Category: English

Police in KwaZulu-Natal have arrested a man who allegedly threatened that he and his followers would shut down Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday to prevent the MTN8 Cup final between Orlando Pirates FC and Mamelodi Sundowns from taking place.

The suspect had gathered a group of people at King Dinizulu Park to stage a march. However, those who were with him managed to flee. 

“Police are reiterating that anyone who threatens to cause instability will be dealt with in accordance with the law,” the South African Police Service (SAPS) said in a statement. –SAnews.gov.za

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The South African National Parks (SANParks) has welcomed the guilty verdict against former Kruger National Park Regional Ranger, Rodney Landela, and former State Veterinary Service Animal Health Technician, Kenneth Mochocho, who were found guilty of the illegal hunting and killing of a white rhino in a protected area, as well as possession of a firearm with the intent to commit a crime.

“The accused initially faced six charges. Four charges were subsequently withdrawn, namely theft relating to the stolen rhino horns, conspiracy to commit a crime, disposing of or tampering with evidence, and escaping from lawful custody,” SANParks said in a statement on Friday.

The Skukuza Regional Court found the pair guilty on the remaining charges of illegally hunting a protected species, namely a white rhino, and possession of a firearm with the intent to commit a crime. 

“The judgement brings closure to a matter that has been before the courts for approximately 10 years and represents a significant victory in the fight against wildlife crime and the protection of South Africa’s natural heritage.

“The organisation commends the National Prosecuting Authority, investigators, law enforcement agencies, witnesses, and all individuals who contributed to ensuring that justice was ultimately served,” SANParks said. –SAnews.gov.za

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The National Commissioner of Correctional Services, Makgothi Samuel Thobakgale, has encouraged the 268 Grade 12 candidates from the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) who will sit for the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations to remain focused and draw confidence from the effort they have invested in their studies.

“The long hours of studying, attending classes, engaging with educators and collaborating with your fellow inmates will be rewarded through your results. Remain disciplined, believe in your abilities and give your best throughout the examination period,” the Commissioner said in a statement on Friday.

The 268 candidates are enrolled at 18 correctional services schools nationwide.

Thobakgale noted a significant 56.7% increase in the number of inmates matriculants, from 171 in 2025 to 268 in 2026. He said this increase reflected continued progress in expanding access to education within correctional facilities.

The growth also reflects the department’s continued commitment to promoting formal education as a key component of rehabilitation and personal development.

The Commissioner also acknowledged the dedication of educators, school principals and officials who continue to create learning opportunities and support candidates throughout their educational journeys.

“Your work makes a meaningful difference in the lives of those entrusted to our care. Continue the good work, knowing that your efforts are reflected in lives improved and transformed through education,” he said.

The department remains committed to providing the academic support candidates need to prepare for the examinations and to equipping them to pursue further studies at higher education institutions or explore other opportunities upon release.

The department achieved an overall pass rate of 94.4% in the 2025 NSC examinations.

“Correctional Services is looking forward to the announcement of the 2026 results in January 2027, highly optimistic of more correctional services schools securing a 100% pass.”

The NSC examinations serve as an important measure of the department’s efforts to advance rehabilitation through formal education.

By providing incarcerated individuals with access to learning opportunities, DCS aims to improve their prospects for further education, employment and successful reintegration into society.

Alongside formal education, the department said it continues to prioritise vocational training and other rehabilitation programmes that equip offenders with practical skills to support their successful reintegration into society.

“The Department of Correctional Services is fully prepared with all necessary arrangements in place to support the 268 inmate candidates throughout the examination period.” –SAnews.gov.za

 

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The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, has paid tribute to Navanethem “Navi” Pillay after she was awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, describing the achievement as exceptional and a proud moment not only for South Africa but also for the African continent.

“As a nation, we are proud to celebrate our own, who continues to fly the South African flag high. By awarding her this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, the Nobel committee has reaffirmed that respect for international law, defence of human rights and creating a peaceful world are values worth fighting for, especially in the current global environment,” Kubayi said.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the award in Oslo, Norway, on Friday, recognising Pillay’s efforts to promote peace and uphold international law.

As one of the world’s most prestigious honours, the award recognises her lifetime of courageous service to justice and human dignity.

Pillay represented President Nelson Mandela and other anti-apartheid activists before becoming the first non-white woman to be appointed to South Africa’s High Court in 1995.

She later served as President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, as a judge of the International Criminal Court, and as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

She currently serves as an ad hoc judge at the International Court of Justice. Her contribution to the landmark Akayesu judgment helped establish that rape and sexual violence may constitute acts of genocide.

In awarding this prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said it “attaches importance to Navi Pillay’s role as a driving force in the development of an international system of law and order, while further emphasising her judicial rigour, personal integrity and considerable courage.”

Kubayi expressed immense pride in Pillay’s lifelong dedication to justice.

“Her work gives practical expression to the values of equality and freedom enshrined in our Constitution,” she said. — SAnews.gov.za

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Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Narend Singh, will brief the media on South Africa’s participation and negotiating position ahead of the 17th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, known as CBD COP17.

COP17 will take place in Yerevan, Armenia, from 19 – 30 October 2026. 

“The conference will conduct the first global review of collective progress in implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework,” said the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.

At the briefing to be held on Monday, 12 October,  the Deputy Minister will provide updates on South Africa’s progress towards implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework; South Africa’s negotiating position and priorities for COP17, including biodiversity finance, implementation support, digital sequence information, and access and benefit-sharing. –SAnews.gov.za 
 

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Deputy Minister in the Presidency Nonceba Mhlauli has emphasised the importance of the work done by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) in aiding government to plan and deliver services to citizens.

“The data you produce enables the government to see where schools, clinics and essential services are needed, where resources must be redirected, where progress is being made and where it is not,” Mhlauli said.

Speaking on the occasion of Celebrating the Stata SA Census 30th Anniversary in South Africa, Mhlauli said the team made evidence-based planning not just possible, but credible.

Credibility, in our constitutional democracy, is the precondition for everything,” she said.

Mhlauli said Statistics South Africa cannot count a single person who does not open the door.

“Every number in every census, every finding in every household survey, begins with an ordinary person who said yes. Who let a fieldworker into their home. Who answered questions about how many people lived there, what work they did, whether they had access to water, whether their children were in school, and whether they had lost someone in the past year,” she said.

The Deputy Minister said that by participating in the census, households invest in their community’s future.

“Not everyone realises this when the enumerator knocks. And that is one of our most significant ongoing challenges.

“Across the world, census participation is becoming harder. People are busier and more mobile. A significant number of people live in gated estates, secure complexes and high-rise buildings that are difficult to access. 

“Some are anxious about privacy, about who will see their information and how it will be used. Others are skeptical that responding will change anything in their lives. In some communities, legitimate frustration with service delivery turns into hostility towards any official who arrives at the door.” 

She said that public trust must be earned continuously. 

“The lesson is clear: public trust must be earned continuously, not only in the census year. It requires transparency. It requires communication in all our official languages and through channels that people use. It requires partnership with traditional leaders, faith communities, councilors, residents’ associations and community development workers,” she explained.

Mhlauli said after a census is conducted, communities must be shown what was done with their information and how it enabled decisions. 

Census 2022 was conducted in February 2022 and was the fourth population and housing count in post-apartheid South Africa, with the first conducted in 1996, with subsequent censuses being conducted in 2001 and 2011.

A census provides comprehensive data on population size, demographic trends, and other service delivery-related information.

Act of citizenship

She thanked all who opened their doors over the past 30 years for a census, a General Household Survey, an Income and Expenditure Survey or any instrument through which the country learns about itself on behalf of government.

“Your participation was an act of citizenship. It was more significant than you may have realised,” she said.

Calling on South Africans to continue participating in future data collection exercises, she urged residents to cooperate when Census 2031 gets underway.

“And when that enumerator comes – or when the invitation arrives to complete the census online – I ask each and every South African: open the door. Take part. Your answers are not merely data. They are your voice in the planning of your country’s future.”

The Deputy Minister concluded by thanking Statistics South Africa employees for their dedication, saying their work has helped shape government planning, budget allocations and service delivery improvements throughout the democratic era.

Stats SA is mandated to collect, process, analyse, and disseminate official statistics for South Africa. It publishes key indicators such as gross domestic product (GDP), employment, household surveys, census results, and provincial financial statistics. – SAnews.gov.za

 

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With misinformation and disinformation spreading faster and reaching wider audiences, Deputy Minister in The Presidency, Kenny Morolong, has urged government communicators to provide credible, timely information that strengthens trust between citizens and the state.

“The credibility of government communication is one of our most important assets. We must protect it. The challenge is no longer simply that false information exists. The challenge is the speed, scale and reach with which information can now be produced and distributed,” the Deputy Minister said on Friday in Pretoria.

Speaking at a Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) strategic session, Morolong challenged communicators to consider how the government communication system can continue to inform citizens as how people access, consume and share information change fundamentally.

“Artificial intelligence has added another dimension to this challenge. We therefore need a more coordinated approach across government and the broader communication environment.

“We must recognise that the communication environment has changed. Government needs the capacity to provide credible, authoritative and timely information directly into the information ecosystem,” the Deputy Minister said.

He stressed that the opportunity is not simply to produce more content, but to build the capacity to become a trusted and reliable source of government information for citizens, the media and other stakeholders.

“Our existing journalistic and editorial capabilities provide an important foundation. The question is how we integrate and strengthen these capabilities so that information can move through the system more quickly and effectively,” Morolong said.

In response to the rise of citizen journalism, the Deputy Minister said government communicators must rethink internal processes across the communication system.

“We must ask whether our systems allow us to respond at the speed required by the environment. And where they do not, we must improve them. Because in today’s environment, the absence of credible information creates space for someone else to fill the vacuum.

“The age of citizen journalism has changed the rules of engagement. Government no longer has the luxury of waiting until every element of a formal communication product has been finalised before entering a conversation. 

“Sometimes the first response must be digital; it must be immediate and sometimes it must simply establish the facts and indicate that more information will follow. The principle we discussed today of a timely and scalable response is therefore important,” he said.

The Deputy Minister said GCIS, through the Content Hub, should set the agenda rather than merely respond to it.

“The Content Hub must continue to evolve as a mechanism through which government can identify the issues that matter, develop authoritative content and ensure that government messages reach citizens.

“It must help us move from a reactive communication model to one that is more anticipatory, coordinated and strategic. We should know what issues are emerging. We should understand what citizens are talking about. We should identify information gaps.

“And we should ensure that government has the right content, in the right format, on the right platform and at the right time,” Morolong said.

One communication system

The Deputy Minister emphasised that GCIS cannot fulfil its mandate while government communicators continue to work in silos.

“A whole-of-government approach cannot simply be a phrase in a strategy document. It must be reflected in how government plans, coordinates and communicates. GCIS has a central role in enabling this. Departments and entities have different mandates, but they operate within one government.

“The clusters have a particularly important role in this regard. They are not only platforms for policy coordination. They should continue to help ensure that communication around government’s priorities is coherent and mutually reinforcing. 

“Our goal should be one government communication system that allows different parts of government to speak from a common strategic understanding while retaining the ability to communicate according to their specific mandates,” he said.

Morolong said that, for GCIS to fulfil its mandate, government communication must reach people in the communities where they live.

“But coordination at the national level is not enough. This is why the role of the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) and community media is so important. An informed citizenry cannot be built only through national media, government websites, or social media platforms. 

“Community media has a unique role in reaching communities in their own languages and in the context of issues that directly affect them. The discussions with the MDDA highlighted opportunities to strengthen community media’s capacity, including digital capability, indigenous-language content, verification, editorial quality, and audience reach,” Morolong said.

He added that the GCIS brand must stand for trust, credibility, responsiveness, professionalism, coordination and strategic leadership.

“We need a GCIS that is faster without compromising accuracy; digital without abandoning other platforms; innovative without losing credibility; coordinated without becoming bureaucratic; and strategic without losing sight of the citizen,” the Deputy Minister said. – SAnews.gov.za

 

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President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced three investment initiatives, worth more than R120 billion, aimed at driving industrialisation, expanding manufacturing and creating employment opportunities in the Free State.

The initiatives, announced during the launch of the Free State Catalytic Investment and Industrialisation Programme at the Phuthaditjhaba Multipurpose Centre in QwaQwa on Friday, include renewable energy, electric vehicle manufacturing and agricultural processing projects.

“The proposed YJC renewable energy project represents an investment of approximately R100 billion and has the potential to create 6,500 jobs,” President Ramaphosa said.

The planned Joylong Automotive Manufacturing project, valued at approximately R5.5 billion, is expected to create 1 500 direct jobs over five years and produce up to 8,000 electric vehicles annually.

Meanwhile, the Walk of Life Apple Juice Concentrate Plant, representing an investment of approximately R330 million, is expected to create 100 permanent jobs and about 600 seasonal employment opportunities.

“These projects demonstrate the type of economic activity we need to bild investment that creates productive capacity, develops local value chains, strengthens exports and expands employment,” the President said.

Reviving industrial potential

President Ramaphosa said the Free State is strategically positioned to become a key contributor to South Africa’s economic growth, particularly through the industrialisation of the Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality.

He noted that the province was a manufacturing hub until the early 2000s, but deteriorating municipal services and infrastructure had contributed to companies closing or relocating to other provinces.
The Free State Growth and Development Strategy aims to reverse this trend, with the Maluti-a-Phofung Special Economic Zone playing a central role.

The President said the zone had sites for 65 factories, of which 58% were occupied.
However, he stressed that industrial development depends on reliable infrastructure and effective municipal services to attract and retain investors.

“To attract the investment to this area, government is committed to providing reliable electricity and water provision, functioning roads, safe industrial premises, efficient approvals and accountable project management.

“Good and reliable infrastructure attracts investors. The quality of municipal services influences where companies invest,” he explained.

He added that the province’s central location, connections to transport and logistics networks, agricultural producers and markets in South Africa and beyond offered significant opportunities for economic development.

Boosting agriculture and the green economy

President Ramaphosa said the province needs to move beyond primary agricultural production towards agro-processing, beneficiation, packaging, manufacturing and expanded market access.

The Walk of Life investment, he said, demonstrates how agricultural production can be linked to industrial processing and value addition.

The planned electric vehicle manufacturing project, meanwhile, could position the Free State within the emerging green economy and new-energy industrial value chain.

He emphasised that these investments should benefit local businesses, including small and medium-sized enterprises, which could supply components, materials, packaging, maintenance, security, cleaning, transport and professional services.

“A factory depends on far more than its production line. It needs to be part of a broader value chain,” he said.

Skills development, job opportunities

The President also acknowledged the 130 learners who had received skills training and were progressing towards placement opportunities.

The learners had been trained by the Free State Development Corporation, the Unemployment Insurance Fund, and Eskom in areas including plumbing, environmental practice, construction road work, food and beverage, first aid and electrical systems management.

President Ramaphosa called for stronger partnerships between government, industry, training institutions and investors to connect skills development with economic participation and decent work.

“Institutions and employers must help young people connect training to further experience and, where opportunities become available, to decent work.”

He urged local businesses to prepare to participate in the supply chains created by new industrial investments.

Tracking implementation

The President said the success of the programme would depend on implementation beyond the launch, with the provincial government committed to tracking announced actions over the next 30, 60 and 90 days.

He called on municipalities to provide dependable services and responsive planning, investors to honour their commitments, and communities to be meaningfully involved throughout the development process.
Development finance institutions and specialised agencies would also need to leverage private investment through the effective deployment of public resources.

“The measure of today’s success will be what happens after the banners come down. Our ambition is to build a Free State that makes more of what it uses, processes more of what it grows and creates more paths into productive work,” the President said.

He said preparing projects properly, investing in enabling infrastructure, and equipping people with the necessary skills and information would help turn the province’s industrialisation ambitions into reality. – SAnews.gov.za

 

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Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister David Maynier has declared 18 properties in the Eastern Cape, covering 10 225.9242 hectares, as the Grasslands National Park.

The declaration was published in Government Gazette No. 55531 under Government Notice No. 8002.

Situated in the Eastern Cape highlands between Nqanqarhu and Rhodes, the park will help protect under-represented grassland ecosystems and part of the Eastern Cape Drakensberg Strategic Water Source Area. 

These landscapes are important for water security, biodiversity and the livelihoods supported by the region’s working agricultural land.

Maynier has assigned the management of the new Grassland National Park to South African National Parks (SANParks), in terms of section 38(1)(aA) of the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, 2003. 

The declaration follows the publication of a notice of intention in 2025 and the conclusion of the statutory process under the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, 2003.

The declaration moves the project from a proposed protected area to a formally declared national park.

“The declaration of the Grasslands National Park is an important step in protecting one of South Africa’s least-protected biomes and a strategic water source landscape. It also demonstrates how conservation and compatible productive land use can reinforce one another through voluntary, long-term partnerships,” Maynier said.

The park has been established primarily through biodiversity stewardship, an approach that allows participating landowners to retain ownership of their land while committing it to agreed conservation and management arrangements.

Conservation-compatible agricultural activities may continue, supporting both ecological protection and local livelihoods.

“This is the first national park established primarily through a biodiversity stewardship model. This initiative is an example of how inclusive partnerships can drive large-scale conservation success,” the Minister said.

Alongside the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and SANParks, World Wide Fund for Nature South Africa (WWF South Africa) played a leading role in coordinating the establishment of the park, together with a wide range of partners. – SAnews.gov.za
 

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