Category: MIL-OSI

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, has requested the department’s Director-General Sifiso Mdakane to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the 6 238 State-owned residential properties allocated to various user Departments and those occupied by government officials across the country.

Mdakane has also been requested to develop a comprehensive strategy for the disposal of properties that are not required for legitimate operational purposes. 

Of these properties, 3 626 are situated in KwaZulu-Natal, 566 in the Western Cape and 407 in Gauteng. 

The department further recorded that an estimated R39.6 million was spent from its day-to-day maintenance budget during the 2025/26 financial year, although the available expenditure information relates to only 108 of the 6 238 properties. 

The Director-General has been requested to submit a comprehensive report to the Minister within 30 days. 

“The report must include a complete assessment of the 3 626 properties situated in KwaZulu-Natal, identifying the user department to which each property has been allocated, its intended purpose and operational need, the capacity in which the current occupant resides at the property and which properties should be retained, repurposed or disposed of,” the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure said in a statement. 

According to the department, the report must separately identify properties occupied by officials of the department and determine whether the same allocation criteria, governance requirements, rental provisions, housing entitlement checks and tax treatment applicable to other departments have been applied without exception or preferential treatment. 

The investigation must further examine: 

● The legislative and regulatory basis for the leasing of State-owned residences, including compliance with the Government Immovable Asset Management Act, the Public Finance Management Act and applicable National Treasury regulations. 

● Whether the rentals charged are market-related and whether the necessary approvals were obtained for any deviations. 

● Whether officials occupying work facility or official housing qualify for such accommodation under their conditions of employment and whether the appropriate fringe benefit tax treatment has been applied. 

● Whether user departments have surrendered properties that are no longer required for service delivery and whether any surplus properties should be repurposed, redeveloped, disposed of or released from the State’s portfolio. 

“It is my view that the State should not own more than 6 000 residential properties for government officials, particularly when many officials already receive housing allowances, subsidies or other housing-related benefits as part of their remuneration packages. 

“Unless there is a clear and compelling operational reason for the State to retain a residential property, it should be sold. The default position cannot be that the State indefinitely carries the maintenance, rates and other costs of thousands of residential properties, while the public fiscus remains under immense pressure.

“We need to establish who is occupying each property, the basis on which it was allocated and whether it still serves a legitimate public purpose. Where properties are underutilised, unnecessary or no longer required for government operations, they should be released from the State’s portfolio through a transparent and legally compliant disposal process. 

“Selling properties that the State does not need will reduce unnecessary expenditure, generate value for the public and ensure that government focuses its limited resources on infrastructure and assets that directly support service delivery. This is central to our commitment to use public assets for the public good and build a better South Africa,” the Minister said. – SAnews.gov.za

The success of the newly signed cooperation agreement between South Africa and the Kingdom of the Netherlands will ultimately be measured by the positive impact it has on the lives of women, young people and persons with disabilities.

Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Mmapaseka Letsike made the remarks after South Africa and the Netherlands signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening cooperation on the empowerment of women, youth and persons with disabilities. 

The agreement was signed on Monday during a bilateral engagement between Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Sindisiwe Lydia Chikunga and the Netherlands’ Ambassador to South Africa, Joanne Doornewaard.

The MoU provides a framework for cooperation in areas including gender equality, youth development, disability inclusion and the promotion of human rights.

Delivering the closing remarks at the signing ceremony, Letsike said the agreement marks the beginning of a partnership that must deliver tangible results through effective implementation.

“The significance of today will not be determined by how carefully the document is worded; how warmly we speak of friendship, or even by the ceremony we have just witnessed. It will be determined by what changes after we leave this room,” Letsike said.

The Deputy Minister said the agreement provides for the establishment of a bilateral working group under the South Africa-Netherlands Joint Commission for Cooperation. The body will be tasked with developing a two-year implementation plan, monitoring progress and submitting annual reports on the partnership’s outcomes.

She emphasised that implementation should be guided by clear timelines, defined responsibilities and measurable targets to ensure the agreement delivers meaningful benefits.

Letsike also called for the active involvement of civil society organisations, youth formations, organisations representing persons with disabilities, LGBTI+ groups, researchers and frontline practitioners in implementing and reviewing the agreement.

She said both countries stand to benefit from sharing knowledge and experience, while acknowledging that South Africa and the Netherlands continue to face challenges in advancing equality and inclusion.

“Neither South Africa nor the Netherlands arrives in this partnership as a completed project. Both countries bring experience, institutions and lessons, but both also have inequalities and blind spots that require continued democratic work,” she said.

Letsike stressed that disability inclusion initiatives should be shaped by persons with disabilities and their representative organisations, in line with the principle of “Nothing About Us Without Us”. 

She added that the cooperation framework will also strengthen efforts to protect human rights and democratic values at a time when progressive rights face growing challenges globally.

The Deputy Minister is expected to build on the new partnership during her upcoming visit to Amsterdam for WorldPride, where she plans to engage Dutch government counterparts on priority areas for implementation.

She said discussions with the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport could help identify immediate priorities, connect implementation teams and maintain the momentum created by the signing of the agreement. – SAnews.gov.za

The National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) has been granted a forfeiture order amounting to some R326 million in assets.

The assets belong to alleged members of the Maumela syndicate implicated in the Tembisa Hospital looting scandal.

Last year, a Special Investigating Unit investigation found that the syndicate – together with two others – allegedly siphoned off some R2 billion earmarked for the improvement of healthcare services at the hospital in a complex web of fraud and corruption.

Assets forfeited include high end residential property in affluent areas and luxury vehicles.

NPA Head, Advocate Andy Mothibi stated that the AFU is an “important tool to disrupt the syndicates and ensure that [criminals] do not use the same money to fight the state”.

“The pursuit of justice for the people of South Africa continues, particularly in the fight against corruption. [South Africans] become victims of crime and corruption when they face inadequate healthcare, under-resourced health facilities, medicine shortages, and a lack of essential equipment.

“This…is a travesty of justice,” Mothibi said.

All proceeds recovered from the forfeiture will be paid into the Criminal Asset Recovery Account and ringfenced for use by the Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH).

A web of corruption

The investigation into the Tembisa Hospital was preceded by a report by slain former Chief Director of Financial Accounting at the GDoH, Babita Deokaran.

Deokaran was assassinated in 2021 following the report which outlined irregularities at the hospital’s supply chain management unit.

“The applications by the NPA’s Asset Forfeiture Unit were premised on forensic investigations by a firm appointed to assist in the investigation concerning allegations of procurement fraud and corruption that took place at the Tembisa Hospital during the period from January 2019 to August 2022.

“The Specialised Audit Services Unit [SAS] of the National Treasury [NT] conducted a review of Tembisa Hospital’s Basic Accounting System payment data to determine all payments made to the companies that were identified by Deokaran as having benefitted from the unlawful activities.

“It also conducted a review of the Tembisa Hospital’s Central Supplier Database and the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission records of the implicated companies to verify the registration and directorships of the companies, to identify any additional related companies involved in the unlawful activities and to review payments made to those companies,” an NPA statement read.

The SAS review confirmed Deokoran’s report on the alleged corruption and irregularities.

“The SAS established that 14 entities controlled by the Maumela syndicate apparently irregularly and unlawfully benefited from contracts from the Tembisa Hospital with a cumulative value more than R400 million.

“Forensic investigations revealed a multitude of irregularities in the procurement processes with a manipulation of the processes in the award of contracts for the supply of goods and/or services to Tembisa Hospital which favoured entities associated with the syndicate,” the statement continued.

In some cases, companies which were said to have submitted quotes during bidding denied this while in other instances, cover quotes were submitted by colluding companies to ensure that syndicate entities were favoured.

“The analysis conducted of the flow of funds indicated that most of the funds received by the syndicate entities were used to purchase assets, to pay bribes to officials and covering bidders and by members of the syndicates for personal use/ to fund their extravagant lifestyles.

“A very small percentage of the total amount received could possibly be ascribed to the purchase of supplies for delivery in terms of the contracts,” the statement read. – SAnews.gov.za

The Department of Health has announced that people travelling to South Africa from Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo will have to complete a health questionnaire before travelling, due to the Ebola virus outbreak.

More than 2 000 confirmed cases and 800 deaths resulting from the virus have been reported since the outbreak in May. 

“Due to the current EVD [Ebola Virus Disease] outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, everyone travelling to South Africa from the DRC and Uganda is required to complete a Travel Health Questionnaire (THQ).

“The THQ can be completed up to 24 hours before travel to South Africa to facilitate smooth processing upon arrival,” the department said on social media.

The questionnaire can be found at https://porthealth.dhmis.org/travel/. – SAnews.gov.za

South Africa and the Kingdom of the Netherlands have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation to advance the socio-economic empowerment of women, youth and persons with disabilities.

The agreement was signed during an engagement between Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Lydia Chikunga and Ambassador Joanne Doornewaard of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to South Africa, to formalise bilateral relations on women, youth, and persons with disabilities.

The MoU provides a framework for strengthened bilateral collaboration and cooperation. It facilitates opportunities for exchange of expertise and experience on policy-making and implementation aimed at advancing equality, empowerment and participation of women, youth and persons with disabilities.

Speaking at the signing ceremony at High Commissioner’s Official Residence in Pretoria on Monday, Chikunga described the agreement as a significant milestone in the longstanding diplomatic relations between the two countries.

She said the MoU builds on the strong partnership established through the Joint Commission of Cooperation signed in 2015, which provides a solid basis for consultation and further cooperation. It reflects both countries’ shared commitment to constitutional democracy, human rights, sustainable development and multilateral cooperation, which provides a solid basis for consultation and further cooperation.

“In signing this Memorandum of Understanding, we are transforming our historic diplomatic goodwill into tangible socio-economic opportunities for the citizens of both our nations,” the Minister said.

South Africa and the Netherlands enjoy close bilateral ties, with the European nation ranking among South Africa’s major investors and trading partners. The Netherlands is also one of the country’s largest sources of international tourists.

Chikunga thanked the Dutch government for its support during South Africa’s G20 Presidency, particularly its backing of the Empowerment of Women Working Group (EWWG), which South Africa chaired.

She said the cooperation between the two countries will help advance several key legacy projects initiated during the G20 Presidency, including the development of a national Care Economy Strategy aimed at recognising, reducing, and redistributing unpaid care work, while creating employment opportunities in the care sector.

Other priority areas include promoting positive masculinity by engaging men and boys in efforts to combat gender-based violence and femicide, as well as establishing a Disability Inclusion Nerve Centre of Excellence to strengthen the implementation of South Africa’s White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The Minister also noted that the signing of the MoU comes during a significant year for South Africa, which marks the 70th anniversary of the 9th of August 1956 Women’s March, the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Youth Uprising, and 30 years since the country’s Constitution became the supreme law of the land.

She said key projects that will emanate from the countries’ continued cooperation will serve to honour the more than 20 000 women, who marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to challenge the very foundations of apartheid, and to build a truly inclusive society.

“Fifty years later, the youth empowerment dimension of our MoU should give practical expression to the dreams of the Class of 1976, and to the urgent need to turn skills development into lifelong socio-economic empowerment,” Chikunga said.

Multilateral commitments

The Minister said the agreement also reinforces commitments made by both countries through international platforms, including the United Nations Security Council’s Women, Peace and Security Agenda and the Commission on the Status of Women.

She said South Africa and the Netherlands remain committed to promoting women’s economic empowerment, eliminating gender-based violence, increasing women’s participation in leadership and ensuring that digital transformation creates opportunities rather than widening inequalities.

Chikunga called on officials from both countries to consult and finalise an implementation plan before the end of August to ensure the agreement delivers measurable outcomes.

She highlighted opportunities for collaboration in agriculture, noting that the Netherlands’ expertise as one of the world’s leading agricultural exporters could help strengthen the economic participation of South African women through skills development, technology transfer and market access.

“This MoU cannot and should not gather dust,” Chikunga said. – SAnews.gov.za

Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Andries Nel, has urged law students at the University of Stellenbosch to look to prominent legal minds of the past to guide their careers.

Nel, himself a law graduate, delivered the keynote address at Career Day for Law Students held at the university, under the theme: “The Constitution at 30: Preserving Nelson Mandela’s Legacy of Equality and Justice.”

South Africa’s most prominent legal trailblazers who fought for constitutional and human rights for all South Africans include former President Nelson Mandela, human rights lawyer Advocate Duma Nokwe, anti-apartheid hero Oliver Tambo, Priscilla Jana, former Justice of the Constitutional Court Albie Sachs and human rights lawyers Griffiths and Victoria Mxenge.

“South Africa has a very proud history of lawyers who had devoted themselves to justice. They came from many different backgrounds. In many cases, they came from different paths. But they shared a conviction that the law must serve justice. When the law was used as an instrument of oppression, they reclaimed its moral purpose. When the courts enforced injustice, they used the courtroom as a site of struggle and resistance,” the deputy minister said.

He acknowledged that today’s law practitioners face different challenges from those who practiced during apartheid.

“That tradition of using the courtroom as a site of struggle is far from over. We now have a whole new generation of public interest lawyers who’ve continued in that struggle. The question then, that you need to ask yourselves…is what you, individually and collectively, do with South Africa’s constitution.

“You will answer that question not only through what you believe but what you choose to do with your legal education because the law is not merely a profession, it is a public trust. That public trust is now passing to you,” he emphasised.

This year, South Africa commemorates the 30^th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution, which Nel also had a hand, as a member of the constitutional parliament at the time.

“Thirty years ago, we made a very profound choice as a nation to choose constitutional supremacy over arbitrary power. But constitutions do not defend themselves, rights do not enforce themselves, the rule of law does not preserve itself, people do.

“And it’s people of integrity, people of courage, people with knowledge, people who understand that legal knowledge is not only a source of personal opportunity but a responsibility to society and a responsibility that now belongs to you,” Nel said. – SAnews.gov.za