Category: South Africa Government

The South African Police Service (SAPS) nationwide Operation Shanela has yielded significant breakthroughs in combating various crimes, including drug trafficking, and serious and violent crimes, leading to the arrest of 18 822 suspects.

This includes 2 739 wanted individuals linked to serious crimes.

“The week-long operations carried out between 16 and 22 March 2026 led to the arrest of wanted individuals linked to murder, attempted murder, rape, carjacking, illegal possession of firearms, assault GBH [grievous bodily harm], house and business robberies,” the police said in a statement.

Within this week, police operations aimed at dismantling drug trafficking and distribution networks across the country led to the arrest of 258 suspects for dealing in drugs, and 3 107 suspects for possession of drugs. 

“The majority of arrests for drug possession were effected in the Western Cape, with 1 933 suspects arrested,” the police said.

In addition, police intercepted a Volvo truck on the N17, near Oshoek, transporting over 670 kilograms of dagga, with an estimated street value of R1 milion. – SAnews.gov.za

Trade, Industry and Competition Deputy Minister Alexandra Abrahams has officially opened the 41st annual meeting of the SADC Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Structures. 

The three-day meeting is taking place at the Protea Hotel in Johannesburg.

In line with this year’s Southern African Development Community (SADC) theme, “Advancing Industrialisation, Agricultural Transformation, and Energy Transition for a Resilient SADC”, Abrahams highlighted that quality infrastructure is a critical component to facilitating rural development and industrialisation and in turn, economic growth in the southern region of the African continent.

The Technical Barriers to Regional Trade Annex to the SADC Protocol on Trade provides a framework for the identification and elimination of trade barriers arising from the application of diverging standards, technical regulations or conformity assessment procedures.

Abrahams said SADC’s growing engagement in international quality infrastructure forums is encouraging, but there must be continued building of scientific, technical, and diplomatic capability to ensure global standards reflect Africa’s realities and support equitable participation.

She said this must be underpinned by deliberate investment in scientific excellence, technical depth, and coordinated diplomatic capability if we are to shape outcomes rather than respond to them.

“To achieve this, we must strengthen our national standards bodies, accreditation systems, and metrology institutes so that they can generate credible data, influence technical committees, and anchor Africa’s positions in evidence. 

“This also requires building a cadre of skilled experts and negotiators, who can engage consistently in global standard-setting platforms and ensure that emerging norms, whether in digital trade, green technologies, or advanced manufacturing are informed by the production realities, development pathways and regulatory capacities of our region,” she emphasised.

Abrahams said agricultural transformation, in particular, requires a change in how  quality infrastructure across the value chain is approached.

“From primary production through to agro-processing and export, farmers and agri-enterprises must increasingly comply with stringent sanitary standards, traceability requirements, and sustainability benchmarks. 

“Strengthening testing, certification, and inspection capacity within the agricultural sector is therefore essential to improve food security and productivity, and to unlock access to higher-value regional and international markets,” she said.

As SADC continues to advance the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, the consolidation of standards, mutual recognition of conformity assessments, and the strengthening of institutional capability will be decisive. 

The Deputy Minister concluded by emphasising that a coordinated, well-resourced, and forward-looking approach to quality infrastructure will be essential if the region is to move towards an integrated, competitive, and resilient economic bloc that delivers sustained growth, expanded market access and tangible opportunities for its people. – SAnews.gov.za

Government is ready to host the sixth edition of the South Africa Investment Conference next week, Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau said on Monday.

“South Africa is open, South Africa is ready, and South Africa is an investment destination of choice,” Tau said.

Addressing the media in Pretoria on the state of readiness for the conference, Tau said more than 31 countries representing international delegates are making their way to South Africa.

“Their growing interest to participate in the 6th South Africa Investment Conference is an illustration that the world sees us as a gateway to Africa, and the ideal place to invest and partner with a developing country that is shaping the world we live in.”

Tau explained that the South Africa Investment Conference was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2018 with the mandate to mobilise both domestic and foreign investment at scale and to translate that investment into jobs, growth, and opportunity for the nation’s people.

“The first five-year investment drive, which ran from 2018 to 2023, was an unqualified success by any measure. South Africa secured R1.56 trillion in investment pledges, surpassing the Presidency’s original target by 26%.
“That achievement was not by accident, it was the product of deliberate partnerships, disciplined engagement, and a government that chose to be open for business,” Tau said.
He added that 2024 was a reset moment and that 2025 was the year of implementing the diversification strategy known as the Butterly strategy.

“This strategy enabled us to explore various markets, sell South Africa to the world, and ensure that South Africa is open for business.”

Tau said the first cycle built the framework of trust and partnership, and that the new cycle is about translating pledges into implementation, which demonstrates economic growth and jobs.

“We live in a world of competing demands for capital. Every nation is making the case for why it deserves investor attention. We are making ours not with promises alone, but with proof,” he said.

The country’s  ambition is grounded in three pillars, namely:

•    Invest — South Africa offers compelling, high-return sectors backed by policy certainty and strategic infrastructure.

•    Partner — South Africa believes in shared ownership of economic outcomes between government, business, and communities.

•    Prosper —  The country is committed to ensuring that investment translates into tangible prosperity for all South Africans.

Following the evidence
“We are not asking investors to take a leap of faith. We are inviting them to follow the evidence,” he said.
Tau said the country offers a technology sector that is primed for exponential growth, a  world-class renewable energy opportunity,  and an agro-processing and food security sector with vast untapped potential.

He added that the country has a stable constitutional democracy, an independent judiciary, and a regulatory environment committed to investor protection.

“South Africa is not just a destination — it is a gateway to a continent of 1.4 billion people. The opportunity is real, and it is now,” he said.

The Minister said the country is on track to host the conference on 31 March.

“We are proud to report that almost every key milestone has been met,” he said.

Mobilising sponsors to fund the conference, attracting both domestic and international investors, and mobilising the investor committee to support the project pipeline capture in the National Investment Book were among the milestones mentioned by the Minister.

The upcoming summit builds on the success of the previous five-year investment cycle, which concluded in March 2023, after raising R1.51 trillion, surpassing the initial R1.2 trillion target.

To date, more than R600 billion of these commitments have flowed into projects, supporting the establishment of new factories, mines, and other productive facilities across the country.

Announcing the conference during the 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Cyril Ramaphosa said government was determined to build on this momentum.

READ | Government to host sixth Investment Conference in Johannesburg 

The 2026 conference aims to reinforce a clear narrative to investors: credible reforms drive investor confidence, unlock deployable opportunities, and foster sustainable global partnerships.

Since its launch, the conference has drawn thousands of local and international delegates, positioning South Africa as a competitive and globally relevant investment destination. An estimated 1 250 delegates are expected to attend the 2026 edition in person. – SAnews.gov.za

President Cyril Ramaphosa has reaffirmed government’s commitment to ensuring equitable access to quality healthcare, saying excellence in medical care must be available to all South Africans, regardless of their income or location. 

In his weekly newsletter to the nation on Monday, the President pointed to the successful separation of the conjoined twins at Mankweng Hospital as a powerful example of the capabilities within the country’s public health system.

READ | Mankweng twins doing well 

President Ramaphosa described the complex operation as a remarkable achievement that reflects the skill, dedication and resilience of healthcare professionals in South Africa. 

“This achievement is more than a medical milestone. It is proof of what our public health system is capable of. It is a reminder that South Africa possesses world-class medical expertise, not only in the private hospitals in our cities, but also in public facilities serving communities that have historically been neglected and underserved,” he said.

The President noted that the success at Mankweng underscores the impact of sustained investment in medical training and development, including subsidised education, bursaries and practical training programmes for healthcare workers.

However, he cautioned that many South Africans still face challenges in accessing quality healthcare, despite the constitutional guarantee of this right.

“Our Constitution guarantees every person the right of access to healthcare services. That right cannot depend on where you were born, how much you earn or where you live,” President Ramaphosa said. 

He said bridging the gap between the constitutional promise and the lived reality of many citizens is the driving force behind the implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI).

According to the President, the NHI is not merely a funding mechanism, but a transformative instrument aimed at ensuring that all South Africans can access quality healthcare services without financial hardship.

President Ramaphosa also highlighted the stark inequality between the public and private healthcare sectors, noting that while only about 16% of the population relies on private healthcare, significantly more resources are spent per patient in that system compared to the public sector, which serves the majority.

“These two parts of our healthcare system cannot continue to operate in parallel, as if serving two separate nations. They must work together in service of one nation,” he said.

The President called for stronger collaboration between public and private healthcare providers, academic institutions, pharmaceutical companies and communities to improve service delivery and share expertise.

He further outlined ongoing efforts to strengthen the public health system in preparation for the NHI, including upgrading facilities, expanding the community health worker programme, improving access to medicines and introducing digital systems.

President Ramaphosa said healthcare workers remain central to these efforts, emphasising the need to support and retain skilled professionals within the public sector.

“The great achievement at Mankweng Hospital has shown us what is possible. It has also reminded us of what is necessary: a health system that serves every South African with excellence, compassion and dedication. Equal access to quality health care must be the standard we set and the constitutional promise that we keep,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za

In the vast, arid land of the Namaqua in the Northern Cape – curtained only by rugged hills and rocky mountains – the ancestral remains of 63 Khoi and San peoples have finally come home to rest.

During a timespan lasting nearly 60 years between 1868 and 1924, the remains were removed from their homeland without consent for race-based scientific research by colonial Europeans – stripping them of the right to rest with dignity. 

The remains were finally repatriated last year from the University of Glasgow in Scotland, where they had been housed at the Hunterian Museum.

Delivering remarks at the solemn reburial ceremony held just outside Steinkopf in the Northern Cape, President Cyril Ramaphosa assured that the “greatest tragedy of the erasure of the indigenous peoples of southern Africa is that much of it went unacknowledged”.

He assured that the South African government, however, will not shy away from restoring the dignity of those who were discriminated against and marginalised.

“Even amidst the emergence of serious critiques on the part of these European powers in the late 1970’s, many have avoided a deeper reckoning. Some of these countries have apologised for specific atrocities, but in the main, they have fallen short of full, unqualified apologies for colonialism as a whole.

“As democratic South Africa, we do not linger in the shadow of unspoken apologies or deferred reckonings. We will restore dignity – on our own terms.

“The return of our ancestors to their descendant communities is a vital act of restoration and restitution that goes beyond acknowledging the colonial legacy; it is also a manifestation of ubuntu – a recognition of our common humanity,” the President said on Monday.

WATCH | Reburial ceremony 
 

Healing wounds
Following their repatriation from Scotland, the remains were received in a welcoming ceremony and subsequently placed under the care of the Iziko Museums of South Africa in Cape Town.

The remains then made their way home, up, over and through the twists and turns of N7 the national road, to be received by the Northern Cape government in an official handover ceremony from the Western Cape.

In true South African style, traditional spiritual rites were performed and a night vigil was held the day before the formal reburial ceremony at the Kinderlê-monument just outside Steinkopf in the province.

At the ceremony – where the past, present and future of the Khoi and San peoples gathered – Chairman of the National Griqua Council Barend van Wyk described to SAnews.gov.za the pain associated with the “exploitative and humiliating” illegal removals all those years ago.

“Emotionally, it’s hard. The fact that they dug up our ancestors’ remains…why did they do that to human beings? Were our people not worthy of being human that they had to be dug up?

“But we are glad today, although there is pain and hardship, that we can finally reinter them in the land of their birth,” van Wyk said.

Dionne Barley, a direct descendant of the people whose remains were taken, said the day was a moment for reflection.

“I feel very happy as somebody that is closely related to some of these people that are buried here. I feel good that they are now being buried in dignity [and] that they are not sitting in museums and that the President actually ensured that they could come back to South Africa and back to their rightful place,” Barley told SAnews.

The modern story of the indigenous people of South Africa cannot be told without the mention of Ouma Katrina Esau.

The nonagenarian is a legend not only among her people but also in South Africa – taking her place as the last remaining fluent speaker of the critically endangered N|uu language.

“I did not think I would make it here as I have been so sick. But it was my dream to be here and to be with these people, so that I can also say that I was there, even if it’s to bury their bones. I am so very thankful because God protected us. I am very glad to be here,” she said.

An act of justice
The process of repatriation and reburial was jointly facilitated by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) and its entities in the South African Heritage Resources Agency and Iziko Museums.

Chairperson of SA Heritage Resources Agency, Elodie Seotseng, Tlhoaele told SAnews that the process was about the restoration of respect and human dignity.

“Today, we are seeing the culmination of a process that sought to restore the human dignity of ancestors that were taken away from this land…exhumed from their graves and taken to foreign lands for scientific…academic research and for display to be consumed as objects. So, we are here to re-instil and restore that respect and human dignity to those ancestral remains in their homeland.

“This is a land and a space that is already hallowed ground. This space is a burial ground for children who were victims of clan wars, and it is already a heritage site. Just over the hill is also a burial site of casualties of war. So, it’s significant, this is hallowed ground,” she explained.

The remains are buried in individual graves – a grace not previously afforded to the peoples of this land by colonial masters.

“Each grave has been demarcated. So, it’s not a mass grave; it’s individual graves in one area. That goes back to our insistence on instilling human dignity and respect in whichever state the human being is in,” she added.

As the sun set on the Kinderlê monument where the remains now rest, President Ramaphosa emphasised that government’s work to implement the National Policy on Repatriation and Restitution of Human Remains and Heritage Objects and to restore dignity for all continues.

“Through the National Policy…we will continue to forge partnerships with institutions and individuals across the world to recover ancestral human remains that were illegally taken from South Africa,” President Ramaphosa said.

READ | President Ramaphosa to officiate reburial ceremony of Khoi-San ancestral human remains
 – SAnews.gov.za

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli has reaffirmed the provincial government’s commitment to collaborate with stakeholders to safeguard and strengthen the role of the Ingonyama Trust.

This is particularly in land management, infrastructure development, and unlocking economic opportunities in rural areas.

Ntuli was responding to the recent announcement by the Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development, Mzwanele Nyhontso, on the dissolution of the Ingonyama Trust Board.

The Minister said the decision followed consultations with His Majesty the King, as the sole trustee of the Trust, as well as with Premier Ntuli.

Ntuli confirmed that he had been consulted and used the engagements to underscore the strategic importance of the Trust as a cornerstone of the province’s rural economy and a critical instrument in advancing inclusive development.

“The Ingonyama Trust remains central to the socio-economic development of our rural communities. It is intrinsically linked to the 7th Administration’s commitment to inclusive economic growth, poverty reduction, and the building of sustainable livelihoods,” Ntuli said.

He reiterated the provincial government’s readiness to collaborate with all relevant stakeholders to ensure the Trust’s objectives are preserved and strengthened, particularly in relation to effective land management, infrastructure development, and the unlocking of economic opportunities within Trust-held land.

“We remain committed, as a government, to supporting initiatives that empower rural communities, improve land administration systems, and accelerate development in areas under the jurisdiction of the Trust,” the Premier said.

Ntuli also called for calm and constructive engagement during the transition period, stressing the importance of cooperative governance in addressing land, development, and traditional leadership matters with the sensitivity and respect they deserve.

“KwaZulu-Natal remains steadfast in its commitment to safeguarding the interests of its people, particularly those in rural areas, while working in partnership with national government and traditional institutions,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za

A formal investigation into the circumstances around the Ekapa Minerals Joint Shaft Mine in Kimberley, which resulted in the loss of the lives of five miners, is to get underway.

“The department will initiate a formal investigation in line with the Mine Health and Safety Act into the circumstances surrounding the accident,” the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources said on Monday.

This, as Minister Gwede Mantashe paid a visit to the mine in the Northern Cape following the retrieval of the last of the bodies that were trapped in a mud rush incident.

The mud rush accident occurred on 17 February.

“The first body was recovered on 9 March 2026, while the remaining bodies were recovered on 22 and 23 March 2026. During the visit, Minister Mantashe, accompanied by the Chief Inspector of Mines, David Msiza, and other senior officials from the department, received a comprehensive briefing from mine management and rescue personnel on the efforts that led to the successful retrieval of the bodies,” the department said.

Mantashe extended his sincere condolences to the families of the deceased. 

“Minister Mantashe commended the rescue operation, including support received from the mining sector and Minerals Council South Africa for their due diligence during the rescue operation, as well as for deploying its senior team to support the rescue mission,” said the department.
 

READ | N Cape government aids mine families as body of trapped Ekapa miner recovered
–SAnews.gov.za