Author: Tshegofatso Letsie
The North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is optimistic that improved water availability and access will ensure sustainable agriculture across the province amongst other benefits. The department sought to intervene through the refurbishment of water systems such as the installation of windmills, submersible pumps, storage tanks and drilling new boreholes in a project that is expected to benefit farmers and villages across Kagisano Molopo and Greater Taung Local Municipalities. According to the department’s MEC Madoda Sambatha, clean and accessible water is significant for farming and daily living. “For us, farmers are a priority. Without water, there is no farming,…
Power utility Eskom has sought to assure the public of a steady electricity supply during the winter season. Eskom management alongside Electricity and Energy Minister, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, briefed the media on the national grid and the winter outlook in Sunninghill, Johannesburg on Monday. According to group CEO, Dan Marokane, while they anticipate multiple units to return to service, a possibility of lower stages of load shedding is on the cards. “In as far as winter 2025 is concerned, assuming there are 13-15 gigawatts of unplanned outages in terms of what we see from the performance coming from the grid,…
The Deputy Minister for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Steve Letsike has described comments made by Podcast and Chill host, Macgyver Mukwevho popularly known as MacG towards media personality, Minnie Dlamini, as disgusting and callous. This after he alleged that the reason behind the end of Dlamini’s past relationships is due to her genital odour. This emerged during a recent episode of the podcast on YouTube last week. Letsike said these utterances constitute online gender-based violence. “These comments are nauseating in their vulgarity, and they must be regarded as an unconstitutional violation of Ms Dlamini’s rights to freedom and…
Defence Minister Angie Motshekga is optimistic that programmes aimed towards gender equality and non-sexist environments within the South African Defence Force (SANDF) will be successful. Motshekga was speaking on the Department’s recently launched Defence In Focus Podcast on YouTube, where she also shared how she balances working in a male dominated sector. “It’s easy for them to think that just because they’re men, they are above but softly to say no, let’s respect each other and let’s work together. Even with the Generals they know I respect them but I’m very conscious that they’re men and they will undermine me if…
President Cyril Ramaphosa has used his keynote Workers Day message, to reaffirm the government’s commitment to ensure that the rights of the workers remain protected. He delivered a message of support during the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) National Workers Day Rally, which was held in Middleburg, Mpumalanga. Ramaphosa also acknowledged COSATU’s pursuit of better working conditions for all workers in the country. “Since its formation, COSATU continues to be a powerful federation and a true representative of workers of this country. So, on this day comrades, we pay tribute to the leaders and members of COSATU who…
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) says the phased withdrawal of the country’s troops from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has commenced as of the 29th of April. The withdrawal was informed by an agreement reached by Heads of State and government during the SADC Extraordinary Summit which was held virtually in March this year. The withdrawal also includes other SAMIDRC troops. Through a statement the SANDF expressed its commitment to safely bring the soldiers back home. “This plan will ensure the safe and efficient return of personnel and assets. The withdrawal will take place in phases and…
North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi has reiterated the importance of civic education in schools, saying it will help preserve the country’s history while inspiring the youth with stories of the struggle stalwarts who laid their lives for the democracy and freedom the country enjoys in the present day. This emerged when he led the Freedom Day Commemoration at the Ledig Sports Grounds near Rustenburg on Wednesday. During an exclusive interview on YOU FM, Mokgosi committed to ensuring the success of youth focused programmes across all departments. “We need integrated planning as far as programmes in all our departments. Our arts…
The Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) said it is satisfied with the roll out of the court digital system to various Superior Courts in the country. According to the OCJ, it managed to successfully pilot the online system at the Gauteng Division of the High Court, in addition to other roll outs at the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal High Courts. In a statement, OCJ attributed what it described as a progressive implementation of the System at the Land, Labour and Labour Appeals Courts, to adequate training of the roll out through various webinars that were held to familiarise stakeholders…
The Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana has reversed the contentious proposed VAT increase by 0.5 percentage points. This was revealed by the Treasury through a statement on Wednesday overnight, ahead of the VAT hike that was scheduled to kick in from the 1st of May. “The decision to forgo the increase follows extensive consultations with political parties, and careful consideration of the recommendations of the parliamentary committees,” read a statement from Treasury. In addition, Godongwana has written to the National Assembly Speaker, Thoko Didiza, to notify parliament about withdrawing the Appropriation and Division of Revenue Bill, to propose expenditure adjustments…
The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA), is calling for urgent reforms in legislation, in order to integrate gas as an energy source. This was published in NERSA’s strategy report, where it outlined its vision for the role of gas in the country’s energy mix, citing it as a key player in South Africa’s energy economy. According to the entity, the strategy report aims to, among others, address the critical challenges facing the domestic gas industry, particularly the declining gas supply from Mozambique, which poses a significant threat to the South African market. These include an emphasis on a…