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A man who has embarked on a remarkable journey to walk the longest walkable route on Earth to promote peace across the world, arrived in Kimberley on Tuesday.

Alaya, originally from the Kingdom of Jordan, was received by members from the South African Police Service (SAPS) Office of the Provincial Commissioner, the Frances Baard District Commissioner’s Office and Kimberley SAPS on a wet and cool morning.

The Frances Baard District Commissioner, Major General Charlotte Makgari, commended Alaya for undertaking such an extraordinary journey in support of a noble cause that affects the global community. 

She conveyed her heartfelt admiration for his bravery, dedication and perseverance, and wished him well for the remainder of his journey.

Alaya addressed the men and women in blue, sharing the purpose of his project and inspiring those in attendance through his humility and passion for promoting peace.

He emphasised the importance of education and investing in the youth as a foundation for a peaceful future.

Alaya commenced his journey on 1 January 2026 from Cape Agulhas and reached Kimberley after completing approximately 1 000 kilometres on foot.

He will continue his 23 000km journey through 18 countries over a period of 730 days, with Magadan in Russia as his final destination.

The Management of the Kimberley Big Hole hosted Alaya and the SAPS delegation on a tour of the Open Mine, where the history of the town and the diamond industry was shared.

During his stay, Alaya will visit several schools in the greater Kimberley area to promote the peace initiative and motivate learners on the importance of education.

Upon departing the Northern Cape, he will proceed through to the North West Province.

Members of the public who encounter Alaya along his route are encouraged to join and accompany him in support of this peace initiative.

The Northern Cape Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Koliswa Otola, wished Alaya well on his journey and reaffirmed the SAPS’s support for initiatives that promote peace, unity and social cohesion.

She further acknowledged the continued participation and generosity displayed by law enforcement officials supporting this extraordinary and worthy cause. 

South Africa was chosen as the starting point because the route naturally begins at the continent’s southernmost tip, Cape Agulhas.

Alaya is the founder of Hike With Me, which initiated the march. Hike With Me is a non-profit NGO whose work includes everything from awareness campaigns and education programmes to record-breaking hikes, all guided by one mission: “Walk with purpose. Connect with heart. Leave a footprint that matters”. – SAnews.gov.za

 

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Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) Minister Parks Tau has emphasised the importance of investments that support industrialisation in South Africa. 

The Minister made these remarks during a high-level panel discussion on critical minerals, held alongside fellow Ministers and private-sector representatives at the Investment Forum at the Investing in Africa Mining Indaba in Cape Town on Tuesday. 

The session was held under the theme Building Critical Minerals Value Chains in South Africa.

“The focus is now on ensuring that investments from other countries are linked to industrialisation in South Africa. The objective is to review and negotiate trade partnerships to prevent minerals from being exported without delivering meaningful benefits to the country,” Tau said.

He further highlighted the importance of Special Economic Zones in advancing industrialisation, noting that efforts are focused on attracting targeted investors to utilise these zones as platforms for industrial development.

“The dtic is tasked with implementing measures to ensure genuine beneficiation. The emphasis is on moving beyond the extraction and export of minerals to adding value through local processing, close to the source, for broader societal benefit. 

“Measures to support value addition include repositioning trade agreements, particularly with developed countries, reviewing how South Africa partners with other nations, and providing dynamic fiscal and supply-chain support to local industries.”

While deliberating on the shift from traditional trade agreements to those that support industrialisation and investment in South Africa, the Minister cited the recent agreement with China as an example of this new approach, which includes a pipeline of investment projects. 

He noted that four priority areas have been identified, with industrialisation being one of them.

“The early harvest programme will be unveiled by 26 March, focusing on industries in which Chinese investors will industrialise in South Africa. 

“The programme is designed to ensure that Chinese investments contribute to local industrialisation, rather than merely exporting products to the Chinese market,” Tau added.

The importance of critical minerals in advancing e-mobility and digitisation was also highlighted.

He outlined the dtic’s policy strategy linked to the transition of the automotive sector, which emphasises South Africa’s broader objectives of decarbonisation, digitisation and diversification.

The session was hosted by the dtic in partnership with the Departments of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR), and Water and Sanitation (DWS). 

“Policy stability under the Critical Minerals Strategy and the G20 Framework remains critical to the economy. 

“South Africa has adopted a Critical Minerals Strategy and Implementation Plan that positions the country as a reliable supplier and value-adding hub for minerals essential to the global energy transition, digitalisation and advanced manufacturing. This is further reinforced by the adoption of the G20 Critical Minerals Framework at the G20 Leaders’ Summit,” the Minister said.

The forum was attended by the international mining and exploration companies, battery mineral processors and electric vehicle manufacturers, development finance institutions, sovereign wealth funds and investors, as well as local mining firms and junior miners, are expected to attend the forum. 

In addition, engineering, water management and logistics companies, provincial investment promotion agencies (IPAs), and diplomatic missions are also expected to form part of the discussions. – SAnews.gov.za

 

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The Gauteng Provincial Government has established an Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) Water Operations Centre to facilitate and coordinate responses aimed at stabilising water supply across the province. 

The Water IGR Operations Centre brings together national government departments, Rand Water, metropolitan and local municipalities, and key provincial entities. 

Its purpose is to strengthen coordination, enable real-time system monitoring, improve joint decision-making, and provide a single source of verified information on the state of the provincial water system.

“As a province, we believe that we can tackle the challenges facing our people through cooperation and collaboration, and not through finger pointing.

“We have enough water to supply our residents; what we are focusing on now is addressing the challenges that cause interruptions to supply. It is therefore incorrect to suggest that there will be a day zero in Gauteng,” Gauteng MEC for Infrastructure Development and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Jacob Mamabolo, said on Tuesday, in a statement.

The Operations Centre was activated on Monday at the Provincial Disaster Management Centre in Midrand, following a high-level IGR meeting convened by the MEC. 

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has tasked Mamabolo with ensuring a speedy resolution to the challenges and to prioritise the restoration of services and urgently work with and through the IGR platform to ensure that all the challenges are resolved.

“While early signs of recovery have been observed in parts of the system, supported by pressure management, reservoir throttling and strategic load-shifting, the province remains cognisant of the structural challenges facing Gauteng’s water network. 

“Storage levels remain under pressure, with high consumption, ageing infrastructure, non-revenue water and rapid population growth continuing to place strain on the system,” the provincial government said.

Through the Water IGR, immediate interventions are being fast-tracked, including leak detection and repair, reservoir refurbishment, operational support to municipalities, and the strengthening of early-warning and communication systems. 

Parallel work is underway to support municipalities in developing credible funding proposals to unlock medium- and long-term investment in critical water infrastructure.

The Gauteng Provincial Government affirmed that it remains firmly committed to working with all three spheres of government, together with the water sector and communities, to ensure the secure, reliable and sustainable provision of water to the people of the province. –SAnews.gov.za

 

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South Africa will not defeat gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) unless families speak openly with their children and report abuse without fear, Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has warned.

Kubayi said incidents of sexual violence should never be concealed or reduced to “private or ideological debates”.

“When something like this happens, we don’t sit on it and hide it, and it must not become a conversation among [a select few] . There cannot be a debate when there is rape… It is a crime,” Kubayi said.

She emphasised that parents have a legal and moral obligation to report cases of child sexual abuse, including teenage pregnancies involving minors.

“There is no 11-year-old who can give consent to sex. The age of consent is clear in the law. When a child becomes pregnant, it is statutory rape.

“As a parent, you must stand up. There are two places you must go to — either take the child to a doctor or go to a police station. As teachers and community members, you have the same responsibility,” the Minister said.

Kubayi was addressing residents during a Community Outreach Imbizo and Pre-State of the Nation Address (SONA) community activation at the Dulcie September Civic Hall in Athlone, Western Cape.

She said many cases of teenage pregnancy were concealed after families reached financial settlements with perpetrators.

“You may [spend] that R50 000 and it will be finished, but you have a child who is destroyed for life. Once you do that, the perpetrator moves from this child to another. That is how we end up with serial rapists in our communities,” she said.

Kubayi said adults who view children as sexual partners require serious intervention.

“Anyone who sees an 11-year-old or a 10-year-old as a woman is mentally sick and needs help. That is why such people must be reported to the police to arrest them. Social workers can deal with psychiatric issues while they are in prison,” the Minister said.

She stressed that perpetrators must be held accountable, regardless of their role in the household.

“We cannot keep such people in our society. Even if he is a breadwinner; if he has raped a child, it is not worth the price. We cannot talk about the future of South Africa while we are destroying our children,” Kubayi said.

The Minister warned that abuse was affecting both girls and boys.

“Today, we are seeing mothers raping boys, men molesting boys. We are breeding a sick society. We need you as civil society, activists in our communities, to help us fight this pandemic that we are seeing in our communities,” the Minister said.

She said government has amended legislation and will continue to arrest perpetrators and ensure convictions. Further legal reforms, the Minister said, are under consideration to allow the publication of convicted offenders’ names.

“We cannot continue protecting perpetrators at the expense of victims,” she said. – SAnews.gov.za

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Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has called on communities to support law enforcement and stop shielding criminals.

“When we come into communities, do not protect criminals, even if it is your child. Sometimes hard love is necessary. Do not come to the justice system and plead for their release,” she said.

Kubayi made the call during a Community Outreach Imbizo and Pre-State of the Nation Address (SONA) community activation at the Dulcie September Civic Hall in Athlone, Western Cape, on Tuesday.

Kubayi was joined by Police Deputy Ministers, Dr Shela Boshielo and Cassel Mathale; Justice and Constitutional Development Deputy Minister Andries Nel; Social Development Deputy Minister Ebrahim Hendricks; police provincial commissioners and National Police Commissioner, General Fanie Masemola, among others.

The members of the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) cluster joined the community to listen to their challenges, provide government services and inform them about government’s interventions to fight crime in the Western Cape and across the country.

Addressing the community, Kubayi urged parents not to buy toy guns for children or expose them to gang culture.

“As children grow, they must know that a gun is a no-no. Do not normalise it, because they will grow up thinking it is acceptable,” she said.

The Minister also noted that R1 billion has been allocated from the Criminal Assets Recovery Account (CARA) to combat organised crime, particularly gangsterism, extortion, and illegal mining in South Africa.

“We are here to say we cannot have people taking over our communities and lawlessness. We understand police constraints in fighting organised crime. We want them to buy helicopters, equipment, and bring technology to fight crime.

“Those [police] who work with criminals must stop or hand over their badge, or uniform, or certificate and resign. We do not want to tell you that you must be safe; we want you to tell us that we are now comfortable to walk freely on the streets. Following our visit, we expect action,” the Minister said.

She further committed the cluster to addressing illegal alcohol outlets.

“We agreed that peace officers will help identify illegal outlets and shut them down. Alcohol contributes to many social problems. I have seen the worst effects of alcohol in our communities,” she said.

She urged residents to work with government to combat crime in the Western Cape, including drug abuse, gangsterism and illegal firearms.

“We are fixing things. We are removing bad elements from the streets, and we will ensure that change is felt,” she said.

Expanding Thuthuzela care centres

Kubayi also announced that plans are underway to expand Thuthuzela Care Centres across the country and increase the number of sexual offences courts to strengthen support for Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) survivors and improve prosecution outcomes.

“The centres will provide integrated services, including prosecutors, doctors and social workers, to assist the victims.”

SASSA grant verification

Meanwhile, Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe urged South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) beneficiaries to visit the agency’s offices for grant verification as part of efforts to ensure that social grant payments reach only qualifying recipients.

The Minister said beneficiaries who experience problems with their payments should seek assistance directly from nearby SASSA offices.

“If you did not receive your payment, or if you are uncertain about your payment status, do not ask your friend or neighbour to explain the reasons. Go to your nearest SASSA office,” Sisisi said.

She emphasised that the verification process is necessary to protect the integrity of the social assistance system and to prevent payments from being made to ineligible recipients. –  SAnews.gov.za
 

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Deputy President Paul Mashatile has assured young people that the concerns raised during the Presidential Youth Roundtable Engagement would be reflected in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address on Thursday.

The Deputy President was delivering remarks on behalf of President Cyril Ramaphosa at the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) Presidential Youth Engagement in Khayelitsha on Tuesday, where young people from across the country raised urgent issues affecting them. 

“The President is unable to attend this year due to pressing issues as he is preparing for the State of the Nation Address. I however want to assure that immediately after this session I will be joining him to look at the final touch up on his speech and ensure that the issues that will be emerging from this gathering form part of his address to the nation,” Mashatile said.

The Deputy President emphasised that young people remain central to South Africa’s present and future, describing them as “our nation’s beating pulse.”

“You are not passive observers of the national mood – you set its tone and pace, you surface new ideas, and you turn what matters to you into conversations, debates and movements.” 

He said gatherings such as the Presidential Youth Engagement provide government with an honest reflection of the country’s realities, particularly those experienced by young people.

“It is from you, the youth, that we come to appreciate what this country sounds like, what its many currents are, and the lived experiences of our people are,” he said.

The Deputy President noted that the engagement takes place in a year of historical significance, as South Africa marks 50 years since the 1976 Soweto uprising, drawing parallels between past and present generations of young people.

“In 1976 the youth took to the streets, demanding that their voices be heard and refusing to accept a future that would exclude and marginalise them. As today’s generation of young people, you are infused with the same moral clarity and sense of purpose,” Mashatile said.

He added that the responsibility of ensuring democracy delivers meaningful outcomes now rests with the current generation.

“A future in which democracy truly delivers for all is the struggle of your time and your generational mission. In striving to fulfil your goals, you are the worthy inheritors of the mantle of the 1976 generation,” he said.

Mashatile also acknowledged the role of the NYDA in advancing youth development over the past 17 years, highlighting its work in connecting young people to skills training, entrepreneurship support and employment opportunities.

“For the past 17 years the NYDA has been at the forefront of our efforts as government to connect young people to livelihoods, skills training and economic opportunities,” he said.

He said insights from the engagement would once again inform government’s priorities, as has been the case in previous years.

“As has been the case in the past, the valuable insights gleaned from this engagement have enriched the State of the Nation address and given us valuable food for thought,” Mashatile said.

He concluded by reaffirming government’s commitment to listening and working with young people.

“I am here with Ministers, Deputy Ministers, the Mayor of Cape Town, Councillors, officials from all spheres of government not only to share with you what we as government are doing but to plan with you the future of our country,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za 
 

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The gap between policy intent and lived reality took centre stage at a Presidential Youth Roundtable Engagement in Khayelitsha on Tuesday, where young South Africans confronted government with the daily impact of unemployment, crime, limited access to opportunities and barriers to business growth.

The engagement, hosted by the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), brought Deputy President Paul Mashatile – on behalf of President Cyril Ramaphosa – together with young entrepreneurs and beneficiaries ahead of the 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA), creating a platform where personal experience shaped the national conversation.

NYDA Executive Chairperson Dr Sunshine Minenhle Myende said the roundtable was designed to move youth development from discussion to direct engagement.

“Over time, as young people, we have been kept on the sidelines of important discussions in the country,” Myende said, adding that the engagement was necessary so that whatever government is doing, the youth is at the centre of it. 

She said youth unemployment, skills development and economic inclusion required urgent, intentional action.

“That is why we’re calling for a firm approach to be taken on issues of skills revolution and issues of economic freedom as a generation,” Myende said.

Young people used the platform to describe the human cost of unemployment and the value of targeted State interventions.

NYDA beneficiary Ayasanga Ben said access to youth programmes had changed her life after a prolonged period of despair.

“I started the programme in 2023 after a devastating year of not finding any placement, being depressed at home, doing nothing,” she said.

Through the SAYouth Mobi platform, Ben found an opportunity that enabled her to serve her community.

“I am able to stand and serve my community and be part of a social change due to this program,” she said, urging government to expand such initiatives.

“The unemployment rate of young people is really extreme, and that’s what leads to the things that are happening in our communities,” Ben said.

Entrepreneur Nontsha Viwe Putuma of SV Bakery shared the challenges of building a township-based business, while creating jobs for others.

“The reason for starting this business, even though I was unemployed, was more about youth empowerment,” Putuma said.

She said NYDA support had enabled her business to grow from producing dozens of loaves a day to hundreds, employing six young people from her community.

“Even though I’m running this business and I have six employees, I’m still facing challenges,” she said.

Putuma highlighted electricity shortages, delivery constraints and safety concerns, including extortion, as threats to small business sustainability.

“Recently, I was visited by guys, and then they demanded a protection fee,” she said, adding that fear had become part of her daily reality.

Responding to the issues raised, Deputy President Mashatile acknowledged that youth unemployment remains government’s most pressing concern and outlined coordinated interventions across the state.

“We know that unemployment is quite high in the country, but even high amongst young people, and that’s really our biggest concern,” Mashatile said.

He said programmes such as the Presidential Youth Intervention, the Youth Stimulus and the National Youth Service were designed to provide skills, funding and pathways into employment.

“These programmes are funded, will be funded, and they are going to continue,” Mashatile said, adding that government aims to significantly increase the number of young people reached over the next three years.

Mashatile also acknowledged challenges around access, particularly for young people in rural and township communities.

“Access is going to be a big challenge that we must resolve quicker,” he said.

Myende reinforced calls for zero-rated digital access to youth opportunities, saying unemployed young people should not be excluded by the cost of data.

“All opportunities relating to young people, funding jobs, bursaries, when young people are accessing those opportunities, it must be zero rated,” she said.

Issues raised from the floor included extortion affecting township businesses, high crime rates in Khayelitsha, limited access to skills development, restricted library hours and calls for the NYDA mandate to be expanded to reach more young people.

Mashatile said government would look into the concerns raised and work towards resolving them.

The roundtable formed part of a series of consultations ahead of the 2026 State of the Nation Address, with young people calling for their realities, dignity and aspirations to be reflected not only in policy pronouncements, but in delivery on the ground. – SAnews.gov.za

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