Category: English

National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza has hailed South Africa’s Constitution as the foundation of the country’s democratic success, while urging citizens and leaders to confront ongoing challenges and help shape a prosperous future for Africa.

Delivering an address at a colloquium marking 30 years of South Africa’s Constitution in Parliament in Cape Town on Friday, Didiza said the event formed part of a week-long celebration of Africa Day and provided an opportunity to reflect on both the country’s constitutional journey and Africa’s development trajectory.

She said Africa Day was more than a commemorative occasion, describing it as a moment for the continent to assess progress towards achieving “the Africa we want”. 

Didiza highlighted key African Union initiatives, including the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the Lagos Plan of Action and Agenda 2063, as important frameworks that have laid the groundwork for economic resilience, development and continental integration.

She praised the work of the Pan-African Parliament in developing model laws that have helped harmonise legislative frameworks across the continent.

“Here in South Africa, as we reflect on Africa Day, we do so in a context where we mark 30 years since the country promulgated the Constitution, the supreme law that laid the foundation of the South African constitutional democracy we want,” Didiza said.

The colloquium, hosted in partnership with University of South Africa, brings together academics, activists, young people, business leaders and policymakers to discuss contemporary challenges facing Africa and the role of democratic institutions in shaping the continent’s future.

According to Didiza, the gathering provides a platform to examine South Africa’s constitutional journey, including achievements and shortcomings in democratic governance, institutional legitimacy and public trust.

Reflecting on the country’s path to democracy, she traced the roots of the Constitution to historic milestones such as the Freedom Charter and the Harare Declaration, which helped define the vision and principles that later informed the constitutional settlement.

“Thirty years into a democratic dispensation, we have laid the foundations of strong institutions that have been the architecture of the country we wanted,” she said.

Didiza pointed to Parliament’s legislative achievements, the role of an independent judiciary, constitutional bodies and civil society in protecting human rights, and government programmes aimed at addressing social and economic challenges.

She acknowledged the contribution of academics and researchers in informing governance reforms and helping policymakers understand the social and economic impact of legislation.

While celebrating progress, the Speaker stressed the importance of continued reflection on the challenges facing South Africa’s democracy. 

She expressed confidence that the colloquium would generate valuable insights on how the country can navigate the next three decades while remaining grounded in constitutional values and principles. – SAnews.gov.za

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The Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, has welcomed the endorsement of a comprehensive 2026-2028 Action Plan between South Africa and Botswana, aimed at strengthening regional cooperation in the fight against Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).

The agreement formed part of discussions during the Sixth Session of the South Africa and Botswana Bi-National Commission (BNC) in Gaborone on Thursday. 

Steenhuisen said the plan marked an important step towards coordinated regional efforts to combat transboundary animal diseases that continue to threaten livestock production, rural livelihoods and agricultural trade.

“With FMD posing an ongoing regional threat to livestock production, rural livelihoods and agricultural trade, it is clear that no country can defeat this disease in isolation,” Steenhuisen said.

The Minister called for the urgent implementation of coordinated cross-border interventions, including vaccination campaigns and border fence maintenance.

“The old saying tells us that good fences make good neighbours, but in the face of FMD, strong and properly maintained border fences help protect the livestock industries, livelihoods and agricultural economies of both our nations. 

“Securing our borders is not about division. It is about building a coordinated regional biosecurity system capable of managing transboundary animal disease risks effectively,” the Minister said.

Collaboration on the prevention and management of FMD was identified as one of the High Impact Priority Projects of the BNC, with the Ministers responsible for Agriculture directed to accelerate the implementation of the Plan of Action aimed at eradicating transboundary diseases and enhance market access for each other’s agriculture products.

The BNC welcomed the agreement by the Ministers of Agriculture to strengthen disease management cooperation by establishing a Transboundary Animal Disease (TAD) Plan, covering key border regions such as Lobatse-Mahikeng and Francistown-Musina.

“Strengthening of diagnostic capacity, coordinated cross border vaccination programmes, maintenance of border fences, and joint livestock farmer exchange and training programmes will all play an important role in safeguarding our livestock industries eradication of diseases and against future outbreaks,” the Minister said.

According to the law enforcement agencies of both countries, stock theft is the number one crime between the two countries.

The agreement to establish the cross-border Stock Theft Management Task Force by September 2026, will mitigate the current high levels of stock theft that is negatively affecting farmers on both sides of the border.

The Minister emphasised that improved traceability systems are critical in managing disease outbreaks and also in tackling stock theft, improving animal movement control, strengthening food safety, and facilitating regional agricultural trade.

The Minister commended the agreement by South Africa and Botswana to champion regional biosecurity cooperation within the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which comes ahead of the upcoming SADC Agriculture Ministerial Meeting, which will be held in Zimbabwe on 29 May 2026, and chaired by Steenhuisen.

The meeting will place the development of a unified regional strategy for the control and eradication of FMD under the spotlight.

Steenhuisen reiterated that diseases do not recognise borders.

“One of the clearest lessons from countries in Southern America that have successfully controlled FMD is that regional coordination is essential. Southern Africa must therefore move towards a far more integrated and coordinated regional biosecurity approach, and the establishment of a regional antigen bank is the ultimate goal,” he said.

Import restrictions on agricultural products

The ongoing issue of restrictions on certain South African agricultural exports into Botswana also formed an important part of bilateral discussions.

Steenhuisen noted South Africa’s concern regarding instances where agricultural exports have reportedly faced border restrictions without prior formal communication, despite previous understandings reached during the 2022 Bi-National Commission process.

He said trade matters affecting the two countries should always be addressed through constructive engagement, transparency, mutual respect, and amicable bilateral solutions.

“The commissions endorse a Communication Protocol and establishment of a Bilateral Agricultural Trade Task Team by June 2026. These are the mechanisms to enhance market access by improving communication, strengthening institutional cooperation, and proactively resolving trade-related concerns before they escalate.

“Greater coordination and transparency will provide increased certainty to producers, exporters, retailers and agricultural stakeholders on both sides of the border, while strengthening the long-term agricultural relationship between our countries,” Steenhuisen said. – SAnews.gov.za

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Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) has commended the eThekwini Municipality for its transparency and comprehensive reporting on governance, financial management and service delivery challenges.

The municipality, led by Mayor Cyril Xaba, appeared before the committee in Cape Town on Wednesday, 20 May 2026, to account on a wide range of operational and administrative matters affecting the city.

SCOPA Chairperson Songezo Zibi thanked the Mayor and City Manager Musa Mbhele for submitting information to the committee on time and ensuring all relevant officials attended the meeting.

Zibi stressed that the engagement did not imply wrongdoing by the municipality, saying it formed part of SCOPA’s ongoing engagements with institutions that play a strategic role in growing the country’s economy, including metropolitan municipalities.

“We have already met with leadership of various state-owned enterprises, departments, and metros. Working together, we believe that we will achieve positive results,” said Zibi.

Xaba welcomed the engagement, describing it as an important mechanism for strengthening accountability and oversight within the municipality.

“I made a commitment to the Auditor-General (AG) last year, which I continue to uphold today. This includes improving performance, transparency, accountability, and governance within the municipality,” Xaba said.

To reinforce accountability measures, the Mayor said the monitoring of audit action plans has now been elevated to both the Executive Committee and Portfolio Committees, where progress is reviewed monthly.

Audit matters have also been assigned greater weighting in the performance agreements of the city manager and senior managers.

The municipality reported that these interventions are already yielding positive results and contributed to a reduction in audit findings from 25 in the 2022/23 financial year to 13 in the 2024/25 financial year.

The remaining findings relate mainly to expenditure management, procurement, contract management, and consequence management.

To improve compliance, the city is implementing an online invoice processing system aimed at reducing payment turnaround times, tracking invoices electronically and allowing service providers to monitor progress online.

The municipality is also finalising a new tender management system intended to identify government employees doing business with the state and reduce conflicts of interest previously flagged by the Auditor-General.

On financial performance, eThekwini said it had maintained unqualified audit opinions over the past five years and remained financially stable.

The City said its current budget was fully funded and aligned with developmental priorities, while National Treasury had affirmed the credibility of the proposed 2026/27 budget.

The municipality added that its collection rate currently stood at 94%, in line with National Treasury norms, and confirmed that it remained up to date with payments to bulk suppliers Eskom and uMngeni-uThukela Water.

The city also briefed SCOPA on progress in resolving concerns linked to the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).

Municipal officials said investigations by the City Integrity and Investigations Directorate had been concluded, with disciplinary processes initiated against implicated individuals.

The municipality’s legal department has also started processes to recover funds linked to double-dipping allegations, while other matters have been referred to law enforcement agencies for criminal investigation.

Irregular expenditure 

Addressing irregular expenditure, the municipality said much of the increase resulted from non-compliance with Preferential Procurement Regulations relating to local content requirements.

The city said several contracts had previously been awarded without the required local content specifications, but all new contracts now include minimum local content thresholds.

Officials said only 18 active contracts remained affected and expressed confidence that irregular expenditure linked to local content non-compliance would be eliminated by the end of the next financial year. 

Turnaround strategy and infrastructure upgrades

The municipality also outlined measures being implemented to reduce non-revenue water (NRW), which currently stands at 53%.

It announced that it is intensifying efforts to reduce water losses and improve supply reliability through the implementation of its Water and Sanitation Turnaround Strategy.

Xaba said the turnaround strategy forms part of broader trading services reforms introduced by National Treasury and is focused on improving operational efficiency and infrastructure management.

Key interventions include replacing old and faulty water meters, improving billing systems and customer data cleansing, optimising water infrastructure maintenance, pressure management, leak detection, and accelerating pipe replacement projects.

The municipality said it is also prioritising rapid response times to burst pipes and water leaks, with teams expected to attend to reported incidents within 24 hours.

Among the flagship projects underway is the R1.2 billion Southern Aqueduct Project, which involves replacing a 70-year-old 900mm concrete pipeline with a new 1200mm steel pipe.

The project is expected to stabilise water supply in Durban central and southern areas. – SAnews.gov.za

 

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Hundreds of young people are set to gain access to income-generating opportunities following a new partnership between the Gauteng Department of Economic Development (GDED) and the Shoprite Group.

The two have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will see Shoprite’s Pingo Delivery platform onboard qualifying graduates from the Last Mile Delivery Programme into its growing delivery network, creating a direct pathway from skills development to economic participation.

The agreement marks a significant step in Gauteng’s efforts to connect young people to opportunities in the digital and logistics economy, one of the province’s fastest-growing sectors.

Under the partnership, GDED will continue to identify, recruit and train programme participants, while Shoprite Group will provide access to delivery opportunities through Pingo Delivery. 

The collaboration also includes driver development initiatives, operational support, safety measures, data-sharing and the exploration of green mobility solutions.

The Last Mile Driver Development Programme, established by GDED more than four years ago, has trained approximately 780 drivers and facilitated placement opportunities across 26 delivery platforms. 

The programme forms part of the province’s e-Commerce, Transport and Logistics Action Lab, which aims to strengthen Gauteng’s logistics ecosystem through collaboration between government, industry and development partners.

A pilot linked to the rollout of Shoprite Sixty60 has already demonstrated the programme’s potential. More than 100 trained beneficiaries have been supported through recruitment processes across several Gauteng locations, providing a foundation for the expanded partnership.

Gauteng MEC for Economic Development, Agriculture and Rural Development, Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, said the agreement would help ensure government programmes translate into tangible economic opportunities.

“This agreement represents a practical step towards ensuring that our economic programmes translate into real opportunities for our people. By partnering with industry leaders such as the Shoprite Group, we are able to connect skills development to market access, support job creation and ensure that young people, in particular, are able to participate in the digital economy,” she said.

Shoprite Checkers Enterprise and Government Relations Executive Maude Modise said the partnership demonstrates the impact that can be achieved when the public and private sectors work together.

“This partnership reflects the power of collaboration between the public and private sectors to unlock meaningful economic opportunities. By linking skills development to real pathways into the digital and logistics economy, we are able to provide participants with access to income-generating opportunities while supporting the growth of a more inclusive and sustainable ecosystem,” she said.

The partnership establishes formal governance structures, including a Joint Technical Team and Project Steering Committee, to oversee implementation and monitor progress. – SAnews.gov.za

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Botswana and South Africa must seek mutually beneficial growth that creates jobs in equal measure while also deepening trade and investment relations between the two countries, President Cyril Ramaphosa said.

“In my meeting earlier today with President Boko, we agreed that one of our greatest tasks of the moment is to further deepen trade and investment relations between our two countries,” President Ramaphosa said on Thursday evening.

Speaking at the Botswana-South Africa Business Forum, the President said the economic interests of both countries are closely intertwined. 

“We must therefore seek mutually beneficial growth that creates jobs in equal measure for Botswana and South Africans. We each have substantial natural resources and developed industrial capacity that we must harness,” he said.

The business forum was held on the margins of the 6th Bi-National Commission between Botswana and South Africa. 
READ | President Ramaphosa concludes SA-Botswana BNC

The President who embarked on a two-day State Visit to the country’s Southern African neighbour this week, said there are several areas in which greater economic cooperation will yield significant benefits including in agriculture.

“We are both nations of farmers, with agricultural industries that have been developed over decades. We both have ambitions to further develop these industries and to expand our agro-processing capabilities. We want to derive more value from our land.

“In pursuing these ambitions, there is great scope for us to work together.” 

He also spoke of the need to have cooperative mechanisms to manage the flow of agricultural goods between the two countries in order to ensure predictability and sustainability.

“Through the Bi-National Commission we have endorsed measures to holistically address these matters, including the placing of restrictions on imports of certain goods.”

With South Africa continuing its drive to inoculate its herd of cattle to combat Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), the President said there is a commitment to pursue cooperation in the production of vaccines to fight animal diseases. 

He also expressed gratitude to the government of Botswana for facilitating the delivery of significant doses of vaccines to South Africa to combat FMD.

President Ramaphosa said both countries need to work together to address the effects of climate change on agricultural industries, especially as large parts of our respective countries are already water scarce.

This as the two nations’ agricultural industries are increasingly vulnerable to cycles of drought and flooding.

Infrastructure was named by the President as the second area of economic cooperation as it is vital to get agricultural produce and manufactured goods to markets. 

“It is vital to powering factories and mines, to irrigating crops, to supplying businesses and homes with water, and to enabling the rapid flow of information over great distances. Infrastructure is vital for driving industrialisation and facilitating trade.”

He said that South Africa supports plans to establish a One Stop Border Post at Tlokweng/Kopfontein as it will help reduce congestion at the border, facilitate trade and enhance the efficient movement of people and goods.

“Another cross-border venture is the proposed Lesotho–Botswana Water Transfer Project, which would bring water from Lesotho across South Africa and to Botswana. Together with the Ramotswa Transboundary Aquifer, this initiative will support water security into the future, while enabling sustainable growth and development.”

The two rail corporations of both nations, Transnet and Botswana Rail, are working together towards the establishment of the Mmamabula-Lephalale rail line.

It is expected that this would be able to transport 18 million tons of cargo a year on a 117 km rail link stretch that straddles the two countries. 

Botswana and South Africa should also focus on cooperating in the energy space as they are endowed with an abundant supply of solar energy, which should be harnessed both to power both economies and to produce green hydrogen for the broader global market. 

“In the long-term, our two countries must consider an energy corridor that locates our renewable generation sites along our borders and the linking of integrated grids.”

He also made the call to build more resilient mining industries to make the Botswana and South African economies more resilient.

“The critical and rare earths minerals that we possess provide such an opportunity. They compel us to collaborate in diversifying our mining and mineral-beneficiation sectors.”

Defining beneficiation

President Ramaphosa called on the two countries to deepen the work already underway for frameworks that define mineral beneficiation not just from a domestic vantage point, but from a bilateral and regional perspective. 

“Out of our discussions over the last few days, the governments of Botswana and South Africa have ambitious plans for driving inclusive economic growth through close collaboration.”

The President invited business communities in the two countries to embrace that ambition and to deploy their substantial resources, capabilities and energies to foster greater trade and investment.

“Through this, we can together create sustainable employment, establish new industries, invest in infrastructure and derive greater value from our abundant natural resources. We are two countries with one mission: to build a prosperous and secure future for all our people,” he said.

Also speaking at the forum, Trade, Industry and Competition Deputy Minister, Alexandra Abrahams, called for a stronger implementation-driven approach to bilateral economic cooperation focused on investment, industrialisation and regional value chains between the two countries.

READ | Call for stronger implementation-driven approach to cooperation between SA and Botswana
–SAnews.gov.za

 

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The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport will be undertaking a major rehabilitation programme for culverts and bridges in the City of Tshwane to ensure their long-term safety, durability, and functionality. 

The programme, in Regions 3 and 4, covers Wards 107, 66, 55, 48, and 7 and focuses on the repairs to and restoration of a number of bridge structures and culverts across the city.

The rehabilitation programme is conducted under the department’s Bridge Management System to preserve critical provincial road infrastructure that underpins economic activity and service delivery across Tshwane. 

The rehabilitation efforts also serve to enhance public safety, support local economic development and strengthen service delivery.

Currently the focus is on seven existing bridge structures situated across Tshwane, including: 

• Bridges B59 and B1015 along the R101, over the Hennops River, south of Valhala;
• Bridge B2114 situated along the gravel Road D775 in the south-west of Atteridgeville;
• Bridges B637, B649 and B760 on the R511, south-west of Atteridgeville; and
• Bridge B142 on the R514 (Van Der Hoff Road) in the north-west of Tshwane.

The programme will be implemented over a 12-month contract period. 

“The scope of work includes a range of structural repair and rehabilitation activities aimed at extending the lifespan of the bridges and improving road-user safety. 

“These include undertaking repairs to existing rails and parapets; replacement of bridge joints, repair to spalled concrete, cracks sealing, widening of selected bridges and approaches, bridge deck resurfacing and approaches, guardrails installation, painting of steel structures, and construction of road pavement layers,” said the department.

A structured stakeholder engagement framework was followed, covering all affected wards, to ensure transparent, equitable and inclusive stakeholder participation in the programme. 

The framework further served to ensure a fair and transparent recruitment process for community beneficiaries, ensuring equal access to skills development, employment, and local economic opportunities. 

This included convening ward-based stakeholder sector forums for youth, women, persons living with disability and military veterans, including BBBEE entities/cooperatives.

The department said this process was conducted in strict adherence to applicable government policies and legislation governing financial management, procurement and accounting. “The comprehensive stakeholder engagement is also expected to prevent the interruption of services that may affect delivery timelines and resultant negative cost implications.”

MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela emphasised the department’s responsibility in undertaking these rehabilitation projects as “critical to long-term safety, durability and functionality, thus ensuring safer and more reliable infrastructure for motorists, freight operators and surrounding communities”.

Residents have been urged to exercise patience and understanding during the construction period. 

Contractors and relevant stakeholders have committed to work closely to minimise inconvenience and ensure all traffic accommodation measures are implemented.

The department has further called for motorists and members of the public to exercise extreme caution near construction sites, adhere to temporary road signage, and cooperate with traffic officials throughout the construction sites. – SAnews.gov.za

 

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