Author: Tshegofatso Letsie
The North West Department of Education has advised parents and guardians seeking learner placement for the 2026 academic year to approach Local Education Offices (LOEs) in their respective areas. The department said the Education Hubs were established to assist parents who were unable to secure school placement for their children. MEC for Education, Viola Motsumi, called on parents and guardians to exercise patience and cooperate with officials to ensure the smooth placement of learners before the start of the 2026 academic year, which is scheduled to begin on 14 January. “I want to caution parents and guardians that schools of…
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has issued a strong warning that acts of vandalism targeting water infrastructure will be met with the full might of the law. Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina made the remarks while commissioning upgraded water infrastructure aimed at improving water supply in the Rustenburg Local Municipality in the Bojanala District and the Thabazimbi Local Municipality in Limpopo. The newly commissioned infrastructure includes the Vaalkop Water Treatment Works Raw Pumpstation and an associated bulk water pipeline. The projects are designed to address increasing water demand in both the North West and Limpopo provinces. Majodina…
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has dismissed as fake a circulating social media warning about a tropical cyclone named “Storm Baron,” which was falsely claimed to affect Southern Africa for several days starting 10 January 2026. SAWS has urged the public to disregard such misinformation and to rely solely on official forecasts, while remaining vigilant against unverified sources. However, the service has confirmed that an intense low-pressure system is expected to develop over southern Mozambique in the coming days. This system is forecast to move southward, bringing widespread showers and thunderstorms to the north-eastern parts of South Africa from…
The South African Communist Party (SACP) has called for the immediate release of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Joined by its alliance partners—including COSATU, NEHAWU, POPCRU, and the Young Communist League of South Africa (YCLSA)—the SACP held an emergency picket outside the United States Embassy in Pretoria on Wednesday to condemn what it described as a recent US assault on Venezuela. SACP Secretary-General Solly Mapaila accused the administration of former US President Donald Trump of undermining international law and violating Venezuela’s sovereignty. “Since 1947, the US has invaded or attacked about 70 countries. It is clear…
The North West Department of Transport has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring safe scholar transport services ahead of the 2026 academic year. This commitment was highlighted during the Back-to-School Road Safety Campaign, led by Transport Minister Barbara Creecy at the N4 Bapong Weighbridge on Thursday. The department’s Head, Dr Hans Kekana, said inspections conducted during the campaign identified several defects that require urgent attention before schools reopen on 14 January. Kekana noted that one of the major challenges during the 2024/25 financial year was the use of unroadworthy buses at some schools receiving scholar transport services. “As a department, we…
As Parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating allegations of corruption and external interference in the South African Police Service (SAPS) prepares to resume hearings, requests for certain witnesses to appear virtually have been denied. The requests came from controversial businessman Brown Mogotsi and forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan, both of whom cited security concerns for preferring remote testimony. EFF leader Julius Malema strongly opposed the virtual appearances, insisting on accountability. During a virtual committee meeting to finalise the programme, Malema stated: “We must use the powers we have to summon O’Sullivan. We must be a different kind of committee that deals with…
As the festive season continues, the South African Police Service (SAPS) has urged members of the public to exercise heightened caution following an increase in reported drink-spiking incidents involving both men and women. Several of these cases have resulted in victims being robbed or, in severe instances, killed. According to SAPS, most of the reported incidents occurred in Gauteng and the North West. Spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe explained that criminal syndicates often use young women to identify and lure potential victims in clubs, taverns, concerts, and other entertainment venues that serve alcohol. “The syndicate monitors these women and assists them…
The Defence and Military Veterans Minister, Angie Motshekga, has reacted with dismay to the incident involving two soldiers who were swept away by a strong current in the Komati River in Komatipoort, Mpumalanga, during a routine patrol under Operation CORONA near Macadamia military base. The incident which took place on Christmas, claimed two lives, with one body still missing. Motshekga visited the family of one of the deceased soldiers, to convey condolences and offer support. “We only have one member whose family has been identified. From here, they will be taken to the morgue to confirm and then we are…
The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has confirmed the transfer of alleged criminal kingpin and murder accused Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala from Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre in Pretoria to the Super-Maximum Security eBongweni Correctional Facility in Kokstad, KwaZulu-Natal. According to the department, the relocation is a standard operational measure informed by security, safety and effective inmate management considerations. “In terms of Section 6 of the Correctional Services Act, 1998, the National Commissioner is legally empowered to detain an offender or remand detainee at any correctional centre, notwithstanding the wording of a warrant. This provision enables the department to respond appropriately to…
City of Johannesburg authorities have rejected claims that delays in evacuating residents contributed to the tragic collapse of a double-storey building in Doornkop, Soweto, which claimed three lives on Sunday. The incident occurred in the early hours of December 28 in the Bambai informal settlement, killing a one-year-old child and two women—identified as 60-year-old Hloniphile Xaba, her 24-year-old daughter Nqobile, and Nqobile’s toddler Langelihle. Three others were injured and hospitalised. During a media briefing on Monday while visiting the bereaved families, Johannesburg Executive Mayor Dada Morero described the structure as illegal and non-compliant with building regulations. “This place in itself…