Category: South Africa Government

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli has reaffirmed the provincial government’s commitment to ensuring that no learner is left behind, despite the financial pressures confronting the province.

Ntuli, together with Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube, convened an all-of-government meeting on Monday to address the financial crisis facing the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education.

The meeting brought together senior government leaders to deliberate on measures to stabilise the sector.

Ntuli acknowledged that province was experiencing “deep financial strain” as a result of years of austerity, which has impacted service delivery across sectors. However, he stressed that education remains the cornerstone of development and “too important to fail”.

“The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education is one of the largest in the country, employing tens of thousands of teachers and serving millions of learners. Ensuring stability in the sector is not optional but essential to the province’s future,” Ntuli said.

The Premier confirmed that no additional funding had been allocated to address the department’s financial difficulties, meaning the province must find solutions within its current budget envelope. This will require reprioritising resources while protecting frontline services.

Deliberations at the meeting focused on the development of a Financial Recovery Plan aimed that balancing fiscal realities with the imperative of safeguarding education.

The plan will include an employee audit to ensure efficiency in resource allocation and a learner audit to strengthen planning and align resource distribution with actual needs.

Ntuli underscored that all interventions will be guided by a single overriding principle: protecting teaching and learning.

“Classrooms, teachers, and learners must remain at the centre of every decision taken in the recovery process,” he said.

By convening the high-level meeting, the Premier demonstrated the urgency of addressing the financial crisis through a coordinated provincial and national response.

“While the challenges are significant, they also present an opportunity to build a more efficient, accountable, and sustainable education system,” Ntuli said. – SAnews.gov.za

By Neo Bodumela

Nestled at the foot of the majestic Southern Drakensberg mountains, the small town of Matatiele is telling a powerful story of how tourism is transforming lives.

It is a story about how a community can build its own future from grassroots efforts to the towering heights. 

“Tourism has truly changed the lives of the people of Matatiele.”

This assertion was made by Mehloding Trust co-ordinator, Tsepo Lesholu, who spoke to Vuk’uzenzele as South Africa commemorates Tourism Month in September.
The Trust was born out of a vision in the 1990s where a united community worked together on communal land to create local jobs.

It has since evolved into one of the Eastern Cape town’s flagship tourism offerings. It boasts of a hiking trail, chalets and a guest house situated on the Southern end of the Drakensberg.

The initiative has created 17 jobs. “The idea was to stimulate the local economy through this initiative and create something of value for the people of Matatiele.

“What worked in our favour is that the plan to transition towards tourism had a lot of buy-in from traditional leaders. It also had the buy-in of local communities in the villages,” he said.

Mehloding is a story of a community taking ownership of their own development, with locals employed from the construction phase as builders, to the operational phase with community members working as cleaners, hostesses and tour guides.

Even the materials used to build the guest house, and the food and other supplies, are locally sourced.
“From the beginning we said: if we have tourists, they must be guided by local tour guides; if we are sharing our stories, then those stories must be told by us; if we have a hiking trail, the guides must be from Matatiele.

“Even when we chose the name of the Trust, we came up with it together. We chose Mehloding because as you hike the mountains, there’s no need to carry a water bottle; you will cross streams with fresh water flowing from the Lesotho Highlands. The name Mehloding means ‘sources of water,’” Lesholu said.

Mehloding is also part of the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Project, a cross-border initiative between South Africa and Lesotho that protects the Maloti-Drakensberg Mountains while supporting community development.

The region includes uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park (a World Heritage Site), Golden Gate Highlands National Park, and Lesotho’s Sehlabathebe National Park.

Known as southern Africa’s most important water catchment, it supplies Gauteng and other regions through two major projects – the Lesotho Highlands Water Project and the Tugela-Vaal Scheme. 
The project promotes conservation, tourism and cultural heritage while uplifting local communities.

Scholarships through tourism for locals

Through the tourism initiative, the Trust has expanded its impact by launching a scholarship fund for learners.

Since its inception in 2010, the fund has supported at least 100 academically promising learners to attend a prestigious school in the area, paying for school fees, boarding, uniforms and other learning materials.
“These children have gone on to become accountants, engineers, lawyers and doctors, while others are pursuing academia. Tourism has truly changed our lives,” Lesholu said proudly.

As for the future, the co-ordinator said the vision is to not only expand the tourism business but also deepen the benefits for the local community.

“The dream is to add more offerings to the existing hiking trail and guesthouse so that we can become fully self-sufficient and not rely on government funding.

“In that way, we will be able to add even more value to the community, and they can benefit more from Mehloding,” Lesholu said.

Government support

Mehloding has received financial and infrastructure support from several levels of government including the Department of Tourism, the National Lotteries Commission and the Matatiele Local Municipality.

The municipality’s spokesperson, Ndabuko Masumpa, explained the local authority’s role.

“Mehloding has been accommodated at municipal offices for over 15 years at no cost. For more than a decade, the Municipality has supported Mehloding’s annual September Tourism and Heritage Month event, which boosts occupancy rates and visitor numbers.

“Through these efforts, the Municipality has demonstrated its commitment to growing Mehloding into a sustainable, community-driven tourism hub,” Masumpa concluded.

Maloti-Drakensberg Park is a World Heritage Site due to its outstanding natural beauty 
and its exceptional cultural significance, as recognised by UNESCO.

For more information on Mehloding Community Trust and its tourism offerings contact the trust at 039 737 3289 or email mehloding@telkomsa.net  

The Department of tourism can be reached at www.tourism.gov.za 

Visit the Matatiele Local Municipality at www.matatiele.gov.za 
*This article first appeared in Vuk’uzenzele
 

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Eskom’s Kusile Power Station Unit 6 has entered commercial operation – officially adding some 800MW to the national grid and strengthening South Africa’s energy security.

The power utility announced the milestone on Monday and it marks the completion of the Eskom Build Programme.

Eskom Group Chief Executive Dan Marokane said the milestone was a testament to the power utility’s commitment to its turnaround plan.

“Achieving commercial operation of Unit 6 within the planned timeframe is a testament to Eskom’s disciplined execution of the Generation Operational Recovery Plan. This milestone not only completes the Kusile build programme but also reinforces Eskom’s commitment to restoring energy security, enhancing grid stability, and investing in infrastructure that supports South Africa’s long-term economic growth. 

“Since its synchronisation in March, Unit 6 has consistently met performance benchmarks, contributed to grid reliability, and helped meet electricity demand 97% of the time,” Marokane said.

At the Medupi Power Station, which was also part of Eskom’s Build Programme, Unit 4 of the station was returned to service in July this year.

“Medupi and Kusile will remain central to South Africa’s electricity supply for many years to come. Both stations are designed for an operational lifespan of approximately 50 years. 

“As we celebrate this milestone, we are also accelerating efforts to expand our renewable energy portfolio to complement our baseload infrastructure. This is part of our broader strategy to repower the grid and reduce overall emissions,” Marokane added.

Eskom explained that commercial operation indicates that Unit 6 has “passed all required testing and optimisation phases” and is now fully integrated into the power utility’s operational fleet. 

“Although the unit has been supplying electricity to the grid since its synchronisation on 23 March 2025, its contribution had not been reflected in official reporting until now. From this point onward, Unit 6’s output will be included in the Energy Availability Factor (EAF) calculations, contributing to Eskom’s overall performance metrics.

“This achievement also marks a key milestone in Eskom’s strategic goal to add 2500MW of new capacity to the grid by March 2025 and represents a major step in completing one of the largest infrastructure projects in South Africa’s history,” Eskom said. – SAnews.gov.za

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy and Deputy Minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa have extended their condolences to the families of the 12 people who lost their lives in a major road crash in Limpopo.

A multiple vehicle crash occurred on Sunday on the R81 at Ga-Sekgopo, involving two articulated trucks and a Toyota Quantum Minibus.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has confirmed that one male driver, 10 female passengers and one child between the ages of 7 and 10 years perished in the accident.

“Minister Creecy and Deputy Minister Hlengwa have reiterated their call to motorists for heightened vigilance on the roads and to be responsible for their own safety and the safety of other road users,” the department said in a statement on Monday.

The department said the cause of the crash was not yet known and will be the subject of an investigation.

“Deputy Minister Hlengwa has directed the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) to dispatch a team of crash reconstruction and investigations to determine the cause of the crash and provide a report in this regard,” the department said. – SAnews.gov.za

President Cyril Ramaphosa has established an inquiry into the fitness of Advocate Andrew Chauke to continue serving as Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The Presidency announced in a statement on Monday that the inquiry was set up in terms of section 12(6)(a) of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Act of 1998.

Pending the outcome of the inquiry, President Ramaphosa has suspended Adv Chauke with effect from 20 July 2025, on full pay.

“The inquiry will look into certain serious allegations regarding Adv Chauke’s fitness and propriety to hold office as a Director of Public Prosecutions and as a member of the National Prosecuting Authority. Adv Chauke was appointed Director of Public Prosecutions on 1 September 2011,” the Presidency said. 

The President has appointed retired Justice Baaitse Elizabeth (Bess) Nkabine as Chairperson of the inquiry, with Adv Elizabeth Baloyi-Mere SC and attorney Thenjiwe Vilakazi as additional members.

According to the Presidency, the process will be guided by the Constitution, the NPA Act, and the principles of natural justice to ensure that the inquiry is conducted fairly and impartially.

In consultation with the Minister of Justice, the inquiry Chairperson will determine the seat of the inquiry as well as the rules of procedure.

At the conclusion of the process, Justice Nkabine will submit a report with findings and recommendations to the President. – SAnews.gov.za 

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Eskom says the current improvement in unplanned outages at generating units is a sign of the generation fleet’s increasing reliability.

The power utility has registered an Energy Availability Factor (EAF) month-to-date average hitting above 70% for the first time since 2021.

Unplanned outages are also on the wane.

“Between 19 and 25 September 2025, Eskom recorded an average of 9 514MW in unplanned outages, a significant improvement compared to 12 660MW during the same period last year. This represents a year-on-year reduction of 3 146MW in breakdowns – nearly equivalent to the entire output capacity of Duvha Power Station.

“This upward trend demonstrates increasing stability and improved reliability across Eskom’s generation fleet. These figures do not include Kusile Unit 6, which has been contributing to the national grid since 23 March 2025. While the unit is not yet in commercial operation, it is expected to reach this milestone by 30 September 2025,” Eskom said.

The power utility’s improvements have resulted in electricity demand being met for at 97% of the time during the current financial year with only 26 hours of load shedding recorded since April 1.

Other key performance areas at Eskom include:

• Between 1 April and 25 September 2025, the Unplanned Capability Loss Factor (UCLF), which reflects the percentage of generation capacity lost due to unplanned outages, further decreased to 25.84%. This represents a week-on-week improvement of approximately 0.2%, although it remains about 0.3% higher than the 25.52% recorded during the same period last year.
• Year-to-date, planned maintenance has averaged 5 233MW, accounting for 11.16% of total generation capacity. This reflects a slight decrease from the previous week and a 0.4% rise compared to the same period last year.
• The year-to-date EAF further increased to 62.50%, excluding the contribution from Kusile Unit 6. This figure is below the 63.25% recorded during the same period last year.
• From 1 April to 25 September 2025, Eskom generated 1 004.68GWh from OCGT plants while spending R5.953 billion on diesel – above last year’s 850.52GWh. Last week, diesel spending was just R15.03 million at a load factor of 0.41%, highlighting the impact of improvements in efficiency and reduced reliance on diesel.
• The year-to-date load factor for OCGTs has decreased to 6.89%, reflecting a 0.27% decrease compared to the previous week. This figure remains higher than the 5.83% recorded during the same period last year.

“To further strengthen grid stability, Eskom is planning to return a total of 2 500MW of generation capacity to service ahead of the evening peak [today] and throughout the coming week,” Eskom said.

The electricity supplier acknowledged that although the grid is now more stable, load reduction remains “necessary in certain high-risk areas”.

Average reductions have ranged between 529MW and 5 44MW from April and June this year.

“The primary causes are illegal connections and meter tampering – forms of electricity theft that compromise the integrity of the network and can lead to equipment damage, transformer overloads, and, in severe cases, explosions and prolonged outages. To safeguard the network and protect public safety, Eskom may implement load reduction by switching off power in these areas during peak periods.

“Eskom, however, is committed to eliminating load reduction within the next 12 to 18 months. This goal will be achieved by addressing 640 000 illegal connections, upgrading infrastructure – including the installation of smart meters – curbing illegal electricity vending, and expanding access to free basic electricity in priority areas.

“Customers are urged to avoid illegal connections, purchase electricity only from Eskom-accredited vendors, and regularise their accounts. These measures are essential to preventing load reduction and ensuring safe, reliable, and equitable electricity access for all,” Eskom explained.

To report any illegal activity, contact Eskom’s Crime Line at 0800 112 722 or via WhatsApp on 081 333 3323. – SAnews.gov.za

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