DA welcomes draft regulations by Minister Malatsi @KASIBC_NEWS

DA welcomes draft regulations by Minister Malatsi @KASIBC_NEWS 

The DA welcomes the draft regulations released yesterday, 23 May 2025, by Solly Malatsi, Minister of Communications & Digital Technologies, to introduce new mechanisms to broaden internet access to all South Africans.

Access to reliable, affordable internet is a key ingredient to economic growth. The Democratic Alliance joined the Government of National Unity to make a difference in the lives of all South Africans. These steps taken by Minister Malatsi are once again proof that the DA doesn't only talk change, we implement it as well.

Currently, most South Africans have to travel to metropolitan areas for reliable internet, as latest statistics from the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) from 2022 revealed that only 10% of South African households had access to internet, beyond mobile devices, where they live.

This acts as a barrier to commerce in areas outside of metropolitan areas. It also excludes schools, hospitals, and police stations from reliable, fast, and affordable internet.

To contribute to economic growth, social upliftment, and job creation in all parts of South Africa, we must take an all hands on deck approach, which is what Minister Malatsi's draft regulations seek to achieve.

Although the requirements of the Electronic Communications Act remain, these new regulations encourage and make it easier for investors to make further social investments in our country.

In essence, any contribution to broadening access to the internet and growing the economy for all South Africans is welcome. The DA, as a member of government, is willing to work with all players to achieve these results.

This is a draft policy that must be finalised, and the Democratic Alliance encourages public participation over the next 30 days, as per our Constitution’s legislative process.

DHET AND NSFAS ON FUNDING CHALLENGES IN THE UNIVERSITY SECTOR @KASIBC_NEWS

DHET AND NSFAS ON FUNDING CHALLENGES IN THE UNIVERSITY SECTOR @KASIBC_NEWS 

The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) acknowledge the recent challenges affecting funding within the university sector. 

These issues primarily arise from three key areas: 

1. Application Discrepancies: Some students from universities who applied during the TVET application cycle have experienced difficulties with their registration status due to errors encountered during the application process. 

2. Late Registration Confirmations: Certain students, whose registration statuses were only confirmed after the official registration deadline, are currently facing delays in accessing funding support. 

3. Appeals and Budget Constraints: Students whose appeals have been approved are experiencing funding shortfalls due to limited remaining budgets, impacting their ability to cover registration and related costs. 

Both DHET and NSFAS are actively collaborating to address these challenges. 

Efforts include reviewing applications from students who applied during the TVET application cycle, providing funding for students whose registration was submitted late, and exploring options to allocate additional resources to support students with approved appeals. 

Institutions are also being encouraged to assist students in resolving outstanding issues promptly. 

We remain committed to ensuring that all eligible students have access to the funding necessary to continue their studies without undue disruption. 

We appreciate the patience and understanding of students and stakeholders as we work diligently to resolve these issues swiftly. 

Students are advised to regularly monitor updates through NSFAS and university communication channels. 

GAUTENG PREMIER LEADS TEAM GAUTENG AT SIDSSA 2025 @KASIBC_NEWS

GAUTENG PREMIER LEADS TEAM GAUTENG AT SIDSSA 2025  @KASIBC_NEWS 

The Gauteng Provincial Government, led by Premier Panyaza Lesufi, will showcase a bold portfolio of bankable, transformative infrastructure projects at the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium South Africa (SIDSSA 2025) in Cape Town scheduled to take placed from 26-27 May 2025. 

As a strategic partner of the Summit, Team Gauteng is participating under the theme: “Delivering Catalytic, Scalable Infrastructure for Inclusive Growth.” Gauteng will use the platform to demonstrate how infrastructure development is central to unlocking economic potential, creating jobs, and enabling the Just Transition, while accelerating the implementation of the Gauteng Infrastructure Masterplan and the South African Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan (ERRP). 

Strategic Focus at SIDSSA 2025: 

• Elevating bankable infrastructure projects to attract private and blended investment. 

• Advancing a climate-smart, green economy in line with Gauteng’s Just Transition Roadmap. 

• Unlocking industrial development through SEZ expansion and multisector nodes. 

• Driving localisation and inclusive procurement for broad-based empowerment. 

The delegation will include: 

• Premier Panyaza Lesufi, leading stakeholder engagements and intergovernmental partnerships. 

• Economic Development MEC Lebogang Maile, delivering remarks at the SIDSSA 2025 Gala Dinner, reaffirming the province’s commitment to ethical, inclusive infrastructure delivery. 

• Mr. Saki Zamxaka, Acting Group CEO of GGDA, participating in the UK G20 Dialogue on Fiscal Policy, unpacking Gauteng’s approach to financing sustainable infrastructure. 

• Director-General Edward Mosuwe, contributing in a high-level Ministerial Panel on policy alignment and public-private collaboration. Visit the Gauteng Provincial Lounge at SIDSSA 

The Gauteng Lounge, a collaborative space hosted by the GGDA, will feature participation from the Gauteng Department of Economic Development (GDED), Gauteng Department of Infrastructure and Cooperative Governance (GDID) and Gauteng Infrastructure Financing Agency (GIFA).

Attendees can explore projects such as: 

• The City of Johannesburg’s Waste-to-Energy Programme – a flagship 88MW project that exemplifies climate-smart innovation, converting landfill gas into clean power and job opportunities in the circular economy. 

• The OR Tambo SEZ – Precinct 2 expansion – located near Africa’s busiest air cargo terminal, this project supports advanced manufacturing in pharmaceuticals, electronics, and agro-processing, backed by strong logistics infrastructure. 

• The Lanseria Smart City, South Africa’s first post-apartheid smart city development, designed for green living, AI-driven planning, and urban resilience. 

The Lounge will also offer access to the full Gauteng Infrastructure Investment Booklet, which features over R230 billion in investment-ready opportunities in the water, transport, energy, housing, and industrial development sectors. 

INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES: • Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi 

• GDED MEC for Economic Development: Lebogang Maile 

• GGDA Acting Group CEO: Mr Saki Zamxaka

 

MALATSI’S ANTI-TRANSFORMATION ICT POLICY @KASIBC_NEWS

MALATSI’S ANTI-TRANSFORMATION ICT POLICY  @KASIBC_NEWS 

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) rejects, outrightly, the so-called policy direction issued today by Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi, which gazettes a backdoor for foreign multinationals like Elon Musk’s Starlink to bypass South Africa’s Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) laws under the guise of “Equity Equivalent Investment Programmes” (EEIPs). The EFF expected this betrayal, and we have consistently warned that the Government of National Unity (GNU) is facilitating the erosion of transformation in the interests of white capital and Western imperialism. 

This policy direction is unconstitutional and driven by external pressure, particularly from Elon Musk, a close ally of Donald Trump. This policy is tailor-made to allow Starlink access to operate in South Africa without meeting the mandatory 30% local ownership requirement as per the Electronic Communications Act. Musk has arrogantly refused to comply with our sovereign laws, and the ANC-led government has chosen to kneel. 

This policy is clearly a capitulation in the face of an aggressive disinformation campaign of white genocide perpetuated by Musk. Musk, through Starlink is now essentially being rewarded after a pure case of corporate terror that undermines our sovereignty and necessary transformation polices. 

The new policy direction from Minister Malatsi proposes allowing foreign multinationals to bypass the requirement for 30% Black ownership by substituting it with alternate EEIPs such as “skills development” or “digital inclusion” projects; changing ICASA’s regulations to allow these EEIPs as valid substitutes for ownership; and encouraging investment under these relaxed terms to “unlock broadband access” and digital infrastructure. 

All policies clearly aimed at Starlink, which was advocated for by Ramaphosa’s handler, Johann Rupert, in Washington earlier this week in South Africa at the US’s bilateral meeting. 

The EFF rejects the false logic that transformation can be achieved without ownership. No amount of skills training or pilot programmes can replace direct equity, control, and wealth redistribution. This is a cowardly surrender to US imperialism and a direct assault on Black economic participation. Starlink and similar entities must comply with the same laws that apply to local companies. 

Of more concern, is the clear national security threat posed by Starlink, as its owner has secured a manipulation of the laws of a country through the use of disinformation and by exerting his power and influence over the President of the US, who aided his business interests through aggressive foreign policy against South Africa. 

To surrender our telecommunications capabilities and allow him access and control in a country he has accused of a genocide, is a threat to our nation. This does not even consider the effects on the local telecommunications industry upon the entrance of a foreign satellite company with no imperatives to create jobs which will essentially operate remotely in the US. 

As a result, the EFF will challenge this unconstitutional proposal in Parliament and explore all legal mechanisms to assert the supremacy of the Constitution and the rightful place of historically disadvantaged South Africans in the ICT sector. 

We will not allow our laws to be rewritten in Washington.  

DA Exposes ANC Hypocrisy @KASIBC_NEWS

DA Exposes ANC Hypocrisy @KASIBC_NEWS 

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Western Cape rejects the ANC's latest attempt to politicise elderly care. This latest debate is nothing more than a desperate bid to score cheap political points and distract from the ANC’s appalling track record in provinces under their governance - including their disastrous legacy in the Western Cape prior to 2009.

It is astonishing that the ANC would presume to lecture on elderly care, given that during their tenure in the Western Cape, Social Development services collapsed under their watch.

Key failures during the ANC's administration include:

•Inconsistent and politically manipulated NGO funding, which forced many vital organisations to shut down or cut services to the most vulnerable, including older persons.
•A complete breakdown in oversight, with old age homes left without adequate regulation or compliance monitoring, leading to unchecked neglect and abuse.
•Rampant corruption and cadre deployment, where loyalty was rewarded over competence, undermining service delivery.

Since taking office in 2009, the DA-led provincial government has worked diligently to restore integrity and efficiency to the Western Cape’s social development systems. This includes rebuilding fair and transparent funding processes, stabilising partnerships with civil society, and ensuring that older persons receive the dignity and care they deserve.

The DA's Record Speaks for Itself:

•Regular and rigorous compliance monitoring of care facilities to ensure adherence to quality standards.

•A dedicated Elder Abuse Helpline and Rapid Response Teams to act swiftly on complaints and protect vulnerable residents.

•Sustained support for NGO-run facilities, even as national government budget cuts threaten services across the country.

Despite severe reductions in national funding - including the cancellation of the Golden Games Active Aging initiative - the DA has remained steadfast. We have prioritised protecting lives, preventing abuse, and preserving dignity in elderly care.

In stark contrast, the ANC continues to fail the elderly in provinces like:

• Gauteng, where the Life Esidimeni tragedy resulted in the deaths of over 140 vulnerable patients.

• The case of Lavela Old Age Centre, Ntselamanzi in the Eastern Cape Province, where frail care facilities are sink in neglect, starvation, and infrastructural collapse.

• In the ANC-led Limpopo, we again witness the same negligence. The Vuthlari Old Age and Disability Centre shut down for shocking human rights violations - residents sleeping on concrete, some elders dying due to malnutrition and others bathed with pine gel and chemicals.

These incidents are the natural outcome of a failed governance philosophy rooted in philanthropy, mismanagement, and disregard for the vulnerable.

The people of the Western Cape remember what life was like under ANC rule - the dysfunction, the decay, and the human cost. That is why they voted for change in 2009, and why they continue to reject ANC leadership to this day.

Wendy Kaizer-Philander said:” While the ANC manufactures outrage and headlines, the DA delivers measurable results. Where they exploit, we protect. Where they grandstand, we govern. Where they forget the elderly, we prioritise them.

This is the difference - and the people of the Western Cape, and South Africa at large, know it.”

EFF RESPONSE TO DONALD TRUMP @KASIBC_NEWS

 

EFF RESPONSE TO DONALD TRUMP @KASIBC_NEWS 

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has taken note of the press briefing held jointly by the President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa and the President of the United States of America (USA) Donald Trump. 

The meeting, which came under the pretext of discussing diplomatic, trade and economic relations, ended up being a discussion about the President and Commander in Chief of the EFF Julius Malema and his correct and principled position regarding the return of the land to African people, and the return of the means of production into the hands of the African majority. In what comes as no surprise, 

Cyril Ramaphosa and his delegation which was constituted by the likes of Stellenbosch racist billionaire Johann Rupert, Donald Trump’s golfing buddy Ernie Els, and Minister of Agriculture and leader of the racist Democratic Alliance (DA) John Steenhuisen, was an interaction dominated by white privileged men, who have amassed wealth at the expense of African people, who spent a majority of the time expressing their hatred of the EFF and of its leader Julius Malema. 

Trump proceeded to play numerous clips of the President of the EFF wherein our leader spoke correctly about the unequal distribution of land in South Africa and sang the chant “Kill The Boer, Kill The Farmer”, which is a song that expresses the desire to destroy the system of white minority control over the resources of South Africa. 

This liberation chant was considered as part of African heritage by the Equality Court, which also said the song could not be interpreted literally. The Supreme Court of Appeal and the Constitutional Court of South Africa then ratified this decision. In an act of cowardice, Cyril Ramaphosa blatantly denounced the rulings of the courts of the country he is a President of, and this was then followed by insults from John Steenhuisen who then confirmed that they reached a pact with the African National Congress (ANC) to keep the EFF out of power. 

This pact was a clear collusion to prevent genuine transformation in South Africa. Additionally, this meeting between Ramaphosa and Trump has led to the inadvertent confirmation of the consolidation of the 2024 alliance between white minority capital and the neoliberal and counterrevolutionary ANC. 

Johann Rupert then followed, identifying the CIC Julius Malema as his enemy for over 10-years, and then citing their relationship since Julius Malema’s days in the once vibrant ANC Youth League. The true intentions of the meeting were then revealed as Rupert went on to lobby for the allowing of Elon Musk’s Starlink to operate in South Africa. 

The dominance of white male voices in the entire interaction, proves and vindicates the EFF that the delegation was one that sought to make assurances to Trump that the transformation agenda of South Africa is one that can be compromised on upon negotiation. All of the utterances by Ramaphosa’s delegation point to a devious plot to rekindle relations with a maniacal Trump administration by sacrificing our sovereignty at the alter of convenience. 

The South African delegation was at pains to explain how they have no interest in redressing the unequal patterns of land ownership in South Africa using what is now constitutionally provisioned as nil compensation through the Expropriation Act. 

The entire delegation failed dismally at countering the false narrative of a white genocide in South Africa, by contrasting the narrative through evidence-based statistics and data around crime in our country that affects all South Africans. South Africa has been embarrassed by a delegation that was contradicting itself, that abandoned judicial decisions, and at times was simply grovelling and lying.  

The EFF is proud that its legislative and political agenda, led by the President and Commander in Chief Julius Malema has shaken the corridors of imperialism in Washington. Our Commander in Chief can be considered in the lines of great revolutionaries, as Donald Trump in his illiterate rants has called for his arrest for daring to call for land expropriation without compensation. 

As a result, the EFF is concerned by this call that something must be done to stop the EFF President from chanting a liberation heritage song. Therefore, the EFF will continue to keenly follow the developments in Washington and reiterates that we will oppose any compromising of our laws to allow for Starlink to operate in South Africa, and we will oppose any reversal of transformative legislation including that which will allow for expropriation of land. 

We will defend our constitutional democracy and never bow and succumb to imperialism. 

All those opposed to the dominance of the few by the many must never fear and must chant loudly against the system of oppression. Dhubula iBhulu! Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer! Victory is Certain! 

DA SUPPORTS BUDGET 2025 @KASIBC_NEWS

DA SUPPORTS BUDGET 2025 @KASIBC_NEWS 

The Democratic Alliance cautiously welcomes the revenue and expenditure proposals in the Minister of Finance’s Budget Speech. We see this as a pathway to a National Budget which we should be able to support when it comes time to vote.

Today, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana presented a Budget proposal which is a manifestation of coalition politics in action. It is a workable outcome in the context of trying economic times.

The DA was not prepared to get behind a budget that maintained unsustainable government expenditure on the back of raising VAT, making struggling South Africans pay for inefficiencies and waste in Government – but today’s version from Minister Godongwana has gone some way to undo this.

It is a victory for all South Africans that the mooted VAT hike has now finally been removed from the Minister’s revenue proposals, after the DA court action in this regard.

Overall we see this Budget Speech as a turning of the tide toward growth and investment. It is turning away from unchecked government spending funded by South African taxpayers.

The DA realises our economy desperately needs to grow and government must budget for this, creating the environment that enable this growth in the private sector.

The most notable and welcome aspects of today’s proposal from the Minister of Finance are the following:

• No increase to VAT

• A R1-trillion investment in infrastructure over the coming 3 years

• No new bailouts for State-Owned Entities

• A national spending review, which must eliminate all unproductive and wasteful spending of public money

• Ending low priority projects, and eliminating government programmes that are not working for South Africans

• A full-scale audit of ghost employees across government, to stop the draining of billions in fraudulent salary payments

• A marked reduction in the additions to the budget baseline which earlier versions of the Budget proposed, meaning R40 billion has been saved

The DA also notes and welcomes that more realistic economic growth forecasts have been used to model revenue in this version of the Budget.

Following this speech by the Minister, the DA will engage in the Parliamentary process to ensure that the Reports and Bills which emerge for voting drive growth and jobs in the economy, and continue to cut the waste in government spending.