Category: South Africa Government

South Africa and Algeria have agreed to establish trade routes to improve bilateral trade and market access between the two countries.

This follows a meeting between Trade, Industry and Competition Minister, Parks Tau, and Algerian Minister of Foreign Trade and Export Promotion, Kamal Rezig, held in Algeria over the weekend.

The meeting discussed the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Economic Cooperation, signed in December 2024 during the Bi-National Commission between Algeria and South Africa. The agreement covers cooperation in trade, industrial development and infrastructure development.

Tau said the MoU serves as “an umbrella instrument from which all other bilateral economic agreements on trade and investment-related matters draw their specific individual mandates.”

“We also proposed the establishment of the Joint Trade and Investment Committee which will act as a platform for the two parties to meet regularly to enable trade and investment facilitation,” Tau said.

Tau said South Africa’s commitment to continental integration and its partnership with Algeria and other African nations, laid in building a resilient, inclusive and innovation-driven economy.

“Minister Rezig and I agreed to explore opportunities on each other’s markets to enhance cooperation in oil and gas, automotive, infrastructure development, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, aviation, agriculture and agro-processing,” he said.

During the visit, Tau also met with Algerian Acting Prime Minister, Sifi Ghrieb, where they discussed the importance of establishing a business council, which will be used as a vehicle to fast-track trade between the two countries.

“The business council will also enhance collaboration and share technical expertise in strategic sectors. We also discussed at length the re-instatement of the South Africa-Algeria air route that will facilitate people-to-people and commercial relations between the two countries,” the Minister said. – SAnews.gov.za

Deputy President Paul Mashatile, in his capacity as Chairperson of the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC), will on Monday afternoon, 8 September 2025, open the 12th SA AIDS Conference at Emperor’s Palace, in Gauteng.

Hosted under the theme: “Unite for Change – Empower Communities and Redefine Priorities for HIV/AIDS“, the conference will bring together leaders, researchers, implementing partners, academics, and advocates from South Africa, the continent, and other countries to address the evolving landscape of combating HIV and its management.

The conference’s Chair, Candice Chetty-Makkan and Co-Chair, Dr Kate Rees, stated that the country finds itself at a critical juncture in global health, and this year has been unusually challenging for many.

“With significant changes reshaping the HIV programme landscape, the participation in the conference is vital to ensuring that communities remain at the centre, priorities are redefined with vision, and progress is sustained,” Chetty-Makkan and Rees said. 

They believe that together, participants have the opportunity to shape strategies that will strengthen the South African and global response and drive meaningful change.

The Deputy President will lead the opening plenary, alongside SANAC Civil Society Forum Chairperson Solly Nduku, SANAC Private Sector Forum Chairperson Mpumi Zikalala, Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, and Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko. 

The delegates will include representatives from development partners, including United Nations agencies and the United States government. – SAnews.gov.za
 

The National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola has commended the South African Police Service (SAPS) Political Killings Task Team for the swift arrest of suspects linked to the murder of a whistleblower, Xolani Ndlovu Ntombela.

The suspects, a local chief and the hitman are appearing before the Howick Magistrate’s Court on Monday and face a number of charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, murder, as well as possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

The murder docket of Xolani Ndlovu Ntombela forms part of the 121 dockets returned to the task team to continue with investigations.

The dockets were returned to the task team on Thursday, 28 August 2025, and within a week, the team arrested a 55-year-old local chief and a 23-year-old hitman for the 2022 murder.

The late Xolani Ntombela was shot and killed in November 2022, inside his homestead.

A preliminary investigation by the task team has so far revealed that Ntombela was murdered for exposing the illegal sales of land in Emasosheni in the Mpophomeni area in Howick, KwaZulu Natal.

General Fannie Masemola has applauded the team for the swift arrests.

“The turnaround time and swift arrests following the return of the dockets is encouraging and it is a step in the right direction. We urge the team to continue with their investigations in the remaining 120 dockets. 

“We need to solve all these cases because families need answers and closure,” said General Masemola.

The task team’s investigations had since July 2018 led to the conviction of more than 130 accused for murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. – SAnews.gov.za 

As part of efforts to create a safer South Africa, police operations in the Northern Cape have resulted in the arrest of 250 suspects for various offences.

“These multi-disciplinary operations stamped the authority of the state by intensifying crime prevention and combating activities,” the South African Police Service (SAPS) said in a statement.

The offences include contact crimes, property-related crimes, and crimes detected through police action, with detectives also tracing several wanted suspects.

During the course of last week, police stopped and searched 2 809 vehicles and conducted searches on 6 584 individuals during roadblocks, vehicle checkpoints and stop-and-search operations.

“Compliance inspections were carried out at formal and informal businesses, scrapyards, liquor outlets, second-hand dealerships, mines, and farms. Several non-compliant liquor outlets were shut down.

“Items believed to have been used in the commission of crimes were seized, including alcohol, ammunition, cash, cellphones, dangerous weapons, drugs, vehicle parts, accessories and vehicles,” the police said.

The SAPS added that focused community awareness campaigns and engagements, aimed at addressing trending crimes and strengthening partnerships with communities, are continuing.

Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General (Dr) Thabo Mphuthi, commended the collective efforts of law enforcement agencies, government departments, Community Police Forum structures and SAPS members for their dedication in the fight against crime. – SAnews.gov.za

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has condemned the shooting of Gauteng traffic wardens at Daveyton in Ekurhuleni over the weekend.

The incident, which left five wardens injured, occurred during a routine patrol of the area in the early hours of Sunday morning.

According to reports, the five wardens came under fire while attempting to search a group of some 12 suspects who retaliated with gunfire from high calibre weapons.

“This act of violence demonstrates utter disregard for the rule of law. Our wardens, together with law enforcement officers, serve daily on the frontlines to ensure the safety and security of our communities. 

“We will not be deterred from doing our work as law enforcement in the province. Any form of violence intimidation or interference with the work of our officers in the execution of their duties is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” the Premier said.

A case of attempted murder has been opened with the South African Police Service.

“We are working closely with law enforcement agencies to ensure that the perpetrators are apprehended and face the full might of the law. I commend the wardens for their bravery and commitment under such dangerous circumstances and wish them a speedy recovery. 

“I extend my thoughts and prayers to their families during this difficult time,” Lesufi said. – SAnews.gov.za

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has lauded Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) for significantly improving performance since June 2025 by consistently averaging over 90 000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) per week. 

This is compared to 65 000 TEUs per week for the same period last year.

A determined focus on improved loading and offloading rates by TPT has resulted in a year-on-year container volume increase of 7.2% at the end of August 2025.

In the week ended 20 July 2025, a historic 101 295 TEUs were handled across the entity’s container terminals. TPT recorded the all-time record in the 2014/2015 financial year when it handled 105 650 TEUs in a single week.

“This improved performance gives us hope that trans-shipment volumes we lost during the 2023/2024 year will return in due course to our ports ensuring both job retention and future job creation for our maritime economy,” the Minister said on Sunday.

These results can be traced back to the four main initiatives namely: injection of new equipment, including nine rubber–tyred gantry (RTG) cranes for the Durban Container Terminal Pier 1; 20 straddle carriers for the Durban Container Terminal Pier 2; a ship-to-shore crane for the Port Elizabeth Container Terminal and over 200 haulers and trailers for all container terminals.

Other contributing factors include focused maintenance which has resulted in reduced breakdowns and increased uptime of equipment; process improvements; and various people management initiatives such as the introduction of a fourth shift to ensure employee wellbeing for improved performance, and a new incentive scheme.

“This milestone is a direct result of unprecedented collaboration between TPT, labour partners, shipping lines, cargo owners, and logistics stakeholders. The synergy across these groups has enabled a seamless flow of operations, with vessels now berthing on arrival across all terminals, which is a significant achievement considering the backlog challenges faced in 2023,” TPT Chief Executive, Jabu Mdaki said.

Other efforts have included focused maintenance, ensuring spares availability, employing process improvement initiatives and developing a container performance dashboard that shows real time performance. –SAnews.gov.za