CLOSURE OF KHUTSONG WEST CLINIC @KASIBCNEWS

 The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) wishes to inform Khutsong community of the indefinite closure of Khutsong West Clinic with effect from 01 May 2025. This decision follows ongoing geotechnical challenges caused by active sinkhole activity in the Khutsong West area which poses serious safety risks for both healthcare users and staff members. 

The safety and wellbeing of the community and employees remain the department’s high priority. Patients who previously accessed services at Khutsong West Clinic are advised to visit any of the following nearby facilities for uninterrupted primary healthcare services which are mainly within 6km radius from Khutsong West Clinic: • Khutsong Community Health Centre • Khutsong South clinic • Khutsong Extension 3 clinic • Khutsong East clinic • Welverdiend clinic To ensure seamless continuity of care, patients are kindly requested to bring valid identification documents (ID, passport, or driver’s licence) and inform staff at the alternative clinic that they are former patients of Khutsong West Clinic. 

This will enable linking them with their medical records for ongoing treatment and follow-up. In addition, the Ward-Based Primary Health Care Outreach Teams will continue to operate and provide services in the Khutsong West area to reach those who may have difficulties accessing alternative facilities. 

The current staff at Khutsong West Clinic will be re assigned to the nearby health facilities.

 

JOBURG HOST IDP @KASIBCNEWS

JOBURG HOST IDP @KASIBCNEWS

The City of Johannesburg held an Integrated Development Plan (IDP) session at Marlboro Community Hall in Region E on Thursday, 10 April 2025. This vital community engagement platform enabled residents to interact directly with city leadership, voice concerns, and help shape Johannesburg’s development priorities.

The session, chaired by Council Speaker Cllr Nobuhle Mthembu, was attended by members of the mayoral committee, the chief whip of council, local councillors, and senior officials. Executive Mayor Cllr Dada Morero led the proceedings, outlining the city’s roadmap for service delivery and key interventions to improve quality of life across Region E.

“We are committed to building trust through transparency, getting the basics right, and placing people at the heart of development,” said Mayor Morero. “This includes long-term planning for bulk infrastructure, addressing the illegal erection of structures, and tackling air pollution.”

The mayor highlighted several priorities, including cemetery maintenance, repairing burst water pipes, crime prevention, by-law enforcement, road resurfacing, dealing with illegal electricity connections, and promoting economic opportunities through skills development.

Residents used the platform to express concerns about persistent service delivery issues, including potholes, rising crime, noise pollution, inadequate by-law enforcement, and incomplete Rea Vaya bus stations—particularly along Louis Botha Avenue, which some say contribute to criminal activity. Residents of Ward 75 in Alexandra also raised the long-standing issue of the permanently closed Rotary Sports Field. Once a vibrant community space, it was repurposed into a temporary container housing project that remains unoccupied—leaving local children without a vital recreational facility.

In response, city officials shared ongoing interventions such as the installation of solar-powered high-mast lights in Alexandra to enhance safety during power outages and ease pressure on the electricity grid. The Johannesburg Roads Agency is also upgrading traffic infrastructure, installing new traffic signals and replacing outdated cables and controllers.

The 2025/2026 IDP is built on principles of equity, inclusivity, and responsiveness. The city’s budget continues to prioritise historically underserved communities, with a strong commitment that no area or resident is left behind. “This is a people-driven plan, informed by community voices and underpinned by strong partnerships and shared responsibility,” affirmed Mayor Morero.

As Johannesburg advances its development agenda, the IDP sessions remain a cornerstone of participatory governance—fostering accountability, empowering communities, and laying the foundation for a more inclusive and equitable urban future.

1,650 NEW HEALTHCARE POSTS @KASIBCNEWS

The African National Congress (ANC) welcomes the announcement by Health Minister Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi approving 1,200 posts for doctors, 200 for nurses, and 250 for other healthcare professionals. This timely and much-needed intervention demonstrates government’s commitment to strengthening the public healthcare system and ensuring that quality care is accessible to all South Africans. It reflects a serious and proactive response to the challenges facing the sector.

The ANC has long recognised the urgent need to increase the number of healthcare professionals, particularly in under-resourced communities. While this measure may not fully meet the growing demand, it is a significant step forward. We are confident it will help ease pressure on healthcare facilities and enhance patient care. 

We reaffirm our commitment to a people-centred budget — one that prioritises service delivery and responds to the real needs of our citizens. This decision exemplifies how the budget can be used as a tool for transformation and the delivery of essential services. 

Investigation into Inflated Property Values @KASIBCNEWS

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Mpumalanga has written to the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Speedy Mashilo, to raise serious concerns over disturbing allegations of fraudulent practices by municipalities relating to the levying of rates and taxes on government properties. 

This follows correspondence sent on 6 April 2025 to the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs, as well as the Department of Public Works, Roads, and Transport, regarding their substantial outstanding debts to the Bushbuckridge Local Municipality. 

It has come to light that certain municipalities in Mpumalanga are allegedly inflating the size and value of properties to intentionally overcharge rates and taxes. In contrast, there are also allegations that properties owned by certain government officials are reportedly being deliberately undervalued, resulting in reduced municipal charges for those individuals. These practices, if confirmed, constitute a gross abuse of public trust, a breach of financial integrity, and a violation of key legislative frameworks. 

The implications of these allegations are severe. They not only compromise the credibility of municipal budgets, but also point to an alarming trend of governance failures that contribute to the chronic service delivery challenges across Mpumalanga. Fraudulent valuations distort municipal revenue collection and create a false impression of financial stability, thereby undermining both accountability and sustainable development. 

If proven, these allegations would represent an unprecedented violation of public trust, an infringement of the principles of public good governance, and an infringement of several important laws, including the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA), the Local Government: Municipal Property Rates Act (MPRA), the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), and the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act. 

Considering these serious concerns, the DA calls on the MEC to: 

Launch an urgent and comprehensive investigation into the alleged fraudulent practices in the municipalities. 

Investigate the alleged misconduct or irregularities. 

If these allegations prove to be true, ensure accountability through disciplinary or legal action against all those found responsible. 

Put in place robust preventative measures to ensure greater oversight and transparency in the calculation and levying of rates and taxes. 

The people of Mpumalanga deserve a government that is honest, fair, and committed to equitable service delivery. These allegations cannot be ignored. The DA will also escalate this matter to the Office of the Premier, the Auditor-General, and Provincial Treasury to ensure full transparency and accountability. 

We urge the MEC to treat this matter with the urgency and seriousness it demands, and we await regular updates on the progress of the investigation. 

GNU MEETINGS ABOUT MEETINGS @KASIBCNEWS

The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the African National Congress (ANC) held a meeting, on Thursday 10 April 2025, in Johannesburg to discuss critical national matters, particularly the ongoing budget impasse within the Government of National Unity (GNU).

The IFP delegation was led by President Velenkosini Hlabisa and the ANC was led by its Secretary General Fikile Mbalula.

This engagement was necessitated by differences regarding the fiscal framework and the need to ensure a sustainable, inclusive, and responsible budget that prioritizes the needs of all South Africans.

Both parties reaffirmed their support for the revised budget presented by the National Treasury and subsequently processed by the National Assembly. We emphasize that the budget is fundamentally pro-poor, incorporating robust social safety nets to protect vulnerable families. This includes, among other measures, the expansion of zero-rated VAT items to ease the financial burden on low-income households.

The Parties affirm that the VAT increase is a temporary short-term intervention and agreed that the National Treasury must urgently explore alternative revenue-generation strategies to mitigate the impact of this marginal increase on consumers. Both parties further concurred that additional government borrowing is not a viable option given South Africa’s current economic constraints and debt levels.

The Parties reaffirmed unwavering commitment to the GNU, as both parties view the current arrangement as the most viable mechanism to ensure South Africa’s stability, growth, and long-term development under the current electoral framework.

The IFP is committed to strengthening cooperation and consensus-building within the GNU to effectively address national challenges.

Additionally, the Parties committed to a bipartisan approach and process to securing the future of Ithala Bank, recognizing its crucial role in financial inclusion and economic empowerment, particularly in historically disadvantaged communities.

The IFP also confirms that it will meet with the Democratic Alliance (DA) on Sunday, 13 April 2025, as part of its ongoing engagements to foster cooperation and consensus in the national interest.

WESTERN CAPE HIGH COURT APPLICATION @KASIBCNEWS 

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has today, 08 April 2025, filed court papers in the Western Cape High Court to challenge the unlawful and unconstitutional adoption of the 2025 Fiscal Framework and Revenue Proposals by the National Assembly on 3 April 2025. This court application is a necessary and principled intervention to protect the democratic character of Parliament, and to ensure that the processes that determine the use of public resources are not reduced to unlawful and illegal processes by the ruling party. 

The EFF is asking the court to declare the National Assembly’s adoption of the 2025 Fiscal Framework and Revenue Proposals invalid and unconstitutional. While the Standing Committee on Finance did consider a report on the Fiscal Framework, the committee failed to adopt this report in a manner consistent with the law and the rules of Parliament. 

 The committee did not make the recommendations required by section 8(5) of the Money Bills Amendment Procedure and Related Matters Act, and no deliberations or formal vote on the report took place before it was tabled in the National Assembly specifically on this matter. Instead, the framework of the statement was inserted post adoption of the report. 

What was passed in the National Assembly was, therefore, not a lawful report, but a document pushed through in violation of the Constitution and the Money Bills Act. 

The EFF has taken this step because Parliament cannot continue to operate as a rubber stamp for the executive. For too long, the legislative process has been abused by the ruling party that uses its numerical dominance to pass budgets without proper scrutiny, debate, or compliance with the law. 

The EFF has consistently warned that this abuse undermines the Constitution and erodes the principle of democratic accountability. The events surrounding the adoption of the 2025 Fiscal Framework confirm what we have always said: those entrusted with the public purse do not understand the laws they are supposed to uphold, and in their ignorance, they have trampled over legal processes with impunity. 

We are calling on the courts to treat this matter with the urgency it deserves. 

#KASIBCAUDIO : 

CLICK HERE : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-10yqvw86tUtuuURtVx0nExWlpidareh/view?usp=drivesdk

The Fiscal Framework is not just a routine budget document—it is the foundation upon which all other financial legislation for the year is built, including the Division of Revenue Bill and the Appropriations Bill. If the Fiscal Framework is adopted through an unlawful process, then all related legislation falls into legal uncertainty. This chaos must be avoided. The courts must act urgently to bring clarity, restore order, and affirm that Parliament is not above the Constitution. 

The EFF will not sit back while the constitutional order is violated. We remain committed to using every legal and political mechanism available to defend the integrity of our democratic institutions and to ensure that public money is managed lawfully, transparently, and in the best interests of the people of South Africa. 

To read the EFF court papers filed in the Western Cape High Court this afternoon, members of the public can follow the link below: https://effonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/EFF-Application.pdf

 

GROOT KAK SABC @KASIBCNEWS

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) wishes to address concerns arising from the non-broadcast of the Afrikaans television news bulletin this past weekend. We acknowledge that the bulletin did not air in its regular time slot on Saturday and Sunday, and we confirm that this was a scheduling error. This should not have happened.

As management, we are treating this matter with the seriousness it deserves, and consequence management processes are currently underway to address the internal oversight that led to this unfortunate incident.

We want to assure the public and our stakeholders that there is no plan or decision to discontinue or deprioritise Afrikaans news. The Afrikaans television news bulletin continues to air as scheduled from Monday to Friday, and the weekend bulletin will also continue in its regular time slot going forward.

Afrikaans remains an important part of our public broadcasting mandate, just as all South African languages are. The SABC is committed to providing equitable access to news and information in all official languages. The SABC is actively working on a broader content and scheduling strategy aimed at strengthening our language offering, including Afrikaans. This process is part of our new financial year’s content strategy and will be communicated more fully in due course.

We acknowledge the deep concern this weekend’s error has caused, particularly within Afrikaans-speaking communities. We extend our sincere and heartfelt apology to the South African public, and especially to those who felt aggrieved by this disruption.

In closing, we reiterate:

Afrikaans news has not been discontinued. Afrikaans News currently broadcasts at 20:30 Mondays – Fridays on S3.

Weekend Afrikaans bulletins will continue in their current time slot, 18:00 on Saturdays and Sundays on SABC 2.

The SABC remains committed to all languages as part of its constitutional and public service mandate.

We appreciate the continued engagement from the public, civil society organisations, and political parties, and we remain open to further dialogue in the spirit of transparency and inclusivity.