Author: Motlhaping Modise
Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies has summoned the Department’s Minister Solly Malatsi to appear before the committee to provide a comprehensive explanation on the recently gazetted policy directives that seeks to relax black economic empowerment (BEE) policies in the ICT sector. The move is seen by many as aiming to open the door for US billionaire Elon Musk’s international satellite company, Starlink, to operate in South Africa. The Committee Chairperson Khusela Sangoni-Diko told Newsnote that they have decided to call the Minister to explain the directives that appear to be in contravention of the Electronic Communications Act…
The North West Provincial Legislature Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) has decried the state of the Municipal Public Accounts Committees (MPAC) in four of the five local municipalities within the Bojanala Platinum District Municipality in the province. This comes as the Provincial Legislature has embarked on an oversight week in various municipalities within the district aimed at strengthening oversight, public participation, and promoting accountability and transparency in government. The committee has already engaged Moretele, Madibeng, Kgetlengrivier, and Moses Kotane Local Municipalities within the District, and hopes to conclude the visit by meeting with the Rustenburg Local Municipality and Bojanala…
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, Professor Blade Nzimande has appointed a 12-member team or Working Group on Science, Technology, and Innovation Funding (STI-WG) to assess the impact of the US administration’s decision to withdraw funding South Africa’s key research and development programmes. The aim of the working group is to advise the minister on the implications and impact of the decision and to analyse the current geo-political risks related to STI and how South Africa must position itself to deal with the current situation. Speaking on YOU FM Newshour, Nzimande said that he appointed the group because what currently exists…
Time is ticking for illegal occupants of the GD Montshioa Airport in Mahikeng, North West, to vacate the premises. This after the Department of Community Safety and Transport Management said the 14-days period given to the illegal occupants of the government owned aviation facilities at the George Dick Montshioa International Airport in Mahikeng is sufficient for them to vacate the premises by next week. This was revealed by MEC Wessels Morweng, during a media briefing in Mahikeng on Monday. Morweng’s ultimatum follows a social media controversy around a video he posted on his Facebook account where he can be…
The North West province accounts for 25 out of the 225 stalled or blocked projects that have been recorded by the Human Settlements Department. One such project in the province is the N12 Integrated Housing Development, that Minister Thembi Simelane is expected to visit on Friday, as she engages the province’s performance in relation to human settlements. The project is funded by the department’s grants and the informal settlements upgrading partnership grant provided by the department. Speaking on YOU FM Newshour, Simelane’s spokesperson Tsekiso Machike said that the Department has resolved to prioritise completing all Breaking New Grounds (BNG) blocked…
The Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA) said that it is deeply alarmed but not surprised by yesterday’s quarterly labour force survey (QLFS) for Q1 of 2025 stating that the country’s unemployment has increased by 1.0-percentage point to 32.9%. The stats revealed that young people aged 15-34 make up 50,2% of the country’s working-age population, translating to approximately 20, 9 million individuals. Within this cohort, the 15-24 age group, representing around 10,3 million individuals, faces the highest barriers to entering the workforce, with unemployment figures significantly outpacing that of older youth. Speaking on YOU FM Newshour, MACUA’s Executive Director…
Two North West educators have been dismissed after they were found guilty of improper relationship and sexual assault on learners.This brings to seven the number of educators dismissed in the province for similar offences in the previous financial year. The matter was referred to the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) earlier this year after the emergence of a shocking exhibits of a video of former Golf View Secondary School Educator Modise Mokomele allegedly having sex with a pupil. The video was reportedly shared with the educator by one of the learners’ friends.The ELRC dismissed Mokomele together with Paseka Molefe, the…
The Congress of the Traditional leaders of South Africa (Contralesa) has defended its position to join the call for a national referendum to resolve the country’s long standing land restitution impasse. The decision was taken during a four-hour marathon bilateral meeting between Contralesa and the South African communist Party (SACP) in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. Speaking on You FM Newshour, Contralesa President Kgosi Mathupa Mokoena said that a decision is a major step towards addressing historical land dispossession and its ongoing impact on poverty and inequality in the country, as outlined by their joint statement with SACP. “We have already communicated this…
The North West Legislature Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management said it has adopted several resolutions with the aim of intervening in a persisting scholar transport payment crisis in the province. Speaking on YouFM Newshour, the committee’s Chairperson Freddy Sonakile said that they noted with concern the non-payment of scholar transport service providers, which has resulted in some providers suspending they’re services since Monday. “This disruption directly infringes on learners’ constitutional right to education. The Department of Community Safety and Transport Management has confirmed that it engaged in a full-day, tense meeting yesterday with service providers in…
The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) in the Ekurhuleni Region, Gauteng, has vowed to do everything it can to defend over 300 Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) officers who are facing possible dismissal following allegations of illegal strike on 19th March. The City has issued pre-dismissal notices to the officers, giving them 48hrs to provide valid reasons why they should not be permanently dismissed for embarking on an illegal strike. SAWWU, which is the majority union at the metro, has condemned what it called the “municipality’s draconian action that represents not only a gross injustice but also a chilling…