Category: English

The State Visit to Botswana is not merely a diplomatic formality, but a “coming together of brethren from the same family”.

This is according to President Cyril Ramaphosa who delivered remarks at a State Banquet hosted by Botswana President Duma Boko on the first day of the two-day visit to the country.

“Allow me to express my sincere appreciation for the distinct privilege and honour of being invited for this historic State Visit.

“This is no ordinary State Visit. It is a coming together of brethren from the same family. We are one people, born of the same soil and bound together by a shared history,” President Ramaphosa stated on Wednesday.

He underscored the historical debt owed to Botswana, which served as a crucial frontline state and sanctuary during South Africa’s painful liberation struggle against apartheid.

“Together, we are part of SADC [Southern African Development Community], a community of nations that played a pivotal role in the liberation of South Africa from the crime of apartheid. 

“Botswana was an ally and friend of the South African people in our quest for justice, democracy and human rights for all.

“Botswana provided solidarity, support and refuge to our people during our days of need, sometimes at a great cost to yourself,” the President noted.

Years later, President Ramaphosa added, the two countries “continue to experience the dynamism of the ties between our peoples forged through a common history, heritage and geography”.

Looking ahead to the Bi-National Commission which will be held on Thursday, the President emphasised the need to seize the opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area and to strengthen cooperation within the Southern African Customs Union.

“Our fortunes are intertwined and the possibilities of our cooperation are endless.

“The levels of trade and investment between our two countries are substantial. There is much scope to expand commerce between our countries and to achieve greater balance in the volume and value of trade.

“The sixth session of the Bi-National Commission [BNC], which we will co-chair…will deliberate on the many and diverse areas of bilateral cooperation that underpin our collaboration,” he said.

Concluding with a toast, President Ramaphosa raised his glass to President Boko’s health, Botswana’s prosperity and the “enduring bonds of friendship and partnership between the peoples of South Africa and Botswana”, insisting that the two neighbouring nations would remain “forever together”.

Earlier on Wednesday, International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola called for deeper and more practical cooperation between South Africa and Botswana, as the two countries convened the Ministerial Session of the Sixth BNC in Gaborone.

READ | South Africa and Botswana deepen cooperation

Delivering opening remarks, Lamola emphasised that the identification of new and impactful areas of cooperation remains critical.  – SAnews.gov.za

 

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Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa, says government has intensified preparations for the 2026 Local Government Elections scheduled for 4 November 2026.

Delivering the 2026/27 Budget Vote for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in Parliament on Wednesday, Hlabisa said several key milestones had already been achieved to ensure the polls are conducted smoothly.

These include the establishment of an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Municipal Elections, the finalisation of councillor numbers, delimitation of 4 488 wards nationally, and ongoing voter registration work by the Electoral Commission of South Africa.

Hlabisa said government remained committed to ensuring that the elections uphold democratic principles and public confidence.

“The key principle guiding us is simple: the elections must be free, fair, credible, and beyond reproach,” he said.
The Minister said preparations are progressing steadily through collaboration between government departments and electoral authorities ahead of the nationwide municipal polls.

The Minister stressed that capable municipalities are essential for a capable state, warning that local government institutions cannot not function effectively where appointments are irregular, leadership is unstable, and accountability is weak.

Government is therefore strengthening competency-based recruitment, the professionalisation of municipal administration, performance management systems, and ethical leadership.

Hlabisa tabled a combined R423.4 billion budget for the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs for the 2026/27 financial year. Of the total allocation, R422.5 billion has been earmarked for Cooperative Governance, while R900 million will go towards Traditional Affairs.

Traditional Affairs reforms
On Traditional Affairs, Hlabisa said government continued to address the Constitutional Court ruling through the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Bill of 2025, which has now been introduced in Parliament.

In June last year the Minister welcomed the Constitutional Court’s ruling to extend the validity of the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act (TKLA) for an additional two years, allowing more time to finalise replacement legislation.

READ | Minister welcomes Constitutional Court’s decision on Leadership Act

“Progress is also being made on recognition of Khoi-San communities; strengthening customary governance; and integrating traditional leadership into development planning,” the Minister said on Wednesday.

On customary initiation, the Minister said government remained committed to achieving zero fatalities linked to customary initiation practices, emphasising that no cultural practice must result in loss of life.

“We are strengthening regulations, enforcement, and accountability. We are also exploring stronger legal consequences for negligence,” Hlabisa said.

Hlabisa said government is also strengthening the role of traditional leadership in governance through participation in development planning, structured collaboration with municipalities and alignment with the revised White Paper.

“Development in rural areas will not succeed without this partnership,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za
 

 

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In a move aimed at improving public access to reliable information, the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) is repositioning itself as a central hub for credible government content, enhanced media monitoring and faster responses to citizens’ concerns. 

“This is part of evolving GCIS from being just a coordinator of the government communication system, but to also serve as a government content hub by becoming a central content authority of government communication,” Minister in The Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said on Wednesday.

The shift is intended to close communication gaps and ensure South Africans are better informed about government’s efforts to improve lives across the country.

Tabling the GCIS Budget Vote in Parliament, Ntshavheni said the new approach would strengthen consistency in government messaging, enable the government to frame its own narratives, and counter misinformation using verified sources.

She said the model would also help government maintain information authority during crises by serving as a central source of verified information for both citizens and media houses.

“The GCIS has started to operationalise the Editorial Content Centre (ECC), which is being replicated at the provincial level. The Editorial Content Centre coordinates the other four pillars for informed editorial decision-making,” the Minister said.

The key pillars of the Government Content Hub model are the Editorial Content Centre (ECC), the SAnews wire service, the platforms approach, the revised media engagement approach, and a national fact-checking capability.

SAnews wire service

During the 2025/26 Budget Debate, the Minister said the GCIS was positioning SAnews, the government’s news agency, as a fully fledged government wire service, aimed not only at publishing content, but also at redistributing government news articles more widely.

Ntshavheni said the work was progressing well. 

“Therefore, the performance measurement of SAnews is not based on website traffic but on the number of downstream channels that have used the SAnews content or the redistribution rate. 

“The next steps will include releasing alerts and statements through SAnews. On the redistribution rate, between April of 2025 and March 2026, 377 (306 National and 77 international) SAnews content was reused by downstream channels,” the Minister said.

Platforms approach 

Starting in the 2026/27 financial year, the GCIS will begin monitoring weekly reach, engagement and shares across all its content platforms, not only for performance measurement, but also to address what it calls the “visibility gap”.

“Closing the visibility gap requires GCIS to have a structured summary and analysis of what citizens are asking and sharing, and where government is absent from conversations which are underway. The insights will inform redistribution, content decisions and editorial actions. 

“This advances the work on improved engagement rate aimed at improving interaction between government and citizens, which we piloted in the 2025/26 [financial year]. From that pilot, it is pleasing to report a substantial growth of GCIS-managed digital platforms, which achieved over a 1.4 billion reach in 2025/26,” the Minister said.

Media engagement

In an effort to expand its reach through local languages, the revised media engagement strategy will place greater emphasis on community media.

“The reviewed media engagement approach emphasises both the proactive and reactive elements, which are supported by a strong media monitoring capacity. 

“The media monitoring function identifies narratives needing responses or amplification. On the proactive front, the revised media engagement approach supports the implementation of Departmental, Provincial, or Local Government Communication Plans,” Ntshavheni said.

During the 2026/27 financial year, the GCIS will strengthen monitoring of government communication plans at both compliance and substantive levels.

Budget allocation

The total budget allocation for GCIS over the 2026/27, 2027/28 and 2028/29 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) period amounts to R2.503 billion.

This represents a 3.15% decrease compared to the 2025/26 allocation.

This budget is allocated as follows per year: 

• 2026/27: R803, 246 million;
• 2027/28: R837, 030 million; and
• 2028/29: R863, 045 million.

Of the 2026/27 allocation, R262.523 million is earmarked for transfers and subsidies. This includes R218.349 million for Brand South Africa and R41.924 million for the Media Development and Diversity Agency.

An operating budget of R535.067 million has been allocated, including R324.517 million for employee compensation to support 500 permanent positions, and R210.550 million for goods and services. –SAnews.gov.za

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Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa has tabled a combined R423.4 billion budget for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs for the 2026/27 financial year, with government placing renewed focus on fixing dysfunctional municipalities, improving service delivery, and strengthening disaster preparedness.

Presenting the department’s budget in Parliament on Wednesday, Hlabisa said the allocations were aimed at building capable and accountable local government institutions while supporting traditional leadership structures.

Of the total allocation, R422.5 billion has been earmarked for Cooperative Governance, while R900 million will go towards Traditional Affairs.

Hlabisa said the budget should be viewed as a “delivery instrument” intended to improve municipal performance and the quality of life of communities across the country.

The Minister said government had completed its review of the White Paper on Local Government under the theme: “Every Municipality Must Work”, describing it as a key step towards strengthening governance, accountability and service delivery in municipalities.

“The revised White Paper recognises that local government today operates in a far more complex environment than in 1998. It provides a renewed and realistic framework to strengthen governance, accountability and service delivery,” the Minister said.

Several legislative reforms are also being advanced, including amendments aimed at improving municipal governance and addressing instability in coalition-led councils ahead of the 2026 local government elections scheduled for 4 November 2026.

Among the legislative reforms are:

•    The Local Government: General Laws Amendment Bill will improve governance and operational efficiency;
•    The Municipal Structures Amendment Bill (Coalitions Bill) will address instability in coalition governments. Political parties that will form a coalition government post 4 November 2026 will have to enter into coalition agreements
•    The Independent Municipal Demarcation Authority Bill will strengthen transparency and accountability; and
•    The Draft Fire Services Bill will modernise fire service governance.

Ethical leadership and audit outcomes

The Minister said government was strengthening competency-based recruitment, professionalising municipal administration and reinforcing ethical leadership.

“The introduction of the Code for Ethical Leadership, together with ethics training programmes, is reinforcing accountability. Without ethical leadership, no reform will succeed,” he said.

Hlabisa also noted improvements in municipal audit outcomes, with 59 municipalities recording improvements and 41 municipalities achieving clean audits.

“Where there is discipline, monitoring and consequence management, improvement follows,” the Minister said.

However, he acknowledged that governance weaknesses and financial mismanagement remained serious concerns in many municipalities.

Interventions in distressed municipalities

Government continues to provide targeted support to municipalities experiencing instability.

In Emfuleni, a Special Purpose Vehicle with Rand Water is being established to stabilise water services.

Meanwhile, national intervention in Ditsobotla has helped stabilise governance, improve financial management and restore basic services following prolonged instability.

“We will not hesitate to intervene where municipalities fail communities,” Hlabisa said.

Infrastructure and service delivery

Hlabisa noted that the District Development Model (DDM) remained central to government’s work but would now move “from planning to delivery.”

Measures being introduced include stronger accountability mechanisms, delivery dashboards and clearer escalation protocols.

The Minister also said government was exploring blended finance models, private sector partnerships, and new funding models to address infrastructure funding constraints.

“We must move beyond reliance on limited municipal balance sheets,” Hlabisa said.

Repositioning of the community work programme

Government plans to reposition the programme towards skills development, enterprise creation and sustainable livelihoods.

The Minister noted that the Community Work Programme currently supports more than 186 000 participants across the country.

Participants are already contributing to waste management, minor infrastructure repairs and local service delivery initiatives.

“This programme must become a pathway to economic opportunity, not only income support,” Hlabisa said.

Disaster recovery support

The Minister said government had allocated R2.161 billion in the previous financial year to 92 municipalities for disaster recovery efforts in provinces including the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West.

An additional R191.16 million was provided through the Disaster Response Grant to municipalities facing immediate pressures.

Further allocations of R151 million for provinces and R203 million for municipalities are also being finalised.

“Furthermore, R166 million was reprioritised from the Municipal Infrastructure Grant to respond to recent floods, especially in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and other provinces,” Hlabisa said.

He stressed that the budget was intended to improve the lives of citizens through better-performing municipalities.

“This budget is not an accounting exercise; it is a delivery instrument. It must translate into functioning municipalities and improved lives.” – SAnews.gov.za
 

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Government has allocated R57.6 billion to the Department of Defence for the 2026/27 financial year, with a strong focus on border safeguarding, internal security support and rebuilding South Africa’s defence capabilities amid mounting regional and domestic security pressures.

Tabling Budget Vote 23 in the National Assembly on Wednesday, Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga said the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) remains central to protecting the country’s sovereignty, supporting internal stability and safeguarding strategic national interests.

“The SANDF remains essential to sovereignty, central to internal stability and critical to the Republic’s regional and global obligations. Parliament is encouraged to support the Department’s efforts for adequate resources.

“We must choose to align defence ambition with an increased funding trajectory; restore coherence between policy and force design; protect the soldier as the centre of capability; rebuild critical domains; correct governance failures; stabilise operational financing; and renew the defence industrial base in support of long-term sovereignty,” the Minister said.

Motshekga warned that growing maritime traffic along the Cape Sea Route, illegal migration, organised crime and infrastructure deterioration continue to place significant pressure on the defence force.

R57.6bn budget allocation for defence priorities

The Department of Defence received a total allocation of R57.6 billion for the 2026/27 financial year.

The allocation includes:

• R37.7 billion for compensation of employees; 
• R2.5 billion for the SA Army;
• R2.7 billion for the SA Air Force; 
• R1.9 billion for the SA Navy;
• R1.5 billion for Military Health Services; 
• R4.5 billion for Logistics Division; and
• R1.5 billion for Joint Operations Division. 

Government has also earmarked additional funding for strategic operational priorities, including:

• R557 million for border safeguarding technology and vehicles;
• R427 million for Air Force fighter capability maintenance; 
• R607 million for Navy repairs and maintenance; 
• R80 million for military uniforms; and
• R1.5 billion transfer to ARMSCOR. 

An additional R150 million has been allocated to support the SANDF’s role during the 2026 local government elections.

Government intensifies border security operations

Border safeguarding emerged as one of the department’s key priorities, with the Minister warning that porous borders threaten national security and economic stability.

“Porous borders do not only compromise the territorial integrity of the state but lays a fertile ground for the emergence of several other national security threats, including threats to the economic well-being of the Republic,” Motshekga said. 

The department said intelligence-led operations supported by radar, sensors, and unmanned aerial vehicles are helping disrupt cross-border criminal syndicates, illegal migration networks and smuggling operations. 

Government also acknowledged ongoing challenges linked to aging patrol vehicles, inadequate infrastructure and deteriorating border fencing and access roads.

The SANDF will continue working with other departments and provincial administrations to strengthen border management systems.

SANDF to continue supporting SAPS against crime

Motshekga announced that an additional R823 million will be made available for SANDF operations supporting the South African Police Service (SAPS).

The deployments are aimed at addressing gang violence, illegal mining, organised crime and other internal security threats.

According to the Minister, coordinated interventions have already disrupted criminal syndicates and illegal mining operations through “sustained visibility, targeted enforcement and deprivation of criminal resources”.

Maritime security and defence diplomacy in focus

The Minister highlighted the growing strategic importance of the Cape Sea Route, describing the Navy as a “strategic necessity” for South Africa.

“To neglect our national maritime capability would risk strategic self-harm and global irrelevance,” Motshekga said.

Despite ongoing maintenance and infrastructure challenges, the SANDF recorded several operational milestones, including the SAS Amatola’s deployment to India and participation in Exercise MILAN 2026.

South Africa is also expected to host the African Aerospace and Defence (AAD) 2026 exhibition in September, which government says will showcase local defence industries and expose young people to careers in aerospace and defence.

Government pushes long-term defence reforms.

Motshekga acknowledged that the SANDF continues to face funding constraints and structural pressures.

“At the core of the defence dilemma lies a fundamental and persistent misalignment between mandate, expectations, and funding,” she said.

Cabinet has now approved a series of long-term defence planning frameworks, including a Defence Capstone Policy Concept and a 30-year Defence Capability Plan known as the “Journey to Greatness”.

Government said these reforms are aimed at restoring coherence between defence policy, force design and future operational requirements.

The department indicated that a minimum funding threshold of 1.5% of GDP is required to maintain operational viability over time.

Youth development and military rejuvenation

The department said it is continuing efforts to rejuvenate the SANDF through military skills development and youth training initiatives.

An intake of 581 young people completed training through the South African National Service Institute (SANSI) and are now participating in learnership programmes.

Government plans to expand partnerships with departments responsible for youth development, higher education, labour and small business to strengthen employment pathways for young people.

The Minister also reaffirmed the department’s commitment to “Putting the Soldier First”, which includes improving uniforms, facilities, deployment conditions and healthcare support.

Governance failures and accountability measures

The Department of Defence acknowledged ongoing governance and financial management challenges, including qualified audit opinions, irregular expenditure and overspending on compensation of employees.

“These matters cannot be brushed aside,” Motshekga said.

The department said an Audit Action Plan, governance reviews and consequence management processes are being implemented, including disciplinary action and recovery of state funds where necessary.

Military veterans allocated R912 million.

The Department of Military Veterans received a separate allocation of R912 million for the 2026/27 financial year.

The budget includes funding for healthcare, pensions, housing, education and compensation benefits for military veterans.

However, the department acknowledged several operational challenges, including inadequate IT systems, organisational delays and weaknesses in service delivery structures.

The Minister said a Ministerial Transversal Task Team has been appointed to help stabilise the department and improve service delivery to veterans. – SAnews.gov.za 

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