Author: Silver Sibiya
The Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to deploy members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to Gauteng and other affected parts of the country to combat illegal mining and violent criminal networks known as zama zamas. The intervention, announced during the State of the Nation Address in Parliament last week, signals the seriousness of the crisis and the urgent need for a coordinated, forceful response to dismantle criminal syndicates that have terrorised communities and undermined the rule of law. The Committee has repeatedly raised concerns about the devastating impact…
The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) in Gauteng has expressed anger and deep concern over electricity disconnections affecting schools in Ekurhuleni, blaming the crisis on the Gauteng Department of Education’s failure to settle municipal accounts. In a strongly worded statement, the youth league said it is unacceptable that learners are forced to study in darkness because the department has allegedly not met its financial obligations to municipalities. The ANCYL described schools as “constitutional instruments of transformation and development,” arguing that cutting electricity to learning institutions undermines the right to education and disrupts teaching and learning. The organisation said the…
Hundreds of residents of Gugulethu Informal Settlement outside Springs in Ekurhuleni say poverty and unemployment have pushed them to dig for gold on a nearby mine dump and inside a cattle kraal meant for livestock. The land belongs to the municipality but is currently used by local farmers for grazing. Now it has become the centre of a desperate gold rush. Residents, including some undocumented migrants from Lesotho and Mozambique, say they are digging purely to survive amid harsh socio-economic conditions and a lack of job opportunities. Some saying they have been inspired by Zama-Zamas, seasoned illegal miners. From early…
President Cyril Ramaphosa first spoke about high-speed rail and large-scale infrastructure expansion during earlier State of the Nation Addresses, notably in the years following the launch of Operation Vulindlela around 2020 and 2021 it was framed as the dawn of a new growth era. South Africa, we were told, would rebuild, modernise and compete with the world’s most advanced economies. Infrastructure would be the engine. Reform would be the fuel. Fast forward to the 2026 State of the Nation Address, and the promise has returned — polished, expanded and once again positioned as transformative. The President now says preparations are…
Accountability, corruption and job creation dominate expectations ahead of Ramaphosa’s ninth SONA Accountability, corruption and job creation are among the key issues some Johannesburg residents want President Cyril Ramaphosa to address when he delivers his ninth State of the Nation Address (SONA) at Cape Town City Hall tonight. The address comes at a critical time for the country, as South Africa continues to grapple with high unemployment, ongoing service delivery challenges, and public frustration over corruption and governance failures. Newsnote spoke to several residents in Johannesburg who expressed mixed reactions about what they expect from the President’s speech. One resident…
Frustration boiled over in Emmarentia as angry residents from Emmarentia, Parktown, Melville and surrounding suburbs confronted Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero and Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation David Mahlobo over relentless water outages crippling parts of the city. What was meant to be a community engagement quickly turned into a heated standoff. Residents, some without water for more than a week, demanded urgent answers, clear timelines and accountability from both local and national government leaders. Tempers flared as community members accused authorities of failing to provide one of the most basic constitutional rights — access to water. “We are not…
Tottenham Hotspur have parted ways with Thomas Frank less than eight months after appointing him as Men’s Head Coach in June 2025, in what becomes another chapter in the club’s recent managerial instability. Frank arrived in North London with a strong reputation following his impressive spell at Brentford, where he earned plaudits for building a competitive Premier League side on a modest budget. During his time at Brentford, he guided the club to promotion to the Premier League and consolidated their top-flight status with an organised, high-intensity style of play. Spurs turned to the Danish coach in the hope that…
The ANC Youth League (ANCYL) in Gauteng says the rights of learners are being violated by the Department of Education’s failure to provide scholar transport services. The organisation opened a case with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) in Parktown on Tuesday, citing non-payment of scholar transport operators which has disrupted schooling across the province. ANCYL Gauteng chairperson Ntsako Mogobe afterwards told Newsnote accountability must be enforced against those responsible. “We are not opening a case against an individual, but against the department as a collective. Officials including the MEC, if he failed in his oversight role will have…
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has renewed its call for the dismissal of Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, accusing her of defending a former senior official facing serious allegations and of downplaying overcrowding in public hospitals. DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, Dr Jack Bloom, says the MEC’s defence of former Gauteng Health head of department (HOD) Lesiba Malotana reflects poor leadership and a lack of accountability within the department. Bloom was responding to remarks made by Nkomo-Ralehoko in an interview with the Sunday Times, where she described Malotana as “the best the department had ever had” and claimed he had…
Award-winning DJ and producer Mandisa Radebe, popularly known as DBN Gogo, is set to make history as the first female DJ in South Africa to perform a 24-hour DJ set. The marathon performance will run from midnight on Saturday, 04 April 2026, to midnight on Sunday, 05 April 2026. Doors open at 22:00 on Friday, 03 April 2026. The Khuza Gogo hitmaker says the performance is about legacy, artistic growth, and community. “I’m beyond excited to make history with this 24-hour set, and I want everyone to be part of this journey with me. This isn’t just a DJ set…