Category: English

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has forecast fine and cold to cool but partly cloudy weather with showers and rain expected in the north-east of the country.

There are currently no weather alerts on their website.

Earlier this week, the country was gripped with severe winter weather with the Eastern Cape experiencing snowfall and heavy rain.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is today visiting flood-affected areas in the Eastern Cape, due to rising casualties and damage to infrastructure in the OR Tambo and Amathole District Municipalities.

The President will be updated on the search and rescue efforts and support needed to effectively address the devastating disaster across all levels.

According to the latest reports, the death toll from the floods in the Eastern Cape has risen to 78, with more than 1 000 people displaced. – SAnews.gov.za

The eThekwini Municipality has announced temporary closure of Stapleton Road Bridge in Pinetown, west of Durban, to facilitate urgent and accelerated repair work.

The bridge serves as a key link between Sarnia Road and the King Cetshwayo Highway (M13), providing access to Pinetown and New Germany.

In a statement, the municipality said the decision to close the bridge was made in the interest of public safety, and to enable the repair operations to proceed efficiently and without obstruction.

“Following recent assessments, it was determined that a portion of the concrete structure has been compromised and requires immediate removal and reconstruction. The Municipality’s Structures Department has completed most of the repair design work and is fully mobilised on-site.

“In addition to structural concerns, investigations revealed that the northern road embankment is being undermined, resulting in a narrowed and unstable roadway. Vibrations from heavy vehicles have worsened the condition, especially near the recently reconstructed water main,” the municipality said in a statement.

The city warned that ongoing traffic presents a significant risk to both motorists and the construction workforce. It said full closure of the bridge will allow uninterrupted work to proceed without interruption, reducing the repair timeline, while ensuring maximum safety and quality standards.

The municipality acknowledged the inconvenience caused by the closure and apologised to all affected residents, businesses, and commuters.

“The municipality assures the public that teams are working round the clock to minimise the closure period, while upholding the highest standards of safety and engineering,” the municipality said.

The bridge is expected to reopen within 21 days, or sooner if weather and site conditions remain favourable.

Motorists have been advised to use the following alternative routes into Pinetown:
•    Via Main Road (Underwood Road), or
•    Via the M7 (Edwin Swales Drive) through Bellair.

Power restoration underway after storm damage 

Meanwhile, the municipality has reported significant progress in restoring power supply to areas affected by the recent strong winds, which caused widespread damage to infrastructure and interrupted power in several areas across the city.

The municipality said the Electricity Unit has been attending to a high volume of electricity faults, with many areas already reconnected.

“As teams work through these faults, common causes identified include fallen poles, trees falling on power lines, vegetation encroachments, blown roof sheets, and other foreign objects entangled in the power lines which have all contributed to the numerous outages. City teams are prioritising safety and efficiency as they work to restore power.

“Teams are working round the clock to repair faults and progressively restore power in affected areas. Many areas have already had power restored. Restoration is being done in a phased and safe manner,” the municipality said on Thursday.

Residents are encouraged to report outages via the city’s digital fault reporting platforms, including: 

• New faults may be logged through the updated version of the City’s Mobile App;
• WhatsApp Chatbot: 076 791 2449;
• Email: electricity.faults@durban.gov.za, or
• Or click on the link https://webfaults.durban.gov.za/WebsiteFaultsEllips…/Fault

For the latest developments on reported area outages, visit the Electricity Unit’s online area outage tracker page https://webfaults.durban.gov.za/WebsiteFaultsEllip…/Outage
This list is automatically updated as faults are logged and assigned to various fault teams until restoration. – SAnews.gov.za
 

Government is embarking on a multi-pronged approach to address gang-related crime and its underlying socio-economic causes, Deputy President Paul Mashatile said.

Speaking on the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cabinet Committee’s strategy, the Deputy President emphasised that combating crime requires more than traditional policing.

He further highlighted several key points of the strategy, which include the development of a national anti-gang initiative, the enhancement of anti-gang units within the South African Police Service (SAPS), the implementation of Operation Shanela to focus on strategic law enforcement efforts, and an emphasis on community engagement and collaboration with stakeholders.

The need for a multi-disciplinary approach involving various government departments to address crime effectively was also emphasised.

“This strategy, supported by the anti-gang action plan, focuses on gangsterism through intelligence gathering, proactive policing, community engagement and stakeholder collaboration in this regard,” he said during a question-and-answer session in Parliament on Thursday.

WATCH | Question and answer session in the National Assembly
 

READ | Deputy President to respond to oral questions

Additionally, the country’s second-in-command said the SAPS is working around the clock to investigate and finalise gang-related cases, including drug trafficking, shootings and murders.

“As a result, according to the latest statement released by SAPS, ongoing operations, which are focusing on combating and preventing crime, including gender-based violence and femicide [GBVF], have led to the arrest of more than 13 000 suspects.”

He believes that the latest statistics show a significant decrease in most crime categories compared to the previous financial year but added that more efforts are needed.

As the Chair of the JCPS, he stated that he will continue to engage with the Minister of Police, the National Police Commissioner, and the MECs of Safety in all provinces. 

Their goal is to enhance efforts in combating organised crime and gang-related killings, particularly in provinces like KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape, where these issues are prevalent.

“Our goal is to eliminate immediate threats posed by crime and gangs in identified high crime areas, while fostering a safe and secure environment for long-term stability.”

The Deputy President emphasised a multidisciplinary approach, engaging various government departments to tackle root causes such as poverty and unemployment.

He noted that economic growth and job creation are crucial in preventing youth from turning to criminal activities.

Water issues 

The Deputy President discussed the Water Task Team’s efforts to address water shortages, with a focus on 105 non-performing municipalities and enhancing municipal service management. 

The team was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa  last year under the leadership of the Deputy President to address water challenges in various areas in the country.

The Deputy President told the Members of Parliament that the Department of Water and Sanitation has established oversight structures and a specialised unit for priority projects and that a comprehensive water debt management plan is recommended. 

“We are going to carefully look at the resolutions of the Water Indaba because it does address, particularly these issues, because some of the municipalities can’t be water authorities,” he said. 

READ | Call for national turnaround plan on water security

In addition, he stated that consequence management for underperforming municipal managers is being considered. 
“So, we are going to look at how we can, where possible, assist them to be effective in generating revenue. We have realised that poor maintenance of facilities is one of the biggest problems. 

“If you visit many of our cities, you’ll find that there are problems with leakages and that non-revenue water is a significant issue. So, we’re going to work with them to try and deal with those challenges.” 

HIV and AIDS

Shifting focus to HIV and AIDS, he said the withdrawal of US$8 billion in the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) funding for the HIV/AIDS programme will be offset by increased government spending and engagement with other markets. This as funding by the United States Government has been withdrawn. – SAnews.gov.za

EThekwini Municipality Mayor, Cyril Xaba has welcomed significant progress on the Southern Aqueduct project, a vital initiative designed to meet the growing water demand in the southern and central parts of the city.

Xaba conducted an oversight visit on Wednesday, to assess construction progress on a section of the pipeline at Mosely Park.

Xaba said he was excited with the progress he has seen, highlighting the team’s commitment to work around the clock to ensure its completion.

“This is one of the major water infrastructure projects we embarked on in 2024. Once completed, the 24-kilometre pipeline will substantially improve water supply to communities, including Shallcross, Chatsworth, Umlazi, Folweni, and Queensburgh,” Xaba said.

The R1.2 billion Southern Aqueduct upgrade will serve approximately 1.2 million residents through 33 reservoirs.

The project replaces a pipeline that is more than 70 years old and had exceeded its 50-year lifespan, and was frequently leaking, necessitating partial decommissioning.

“We are now upgrading it to meet the growing population. This includes restoring it to be two pipelines which will allow us to continue to provide water, even if we conduct maintenance work on the other pipeline,” Xaba explained.

The project upgrade involves the replacement of 975mm (millimetre) diameter concrete pipes with new steel pipes ranging from 1000mm to 1600mm in diameter.

The project is split into eight work packages, with packages 1 and 2 already at 50% complete since they started in 2024.

Work package 1 involves the construction of a new 1200mm steel watermain from Shallcross Road to the Chatsworth Reservoir, while package 2 includes the construction of 8 kilometres pipeline, ranging from 1200mm to 1400mm in diameter from Shallcross to Northdene.

Work packages 3 to 6, which commenced in April this year, cover the construction of the pipeline running from Northdene through Paradise Valley Nature Reserve and Westville, ending at Durban Heights Water Treatment Works in Reservoir Hills.

Xaba reaffirmed the municipality’s commitment to uninterrupted water provision and pledged regular site visits to assess progress.

“I want teams to meet their timelines so that my commitment to the community is honoured,” Xaba said- SAnews.gov.za
 

Government is implementing comprehensive measures to support small-scale farmers, especially in rural and underdeveloped provinces like the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, and KwaZulu-Natal. 

This is according to Deputy President Paul Mashatile who outlined key strategies during a parliamentary question-and-answer session. At Thursday’s session, the Deputy President emphasised the importance of enhancing agricultural productivity and improving access to funding.

Addressing the National Assembly, he stated that the government is improving agricultural productivity through the Agriculture Agro-Processing Master Plan (AAPP) and various support programmes, including the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP) and the Blended Finance Scheme.

WATCH | Deputy President addresses the National Assembly

He explained that the Master Plan aims to enhance agricultural products, promote agro-processing, and improve market access by building capacity, accelerating land reform, and providing financial assistance to farmers.

“We need to support it to promote economic growth, ensure food security and employment creation, particularly in rural areas. 
“Government is playing a crucial role in ensuring that small farmers become sustainable and thriving enterprises aligned to the country’s land reform and rural development objectives,” he said.

He announced that government is assisting farmers by offering grants and loans through partnerships with financial institutions like the Land Bank, Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). 

According to the Deputy President, the state is providing blended finance schemes targeting black-owned agricultural enterprises. 

“We are enhancing collaboration between government and private entities to boost productivity, service delivery and sustainability growth. Infrastructure and technology adoption depend on these collaborations,” he said.

He told Members of Parliament that efforts are being made to address the challenge of accessing funding from commercial banks by de-risking investments and mobilising Development Finance Institutions (DFIs).

Meanwhile, the Deputy President said government is also leveraging trade agreements, such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), to boost regional trade. 

“If we effectively utilise regional structures like the African Continental Free Trade Area, our smallholder farmers will have a platform to access larger regional markets and potentially benefit from increased demand for their products. 

“In this regard, continuous industry consultation and reporting are taking place through the agricultural trade forum.” 

Export opportunities

He announced that South Africa is exploring export opportunities in strategic markets like Japan and focusing on products such as citrus fruits and avocados. 

In the meantime, arrangements are currently in place with the European Union and the country’s BRICS partners to fast-track export protocols, enhance biosecurity to meet international standards and ensure international outreach is professional, responsive and strategic.

BRICS is an intergovernmental organisation comprising 10 countries, including Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

Funding and market access 

The country’s second-in-command also took the time to acknowledge the challenges, including commercial banks’ reluctance to fund small farmers due to a lack of collateral. 

However, he stated that the government is intervening to reduce investment risks and encourage bank participation. 

According to Deputy President Mashatile, government aims to transform small-scale farming into sustainable enterprises, which will promote economic growth, food security, and job creation in rural areas.

“We are actively seeking to expand agricultural market access to countries like Japan, particularly for our citrus fruits and avocados.” 

The Deputy President also took the time to extend his condolences to the families of the people affected by the severe weather conditions in the Eastern Cape. 

“Our hearts are with you. Government will do everything in its power to assist you. The President will be visiting the Eastern Cape tomorrow,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za

The Electoral Commission is preparing to host a symposium on Political Funding in South Africa. 

This follows four years of implementing the Political Funding Act of 2018. This law took effect on 1 April 2021. 

The symposium will be held in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, on 18 and 19 June 2025.

The symposium will be held under the theme: “Sustaining Multi-Party Democracy through Enhancing Political Funding Regulation in South Africa”.

The aim of the symposium is to foster informed dialogue on matters related to the use of money in politics, the required transparency and accountability models, as well as possible reforms to ensure an effective political finance regulatory regime in South Africa.

The key highlights of the programme of the symposium include opening remarks by the chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mosotho Moepya.

The Chief Electoral Officer, Sy Mamabolo, and the political funding unit will outline the experience of implementing the law since its promulgation. This aspect will involve the points of success and areas of challenge. 

The Human Sciences Research Council will outline the preliminary outcomes of a research study which, amongst others, gathered the views and perspectives of stakeholders and the public on political financing in the country. Several scholars will also present their work in this area.

The Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, is also scheduled to address the symposium. The Minister is expected to provide a perspective on the public funding of elected representatives to enhance multi-party democracy.

Highlights of the programme include the following:

• A global perspective on political funding and campaign finance.

• The role and mandate of the political funding framework in strengthening democratic governance.

• Assessing the capacity and commitment of key stakeholders in improving the regulation of political funding.

• Transparency in public and private political party funding.

The symposium will convene a wide range of stakeholders, including representatives from political parties, Members of Parliament, academia, civil society, media, the business sector, as well as international and intergovernmental organisations.

Speaking ahead of the symposium, Mamabolo said a collective commitment to enhancing transparency in the political funding landscape is important to foster a vibrant system of multiparty democracy. 

“By convening diverse stakeholders, we aim to critically assess our progress and explore avenues for strengthening the current regulatory framework and thus ensure that our democracy remains robust and resilient,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za