Deputy Minister Mimmy Gondwe visits Mlandeleni Community Learning Centre in Ndwedwe

Deputy Minister Mimmy Gondwe visits Mlandeleni Community Learning Centre in Ndwedwe

BY : CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR KASiBC_AFRiCA

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Department of Higher Education and Training partners with Services SETA to launch Community College infrastructure upgrade project 

The Deputy Minister for Higher Education and Training, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, will visit the KwaZulu-Natal CET College at the Mlandeleni Community Learning Centre (CLC) in Ndwedwe on Monday 4 May 2026. 

The visit will officially launch a R4 million renovation and infrastructure upgrade project at the Centre, in partnership with the Services SETA. The project is part of the Department of Higher Education and Training’s (DHET) ongoing efforts to support infrastructure and curriculum development at CET colleges nationwide. 

Mlandeleni CLC has over 1,000 students enrolled, offers various adult learning qualifications, and serves as a “second chance” learning centre for out-of-school youth. 

The project launch also includes support from several other SETAs, the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, the National Skills Fund, and business stakeholders, who will provide learners with information on training programmes, career guidance, and study funding opportunities in the higher education and training sector.

Events Details :  

Date: 4 May 2026

Time: 9h00 – 13h00

Location: KwaZulu-Natal CET College, Emlandeleni CLC, Ndwedwe

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Adjustment of Fuel Prices in South Africa

Adjustment of Fuel Prices in South Africa 

BY : CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR KASiBC_AFRiCA

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Minister Gwede Mantashe announces adjustment of Fuel Prices effective from the 6th of May 2026

The Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources announces the adjustment of fuel prices based on current local and international factors with effect from the 6th of May 2026.

South Africa’s fuel prices are adjusted monthly, informed by international and local factors. International factors include the fact that South Africa imports both crude oil and finished products at a price set at the international level, including importation costs, e.g., shipping costs.

The main reasons for the fuel price adjustments are due to:

Crude Oil Prices

The average Brent Crude oil price increased from 93.67 US Dollars (USD) to 101 USD during the period under review. This is due to the continued tension between the US and Iran, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and damage to other crucial infrastructure which have affected crude oil supply.

2. International Petroleum Product Prices

The average international product prices followed the increasing trend of crude oil prices. The prices of middle distillates (diesel and paraffin) increased more than petrol prices because of higher demand and reduced supply from the Persian Gulf. These factors led to higher contributions to the Basic Fuel Prices of petrol, diesel and illuminating paraffin by R2.04 per litre, R4,96 per litre and R4,21 per litre, Media Statement – Fuel Price Adjustments for May 2026 respectively. The prices of Propane and Butane increased during the period under review due to limited global supply since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

3. Rand/US Dollar Exchange Rate

The Rand remained constant on average, against the US Dollar (from 16.64 to 16.65 Rand per USD) during the period under review when compared to the previous one. This led to a contribution of less than one cent per liter to the Basic Fuel Prices of petrol, diesel and Illuminating Paraffin during the period under review.

4. Implementation of the Slate Levy

The cumulative slate amounted to a negative balance of R14.173 billion for petrol and diesel at the end of March 2026. In line with the provisions of the Self-Adjusting Slate Levy Mechanism, the slate levy of 122.70 c/l will be implemented in the price structures of petrol and diesel with effect from the 6th of May 2026.

5. Extension of Short-term Relief Measure to Address Fuel Price Increases

Due to the ongoing US-Iran conflict which continues to affect fuel prices globally, the Minister of Finance in consultation with the Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources announced a further temporary reduction in the general fuel levy of 300.0 c/l to be implemented in the price structures of petrol and R393.0 c/l for diesel from the 6th of May 2026 to the 2nd June 2026.

6. The Maximum Refinery Gate Price (MRGP) for LPGas that is imported through the Port of Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape province.

The Maximum Refinery Gate Price (MRGP) and the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of LPGas that is imported through the Port of Saldanha Bay will be R18 375.72 per metric ton and R40,85 per kilogram, respectively, effective from the 6th of May 2026. Media Statement – Fuel Price Adjustments for May 2026.

Based on current Local and International factors, the fuel prices for May 2026 will be adjusted as follows:

Petrol 93 and 95 (ULP & LRP): Three Rands and twenty-seven cents per litre (R3,27 per litre) increase.

Diesel (0.05% sulphur): Six Rands and nineteen cents per litre (R6,19 per litre) increase.

Diesel (0.005% sulphur): Six Rands and nineteen cents per litre (R6,19 per litre) increase.

Illuminating Paraffin (wholesale): Four Rands and twenty-two cents per litre (R4,22 per litre) increase

SMNRP for IP: Five Rands and sixty-three cents per litre (R5,63 per litre) increase.

Maximum Retail Price of LPGas: Five Rands and seven cents per kilogram (R5,07 per kg) increase in Gauteng and five Rands and seventy-eight cents per kilogram (R5,78 per kg) increase in the Western Cape; and

The fuel prices schedule for the different Magisterial District Zones (MDZ) will be published on Tuesday, the 5th of May 2026.

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Social Development on Institutional Reform and Media Scrutiny

Social Development on Institutional Reform and Media Scrutiny

BY : CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR KASiBC_AFRiCA

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The Department of Social Development (DSD) notes the continued media interest in various administrative and personnel matters within the Department.

We recognise that periods of rigorous institutional reform often attract heightened public scrutiny. The Department views this attention not as adversarial, but as an important element of oversight and a necessary component of transparency.

Journalistic integrity and objective discourse

The Department calls on media practitioners to maintain a clear distinction between verified facts and information driven by the interests of particular sources. While the Minister of Social Development, Ms. Nokuzola Sisisi Tolashe welcomes robust and constructive engagement as part of a healthy democratic environment, it is inappropriate for media platforms to be used to advance personal grievances or to promote narratives that rely on inflammatory or defamatory language.

The Department urges adherence to the highest standards of journalistic integrity, ensuring that unverified claims are not presented as established facts before due processes are concluded.

Institutional reform and legacy matters

It is important to distinguish between challenges arising from current reform processes and administrative shortcomings inherited from previous cycles. Some issues recently reported in the media, including matters related to organisational donations and historical recruitment processes, originate from legacy systems that predate the current administration.

The Department is actively addressing these matters to ensure lasting institutional improvement.

Proactive remediation and due processes

The Department remains committed to corrective action. Where administrative irregularities have been identified, including in recruitment and personnel processes, decisive steps have been taken to halt such activities and initiate formal investigations. All investigations involving departmental officials and advisors are conducted in line with established legal frameworks and internal disciplinary procedures, without any executive interference.

Administrative stability and governance

The Minister continues to strengthen governance systems and promote a unified, professional, and merit-based organisational culture.

While reform efforts may give rise to internal tensions, the Department remains focused on stabilising its governance structures and ensuring that internal matters do not detract from its core mandate.DSD will not substitute due process with media commentary. Its primary focus remains the delivery of essential social protection services and grants to millions of South Africans, while ensuring accountability and integrity within its administrative systems.

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Dulcie September Dangerous School Conditions in Rabie Ridge

Dulcie September Dangerous School Conditions in Rabie Ridge

BY : CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR KASiBC_AFRiCA

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Learners at Dulcie September miss weeks of schooling due to dangerous school conditions

Teaching and learning at Dulcie September School in Rabie Ridge, Johannesburg, have come to a halt amid unsafe and undignified conditions. For the past two weeks, parents have kept their children at home, stating that they will not allow them to return to school until the infrastructure crisis is addressed.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on Gauteng MEC for Infrastructure Development, Jacob Mamabolo, and the Gauteng Department of Education MEC, Lebogang Maile, to urgently intervene and ensure that structural engineers, occupational health and safety and electricity inspectors are deployed to assess infrastructure at the school.

DA made this shocking discovery during its oversight inspection yesterday. Eight ablution facilities have been closed due to their shocking state, leaving approximately 2,500 learners reliant on 20 portable toilets. Parents report that many learners, particularly girls, have developed infections after using these facilities. Teachers are no better off. Their facilities lack taps, toilet seats and functioning doors.

Furthermore, eleven mobile classrooms are out of use due to structural defects, worsening overcrowding in classrooms already plagued by broken windows, leaking roofs, and exposed wiring that pose serious safety risks.

Parents further allege that the condition deteriorated after mobile classrooms were relocated to an adjoining site in June 2025, where contractors' poor workmanship left infrastructure in a hazardous state. Despite promises by the Gauteng Department of Education, there has been no meaningful intervention to date.

This is yet another example of the Premier Panyaza Lesufi-led government's failure to ensure safe and dignified learning environments. It is not only tragic that learners have lost valuable schooling time they may never recover, but also deeply concerning that the government has yet to step in and resolve the issue.

The DA is the only party that has a plan to end the school infrastructure crisis in Gauteng for the benefit of all learners. We would take a tougher approach to school safety and infrastructure, hold contractors accountable through penalties and bans.

Furthermore, we would introduce independent inspections and prioritise building new schools and properly maintaining existing schools to ensure they all meet basic health and safety standards.

Learners and teachers cannot be expected to function in conditions that endanger their health, strip them of dignity, and put their lives at risk.

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GAUTENG DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT SETS RECORD STRAIGHT ON DR F&F TREATMENT CENTRE CLAIMS

GAUTENG DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT SETS RECORD STRAIGHT ON DR F&F TREATMENT CENTRE CLAIMS 

BY : CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR KASiBC_AFRiCA

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The Gauteng Department of Social Development (GDSD) notes with concern misleading statements made by the Democratic Alliance (DA) regarding the operations and capacity of the Dr Fabian and Florence Ribeiro Substance Abuse Treatment Centre. 

The Department wishes to place the following facts on record to correct these inaccuracies. The Dr Fabian and Florence Ribeiro Treatment Centre is registered to accommodate 353 patients, based on its available human resource capacity. 

While the infrastructure allows for a larger intake, patient admissions are guided by staffing levels to ensure quality care and effective treatment outcomes. Contrary to claims that 1 249 patients were admitted at the facility, this figure represents the total number of individuals admitted across Gauteng during Phase 1 of the Tswa Daar campaign. 

This number includes admissions to various funded non-profit organisation (NPO) inpatient treatment centres across the province, and not solely the Dr Fabian and Florence Ribeiro facility. In addition, 805 individuals were assessed and referred to outpatient treatment programmes following comprehensive evaluations conducted by social workers and medical professionals during the campaign. It is important to emphasise that not all individuals with substance use challenges require inpatient admission.  

Appropriate treatment interventions are determined through professional assessments to ensure that each individual receives the most suitable level of care. While there was a temporary increase in the number of service users at the Dr Fabian and Florence Ribeiro facility, this was effectively managed. 

The Department deployed additional human resources, including  Social Workers and mobile treatment services, to provide psychosocial support and medical detoxification where required. Claims that the facility lacked medication for detoxification are incorrect. All admitted service users received medical care aligned with their treatment plans. It must be noted that Gauteng faces a high prevalence of crystal methamphetamine use, for which there is no approved pharmacological detox treatment. 

In such cases, withdrawal is managed through clinically approved supplements to ease symptoms, which were made available at the facility. The Department further rejects claims that the facility can only accommodate 150 patients due to staffing constraints. The centre remains fully capacitated to manage 353 patients. Following its temporary closure for renovations, the facility will reopen in May 2026 with an initial intake of 150 service users as part of a phased admission process. 

Weekly admissions will continue until full capacity is reached. This approach ensures effective management of withdrawal symptoms and optimal care for all service users. To strengthen service delivery, the Department has recruited 10 additional Social Workers, along with nursing personnel, to support operations at the facility. The current staffing complement is adequate to manage the centre’s registered capacity. 

The temporary closure of the facility was a necessary measure to ensure the safety and security of service users. Ongoing renovations required the movement of contractors and materials, which posed risks, including the potential introduction of substances into the facility. During this period, individuals requiring inpatient care were referred to other funded NPO treatment facilities, as well as outpatient and community-based programmes across the province. 

The Department also wishes to correct the misconception that all individuals with substance use disorders require inpatient treatment. This is not the case. Outpatient treatment programmes are equally effective, depending on the individual’s condition and level of commitment, and remain a critical component of the continuum of care.

The Dr Fabian and Florence Ribeiro Treatment Centre is on track to resume admissions from 12 May 2026, with screening processes already underway across regions. 

The Gauteng Department of Social Development continues to provide evidence-based, safe and effective substance abuse treatment services, and calls on all stakeholders to refrain from spreading misinformation that may undermine public confidence in these critical services. 

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