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North West Premier Lazarus Mokgosi has declared 2026 the “year of decisive action to fix local government and transform the economy”, pledging firm interventions to restore municipal functionality, accelerate infrastructure delivery and drive inclusive growth.

Delivering the State of the Province Address (SOPA) in Mahikeng on Thursday, Mokgosi said the province remains committed to tackling unemployment, poverty and inequality while consolidating democratic gains 30 years after the adoption of the Constitution.

The Premier invoked the legacy of Sol Plaatje and the sacrifices of past generations, urging renewed focus on ethical leadership, accountable governance, and delivery of tangible benefits to communities.

Turning around local government

Mokgosi placed local government reform at the centre of the provincial agenda, stressing that functional municipalities are essential for service delivery and economic growth.

He noted improvements in audit outcomes, with nine out of eleven provincial departments receiving unqualified or clean audits in the last audit cycle. A number of municipalities, including Moses Kotane, Taung and JB Marks, have improved from qualified to unqualified audit opinions.

“We will be dedicating our ongoing efforts in assisting the Bojanala Platinum and Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipalities as well as the Moretele Local Municipality to move from unqualified to clean audit outcomes,” the Premier said.

He noted the decrease in disclaimer audit outcomes from nine municipalities in 2020/21 to only one in 2024/25, which is Ditsobotla.

To strengthen oversight, the Premier announced the introduction of a province-wide SmartGov Monitoring and Evaluation Dashboard from the beginning of 2026/27 financial year.

“All our departments will be integrated into a single executive oversight platform, that allows real time tracking of performance, expenditure, and service delivery outcomes.”

Mokgosi announced that targeted interventions under Sections 154 of the Constitution will be implemented in identified struggling municipalities, including Ditsobotla and Matlosana, to strengthen their capacity in areas, including waste management and road maintenance.

“The Departments of Public Works and Roads as well Economic Development, Environment, Conservation, and Tourism will be seized with the responsibility to assist with the aforementioned. 

“Ditsobotla and Matlosana Local Municipalities will be our starting point where our cooperation will include working with SANRAL [South African National Roads Agency] and farmer’s organisations.

“Section 106 investigations into alleged acts of maladministration at City of Matlosana, Madibeng and Tswaing have been completed with remedial action plans being implemented. In relation to Matlosana we are using other various legislative measures to stabilize the municipality. This is aimed at strengthening administrative stability and financial accounting,” Mokgosi said.

Eskom will also assist municipalities grappling with load reduction with energy efficiency and demand management grant. – SAnews.gov.za
 

Cabinet has confidence the rebuilding of local vaccine manufacturing capacity within the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) and Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) will help South Africa reclaim its Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD)-free status from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).

The Agricultural Research Council’s Onderstepoort Veterinary Research facility has resumed production of Foot and Mouth Disease vaccines for the first time in more than 20 years.

The first batch of locally produced vaccines was officially handed over on Friday, 6 February 2026. The vaccine is registered as a stock remedy under Act 36 of 1947 and meets all required standards for quality, safety, and efficacy standards.

Between 2010 and 2018, the ARC undertook extensive research within its existing facilities aimed at strengthening regional vaccine capacity.

The programme sought to identify new candidate vaccine strains appropriate for use within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, adapt the strains for large-scale in vitro cultivation in bioreactors to improve yields, and assess their ability to elicit protective immunity both immunologically and clinically.

Researchers also evaluated vaccine potency and the duration of immunity to inform appropriate field vaccination schedules.

Briefing media in Pretoria on Thursday, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said the resumption of local vaccine production marked a critical milestone in efforts to curb the current FMD outbreak affecting more than 14 million livestock in the country.

The outbreak has caused significant losses within the farming sector and threatens the country’s agricultural export standing.

“Cabinet extends its appreciation to the farming community, who have worked tirelessly to complement efforts of the Department of Agriculture to curb the current outbreak of the FMD,” Ntshavheni said.

Black households now 41% of high-income earners

Meanwhile, Cabinet welcomed findings from a University of Cape Town Liberty Institute of Strategic Marketing study, based on Statistics South Africa data, indicating a notable shift in the country’s income distribution patterns.

The study found that the proportion of black households earning more than R75 000 per month increased to 41% in 2024, up from 29% in 2012.

The number of Black South Africans in middle- and upper-income brackets, earning more than R22 000 per month, has quadrupled to more than seven million in 2024. Overall, the total number of people in these income categories rose from approximately four million to more than 11 million between 2012 and 2024.

Ntshavheni said the increase in black remuneration reflected gradual progress in the racial profile of South Africa’s higher income brackets.

“This is a direct dividend of 31 years of democratic transformation through programmes, such as employment equity and Black Economic Empowerment.

“This progress is made in a country that was shaped by institutionalised inequality, where the black majority were systematically discriminated against during colonial and apartheid rule, and earnings were once based on one’s race, through government’s transformation programmes, amongst others,” the Minister said.

However, Cabinet acknowledged that progress remains uneven and not yet proportional to the demographic representation of South Africa’s population.

“Black South Africans still predominate the ranks of the poor and working poor, and millions still live in poverty,” Ntshavheni said. – SAnews.gov.za

With the South African Police Service (SAPS) having released Quarter 3 2025/26 crime statistics last week, Cabinet says the national picture painted by these statistics indicates progress, while more work still needs to be done. 

“[With regards to] murder, the downward trend that began in Q1 of 2023/24 has been sustained, with a recorded 8.7% decrease, representing 602 fewer lives lost compared to the same period last year. Over two years, murder for this quarter period has dropped by 17.6%, translating to 1 359 fewer murders,” said Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni at Thursday’s post-Cabinet briefing in Pretoria. 

The Minister said double-digit reductions in murder were recorded in five provinces, including KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Free State and the North West. 

“Smaller decreases [were recorded] in the Western and Eastern Cape, while slight increases were recorded in Limpopo and the Northern Cape. Of the 30 highest-murder precincts nationally, only 15 recorded decreases. 

“This confirms that while national trends improve, targeted community-level intervention remains essential,” she said.

The Minister said Cabinet was very concerned over the notable increase in the murder of police officials in this quarter. 

“Twenty-three officers lost their lives, with approximately 80% killed while off duty,” she said. 

The National Commissioner of the South African Police Service has been tasked to make a full assessment to prevent these deaths. 

With regard to crime, Ntshavheni said total contact crime – encompassing all categories of violent crime – decreased by 6.7%, representing 12 682 fewer cases reported to SAPS compared to the same quarter last year. 

“Over two years, total violent crime for this quarter is down 8.3%, or 15 763, fewer cases. This trend is attributable, in part, to enhanced policing operations,” Ntshavheni said. 

With regard to the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) report on Home Affairs, Ntshavheni said Cabinet commended the SIU for its work that will assist the department close outstanding gaps and ensure all perpetrators are brought to justice.

When President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Proclamation authorising the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) to investigate allegations of corruption and fraud in the VISA application processes on 16 February 2024, the aim was to safeguard the integrity of South Africa’s official documents and the immigration system. 

READ | Government welcomes SIU breakthrough in addressing corruption

“Cabinet also commended the Department of Home Affairs for the progress made in strengthening the country’s immigration system since the initial allegations of fraud and corruption where discovered,” Ntshavheni said. – SAnews.gov.za

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has directed Director-General Sifiso Mdakane to implement precautionary suspension and disciplinary proceedings against a senior Construction Project Management (CPM) Director. 

The director appeared in court on Tuesday on charges of fraud in relation to a multimillion-rand project linked to the Mpumalanga Department of Education. 

The Minister acted after learning that the official had been arrested, alongside others, for allegedly defrauding the Mpumalanga Department of Education of R113 million through a tender established between 2018 and 2019 as an emergency intervention to repair 21 schools in the province.

While the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) was not involved in the tender issued by the Mpumalanga Department of Education, the Minister stressed that all officials within the department must be beyond reproach. 

Macpherson said the precautionary suspension and disciplinary action must be in line with the prescripts of the Public Service Act and regulatory framework, and be both procedurally and substantively fair. 

“… We have adopted a zero-tolerance approach to corruption and ethical misconduct within this department. That position is non-negotiable. 

“Upon becoming aware of the official’s arrest and court appearance, I directed the Director-General to implement the precautionary suspension of the official and to initiate the appropriate disciplinary action. 

“Any official implicated in serious criminal allegations, particularly those involving public funds meant for critical infrastructure such as schools, ought not remain in their role, while these processes are underway,” the Minister said, adding that the department will fully cooperate with law enforcement authorities, while internal disciplinary processes will proceed in parallel with the criminal matter.

“There will be no protection for wrongdoing. We owe it to the people of South Africa to act decisively against corruption wherever it arises. 

“Every rand lost to fraud is a rand taken away from classrooms, communities and service delivery. We are committed to strengthening governance, tightening oversight, and ensuring that public infrastructure budgets are used strictly for their intended purpose. 

“Accountability is not optional – it is fundamental to restoring trust and ensuring that infrastructure delivery serves the public, not private interests,” the Minister said. – SAnews.gov.za

Cabinet has joined President Cyril Ramaphosa in expressing gratitude to Russian President Vladimir Putin for facilitating the return of 17 South African men, who were recruited to fight on the Russian frontlines in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The South African government, working closely with Russian authorities, secured the safe return of the men, aged between 20 and 39, after distress calls were received from them seeking assistance to come home.

Briefing the media in Pretoria on Thursday following Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni confirmed that all 17 men have been released from the contracts they had signed with military contractors.

“Fifteen of the men are back in South Africa, while two remain in Russia, with one in a hospital and the other one is being processed before finalising his travel arrangements,” Ntshavheni said.

President Putin pledged his support during a telephone call with President Ramaphosa on 10 February 2026.

The Presidency said the South African Embassy in Moscow will continue monitoring the individual who remains in hospital until he has fully recovered and is fit to travel.

Ntshavheni said investigations into the circumstances surrounding the recruitment of the young men into mercenary activities and violations of South African law are ongoing.

Government commends support in Ekapa Mine rescue efforts

Cabinet has also commended mining companies and the Minerals Council South Africa for their assistance during rescue operations following a mud rush accident at the Ekapa Minerals Mine on 17 February 2026.

The incident resulted in five employees being trapped underground.

Ntshavheni reported that all operations at the mine have been suspended, while an intensive rescue operation continues.

“Once the rescue operation is completed, the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources will conduct a formal investigation, in line with the Mine Health and Safety Act to determine the cause of the incident,” the Minister said.

Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe, together with Northern Cape Premier Zamani Saul and Sol Plaatje Executive Mayor Martha Bartlett, visited the mine in Kimberley following the accident.

Ntshavheni said a team from the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, led by the Chief Inspector of Mines, remains on site to monitor and support the rescue efforts.

“The affected families are receiving ongoing communication. Government’s thoughts and prayers are with the families of the affected employees as rescue efforts continue,” Ntshavheni said. – SAnews.gov.za