Category: English

The Gauteng Provincial Government has identified 10 police stations to be prioritised for support in its gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) plan.

This was announced by Premier Panyaza Lesufi during a media briefing following a meeting with the province’s mayors, municipal managers and law enforcement agencies to assess and strengthen the provincial response to GBVF.

The 10 stations have recorded the highest rape cases, and these stations include Rietgat, Alexandra, Mamelodi, Diepsloot, Ivory Park, Dobsonville, Redhill, Midrand and Thembisa, amongst others.

“We are of the view that if we can’t put additional resources in terms of policing, victim empowerment and all related issues…including dockets in these police stations, we would have failed the call that the President has given us.

“That’s why we have to ringfence these police stations and provide the relevant support that is needed,” Lesufi said.

Additionally, consolidated support the provincial government has given includes the strengthening of seven Thuthuzela Care Centres and providing support to sexual offence courts, which house the 144 victim friendly rooms.

“We are also bringing in the 19 Medical Legal Clinics to assist in preventing the loss of forensic evidence.

“In addition, we are increasing and amplifying SAPS [South African Police Service] GBV desks to deal with cases swiftly. A total of 1022 GBV brigades will be deployed across 122 high-risk police precincts with tools of trade. We are adding 56 social workers within the Department of Social Development,” Lesufi explained.

Provincial response to four-point plan

Lesufi said the provincial government will implement President Cyril Ramaphosa’s four-point plan to fight GBVF with the addition of a fifth commitment to places of safety.

The President’s four-point plan was announced this week and includes:
–    SAPS and the Justice Department to undertake a national case-recovery operation focused on unresolved murders, attempted murders, rapes and serious sexual offences involving women and children.

–    Minister of Police, the National Commissioner of Police and the relevant forensic authorities to present, within 60 days, a funded plan to reduce forensic backlogs and establish clear turnaround standards for priority gender-based violence and femicide cases.

–    Every municipality must begin a women’s safety audit without delay. High-risk areas must be identified, working with provincial governments and the police.

–    Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, working with the Ministers of Health, Social Development, Police and Cooperative Governance, to submit to Cabinet within 60 days a coordinated legislative and enforcement package to reduce alcohol-related violence.

READ | Four-point plan to aid the GBVF fight

Additionally, the provincial government will be adding support to safe places for survivors of GBVF.

“We are mapping the shelters and identifying what, as a province, we call green doors. Places of safety for women, for children and an audit of all buildings, staffing and funding gaps related to this kind of support.

“I can safely confirm that we’ve got a draft plan that we’ve put on the table with overwhelming support from all participants…from municipalities, provincial government and national government. We are of the view that this plan responds to the President’s call,” Lesufi said.

Three additional issues that will be looked at include the tracking of missing people, providing victim support for the families of those missing or unaccounted for and the pooling of an inter-governmental resource team to do tracking and supporting.

“What we have… [is to] establish an Inter-Governmental Committee on Disaster Management where we are coordinating everything related to local government.

“We’ve also established an Inter-Government Committee on Policy where we are bringing all the resources of law enforcement agencies. We also have an Inter-Government Relations Committee that was monitoring issues of water and energy [and] now we are introducing a new committee on [GBVF].

“On this, we have agreed to meet every Wednesday to take stock of directives that the President has given us,” he said.

Not starting from scratch

The Premier noted that the province has had an anti-GBVF plan and is not building systems from the ground up.

“What we are doing now is auditing the case numbers that are based, tracking individual recovery action plans, following up on police station failures, especially on lost dockets, protection orders, bail-related safety and family communication, and providing additional support to the affected municipalities in particular, to the municipality of Ekurhuleni.

“All municipalities agreed to provide an audit, in the next seven days, on the following areas that have been identified: broken streetlights, overgrown spaces and poorly secured parks, abandoned or hijacked buildings, unsafe routes, taxi ranks and facilities and areas that will assist us to get evidence in terms of CCTV cameras and other support systems” he explained.

A technical team has also been established to also draw national departments and entities closer that may provide additional support to the province.

“This, we believe, will ensure that our action plan on dealing with the directives of the President will be relevant, up-to-date, up to speed, measurable but most importantly, that each and every member of society can track what we are committing ourselves to do as the provincial government, municipalities and national government.”

At the same media briefing, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni reflected on some of the cases of women killed in Ekurhuleni, noting that reports are “indicating a trend of victims being killed by people close to them”.

“We have pleaded that the police…can only police outside our yards. We have called on the public and families to report incidents of abuse of women. It is for that reason the President has called for dialogues for men and families.

“What we are concerned about as government is the high number of crimes targeted at women by people closest to them. But also, we are working to make sure that we create public spaces that are safe for women to exist [and] also create shelters for women to go to for help and opportunities for women to be supported,” Ntshavheni said.

Help

She added that both the GBVF Command Centre and Crime Stop numbers are fully operational.

Members of the public can report information through the Crime Stop toll-free number, 08600 10111, or contact the 24-hour Gender-Based Violence Command Centre on 0800 428 428.

The GBV Command Centre can also be reached by sending a Please Call Me to 1207867#, SMSing “HELP” to 31531, or contacting Skype: Helpme GBV. – SAnews.gov.za

 

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While progress has been made in education, skills development and youth employment initiatives, challenges around implementation, coordination, funding and accountability continue to limit outcomes for young people, according to the mid-term evaluation of the National Youth Policy 2020–2030.

The findings were highlighted during the launch of the Mid-Term Implementation Evaluation Report of the National Youth Policy in Kempton Park, Johannesburg, on Friday.

Delivering a keynote address, Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Sindisiwe Chikunga said the evaluation confirmed that the policy remained relevant and aligned with the National Development Plan (NDP), Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but stressed the need to accelerate implementation to translate its objectives into meaningful opportunities for young people.

“The central finding of this evaluation is both encouraging and demanding. The National Youth Policy remains highly relevant… our challenge is no longer to restate that vision, but to translate it into consistent delivery at scale,” Chikunga said.

The evaluation recorded progress across all five pillars of the policy, including expanded access to education and skills development, the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative, the National Youth Service, and the SA-Youth platform.

However, Chikunga said these achievements need to be strengthened to ensure that education and training translated into economic participation, entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihoods.

“These achievements deserve recognition, but they must not become grounds for complacency. They must be the foundation on which we accelerate delivery,” the Minister said.

The evaluation comes amid persistent youth unemployment, with nearly 44% of young people not in employment, education, or training. Young women, particularly in rural communities, remain disproportionately affected by limited access to education and economic opportunities.

The findings also highlighted challenges facing young graduates seeking employment, young entrepreneurs struggling to access finance and markets, and young people experiencing poverty, substance abuse, violence and social exclusion.

The report further raised concerns about mental health and psychosocial wellbeing, noting that although interventions were in place, their reach remained uneven.

“Perhaps the most important conclusion of this evaluation is that South Africa does not suffer from a shortage of youth policies. Our principal challenge is implementation,” Chikunga said.

She noted institutional fragmentation, uneven service delivery, weak coordination, insufficient accountability, inconsistent monitoring and budgetary constraints as key obstacles to achieving the policy’s objectives.

As the country enters the second half of the policy’s implementation period, Chikunga outlined five priorities, including strengthening and adequately resourcing youth development institutions, institutionalising meaningful youth participation, expanding pathways into economic opportunities, prioritising youth wellbeing, and improving accountability for results.

The Minister also emphasised the need to strengthen the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), describing it as a key link between national youth policy and the lived realities of young people.

“It [agency] must therefore be strengthened in governance, organisational capability, provincial and local reach, digital delivery, partnerships and monitoring capacity. Crucially, the NYDA must receive adequate, predictable and sustainable funding, aligned with a clear mandate and measurable outcomes, so that it can expand enterprise support, skills pathways, youth-service opportunities and access to information at the scale our national challenge demands,” the Minister said.

She said government and its partners need to expand new pathways into employment and entrepreneurship, particularly in the digital economy, artificial intelligence, creative industries, the green economy, agriculture, manufacturing and the oceans economy.

“This requires stronger transitions from learning to earning, procurement opportunities for youth-owned enterprises and partnerships that connect young people to capital, markets and mentorship.

The Minister further called for mental health services, psychosocial support, safer communities and community resilience to be prioritised as essential components of youth development.

She said institutions responsible for youth programmes need to strengthen monitoring and ensure that public funds are accounted for and translate into measurable improvements in young people’s lives.

Chikunga said youth development requires a coordinated effort involving government, business, educational institutions, civil society, development partners, families and young people themselves.

The launch of the evaluation coincides with the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Youth Uprisings, which Chikunga said served as a reminder of the role young people played in shaping South Africa’s history and the responsibility to ensure that the current generation had access to quality education, economic opportunities and safe communities.

Chikunga called for the evaluation to serve as a basis for a national compact that will move youth development from fragmented initiatives to coordinated delivery; from short-term interventions to sustainable pathways.  – SAnews.gov.za
 

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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has reaffirmed its zero-tolerance approach to fraud, corruption and misconduct at South Africa’s borders and ports of entry.

“Today, under the auspices of the BMIACF, we reaffirm our zero-tolerance approach to fraud, corruption and misconduct at South Africa’s borders and ports of entry,” BMA Commissioner, Dr Michael Masiapato said.

This is as the Border Management and Immigration Anti-Corruption Forum (BMIACF) has taken a conscious decision to bring the campaign to airports and sea ports.

The forum, which is chaired by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and seeks to proactively root out corruption from South Africa’s ports of entry, held its quarterly anti-corruption campaign at OR Tambo International Airport on Friday.

The forum also seeks to proactively combat corruption at South Africa’s ports of entry through strengthened collaboration between border management, law-enforcement and other government institutions.

“We are no longer limiting ourselves to our land borders. We are bringing this campaign to our airports and, in the next quarter, we will be going to one of our sea ports, before returning to another airport,” Masiapato said.

He added that corruption does not discriminate by port of entry.

“Corruption does not discriminate by port of entry, and neither can we. Our strategy must be as dynamic and integrated as the threats we face.

“This forum is our collective information-sharing platform, our coordinated investigative hub, and our shield for whistleblowers. It ensures that no corrupt official can hide between the cracks of different agencies.”

Progress made

Masiapato said there has been significant progress made by participating organisations in combating fraud and corruption in the border and immigration sector.

“In the last quarter, the BMA handled 57 labour-relations and disciplinary cases involving internal-control breaches, fraud, corruption and other misconduct affecting organisational integrity.”

Of these, 17 resulted in dismissals, two officials received final warnings, one official was suspended without pay, and two officials were acquitted because of insufficient evidence. 

“A further 33 cases remain in the disciplinary process. Most of these cases involve employees who were working in this port of entry (OR Tambo),” he said.

During the same period, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) finalised 42 cases involving gross misconduct, aiding and abetting, identity-document fraud, and financial misconduct. 

“As the accounting authority, I do not get joy from signing suspension or dismissal letters. Every time I sign those letters, it pains me, because it is not only the official who is going to suffer; it is his or her family that suffers the most. 

“A suspension or dismissal does not end with the individual; it reaches into the home and affects children, spouses, parents and dependents who had nothing to do with the misconduct,” Masiapato said.

Masiapato urged every official in the border and immigration sector to refrain from fraud and corruption.  

“Protect your job, protect your family, and protect the integrity of this organisation. The consequences are simply not worth it,” he said.

The SIU’s Acting Chief Operations Officer, Zodwa Xesibe, said there is a need to investigate acts of fraud and corruption with the understanding that corruption is not a victimless crime. 

“When public money is stolen, diverted or improperly spent, somebody ultimately pays the price,” Xesibe said.

She said no anti-corruption strategy can succeed without leadership, adding that leadership is also demonstrated by what happens when misconduct occurs. 

“Of greater importance is the changing face of fraud and corruption. Technology has transformed government operations and created enormous opportunities for efficiency. It has also created new opportunities for fraud and corruption,” she said.

Xesibe said there is a need for better use of data, strong information sharing, digital forensic capabilities and institutions capable of identifying patterns and connecting information across organisational boundaries.

“The fight against fraud and corruption is sometimes described as a battle. It is indeed. But it is also something more profound. It is a test of the kind of state we want to build. A state where public resources are protected, where institutions are accountable. We all have an important role in this.

“We all have an important role in this broader anti-corruption architecture. The effectiveness of the anti-corruption architecture is dependent on cooperation of our institutions and public entities,” she said. 

Impact

Also taking part in the programme was an offender serving a 10-year prison sentence for fraud.

Hlengiwe Khumalo was employed by the South African Revenue Service (SARS) when she committed the fraud.

“I was working well with a good salary, but unfortunately I got bad influence from friends and ended up committing fraud, and I ended up [being] arrested,” she said.

Khumalo said what she did affected her children and her parents very badly.
“I did not have the courage to tell my parents about what was happening,” she said.

Khumalo lost her cars and houses and also had to pay back all the money she stole from SARS.
The campaign was led by Masiapato, together with the Home Affairs Director-General, Tommy Makhode and representatives from other government institutions. 

The programme included the public signing of an anti-corruption pledge by the participating leaders, engagements with officials, testimonies from incarcerated offenders who have been sentenced for fraud and corruption-related offences, as well as a presentation by the Hawks on efforts to combat corruption at ports of entry.– SAnews.gov.za

 

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