Western Cape Communities to Guard Schools Following R72,000 Vandalism Attack

Western Cape Communities to Guard Schools Following R72,000 Vandalism Attack

BY : CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR KASiBC_AFRiCA

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DA Urges Western Cape Communities to Guard Schools Following R72,000 Vandalism Attack

CAPE TOWN — The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Western Cape has issued an urgent appeal to parents, residents, and local stakeholders to actively protect school infrastructure following a destructive break-in at Sir Lowry’s Pass Primary School.

The call for community mobilization follows an oversight visit to the school by provincial officials after criminals targeted the property in the early hours of the morning.

The attackers gained entry from the rear of the premises, focusing their destruction on the Foundation Phase classrooms. The infrastructure was heavily ransacked, with thieves stealing and destroying air-conditioning cables, electrical wiring, door handles, data projectors, and window frames. The school has issued a preliminary damage estimate of approximately R72,000, noting that the incident has severely disrupted daily learning and compromised student safety.

According to provincial data, the crisis extends far beyond this single property. Schools across the Western Cape are facing a relentless wave of burglaries, with 25 schools reporting 28 separate incidents during recent term breaks alone, accumulating nearly R400,000 in repair costs. Thieves consistently target high-value assets, including computers, projectors, plumbing fixtures, and security systems.

Peter Johnson, Member of the Provincial Parliament (MPP) and DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Education, emphasized that the financial fallout directly robs children of educational resources.

"Schools are the foundation of opportunity for every child," Johnson said. "When they are vandalised, learners lose resources and communities lose progress. This destruction takes money away from teaching and learning and weakens our education system. It must stop."

The DA highlighted that the costs of fixing intentional damages place an unsustainable strain on a budget already stretched thin by recent severe weather across the province. Every rand redirected toward fixing broken infrastructure is money stripped from hiring teachers, funding school nutrition programs, providing textbooks, and securing learner transport.

In response to the latest attack, the DA confirmed it will formally write to the Western Cape provincial Minister of Education to ensure Sir Lowry’s Pass Primary School receives emergency maintenance support.

Johnson concluded by emphasizing that law enforcement cannot solve the issue alone, calling for a shield of community vigilance. "The DA in the Western Cape urges communities to remain vigilant, take ownership of local schools, and report any suspicious activity. Protecting schools is a shared responsibility that directly impacts learners’ futures."

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Criminal Charges Against CETA Administrator Over Alleged R3-Million Salary Fraud

Criminal Charges Against CETA Administrator Over Alleged R3-Million Salary Fraud

BY : CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR KASiBC_AFRiCA

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DA Files Criminal Charges Against CETA Administrator Over Alleged R3-Million Salary Fraud

JOHANNESBURG — The Democratic Alliance (DA) has laid formal criminal charges against the Administrator of the Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA), Oupa Nkoane, for allegedly approving his own R3-million annual salary.

The opposition party contends the astronomical salary package was pushed through fraudulently, vastly exceeding the R500,000 threshold originally prescribed by Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela.

According to the DA, when Nkoane was confronted during a Parliament Portfolio Committee meeting on Higher Education, he admitted to the "salary creep," citing personal financial reasons. The party has since submitted video recordings and the official parliamentary committee record to the South African Police Service (SAPS) as evidence to support their case.

The criminal complaint alleges that Nkoane willfully and with gross negligence contravened multiple sections of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) for personal gain.

The financial discrepancy was only adjusted in January 2026, when Minister Manamela overruled CETA and Nkoane to cap the package at R2.5 million. However, the DA notes that due to the delay, Nkoane allegedly received an overpayment of R208,333 between October 2025 and March 2026.

The DA argues that these actions represent clear breaches of fiscal legislation, specifically targeting Sections 86 and 51 of the PFMA, which govern the fiduciary duties and financial misconduct of public officials.

SAPS has officially opened a case file and is expected to assign an investigating officer to the matter shortly. Alongside the criminal investigation, the DA is demanding the urgent recovery of the overpaid public funds.

The controversy has reignited opposition calls for systemic reform within South Africa's Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs). The DA reiterated its long-standing stance that the current SETA system is fundamentally flawed, alleging that the entities have drifted from their core mandate of youth skills development and job creation, turning instead into vehicles for financial mismanagement.

Neither CETA nor Nkoane have released an official statement regarding the criminal charges.

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SCOPA Probe into eThekwini Municipality Corruption Allegations

SCOPA Probe into eThekwini Municipality Corruption Allegations

BY : CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR KASiBC_AFRiCA

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DA Welcomes SCOPA Probe into eThekwini Municipality Corruption Allegations

DURBAN — The Democratic Alliance (DA) in eThekwini has welcomed a directive from Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) ordering the eThekwini Municipality to investigate mounting allegations of corruption and maladministration.

In a statement released on Tuesday, DA eThekwini Caucus Leader Councillor Thabani Mthethwa said the intervention follows persistent demands by the opposition party for accountability regarding stalled infrastructure projects and service delivery failures.

Among the key issues under scrutiny is the Inanda Namibia Stop 8 housing development. According to the DA, more than R140 million has been spent on the project, yet it remains incomplete nearly a decade after it commenced.

Mthethwa also highlighted the city’s persistent water crisis, which has left numerous communities without water for weeks. He noted that opposition oversight visits to municipal depots exposed deep operational inefficiencies.

"Oversight visits by DA councillors to municipal depots have further revealed water tankers standing idle, unlicensed, or broken down," Mthethwa said, pointing out that affected residents are frequently left without even basic water tanker support.

The call for an investigation is further bolstered by the Auditor-General’s report from earlier this year, which flagged escalating unauthorised, irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure within the municipality. The DA contends that a severe lack of consequence management has allowed these financial irregularities to go unchecked.

Mthethwa blamed the municipality's governing coalition for the erosion of local government standards in the metro.

"The continued lack of accountability has contributed to the steady decline of governance and service delivery in eThekwini, while the ANC-led coalition continues to shield officials from meaningful consequences through vague responses and inadequate reporting," Mthethwa stated.

The DA has committed to monitoring the SCOPA-mandated investigation closely to ensure transparency and decisive action are taken against implicated officials.

The eThekwini Municipality has not yet issued a formal response to the SCOPA directive.

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Dangerous Low Bridge Lghting in Upington

Dangerous Low Bridge Lghting in Upington

BY : CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR KASiBC_AFRiCA

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DA urges Dawid Kruiper Municipality to accept private offer to fix dangerous low bridge lighting in Upington

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has appealed to Dawid Kruiper Municipal Manager, Mr Elias Ntoba, to immediately accept an offer from a local businessman to repair and install adequate lighting at the low railway bridge in Schröder Street, as well as at advance warning signs leading to the bridge.

This intervention is critical to preventing further accidents, traffic disruptions, and damage to the bridge.

Just two weeks after the DA called on the municipality to address the serious safety risks posed by poor lighting and inadequate visibility of height restriction signs, at least three more heavy vehicle collisions have occurred at the bridge. A potentially tragic incident involving a truck transporting cattle was also narrowly avoided.

Despite repeated incidents and appeals for intervention, Dawid Kruiper Municipality continues to drag its feet and has made no meaningful effort to engage with Transnet to resolve the ongoing hazard.

Even more concerning is that the municipality has not responded to a generous offer from a private businessman, who is willing to fund and install the necessary lighting improvements.

With motorists, truck drivers, livestock, and critical infrastructure all at risk, this dangerous situation cannot be ignored any longer.

The DA calls on Dawid Kruiper Municipality to put public safety first and immediately accept this offer so that lives can be protected and further accidents prevented.

The municipality needs to work together with all of society, to ensure the best possible outcome for all residents and visitors to Upington.

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Inquiry into Study Group Scandal

Inquiry into Study Group Scandal

BY : CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR KASiBC_AFRiCA

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DA Lodges Inquiry into Study Group Scandal

The Democratic Alliance (DA) this week exposed through parliamentary questions that several officials from State Departments have contravened Section 195(1) of the Constitution and the public service code of conduct by attending study groups with African National Congress (ANC) members of Parliament before portfolio committees.

Section 195(1) of the Constitution states that the public services is governed by principles that include a service that is impartial, fair and without bias. The Code of Conduct for the public service requires that all employees shall not abuse their position in the public service to promote or prejudice the interest of any political party or interest group, they must avoid conflicts of interest and refrain from party political activities in the workplace. It is also a serious violation of the principle of separation of party and state.

Although the DA understands that public service officials can, in the course of exercising their duties, from time to time provide technical answers in an impartial way, the current status of the ANC's study groups crosses the line, using it as a tool to drive a political agenda and include such officials in political discussions.

The Democratic Alliance submitted parliamentary questions that revealed that:

Within the Department of Water and Sanitation at least 20 senior officials (Director General, Chief Financial Officer, Deputy Directors General and Chief Directors) attended a total of 16 study group meetings with MPs from the ANC since the start of the 7th Parliament in 2024.

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, in 2024, after receiving tip-offs about this matter, issued a directive to ensure that no official may attend such study groups. The directive was re-issued in May 2026.

Several ministers, including the Minister of Transport, Minister of Women Youth and Persons with Disabilities and the Minister of Small Business Development, sought in their response to avoid the question completely by falsely claiming that they have no responsibility.

The DA is still awaiting responses from several departments.

We will now, as these responses come in, write to the Public Service Commission to request a full inquiry into the conduct of these officials. We will also write to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration, Jan de Villiers, for further investigation. We will also submit further questions to the ministers who avoided the question, to obtain the required information.

This is a further symptom of decades of ANC cadre deployment, that has hollowed out the public service. DA will relentlessly go after officials who are meant to be politically neutral, that have made themselves guilty of such misconduct.

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