Category: South Africa Government

The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has acknowledged challenges currently affecting the province’s Scholar Transport Programme which has resulted in some service providers halting operations and negatively affecting learners.

The halting of operations on Monday also contributed to low attendance at some schools.

The department said it has been actively engaging scholar transport service providers to address outstanding payments and has emphasised its commitment to fulfilling payments of all outstanding invoices.

In a statement on Tuesday, the GDE appealed to service providers to ensure the continuous and uninterrupted transportation of learners under the programme while it works within available financial processes to finalise payments accordingly.

While the matter is being resolved, the department has advised schools to implement appropriate academic recovery measures to ensure that teaching and learning remains on track.

Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane emphasised that the safety of learners remains a priority. 

“Indeed, safety, access, and well-being of learners remain a priority. We will continue to engage all affected stakeholders and resolve the impasse, and we are confident that these engagements and commitments will enable operators to resume services. 

“We remain committed to collaboration and constructive engagements with our stakeholders in resolving any matters that may arise. To this end, we encourage all our stakeholders to always engage with us on issues they face within the sector,” Chiloane said. – SAnews.gov.za

Employment and Labour Minister Nomakhosazana Meth has announced an increase in the statutory National Minimum Wage (NMW) for 2026, raising it from R28.79 to R30.23 for each ordinary hour worked.

“The 1st of March 2026 is the date on which this amendment shall become binding. The R1.44 upward adjustment will benefit all workers, including vulnerable farm workers and domestic workers,” the Minister said in a statement on Tuesday. 

Excluded from the NMW increase are workers employed under the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). Due to EPWP workers being employed under a special dispensation, their adjustment will rise from R15.16 per hour to a minimum wage of R16.62 per hour. 

Workers who have concluded learnership agreements contemplated in section 17 of the Skills Development Act, 1998 (Act No. 97 of 1998), are entitled to the allowances contained in Schedule 2. The rates on learnerships will be published on the departmental website.

The National Minimum Wage is South Africa’s labour market statutory requirement. The National Minimum Wage Act came into effect in 2019. In terms of the legislation, employers are obligated to pay workers a minimum amount per hour, and the NMW is subject to an annual review.

Any violations of the Act are subject to fines enforced by the inspectorate. The wage is enforced by the Department of Employment and Labour and the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA).

“The NMW is the floor which an employer is legally obligated to remunerate employees for work done. No employee shall be paid below the National Minimum Wage. It cannot be varied by contract, collective agreement or law; and it is also an unfair labour practice for an employer to unilaterally alter hours of work or other conditions of employment in implementing the NMW,” the department said in a statement on Tuesday. 

In terms of the latest NMW adjustments, the rates in the Sectoral Determination for areas and rates, work categories for the Contract Cleaning Sector, as well as those of the Wholesale and Retail Sector, are also made available on the departmental website (www.labour.gov.za).

The NMW Act applies to all workers and their employers except members of the South African National Defence Force, the National Intelligence Agency and the South African Secret Service.

It also does not apply to a volunteer who is a person who performs work for another person and who does not receive, or is not entitled to receive, any remuneration for his or her service.

The National Minimum Wage does not include allowances such as transport, tools, food or accommodation, payments in kind (board or lodging), tips, bonuses and gifts, among others. – SAnews.gov.za

Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille says South Africa is strengthening its tourism growth strategy through investment promotion, improved air connectivity and visa reforms, as the country deepens engagement with key Asian markets.

De Lille was speaking in Singapore this week during a visit that included engagements with the Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore’s Minister of National Development Alvin Tan, and tourism sector stakeholders.

She said discussions focused on increasing tourist arrivals from Singapore and the broader South-East Asian region, as well as presenting bankable tourism investment projects in South Africa.

In 2025, South Africa welcomed 9 827 Singaporeans in the country, which is a 4.7% increase compared to the previous year. 

“Thank you for contributing to South Africa’s record-breaking 10.48 million international arrivals that we recorded between January and December 2025,” De Lille told the Singapore Tourism Board. 

“Last year, we had our first Tourism Infrastructure Investment Summit and we are now building up to the second instalment this year in September. Our message is: Tourism Policy is Economic Policy and South Africa’s tourism sector is open for business.”

De Lille said while Singaporeans who travel to South Africa enjoy hospitality and wildlife, there is more to offer. 

“To improve ease of access, South Africa’s Home Affairs Department is rolling out the Electronic Visa Authorisation system. This is game changer. Applicants can apply for a visa on their phones or computers without visiting an office. The application is processed within 24 hours. There is no human adjudication.”

De Lille said while Singaporeans do not require a visa to travel to South Africa, passport holders from Indonesia, India, China, and Mexico will benefit from the efficiency of the system. 

“We are also looking at how we can increase the frequency of flights to South Africa. Singapore, as a central connectivity hub in South-East Asia, is key for us to increase travellers to South Africa. 

“Currently, Singapore Airlines SQ, has 12 flights per week to South Africa, and we would like to see more flights from the region. And here we have made great progress, in collaboration with the private sector and law enforcement. 

“The private sector has invested in the SECURA app, with panic buttons that give visitors access to emergency services,” the Minister said. 

De Lille told the meeting that the Department of Tourism invested R174.5 million to deploy over 2 300 Tourism Monitors at key tourist attractions across the country. 

“Following the successful hosting of the G20 Summit in South Africa, next year we will host the Special Davos World Economic Forum meeting. Our world-class MICE infrastructure is being lauded globally, and that is what we’ll continue to promote,” the minister said. – SAnews.gov.za

Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane has called for a fundamental shift in how South Africa plans, finances and delivers housing. 

The Minister said traditional construction methods are no longer sufficient to meet the country’s growing and increasingly complex housing needs.

Delivering the keynote address at the first Presidential Innovative Building Technologies (IBT) Summit at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg on Tuesday, Simelane described the gathering as a turning point in the country’s approach to human settlements delivery.

“This summit marks a seismic shift. It is not a conference about ideas alone, [nor] an exhibition of technologies for admiration. The character of this summit is anchored on an important clarion call to decisive action [and] a collective commitment to change how we plan, finance, approve and build sustainable human settlements in our country,” Simelane said.

She said while government had made significant strides since 1994, delivering more than five million housing opportunities in the form of sites and houses, the country continued to face a stubborn housing backlog of about 2.5 million households.

Simelane highlighted rapid urbanisation and population growth, pressure on land and infrastructure, constrained public finances and the escalating climate crisis as structural challenges that demand new solutions.

“Section 26 of our Constitution affirms that everyone has the right to have access to adequate housing. The way we have been building is no longer sufficient for the scale, speed, and complexity of South Africa’s housing challenges,” the Minister said.

She noted that urbanisation is reshaping the global landscape of human life and South Africa is urbanising rapidly, with projections indicating that nearly 70% of the population will live in urban areas by 2050.

This growth, she said, often manifests in informal settlements located on floodplains, unstable slopes and environmentally degraded land, placing the poorest households directly in harm’s way.

At the same time, climate change has become an undeniable reality, with the country already experiencing devastating floods, prolonged droughts, extreme heat, and destructive fires.

“The built environment is both a contributor to carbon emissions and a frontline of vulnerability. Housing must be reimagined not just as shelter, but as climate-resilient infrastructure, energy-efficient assets, water-wise systems, and engines of green economic growth,” she said, adding that IBT offer a practical pathway to achieving these goals.

Read I Tech innovations key to building climate-resilient homes – President Ramaphosa 

In the South African context, IBTs refer to building systems developed outside conventional brick-and-mortar methods and certified through Agrément South Africa in terms of the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act.

These include, among others, panelised and modular systems, lightweight steel framing, alternative foundation technologies, and prefabricated or off-site manufactured components.

Simelane stressed that these technologies are not experimental curiosities but proven viable construction solutions capable of delivering faster build times, predictable quality, reduced material waste, and improved energy performance, often at lower lifecycle costs.

The Minister said the mainstreaming of IBTs is firmly grounded in government policy. The 2024 White Paper on Human Settlements, approved by Cabinet, commits the state to invest in innovative and flexible building typologies; promote sustainable and resilient materials; strengthen partnerships with the private sector, academia and civil society; and enable rapid responses through alternative building technologies.

In support of this policy direction, Simelane announced that the department will finalise Performance-Based National Norms and Standards for IBTs, guided by outcomes of the summit.

These standards will allow IBTs to be integrated into subsidised housing programmes, provide regulatory certainty to industry and financiers; protect consumers through minimum performance requirements; and ensure safety, durability, energy efficiency and accessibility.

However, the Minister warned that innovation must be approached honestly, noting concerns around local manufacturing capacity, skills availability, job impacts, financing models, and market acceptance.

Central to the summit, she said, is the development of a Social Compact on Mainstreaming Innovative Building Technologies, bringing together government, regulators, the private sector and developers, financial institutions, academia and research councils, and civil society and community formations. – SAnews.gov.za
 

President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver keynote address at the signing of the Instrument of Accession by South Africa to the Establishment Agreement of the African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank). 

Wednesday’s signing ceremony marks South Africa’s formal transition to Class A Shareholder status in Afreximbank and signals the activation of a strategic partnership aimed at advancing industrial development, export-led growth and deeper intra-African trade integration.

Afreximbank is a pan-African multilateral financial institution that facilitates, promotes and expands intra- and extra-African trade.The bank is a key player in financing the continent’s economic development and industrialisation. 

The Bank has four categories of shareholders from Class A to Class D. According to the bank, Class A comprises  African governments, central banks, African regional and sub-regional institutions. Class B is made up of African private investors and financial institutions, while Class C is made up of non-African financial institutions, export credit agencies and private investors. The Class D category which came about in December 2012 is one “where under which any person or entity can be allotted shares”.

The ceremony will be attended by the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, Dr George Elombi, members of the Bank’s Board and management, Ministers, senior government officials, captains of industry and representatives of the diplomatic corps. 

“The partnership with Afreximbank is expected to support priority areas, including industrial competitiveness, transformation and inclusive growth, as well as the expansion of intra-African trade and investment,” the Presidency said in a statement. 

“Sovereign membership offers South African companies, commercial banks as well as State Owned Enterprises (SOEs), more competitive trade finance, expanded funding for trade activities under the AfCFTA, greater participation in cross-border projects and investments, increased partnerships and cooperation with other African financial institutions and access to various risk mitigation tools,” the Presidency said. 

President Ramaphosa will deliver the keynote address, outlining South Africa’s vision for industrialisation, export diversification, decarbonisation, and digitisation, as well as the country’s role in advancing Africa’s economic integration in line with the bank’s strategic mandate. – SAnews.gov.za
 

KwaZulu-Natal Transport and Human Settlements MEC Siboniso Duma has instructed officials from his department to ensure that the victims of the N2 road crash in Mtubatuba are accorded a dignified funeral.

Six members of the Mnyango family died, following a collision involving a family vehicle, a Corsa, and a truck along the N2 in the Inkosi Mtubatuba Local Municipality on Friday, 30 January 2026.

Initially, one young girl survived the crash and was admitted to hospital with serious injuries. However, she later succumbed to her injuries, bringing the death toll to six.

“We were nursing a hope that the brave girl, who sustained serious injuries, was going to survive. Sadly, she has departed,” said Duma.

Following the accident, the MEC deployed a departmental team, accompanied by religious leaders, to support the family and engage on funeral arrangements to ensure that the deceased are laid to rest with dignity.

In a statement issued on Monday, Duma said the family had indicated their wish to hold the funeral on Sunday, 8 February 2026, at 09:00 at Mawombe Stadium, Ward 11, Umfolozi Local Municipality.

“I have received a report from the team we assigned to be closer to the Mnyango family. I have mandated officials from the department to attend to every detail and ensure a dignified funeral,” Duma said.

Surviving family members are expected to identify the deceased at the Empangeni mortuary on Tuesday, 3 February 2026.

Describing the identification process as deeply traumatic, the MEC said departmental chaplains had been deployed to provide spiritual support. 

He expressed appreciation to Social Development MEC Mbali Shinga for assigning social workers to offer psychosocial support to the bereaved family.

The Mtubatuba crash occurred shortly after another deadly accident in Lotus Park, Isipingo, involving a truck and a minibus taxi, which claimed the lives of 11 people, including a learner.

According to the reports, the Isipingo crash occurred after the truck driver allegedly made a U-turn, resulting in a head-on collision.

The accidents come despite the province recording a historic 18% decrease in road fatalities during the festive season. – SAnews.gov.za

Traditional construction methods may no longer meet the needs of a growing population facing climate change and rising urban pressures, says President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Speaking at the Innovative Building Technologies (IBTs) Summit in Johannesburg on Tuesday, the President said while government has provided approximately five million housing opportunities since 1994, more remains to be done as the population expands, with an estimated 2.5 million families still on the waiting list.

“In the face of this, accelerating technological housing innovations is a social imperative and an economic necessity,” he said.

 President Ramaphosa noted that by 2050, nearly eight out of every 10 South Africans are expected to live in cities – many in informal settlements on land vulnerable to floods, drought, heat stress, and environmental degradation. 

“If we continue to build in the old way – on the same land, with the same vulnerabilities, using the same methods – then we are not solving the housing challenge. We must make a change. We must embrace the tide of technological progress to future-proof human settlements,” he urged.

The President cited inadequate supply, limited land availability, rising construction costs, and project delays as key contributors to housing scarcity. These pressures, he said, push prices and rents upward for the middle class, while worsening conditions for the poor, resulting in homelessness and expanding informal settlements.

“Having shelter that provides privacy, safety and freedom is inextricably bound to human dignity. Housing is not merely about shelter, but it is about belonging, security and opportunity,” Ramaphosa said.

The summit also focused on climate-resilient housing, particularly after recent floods in Limpopo claimed at least 25 lives and caused R4 billion in infrastructure damage. The President stressed that homes must be built to “protect lives, conserve resources and endure over time”, arguing that traditional construction alone is unsustainable.

“Innovative building technologies offer us a strategic opportunity. When appropriately regulated, financed, socially accepted and locally embedded, innovative building technologies allow us to build faster and at scale. They enable us to reduce carbon emissions and water use, improve energy efficiency, and enhance durability and quality,” he said.

Building together through a social compact

A key outcome of the summit is the Social Compact, aimed at taking innovative building technologies from pilot projects into mainstream use. Through the compact, government, banks, insurers, and development finance institutions have pledged to align funding, de-risk projects, and recognise IBT housing as financeable and insurable.

“Without this alignment, innovation stalls,” President Ramaphosa said.

Concluding his address, the President framed the summit as a call to action. 

“Resilience is the difference between recovery and repeated loss, between dignity and displacement, between success and failure. We have the technology to build for the present and to be prepared for the future. Now we need leadership. We need partnerships. 

“We need to be creative. We need to build faster and better. Let us work together to build a resilient, inclusive South Africa which is a home to all our people, and in which all our people have a decent home.” – SAnews.gov.za

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) is ramping up investment in critical port infrastructure with the delivery of eight new hydraulic shore tension mooring units to improve container shipping efficiency at the ports of Cape Town, Durban and Ngqura.

The latest investment forms part of TNPA’s broader port development programme aimed at strengthening vessel safety and maintaining cargo handling operations during adverse weather conditions. It also supports Transnet’s strategy to align its freight logistics operations with key commodities that contribute to South Africa’s economic growth.

The move comes as South Africa’s container sector continues to show steady growth, driven largely by agricultural exports. Between April and December 2025, TNPA recorded container throughput of approximately 3.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), exceeding budget by 2.3% for the period. The authority expects this upward trend to continue, forecasting container volumes of 4.5 million TEUs in the 2025/26 financial year, above the annual budget of 4.4 million TEUs.

Designed to securely moor large and newer vessels, each hydraulic shore tension unit measures 7.4 metres in length, 0.58 metres in width and 2 metres in height. The units use high-strength mooring lines to keep vessels safely alongside the berth, improving operational stability and productivity along the quay.

Of the eight units delivered, four are already operational at the Port of Cape Town’s container berths. The ports of Durban and Ngqura have each received two units, which are nearing completion of the commissioning process.

The delivery brings the total number of mooring units received by TNPA to 32, out of a planned acquisition of 52 units. The Port of Cape Town currently has the highest allocation, with 14 units. The overall investment of R534 million is expected to help reduce vessel delays and improve port efficiency.

TNPA Acting Chief Executive Mohammed Abdool said the new assets arrive at a critical time, as climate change increasingly exposes ports to strong winds of between 35 and 50 knots and sea swells exceeding 3.5 metres.

He said the investment in reliable port infrastructure is essential to meeting growing container demand and improving service levels for customers. The initiative is expected to support shipping lines and terminal operators by improving cargo handling turnaround times and enhancing the ease of doing business at South African ports. – SAnews.gov.za

The Department of Military Veterans (DMV) has urged all eligible applicants in KwaZulu-Natal and across the country to participate in its verification drive to finalise their status and gain access to benefits.

The department, through the Database Verification, Cleansing and Enhancement (DVCE) Work Stream under the Presidential Task Team, is continuing its national verification programme aimed at validating applications for inclusion in the National Military Veterans Database.

The DVCE Work Stream verifies and validates applications to ensure that the DMV maintains a credible and reliable database. The process confirms eligible military veterans so they can access benefits provided by the department.

The programme mainly targets non-statutory force (NSF) members, who did not integrate into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), as well as applicants who submitted applications between 2016 and 28 February 2022.

In a statement, the DMV said the programme has already been implemented in Gauteng, the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, North West, Free State, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape.

“The verification process will now proceed to KwaZulu-Natal from 2 February 2026 to 18 July 2026,” the department said.

KwaZulu-Natal verification schedule:
•    Newcastle: 2 February 2026 – 5 SAI Battalion.
•    Pongola: 3–4 February 2026 – OPS Corona Base.
•    Ulundi: 5–6 February 2026 – OPS Corona Base.
•    Richards Bay: 7 and 9 February 2026 – 121 SAI Battalion.
•    Port Shepstone: 10–12 and 16–17 February 2026 – Banana Beach Resort.
•    Durban: 18 February–1 June 2026 – Army Support Base KZN.
•    Pinetown: 2–3 June 2026 – Venue to be confirmed.
•    Pietermaritzburg: 8 June–16 July 2026 – Ingoma-Makhosi Base.
•    Esigodini: 17–18 July 2026 – Ingoma-Makhosi Base.

Applications will be assessed from members of the following groups:
•    Former Umkhonto weSizwe (MK);
•    Azanian People’s Liberation Army (APLA);
•    Azanian National Liberation Army (AZANLA);
•    Self-defence units; and
•    Former political prisoners with prison numbers.

The department noted that applicants who already have force numbers or Certified Personnel Register (CPR) numbers are not required to attend the verification process.

Verification requirements
•    Applicants must attend in person for face-to-face verification.
•    A valid South African ID document or ID card must be presented.
•    Only applicants with complete and submitted files will be invited.

Sessions will be scheduled according to location and submitted applications.

Definition of a military veteran

In terms of the Military Veterans Act 18 of 2011, a Military Veteran is a South African citizen who rendered military service, completed training, no longer serves, and was not dishonourably discharged. More information is available at www.dmv.gov.za – SAnews.gov.za