Category: Africa

In an effort to address the challenge of drivers transporting schoolchildren being involved in fatal traffic accidents, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has advocated for strengthening legislation to guarantee that scholar transport drivers are certified in advanced and defensive driving.

Addressing members of the media on Thursday during a scholar transport operation in Lenasia, south of Johannesburg, the Minister said driver behaviour plays a significant role road in road crashes. Furthermore, she proposed that all scholar transport vehicles be clearly marked. She said the Department of Education and the Department of Transport must keep a separate database of scholar transport vehicles. 

The operation in Lenasia was also meant to validate the required permits for scholar transport drivers and assess the roadworthiness of vehicles.

This comes after 13 schoolchildren died in an accident while travelling to school in the Vaal on Monday.

“In terms of the National Land Transport Regulations, every private vehicle must have a contract between the operator and the school. They must carry a certified copy of the contract, which recognises that the transport is transporting learners to a particular school. That contract must be kept in the vehicle.

“The second requirement of the existing law is that the driver must have a special identity document that identifies him or her as a scholar transport service provider and that document must have the name of the driver, the identity number of the driver, the name of the operator and a code indicating the type of vehicle that is being used,” Creecy said.

Furthermore, a teacher must supervise a transport vehicle that provides services to pre-primary children or primary school children.

“We need to do more in terms of operations to enforce the existing regulations. Today’s operation, carried out by the National Traffic Department, is intended to target what we call private scholar transport vehicles. 

“These are not vehicles that are procured by the Department of Education for Scholar Transport, but they are vehicles that parents themselves have procured so that their children can reach different schools,”  the Minister said.

According to Creecy, the Department of Transport is in discussion with the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) on the introduction of tracking devices in vehicles and in due course, the introduction of dashcams. 

“Clearly, this is an issue that can be implemented over time, since it has economic implications for the operators themselves, but it is something that we would like to work toward as we govern driver behaviour in the trucking business. We should be able to control driver behaviour not only in the taxi sector as a whole, but also in the student transportation industry,” she said.

Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, encouraged the public to report reckless driving on the road by using the National Traffic Call Centre (NTCC) – 0861 400 800.

“Please help us save lives. We have a hotline to report reckless driving and overloading of children in scholar transport. You can also assist us by taking videos, taking registration numbers and putting them on our social media platforms, the Facebook, Twitter and the Department of Road and Transport.

“We are working closely with municipalities and law enforcement agencies to ensure that we eradicate lawlessness but we also, importantly, save lives,” Diale-Tlabela said. – SAnews.gov.za

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has dispatched a team of dam safety engineers to assess and closely monitor Senteeko Dam near Barberton in Mpumalanga, within the City of Mbombela Local Municipality, following reports that the dam is at risk of failure.

The intervention follows notification received by the department regarding the condition of the privately owned dam.

The department said the dam, officially registered as My Own Dam (publicly referred to as Senteeko Dam), is registered with the Department’s Dam Safety Office as a medium-sized dam, standing 26 metres high with a storage capacity of 1.8 million cubic metres. The dam is owned by the Shamile Communal Property Association (CPA) and is used for irrigation purposes.

According to the department, a team of dam safety engineers, working with the owner’s previously appointed Approved Professional Person (APP) for the dam, has been dispatched to site to conduct a technical assessment of reported damage and to continue monitoring the dam closely.

“The dam is an earthfall embarkment dam with a concrete spillway. Assessments and observations by the department’s Dam Safety Specialists indicate that undercutting of the spillway channel is continuing, eroding and posing a threat to the stability of the structure.

“The spillway channel slab is currently slightly suspended or cantilevered. There is currently no overtopping of the dam wall, and no excessive seepage has been observed on the earthfill embankment wall,” the department said in a statement.

The department confirmed that the dam’s outlet valve has been fully opened in accordance with the dam operating rules. However, due to increased inflows from the Die Kaap River, which is a tributary feeding the dam, the lowering of the dam water level has been minimal.

“This side-channel spillway is intended to lower the water level in the dam, thereby reducing undercutting of the spillway channel and preventing catastrophic failure of the dam. It is anticipated that this exercise will proceed even if additional rainfall is experienced.

“The areas most likely to be affected have been identified as those in close proximity to the dam, particularly Barberton Valley. Relevant communications, warnings and evacuation processes are being implemented by the relevant authorities,” the department said.

Meanwhile, observations by the Inkomati-Usuthu Catchment Management Agency (IUCMA) indicate that flows in the upper reaches of the Die Kaap River have decreased since 19 January 2026.

The Crocodile River, located about 60 kilometres from Senteeko Dam, is currently flowing within normal recent peak levels.

The department said that any additional flows that may result from an unforeseen dam failure, should current interventions prove insufficient, are expected to have minimal impact on transboundary flows to Mozambique, which are currently elevated due to the recent flooding.

“The Department of Water and Sanitation takes dam safety seriously and urges communities to comply with all evacuation orders issued along the Die Kaap River. The public is also advised to avoid low-water bridges, unnecessary travel, and activities near rivers,” the department said. – SAnews.gov.za
 

As severe weather conditions have eased down across parts of the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces, including areas in the Kruger National Park (KNP), the Crocodile Bridge Gate will re-open for day visitors from today. 

“Visitors are advised that the situation, however, remains dynamic. A dam wall outside the park has been reported to be compromised, and this may change operational conditions at short notice, including access through Crocodile Bridge Gate,” the South African National Parks (SANParks) said.

All gravel roads remain closed until further notice and visitors are strongly urged not to remove barricades placed at closed gates or on restricted roads, as these are in place for public safety and infrastructure protection.

Guests are requested to consider taking their waste with them when leaving the park, as operations remain under pressure following recent flooding.

The Malelane Gate, Numbi Gate and Paul Kruger Gate remain open, with an entry quota system still in place. Phabeni Gate remains closed.

“The southern and northern sections of the park remain cut off from each other, which means that Tshokwane Picnic Site, Satara Rest Camp, and the northern regions of the park are not accessible at this stage.

“SANParks continues to monitor conditions closely and will communicate any changes as they occur. Visitors are urged to adhere strictly to all instructions and signage for their own safety. Further updates will be communicated as the situation evolves,” SANParks said. –SAnews.gov.za

The Keurbooms–Soetkraal fire, which affected parts of the Tsitsikamma Section of the Garden Route National Park, has been successfully contained. 

The fire burned an estimated 22 500 hectares in total.

“Following continuous monitoring and coordinated suppression efforts, the fire is now fully under control, with no further spread anticipated. The fire was closely monitored using both aerial and ground resources throughout the operation,” the South African National Parks (SANParks) said on Thursday.

From an ecological perspective, the fire is regarded as highly beneficial. 

It contributed positively to fynbos regeneration and assisted in controlling alien plants.

“Estimates indicate that achieving similar alien vegetation control through conventional methods would have cost between R60 million and R80 million. 

“By comparison, the total cost of managing the fire amounted to approximately R4.5 million, representing a considerable ecological return relative to expenditure.

“SANParks thanks all partners, firefighting teams and stakeholders for their cooperation and commitment throughout the incident.” –SAnews.gov.za

President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Advocate Dinkie Portia Dube as the Deputy Public Protector of the Republic of South Africa for a term of seven years, effective from 1 February 2026.

In a statement on Thursday, The Presidency said the appointment was made in terms of section 2A(1) of the Public Protector Act, 1994 (Act No. 23 of 1994), following a recommendation by the National Assembly.

Adv Dube brings more than 20 years of experience in the public sector, with extensive expertise in oversight, complaints management and investigations.

She currently serves as the Director-General of the Public Service Commission. Prior to this role, she was the Chief Director: Operations in the Office of the Military Ombud.

Between 2011 and 2014, Dube served as the Provincial Director of the Gauteng Office of the Public Protector South Africa.

Her professional background also includes work in complaints resolution at the former Department of Trade and Industry’s Office of Consumer Protection, as well as a tenure as a legal officer at the South African Human Rights Commission.

“President Ramaphosa wishes Adv Dube well in her new role in the Public Protector as a supreme administrative oversight body with the power to investigate, report on and remedy improper conduct in all matters of the state,” the Presidency said. – SAnews.gov.za