Category: South Africa Government

Source: Government of South Africa

Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Source: Government of South Africa

Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Source: Government of South Africa

The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) has urged communities to act as custodians of change through prevention and reporting any form of violence, and supporting survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBVF).

The call comes after the brutal murder of a 21-year-old, Onalenna Selebogo, a third-year Education student at North-West University’s Mahikeng Campus.

Selebogo’s body was found on Saturday, 3 August 2025, in a Rustenburg flat, wrapped in bedsheets with multiple stab wounds to the neck.

According to the police report, the suspect, Walter Tshehlo, fled the scene but later handed himself over to the police. He has been charged with murder and awaits his bail hearing on 18 August 2025.

The department has condemned the brutal killing of Selebogo, describing it as a “appalling reminder that the fight for women’s safety and dignity remains far from being won.”

“The fact that these hideous acts of violence occurred during Women’s Month when the nation honouring and celebrating women’s courage, resilience and contribution to our democracy, makes it even more unacceptable,” the department said.

The department called on law enforcement agencies to act with urgency and transparency to ensure that those responsible for Selebogo’s death are brought to justice without delay.

It also called on communities to break the silence that allows GBVF to thrive, but act as custodians of change through prevention and reporting any form of violence and supporting survivors of GBVF.

The department further called on men across the nation to take responsibility by challenging harmful norms and become active partners creating a society that is free from violence.

“These words are not just ceremonial, they are a call to action, justice, and change to every sector in public; private business, faith-based organisations, traditional leaders, and the media must mobilise resources and platforms to strengthen prevention efforts and promote awareness on GBVF,” the department said.

Teach young boys to protect and respect women

Speaking at the National Women’s Day commemoration in Tzaneen, Limpopo, on Saturday, 9 August 2025, President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the many high cases of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide recorded in the country.

The President called on all South Africans to be a society where “we teach young boys that women are to be protected, and respected, and not abused.”

The President also urged South Africans to build a society where young boys are taught to protect and respect women, understand the meaning of consent in sexual relationships and do not use their money and influence to engage in predatory behaviour towards women, and “society that does not condone the ill-treatment of women and children under the guise of culture or tradition.” – SAnews.gov.za
 

Source: Government of South Africa

The Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, has outlined initiatives by government that invest in young people and create real pathways for them to build careers in the aviation sector.

These pathways are inclusive, accessible, and supported by strong educational frameworks, financial resources and mentorship initiatives.

Programmes offered by South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA), Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) and the Air Traffic Navigation Services support learners from disadvantaged backgrounds to enter professions such as pilots, aircraft maintenance technicians, aeronautical engineers, airport management and development, as well as flight procedure designers, air traffic controllers and related fields.

“Support includes structured training programmes; internships, bursaries and learnerships. In our system there is a strong focus on promoting gender equity in professions which were previously male dominated.

“These programmes represent a deliberate and sustained effort by South African aviation entities to empower a new generation of aviation professionals who reflect the demographic diversity of our country. 

“Through these initiatives, our State is ensuring that access to critical skills and opportunities is broadened, particularly for young black South Africans and women, in line with our national transformation agenda,” the Minister said on Tuesday in Durban.

She was addressing the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Next Generation of Aviation Professionals Global Summit, which brings the aviation community together to work collaboratively in securing the future of aviation talent.

“While the sector offers substantial opportunities, these will not materialise unless we address one fundamental challenge – the need for a new generation of skilled professionals. 

“As seasoned aviation workers retire and the demand for a skilled workforce grows, we must ensure that young people, especially across Africa, are equipped and prepared to step into these roles,” the Minister emphasised.

Aviation sector’s contribution to the economy

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), in South Africa in 2023, air transport contributed approximately USD 5.7 billion, or (around R105.4 billion) one and a half percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023 – equivalent to 1.5% of total GDP, supporting 46 000 jobs, 27 000 of whom are licensed aviation professionals.

The ICAO forecasts a global demand for over two million qualified aviation personnel by 2030.

“Through the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) can exponentially enhance job creation and growth on the African continent.

“In recognition of the key role aviation can play in economic development, the Department of Transport targets to reach 42 million passengers and 1.2million tons of air-freight through the ACSA network of airports by 2029.

“This will be achieved by increasing the capacity and upgrading of existing airports and aviation facilities, creating new cargo terminals, streamlining airport services and the flow of passengers, and expanding the network of ACSA airports to ensure greater aviation capacity and connectivity throughout South Africa and the broader southern African region,” the Minister said.

Barriers to entry and partnerships

She encouraged the sector to invest in young people to ensure the sustainability of the aviation industry.
“As we all know, the barriers to accessing aviation training can be unaffordable to youth in developing countries such as our own. Funding for training future aviation professionals is key to the growth and sustainability of the aviation industry,” Creecy said.

The Minister acknowledged the impact that Fly Safair and Airlink have made by partnering with the Regulator (SACAA) to absorb trainees, and provide on-the-job training, experience and flying hours. 

“I cannot over emphasise the importance of partnerships between the private sector and government in developing talent and ensuring a thriving aviation industry.

“We must pay homage to the South African Air Force (SAAF) and the South African Police Service (SAPS) Air Wing who have continued to demonstrate the impact of aviation in public service.

“We also recognise the South African Airways (SAA) Cadet Pilot Programme, the Denel Technical Academy, Armscor, and SAAB have all played pivotal roles in nurturing critical aviation and engineering skills in our country,” she said.

SAAB is a company that was primarily aimed at providing military aircraft to Sweden but today provides products and services from military defence to civil security.

Creecy said the contribution of the Transport Education Training Authority, through ongoing funding support, cannot be overstated – without financial backing, potential often remains unrealised.

The Minister also mentioned the non-profit sector with organisations such as Sakhikamva Foundation, Aviation Development Africa, The Children’s Flight, and Girl Fly Programme in Africa.

“Workforce and skills development challenges are global, and collaboration is essential. That is why South Africa is also an active member of the Global Aviation and Aerospace Skills Taskforce (GAAST) — a growing international coalition bringing together States, regulators, and industry leaders to address global skills shortages and ensure workforce resilience.

“The taskforce, which works closely with ICAO’s Next Generation of Aviation Professionals programme, aims to build a repository of best practice, support diversity and inclusion, and ensure that talent development keeps pace with new technologies, safety requirements, and decarbonisation,” the Minister said. –SAnews.gov.za

Source: Government of South Africa

Home to 44 000 African savanna elephants and a population that continues to grow, South Africa’s conservation efforts have demonstrated success when compared to the decline of elephant numbers in some other countries. 

“Our elephants are a national treasure, a keystone species, an integral part of our heritage and plays a significant role in maintaining a balance where the creation of value exceeds consumption, crucial for sustaining and increasing South Africa’s social and natural capital, which are fundamental for inclusive socio-economic development,” Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Narend Singh said on Tuesday.

As South Africa joins the global community in celebrating World Elephant Day, the Deputy Minister noted that elephants in South Africa have also expanded their range over the past 40 years.

Most elephants in the country live in government-protected areas like Kruger National Park, Mapungubwe National Park, and Tembe Elephant Park. 

These parks are part of larger Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs), where elephants often move freely across national borders and are shared with neighbouring countries. 

“In addition to these large parks, there are 89 smaller, fenced reserves that also support elephant populations. About 6000 elephants are owned privately or by communities, and in recent years, more and more communities have started to manage elephants themselves,” Singh said.

While South Africa’s success in recovering elephant populations offers hope for the species, the Deputy Minister warned that it also brings a difficult trade-off in the context of the country’s developmental agenda and needs. 

“As elephant numbers and ranges expand, encounters between people and elephants have increased, particularly in rural communities living near protected areas.

“Human-elephant conflict can result in crop losses, damage to infrastructure, and in some cases, injury or loss of human life. For many affected families, these incidents can threaten food security and livelihoods. 

“Managing these interactions is essential to ensuring that conservation gains do not come at the expense of community well-being. It requires innovative solutions that promote co-existence, such as, improved land-use planning, early-warning systems, community-based monitoring, and benefit-sharing initiatives that recognise the costs of living alongside elephants,” Singh said.

While re-imagining conservation in the country, South Africa’s aspiration is to ensure that thriving elephants contribute to improving the well-being of people and ecosystems simultaneously.

The country’s conservation efforts are guided by the four goals of the White Paper policy on Conservation and Sustainable Use of South Africa’s Biodiversity, which are aimed at balancing conservation with sustainable use, transformation, access and benefit sharing.

The Deputy Minister was addressing the Elephant Indaba at Bonamanzi in KwaZulu-Natal, a province that is home to the second largest elephant population in the country.

The Elephant Indaba coincided with World Elephant Day that is being celebrated under the theme: “Matriarchs’ and Memories”.

World Elephant Day is a day dedicated to raising awareness of the urgent need to protect and manage the world’s elephants. –SAnews.gov.za

Source: Government of South Africa

Government has strongly condemned the torching of a Home Affairs office in Germiston on Tuesday morning, allegedly by protestors. 

According to reports, protesters in the Germiston CBD allegedly set fire to the Home Affairs building during clashes over evictions as residents allegedly demanded to occupy Pharoe Park flats without paying rent.  

Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) Acting Director-General, Terry Vandayar, said vandalism undermined the hard-won rights and freedoms of South Africans and unfairly burdened taxpayers with the cost of repairs. 

“Such acts of vandalism undermine the very rights and freedoms that South Africans have fought hard to secure and place an unnecessary burden on taxpayers who will ultimately bear the cost of repairs. 

“While the Constitution guarantees the right to protest, it must be exercised in a peaceful and lawful manner that respects the rights of others and safeguards public property. 

“Violence and destruction are not acceptable means of expressing grievances, and will not be tolerated,” the Acting Director-General said. 

Speaking to the media at the scene, William Ntladi, spokesperson for the City of Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Service, said they received calls about the fire just after 8am. 

He said the two-storey building had been severely damaged and there were no injuries reported. 

“The top section is the one that is well alight. The bottom one – we’re still battling to break in and see what’s happening. Resources are here, multiple fire stations, with multiple vehicles, and a number of firefighters are on site,” he said.

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that the department was gathering evidence and would open criminal charges against those responsible for setting the block of flats on fire. 

“Home Affairs is collating evidence and will open criminal charges against the anarchists who set a block of flats on fire in Germiston, which then spread to the neighbouring Home Affairs office. It is nothing less than an attack on our social infrastructure and cannot stand,” the Minister said. – SAnews.gov.za 

Source: Government of South Africa

By Nosihle Shelembe

Several far-reaching interventions have been announced to overhaul the Post-School Education and Training (PSET) sector to improve inefficiencies and ensure that the sector can meet the country’s needs and is fit for purpose in a changing world. 

The reforms, announced by the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Buti Manamela, are a response to a fragmented and uneven PSET sector that has locked young people out of opportunities, provided skills that do not meet the economy’s needs, has underperforming institutions and funding models that remain unstable.

“We will reimagine and reengineer our post-school education and training system for a changing world. South Africa deserves a system that delivers skills, knowledge, and opportunity for all,” the Minister said.

Manamela outlined his short-term and long-term vision for the sector during a media briefing in Pretoria on Tuesday.

“In the next three months, we will stabilise the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and set in motion a sustainable student funding model. We will establish the post-school education and training (PSET) Reengineering Task Team, bringing together expertise from across sectors to guide the redesign of our system. 

“We will strengthen the Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) oversight, finalise their realignment, and ensure every SETA delivers measurable value. We will begin engagements with the National Treasury on long-term funding solutions,” the Minister said.

Additionally, the Department of Higher Education and Training will launch three major strategic projects focusing on Skills to Work Transitions, targeting young people not in employment, education or training; Career Choices (currently known as Khetha), targeting school learners from an early age to guide them into learning and work pathways; and Adult Literacy, targeting the four million South Africans who are functionally illiterate.

Over the next 12 months, the department will pilot autonomous colleges and new Community Education and Training (CET) models to improve agility and responsiveness. 

“We will review the CET landscape to ensure it plays a meaningful role in community development. We will launch technical and vocational education and training (TVET) curriculum pilots aligned with emerging industries. 

“We will establish a national PSET database to improve planning and accountability. We will begin the roll-out of the NASCA [National Senior Certificate for Adults] as an alternative pathway for school leavers,” he said.

Moreover, the department will complete legislative reviews, addressing gaps and contradictions that undermine system coherence. 

“To secure the future of our system, we will set up a multi-sectoral task team to review and consolidate three decades of policy and legislative reforms. This task team will learn from the crises that forced transformation, the Fees Must Fall movement, to institutional mergers, and will chart a deliberate, planned transformation for the next generation. 

“The aim is simple – to build a single, coherent, and high-performing post-school education and training system that is fit for purpose in a changing world,” the Minister said.

The department plans to accelerate infrastructure upgrades and ensure campus safety across the system.

“Over the next four years, we will fully implement a sustainable student funding model. We will consolidate SETA and CET reform. We will drive digital learning across the system, ensuring every learner can benefit from technology-enabled education. 

“We will institutionalise career guidance and lifelong learning pathways from school to work to retirement. We will deepen research and innovation capacity, strengthen our partnerships with industry, and expand our presence on the continent and globally.

“And we will ensure that our system, as a whole, delivers a clear and measurable return on the public investment it receives,” the Minister said. 

The work of the department will be guided by six core objectives as follows:

• To integrate the system into a single, coordinated whole.
• Expand equitable access to all who can benefit.
• Ensure responsiveness to the needs of the economy, the labour market, and society.
• Raise the quality of provision and learning outcomes.
• Improve efficiency, governance, and accountability.
• Guarantee sustainability – in funding, in institutional stability, and in the confidence of citizens.

These objectives are anchored in five strategic pillars.

• Economic renewal and jobs – ensuring that graduates are employable and the institutions are aligned to growth sectors.
• A green just transition – making the skills system a driver of climate resilience and low-carbon innovation.
• Building public sector capacity, so that the state is equipped to serve the people effectively.
• Research and innovation – to strengthen the country’s intellectual sovereignty and generate solutions from Africa, for Africa, and the world.
• Social inclusion – to make sure no one is left behind – whether they live in a rural village, a township, an informal settlement, or a city. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: Government of South Africa

Over 16000 suspects have been arrested in Operation Shanela efforts over the last week, said the South African Police Service (SAPS).

This as a total 16, 571 suspects were arrested between 4 and 10 August 2025 across the country’s nine provinces.

During the arrests, police recovered stolen property and confiscated illicit goods and firearms.

The crime-fighting activities by the police included tracking operations, roadblocks, high visibility patrols, stop and searches, as well as the tracing of wanted suspects. 

“These efforts reflect SAPS’s intensified, intelligence-driven approach to restoring public safety and dismantling organised criminal networks,” said the SAPS in a statement.

During the operations, 2 065 wanted suspects were arrested for serious crimes, including murder, rape, hijacking, and drug trafficking while 138 suspects were arrested for murder. 

A further 134 people were arrested for attempted murder ,154 for rape, and 1 390 for assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH).

The number of those caught for driving under the influence of alcohol stood at 607, while 796 were arrested for drug dealing and 2 336 others were nabbed for the possession of drugs.

When coming to confiscations and recoveries, police recovered1 480 rounds of ammunition and 124 firearms confiscated while 52 stolen and hijacked vehicles were recovered during this period.

Other breakthroughs made by the SAPS include the arrest of a 32-year-old suspect after a vehicle entering the country from Eswatini via Paulpietersburg carrying 90 bags of dagga worth R4 million was intercepted.

The SAPS said it remains committed to protecting lives, dismantling criminal enterprises, and ensuring that the streets are rid of the scourge of criminality.– SAnews.gov.za