Tswaing Municipality placed under Section 139(5) Provincial Administration @KASIBCNEWS

Tswaing Municipality placed under Section 139(5) Provincial Administration @KASIBCNEWS 

The ANC-run Tswaing Municipality completely disregards being placed under Section 139(5) Provincial Administration for a financial recovery process since August 2021.

The intervention was to restore good financial management and governance practices towards improving service delivery to residents; however, continuous cadre deployment and a complete indifference to due processes further contribute to the financial distress and imminent collapse of the municipality.

During a council meeting held yesterday in Tswaing Local Municipality, ANC councillors once again abused their majority by appointing former ANC Speaker and current Acting Corporate Services Director, Mr. Boorman Phutiagae, as the new acting Municipal Manager (MM), despite objections raised by DA Councillors.

Mr. Phutiagae will be the fourth acting MM in Tswaing since the appointed MM, Mr. Deon Mere, was suspended in April 2024, pending an investigation into his qualifications.

Thabo Meerken was then appointed as acting MM; however, Mr. Meerken resigned from the position within two weeks of his appointment.

Despite strong opposition from the DA, the ANC councillors appointed Mr. Mogale Morwe as acting MM, again, without verifying his qualifications.

In June 2024, the MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Mr. Oageng Molapisi, appointed Mr. FT Mabokela, whose three-month acting period came to an end on 17 September 2024.

On 13 September 2024, the Mayor, Mrs. Norah Mahlangu, wrote to MEC Molapisi, requesting him to appoint a new acting MM to Tswaing, but, the MEC never responded, leaving Tswaing without a MM.

The DA is deeply concerned about the total disregard for due process. The impending collapse of Tswaing Municipality lies totally at the feet of the ANC councillors, the Speaker, the Mayor, and the MEC of COGTA.

We will write to the DA Spokesperson on COGTA in the North West Provincial Legislature, Mr. CJ Steyl, requesting him to put pressure on the MEC to release the secondment of the acting MM in Tswaing.

 The DA will not stand by watching while the residents of Tswaing suffer even further under the ANC cadre deployment strategy

 

MINISTER STEENHUISEN’S 100 DAYS FAILURE @KASIBCNEWS

MINISTER STEENHUISEN’S 100 DAYS FAILURE @KASIBCNEWS 

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) condemns the flagrant incompetence and corruption of Democratic Alliance’s (DA) John Steenhuisen, the Minister of Agriculture, who, within the first 100 days of holding office, has failed to appoint qualified staff. 

He continues to cling onto his cadre deployments—appointments of his unqualified cronies and white supremacists—while trying to bend the rules to push them through. Steenhuisen's request for a deviation from the minimum appointment requirements for his candidates shows his blatant disregard for the rules that govern public office appointments. His nominations of Annette Steyn, Una Christians, Charity McCord, and Mr. Kruger are an insult to the hardworking and qualified South Africans who are being overlooked in favour of Steenhuisen’s politically connected friends. 

Three of these four candidates only possess matric certificates and do not meet the minimum academic qualifications required for the positions they have been nominated for, with the last one not having enough experience for their role.

Steenhuisen's actions demonstrate a complete disregard for governance and a prioritisation of personal loyalty over merit. 

This is nothing more than blatant cadre deployment, something Steenhuisen and his party hypocritically condemn in public while practicing behind closed doors. His insistence on appointing these people is the very reason for the delay in finalising appointments and, consequently, the delay in worker’s salaries, and the work of the department and government at large.

Furthermore, Steenhuisen has displayed his true racist colours by hiring Roman Cabanac, notorious for his white supremacist views, as his head of staff. It is only due to public outrage and backlash that Steenhuisen was forced to ask Cabanac to resign. 

However, Cabanac is now refusing to step down, rightly pointing out that Steenhuisen  was fully aware of his racist background before hiring him. This demonstrates not only Steenhuisen’s poor judgment but also his complicity in fostering white supremacists and racist individuals in government, and his lack of commitment entirely to his job and responsibilities.

Steenhuisen is not only failing his staff by withholding their salaries but is also holding  the country hostage by delaying government operations to satisfy his own political agenda.

The EFF will continue to expose and fight against the corrupt practices of Steenhuisen  and all those who seek to undermine the functioning of government for their personal  gain. We demand that he be held accountable for his incompetence, his racist appointments, and the failure of his leadership in the Department of Agriculture.

GAUTENG E-TOLL DEBT INSTALLMENT R3.8 BILLION @KASIBCNEWS

GAUTENG E-TOLL DEBT INSTALLMENT R3.8 BILLION @KASIBCNEWS 

In his 2022 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement, the Minister of Finance, Honourable Enoch Godongwana made the following policy pronouncement on the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project popularly known as E-Toll: “to resolve the funding impasse the Gauteng provincial government has agreed to contribute 30 per cent to settling SANRAL’s debt and interest obligations, while national government covers 70 per cent”.

In the Budget Speech in March this year, Gauteng Provincial Treasury announced that as part of the province’s arrangements to service the debt, a provision for honouring this commitment has been pencilled into the 2024 fiscal framework.

This was followed by the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between the Gauteng Provincial Government and the National Treasury for the province to honour the debt and the maintenance portion for the E-Toll debt. The obligation to service this debt has necessitated the implementation of a host of reforms and measures to maintain a healthy fiscal environment that will be both sustainable and manageable in the long term.

Today, the Gauteng Provincial Government is starting the process to service the historical debt of R12.9 billion in five equal annual instalments at government 5-year interest rate. The first instalment that we are paying today amounts to R3.8 billion, consisting of R3.2 billion (historical debt) and the maintenance portion of R546 million. The implications of the E-Toll debt require the provincial government to manage finances in a prudent manner whilst carefully balancing the service delivery needs of the citizens.

The fiscal trajectory of Gauteng Provincial Government must be addressed through a combination of active debt management strategies and spending restraint that improves the primary fiscal balance and elimination of wastage and leakages in the system. The province will need to allocate a substantial amount of funds each year for the next five years to meet the repayment obligations.

Therefore, to address these fiscal challenges, Gauteng Provincial Treasury is working with revenue-collecting departments to identify alternative sources of revenue. This aims to ensure that frontline services remain uncompromised, prioritising programmes that foster growth, safeguarding essential social services for vulnerable members of society, maintaining the provision of basic services in the province.

Gauteng Provincial Treasury has a five-year budget approach that will facilitate provincial delivery based on the Medium-Term Development Plan for the 7th Administration. 

The five year budget approach will focus on introducing and implementing immediate, short-term, and medium-term budget reforms over the 2025 MTEF. This include maintaining fiscal discipline and credibility, and impactful service delivery.

Given the maintenance of fiscal discipline, the province will prioritize the reprioritisation of budgets, identification of efficiency gains, and making of trade-offs to fund the government priorities. Fiscal discipline requires that governments maintain fiscal positions that are consistent with macroeconomic stability and sustained economic growth.

Furthermore, provincial departments and entities must explore alternative sources of funding to supplement the existing constrained revenue streams and thus enhance fiscal sustainability over the long-term. Partnerships with private sector, donor funding, developmental finance are among the possible alternative funding sources.

The provincial government also views Public Private Partnerships as a key vehicle to not

only deliver infrastructure but for its ability to stimulate the economy, create jobs and deliver projects within cost, time and quality whilst providing the upfront funding for these projects. Therefore, PPPs with revenue raising potential will be prioritised.

As the MEC of Finance and Economic Development, I have emphasised to Gauteng

Provincial Treasury that any approach to the market for funding should be premised on

securing funding to finance strategic infrastructure projects, which have sound economic benefits to the province, create jobs, raise revenue and potentially provide an avenue to pay back the E-Toll debt. This approach is seen as a more sustainable and will prove far more beneficial to the citizens of Gauteng, with far more positive spin-offs than borrowing to pay a debt of E-Toll.

The 2025 Budget will see a conclusion of the national fiscal consolidation strategy

announced in the national 2020 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), with

debt‐stabilising primary surplus achieved in 2025/26, a reduction in the fiscal deficit to

pre‐COVID levels and a stabilisation of debts service costs as a percentage of revenue.

Gauteng Provincial Treasury is therefore confident that through the measures and reforms mentioned above, the province will be able to service the E-Toll debt, simultaneously providing much needed services to the citizens of Gauteng, whilst reaping the benefits of the spinoffs of proposed economic infrastructure initiatives.

It is in this context that we would like to assure residents of Gauteng that we will not

compromise our priorities in social services such as health and education.

 

COGTA COMMITTEE CALLS FOR STABILITY FOLLOWING REMOVAL OF TSHWANE MAYOR @KASIBCNEWS

COGTA COMMITTEE CALLS FOR STABILITY FOLLOWING REMOVAL OF TSHWANE MAYOR @KASIBCNEWS

The Portfolio Committee on Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), chaired by Hon. Mzi Khumalo, has taken note of the removal of the Tshwane Mayor and calls for urgent action to ensure stability in the City of Tshwane during this transitional period.

As the oversight body responsible for promoting good governance, the Portfolio Committee urges the Department of CoGTA. to take immediate steps to ensure that the upcoming mayoral election is conducted within the 14-day legal timeframe and that  all necessary measures are in place to maintain municipal operations without disruption. The Department must play a proactive role in supporting the City’s governance structures during this period of change.

Chairperson Khumalo emphasized that it is critical for the Department to ensure there are no delays in service delivery, to strengthen internal governance, and to maintain stability in collaboration with local leadership and stakeholders. "The Department must act swiftly to prevent any governance voids and guarantee that essential services to residents remain unaffected," said Hon. Khumalo.

The Portfolio Committee will remain engaged with the Department and other provincial bodies to ensure that the transition is seamless, and processes are handled with transparency and efficiency, ensuring that Tshwane’s residents are prioritized throughout this period.

 

R60 BILLION CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST BIG BANKS @KASIBCNEWS

R60 BILLION CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST BIG BANKS @KASIBCNEWS

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) fully endorses the long-overdue R60 billion class action lawsuit against South Africa's major banks for their predatory and exploitative practices, which have left hundreds of poor, primarily black South Africans homeless and destitute. This legal action exposes the deep-rooted systemic neglect and exploitation of the vulnerable, a reality the EFF has consistently highlighted in its fight for economic justice.

This class action involves more than 200 applicants whose homes were repossessed by major banks—Absa, Standard Bank, FirstRand, and Nedbank—after missing bond payments. These repossessed homes were auctioned off for a fraction of their true market value, with some homes sold for as little as 10% of what they were worth, leaving their owners homeless and still indebted to the banks.

Some properties were even sold for as low as R100. These practices were common before 2018 when the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, amended the rules to require reserve prices for properties sold in auction, but by then, many had already been affected. The applicants, most of whom are poor and unable to recover their losses,have been living in destitution for over a decade, and now seek damages from the banks.

This legal battle began in 2017, when the victims sought recourse from the Constitutional Court. However, the court referred the case back to the High Court for further hearings. In 2020, a R60 billion class action lawsuit was filed against the banks in the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, for unjustly selling properties far below market value, failing to treat property sales as a last resort, and disregarding the livelihood of the affected homeowners. 

The class members argue that the bank’s sales in execution were not only unnecessary in many cases but also represented a grave violation of their rights, as these properties were their primary residences and were sold at far below market value, destroying their savings and security.

The EFF has consistently exposed how black homeowners are disproportionately  targeted, losing their homes and properties when they encounter financial hardships,  while white individuals are given ample time and opportunity to make arrangements  without forfeiting their assets. These practices have been confirmed by the fact that recent statistics show that out of six million home loan applications submitted by historically disadvantaged persons, less than half were approved, while white applicants continue to receive loans valued exponentially higher. 

African people have been violently stripped of their land for generations by colonialism and apartheid, forced into cramped townships and locations, left without the dignity of space and ownership. Now, even in our pursuit of homeownership, we remain  landless, dispossessed twice over by white capitalist banks. When it comes to credit for consumer goods—clothing, cars, and credit cards—white establishments are quick to trap us in endless debt. But when it’s about owning a home, they block our path at every turn, denying us the one thing that could truly liberate us from generational poverty. 

This is an orchestrated system of oppression.

As far back as 2019, the EFF called for a judicial commission of inquiry, with forensic 

financial expertise, to investigate these discriminatory practices after widespread reports of the deeply entrenched racist practices within the South African banking sector, where Black people are systematically exploited and denied fair access to financial services. Furthermore, we called for banking licenses to be revoked from institutions that continue to discriminate based on race.

It is, therefore, deeply concerning that it took until this year for the Minister of Human Settlements, Mmamoloko Kubayi, to summon the banks to address the shocking statistics regarding their racist practices of denying Africans access to financial services. Even now, the onus falls on individuals to pursue class action lawsuits, highlighting a glaring neglect of effective government oversight and legislative action to protect the marginalised.

The banks have long operated with impunity, shielded from any meaningful oversight due to the ANC’s collusion with white capital in South Africa's financial landscape. With the current DA-led coalition, the prospects for genuine accountability have diminished significantly. This partnership perpetuates a system that favours the interests of a privileged few over the needs of the marginalised.

The EFF has long recommended that government needs to provide significant housing finance subsidies for middle-income and low earners, including those earning minimum wage. Additionally, to enforce laws preventing banks from repossessing homes from individuals who have paid off 50% of their bond but are unable to continue payments due to socioeconomic hardships.

This is the only way to counter the extreme historical inequalities that exist in our country, and the continued targeted dispossession of Africans.

More importantly, as stated in one of our seven cardinal pillars, we need the establishment of a state bank to break the stranglehold of private financial institutions,particularly when it comes to home loans. A state bank would offer lower interest rates, making it easier for historically dispossessed and working-class people to access affordable home loans and escape the exploitative grip of commercial banks. By prioritising the needs of the people over profit, a state bank would provide fair, accessible credit, and ensure that homeownership is not a privilege for the few, but a right for all South Africans.

The EFF remains clear in its commitment to pursue ajudicial investigation within Parliament, and we will give our political support to this case until every victim receives the justice they rightfully deserve.

 

CEREMONY OF HEROES AND HEROINES WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES FOR OUR FREEDOM @KASIBCNEWS

CEREMONY OF HEROES AND HEROINES WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES FOR OUR FREEDOM @KASIBCNEWS 

PRETORIA ON 27 SEPTEMBER 2024 AT 11H00

Programme Directors

His Excellency, President of the Republic of South Africa, President Cyril

Ramaphosa

President of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania, Cde Mzwanele Nyhontso

Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Cde Angie Motshekga

Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Mr Gayton Mackenzie

High Commissioner of Zimbabwe to South Africa, His Excellency Hambaziripa High Commission of Zambia to South Africa, Her Excellency Mazuba Monze

Premier of the North-West Province, Cde Lazarus Mokgosi

Gauteng MEC for Education, Sports and Recreation, Cde Matome Chiloane

Families, Friends and Relatives of our heroes

Comrades and Compatriots

Today, we welcome home gallant sons and daughters of the South African soil, who made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that we all can gather here today as a free people. 

These illustrious men and women, whose remains are finally brought  home after decades of exile, represent different generations, united by the  yearning to liberate their motherland. 

They represent the well-known, such as ANC Secretary General Duma  Nokwe and head of the ANC Women’s Section Florence Mophoshe, journalist Todd Matshikza and Wankie campaigner Basil February as well as other unsung freedom fighters, who are all heroes and heroines of our liberation struggle. Today we pay homage and express our profound gratitude to them and their families for their immense contribution to our freedom. 

They came from all over the country, from Alexandra to Zeerust, Cape  Town to Soweto, Durban to Mdantsane, Bloemfontein to Mahikeng, the East Rand to Ivavuma, paying testimony that our struggle against apartheid tyranny, was a truly national struggle.

This homecoming is a culmination of extensive work that spans a number of years by the ANC government. Many hurdles had to be overcome to correctly trace the final resting places of these and many more other  combatants. 

Some have been quick to claim easy victories and arrogate this homecoming to their preferred leaders. This homecoming is a culmination of years of painstaking work by the ANC to fulfil a commitment to the  families to bring their loved ones home. 

We were pleased when in March 2021, the Cabinet of the 6th Administration approved the National Policy on Repatriation and Restitution of Human Remains and Heritage Objects. The implementation of this policy is driven by the Inter-Ministerial Committee led by the Deputy President.

This then paved the way for this first group of 47 freedom fighters, who were buried in Zambia and Zimbabwe, to be exhumed and repatriated.

This will be followed by comrades buried in countries like Tanzania, Angola, Uganda, Lesotho, Mozambique, and many more.

Over the last century since the establishment of the ANC in 1912, our people have fought heroic battles against colonial and apartheid tyranny.

These battles were waged in many fronts. From internal resistance inside the country to armed combat in the frontline states to the capitals of the world who rallied behind the anti-apartheid movement.

The brutality of the apartheid regime and the banning of the ANC alongside many other progressive organizations in the country led us to the underground and exile, where we continued to wage our struggle.

Indeed, many of our comrades went into exile so they could contribute in different ways to the liberation of our country. We remain grateful to the many nations of the world who embraced our people, supported our struggle, trained our people and provided our movement with the much-needed resources to wage our struggle in different terrains. The role of the frontline states who stood as a bulwark against the aggression of the apartheid state gave our struggle momentum and rallied the continent and the world behind our struggle.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the indelible role played by the countries where these comrades mortal remains were repatriated from:

Zambia and Zimbabwe. Zambia, led by President Kenneth Kaunda gave home to the ANC and other liberation movements, providing for ANC headquarters, training camps, and the education of our children and young people. It did so whilst still busy rebuilding their own country, after just attaining their own independence from colonialism in 1964. In the spirit of true Pan Africanist, the government and peoples of Zambia vowed that they can’t be free until all peoples of Africa and Southern Africa are also free. And they put deed to word. We remain forever grateful. Zambia also ensured the ANC’s sonic presence in the airwaves in the form of Radio Freedom, which enabled the ANC to shape the course of the unfolding struggle and internal political developments.

Zimbabwe too, like us fought a long and hard struggle for her independence and freedom against a regime, like the apartheid regime, that was determined to cling to power at all costs. It was for this reason that we found common cause with the freedom fighters and freedom loving people of Zimbabwe, expressed in the joint Wankie and Sipolilo Campaigns of Umkhonto we Sizwe and ZIPRA in 1967 and 1968. Once she attained her independence in 1980, Zimbabwe too provided offices to the liberation movements and played a critical role in uniting the Frontline states against apartheid South Africa.

Both Zambia and Zimbabwe became victims not only of cross border raids and strikes, but also assassinations, bombs, grenades and other attacks. 

Despite these they remained steadfast in their solidarity with the liberation movements and peoples of South Africa.

It was Egyptian intellectual Edward Sa-id who said:

“Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience. It is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place, between the self and its true home: its essential sadness can never be surmounted. And while it is true that literature and history contain heroic, romantic, glorious, even triumphant episodes in an exile’s life, these are no more than efforts meant to overcome the crippling sorrow of estrangement.”

This estrangement impacted particularly harshly on the families of those of our comrades who went to exile. Often not knowing where their loved ones ended up, what they endured and experienced, let alone when and if they will ever see them again.

Unfortunately for those in whose honour we hold this Homecoming Ceremony today, they were never able to taste the fruits of freedom in their homeland, let alone see their loved ones.

It is therefore important that we continue with this programme, working with families, to bring home the remains of those who passed away in exile, so that we may all begin to have closure and heal.

Amandla!!

 

Mpumalanga Dams record another drop @KASIBCNEWS

Mpumalanga Dams record another drop @KASIBCNEWS

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) calls on the public to use the available water wisely and sparingly, as dam levels in Mpumalanga record a marginal decrease from last week’s 86.0% to 85.1% in the current. 

A weekly status of dam levels report issued by the Department also shows a decrease in the Water Management Areas (WMA). The Olifants WMA dropped from 78.0% to 77.0% and the Inkomati-Usuthu WMA dropped from 87.5% to 87.0%. In terms of the districts, Ehlanzeni dropped from 86.5% to 85.4%, Gert Sibande dropped from 83.9% to 83.4%, and Nkangala dropped from 89.1% to 87.7%. 

The department notes that there are no improvements recorded in most dams across the province, with only a few dams remaining unchanged and the majority recording declines.

The listed dams which recorded declines in water levels in Ehlanzeni District and the Lowveld include Blyderivierpoort from 79.0% to 76.6%, Buffelskloof from 66.7% to 63.6%, Witklip from 83.8% to 82.1%, Kwena from 82.1% to 79.9%, Da Gama from 89.6% to 87.8%, Inyaka from 89.9% to 88.7%, and Ohrigstad from 35.0% to 29.9%.

The dams that remained unchanged in the Lowveld include Driekoppies Dam at 92.7%, Longmere at 91.1%, Klipkopjes at 85.4%, and Primkop at 50.8%.

In Gert Sibande District, Grootdraai Dam dropped from 77.1% to 76.0%, Nooitgedacht from 79.8% to 79.2%, Vygeboom from 98.1% to 96.9%, and Westoe from 36.4% to 36.0%. 

All the listed dams in the Nkangala District continue to decrease in water volumes with Witbank Dam further dropping from 92.5% to 91.0%, Middelburg Dam from 85.4% to 84.3%, Loskop Dam from 90.2% to 88.5%, and Rhenosterkop Dam from 86.1% to 85.5%.

The department urges residents to fix and report water leaks, while using water sparingly.