PRESIDENT TRUMP CONTINUES TO DRIVE AN AMERICAN MANUFACTURING BOOM

MAKEKASIGREAT©®™ @KASIBC_AFRICA 

ONLINE EDITOR @KASIBC_AFRICA 

PRESIDENT TRUMP CONTINUES TO DRIVE AN AMERICAN MANUFACTURING BOOM

Under President Donald J. Trump’s bold leadership, America’s manufacturing sector is surging forward with unprecedented momentum. In the past week alone, major corporations have unveiled billions of dollars in new investments to onshore production and create thousands of high-quality American jobs — building on a wave of commitments that underscore the Trump Administration’s vision for American economic dominance.

Stellantis announced a $13 billion investment in the U.S. — the largest single investment in the company’s history. The automaker plans to expand its U.S.-based production by 50% over the next four years, re-opening its plant in Belvidere (Illinois), and adding production at its Toledo (Ohio), Warren (Michigan), Detroit (Michigan), and Kokomo (Indiana) plants. 

The investment will bring 5,000 new jobs and the production of five new vehicles to the U.S.

Whirlpool Corporation announced a $300 million investment in its U.S. laundry manufacturing facilities. The investment is part of the company’s commitment to “grow its American manufacturing footprint,” and will create as many as 600 new jobs at its Ohio-based manufacturing facilities.

The GE Aerospace Foundation announced a $30 million workforce skills training program to prepare the next generation of its U.S.-based workforce. The investment, which is aimed at training the American workforce with the skills necessary for advanced manufacturing within the industry, is a direct result of the Trump Administration’s push to encourage workforce training skills and development.

These investments come on top of major announcements from Pfizer, GSK, Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, Amgen, Hitachi, ABB, and many others in recent weeks — and join the scores of other public and private investments made in the U.S. since President Trump took office.

It’s all part of President Trump’s commitment to revitalizing manufacturing, onshoring production, and setting the stage for a new era of American prosperity. 

After years of career politicians selling out American workers for cheap foreign labor, the historic level of investment secured by the Trump Administration is reinforcing the U.S. as the global leader of innovation and growth.

MAKEKASIGREAT©®™ @KASIBC_AFRICA

Chinese President Appoints New Ambassadors

MAKEKASIGREAT©®™ @KASIBC_AFRICA 

ONLINE EDITOR @KASIBC_AFRICA 

Chinese President Appoints New Ambassadors

Chinese President Xi Jinping has appointed the following ambassadors in accordance with a decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, an official statement said on Monday.

Yu Jinsong was appointed ambassador to Morocco, replacing Li Changlin.

Chen Feng was appointed ambassador to Romania, replacing Han Chunlin.

Jiang Xiaoyan was appointed ambassador to North Macedonia, replacing Zhang Zuo.

Zhang Zuo was appointed ambassador to Malta, replacing Yu Dunhai.

Yang Shu was appointed ambassador to Grenada, replacing Wei Hongtian.

Sun Xiangyang was appointed ambassador to Ecuador, replacing Chen Guoyou.

Li Yongjie was appointed China's permanent representative and ambassador to the World Trade Organization, as well as China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland, replacing Li Chenggang.

MAKEKASIGREAT©®™ @KASIBC_AFRICA

Security Cluster Action Plan To Curb Mafia State

MAKEKASIGREAT©®™ @KASIBC_AFRICA 

ONLINE EDITOR @KASIBC_AFRICA 

Security Cluster Action Plan To Curb Mafia State

The DA demands a joint Security Cluster plan by 31 October to fix the justice system.

Corruption and inefficiency let criminals act with impunity.

Crime and lawlessness block growth and jobs.

The rot in the South African Police Service currently on national display is a symptom of the collapse of our entire criminal justice system. South Africans face unprecedented levels of crime on a daily basis, and our criminal justice system is clearly not fully up to the task of investigating, prosecuting and punishing crime.

The DA reiterates our call for the Ministers of Justice, Correctional Services, Police, and State Security account for their departments' joint failures in curbing the rise of impunity and present a combined plan to save the South African criminal justice system.

The reasons for the destruction of criminal justice and the rule of law in South Africa are complex and go back decades but its disastrous effects are simple, and are experienced throughout the country.

Many crimes and their perpetrators are not investigated due to infighting and corruption in the SAPS. As a result, our National Prosecuting Authority is struggling to put criminals behind bars efficiently. Our courts are so overburdened that cases take years to conclude.

When convictions are secured, criminals are sent to overcrowded facilities where lawlessness reigns supreme. These same criminals are then released back into society, often too early, without being adequately (or at all) reformed. So the downward spiral continues.

It is therefore of crucial importance that the ministers in the security cluster act decisively to put a stop to this vicious destructive cycle that strangles our communities. The effects of crime and violence are felt especially in rural communities and low-income areas throughout our cities.

We cannot grow the economy and create jobs while criminality cripples our towns and cities. The DA believes that solving the crisis of the South African criminal justice system is integral to creating a better life for all citizens.

It's time for the responsible ministers to take responsibility and present a plan by 31 October 2025 to save South Africa and protect those who live in it. The DA will not relent in our pressure on the executive to do its job and put the safety of South Africans first.

MAKEKASIGREAT©®™ @KASIBC_AFRICA

R777 Million Tshwane Water Tanker Jackpot

MAKEKASIGREAT©®™ @KASIBC_AFRICA 

ONLINE EDITOR @KASIBC_AFRICA

R777 Million Tshwane Water Tanker Jackpot

Water tanker operators seem to be the biggest beneficiaries of ANC-coalition mayor Nasiphi Moya’s first year in office. More than anything else the period will be bookmarked by a staggering increase in water losses and water tanker spending.

Between the 2024 financial year, when Tshwane was governed by a DA-led coalition, and the 2025 financial year, when the city was taken over by an ANC/EFF/ActionSA coalition, water tanker spending increased by 455% from R140 million to R777 million. This was revealed by a News24 exposé on Sunday.

The emergency supply of water to formalised areas by water tanker trucks is now the single biggest operational expenditure item of the City’s Department of Water and Sanitation. It even surpasses capital spending on pipe replacements.

In places that do have taps and potable water, tankers are only meant to be deployed if bulk suppliers restrict water and the City’s reservoirs run dry. This typically happens during load shedding or as a result of repairs and maintenance on major supply systems.

But in the past year the country has hardly had any load shedding. Despite the City trying to point to Rand Water maintenance issues, the fact is that the water utility has resolved a number of long-standing maintenance problems which in the past affected the Tshwane supply area. Neither has Gauteng had worse droughts than in previous years.

The one fundamental change that occurred between 2024 and 2025 is that Tshwane is now governed by a coalition led by the ANC, a party whose presence in government has been tracked by more and more water from tankers and less and less from taps.

In Hammanskraal, tankers have been deployed permanently for a number of years due to the non-potable quality of the water due to the pollution of the Apies River by the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Plant. In 2023, the City partnered with Magalies Water, and a package plant was built on the Pienaars River to give Hammanskraal residents potable tap water.

In fact, the launch of the first phase of this project in January 2025 should have reduced the City’s water tanker bill. Even taking into account the setbacks and delays on the project during the course of this year, it does not explain an increase in water tanker spending by the City.

If Tshwane does have a prolonged water emergency, it is entirely self-induced, if not carefully orchestrated. In the same year as the ANC takeover and the blowout spending on water tankers, the City’s water losses increased from 34% to 39%. The losses are mainly due to unattended leaks, which in turn lead to taps running dry more often.

What accounts for more leaks? In part the money taken away from water maintenance teams in order to fund extra water tanker expenditure. In her first adjustment budget as mayor, Nasiphi Moya recommended a 103% increase on watchman security services and a 64% increase on water tankers.

But even this wasn’t enough to cover all the water tanker invoices the City eventually paid in the 2025 financial year. As a result, most of this money will have to be classified as unauthorised expenditure. Aside from more water consumption and water losses, there is a good chance that some of these invoices might be fraudulent.

By law, unauthorised expenditure must be investigated. But the investigation has to go further than just a box ticking exercise. After years of suspicion that the ANC and its proxy parties have interests in the water tanker business, it is now necessary to trace the flow of municipal money to and from the companies on Tshwane’s database of service providers.

Based on the News24 exposé, the DA has written to Tshwane municipal manager Johann Mettler to ask for the most comprehensive internal investigation possible. Because of the risk of internal interference in such an investigation, we are also reporting the matter to the Public Protector as a potential form of maladministration.

There has to be a reckoning for the hundreds of millions that could have been spent on giving people clean water in their taps, and spent on water tankers instead. In the meantime, Mayor Moya will have to give her own account of what exactly has happened under her watch.

MAKEKASIGREAT©®™ @KASIBC_AFRICA

Fair Representation and better Governance in Qwaqwa’s Ward Demarcation

MAKEKASIGREAT©®™ @KASIBC_AFRICA 

ONLINE EDITOR @KASIBC_AFRICA 

Fair Representation and better Governance in Qwaqwa’s Ward Demarcation

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Maluti-a-Phofung (MAP) is taking proactive steps to rectify the flawed ward delimitation proposals presented by the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) in Qwaqwa. The DA has spent two weeks redesigning the illogical proposals to ensure fair representation, accessible governance, and improved service delivery for all affected communities.

Last month, the demarcation board held a public participation meeting in Qwaqwa. Their proposals for new ward definitions were not received enthusiastically by the community.

The Board needed to ensure that wards met a specific range of registered voters, and five wards were too small (8, 9, 15, 20, 21), and two were too large. (30, 34).

To achieve this, voting districts needed to be rearranged in a way that ensured every ward was geographically contiguous. When questioned about what motivated the Board to make the changes they did, they responded that they had done so to present a concept for community re-evaluation.

This is most disingenuous. No changes can be made in isolation, and the community lacks the resources, data and skills of the Demarcation Board.

Examples of their most peculiar proposals included that Ward 19 should extend from the other side of Van Reenen, past the Metsi Matso area, to the current Ward 19. Ward 9 would include 1,159 voters in Extension 5, the Kestell area.

These are mentioned because most local people would be able to identify the areas; however, in the villages, places are often linked with absolutely no direct access, except on foot. This makes the geographical linking a farce.

With a consensus that service delivery must be a prime focus, it is absurd to consider creating a ward with voting stations 110km apart on deplorable roads. Many ward councillors do not have vehicles, and none are given a travel allowance.

In built-up areas, there is simply no reason to have wards 12km long for no good reason except that it was easy for the Demarcation Board.

Some community members are still considering legal efforts to delink the Greater Harrismith and Kestell areas from Qwaqwa. This, however, is a separate issue.

For councillors to do their jobs, for ward committees to function, and for communities to form and take ownership of their environments, easy access must take priority.

MAKEKASIGREAT©®™ @KASIBC_AFRICA