Category: MIL-OSI

The South African Police Service (SAPS) in the Eastern Cape has welcomed the sentencing of 16 accused to life imprisonment for the brutal killing of four people at Ndindwa Village in Debenek.

They were sentenced on Friday in the Bhisho High Court.

The incident took place on 31 December 2022. Community members allegedly held a meeting and decided to take the law into their own hands against people they suspected of stealing electricity cables and terrorising residents. 

Four people were identified, taken from their homes, assaulted, tied up and brought to the centre of the village. 

They were later burnt to death while still alive. A nine-year old child witnessed the killing of her mother during the incident.

The victims were: Vuyo Lamani (40), Lwando Makinana (30), Nwabisa Melani (29) and Ziphozihle Timba (37).

Members from Chungwa SAPS attended the scene and immediately started an investigation. The case was later transferred to the Bhisho High Court on 11 March 2024.

Through hard work and dedication by SAPS detectives, 16 suspects were arrested, charged and convicted. 

The court sentenced each accused as follows:

• Count 1: Murder – life imprisonment
• Count 2: Murder – life imprisonment
• Count 3: Murder – life imprisonment
• Count 4: Murder – life imprisonment
• Count 5: Kidnapping – eight years
• Count 6: Kidnapping – eight years
• Count 7: Kidnapping – eight years
• Count 8: Kidnapping – eight years
• Count 9: Public Violence – three years

All accused received the same sentence.

Those sentenced include: Dumisani Mpofana (38), Mluleki Xulu (48), Neliso Nkohla (31), Zwelandile Kitise (53), Nombulelo Bukani Kitise (41), Unathi Khakhalala (28), Bantu Marala (36), Lindi Mbintashe (37), Mfuniseli Mbintashe (65), Mvelisi Xulu (45), Nkosinathi Dyantyi (73), Yanginkosi Solani (41), Nombuzo Binyashe (57), Lungisa Mathana (39), Zandisile Kitisa (71) and Thobani Vena (38).

The investigation was led by Detective M. Mtshemla of Chungwa SAPS, supported by a team of investigators.

Amathole Acting District Commissioner, Brigadier Zinakile Freddie, praised the members for their commitment and hard work. 

“This sentence shows that crime and vigilantism will not be tolerated. I commend the members for their dedication in ensuring justice for the victims,” said Brigadier Freddie. 

He urged community members not to take the law into their own hands but to report crime to the police. – SAnews.gov.za

Trade, Industry and Competition Deputy Minister Alexandra Abrahams conducted official oversight visits at the Freeport Saldanha Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) and the Atlantis Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the Western Cape.

The visits were aimed at assessing the functionality and operational realities within South Africa’s industrial and special economic zones ahead of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee for Trade, Industry and Competition engagement on the IDZs and SEZs.

Abrahams explained that the recent visits were intended for ground policy oversight and decision-making through firsthand experience from the officials and stakeholders she met with.

“I’m out today  to come and see what is happening on the ground, so that when I sit in those meetings, I’m not speaking from theory but from understanding and knowledge. You need to be on the ground to really see what is happening and why certain challenges exist,” she said.

The oversight visits provided an opportunity for direct engagement with zone management and stakeholders, and allowed Abrahams to engage stakeholders on operations, infrastructure, and working conditions beyond formal presentations.

“A lot of my learning and understanding happen when we walk through the floor. There are things you simply cannot see from a boardroom, but once you are on the ground, the questions start to make sense,” Abrahams said.

While acknowledging progress within the SEZ and IDZ programme, Abrahams emphasised the importance of openly addressing challenges that may hinder efficiency, growth and investment.

“We often focus on what is working well, but we don’t always dig into what is not working. Red tape and bureaucracy can sometimes slow down the work that needs to be done, and it is important to understand where those blockages are,” she said.

She further highlighted the need for better coordination and alignment across government and with the private sector to unlock the full potential of industrial development initiatives.

“Economic development does not happen in isolation, it requires alignment between departments, municipalities, provincial government and the private sector. When that alignment is missing, progress is delayed,” she said.

Skills development and youth employment emerged as key priorities during the visit, with Abrahams reiterating that SEZs and industrial parks must deliver tangible benefits to surrounding communities.

“One of the purposes of SEZs and industrial parks is to bring jobs to local communities. Yet we still find that skills are being brought in from outside, while people who live nearby remain excluded,” the Deputy Minister said.

For communities to benefit, skills development must align with what these zones actually need.

Abrahams stressed the importance of future-proofing skills development in response to South Africa’s high youth unemployment and rapidly changing labour market.

“We need to be honest about what we are training our young people for. We should be preparing them for the future economy, not for roles that technology has already overtaken,” she cautioned.

She reaffirmed the government’s commitment to economic development and job creation, and added that SEZs and IDZs remain strategic instruments for industrialisation, investment attraction and employment creation.

“Economic growth and job creation are the apex priority of the government. These visits allow me to learn, to ask better questions and to ensure that decisions are informed by what is happening on the ground,” the Deputy Minister said. – SAnews.gov.za

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) has approved an 8.76% electricity price hike in April this year, followed by an 8.83% increase in April 2027.

The move is a redetermination of Eskom’s price increases for the next two years, which were initially set at 5.36% for 2026/27 and a further increase of 6.19% for the 2027/28 financial year.

“The redetermination follows a High Court judgment [in December], which remitted NERSA’s decision on Eskom’s Generation RAB [Regulatory Asset Base] for 2025/26, 2026/27 and 2027/28 for redetermination.

“The redetermination was conducted using the approved MYPD4 [Multi-Year Price Determination] Methodology, following a public consultation process in line with the court judgement.

“This process entailed NERSA undertaking a detailed, component-by-component recalculation of Eskom’s Generation RAB, using the same information originally submitted by Eskom in its MYPD6 application and applying the approved methodology strictly,” a NERSA statement read.

The total additional revenue for Eskom will be implemented in phases.

“The phased approach limits additional price impacts to single digit increases in 2026/27 and 2027/28, and avoids any retrospective adjustment for 2025/26, in line with the court judgment. It further reduces tariff volatility and demand erosion risk and balances Eskom’s financial sustainability with customer affordability. No retrospective tariff increases were applied.

“The re-determination is consistent with the statutory tariff principles, which require tariffs that enable an efficient licensee to recover the full cost of licensed activities, including a reasonable return.

“NERSA’s adopted WACC [Weighted Average Cost of Capital] and phased recovery reflect an approach that ensures Eskom receives a reasonable, cost-reflective return while mitigating immediate tariff shocks, limiting demand erosion, and maintaining tariff stability. NERSA remains committed to transparent, fair, and independent regulation in the public interest,” the statement read. – SAnews.gov.za

President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Senior Advisor at the Presidential Climate Commission, Dipak Patel, as Deputy Chairperson of the Commission.

Patel previously served as the Senior Advisor for Climate Finance and Innovation at the commission and his new tenure will begin this year and end in 2030.

“Mr Patel’s designation as Deputy Chairperson forms part of strengthening the commission’s work on climate finance, investment mobilisation and the delivery of South Africa’s Just Energy Transition objective.

“Mr Patel is an experienced professional with expertise in production management, process engineering, climate finance, and investment banking, and has strong networks across the business and public sectors,” the Presidency said in a statement on Monday.

Some 25 new commissioners were also appointed by President Ramaphosa earlier this year.

READ | President announces new Climate Commissioners

“The commission is an independent, statutory, multi-stakeholder body that oversees and facilitates South Africa’s just and equitable transition towards a low-emissions and climate-resilient economy,” the statement read. – SAnews.gov.za

Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport Kedibone Diale-Tlabela has outlined responsibilities that scholar transport operators must fulfil to advance their applications for operating within the legal framework.

To ensure compliance, operators must enter into formal agreements with parents, including signed indemnity forms granting responsibility to transport learners.

Vehicles used for scholar transport should also be roadworthy.

“They must also obtain endorsement letters from School Governing Bodies (SGBs) or school principals confirming that they transport learners from those institutions. The department has engaged the Gauteng Department of Education to facilitate this process,” the MEC said.

The MEC was addressing the Provincial Scholar Transport Stakeholder Engagement Meeting at the Johannesburg City Hall on Sunday.

The gathering served as a critical platform to advance discussions on shared responsibilities in ensuring learner safety, strengthening compliance enforcement, and addressing operational challenges faced by scholar transport operators across the province.

The meeting brought together scholar transport operators, industry stakeholders, and government representatives.

Diale-Tlabela stressed that government is committed to supporting operators to regularise their operations.

“The department has engaged private Vehicle Testing Stations (VTS) across Gauteng and negotiated reduced testing fees to make compliance more accessible. There is no excuse for transporting children in unroadworthy vehicles.

“As the Department of Roads and Transport, our responsibility is to assist them and ensure they operate within the law. But we must meet each other halfway,” she said.

Since the department intensified its compliance drive last year, more than 1 500 scholar transport operators have applied for operating licences. 

Of these, over 500 licences have already been issued, while 1 009 applications are currently in the finalisation stage. 

Some applications remain pending due to outstanding municipal concurrence, incomplete documentation, or changes in applicants’ contact details.

In the past two weeks alone, more than 600 application forms were collected from departmental offices, yet only 54 completed forms were returned. 

The MEC urged operators experiencing challenges to return to the department for assistance.

“If you are struggling with the process, come back to us. Our doors are open. But we cannot finalise your operating licence without the required documents. Learner safety cannot be compromised,” she said.

READ | Engagements continue to resolve public scholar transport payment matters. – SAnews.gov.za

The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Willie Aucamp, has assured the mining community that environmental legislation and regulations are not designed to hinder development, but to ensure that it is responsible, sustainable and resilient in the long term.

“In fact, they are inseparable and can yield much-needed economic benefit for all South Africans. Striking the balance is often difficult because South Africans need and want economic development, but not at the expense of the environment,” the Minister said on Sunday.

Aucamp was addressing the Mining Indaba Critical Minerals Ministerial Roundtable in Cape Town, which brought together African leaders, industry stakeholders, and investors to discuss the responsible development of the continent’s mineral resources amid global geopolitical uncertainty.

“In line with the department’s mandate, I have a constitutional and legislative mandate to protect the environment, enforce environmental laws, and integrate sustainability into various economic sectors. This includes the mining sector. In this regard, I serve as the appeal authority for Environmental Authorisations issued for prospecting and mining activities,” the Minister said.

In the mining context, this translates into the following responsibilities:
•    Ensuring that environmental authorisations are credible, transparent and that decisions issued are legally defensible.
•    Ensuring that such decisions do not negatively impact water resources, ecosystems and biodiversity.
•    Enforcing compliance with environmental conditions of authorisation and rehabilitation obligations.
•    Support climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts; and 
•    ensure that environmental governance contributes to investment certainty and does not create unnecessary delays.

“I remain fully committed to working closely with the Department of Minerals and Petroleum (DMPR) to improve alignment and streamline processes and timeframes, where possible, within the environmental management sector. 

“My department is already engaging with the DMPR in this regard, including through our ongoing collaboration on the Mineral Resources Development Bill.” 

Published in May 2025, the bill aims to restructure the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act of 2002 to amend and insert new definitions and to provide for matters relating to small-scale and artisanal mining among others.

“Together we can ensure that South Africa’s mining sector grows in a manner that support’s economic development, protect our natural heritage and delivers lasting benefits for generations to come,” the Minister said.

In his address at the Ministerial Symposium on Sunday, Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe said discussions at the Mining Indaba must focus on collaborations that will unlock the full potential of critical minerals for the benefit of all people. – SAnews.gov.za