Category: South Africa Government

Source: Government of South Africa

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) says it’s all systems go for the Local Government Elections 2026/7.

Briefing the media in Pretoria earlier today, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Masego Shiburi, said the Commission is encouraged by the number of South Africans who have acted on the call to register and update their details through various convenient platforms ahead of the upcoming local government general elections in 2026/2027.

The Minister of Home Affairs is yet to announce the date for the elections.

“From January to September 2025, over 305 206 new voters registered, while 60 752 voters updated their registration details,” Shiburi said.

Shiburi said the highest number of new registrations occurred in September with 71 324, followed by August with 51 714 and February with 39 967.

“Of this total of registered voters, 76.8% of voters were captured via the Voter Management Devices (VMD), 12% used the online registration portal and ten percent visited their local IEC office,” Shiburi said.

Shiburi said despite the registration activity, a lot more citizens must still register and that the Commission encourages all eligible voters to use the convenience of the self-registration platform to register to vote or update their voter details.

“Voters are urged to register where they live and vote at the voting station where they are registered. 

“A registered voter who has moved since they last registered should check their voting district and voting station status and, if necessary, update their address details to ensure that they are registered in a ward linked to their new place of residence,” he said.

With regard to the Annual Report, Shiburi said on 14 October, the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs received the Electoral Commission’s 2024/25 Annual Report, reflecting strong performance and commitment to excellence.

“The Electoral Commission continues to demonstrate strong performance across all operational areas, including electoral operations, political funding, civic and democracy education, and governance.

“Building on five consecutive clean audits, the Commission is proud to have achieved 92% of its key performance targets during the 2024/25 financial year,” he said.

With regard to political funding, Shiburi said the Electoral Commission reported a 90% compliance rate among represented political parties with 18 of 20 submitting audited financial statements for 2024/25. 

“Build One SA and the National Coloured Congress (CCC) have been issued formal directions for non-submission on the due date of 30 September 2025.

Among 438 unrepresented parties, only 28% complied with the requirement to submit financial records accompanied by an affidavit. Therefore 304 unrepresented have also been served with directions,” Shiburi said.

Shiburi said the Commission continues to emphasise that all parties are legally and ethically obliged to maintain proper financial records and will continue to promote compliance, capacity-building, and accountability under the Political Funding Act.

The 30th of September 2025 marked the conclusion of the national consultation process on the feasibility and future of electronic voting (e-voting).

“The consultations allowed South Africans to share their views and perspectives on the potential introduction of digital voting in the country,” Shiburi said. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: Government of South Africa

Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, has called on society to build a truly inclusive South Africa where people with disabilities participate fully and equally in all spheres of life.

Speaking at the launch of Disability Rights Awareness Month (DRAM) 2025 at the Supported Employment Enterprise (SEE) Factory in Kimberley, Northern Cape, Chikunga said this year’s theme: “Celebrating 30 Years of Democracy: Creating Strategic Multisectoral Partnerships for a Disability-Inclusive Society”, is a call to action for government, business, academia and civil society to work collaboratively to remove barriers that continue to marginalise people with disabilities.

“The SEE Factory stands as living proof that inclusion is possible — where persons with disabilities are not spectators in the economy, but skilled workers, producers, and innovators. Your factory represents what is possible when the state, the private sector, academia and civil society work together to transform ability into opportunity, and opportunity into dignity,” Chikunga said.

The Minister reaffirmed government’s commitment to advancing universal access, inclusive education, decent employment, community-based services, and accessible technologies in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and the G7 Solfagnano Charter.

Confronting exclusion in education and economy

Chikunga expressed deep concern about the ongoing exclusion of people with disabilities from education and the economy, noting that unemployment among people with disabilities exceeds 80% in some regions.

“When unemployment among persons with disabilities exceeds 80 percent in some regions, we are not seeing the natural workings of our economy — we are seeing deliberate structural abandonment,” Chikunga said.

She highlighted that too many schools still operate in buildings never designed for accessibility, when a child cannot enter a classroom with dignity.

“Resources — especially assistive devices — remain scarce, and many teachers have not been adequately prepared for inclusive classrooms. Technology promises personalisation, yet without equitable access to devices, connectivity and the skills to use them, innovation risks widening rather than closing the gap.

“Participation by children with disabilities still lags behind that of their peers, with only modest improvement in recent years. Educational inclusion is not about “fixing” the learner to fit the system, it is about fixing the system to embrace every learner,” the Minister said.

The Minister also raised concerns about the increased vulnerability of women with disabilities to gender-based violence (GBV), warning that as femicide rates climb, women with disabilities face compounded risk.

She said the department has approached the Minister of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) to issue a Ministerial directive compel all departments to employ people with disabilities, until the 4% public service employment target is achieved.

According to the latest Employment Equity data, people with disabilities make up about 1.2 percent of reported employees in the public service and 1.3% in the private sector, which is far below the 3 percent national benchmark and the 7 percent goal set for the public service.

Cabinet has also called for every department to recruit and plan deliberately towards this target and directed that every board of a public entity must include at least one person with a disability.

She further announced that SEE factories will now be able to supply goods such as furniture, uniforms and linen directly to government departments and entities without undergoing lengthy tender procurement processes, a move designed to preserve jobs for people with disabilities and reduce costs to the State.

“The SEE model makes economic sense: it promotes inclusion, supports local manufacturing, and ensures that public procurement restores both income and dignity.”

Building partnerships that deliver

Chikunga emphasised that the real test of government is whether inclusion moves from paper to practice, whether every school, business and public entity becomes part of the machinery that advances the rights of persons with disabilities.

“A society that is inclusive is a society where persons with disabilities move freely through our cities on public transport designed with them from the start; where buildings welcome everyone through their doors; and where every digital platform — from government services to banking apps — works seamlessly for all South Africans regardless of ability,” the Minister said. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: Government of South Africa

Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Source: Government of South Africa

In preparation for the summer initiation season, the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS), has equipped cultural practitioners with the necessary skills and resources to ensure a safe and dignified rite of passage.

The 2025 summer initiation season commenced on Saturday, 1 November 2025, and will run until 31 January 2026, marking the beginning of a significant cultural period for initiates, their families, and communities.

According to the provincial department, a total of 680 cultural practitioners, including traditional surgeons, traditional caregivers, and administrators, have participated in capacity-building training. 

The training focused on key areas, including fire and environmental management, health and hygiene, specialised training for traditional surgeons, and organisational development.

In collaboration with the Initiation Forums, DCAS has also announced the revised Initiation Minimum Standards to reinforce safety and accountability. 

“These standards now require Initiation Forums to be registered under relevant legislation as responsible community organisations, ensuring both the safety of initiates and compliance by cultural practitioners.” 

Meanwhile, the DCAS is also actively distributing personal protective equipment (PPE), fire equipment, and water tanks to initiation schools across the province.

From this summer season, the department said a digital initiation management system approved by the Western Cape Provincial Initiation Coordinating Committee (WCPICC) will be utilised. 

This system is designed to improve the efficiency of initiation applications and represents a significant step forward in enhancing the protection and well-being of initiates.

“The Western Cape Government is committed to supporting initiatives in our province to ensure that all initiates can safely undergo this important and sacred practice. We wish all initiates well for the upcoming season, and we will continue working closely with all stakeholders to protect the welfare and dignity of all initiates,” said the Western Cape MEC for Cultural Affairs and Sport, Ricardo Mackenzie.

The Head of Department, Guy Redman, stated that ensuring a safe and meaningful rite of passage depends on strong collaboration among all stakeholders involved. 

This includes the initiates, their families, cultural practitioners, healthcare professionals, Initiation Forums, traditional leaders, municipalities, and the Provincial Initiation Coordinating Committee.
“Each of them plays a crucial role, and by working together, we can uphold this tradition with the utmost care and respect for all,” Redman added. 

The Chairperson of the WCPICC, Nkosi Ntsika Minenkulu Joyi, said that they are working hard as a collective with all stakeholders to ensure compliance with the Customary Initiation Act (Act 2 of 2021) across the province.

“We wish all initiates well as they undertake this important journey, and we will continue providing support to ensure that initiations are practised safely in the Western Cape,” Joyi said. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: Government of South Africa

Government has reiterated its commitment to the Independent Transmission Projects (ITP) Programme, aimed at unlocking large-scale investment in transmission infrastructure critical for the expansion of the electricity grid.

This according to a joint statement by the Department of Electricity and Energy and National Treasury.

“The ITP Programme remains on track to unlock large-scale investment in transmission infrastructure and is being implemented in a manner that upholds bankability, transparency, and credibility, which are key conditions for long-term investor confidence.

“The [departments] remain united in their commitment to deliver a credible, transparent, and globally benchmarked procurement process. By aligning the ITP and CGV timelines, government is acting decisively to ensure that this first-of-its-kind programme is technically sound, commercially bankable, and institutionally aligned.

“The ITP Programme continues to serve as a cornerstone of South Africa’s energy reform agenda and as a catalyst for investment, localisation, and economic renewal,” the statement read.

The two departments said there would be a refining of timelines to “strengthen alignment and market confidence”.

“As part of ongoing coordination between government and development partners, it has become necessary to better align the timelines of the ITP Phase I procurement with the establishment of the Credit Guarantee Vehicle [CGV], a key credit enhancement instrument being developed by National Treasury with the support of the World Bank Group.

“The sequencing of these two processes is critical to ensure that bidders and lenders have full clarity on the guarantee framework that will underpin the financial close of the ITP transactions,” the statement said.

Pre-qualified bidders (PQBs) are expected to be announced no later than 15 December 2025, which will be followed by the release of a draft Request for Proposal (RFP).

“This will allow PQBs to provide feedback on commercial and bankability components prior to the release of the final RFP. The final RFP will be released by no later than quarter 3 of the 2026 calendar year,” the departments said.

The consultations with the market are aimed at ensuring that the final RFP will be:

• Be a fit-for-purpose RFP that reflects market realities, lender expectations, and international best practice.
• Enable early identification of technical and commercial barriers, thereby minimising post-release clarifications.
• Instill enhanced investor confidence, signalling government’s commitment to transparency, predictability, and collaboration.
• Provide a strong foundation for competitive, high-quality bids that support timely financial close.
• Reduce downstream clarifications once the RFP is formally released.
• Reinforce South Africa’s reputation for transparent, credible, and world-class energy procurement.

“Although this refinement adds time to the initial RFP schedule, it ensures that the ITP Programme proceeds on a sound, coordinated, and fully bankable footing, protecting the integrity of both the RFP process and the CGV’s credit framework,” the statement said.

At the same time, the two departments have made “significant progress on the CGV’s technical, legal, and financial design”.

“The CGV will be established as a private, nonlife insurer, independent from government and regulated by the Prudential Authority. The CGV is expected to provide credit guarantees for qualifying infrastructure projects, commencing with Phase I of the ITP Programme.

“The current focus is on finalising capital commitments and progressing licensing requirements, with CGV operationalisation anticipated in second half of 2026, which is critical to implement Phase I of the ITP Programme.

“This facility is a groundbreaking innovation in South Africa’s infrastructure finance architecture, designed to mobilise private capital and reduce reliance on sovereign guarantees,” the statement said. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: Government of South Africa

Police have arrested a man for allegedly trespassing at the NASREC venue in the south of Johannesburg, where South Africa’s Group of Twenty (G20) conference will be hosted from 22-23 November, 2025.

The man who works as an operations director at Gauntlet Security Solutions was arrested on Monday. 

“His stunt at NASREC was an attempt at proving his falsehood that South Africa’s security apparatus were not ready to secure the forthcoming G20 Leaders’ Summit,” Deputy Government Spokesperson William Baloyi said on Tuesday.

According to Baloyi, the man’s arrest demonstrates that the law enforcement agencies are more than ready to ensure the safety of all delegates at the upcoming summit. 

Since taking over the G20 Presidency, South Africa has already hosted more than 130 G20 preparatory meetings, some at Ministerial level and Governors of Central Banks, without any incident.

South Africa assumed the Presidency for G20 from 1 December 2024, and it runs through to November 2025, under the theme: “Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability.”

G20 members include the world’s major economies, representing 85% of global GDP, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population.

The G20 comprises 19 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, and the United States), the European Union, and since 2023, the African Union. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: Government of South Africa

Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Source: Government of South Africa

Tuesday, November 4, 2025