Category: South Africa Government

In light of the activities of South Africa’s Group of 20 (G20) Presidency, the Department of Defence has announced that it is in discussions regarding the postponement of the joint naval exercise scheduled for November 2025, involving South Africa, Russia, and China. 

According to reports, the upcoming naval exercise was set to coincide with the G20 Leaders’ Summit, which will take place on 22 and 23 November 2025, in Johannesburg.

“In consultation with the Presidency and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), the Department of Defence is engaging its counterparts in the People’s Republic of China on a postponement of the exercise to a mutually suitable date.

“This is to ensure that the exercises do not impact the logistical, security and other arrangements associated with South Africa’s G20 Presidency,” the statement read. 

The Department of Defence said this is the third iteration of the exercise, which takes place every two years between these BRICS partners, with China as the host for this year’s exercise.

The department believes that South Africa’s participation in military exercises of this nature with various countries is part of the furtherance of sound multilateral and bilateral relations. 

“As it has in the past, South Africa continues to hold joint military exercises with a broad range of countries. In the last few years, the SANDF [South African National Defence Force] has conducted joint and multinational military exercises with countries such as Brazil, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.” 

A naval exercise is a military drill intended to evaluate tactics, enhance interoperability, and foster cooperation among navies. 

These exercises typically incorporate both simulations and real-world scenarios, including tactical manoeuvres, search and rescue operations, and anti-piracy drills. – SAnews.gov.za
 

The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DJCOD) has begun work with the Law Reform Commission and other agencies to assess how artificial intelligence (AI) will impact South African laws and how the technology can enhance the work of the department.

This, according to Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, who participated in a webinar on intellectual property, artificial intelligence, justice and rights on Thursday afternoon.

“This will help us to review and suggest possible amendments of our policies and legislation.

“We currently do not have a policy as a country, [however] we are in the process of making the policy through the Department of Communication and Digital Technology, and the document has been released again in July this year for final comments and therefore going to cabinet and should be adopted,” she said.

The Minister reflected on how there are “many areas” within which AI can enhance and support the department’s work and boost service delivery. 

“For example, part of our work includes the work of the Masters office, which deals with millions of South Africans on daily basis… giving them information on how the Masters office can assist them. In this area we can introduce bots that are now very popular in the private sector.

“These robots are able to interact, offer services, give information, and so on. I believe this is how this is the low-hanging fruit that as a department, you can be able to exploit,” she said.

Kubayi cited the SA Revenue Service’s (SARS) use as how this technology can be seamlessly integrated.

“SARS is already using bots that are powered by ChatGPT and I visited the offices in Centurion and I was actually impressed. We are working with them to be able to assist us in terms of our services but also to be able to automate and provide responses to some of the questions that people are having.

“Also AI can assist automating our IT system so that our work can be more efficient and effective,” Kubayi said.

The Minister highlighted that the technology is also being looked at as a tool to proactively detect corruption and in the process of undertaking lifestyle audits.

“AI can detect patterns and can collect data about individuals at a rapid rate and be able to detect unusual behaviour that suggests corruption or fraud activities. 

“So if we look at this one…whether it’s within the work that is done by [Special Investigating Unit] or the IDAC  [Investigating Directorate Against Corruption], we believe this is one of the critical areas utilisation of AI, and that’s why we’ve taken a decision to train quite a number of our investigators in this area and prosecutors.

“[We] do believe that this will be able to assist us to pick up lifestyle patterns, to pick up where there are issues to be able to spot areas of concern and individuals of interest so that they can be able to cap corruption [at source]…because we do believe that prevention would be more better than having to react,” Kubayi explained. – SAnews.gov.za

Deputy President Paul Mashatile is scheduled to join the families of police officers and reservists who lost their lives in the line of duty at the annual South African Police Service (SAPS) Commemoration Day on Sunday, 7 September 2025.

This poignant event will be held at the SAPS Memorial Site, located at the Union Buildings, in Pretoria.

According to the Presidency, this year’s commemoration will honour 27 members of the SAPS who have tragically fallen while serving in the twelve months from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.

Every year, on the first Sunday of September, the nation pays tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service and protection of its citizens.

Last year, the country honoured the 39 women and men in blue who died in the line of duty between April 2023 to March 2024. 

Their names have been engraved on the SAPS memorial wall at the Union Buildings as a symbol of gratitude for the sacrifices made in serving and protecting the nation.

Speaking at last year’s commemoration day, the Deputy President said an attack on the SAPS is an assault on the state itself and that those responsible for such acts, equivalent to treason, must face decisive action.

“National Commissioner General Fannie Masemola, police officers must not die with their service firearms in their holsters when criminals refuse to surrender and start firing at police. When a shootout ensues between police and criminals, police have a duty to protect their lives, as well as those of their colleagues and all community members,” he said then. 

He also took the time to acknowledge that being a police officer was one of the most dangerous occupations, and one may feel anxious knowing that they may leave their family for work and never return.

The Deputy President emphasised the urgent need for a collaborative approach to tackle internal challenges within the SAPS. 

This includes addressing low morale among officers, the involvement of some members in criminal activities, and the issues related to ageing infrastructure.

He believes that such measures are essential to empower the police force to effectively fulfil their constitutional obligations and serve the community. – SAnews.gov.za
 

Chief Justice Mandisa Maya has urged judiciaries around the globe to “step forward and affirm the enduring power of the law” in an ever increasingly challenging environment.

The Chief Justice was addressing the J20 Summit of Constitutional and Supreme Court leaders in Johannesburg.

The summit is held under the engagements of the Group of 20 (G20), which South Africa is chairing.

“This summit is for us more than a mere diplomatic courtesy. It is a historical convergence, a deliberate and necessary assembly of the judicial guardians of the free world at a time when the pillars of democracy and human dignity are under unprecedented strain and the very foundations of justice are being tested and reshaped by global change.

“In the grand tapestry of human progress, there are moments that demand not just reflection, but resolution; moments that call upon the stewards of justice to step forward and affirm the enduring power of the law in an imperilled world. This is one of those moments,” Maya said.

She described the judiciary as the “sentinel of society”, where the powerful are held liable and the voiceless are heard.

“The Judiciary [is]… the neutral ground upon which the powerful are held to account and the vulnerable find their voice. We are the custodians of the social contract, entrusted with the sacred duty to interpret not only the letter of the law but also its spirit – the timeless pursuit of fairness, equity, and truth. 

“And on our watch, the instruments of justice upon which humanity relies to maintain social order and prosperity of her nations are most ruthlessly tested by a new and alien class of challenges, challenges that are amorphous, borderless, and are evolving at a pace that often outstrips the deliberate cadence of the law. 

“It is now not so unusual for our courtrooms to adjudicate cases that involve interests straddling continents. Our court rolls abound with disputes born in the digital realm and difficult social dysfunction and our precedents must wrestle realities which those who came before us could never have imagined,” she said.

Judicial independence

Maya told the summit, which was attended by heads of judiciary from all over the world, that South Africa’s judiciary is in the process of becoming fully independent.

She described this independence as of “utmost importance for the courts to effectively play their crucial role and conserve an impartial judicial process”.

“[Currently] the Executive still maintains control over the budget and financial management of the Judiciary, which is the heart of the power and ability to meaningfully run anything at all.

“The Judiciary has limited control over key components of court administration, such as the establishment of magistrates’ courts, the appointment of magistrates and support staff, security and Information Technology with many of our court buildings, especially the magistrates’ courts that serve as courts of first contact, in poor condition due to years of underfunding and neglect. 

“These systemic challenges adversely affect the lives of the communities we serve and ultimately impede the delivery of justice,” she said.

The Chief Justice reflected on a meeting held with President Cyril Ramaphosa and the national executive to discuss reforms which are expected to pave way for full independence.

“That meeting highlighted the importance of cooperation among the branches of government, whilst maintaining a delicate balance and ensuring that they do not overstep the relevant boundaries and encroach into each other’s terrain and proved that it is possible under the principle of separation of powers for the arms of the State to support one another, as they must, to uphold the Constitution.

“It gives me great delight to announce that the South African Judiciary is finally on the path to full institutional independence, and that the technical teams of the Executive and the Judiciary are working feverishly to bring this constitutional imperative to reality,” Maya said. – SAnews.gov.za

KwaZulu-Natal Finance MEC Francois Rodgers has commended an undertaking by uMkhanyakude District Municipality leadership to improve consequence management and enforce accountability against officials implicated in financial misconduct.

Rodgers met with uMkhanyakude mayor Siphile Mdaka and senior officials this week at the provincial Treasury offices in Pietermaritzburg to address financial management concerns flagged by the Auditor-General.

Among the key issues raised included non-compliance with the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA), overspending, incurring of unauthorised expenditure, and poor debt collection.

Mayor Mdaka assured that both the political and administrative leadership at the municipality were committed to turn around the situation and requested KZN Treasury to help improve financial management.

Mdaka also announced that the municipality has since appointed its own internal audit and risk committees, a function that was previously outsourced.

The municipality further welcomed the return of KZN Treasury’s support to its supply chain management function.

Rodgers described the move by the municipality to have its own audit risk committee, as an important step, urging the municipality to act on the committees’ findings.

“You must now make sure that their findings and recommendations are heeded and corrective measures taken so the municipality achieves compliance with financial management laws and regulations,” Rodgers said.

The MEC emphasised his focus on building a capable and ethical state.

“As agreed by both institutions, we look forward to clearly defined action plans and turnaround strategies, with time frames. Our Treasury team is on hand to guide this process [but] as the political leaders of our institutions, it then becomes our mandate to monitor this process to ensure success,” Rodgers said. – SAnews.gov.za
 

The Department of Health Has extended its best wishes to the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, as he prepares for a scheduled eye operation on Thursday, 4 September 2025, at the St John Eye Care Centre, located near Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, Johannesburg.

According to the department, the Minister has been experiencing ongoing vision issues that necessitated this procedure, and he has recently been placed on the waiting list for surgery.

The St John Eye Care Centre is a public health facility renowned for its expertise in eye examinations. 

It provides high-quality eyewear at affordable rates, ensuring that community members can access essential vision care without financial strain. – SAnews.gov.za