Category: English

Source: Government of South Africa

The first National Convention of the National Dialogue took place over two days of vibrant discussion, with over 1 000 delegates from over 200 organisations at the University of South Africa (Unisa) in Tshwane. 

The National Convention was convened by President Cyril Ramaphosa as the launch of the National Dialogue to engage all South Africans in a countrywide engagement on the challenges facing the country, and accelerated actions to forge a new vision and to agree on a programme of action to take the country forward. 

The National Convention was described by President Ramaphosa as the moment at which the people of South Africa take over the National Dialogue and ensure that it is led and driven by citizens. 

“Delegates were resounding in their endorsement of an inclusive National Dialogue process that focuses on the issues that concern the people. For the National Dialogue to be successful, delegates affirmed that it needs to include communities who are often not heard and those who are often not consulted on important decisions.

“One of the noteworthy features of the dialogue was the wide diversity of the delegates. The Convention brought together people and groups who would ordinarily not be in conversation with one another. This added to the robust nature of the discussions,” the Convention Organising Committee said on Sunday.

Over Friday and Saturday, delegates engaged in robust discussion, putting forward their hopes, aspirations, fears and frustrations. The conversation was open and rigorous. It emphasised the need for deep, genuine dialogue that leads to action, where people have power. 

Delegates were able to outline key themes for discussion. These included the economy, jobs, children, livelihoods, crime and corruption, education, health and gender-based violence and femicide. Other themes included fixing the State and the Constitution, building South African values and culture, strengthening our social fabric, and dealing with intergenerational trauma and healing. 

The Convention agreed that these themes should be seen as a guide to discussion, but that it would ultimately be up to citizens to raise any issues that are important to them. 

The Convention also reflected on the draft roadmap towards a citizen-led dialogue, outlining a six to nine-month dialogue proposes of thousands of engagements led by communities, with a mandate to call for radical change, catalyse rapid response to the most urgent challenges, and to make renewed efforts to rebuild and heal the nation. 

The Convention called for diverse methods of dialogue, crafted in communities using local knowledge and expertise. Delegates said it was important that all those who participate in the National Dialogue should have the space and opportunity to use the approaches that best suit them and their specific conditions. 

Establishing the Steering Committee

The Convention discussed the process for establishing a representative Steering Committee that would take over the work of directing and coordinating the National Dialogue process. 

The meeting confirmed that the process to establish a Steering Committee should be extended by two weeks. The 22 sectors that were initially identified were expanded to accommodate more diversity. 

Each of the sectors held discussions on how they would select their nominee for the Steering Committee and agreed that they would provide the names of their nominees by the end of August 2025. 

To ensure nobody is left behind, this period will provide space to include organisations in sectors who did not attend the National Convention. 

“The first National Convention was citizen-led, iterative in nature, with robust engagement. It reflected the complexity of our nation. It was a call for a new era of citizen activism for radical change, rapid response and it was a call to rebuild the nation,” the Convention Organising Committee said. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: Government of South Africa

While security concerns persist in parts of southern Africa, the region remains “generally stable and peaceful”.

This is according to Southern African Development Community (SADC) Executive Secretary, Elias Magosi, who delivered the opening address of the regional bloc’s 45th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government.

Magosi noted that prior to the summit, the SADC’s troikas on security convened to conduct a review of the region’s political and security state, particularly that of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Kingdom of Lesotho and the Republic of Mozambique.

“With regards to the DRC… following the withdrawal of the SAMIDRC [SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo] troops earlier this year, a strategic decision was taken to create an enabling environment for dialogue and diplomatic engagement.

“To this end, the Joint SADC-EAC [East African Community] Summit, held on the 13 August 2025, endorsed the measure of the Nairobi and Rwanda process into a single integrated initiative, which is supported by a distinguished panel of facilitators drawn from a rich pool.

“This unified approach marks a pivotal moment in regional democracy, affirming the need for harmonising action to effectively deal with the complexity of the conflict in Eastern DRC,” Magosi said. 

Magosi said the measure “sends a clear message that African led solutions are vital to overcoming our shared challenges in advancing unity, resilience and self-determination”.

Honouring heroes

The executive secretary acknowledged the soldiers who lost their lives in the eastern DRC conflict. 

At least 20 SAMIDRC soldiers lost their lives, including 14 from South Africa.

“We… honour the courageous men and women who gave their lives under the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their sacrifice in defence of sovereignty and peace in the Eastern DRC is, to me, a heavy price that they have paid for the region’s core values of solidarity, unity and mutual protection.

“We extend our deepest condolences to their families and nations. May their souls also rest in eternal peace,” Magosi said. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: Government of South Africa

The City of Cape Town has announced that electricity has been switched on for the 46 families, who were recently relocated from Eskom’s National Transmission Company (NTCSA) Tower 37 site in Langa as part of efforts to improve living conditions. 

In a statement on Sunday, the city said this milestone switch-on brings safe and reliable electricity to households in this emergency relocation site. 

The switch-on follows an operation undertaken by the city recently for residents who had settled under the NTCSA pylon, which then became severely unstable due to damage and vandalism. The Tower 37 residents were relocated due to the serious risk. After the Tower 37 site was successfully cleared and the affected residents were relocated to a safer site in the same area, NTCSA formally took over the Tower 37 site, specifically the land servitude, to complete the repairs and maintenance to its electricity pylon infrastructure.

The Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Xanthea Limberg, said in partnership with NTCSA, the South African Police Service, city contractors, and multiple city directorates – including Human Settlements, Electricity, Safety and Security and Water and Sanitation – the city safely relocated the affected families to a nearby city-owned site. 

“Now that the homes have electricity, the families can settle in their environment with dignity. We thank the Langa community for their cooperation and understanding during this life-saving operation and the subsequent electrification process. This switch-on marks the beginning of a new chapter for the families, one where safety and access to essential services are assured, including an allocation of up to 60 units of free basic electricity (FBE) on the city’s subsidised lifeline tariff,” Limberg said. 

The Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Carl Pophaim, said they were grateful that the city’s energy teams acted with such urgency and dedication to provide electricity to the relocated families so soon after the emergency relocation. 

“This electricity switch-on is more than just a city service – it brings hope, safety, and stability for the community. In the weeks before the emergency relocation, our Informal Settlement Engineering Services and Informal Settlement Management (ISM) teams worked tirelessly, often in challenging conditions, to transform the vacant city-owned land into a place the families can call home. They prepared the site, laid foundations, built sturdy homes, and installed the basic services needed to restore dignity and normalcy to residents’ lives.

“It is important to note that the site, cleared by our ISM teams was handed over to Eskom NTCSA, and the responsibility for securing it lies with them. We thank residents for their support and cooperation, and all involved in this humanitarian move,” Pophaim said. 

The city said the Municipal Finance Management Act determines that public money cannot be used for the enhancing of private property and the city can only assist backyarders and informal settlement dwellers residing on city-owned property and where site conditions allow for this. 

The city said it continues to seek ways to invest greater resources in driving electrification projects for backyarders and residents in informal settlements, where feasible, and also with Eskom, where applicable. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: Government of South Africa

Sunday, August 17, 2025

Source: Government of South Africa

The City of Cape Town is calling on residents to comment on the draft Local Spatial Development Framework (LSDF) for Masiphumelele and the surrounding areas in the Far South. 

The draft LSDF for Masiphumelele is available for public comment as from 15 August 2025, and interested parties can go to www.capetown.gov.za/haveyoursay to access the document and submit comments.

According to the city, the LSDF proposes a development vision and framework to manage urban growth in a sustainable manner, taking into account current challenges such as the encroachment of the wetlands area; the dire need for housing opportunities and improved access routes; the lack of public open spaces and recreation areas; facilities provision, and local economic opportunities for residents. 

The LSDF takes into account the unique qualities and challenges of Masiphumelele, such as its location and future growth, local opportunities for economic development, and the need for formalising informal settlement areas that are currently located within the wetlands area, amongst others. 

The city’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Eddie Andrews, noted that the relocation of informal settlements out of high-risk areas, and construction of a new road to improve access from Masiphumelele are key to the draft LSDF, including identifying possible land parcels in the area to support a range of housing opportunities.   

“The draft spatial vision for the Masiphumelele area pursues a neighbourhood that is well integrated with the surrounding area, so that residents can have easy access to jobs and other opportunities, have more choices when it comes to residential opportunities, and for Masiphumelele to contribute to the local economy. It is a broad vision and must be sufficiently flexible to adapt to changing circumstances and needs,” Andrews said. 

The closing date for comments is 21 October 2025. An information day is scheduled for Wednesday, 10 September, from 15:00 to 19:00 at the Living Hope Hall, no. 7 Kommetjie Road. 

“At the information day, residents and stakeholders will be able to view the proposed LSDF, engage officials, and ask questions. I encourage residents to please attend and collaborate with the city on refining the LSDF, [because] once approved by council, this will be the spatial policy to map the way forward in terms of how we should address some key challenges and opportunities,” Andrews said. 

Masiphumelele was established in 1992 with an initial 500 households and is now estimated to have a population of more than 38 000 people, with 90% of residents living in informal structures. There is a lack of proper access routes, housing, facilities and public open spaces. 

The main objectives of the draft LSDF are as follows:

• To provide a development vision to guide and manage urban growth and broaden the choice of residential opportunities.
• To improve residents’ general living conditions.
• To balance competing land use demands and to implement a sustainable development path.
• To spatially integrate Masiphumelele with the surrounding areas through improved access routes, and walking and cycle lanes.
• To improve residents’ access to employment, local facilities and essential services.

“Importantly, there is a strong focus on improving the environmental conditions of the natural ecosystems such as the wetlands adjacent to Masiphumelele, and how this natural environment can enhance the quality of life and contribute to economic development,” Andrews said. 

The draft LSDF identifies a number of challenges in Masiphumelele and seeks to address these. These include:

• Severe overcrowding, high densities, and a growing backlog in social facilities and services provision. The estimated future housing need, for example, equates to over 10 000 units.
• The limited public and private land available for development. The city owns about 25% of the land in Masiphumelele, most of which is wetlands, parks or intended for schools.
• The high risk of fire given the density and informal structures. Given the encroachment of the wetlands area, many structures are flood-prone.
• Informal settlements encroaching on the wetlands, and the subsequent solid waste and waste water pollution.
• The location of the wetlands settlement is a major obstacle to providing a much needed alternative road and access to Masiphumelele, with the planned extension of Houmoed Avenue.
• High unemployment.
• Congestion and limited access into and out of the area.
• Limited provision for informal economic sector activities.
• Limited public transport services, with households spending up to a third of their monthly income on commuting.

 However, the draft LSDF also recognises a number of development opportunities in Masiphumelele, including:

• Its proximity to industrial areas, such as Lekker Water and Fish Eagle Park, can provide residents with easier access to jobs.
• A thriving informal economy can be improved and expanded.
• Access can be improved with the extension of Houmoed Avenue and by increasing the capacity of Kommetjie Road, and the addition of walk and cycle lanes.

“I encourage residents to please participate in this process. Ultimately, this plan belongs to the residents and will, once approved, determine Masiphumelele’s future development, the form and shape it will take, and residents’ quality of living.

“The spatial vision for Masiphumelele will also have an impact on surrounding communities, thus, the call for all in the area to take note of this process and to collaborate with us. We are eager to work with the community, other stakeholders and the surrounding neighbourhoods,” Andrews said. – SAnews.gov.za 

Source: Government of South Africa

The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) session in Geneva, which aimed to deliver a binding global treaty on plastic pollution, ended without agreement on a global plastics treaty due to divisions between nations and procedural shortcomings.

In a statement, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment said talks collapsed due to deep divisions between nations and the absence of a clear process to resolve the deadlock.

The department said South Africa is disappointed by the outcome and concerned about the procedural failings that stalled progress, but its resolve remains unshaken.

The country remains committed to advancing domestic and international action to combat plastic pollution and create a practical, sustainable regulatory framework.

Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister, Dr Dion George, has engaged with industry, business, and civil society to drive progress on the circular economy and will continue advocating for solutions at the G20 Ministerial Meeting scheduled to take place in Cape Town in October.

“While the lack of agreement is frustrating, South Africa will not waver in our fight to end plastic pollution and create a fair, practical regulatory environment. We will keep driving action at home and pressing for solutions abroad,” the Minister said. 

South Africa is already moving to ban microbeads and phase out single use plastics. These steps reflect a proactive strategy to reduce environmental and health risks.

During the INC, the Minister met with South African industry, business, and civil society to strengthen partnerships for a circular economy. 

“Collaboration with all stakeholders is vital. We must build a system where sustainable practices are the norm, not the exception,” George said.

South Africa opposed rigid caps on plastic production, calling instead for market-driven solutions backed by incentives to push business toward sustainability. The country is also acting to close gaps in controls on imported plastics, ensuring they meet strict health and environmental standards. 

The Minister warned about toxic chemicals in plastics and the spread of microplastics into food systems and human bodies. 

“It is unacceptable that microplastics are found everywhere, including in our own bodies. We will act decisively to protect public health,” he said. 

South Africa’s Extended Producer Responsibility regulations and the ‘polluter pays’ principle are already holding producers to account for the full life cycle of their products. 

“Our EPR framework is a cornerstone of our strategy, and we will keep strengthening it,” the Minister said.

The fight against plastic pollution continues. In October 2025, South Africa will host the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Ministerial in Cape Town, where plastics, waste, and chemicals will remain high on the agenda.

South Africa will keep working at home and with global partners to secure a meaningful, inclusive plastics treaty that protects our planet and future generations. – SAnews.gov.za