GAUTENG EDUCATION NEW CLASSROOMS @KASIBCNEWS 

The rapid growth in demand for education infrastructure due to socioeconomic migration is receiving serious attention from Gauteng Provincial Government. In its latest update the Department of Infrastructure Development (DID) has reported on the construction project pipeline of new schools and classrooms and the rehabilitation and refurbishment of existing education facilities to help reduce the backlog. 

The MEC for Infrastructure Development and COGTA Mr. Jacob Mamabolo has announced that a total 367 classrooms will be made available to a combined 12 478 learners in Gauteng this year. This consists of 309 newly built classrooms catering for 10 506 learners and a further 58 rehabilitated and refurbished existing classrooms to accommodate 1 972 other learners. 

The MEC Mamabolo said the aim of government is to improve lives through quality infrastructure. The Rehabilitation and Refurbishment (R&R) programme is currently focused on renovations and upgrading of classrooms. The programme is assisting the province to eradicate schools constructed from inappropriate materials such as asbestos, reduce the number of mobile classrooms and finally address over-crowding through additional classes.  

Furthermore, through refurbishment of existing classrooms, the programme has played a major role in significantly improving the learning conditions, eradicating inequality and restoring the dignity and pride of thousands of leaners in many township schools across the province.  

“The programme is transforming the old school infrastructure in the province and promotes equality through extensive construction work which gives schools a new lease of life,” commented MEC Mamabolo. 

The delivery of the much-needed classrooms is being implemented on behalf of the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE). The 2021 Statistics South Africa report on migration indicates that about 479 400 people moved to Gauteng between 2016 and 2021.  The Gauteng project pipeline entails completing the construction of 216 new classrooms through new school buildings plus 93 classrooms at existing schools. 

The project includes the new Simunye Secondary School in Rand West Municipality, the upgraded Ribane Laka Secondary School in Mamelodi, Semphato Secondary School in Soshanguve, new Braamfischerville Primary School in Soweto, Dr, W.K Du Plessis School for Learners with Special Educational Needs in Spring and the rehabilitation of Athlone Girls High School in Honeydew, among others.  

The Department of Infrastructure Development is also focusing on completing the construction of Nancefield Primary School, Eldorado Park, and Rus-ter-vaal Secondary School, in Sedibeng. New completion contractors have been appointed following the termination of the initial contractors. The department reaffirms its commitment to timely and prudent implementation of infrastructure projects in service of community needs. 

SONA IFP EDITION @KASIBCNEWS

The Inkatha Freedom Party expects President Cyril Ramaphosa to provide a comprehensive outline of the government's plans to address the country's pressing challenges when he delivers the State of the Nation Address tomorrow.

We expect the President to delve into the Medium Term Development Plan as the agreed upon minimum programme of the GNU, providing tangible solutions to the socio-economic issues confronting our nation.

Specifically, we expect him to elaborate on the three pillars of the MTDP he emphasised at the Opening of Parliament Address last year, which are, inclusive growth and job creation, reducing poverty and tackling the high cost of living, and building a capable, ethical, and developmental state. 

We expect the President to outline the concrete GNU plans for stimulating economic growth, creating jobs, and promoting entrepreneurship, particularly among youth and women.

Reducing poverty and tackling the high cost of living must preoccupy the Presidents attention and therefore he must announce measures to alleviate poverty, address income inequality, and mitigate the effects of the high cost of living on vulnerable households.

We expect the President to provide a roadmap for strengthening institutions, combating corruption, and promoting good governance.

Furthermore, we expect the President will take a strong stance in support of Ithala Bank, a vital institution that has empowered black-owned businesses and communities for decades. The IFP has consistently advocated for the bank's preservation and transformation into a fully-fledged state bank.

As the IFP, we reiterate our commitment to remaining in the Government of National Unity, recognising its importance in promoting stability and cooperation post-elections. We are committed to maintaining our identity as the IFP and upholding our manifesto promises, working tirelessly to ensure that the government prioritises the needs of all South Africans.

We urge the President to provide a clear roadmap for implementing these pillars, including concrete timelines, deliverables, and accountability mechanisms. The IFP believes that a united and effective government is essential in addressing the country's challenges and unlocking its potential.

As we move forward, we emphasise the need for collaborative governance, where all parties work together to find solutions to our common problems. The IFP remains committed to playing a constructive role in this process, ensuring that the voices of our people are heard and their concerns addressed.

SONA RISE MZANSI EDITION @KASIBCNEWS

The first State of the Nation Address (SONA) under the Government of National Unity (GNU) needs to send a clear message to the people of South Africa, and the investment community, that it there is a clear set of priorities and plans for implementation.

These priorities must cover all spheres of government and remain consistent until 2029. President Cyril Ramaphosa needs to show that he is in charge and can practice leadership that gets government working in coordination and as a focused unit with the people of South Africa.

South Africa has long passed the point of lofty speeches.  South Africans are besieged by organised and violent crime; small businesses struggle to survive; communities are without quality basic services; millions go to bed hungry; and the climate crisis threatens established ways of farming and living.

RISE Mzansi therefore calls on the President, in his SONA, to clearly outline and commitment to these four broad, but all-encompassing, priority areas, especially, in light of Cabinet’s recently adopted Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP) 2024 -2029:

President Ramaphosa must assert his powers as an Executive President and put Ministers and senior public servants on a performance and delivery short leash. He must fire them if they do not perform or do not meet the ethical standards expected of senior office bearers. Such performance plans need to made public, so that officials and public representatives and their work are indeed transparently accountable to the people.

South Africans are looking for a set of uniting values and principles that cut across race, class, culture and religion. South Africa needs visionary, competent and accountable leadership with a sense of national mission, and respect for the dreams and wishes of the South African people; a reorientation of non-racialism to focus on systemic racism such as spatial injustice, poorly resourced communities, lack of basic community infrastructure, and poor access to economic opportunities.

The passing of the Expropriation Act has brought into sharp focus the nefarious efforts of some South Africans and foreign governments to undermine peaceful race relations, nation-building and the sovereignty of the country. The President must affirm and amplify the voices of the majority of South Africans who want “unity in diversity”, with a future-looking and non-racial lens, while correcting for the wrongs of colonialism and apartheid. Political parties and groupings which seek to diminish nation-building efforts at uniting South Africans, using fear and deceit, must be seen as and felt to be a minority.

The South African economy – business and government working together – needs to work towards growing the economy at more than 5% per year to defeat unemployment and poverty. This means significant investment in critical infrastructure (water, sanitation, energy, logistics and network infrastructure); mitigation plans for the climate crisis; and the success of small to medium sized businesses. These interventions need the buy-in of government and private sector role-players, particularly at national and local spheres of government.

To this end, RISE proposes a Wealth Tax to fund key development programs. The country’s current fiscal trajectory is unsustainable – and the public investments needed to kickstart the economy will not occur under conditions of effective austerity. The President should back such an initiative but with implementation plans to be announced by the Finance Minister in the Budget Speech later this month.

Cabinet must set targets for eliminating financial wastage, renegotiate expensive government contracts to achieve value for money, improve financial and procurement controls in all state entities and remove, and prosecute corrupt officials and political office bearers. Until South Africans see corrupt officials and politicians behind bars, there will be little faith in and respect for the criminal justice system.

 

Serious attention must be paid to violent and organised crime. Therefore, the government must:

 

· Allocate more resources to intelligence gathering and detective services to achieve a higher case finalisation rate

· Work to halve the murder rate over the next 5-years

· Prioritise ascendant crimes such as kidnapping, extortion and illegal immigration

· Strengthen community-level cooperation and crime prevention including better resource allocation to police stations and community policing forums (CPFs) in high-crime areas.

In addition to the above, President Ramaphosa needs to send a strong message about the future of the nation’s armed forces, generally, and the mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo, as it relates to underfunding, corruption and mismanagement. 

RISE Mzansi once again calls for a Defence Review, which considers the current economic climate, the effectiveness of the current South African Defence Force (SANDF) leadership and management, our involvement in foreign missions and the Force’s aging personnel, to name a few issues.

The people of South Africa are looking for a leader and leadership, not just from the President but equally their public representatives, in the form of Members of Parliament. The occasion of SONA and the years ahead need to be marked by seriousness, transparency and a sense that the issues facing South Africans matter and are receiving necessary attention.

Ultimately, South Africans are looking for a leadership that will guarantee them a safe, prosperous, equal and united country, where they live in dignity and happily.

STATE CAPTURE ELON MUSK AND PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA @KASIBCNEWS

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is dismayed by the decision of South African President Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa to break diplomatic protocols by calling an unelected government official, Mr. Elon Musk to explain himself about the Expropriation Act that he has recently signed into law.  This breaking of diplomatic protocol should never be taken lightly by the citizens, as it is a clear indication of how the sovereignty of our country is compromised at the behest of pandering for U.S foreign aid; and a reflection of how Ramaphosa is willing to embarrass the country to the world as a result of a dependency syndrome. 

The irony about this is that few days ago, the government spokesperson Vincent Magwenya was scolding the Minister of Mineral Resources Gwede Mantashe for failing to follow diplomatic protocols in addressing a similar issue, when Mantashe threatened to cut the supply of minerals to the U.S should they cut their aid to South Africa. It is an objective fact that Elon Musk’s interference with U.S foreign policy as it relates to South Africa is rooted not only in his racist and white supremacist attitudes but is also based on his interests as a businessman to introduce his satellite company Starlink in South Africa. 

Musk is in a pursuit to introduce Starlink in South Africa and in doing so, seeks to circumvent existing legislation that prescribes that for licensing to be granted by the Independent Communications South African Authority (ICASA) to operate in South Africa’s satellite sector, at least 30% of the foreign owned satellite company must be owned by historically disadvantaged groups in line with the country’s Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) policy. For Musk to use his proximity to U.S President Donald Trump to characterise the laws of South Africa which seek to correct historical injustices as “racist”, is nothing but a misuse of his relationship with Trump in order to facilitate a business transaction. 

Cyril Ramaphosa’s call to Musk will only embolden him in his agenda to undermine our sovereignty and our laws, in order to gain access to the South African market for Starlink. President Ramaphosa has effectively reduced the power that he holds as the President of the country and inevitably opened the Presidency up to be bought, controlled, and manipulated by big corporations of not only the United States of America but the whole world. 

It should be noted that Elon Musk is not an elected government official of the U.S, he is merely a businessman who was funding the campaign of the current U.S President Mr Donald Trump and as a result was gifted with a newly created position referred to as the “government efficiency department”, and is a glorified employee. This unprecedented conduct by a sitting President to break the diplomatic protocols by telephonically lobbying an unelected billionaire who is hellbent on influencing the policies of our government has the potential to open the door for state capture. 

To this day, the country is still reeling from the capture by the Gupta family under former President Jacob Zuma. Lastly, the EFF calls on Ramaphosa to refrain from relying on foreign businesses from the West and wealthy individuals in determining policy direction of the country. 

Ramaphosa should have known that such calls to private individuals would undermine diplomatic protocols and the sovereignty of our country.