Category: English

Legal professionals will on Tuesday convene at the Johannesburg Society of Advocates offices in Sandton for a seminar hosted by the Companies Tribunal aimed at informing stakeholders about its extended jurisdiction, as well as the recent appointment of retired judges.

The seminar will also outline the implications of these developments for corporate governance and dispute resolution in South Africa. 

In terms of the amendments to the Companies Act 71 of 2008, the Tribunal has been granted exclusive jurisdiction to arbitrate certain company disputes. 

This expanded mandate represents a significant development in South Africa’s corporate dispute resolution landscape. 

“The seminar will provide a platform for direct engagement, enabling stakeholders to better understand the Tribunal’s evolving role and mandate,” the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition said in a statement.

Furthermore, the appointment of retired judges – Judge Mohammed Navsa, Judge Kathleen Satchwell, Judge Robert Nugent, Judge Boissie Henry Mbha, and Judge Visvanathan Ponnan – to the Tribunal strengthens its institutional credibility. 

“The retired judges bring impartiality and independence, and their extensive experience in legal reasoning and statutory interpretation is expected to enhance the quality of dispute resolution. Their involvement will contribute to increased confidence and trust in the Tribunal’s processes among stakeholders,” the department said.

The Tribunal reaffirms its commitment to transparency, stakeholder engagement, and the effective administration of justice in company law matters. – SAnews.gov.za

Social Development Deputy Minister Ganief Hendricks is today leading an Integrated Community Registration Outreach Programme (ICROP) at the Mohlakeng Old Age Home, in Gauteng’s West Rand.

ICROP is one of the South African Social Security Agency’s (SASSA) flagship initiatives, designed to bring essential government services closer to communities, particularly those in underserved areas. 

By reducing travel distances, cutting costs, and simplifying administrative processes, ICROP ensures that services are delivered efficiently and directly to the people who need them most.

The Deputy Minister’s outreach also forms part of Human Rights Month activities, highlighting government’s commitment to upholding the rights of all citizens, strengthening social protection, expanding access to critical social services, and supporting vulnerable groups, including older persons, children, and people with disabilities.

Through ICROP, the Department of Social Development (DSD), SASSA, and key government partners will provide a wide range of on-site services, including:
•    Social grant applications and enquiries. 
•    Assistance with birth certificates and identity documents.
•    Support for victims of gender-based violence and substance abuse. 
•    Social work services and referrals. 
•    Services from the National Development Agency.
•    Many more offerings from government departments and stakeholders, including the Department of Health, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), and the Public Protector.

“The ICROP will begin with a community engagement session, providing an opportunity for Deputy Minister Hendricks and stakeholders to interact directly with residents. This will be followed by on-site service delivery facilitated by government departments and partners,” the department said ahead of Friday’s  engagement.

The Deputy Minister will be joined by senior management from the DSD and SASSA, as well as representatives from all three spheres of government, reaffirming a collective commitment to responsive, integrated, and people-centred service delivery.

Residents are encouraged to bring their ID documents and other supporting documentation to facilitate access to services. – SAnews.gov.za

Living with a disability in the Phelindaba section of Sannieshof, in the Tswaing Local Municipality, Annah Lekgetho spent her entire life relying on a family toilet that was not designed to meet her needs, a situation that made even the most basic tasks difficult and, at times, undignified.

That reality changed for the 20-year-old this week when Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister Sello Seitlholo handed over a disability-friendly onsite toilet to her family, restoring not only access, but a sense of dignity.

For Lekgetho and the family that cared for her, the new facility represents more than infrastructure, it brings relief, independence, and hope.

Lekgetho’s situation came to the attention of the Deputy Minister during an oversight visit to Tswaing that is located in the North West province in December last year. The Deputy Minister’s visit at the time formed part of National Sanitation Month.

The visit was initially aimed at assessing the state of the Sannieshof Wastewater Treatment Works and the impact of ongoing sewer spillages on surrounding communities.

But it was in the homes of residents, including Lekgetho’s where the human cost of inadequate sanitation became most apparent.

Sharing a standard toilet facility that could not accommodate her disability had placed strain not only on Lekgetho, but also on family members.

Speaking at the handover, Seitlholo said Lekgetho’s story reflects the broader challenges faced by vulnerable members of society when access to proper sanitation is limited.

“A lack of a decent, disability-friendly toilet highlights the daily struggles faced by many in our communities. This requires urgent intervention to protect the dignity and well-being of our people, especially those living with disabilities.”

He stressed that access to safe and appropriate sanitation is not a luxury, but a constitutional right.

“Access to proper sanitation is not a privilege, it is a constitutional right. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa affirms every person’s right to dignity, equality, and a safe and healthy environment. As government, we could not leave this family behind,” Seitlholo said.

Partnership brings change

To address the need, the Department of Water and Sanitation partnered with private sanitation company, AmaLooLoo to provide and install the specialised facility.

The facility is designed to accommodate Lekgetho’s mobility needs and includes a supportive toilet seat and an indoor shower for ease of use. It is also designed to utilise rainwater for most of its operation, promoting sustainability while improving the household’s quality of life.

Seitlholo was accompanied by the Acting Mayor of Tswaing Local Municipality, Nkagisang Molehabangwe, who echoed the Deputy Minister’s sentiments and highlighted the importance of partnerships to improve service delivery and responding to community needs.

The Deputy Minister expressed hope that the initiative would inspire stronger collaboration between national, provincial, and local government, together with private sector partners, to accelerate access to basic services and improve the lives of vulnerable citizens.

For Lekgetho, the intervention marks a significant shift in her daily life, one that restores independence and eases the burden on her family.

As the country moves towards the end of the commemoration of Human Rights Month, her story is a reminder that service delivery is not only about infrastructure, but about people, and the dignity that comes with being seen, heard, and supported. – SAnews.gov.za
 

Free State Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae has told SAnews.gov.za, that the provincial government’s engagement with President Cyril Ramaphosa and the National Executive today, presents an opportunity for the province to address its challenges.

The President will lead the engagement with the provincial government today, Friday, 27 March 2026, which is to be held at the University of Free State Centenary Complex in Bloemfontein, under the theme: “A Nation that Works for All”.

“It’s an opportunity for us to plead with them [because] we are having challenges in the province.

“We have an issue of the bucket system eradication in the province; an issue of human settlements where people are moving from one area to the other. We are also having an issue of infrastructure that is ageing and an issue of sewerage.

“We are happy that [Water and Sanitation] Minister Pemmy Majodina is always in our province, supporting this provincial government. So hopefully, we will get more Ministers who are saying: Premier, this is how we are going to support your provincial government,” the Premier said in an interview with SAnews.gov.za. 

President Ramaphosa has already held interactions with the provincial governments of KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and the North West.

“The visit is aligned with President Ramaphosa’s commitment to encourage closer collaboration with Provinces and Local spheres of government to tackle service delivery challenges.

“This initiative accords with Section 154 of the Constitution, which mandates national and provincial governments to support and strengthen capacity of municipalities in governance,” the Presidency said in a statement, ahead of Friday’s engagement.

In his State of the Nation Address (SONA) in February, President Ramaphosa said government is proposing fundamental reforms to address the root causes of dysfunction in many municipalities and to improve the efficiency of service delivery.

At the time, the President said these changes are expected to be implemented in the coming months through the finalisation of the White Paper on Local Government. This as the White Paper is set to reimagine the way that local government works.

President Ramaphosa noted that the current local government system is overly complex and fragmented, placing excessive responsibilities on small and weak municipalities.

Government is also proposing more structured cooperation between municipalities and traditional and Khoi-San leadership institutions to strengthen community engagement and promote shared problem-solving.

“We will ensure that senior officials in local government have the required qualifications and are appointed through an independent process free from political interference.

“Where municipalities fail, we will strengthen the ability of national government to intervene more quickly and to direct corrective measures in the interests of serving our people better,” the President said.

Acknowledging that the reforms may be challenging, President Ramaphosa stressed that they are necessary.

He said progress has been made in stabilising eThekwini, resulting in renewed investor confidence. 

Meanwhile, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa earlier this month reaffirmed government’s commitment to supporting municipalities through policy reforms, including the review of the 1998 White Paper on Local Government, which is nearing completion, and ongoing work on municipal funding models and staffing frameworks.

Speaking at an engagement session with mayors of metropolitan municipalities, Hlabisa also emphasised that the success of metros is critical to the country’s overall stability, urging all spheres of government to work together to rebuild capable, accountable and responsive municipalities.

READ | Municipalities urged to strengthen governance systems, maintain public trust

“We are three spheres of government but one country. We will successfully overcome the obstacles that our metropolitan municipalities are currently facing by working together,” the Minister said at the time. – SAnews.gov.za

President Cyril Ramaphosa has, together with Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane, conducted a site visit to the Dark and Silver City Community Residential Units at the Mangaung Metro Municipality in the Free State. 

The project – which is aimed at providing low-income housing for thousands of citizens – has been faced with vandalism and challenges with contractors since it broke ground a little over 10 years ago.
 

Once construction is completed, the provincial government is expected to hand over the project to the municipality.

“This is the full process of renewal, reforms that we are instituting right across the disciplines and platforms across the country in the seventh administration.

“The determination and the rigour is there. You sense it. We are now entering a new phase of delivering human settlements in our country and we are now definitely on the move to eradicate the corruption that has dogged the construction of houses for our people and I can see it.

“What has been done in the past is completely unacceptable, but we are where we are. We are now changing approach,” President Ramaphosa said during a walkabout of the site on Thursday.

READ | Mangaung to begin Phase 2 of hostel redevelopment project

The President acknowledged the challenges that the project has faced but assured that government is working to resolve them.

“[We’ve] got the officials, the Ministers and the MECs and Premiers who are now showing greater determination to…getting to the root of the problems, have consequence management, the SIU [Special Investigating Unit] is investigating all the abandoned projects and we are moving unit by unit, block by block to ensure that we deliver housing to our people.

“Being here, at this site that was abandoned, is actually an abomination…and a complete neglect to the interests and rights of our people. With this, we ought to hang our heads in shame. But we are where we are now and we want to raise our gaze and make sure that we address the challenges and the problems and begin to deliver these houses to our people.

“Our people have been living for too long under…unacceptable accommodation and now we are opening a new window, a new chapter for them here. I’m glad to hear [that] there are almost 5 000 units [that] will now be occupied, and people will move in phase by phase until it’s fully occupied,” he added.
Provincial response 

Free State Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae told SAnews.gov.za  that a facilitator has been appointed to oversee some parts of the project.

“These flats have been built for some time now, but I’m happy that this seventh administration is starting to engage with the department [and] with the municipality in making sure that this year, we hand over this project to the municipality.

“There is a facilitator that has been appointed here so we are urging our communities…to come and utilise this place [when occupancy is opened],” she said.

As a crowd gathered, some in protest and others seeking more information about the units, Mangaung Mayor Gregory Nthatisi, acknowledged that communication with community members on the completion of the construction has not always been up to par.

He told SAnews that authorities are hard at work to make sure that the construction is satisfactory before occupations can begin.

“In the past, when people were promised that they would come here, the communication level was not up to scratch. As a result, together with the province, we are now engaging the people around to explain how we can best utilise the properties here.

“We need to make sure that the contractors that do the work and were appointed by government stick to the specifications with regard to what has to happen so that by the time that the houses are handed over to the people, [the homes] are up to the level and expectation,” Nthatisi said. – SAnews.gov.za