CONCERN OVER SAFETY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES AMID PERSISTENT INCLEMENT WEATHER

         

CONCERN OVER SAFETY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES AMID PERSISTENT INCLEMENT WEATHER

BY : CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR KASiBC_AFRiCA

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DWYPD RAISES CONCERN OVER SAFETY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES AMID PERSISTENT INCLEMENT WEATHER

The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) is increasingly concerned about the safety, dignity, and well-being of persons with disabilities as severe and persistent adverse weather conditions continue to affect parts of the country.  

As the country continues to experience more frequent and severe climate-related eventsincluding floods and storms, it is evident that persons with disabilities are disproportionately affected due to existing social, economic, and infrastructural barriers.

 Persons with disabilities face heightened risks during disasters, including limited mobility, lack of accessible transport, and exclusion from emergency planning processes. Early warning systems and disaster communication often remain inaccessible, leaving many without critical, life-saving information. an, extreme weather conditions worsen existing health challenges and disrupt access to essential healthcare and support services. 

Heavy rains, flooding, and strong winds pose a disproportionate risk to persons with disabilities, many of whom face mobility challenges, limited access to emergency services, and barriers to timely information. These conditions heighten vulnerability, particularly for those in informal settlements, rural areas, and under-resourced communities.   

The Department calls on all levels of government, emergency services, and community structures to prioritise inclusive disaster response measures.  

This includes: 

 • Ensuring accessible early warning systems, including sign language interpretation. 

• Accessible communication formats, prioritising evacuation support for persons with disabilities, 

• Providing accessible temporary shelters and essential services, and 

• Strengthening coordination with disability organisations on the ground.  

DWYPD further urges families, caregivers, and communities to check on persons with disabilities during this period and to ensure that no one is left behind in emergency responses.  Minister Chikunga calls for a coordinated, inclusive response that recognises the specific needs of persons with disabilities and safeguards their rights and dignity at all times. 

Minister Chikunga reiterates that “Disaster situations must not deepen existing inequalities of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities. The Department will continue to monitor the situation closely and work with relevant stakeholders to ensure that inclusive measures are implemented effectively.

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Public Comment on draft Digital Identity Regulations

Public Comment on draft Digital Identity Regulations

BY : CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR KASiBC_AFRiCA

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Minister Leon Schreiber invites public comment on draft Digital Identity regulations

The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, has gazetted draft amended regulations in terms of the Identification Act of 1997 for public comment until 6 June 2026. The draft regulations are designed to create the required regulatory framework for the introduction of a cutting-edge Digital Identity system in South Africa.

The draft regulations propose the creation of secure Digital Identity credentials that will co-exist alongside the Department’s physical products. This will enable citizens to store, access and utilise secure digital versions of their identity document, birth certificate, marriage certificate and other Home Affairs products directly on their smartphone, and introduce the ability for users to remotely confirm their identity using biometric verification. Use of the Digital Identity system will be optional, and physical products like Smart ID cards will continue to exist in parallel to this new digital system.

The draft amendments are intended to:

Clarify the status of Digital Identity credentials as an additional form of valid identity under the Act, without affecting the continued validity of physical identity cards;

Prescribe standards for enrolment, biometric capture and identity assurance for Digital Identity credentials;

Lay the foundation for interoperability with both the public and private sectors, including to enable the delivery of government services in digital format;

Tighten safeguards for how identity information may be shared with accredited institutions, with access strictly regulated under the Identification Act of 1997, the Promotion of Access to Information Act of 2000, and the Protection of Personal Information Act of 2013; and

Strengthen the population register as the single authoritative record of identity and civic status information.

Minister Schreiber said: “The draft regulations propose the creation of a world-class Digital Identity system as the ultimate expression of our vision to leverage digital transformation to deliver Home Affairs @ home. This system can greatly enhance our ability to combat identity theft, financial crimes, corruption and illegal immigration, while delivering efficient services to citizens in the comfort of their own homes and improving privacy protections and data management.”

Minister Schreiber added: “We are already working closely with a number of partners in government, including the Presidency, to ensure that the foundational system we are building supports the Digital Transformation Roadmap’s goal of digitalising government services. Technical work is well underway, and the finalisation of these regulations will enable us to complete our digital service delivery revolution by bringing services right onto your smart device.”

Members of the public, civil society organisations, industry and other stakeholders are invited to review the draft regulations and submit written comments by 6 June 2026, before the regulations are finalised for promulgation. The gazette is available here.

Submissions should be addressed to the Chief Director: Legal Services and be forwarded to the Department in any of the following ways:

By hand to the Department at 10th Floor, Hallmark Building, 230 Johannes Ramokhoase Street, Pretoria, 0001;

By post to the Department at Private Bag X114, Pretoria, 0001; or

By e-mail to Moses.Malakate@dha.gov.za 

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Demand Urgent Police Intervention after Boshof Unrest

Demand Urgent Police Intervention after Boshof Unrest

BY : CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR KASiBC_AFRiCA

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DA demands urgent police intervention after Boshof unrest

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Tokologo will urgently escalate the violent unrest following a fatal incident after an alleged burglary at a local shop in Boshof to the Provincial Police Commissioner and the MEC for Community Safety, while demanding an immediate intervention plan to restore law and order, protect residents, and ensure accountability for failures during Monday’s violence.

The station commander reportedly cited severe understaffing, lack of manpower, and insufficient training, stating officers could not intervene without a direct incident. A SAPS spokesperson confirmed that reinforcements from Welkom, Bloemfontein, and Kimberley had been requested but were delayed.

The unrest has exposed a serious breakdown in policing, with SAPS failing to respond effectively while businesses were looted and infrastructure damaged.

Boshof has seen rising crime, with residents frustrated by ineffective policing, drug-related issues among unemployed youth, and a lack of meaningful action despite Community Policing Forum engagements.

The DA will formally write to the Provincial Police Commissioner demanding a full report on SAPS failures, urgent deployment of trained reinforcements, and a clear plan to address crime, drug activity, and unrest, while engaging the Community Policing Forum and stakeholders to support affected residents.

Residents should be deeply concerned that police were unable to protect lives and property during the unrest. Without urgent intervention, communities remain vulnerable to further violence, criminality, and instability.

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CONDEMNS TRIBALISM AND CALLS FOR NATIONAL UNITY ON IMMIGRATION CRISIS

CONDEMNS TRIBALISM AND CALLS FOR NATIONAL UNITY ON IMMIGRATION CRISIS 

BY : CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR KASiBC_AFRiCA

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MK PARTY CONDEMNS TRIBALISM AND CALLS FOR NATIONAL UNITY ON IMMIGRATION CRISIS 

The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (“MK Party”) has been observing and monitoring recent activities across the country and condemns the recent tribalistic statements that have been made on public platforms. At a time of rising unemployment, and growing social pressure, political leaders have a duty to unite South Africans, not divide them. 

Illegal immigration is a serious national issue affecting all South Africans, across every tribe, language group, and province. It is therefore misleading and cowardly to frame this challenge as belonging to one community or one province. Communities across the country have, for decades, raised concerns about pressure brought about by illegal immigrants on jobs, housing, and basic services. 

From Alexandra Township and Diepsloot to Khayelitsha, these frustrations are well documented, including during the 2008 violent protests and later unrest in 2015 and 2019. Illegal immigration is clearly a national concern, not a provincial or a tribal one. We reject the scapegoating of Zulu-speaking communities, or any other group, as a solution. 

Tribalism neither hides nor resolves the structural challenge of illegal immigration, it affects South Africans and all ethnic groups, and deepens divisions among those most affected. The burden falls disproportionately on the poor and working class, who face the harshest competition for limited jobs and economic opportunities. 

The ANC government has also failed to respond decisively. Despite sustained public concern, the Border Management Authority remains under-capacitated, with limited resources and slow implementation weakening effective border management. Furthermore, parties such as the ANC, DA, and other so-called progressive parties supported the Immigration Amendment Act, 2025, which makes detaining and deporting illegal immigrants harder by requiring the state to fund their legal representation, adding further strain to South Africa’s already overburdened resources.  

The MK Party maintains that the persistence and support of illegal immigration by these parties is deliberate. It reflects the continuation of a cheap labour system rooted in colonialism and apartheid, now sustained in new forms by the ANC.  

This system primarily benefits white monopoly capital by placing downward pressure on salaries and wages of ordinary South Africans. The MK Party reaffirms its commitment to a united South Africa, to firm and lawful management of immigration, and to protecting the dignity and economic interests of all our people. 

Such irresponsible statements undermine social cohesion; fuel tribal tension and divert attention from the broader struggle for genuine economic freedom and true liberation. We call on society to reject divisive rhetoric by opportunists and to focus on building a just, united, and truly liberated South Africa. 

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Expectations for Gang Violence Inquiry

Expectations for Gang Violence Inquiry

BY : CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR KASiBC_AFRiCA

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DA sets clear expectations for gang violence inquiry

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the parliamentary inquiry into gang violence and organised crime, but we caution that this process must not become another talk shop without real accountability and measurable outcomes.

South Africans, particularly communities in the Western Cape, are living under siege from relentless gang violence. This inquiry must therefore move beyond broad assessments and deliver concrete answers on what is working, what is failing, and who must be held accountable.

The DA will be demanding clarity on several critical issues:

The effectiveness of the Anti-Gang Unit (AGU), including whether its interventions are producing sustained reductions in murders and shootings, or merely temporary stabilisation in hotspot areas.

The alarming gaps in data and performance measurement, which currently make it impossible to properly assess whether SAPS strategies are succeeding.

The integrity of the AGU, including how SAPS is managing internal investigations and ensuring that both legitimate misconduct and malicious or retaliatory complaints are dealt with appropriately.

The lack of focus on dismantling organised crime networks, including financial investigations, asset forfeiture, and targeting of gang leadership rather than low-level offenders.

Whether sufficient resources, intelligence coordination, and prosecutorial support are in place to secure convictions, not just arrests.

The extent to which SAPS is strengthening its working relationship with the National Prosecuting Authority to improve prosecution outcomes and secure convictions.

The state of intelligence capacity, and whether it is adequate to support effective, intelligence-led policing within the scope of the inquiry.

The role of the South African Revenue Service in targeting gang kingpins by disrupting the financial networks that sustain organised crime.

The state of forensic capacity, including how delays in drug analysis and ballistic testing are being addressed to fast-track prosecutions.

As well as lifestyle audits and polygraphs of all AGU members regularly.

Recent figures show activity, but not necessarily impact. Without clear evidence linking police operations to convictions, disrupted networks, and long-term reductions in violence, SAPS cannot claim success.

The DA will also push for greater transparency on how priority gang stations are identified, how often these are reviewed, and whether interventions are actually improving safety in affected communities.

This inquiry must ultimately answer one simple question: are we safer today than we were before these interventions were introduced?

If not, then government must be honest about failure and commit to a new, evidence-based strategy to defeat organised crime. We again emphasise the need for the expansion of policing powers to effectively tackle gang violence.

The people of South Africa deserve more than statistics they deserve safety, justice, and a police that works.

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