Deputy Water and Sanitation Minister Sello Seitlholo has called for immediate intervention to address sanitation hazards and a stalled water project in Setlagole Village. During a community visit with local officials, including Ngaka Modiri District Municipality Executive Mayor Khumalo Molefe, he emphasized the urgent need to manage overflowing pit latrines and to complete the long-delayed Setlagole Bulk Water Supply Scheme.
The deputy minister directed local municipalities to conduct a full audit of sanitation facilities and implement a faecal sludge management system. He also instructed Magalies Water to expedite the bulk water project, which was designed to provide 2.4 megalitres of treated water daily to the area. The community has...
The World Bank has approved a $925 million loan for South Africa to improve essential urban services in its eight largest metropolitan municipalities. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana stated that the funds, part of a larger $3 billion initiative, would support enhancements to water, electricity, and waste management systems. The program employs a results-based financing model where disbursements are contingent upon municipalities demonstrating verified improvements in service delivery.
This initiative targets the metropolitan areas of Buffalo City, Cape Town, Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg, Tshwane, eThekwini, Mangaung, and Nelson Mandela Bay. These regions are home to approximately 22 million people and account for the majority of the...
Authorities have confirmed that water from a new treatment plant is now safe for consumption in several Hammanskraal communities. A joint initiative between the City of Tshwane, the Department of Water and Sanitation, and Magalies Water has certified the supply for neighborhoods including Kudube Units 1, 2, 3, 6, 10, and D, as well as Majaneng Moshate. This milestone, part of the multi-phase Hammanskraal Intervention Project, follows extensive testing that confirmed the water meets national quality standards.
The project, which aims to resolve a long-standing water crisis linked to a deadly 2023 cholera outbreak, has faced significant hurdles. Officials reported that aging infrastructure and water demand nearly doubled the original...
A parliamentary committee is reconvening to review its interim findings on serious allegations of corruption and political interference within South Africa's justice system. The ad hoc committee, chaired by Soviet Lekganyane, is investigating claims originally presented by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
The committee will examine its progress report and deliberate on its future program during a virtual meeting scheduled for 11:00 AM. This inquiry has heard testimonies from several high-profile witnesses regarding a syndicate's alleged infiltration of law enforcement and the controversial disbandment of a specialized task team investigating political killings. The proceedings are being closely watched by the...
An independent commentator, Amanda Tyelbooi, has publicly defended Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi against recent criticism from the Democratic Alliance. In an opinion piece, she characterized the opposition's attacks as hypocritical and suggested they were motivated by the Premier's tangible delivery record on issues such as township school upgrades and crime prevention initiatives. Tyelbooi argued that this track record of action threatens political entities that benefit from sustained inequality.
Her defense follows the Democratic Alliance's recent attempt to table a motion of no confidence in the Premier, focusing particularly on the implementation and subsequent disbandment of the AmaPanyaza crime warden program. Tyelbooi's...
Eskom has announced that Koeberg Nuclear Power Station’s Unit 2 has achieved forty years of commercial operation. The utility marked the anniversary by highlighting the unit’s role in providing reliable, low-carbon baseload electricity to the national grid. This milestone follows a recent regulatory approval from the National Nuclear Regulator, granting the unit a twenty-year operating licence extension that permits it to run until 2045.
The power station, Africa’s only nuclear facility, is situated north of Cape Town. With both of its units now licensed for extended operation, the plant will continue to supply a combined 1,860 megawatts of generation capacity. Eskom’s chief executive, Dan Marokane, described the plant as a cornerstone...
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has condemned coordinated acts of vandalism targeting public infrastructure on the eve of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg. The provincial government described the destruction of newly installed summit signage, streetlights, and traffic signals as a malicious campaign to sabotage the country’s international standing.
Premier Lesufi stated that law enforcement agencies are conducting a thorough investigation to identify and prosecute those responsible. He emphasized that damaging essential infrastructure is a severe criminal offense under the Criminal Matters Amendment Act, carrying a potential prison sentence of up to thirty years. The government assured the public of a zero-tolerance approach and...
A South African pastor has lamented the minimal media attention given to the life sentence of a convicted double murderer, Zaheera Boomgaard, compared to the extensive coverage of a political scandal. The 64-year-old woman received a life term for the 2020 murders of two elderly individuals, crimes the commentator described as brutal and premeditated.
Rev. Mo’hau Khumalo argued that this editorial choice reflects a troubling societal prioritization of spectacle over substantive justice. He suggested that the failure to amplify such court victories weakens the national conscience, especially in a country grappling with violent crime. The victims, who were strangled and burned by someone they trusted, deserved more prominent recognition...
The Jacob Zuma Foundation has condemned the terrorism-related trial of Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, labeling it a politically motivated abuse of state power. In a public statement, the foundation characterized the charges as part of a long-standing campaign of persecution against the former president’s family. The trial commenced in the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban on Monday.
Zuma-Sambudla faces prosecution for social media posts she authored during the July 2021 civil unrest, with the state alleging they incited public violence and terrorist activity. The foundation’s spokesperson asserted that her online commentary was a reaction to unfolding events rather than an instigation, framing the legal action as an attack on free speech...
