Author: Tshegofatso Letsie

Tuberculosis (TB) is considered a “silent killer”, with at least one person dying every hour from the disease in South Africa. This was revealed by Health Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi during the commemoration of World TB Day in Gamalakhe township, Port Shepstone in KwaZulu-Natal. Motsoaledi believes the mass testing will help with early detection and prevent deaths. “Any person who is known to have TB, we are going to ask that we screen their families, regardless of the signs and symptoms. Secondly, any person who is HIV positive we’ll ask to be screened because the two diseases feed into each…

The North West Department of Arts, Culture, Sports, and Recreation says it is elated that it managed to successfully host the 2025 National Provincial Softball Champions, without any disruptions. The championships which ran between 19-22 March 2025, were held in partnership with the North West Provincial Sports Confederation (NWPSC) and Softball South Africa (SSA), at the Royal Marang Hotel in Rustenburg. The tournament consisted of about 495 participants from all nine provinces of the country, each comprising 55 team members made up of both males and females, coaches, technical officials, and medical personnel. Speaking to Newsnote, the Department’s Chief Director,…

Beside a large group of supporters that gathered at the Cape Town International airport on Sunday morning to welcome expelled South African Ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, he has received praise on social media for what they call “bravery” for his stance against the Donald Trump Administration. Rasool and his wife Rosieda received a hero’s welcome by a significant number of ANC members and their tripartite partners COSATU and SACP, including some Cape Town residents who pledged their support for him. Some held posters declaring their support for Rasool, while condemning Trump. SACP Western Cape Secretary, Benson Ngqentsu criticised…

In a historic moment for both Formula One and his career, Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton secured his first-ever sprint qualifying pole position during the Chinese Grand Prix held in Shanghai. This notable achievement has not only set the tone for the race weekend but has also reignited hope among Ferrari fans longing for Hamilton’s inaugural victory with the iconic Italian team. Standing tall at the front of the grid, Hamilton edged out fierce competitors Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who claimed the second spot, and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in third. This performance comes at a time when Hamilton’s future in the…

The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi has noted what she described as “significant challenges,” persisting at the country’s courts and affecting their operations. Amongst others, she listed load shedding, system failures and water outages as key issues. According to the department, these have resulted in the delay of cases, as in some instances courts were forced to close. However, Kubayi has guaranteed that several measures have been instituted to address the challenges. “The department has prioritised power solutions to minimize the impact of load shedding. A project of installing generators has been registered with the Department of…

The North West Finance MEC, Kenetswe Mosenogi is optimistic that through the total of R55.74 billion of the 2025/26 budget, the provincial government will create jobs and deliver critical services including water, electricity, and health to the residents without interruptions. This emerged during the tabling of the budget at the provincial legislature in Mahikeng, which Mosenogi described as the most challenging compared to other previous years. “The fiscal constraints and weak economic outlook have indeed created an exceptionally challenging environment for compiling the 2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) budget. These budget preparations required difficult choices and strategic prioritization to…

Energy regulator, NERSA, has given the green light to Eskom’s retail tariffs and structural adjustment application for the 2025 financial year. According to the regulator, at a meeting held on 11 March 2025, NERSA considered and approved Eskom Retail and Structural Adjustment (ERTSA) application-an average tariff increase of 12.74% for Eskom direct customers and 11.32% for municipalities. “The approved standard tariff increase of 12.74% will be implemented on 1 April 2025 until 31 March 2026 for Eskom direct customers and the 11.32% increase will be implemented on 1 July 2025 for municipal customers. The difference in percentage is brought about…

The Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane has congratulated former International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Dr Naledi Pandor, on her appointment by the University of Pretoria (UP) as an Honorary Professor in the Faculty of Education. Dr Nkabane expressed confidence in Dr Pandor, adding that the institution made an excellent and befitting appointment. “Dr. Pandor’s knowledge and passion for transformation will undoubtedly enrich the university and the broader higher education community. Her academic achievements, including her doctoral research on transformation in the South African higher education context, reflect her deep commitment to shaping a progressive and inclusive sector,”…

Bafana Bafana attacking midfielder, Percy Tau, made the final cut to play in the team’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers matches against Lesotho and Benin. Tau’s participation in the national team took a pause due to his limited game time at his old club, Al Ahly of Egypt. This led to him missing most of the team’s 2024 AFCON qualifiers, as head coach Hugo Broos felt that his reduced play will affect the squad performance. However, Broos is now pleased to see him on the field consistently at his new team, Qatar FC. “I’m very happy about it. I think everyone…

The North West Department of Education MEC, Viola Motsumi together with the MEC of Sports and Recreation, Galebekwe Tlhapi are attending the Special Olympics Winter Games in Turin, Italy. The Olympics are dubbed as the world’s largest inclusive sports and charitable event. About 2 000 athletes with intellectual disabilities globally are expected to participate in eight various sporting codes. Motsumi said they’ll use the trip to Italy as an oversight, as North West is one of the provinces next in line to host the National Special Olympics Summer games in 2026. “From here we will be hosting a series of…