2024, which is being operationalised through draft regulations. 

“Government has already trained close to 6 000 women-owned businesses to bid for and win state contracts, and departments are required to monitor and report on women’s participation in every procurement process,” Chikunga said.

The Minister also highlighted the R897 million Imbali For Her blended finance programme, launched by the Department of Small Business Development and the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (SEDFA) in May.

The three-year programme offers up to R5 million per applicant, with grants of 40% for able-bodied women and 50% for women with disabilities. It is expected to support close to 975 women-owned businesses and sustain about 2 250 jobs.

“SEDFA has already disbursed R454 million to women-owned businesses in a single quarter and has reached almost half a million women beneficiaries over the past three years.”

However, Chikunga warned that commitments and approvals are not enough.

“Commitments and approvals are not disbursements, and disbursements are not yet jobs,” she said, calling on development finance institutions and private-sector partners to convert commitments into actual funding for women-owned businesses.

She challenged corporate South Africa to increase procurement spending directed towards women-owned businesses, strengthen supplier development and provide innovative financing and patient capital. 

Chikunga also called for women to be supported, not only as suppliers, but as manufacturers, exporters and industrialists.

“The true measure of today’s success will be measured by how many of these businesses have more customers, more capital, more contracts and more employees when we return to this room next year,” she said.

She congratulated the Womanpreneur Alumni Class of 2025 and the Top 10 Finalists of 2026, saying their businesses are already contributing to employment and economic growth.

“Empowered women do not only empower nations, but they also build industries, create jobs, grow economies and change the future,” Chikunga said. – SAnews.gov.za