Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, David Mahlobo, has commended the Water Research Commission’s (WRC) ongoing investment and efforts to provide innovative technological solutions to water challenges through the launch of the Vortex Settling Basin (VSB).
Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, David Mahlobo, has commended the Water Research Commission (WRC) for its continued investment in innovative technologies to address South Africa’s water challenges.
A VSB is a type of water treatment system that utilizes a vortex flow pattern to remove sediments, suspended solids, and other pollutants from water.
It operates on the principle of centrifugal force, allowing heavier particles to settle at the bottom of the basin while cleaner water is discharged from the top.
The VSB effectively removes heavy sediment particles through its vortex action, causing the sediments to settle in a cone shape. These particles can then be extracted by gravity, while the clearer water flows out over a discharge weir.
“This technology will help the municipality with an energy-efficient solution for sediment removal, ensuring a reliable water supply with minimal maintenance. The vortex is at 90% efficiency, which means there will be more water to treat, thus increasing water security in the area. The technology will also ensure good water quality because the turbidity of water will be addressed,” the Deputy Minister said.
Mahlobo made the remarks at the recent official handover and launch of the VSB demonstration at the Thukela River abstraction works in Middledrift, Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal.
The launch marked the beginning of a demonstration phase, during which the system’s effectiveness will be closely monitored for potential wider implementation.
The VSB has a pump capacity of 8.6 mega-litres per day and will benefit a wide range of stakeholders, particularly those reliant on surface water abstraction for agricultural, municipal, and industrial purposes.
The Deputy Minister assured community members that the municipality has gained a cost-effective technology, to be used also to facilitate more desilting by removing sedimentation in the dams.
He highlighted that Madungela was chosen for the demonstration for several reasons, including the large contributing catchment downstream of the existing Spioenkop Dam, resulting in high sediment concentrations; the pump station abstracts raw water directly from the Thukela River and has no gravel trap, and current sediment extrusion is by hydro-cyclones; therefore, a good comparison with VSB performance will be possible.
Mahlobo urged the community to protect the VSB as it will be beneficial to them.
WRC Chief Executive, Dr Jennifer Molwantwa, emphasised that the work done by the commission has important implications, especially for rural communities who will now have access to reliable potable water.
“This kind of work is critically important for the WRC, as it demonstrates our ability to translate theoretical scientific innovations into practical applications—not just at laboratory scale, but also in real-world settings.
“We are hopeful that this innovation will culminate in an economy where all municipalities and bulk water suppliers recognise and adopt it as a groundbreaking technology that has the potential to significantly improve the efficiency and capacity of water treatment systems across the country—particularly benefiting rural communities, where access to reliable and sustainable water services is often limited,” Molwantwa said. –SAnews.gov.za
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
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Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with Managing Director of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Mr. Makhtar Diop. The meeting was also attended by Vice President and General Counsel for IFC, Mr. Ethiopis Tafara, and Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, Dr. Rania Al Mashat.
Spokesman for the Presidency, Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy, said President El-Sisi appreciated IFC’s cooperative relations with Egypt over the past years. The President emphasized Egypt’s keenness on further strengthening this collaboration, particularly in light of the ongoing regional developments, which create formidable challenges on development programs. Mr. Diop agreed with the President and stressed the Corporation’s commitment to its fruitful cooperation with Egypt.
The meeting explored opportunities for joint efforts to enhance investment flows into Egypt and to facilitate financing for the private sector. President El-Sisi confirmed the importance of providing competitive financing rates to reduce costs. He noted that Egypt is adopting a series of policies as well as structural and economic reforms aimed at maintaining financial and economic stability. The President affirmed that the state is committed to boosting the private sector’s role in economic activity and development and is working to bolster private sector confidence in the economy by offering numerous tax and customs facilities to reduce costs and streamline procedures. Additionally, the government is launching initiatives aimed at increasing exports, developing productive and service activities, and expanding public-private partnership projects.
The IFC’s Managing Director lauded Egypt’s economic reform measures, which enhance investor confidence and improve the investment climate. He asserted that joint programs between both parties will continue to further advance cooperation and support the competitiveness of the Egyptian economy.
– on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
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Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received a phone call from President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides.
Spokesman for the Presidency, Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy, said the call focused on regional developments. President El-Sisi emphasized Egypt’s categorical rejection of any expansion of the cycle of conflict in the region, underscoring the crucial importance of ending Israel’s military operations across all regional fronts. President El-Sisi warned that the continuation of the current approach will inflict grave and formidable harm on all peoples of the region, with no exception.
President El-Sisi affirmed the vital necessity for the international community to assume a more effective role in compelling regional parties to act responsibly. The President asserted that peaceful solutions remain the sole viable means to ensure security and stability in the region. President El-Sisi underlined the urgent need to resume the US-Iranian negotiations, under the auspices of the Sultanate of Oman, which represents the best solution to the current tension. President El-Sisi reiterated Egypt’s unequivocal stance with regard to the imperative for establishing a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, encompassing all states of the region.
President El-Sisi emphasized that a just and comprehensive resolution to the Palestinian issue remains the sole guarantor for achieving enduring peace and stability in the Middle East. This necessitates an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the release of hostages and detainees, the establishment of an independent Palestinian State along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, as well as providing security for all peoples of the region.
– on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, has assured the public that the provincial government remains committed to ensuring fairness in both hiring and procurement processes in public infrastructure projects.
This comes after concerns raised by local businesses about the perceived exclusion of a preferential procurement clause in the hiring of workers for the rehabilitation works along the Golden Highway (R553) project, amongst others.
The grievances sparked protest action, which temporarily halted construction activities last week.
LoneRock Construction, the main contractor, has since resumed attending to a set of demands by local, small, and medium enterprises (SMEs). The main contractor has since responded positively to their demands.
These latest developments has led to the resumption of roadworks.
“We recognise the frustrations of affected community members, particularly concerning access to employment and subcontracting opportunities in public infrastructure projects. It is for this reason that, upon being made aware of the challenges, we immediately intervened and held engagements with affected parties.
“As the Department of Roads and Transport, we would like to assure the public that we remain fully committed to the principles of inclusive economic transformation, community empowerment, and transparent procurement processes, in accordance with national legislation,” the MEC said on Friday.
Diale-Tlabela urged local businesses and community members to engage concerns through formal channels, including project steering committees, ward councillors, and the project liaison offices, to ensure grievances are addressed and amicable solutions sought.
She also condemned actions of those who disrupt construction sites with the aim to extort, intimidate, and cause violence.
“The department condemns any acts of violence, property damage, or obstruction of public roads and urges all affected parties to operate within the law as we work towards a solution that embodies fairness, transparency, and inclusivity.
“We remain open to engaging all stakeholders to strengthen our collective commitment to transformation, empowerment, and socio-economic development in the communities we serve,” the MEC emphasised.
Notwithstanding the delays, the MEC said the project should be delivered within budget and without unnecessary delays.
She reaffirmed the department’s responsibility to ensure that policies and practices align with legal and ethical standards of empowerment, equity, and social justice.
The department said it is currently reviewing the procurement and employment processes applied in the project in question in order to assess compliance with the legislative requirements.
“If any non-compliance is identified, the department will take corrective actions to ensure accountability and prevent future occurrences,” the department said. –SAnews.gov.za
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) has issued a final call to South Africa’s creative community, including artists, industry bodies, and cultural organisations, to submit their most outstanding work for consideration in the 2025 National Arts and Culture Awards (NACA).
The closing date for submissions is 20 June 2025.
Now in its second year, the NACA Awards, previously known as the Cultural and Creative Industry Awards, shine a national spotlight on the creators, innovators, and visionaries who push boundaries and shape South Africa’s cultural identity.
Whether you work as a filmmaker, dancer, designer, curator, musician, writer, or performer, this is your stage.
Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, said the NACA Awards are more than recognition, “they are a reflection of who we are as a people.”
“We urge the sector to submit their finest work, not just to compete, but to inspire. Share your most thoughtful, impactful, and meaningful creations, works that capture the spirit of our nation and contribute to South Africa’s creative landscape.
“If you’ve been waiting for the right moment, this is your time to share your brilliance with the country,” McKenzie said.
The 2025 NACA Awards will feature 30 honours across six major categories, and these include:
Heritage Sites
Visual Arts and Crafts
Literary Works
Audio Visual and Interactive Media
Design and Creative Services
Performing Arts
In addition, the Ministerial (Discretionary) Awards will be conferred at the Minister’s discretion and do not require nominations.
Key eligibility criteria are as follows:
Open to South African citizens, permanent residents, and locally owned entities
Works must be professional and have been created or released between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025
Entries must be submitted online at www.naca.dsac.gov.za. Each submission should include all required documentation and media samples. Incomplete entries will not be considered.-SAnews.gov.za
The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Angie Motshekga, has welcomed the return of 249 South African troops who were deployed to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as part of the Southern African Development Community Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC).
The first group of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) heroes and heroines arrived at the Air Force Base Waterkloof in Pretoria on Friday from Tanzania, following South Africa’s phased withdrawal from the regional peacekeeping mission.
“The idea of seeing our soldiers in good spirits and genuinely excited to be home not only speaks volumes of their unwavering patriotism but is also a powerful expression of their steadfast commitment to defend the territorial integrity of the Republic and support its people – a constitutional mandate every member of the South African National Defence Force lives and serves by,” Motshekga said.
The withdrawal of the soldiers was announced by the Minister in May, following a “high level consultation with several role-players in the peacekeeping efforts within the eastern DRC”.
Earlier this year, 14 troop members lost their lives and others sustained injuries during clashes with the M23 rebel group, as fighting in the Goma region escalated.
The rebel group fought intensely against the Congolese armed forces, resulting in the deaths of soldiers from 23 to 27 January 2025 during M23’s advance on Sake and Goma.
The South African soldiers were part of the SAMIDRC, which aims to help restore peace, security, and stability in Africa’s second-largest country.
Motshekga noted that part of the meticulous withdrawal process includes safe retrieval of all Prime Mission Equipment (PME), which is currently underway.
“As stated by the Chief of the SANDF during our last media briefing on this matter, we shall not leave even a pin behind. All necessary logistical support will continue until the withdrawal is fully completed.
“We are fully aware that half the work is done in terms Prime Mission Equipment movement, hence we are working around the clock with our counterparts in the region to ensure that the process runs expeditiously with minimal logistical risks,” the Minister said.
She assured the people of South Africa that government will continue to provide the latest developments as the process unfolds.
“Our main focus from now on is to prioritise their standard procedure of demobilisation. This will include crucial psychosocial sessions, after which they will return to their respective units and, thereafter, be reunited with their families,” the Minister said.
Motshekga reaffirmed South Africa’s continued commitment to a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Southern African region. –SAnews.gov.za
President Cyril Ramaphosa has congratulated the Proteas on their historic victory in the International Cricket Council’s Test Championship, after five-wicket win over Australia at Lord’s, England, on Saturday.
South Africa beat Australia on the fourth day, through a superb team effort at the home of cricket.
“Your win is a major boost for cricket in South Africa, and you have inspired a new generation of cricketers. I call on the nation to come and greet the Cricket World Champions when they arrive back in the country this week,” the President said in a statement on Saturday.
The President described the win as being built around excellent performances by the batsmen in the second innings.
There was the brilliant batting by Aiden Markram who scored 136 and the captain, Temba Bavuma with his 66 runs.
Their match-winning partnership was pivotal in the team’s success.
The bowlers, led by Kagiso Rabada, also kept the pressure on the Australian batsmen and never allowed them to dominate.
“Coach Shukri Conrad, captain Bavuma and the team have done South Africa proud. They started the match as underdogs but that indomitable spirit, that is a characteristic of our nation, carried the team through. The Proteas underlined the importance of being focussed on the field and triumphed,” the President said. –SAnews.gov.za
His Majesty King Mohammed VI has sent a congratulatory message to HM King Charles III, Sovereign of the United Kingdom, on his birthday.
In this message, the Sovereign expresses His warmest congratulations and His wishes of good health and happiness to HM King Charles III, Her Majesty Queen Camilla and all members of the Royal Family, and of further progress and prosperity to the British people.
“I should like to thank this opportunity to commend the special, long-standing relations enjoyed by our two countries. I am sure Your Majesty shares my strong desire to consolidate and expand our ties in all sectors, for the mutual benefit of our peoples,” HM the King writes.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kingdom of Morocco – Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates.
His Majesty King Mohammed VI has sent a message of condolence and compassion to the President of the Republic of India, Droupadi Murmu, following the crash of an Air India plane which caused multiple casualties.
In this message, His Majesty the King says that He was deeply saddened by the news of the Air India passenger plane crash in Ahmedabad, in which many people unfortunately lost their lives.
On this sad occasion, the Sovereign expresses His heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathy to President Murmu, the grieving families and the people of India.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kingdom of Morocco – Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates.
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Kim Gurney, Senior Researcher, Centre for Humanities Research — Platform: SA-UK Bilateral Digital Humanities Chair in Culture & Technics, University of the Western Cape
Independent art spaces are collectives of artists (and others) who club together to set up a communal space – often in former industrial sites and more affordable parts of the city – to further their practice. These spaces are DIY art institutions, if you like, that operate largely under the radar. In art world lingo, “offspaces”.
Designed for purpose over profit, they encourage experimental work and creative risk-taking. They also favour art in public space, which provides an intriguing lens on the city.
My Africa-wideresearch took me to five such spaces, each at least 10 years old, so that I could learn their secret sauce of sustainability. I found it’s largely about shapeshifting, a capacity for constant reinvention. The key ingredient is artistic thinking, made up of five key principles highlighted in the examples below.
Offspaces are found everywhere but have notably grown across Africa over the past couple of decades, along with fast-changing cities and a resurgent art scene. One big picture point is crucial, and that’s about urbanisation. Globally, more and more people are moving to cities and most of them are young – by 2050, one in three young people in the world will be of African origin and the continent will be largely urban.
There can be a lack of imagination about what all this means and that’s where artists come in. They offer new ideas to help build the world we want to live in, rather than reinforce the one we already have.
Offspaces in Africa have to navigate prevailing uncertainty, which is a daily reality for most people living in cities. In response, artists band together to build their own pseudo institutions, bit by bit. These self-made pathways offer useful navigational tactics for others – or “panya routes”, as Kenyans call the trails that motorbike taxis invent.
The spaces I visited were all moving away from reliance on foreign donor funding (given little or no state support) towards a hybrid model that blends with local philanthropy, collaborative economies and self-generated income schemes. They also want to own their own land and hold assets so that they can think about the future.
1. The GoDown Arts Centre – Nairobi, Kenya
Murals at the former GoDown (2010), currently being rebuilt.Katy Fentress/Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA
The GoDown Arts Centre was established in 2003. Previously a large compound of repurposed warehouses (“godowns”) in Nairobi’s industrial area, right now it’s a construction site as it morphs into an iconic cultural hub. GoDown 2.0 is a multipurpose vision that works at different scales, like a fractal. There will be a large, welcoming facade leading into a semi-public section for music and dance, with artist studios at the heart. Plus galleries, library, museum, auditorium, offices, hotel, a restaurant, conference facilities and parking.
Its rebuild is a great example of how artists create public space: in phases. It follows a radical “design-with-people” approach, starting with years of input from all directions to reconsider the building and its relationship to the city.
This ground-up ethos of horizontality, the first key principle, also shapes its signature event, an annual public arts festival called Nai Ni Who? (Who is Nairobi?). Local residents are the curators, and the everyday city is the artwork. Participants are taken around neighbourhoods on foot to experience the good, the bad, and the possibilities. These grounded insights also inform ongoing engagements GoDown has with policymakers about the shape of a future Nairobi.
2. ANO Institute – Accra, Ghana
ANO Institute’s Mobile Museum in Accra.Kim Gurney
ANO, established in 2002, repurposed a former workshop for car repairs into a gallery, after starting life in a public park. On the other side of the road, opposite the gallery, stood its office, residency space and growing library.
Most intriguingly, a striking rectilinear structure was positioned alongside. This Mobile Museum mimics the trading kiosks that line every street. Many are also shapeshifters: kindergarten by day, church by night, for example.
ANO’s empty museum, collapsible and see-through, went on a countrywide adventure in 2018 and 2019, asking people to imagine its contents, and later revisited with the results. It signalled a larger and ongoing effort, Future Museum, to find a more relevant exhibition form that’s alive to the fluid way culture is threaded here into everyday life.
ANO demonstrates the second principle of performativity – that is, not only saying things with art but doing things too. More recently, it rebuilt on a new site in central Accra, designed by 87-year-old Ophelia Akiwumi, entirely from raffia palm in a focus on indigenous knowledge systems.
3. Townhouse Gallery – Cairo, Egypt
Townhouse Gallery in 2019, exhibiting paintings by Imane Ibrahim.Kim Gurney
I visited Townhouse just after it reclaimed its inner-city premises following a partial physical collapse. But this turned out to be a false restart. It closed for good not long after, citing a complex brew of factors that ended 21 years of various battles and resurrections. That it survived so long – from 1998 until 2019 – is remarkable for an offspace.
Part of the reason was its solidarity networks, including with neighbourhood communities – mostly mechanic shops and other artisanal trades who even helped Townhouse rebuild. In its heyday, Townhouse comprised an art gallery, library, theatre and performance venue, and notably hatched other spaces.
The latest rose like a phoenix from its ashes – Access Art Space, which reanimates the same physical space with visual art exhibitions. The legacy of Townhouse is the third principle of elasticity – responding nimbly to constant flux but also being able to refuse impossible conditions with “the right no” (a necessary response in certain situations).
4. ZOMA Museum – Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
One of Zoma Museum’s buildings crafted by local artisans using time-honoured building techniques.Kim Gurney
ZOMA Museum has also lived many lives. Starting small, its roots were in a three-day public arts festival called Giziawi #1 (Temporary). It comprised performances and exhibitions across the city but focused on Meskel Square, a key public space.
Zoma Contemporary Art Centre grew out of that in 2002, followed in 2019 by Zoma Museum when its co-founders bought a plot of polluted land. Its rehabilitation into an ecological haven has become a case study in sustainable architecture.
Zoma is built by local artisans from mud and straw using indigenous technologies going back centuries. Yet its elegant buildings look futuristic. Zoma is all about the fourth principle of convergence – the past, present and future all happening at once. It’s also about doing multiple things, like running Zoma School, an inherited kindergarten. The land is part of the curriculum.
Just a year after it opened, Zoma spawned yet another life, an offshoot in a newly opened park blending nature with culture and recreation.
5. Nafasi Art Space – Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
The classroom at Nafasi’s self-built art school in Dar es Salaam.Kim Gurney
Nafasi is Swahili for opportunity or chance, which fittingly describes the workings of Nafasi Art Space, established in 2008 – that is, second chance. This fifth and final principle of artistic thinking means giving materials, people and situations another go.
A good example of this is Nafasi’s new art school, built using repurposed shipping containers, like the rest of its premises – artist studios, a spacious gallery and performance arena. In the 2022 academy cohort, a general practice lawyer and an accountant were learning alongside artists, with a biologist at the helm.
Nafasi Art Academy cites the city’s biggest local market, Kariakoo, as design reference, particularly its distinctive elevated canopy and swirling stairwell. The curriculum also takes local context as a starting point, structured in themes to answer community-led questions. Its key function, like all the other offspaces, is storytelling. And the story it tells best is about institution-building as art.
– 5 indie art spaces in African cities worth knowing more about – https://theconversation.com/5-indie-art-spaces-in-african-cities-worth-knowing-more-about-258009
