Author: Motlhaping Modise

A team of infrastructure experts dispatched by the North West Department of Education to two schools engulfed by fire over the weekend near Rustenburg will soon provide a comprehensive report to quantify the extent of the damage to the affected schools. In the first incident, a fire destroyed the school hall at Matlhare Mokautu Secondary School in Monakato Township on Friday, while another blaze gutted a block of five workshops and a storeroom at Sewagodimo Technical School in Pella Village on Sunday. Speaking on YOU FM Newshour, the Director of Communications at the Department, Dr Elias Malindi, revealed that both…

Eskom has restricted 101 companies, suppliers and their implicated owners and directors from doing business with the power utility, with some facing bans of up to 10 years. The affected suppliers have also been listed on the National Treasury Database of Restricted Suppliers following formal disciplinary processes into serious misconduct, including fraud, corruption and procurement irregularities. Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said the restrictions form part of the utility’s ongoing efforts to strengthen governance and controls and combat crime, fraud and corruption. “These restrictions relate to cases from 2015 until 31 March 2026, with most cases stemming from the 2016–2022 timeframe,”…

The City of Matlosana Local Municipality in Klerksdorp has been found to be on the wrong side of the law again. The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has released its investigative report into a complaint concerning the municipality’s discontinuation of the Free Basic Alternative Energy (FBAE) programme. The commission reported that the decision to discontinue the programme severely affected poor and vulnerable households living in areas without access to electricity, including unemployed and child-headed households that could not afford to purchase paraffin themselves. The FBAE programme was introduced by the municipality during the 2012/13 financial year to provide paraffin…

Pressure is mounting on Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela to resign following a scathing Section 7(9) notice issued by Public Protector Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka over the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). The investigation found what the Public Protector described as significant systemic failures, governance breakdowns and widespread improper funding allocations within NSFAS. The South African Union of Students (SAUS) has joined calls for President Cyril Ramaphosa to remove Manamela from his Cabinet. Speaking on YOU FM’s Newshour, SAUS Treasurer-General Nkosinathi Mabilane said NSFAS had experienced systemic failures and persistent governance problems for years, despite being placed under…

The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training, Tebogo Letsie, has called for disciplinary action against National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) officials who authorised improper funding for more than 40,000 students at a cost of R5.1 billion. This follows a damning Public Protector report into NSFAS and the improper funding of students. According to the report, approximately 40,000 students across 76 higher education institutions were improperly funded, amounting to R5.1 billion. Speaking on YOU FM Newshour, Letsie said the Public Protector’s findings were concerning but not entirely surprising, given the persistent governance, administrative and system challenges…

Today, Sunday, 16 August 2026, marks 14 years since the tragic 2012 Marikana massacre, when 34 striking Lonmin platinum mineworkers near Rustenburg in the North West were gunned down by police at the koppie where the mineworkers had gathered. The striking miners were demanding a living wage of R12,500 from Lonmin, now owned by Sibanye. The company refused to negotiate, and six mineworkers, two SAPS members and two security guards were murdered in the week leading up to the massacre. The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) continues to condemn the stagnant living conditions of local miners and their…

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) Board has welcomed the Pretoria High Court’s decision to suspend the appointment of the scheme’s administrator and reinstate the board pending the final determination of its review application. The court’s interim order allows the board to resume its governance responsibilities while Part B of the application, which seeks to have the administrator’s appointment reviewed and set aside, remains before the court. In a statement, NSFAS said the board would resume its duties with immediate effect, with a focus on stabilising the institution, strengthening governance and fulfilling its statutory mandate to provide financial assistance…

The newly appointed North West Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation MEC, Wessels Morweng, has vowed to use his new portfolio to help the province create much-needed jobs for young people. Morweng assumed the position on Wednesday following Premier Lazarus Mokgosi’s decision to reshuffle his Cabinet. He hit the ground running, meeting with the department’s senior management on Thursday. He swapped portfolios with former MEC Galebekwe Tlhapi, who has been assigned the Department of Community Safety and Transport Management. In an interview on YOU FM Newshour, Morweng highlighted his priority of creating jobs for thousands of unemployed young people in the…

The two largest teacher unions in the North West, the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) and the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (NAPTOSA), have welcomed Premier Lazarus Mokgosi’s decision to appoint Dr Desbo Mohono as the province’s new MEC for Education. The reshuffle sees former North West Provincial Legislature Speaker Dr Mohono take over from Viola Motsumi, who has been removed from the portfolio. Mokgosi announced the changes during a media briefing in Mahikeng on Wednesday, saying the reshuffle was aimed at strengthening the provincial administration and ensuring that government remained aligned with the province’s development priorities.…

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has defended its decision to take President Cyril Ramaphosa and the state to court in an effort to block the unbundling of Eskom and the creation of an independent Transmission System Operator (TSO), which would operate separately from the power utility’s management. The union’s highest decision-making body, the National Executive Committee (NEC), which met in Pretoria over the weekend, has directed its legal team to finalise formal court action against the President and the state over plans to restructure Eskom. Mpho Phakedi, NUM Secretary-General, told YOU FM Newshour that Eskom management is not off…