Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa: White Paper on Local Government Executive Dialogue with the National Business Initiative (NBI)

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Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa: White Paper on Local Government Executive Dialogue with the National Business Initiative (NBI)

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Opening address by Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa at the White Paper on Local Government Executive Dialogue with the National Business Initiative (NBI), The conneXXion, Exxaro Resources, Centurion

“Every Municipality Must Work – A Call to Collective Action”

Programme Director; Deputy Ministers and senior leadership; the Exxaro CEO and other representatives from the National Business Initiative; our gracious hosts; distinguished CEOs and Board Chairs; Heads of state institutions; colleagues from national and provincial government; ladies and gentlemen, good morning and thank you for joining us in this working dialogue.

Much time, energy and resources have been invested in this review process, and we are therefore determined that the outcomes must far exceed the resources committed. Local government is the sphere closest to the people and the primary platform for economic growth and social development. South Africa requires a stable, capable and predictable local governance system that works consistently.

Such a system cannot be rebuilt through short-term fixes. This is why the review adopts short-, medium- and long-term horizons, recognising that meaningful reform must be sequenced over time. The first White Paper on Local Government was adopted in 1998. With this exercise, we are reimagining the next 30 years and charting a clear path for a modern, coherent and resilient local government system.

Today is about moving South Africa’s local government reforms from paper to practice, from discussion to disciplined execution, and from isolated fixes to a system that works in real places for households and firms every day.

We meet at a decisive moment in a reform process that government launched publicly last year, when we published a discussion document on the White Paper on local government review. We invited the country to respond and received 266 submissions from municipalities, business organisations, civil society, academia and traditional leadership.

Those inputs, together with roundtables and consultative sessions held across the country in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, East London and other centres, have shaped a revised Draft White Paper on Local Government that sets out an integrated, sequenced agenda to modernise the system.

As we are aware, the Auditor-General’s latest consolidated MFMA report records a system that remains under severe stress. Only 41 of the country’s 257 municipalities achieved clean audits in 2023/24. Financial health is deteriorating in many municipalities, consequence management is uneven and service failures remain too frequent.

These findings echo what communities and businesses experience: failing infrastructure, rising operating costs and declining trust in the reliability of basic services. This is the reality that must guide our actions.

The Draft White Paper working document makes several key design choices that frame our discussion.

First, it treats local government as a system. The revised White Paper proposes a national policy coordination centre to end fragmented and duplicative rules imposed on municipalities. It also proposes an authoritative powers-and-functions map to clarify institutional responsibilities and a single inter-sphere calendar to align planning, budgeting, approval and reporting processes across all spheres of government.

These are not conceptual adjustments. They are operational requirements for achieving collective impact in local development.

Second, the approach shifts cooperative governance from discussions in forums to rules-based delivery. This includes binding intergovernmental agreements for priority programmes, escalation protocols with specific timelines when commitments are not met and two-way accountability across all spheres of government.

If delays occur in projects such as housing developments or bulk water infrastructure upgrades due to misaligned approvals or sequencing challenges, the system must clearly identify where the responsibility lies rather than placing the burden solely on municipalities.

Third, the revised White Paper introduces a single, data-driven oversight and early-warning system with standard indicators aligned to MFMA Circular 88. When risk thresholds are reached, mandatory early support will be triggered to prevent institutional collapse.

Fourth, the White Paper acknowledges the need to reform municipal finance by moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach.

Fifth, it prioritises professionalisation and digital governance, with emphasis on merit-based appointments and enforceable standards for senior managers. The proposed reforms aim to establish a municipal digital backbone that integrates financial management, procurement, asset management, service requests and council processes into transparent, auditable systems.

Political parties must also prioritise leadership deployment by ensuring that public representatives possess the necessary competencies and understanding of governance frameworks before assuming office.

Finally, the working document emphasises that spatial transformation, economic growth and climate resilience must be pursued as a single integrated outcome.

The District Development Model and the One Plans framework will be strengthened through binding place-based compacts with measurable outcomes, sequenced implementation pipelines and clear commitments from all partners.

Government is also introducing additional legislative mechanisms to support the reforms outlined in the revised White Paper on Local Government.

Programme Director,

I recognise that public trust has been eroded by plans that did not translate into meaningful results and by uneven implementation of policy frameworks. This is precisely why the working document proposes a small, cross-sphere, time-bound transition management body with representation from social partners.

This mechanism will help coordinate implementation, remove institutional obstacles, publish progress reports and ensure predictable sequencing of reforms. It is not intended to create additional bureaucracy but rather to serve as a temporary delivery steward to support implementation.

To our business partners, while we call on you to invest and contribute expertise, government must also reduce regulatory complexity. The proposed policy coordination centre will align national rules affecting municipalities and reduce duplicative reporting, contradictory norms and unpredictable compliance requirements that divert municipal capacity away from service delivery.

Where duplication imposes unnecessary costs on municipal performance and the broader economy, we must work together to eliminate it.

I therefore ask that your interventions be practical and precise. Where proposals are strong, confirm them. Where they require improvement, indicate clearly what would make them investable and executable. Where collaboration is needed, propose mechanisms that can be implemented in the near term.

This dialogue is not another consultation exercise. It represents the final structured opportunity for organised business to shape the revised Draft White Paper before it is submitted to Cabinet at the end of this month.

We already have the analysis and the institutional architecture. What we require now is collective discipline in implementation.

Let us use this engagement to do what South Africans have always done when confronted with difficult challenges: fix what is broken, protect what works and agree on what we will deliver together, by whom, by when and with what resources.

The Department of Cooperative Governance will incorporate the proposals emerging from this dialogue into the next iteration of the document and the transition arrangements guiding implementation.

We will report publicly on how stakeholder inputs have strengthened the policy and hold ourselves accountable to the standard set by the President: implementation and accountability.

I thank the National Business Initiative, Exxaro, our colleagues from the Department of Water and Sanitation and other government departments, as well as the business leaders who have dedicated their time to contribute to this important national effort.

I look forward to a robust and solutions-driven dialogue and to leaving this engagement with a clear, practical pathway toward municipalities that work.

I thank you.

Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa: White Paper on Local Government Executive Dialogue with the National Business Initiative (NBI)

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SULIMAN CARRIM MADLANGA COMMISSION RULING

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SULIMAN CARRIM MADLANGA COMMISSION RULING 

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SASSA on 30 days Notice for Beneficiaries to Visit Offices for Social Grant Review

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SASSA on 30 days Notice for Beneficiaries to Visit Offices for Social Grant Review

CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE_EDITOR 

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South African Social Security Agency is encouraging all beneficiaries not to ignore the 30 days’ notice to do social grant review. Before the Agency terminates or lapses the social grant, it is based on SASSA mandate that beneficiaries must be informed.

The notice of suspension or cancellation of social assistance contemplated in sub regulation 32(2) must be delivered to the beneficiary or the procurator electronic communication or any other means of communication. Sub regulation 32(4) states that the Agency must, prior to suspending or cancelling any social assistance, investigate, obtain and verify all the facts and circumstances surrounding the social assistance.

In Mpumalanga third quarter progress reports state that 12151beneficiaries were notified to visit SASSA offices for social grant review,2303 were reviewed and 221 lapsed.

SASSA Mpumalanga is pleading with beneficiary to respond to this process and take it seriously to ensure that the qualified social grant beneficiaries continue to receive their social grant at the right time. The Agency understands that majority of South Africans depends on social grant but that does not mean that people must receive the grant fraudulently.

Beneficiary must be aware that they can appoint a Procurator, that may conduct the grant review on the beneficiary’s behalf, provided they follow the guidelines and present the necessary documentation.

For more information contact toll free during working days/hours 0800 60 10 11during working hours Monday – Friday.

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Minister Dean Macpherson directs CBE to Investigate Ormonde Collapse

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Minister Dean Macpherson directs CBE to Investigate Ormonde Collapse

CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE_EDITOR 

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Public Works & Infrastructure Minister Macpherson has directed the Council for the Built Environment (CBE) to lead a technical, governance and regulatory enquiry into the circumstances surrounding the Ormonde building collapse in Johannesburg on 2 March 2026. 

The multi-disciplinary investigation will assess structural and construction factors, examine regulatory and professional compliance, and determine whether any negligence, misconduct or legislative breaches contributed to the collapse. 

The CBE is expected to complete the enquiry within eight weeks, after which a report will be submitted to the Minister to help strengthen building safety, accountability and enforcement across the built environment sector. 

The Minister of Public Works & Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, has directed the Council for the Built Environment (CBE) to lead a technical, governance and regulatory investigative enquiry into the circumstances surrounding the building collapse that occurred in Ormonde, south of Johannesburg, on 2 March 2026. 

The CBE, which is a regulator of professionals through regulatory frameworks and mandatory standards for the built environment. The CBE Act 43 of 2000 empowers the Minister of Public Works to institute enquiries of investigation into occurrences of this nature, in terms of the following sections: 

Section 4 of the CBE Act to: (a) Advise the government on any matter falling within the scope of the built environment, including resource mobilisation, socio-economic development, public health and safety and the environment, and for this purpose carry out such investigations as it or the relevant Minister deems necessary. 

Section 4(e): To facilitate interministerial cooperation concerning issues relating to the built environment. 

Section 4 (l): Investigate or initiate investigations into matters pertaining to its functions and policies with regard to the built environment and, if necessary, recommend legislation in this regard. 

The investigative enquiry will adopt a multi-disciplinary approach and will examine the incident across three key dimensions: 

1) Technical Investigation The technical component will assess the structural and construction aspects of the project, including a review of the engineering and architectural design, construction methodologies, temporary works arrangements, and material performance. The investigation will seek to determine the probable technical cause of the collapse through structural and forensic analysis. 

2) Regulatory and Professional Oversight The enquiry will examine whether the project complied with applicable regulatory requirements, and whether appropriately registered built environment practitioners were involved in the design, supervision, and certification of the development. Where evidence of professional negligence, misconduct, contravention of the code of conduct or failure to fulfil statutory responsibilities is identified, such matters will be referred to the relevant authorities for further disciplinary and criminal processes. 

3) Legislative and Governance Compliance The investigation will also assess compliance with the provisions of the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act and other relevant legislation governing construction and building safety. This will include reviewing whether the required municipal approvals, including building plan approvals and development permissions, were obtained and whether appropriate inspection and enforcement processes were followed. Timelines and deliverables 

The enquiry is expected to be conducted over a period of eight weeks, after which the Council for the Built Environment will submit a report to the Minister of Public Works & Infrastructure. This enquiry forms part of the government’s broader commitment to strengthening building safety and restoring public confidence in the built environment regulatory system. 

The findings will also contribute to ongoing efforts to address illegal construction practices, enhance professional accountability, and strengthen enforcement of building regulations across the country. 

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Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa: Africa Energy Indaba

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Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa: Africa Energy Indaba

CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE_EDITOR 

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Programme Director,

Her Excellency Commissioner Lerato Mataboge of the African Union Commission,

Excellencies, Ministers and Deputy Ministers,

Leaders of industry and finance,

Distinguished delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We gather at a defining moment for Africa and for the global energy system.

This forum does not convene to ask whether nuclear energy has a place in Africa’s future. That question belongs to another era. We meet instead to determine how nuclear power will shape the architecture of our development and anchor the sovereignty of our continent in the decades ahead.

For many years, nuclear energy occupied an uneasy space in global discourse. It was admired for its technical sophistication, scrutinised for its safety, frequently deferred in favour of less demanding political choices and is still questioned for its cost. Yet history clarifies fundamentals. As nations confront the twin imperatives of decarbonisation and energy security, a simple truth has reasserted itself. No modern economy can industrialise, decarbonise and secure its sovereignty on intermittent power alone.

Nuclear energy has returned to the centre of strategic planning not out of nostalgia, not out of ideology, but out of structural necessity. Robert Oppenheimer, one of the architects of the atomic age, reminded the world that “there must be no barriers to freedom of inquiry. There is no place for dogma in science.” In our time, that principle must guide energy policy.

The question before Africa is not ideological. It is structural. It is developmental. It is sovereign.

Firm power is not optional. It is foundational. Nuclear energy remains the only dispatchable, zero emission technology capable of operating at scale around the clock, independent of weather volatility, commodity price shocks and geopolitical disruption. It is infrastructure measured not in electoral cycles but in generations.

The global resurgence of nuclear energy is therefore not ideological. It is structural.

At COP28, more than twenty countries endorsed the Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy Capacity by 2050. The World Nuclear Association has positioned this ambition as central to credible net zero pathways. Major financial institutions, such as the World Bank Group, have aligned behind nuclear expansion. The IAEA’s modelling demonstrates that decarbonisation without nuclear growth is economically and technically implausible.

The direction of travel is clear. The question is whether Africa will shape this resurgence or be peripheral to it.

Our continent’s electricity demand is projected to more than double by 2040. Industrialisation, mineral beneficiation, hydrogen production, digital infrastructure and urbanisation will demand reliable, scalable power. More than six hundred million Africans still live without electricity access. Energy poverty coexists with industrial ambition. 

We cannot build the African century on structural energy fragility.

South Africa’s experience offers perspective. On the outskirts of Cape Town, Koeberg nuclear power station has supplied roughly five percent of our national electricity from a single site for almost forty years. It has operated at capacity factors consistently above eighty percent, delivered more than two hundred terawatt-hours of carbon-free electricity, and remains among the lowest-cost producers in our system. Koeberg is now undergoing Long-Term Operation licensing, extending Unit 1 to 2044 and Unit 2 thereafter.

For almost four decades Koeberg Nuclear Power Station has delivered stable, clean electricity to our grid with consistently high performance. Nuclear has not been theoretical for us. It has been dependable infrastructure. It has anchored system stability and reduced emissions without compromising reliability.

Nuclear therefore remains core to South Africa’s future energy mix, and we intend to grow our capacity in the coming decades, through our IRP 2025.

Across our continent, nuclear ambition is no longer theoretical. It is measurable.

Egypt’s El Dabaa project comprises four reactors of 1, 200 megawatts each, under construction that represents one of the most significant nuclear infrastructure commitments in modern African history. Nigeria has articulated ambitions of approximately 4, 800 megawatts of nuclear capacity in its long-term expansion pathway. Ghana, Kenya and Uganda are advancing regulatory frameworks under the guidance of the International Atomic Energy Agency. More than twenty African nations have formally signalled interest in nuclear development.

This is not coincidence. It is recognition.

Africa enters this nuclear moment with strategic advantages. We account for approximately fourteen to eighteen percent of global uranium production, with Namibia and Niger among the world’s largest exporters. Our reserves remain significant and underdeveloped. We possess not only demand, but resource endowment.

We must move from exporting uranium to exporting value.

Exporting uranium alone does not constitute sovereignty. Sovereignty is achieved when resources are converted into industrial capability, technological competence and long-term value.

We must move from exporting raw material to exporting expertise.

The technology landscape itself is evolving rapidly. Over eighty small modular reactor designs are under development globally. Two are in operation. Several are under construction. Major economies are investing billions in modular technologies designed for shorter construction timelines, lower upfront capital intensity and scalable deployment.

Small Modular Reactors align with African realities.

They can be deployed incrementally.

They can repower retiring coal sites.

They can use existing transmission corridors.

They can provide both electricity and industrial heat.

They can anchor hydrogen hubs and mineral processing corridors.

The IAEA’s Coal to Nuclear initiative, launched during South Africa’s G20 Presidency, positions nuclear as a strategic pathway to repurpose retiring coal assets, preserve jobs and secure low carbon baseload capacity. For coal dependent regions across Africa, this presents a just transition mechanism that is practical rather than rhetorical. 

This is not merely about adding megawatts to a grid. It is about reshaping economic structure.

The barrier before Africa is not technology. It is finance.

While OECD utilities borrow at rates between two and four percent, many African sovereigns face borrowing costs that can exceed twelve or even twenty percent. Projects that are technically sound and economically rational are priced as though they are speculative.

The divergence between perceived risk and real performance inflates tariffs and delays development. In too many instances, the pricing of African risk generates returns disproportionate to underlying volatility.

This dynamic extracts value from our economies before a single kilowatt hour is produced. In many cases, the pricing of African risk has become more profitable than the financing of African infrastructure itself. This must change.

If the world is serious about tripling nuclear capacity by 2050, Africa must be central to that ambition. That requires financing structures aligned with developmental realities. It requires multilateral institutions to move decisively from policy eligibility to implementation. It requires vendor nations to integrate localisation, skills transfer and industrial participation into comprehensive partnerships.

Nuclear programmes demand patience, scale and institutional credibility. They also demand fairness and trust. 

The governance framework for African nuclear development is robust, with the IAEA providing global oversight. The Treaty of Pelindaba affirms Africa’s commitment to peaceful use. Continental institutions reinforce transparency and responsibility.

Africa approaches nuclear with deliberation, not recklessness.

South Africa’s nuclear policy is clear. Nuclear energy will be used for peaceful purposes, in conformity with international obligations. It will contribute to energy security, economic growth, skills development and climate mitigation. Our IRP 2025 recognises nuclear as a core component of a diversified energy mix, with significant new capacity envisaged over the coming decades.

We are exploring fleet approaches to procurement to secure economies of scale. We are advancing environmental authorisations and siting licences. We are investing in the development of a Multi-Purpose Reactor to support research, medical isotopes and advanced fuel qualification. We are positioning NECSA as a continental anchor for nuclear development.

We are not asking whether nuclear belongs in Africa’s future. We are planning how it will define it.

The next generation of nuclear technologies offers Africa an opportunity to leap forward. Generation IV designs promise higher efficiency, enhanced safety and improved fuel utilisation. TRISO particle fuel, in which South Africa holds experience, offers extraordinary safety margins and proliferation resistance. Advanced reactors can integrate with desalination, industrial heat applications and hydrogen production.

This is not merely about electricity. It is about industrial ecosystems. 

Nuclear energy stimulates high skill employment, advanced manufacturing and long-term supply chains. It builds engineering capability and scientific institutions. It anchors industrial ecosystems that extend beyond electricity generation itself.

Energy sovereignty and industrial sovereignty are inseparable.

Julius Nyerere reminded us that without development there is no independence. In our era, development at scale requires energy at scale. Political sovereignty that rests upon fragile energy systems remains incomplete. True independence demands reliable power that can sustain industry, research, innovation and prosperity for generations.

For too long Africa’s development has been constrained by structural energy insecurity. Grid instability erodes confidence. Import dependency exposes economies to volatility. Nuclear offers a stabilising anchor within that volatility. It provides predictable, long-term operation. It reduces exposure to fuel shocks. It enables decarbonisation without sacrificing reliability.

The global nuclear resurgence is underway. The Declaration to Triple Nuclear Capacity by 2050 signals recognition that credible net zero pathways require firm, clean power. Africa must ensure that this expansion includes our continent not as a passive recipient but as an active architect.

The age of questioning has passed. The age of implementation has begun.

How do we structure bankable programmes at scale.

How do we align regulatory frameworks with financing instruments.

How do we ensure localisation and skills development. 

How do we move from feasibility to first concrete.

History will judge this generation not by the debates we convened but by the infrastructure we delivered.

Africa’s development project requires firm, clean and sovereign power at scale. Nuclear energy offers that possibility. It offers reliability without emissions, sovereignty without volatility and industrialisation without fragility.

From this Nuclear Forum at the Africa Energy Indaba, we state clearly:

Africa will approach nuclear energy with responsibility.

Africa will approach it with institutional discipline.

Africa will approach it with industrial intention.

Africa will approach it with sovereign confidence.

We will integrate it into diversified systems.

We will strengthen regulatory independence.

We will negotiate financing rationally.

We will invest in human capital deliberately.

We will not debate indefinitely. We will build.

The nuclear century will not bypass this continent. It will help power the African century.

I thank you.

Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa: Africa Energy Indaba

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