Category: MIL-OSI

The Electoral Commission (IEC) says it notes the judgment of the Constitutional Court in the appeal brought by the African National Congress (ANC) concerning the submission of candidate lists for the upcoming 4 November 2026 Local Government Elections (LGE). 

“The Commission respects the authority of the Constitutional Court as the arbiter of final instance and will give effect to the order of the Court.

“While the Commission’s position throughout the proceedings has been guided by its interpretation of the applicable electoral legislation and the need to ensure consistent application with prescribed electoral processes, it recognises its constitutional obligation to implement the Court’s decision.

“The IEC will communicate further details regarding the implementation process once the necessary assessments have been completed. All political parties and stakeholders are urged to cooperate with the Commission during this period. 

“The Commission reassures the public that preparations for the 4 November 2026 Local Government Elections remain a priority. It will continue to discharge its constitutional mandate independently, impartially and in accordance with the law,” the Commission said on Thursday.

The Court ordered that the IEC’s decision to reject the ANC’s party lists for several municipalities be set aside, and that the affected lists be included in ballot papers ahead of the 4 November 2026 Local Government Elections. 

The dispute originated when the ANC alleged that a technical glitch on the IEC’s online submission system had prevented the party from submitting 181 candidates by the official deadline. 

On Wednesday, the Commission said the printing of ballot papers underway, with more than 66% of the 79 million ballots already printed.

“The production is expected to conclude by Sunday, 18 October 2026. The Commission has distributed the bulk of non-security election materials to local municipalities in readiness for the special voting on 2 and 3 November and Election Day on 4 November,” the Commission said. – SAnews.gov.za

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The waste sector must no longer be viewed merely as a problem for government to manage but as a vital contributor to economic growth, enterprise creation and environmental sustainability.

That is according to Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Bernice Swarts, who delivered an address at the Circular Economy Summit held at the University of Limpopo Thursday.

Swarts announced that the department is reviewing the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Regulations to strengthen governance and accountability, including a proposed requirement for Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) to invest 40% of fees collected into waste infrastructure.

She said the transition to a circular economy requires a fundamental shift in how products are designed, manufactured, consumed and managed at the end of their useful lives.

“The waste sector must no longer be viewed merely as a problem that government and municipalities must manage. It must increasingly be recognised as an important contributor to economic development, enterprise creation and environmental sustainability.

“Landfilling should be the last resort, not the default option. Every material that can be recovered, reused, recycled or beneficiated represents a potential economic opportunity.

“When recyclable materials are sent to landfill, we lose valuable resources that could have supported new businesses, created jobs and supplied raw materials to our industries,” Swarts noted.

The Deputy Minister highlighted that current estimates indicate only approximately 10% of waste is diverted from landfill, while fewer than 20% of landfill sites are compliant.

In this regard, the DFFE is finalising listed activities for waste management to reduce licensing time, with a proposed authorisation turnaround time of 90 days for the beneficial use of waste.

Addressing e-waste

Swarts also used the platform to mark International E-Waste Day, drawing attention to the growing challenge of “Fast Tech”, low-cost electronic products such as earphones, charging cables and mini fans that are often discarded improperly.

“Unlike large household appliances, which consumers are more likely to recognise as electronic waste, small devices are often overlooked.

“A broken pair of earphones may be thrown into a general waste bin. An old charging cable may remain forgotten in a drawer. A small electronic device with a battery may be discarded without anyone considering the materials it contains or the risks associated with its improper disposal.

“Yet these products may contain valuable recoverable materials, while some batteries and components can pose environmental and safety risks when handled or discarded incorrectly,” Swarts said.

She called on consumers to recognise, return and demand compliance regarding small electronic devices.

Innovation and entrepreneurship

Turning to the students in attendance, Swarts emphasised the critical role of universities in driving innovation and entrepreneurship, aligning with the National Development Plan’s vision of universities as drivers of economic growth.

She urged students to see environmental challenges as opportunities.

“To our students, I challenge you to use your education to solve real problems. Let your research respond to the needs of our communities. Let your innovations create opportunities.

“Let your entrepreneurial ideas contribute to economic growth while protecting our environment,” she said.

The Deputy Minister noted that 56 small and medium-sized enterprises have been supported through the department’s Recycling Enterprise Support Programme, with support valued at approximately R200 million.

At least 12 of those are women-owned while in Limpopo, 13 beneficiaries are participating in the programme.

“This demonstrates the importance of targeted interventions to ensure that women participate meaningfully in the green economy and are not left behind as new industries and markets emerge.

“Our objective should not merely be to support businesses to enter the waste sector. We must help them become sustainable, competitive and capable of growing,” Swarts stated

Deputy Minister Swarts called for stronger collaboration between government, industry, municipalities, communities and entrepreneurs, emphasising that no single institution can build a circular economy alone.

“Let us work together to ensure that the solutions developed at institutions such as the University of Limpopo reach the communities that need them most.

“Together, let us turn waste into opportunity, research into innovation, innovation into enterprise, and collaboration into lasting environmental and economic benefits for our people. Let us find solutions for Africa,” she said. – SAnews.gov.za

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The Love Your Street campaign arrived in Thembisa this week – not merely with cleaning material and refuse bags, but with a broader message: safe, clean public spaces are a shared responsibility and in communities scarred by violence, they can also be a matter of life and death.

Minister in The Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, together with a delegation of government officials, civil society organisations and community members, rolled up her sleeves for the latest leg of the campaign aimed at improving cleanliness in neighbourhoods and community safety.

But, while the immediate task was clearing overgrown grass and picking up litter, the programme itself is part of a far larger government drive to strengthen partnerships between communities and municipalities, encourage active citizenship and reclaim neglected public spaces.

Launched earlier this year by The Presidency and the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) in Mannenburg and Khayelitsha in the Western Cape, the Love Your Street campaign is being rolled out across provinces in collaboration with community structures, ward committees, community development workers, sector departments, ward councillors and constituency offices.

At its core, the campaign encourages residents to take collective responsibility for the spaces in which they live.

“The initiative forms part of government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen partnerships between communities and municipalities in addressing local service delivery challenges and improving the quality of life of residents.

“The campaign encourages residents to take collective responsibility for the spaces in which they live by participating in cleaning activities, preventing illegal dumping, clearing overgrown grass and maintaining public spaces. It also promotes a culture of community pride, environmental responsibility and active citizenship,” the GCIS said.

In Thembisa, those words took physical form as cleaning activities were conducted at an open space next to Thembisa South Police Station, a site chosen deliberately to send a message about safety and visibility.

“During the programme in Thembisa, cleaning activities were conducted at an open space next to Thembisa South Police Station.

“The activities highlighted the importance of reclaiming neglected public spaces and ensuring that communities can use these areas in a clean, safe and welcoming environment,” the GCIS explained.

Shared responsibility

For Ntshavheni, the campaign is about forging a new compact between residents and local government.

At the Thembisa clean-up, she stressed that cleanliness cannot be outsourced to the municipality alone.

“It’s all our responsibility. At Brand South Africa we say: ‘Everyone must play their part’.

“To the municipality, we are saying that you have the responsibility to debush overgrown areas and to also make sure that there are streetlights. The streetlights do not have to use great amounts of electricity; they can use solar electricity. Make sure that the environment is safe, and it’s fully lit for women and children to be able to walk about safely,” she stated.

Ntshavheni also addressed the challenge of illegal dumping, encouraging residents to wait for the municipality’s weekly refuse removal service rather than dumping waste in open spaces.

“If your refuse bags are full, don’t dump them illegally. Wait for the municipality to come and pick up the refuse weekly because we want to keep our cities clean.

“The municipality has a refuse removal service, which is weekly. It doesn’t mean when your refuse is full, you go and dump somewhere. You wait for the municipality to come and collect.

“This is not only a call to the municipality. We are here to solicit a partnership with communities to [curb] illegal dumping,” the Minister urged.

The GCIS echoed that call.

 “The campaign calls on residents to work alongside local government in identifying challenges affecting their neighbourhoods and taking practical steps to improve their surroundings,” the department noted.

Confronting GBVF through environmental design

The visit to Thembisa carried a sombre, serious weight as the area was the site of the recent discovery of the bodies of several women and this marked the Minister’s second visit in three weeks.

The shadow of that violence, which shocked South Africans, added urgency to the campaign’s focus on safe, well-lit and clean public spaces.

Ntshavheni linked the campaign directly to the national fight against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF).

“This is supporting the effort of the IMC against GBVF in the country – because part of the programme they have adopted as part of the National Strategic Plan against GBVF – is ‘safety by environmental design’, meaning that we should be safe because our streets are safe and also clean,” she said.

The Minister noted that the women who were found dead had largely been discovered in illegal dumping sites, with some bodies in advanced stages of decomposition.

The GCIS said the Love Your Street campaign forms part of a broader effort to transform spaces that have become associated with danger.

“The initiative also supports government’s efforts to address Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, particularly in areas where neglected parks, poorly lit spaces and overgrown open areas may raise safety concerns for community members.

“Through the Love Your Street campaign, government seeks to transform these spaces into safer and more accessible areas while raising awareness about GBVF, reporting mechanisms and the support services available to survivors,” the department stated.

Ntshavheni said the cleaning of the area around Thembisa South Police Station was meant to signal that police stations should be safe spaces for women and communities.

“We’re cleaning the area within the vicinity of the police station, and then we’ll go to the illegal dumping site because we have a clear fight against illegal dumping sites…[given that] terrible things happen there, and we want to encourage the communities not to dump illegally,” she said.

Beyond brooms: trees, towns and lasting change

The Love Your Street campaign is not only about refuse removal.

“The programme further builds on the Clean Cities and Towns campaign, launched by Deputy President Paul Mashatile in 2025, which calls for stronger cooperation between municipalities and communities to improve cleanliness and address environmental challenges in cities and townships.

“In addition, the Love Your Street campaign supports the Presidential One Billion Trees Planting Campaign, which promotes tree planting, greening, environmental sustainability, climate resilience and community participation in protecting the environment,” the GCIS said.

Ntshavheni said tree planting was about more than beautification.

“We are also planting trees because [the department has] a commitment of planting 1 billion trees, as tasked by the President.

“But, those trees are not just [planted] for their own sake. They are trees that show we want to have places where we gather; places that are safe and we want an environment and air that is clean,” she said.

The Minister also pointed to schools as key partners in instilling a culture of cleanliness and pride.

“Where I come from in the district of Vhembe, our schools have vegetable gardens. It doesn’t matter what [learners are] studying but they learn to feed themselves and to use the environment to feed themselves.

“They also run competitions of ‘the most beautiful flower gardens’. We want to work with the Ekurhuleni Municipality to make sure that we also get to that stage,” she said.

The campaign also highlights the role of collaboration across sectors.

“The involvement of community organisations and other stakeholders, including the MDDA [Media Development and Diversity Agency], also highlights the importance of collaboration across different sectors in supporting government initiatives that seek to improve the lives of South Africans.

 “The campaign reinforces the principle that service delivery is a shared responsibility requiring the active involvement of government, municipalities, businesses, community organisations and residents.

“Through initiatives such as these, government aims to encourage communities to take ownership of their neighbourhoods, protect public infrastructure, maintain clean surroundings and contribute to safer, healthier and more sustainable settlements,” the GCIS said.

As the brooms were packed away and the refuse bags collected, the challenge now is to sustain the momentum beyond a single campaign day.

“Residents are encouraged to sustain the momentum beyond campaign activities by keeping their streets clean, reporting service delivery challenges and working with local authorities and community structures to maintain public spaces,” the GCIS said.

For Ntshavheni, the equation is simple: “When it’s clean, it’s also safe. When it’s safe, it’s conducive for women and children to thrive”. – SAnews.gov.za

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The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has introduced 17 new long-distance buses equipped with advanced safety technology to its City-to-City fleet, marking the first fleet acquisition of its kind since 2010.

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy announced this during the launch of the new City-to-City fleet in Pretoria on Thursday, as part of October Transport Month, which is being observed under the theme: “Building a safe, sustainable, reliable and affordable transport system.”

Creecy said the acquisition of the new buses follows a difficult restructuring process within the long-distance bus operation, which involved management, organised labour, the PRASA Board and the shareholder, with sacrifices made by all parties.

“The operation is designed to run on a ring-fenced basis and to sustain itself financially. The new coaches carry advanced safety technology, including lane assistance, following-distance monitoring and stability systems. 

“Drivers will be supported through monitoring and targeted training, and a control centre will oversee incidents en route. Over time, these services are intended to work alongside long-distance rail, offering families an affordable and dependable way to travel between cities, towns and rural communities.

“Whether on a suburban line or a long-distance route, our purpose remains the same: safe, reliable and affordable public transport that connects people to opportunity,” Creecy said.

A further 30 coaches are planned for the 2027/28 financial year, followed by 48 in 2028/29, bringing the total to 95 modern coaches. The fleet renewal programme is expected to be completed by 2030.

Meanwhile, PRASA has undertaken extensive efforts to revitalise and rebuild the country’s passenger rail services.

These efforts have focused on restoring railway infrastructure, improving safety, upgrading signalling systems and enhancing the reliability of commuter services.

“Not only have we witnessed the rebuilding of rail within PRASA, but we have also seen significant progress within their Long-Distance Passenger Services as well as secondary mandate,” the Minister said. –SAnews.gov.za

 

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The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has announced revised payment dates for social grants in November 2026 ahead of the upcoming Local Government Elections on 4 November.

In a statement, the agency said the revised schedule follows consultations with various stakeholders to ensure the efficient and secure administration of grant payments, with minimal disruption during the election period.

National Treasury has approved the revised payment dates, allowing the agency to implement the new schedule.

In terms of the revised arrangements, social grants will be paid as follows: 

• Older Persons Grant: Friday, 30 October 2026.

• Disability Grant: Monday, 02 November 2026.

• Children’s Grants: Tuesday, 03 November 2026.

SASSA said the adjustment was intended to support the smooth administration of grant payments during the period surrounding the elections.

“The agency remains committed to ensuring that eligible beneficiaries receive their grants in an orderly and reliable manner,” the statement read.

Beneficiaries, whose grants are under review, are reminded to respond to official communication and attend review appointments when requested.

A further payment date on Thursday, 5 November, has been set aside specifically for beneficiaries whose grants fall within the review process.

SASSA urged beneficiaries not to visit its offices unnecessarily, noting that payments would be processed according to the announced schedule.

Beneficiaries have also been encouraged to use the agency’s official communication channels for accurate information and to guard against misinformation and disinformation relating to social grants.

SASSA reiterated its commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the social assistance system while ensuring continued access to grants for millions of South Africans who rely on the support. – SAnews.gov.za

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