AFRIFORUM VERSUS KHOI AND SAN @KASIBCNEWS 

The Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Bill, 2024 (TKL) in its current form is, according to AfriForum, in conflict with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). AfriForum therefore today called on Velenkosini Hlabisa, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CGTA), to act in the interests of cultural communities and make necessary amendments to this bill.

AfriForum also indicated that the bill should be amended to reflect respect for and dignity of royal leaders, families and communities, and to empower them to determine the direction they wish to follow. The letter to the minister follows closely on the heels of AfriForum's written comments on the bill submitted last week. 

According to Barend Uys, Head of Intercultural Relations and Cooperation at AfriForum, the wording of the bill is very worrying. In a 2023 parliamentary response, the Ministry of SRTS praised UNDRIP as a framework of “minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of indigenous peoples” that “expands on existing human rights instruments and explains how they apply to the specific circumstances of indigenous peoples”. 

Despite the South African government’s endorsement of this UN declaration, the UNDRIP stands in stark contrast to the principles that the declaration seeks to embody.

In its letter to Hlabisa, AfriForum points out, among other things, the following:

• The bill is unfair and inappropriate as it only allows two levels of leadership for Khoi-San communities, while three levels of leadership are allowed for traditional communities.
• Khoi-San community members are excluded from the Commission on Khoi-San Affairs, even though they are best equipped to provide input on the traditions, culture, customs and customary law of Khoi-San communities.
• Clauses 16(18) and 16(19) authorise the Premier to take the land (this is the practical implication of the words “amend the area of ​​jurisdiction”) from a community after consultation with the traditional council or sub-council – whether the council agrees or not.

A premier is authorized to completely take over the functions of a traditional council for an indefinite period without any proper checks and balances.

The bill empowers the prime minister to have the final say in any agreement a council makes. It strips royal leaders and councils of all real authority.

The bill does not authorize councils to lead the planning and implementation of community development initiatives, programs and projects themselves. It also limits councils' ability to make a difference in their communities.

The bill, in its current form, is in violation of several articles of UNDRIP.

"The wording of the bill creates the impression that it was not drafted with the preservation and development of cultural communities and their traditions, culture, languages, customs, customary law and heritage in mind. It appears that the aim was to enable maximum control by civil servants and to limit the initiative and authority of royal leaders, royal families and councils to a minimum," says Uys.

Uys argues that “instead of empowering royal leaders, royal families and councils to take responsibility for their own future and lead development, the law limits their initiative and shifts all initiative and powers to government officials.”

"Peaceful coexistence of all cultural communities in the country depends on the establishment of good intercultural relations and cooperation based on mutual recognition and respect. 

This is why AfriForum is actively building a network of cultural communities that can assist each other in matters such as these to ensure a prosperous future for the children of all communities here at the southern tip of Africa," concludes Uys.

AFRIFORUM VERSUS SAPS @KASIBCNEWS

The Ministry of Police acknowledges receipt of a list of farm attacks submitted by AfriForum in response to the Minister’s call for evidence supporting their claim that the official crime statistics released by the South African Police Service (SAPS) underreported the number of farm murders, particularly those involving farm owners.

The SAPS Crime Registrar has begun verifying the cases contained in AfriForum’s submission. Preliminary findings indicate that, of the incidents listed, only one murder of a farm owner is reflected. This corresponds with the single farm owner murder reported in the official crime statistics for the third quarter. While verification processes are still ongoing, no additional murders of farm owners have been identified beyond what was originally reported by SAPS. Further updates will be provided once the full verification process is completed.

The SAPS remains committed to transparency and accuracy in crime reporting and urges all stakeholders, including civil society organisations, to work collaboratively in ensuring that crime statistics are based on verifiable facts. Law enforcement agencies continue to address crimes affecting all communities, including those in rural and farming areas, with the seriousness they deserve.

The Ministry further reaffirms its commitment to combating violent crime and improving safety for all South Africans. The SAPS will continue to engage with all interested parties to enhance crime prevention efforts and ensure that statistical reporting remains reliable and credible.

ANC KWA ZULU-NATAL RENEWAL @KASIBCNEWS

Receive our revolutionary greetings in The Year to make the ANC a more effective instrument of the people to achieve the vision of the Freedom Charter and the People’s mandate. Reaffirming our commitment that The People Shall Govern and that they Shall Share in The Country’s Wealth. 

We as the African National Congress, provincial leadership in Kwa-Zulu Natal therefore  reaffirm our commitment that The People Shall Govern and that they share in the country’s wealth. To that end, we can no longer take our rank-and-file members for granted if we are to reclaim the ANC as a strategic Centre of power. 

As we forge ahead in our endeavour to reclaim the ANC in KZN we Congratulate comrade Dickson Masemola and other NEC members who were duly deployed to the ANC in KZN to collectively rebuild and renew our movement. Comrades Thoko Didiza, Donald, Selamolela, Penny Majodina, Steve Mmapaseka Letsike, Pam Tshwete, Angie Motshekga, Phumulo Masualle, Joe Maswanganye, we congratulate you on your new task and reaffirm our commitment to work with you in rebuilding the ANC in KZN. 

Our task as this collective is  a generational mission to reposition the ANC as the centre of people’s power post the disastrous election results of 2024 elections where we secured only a measly 17% of the vote in KZN. 

Our task includes retaining our existing support base and regaining the support of those ANC Supporters who voted against us in 2024. But above all we must engage with all those who live in our communities to be active in building structures of civil society, including respecting and working very closely with our Traditional Leaders and the Religious Communities. 

We must also work closely to turn around the major municipalities in our province especially those we play a major role such as eThekwini Metro.  Comrades, we must decisively deal with Internal challenges such as factionalism and corruption. 

We have no space for the corruption in this collective. We are not going to allow anyone regardless of who they are, to use their positions to gain advantage by any corrupt means. 

We must all recommit to our founding principles of renewal to rebuild all our structures. We must all lead by example and we must live by the Constitution and all policies and decisions of the ANC and its constitutional structures as reaffirmed by our Secretary General, comrade Fikile Mbalula. 

We face an existential threat which requires drastic measures to turn things around. Our collective goal is to bring back people home to the ANC. We have to fight back to regain the confidence of our people. We must redouble our efforts to mobilise our tradional base which includes the White, Coloured and Indian community, including our Alliance Partners, the SACP, COSATU and SANCO who must be part and parcel of our renewal project.

 The NEC has outlined three main tasks for the next 3 to 6 months as follows:

• To rebuild and renew the ANC and reconnect the movement with all sectors of society in every community across the province. 

• To prepare for the 2026 local government elections. 

• To oversee the work of ANC Cadres deployed in the province and local government and ensure service delivery. 

We cannot deviate from this mandate. IMMEDIATE INTERVENTIONS AND TASKS • 

We  want to commend the positive spirit with which we have been received by everyone in the ANC Office, from previous office bearers to administrative staff • We will be receiving an in-depth State of the Organisation Report within the next three weeks. 

This will enable the current leadership to get an objective analysis of where we are as an organisation, to avoid duplications, and to ensure that the interventions and the Plans we formulate going forward are scientific and grounded in solving the most pressing issues of our people. 

• On Membership: We will give ourselves sufficient time to go through the question of membership. The key point is that we should have a process that inspires hope amongst the members of the ANC and protects its integrity. 

This will entail, amongst others, udit and verification of the membership to ensure credibility of our processes. To that end, some of our officials will be attending a membership training session. The workshop will present the POA and roadmap for all matters relating to membership. After this workshop, provinces will be expected to schedule their membership training session dates. We will brief the media once we have recorded progress on this critical matter. 

• Renewal Charter: We agreed that all of us must subscribe to the Renewal Charter as a physical expression of our commitment to rebuilding our movement. This Charter adds a layer of dedication and is a solemn pledge by all of us to work for our movement and our people. 

• Asiye Ekhaya Campaign: This campaign is our grassroots engine which seeks to reconnect the ANC with its core constituency. 

This campaign will  will be focused on ensuring that the ANC retains its role as the strategic centre for all progressive forces and individuals (The Leader of Society). 

 Intensification of Political Education: We will enhance our political education machinery and campaign to build both political and social consciousness amongst our leaders, members and supporters to capacitate them in driving the National Democratic Revolution. 

In pursuit of this goal of uniting all our people and sectors of society behind the ANC, we shall also convene several meetings and engagements with key stakeholders to ensure we do not leave our organs of people’s power behind. 

NSFAS ACTING CEO @KASIBCNEWS

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Waseem Carrim as the Acting Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. This decision comes following the end of the term of the Administrator, Mr Freeman Nomvalo.

Mr Carrim is currently Chief Financial Officer of NSFAS. He is the former CFO and CEO of the National Youth Development Agency where he led the NYDA to nine consecutive clean audit outcomes and grew the organization from a R400 million to R1.5 billion budget. He is a Chartered Accountant by profession and holds two master’s degrees. 

Waseem is a member of the Board of the Small Enterprise Finance Development Agency and the UNISA Enterprise. He is a former category winner of the SAICA 35-under 35 in 2016, has been recognized as one of the 2018 Mail and Guardian 200 Young South Africans and a 2019, SADC’s Most Influential Young Leaders.

With his proven track record at NYDA, he comes well-prepared to lead NSFAS during this transitional period,” said the NSFAS Board Chairperson, Dr. Karen Stander. "The board is confident that Mr. Carrim will provide the stability and leadership needed to initiate the transition of NSFAS towards becoming an international best practice benchmark in student funding. 

His deep understanding of State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) operations, combined with a commitment to fostering innovation and growth, and a passion for youth development that is evident in everything he does, makes him the appropriate choice for this role. A role that requires the ability to turn around a fund, which he has demonstrated at the NYDA"

Bus crash claims ten people on the N6 in Free State @KASIBCNEWS

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has sent a team of crash investigators to Free State to probe the cause of a terrible crash that claimed the lives of ten people this morning.

The crash happened around 3am when a truck and a bus collided about 5 kilometres from Reddersburg.
Information at this stage indicate that the bus was travelling on N6 from Reddersburg in the direction of Smithfield while the truck with two trailers was travelling in the opposite direction. The two vehicles collided in a side swipe type crash.

Ten people died on the scene and an unconfirmed number from the bus were transported to hospital for medical treatment. The exact cause of the crash has not yet been determined.

The RTMC sends condolences to the affected families and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured. We further urge all road users to exercise extreme caution when travelling in the early hours of the morning. Statistics show that most crash take place before dawn.

JMPD E-WALLET OR CASH SEND BRIBES @KASIBCNEWS

The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) is issuing a public alert regarding reports of alleged unscrupulous behaviour by certain officers.

The JMPD’s Internal Affairs Unit is currently investigating numerous cases where officers are suspected of soliciting bribes from members of the public, with funds being transferred via e-wallet or cash send to unknown or “ghost” cellphone numbers.

The JMPD takes these allegations extremely seriously and is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and professionalism. We urge the public to be vigilant and aware of this alleged practice.

"The JMPD will not tolerate any form of corruption within its ranks. These alleged actions are a betrayal of public trust and undermine the department's commitment to serving the community with integrity. I want to send a clear message to all officers: if you are found engaging in these corrupt activities, the strictest disciplinary action will be taken, including criminal prosecution, JMPD Chief of Police, Chief Patrick Jaca asserted. "Furthermore, I want to warn motorists that offering bribes is also a serious offence. 

Anyone who attempts to bribe an officer will be arrested and face the full consequences of the law. We are here to serve and protect, not to exploit. I urge all citizens to report any instances of corruption so that we can work together to maintain a clean and trustworthy police service."

Members of the public who encounter or have experienced such situations are strongly encouraged to report them immediately by calling the JMPD Anti-Fraud and Corruption Hotline: 080 020 3712, visiting the JMPD Internal Affairs Unit Office at Village Main Road and Loveday Street, Wemmer, or WhatsApp: 063 253 1928.

Alternatively, you can contact the JMPD Chief of Police, Chief Patrick Jaca at 082 559 3880

The JMPD is dedicated to ensuring transparency and accountability within its ranks. We appreciate the public's cooperation in helping us combat corruption and maintain the integrity of our staff.

SASSA GOLD CARDS @KASIBCNEWS

The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies assures the public that the social grants payment cycle of 04 – 06 March 2025 will continue normally as the SASSA gold cards will still be valid. The gold cards will only be disabled at 17:00 (5pm) on 20 March 2025. 

The Department thanks beneficiaries who have heeded the call to exchange their cards and encourages SASSA beneficiaries who have not yet swopped their cards to do so urgently ahead of the extended deadline of 20 March 2025 using the outlets availed by the Postbank. 

Beneficiaries may follow the below process to look up card replacement sites: 

▪ Dial *120*335# ▪ Reply with (1) to continue ▪ Reply with the province number (of the province in which they want to look up card replacement sites) 

▪ Reply with the number of the municipality. 

Then all the card replacement sites under that municipality will appear. 

A total of 854 248 cards had been issued as of Friday, 28 February 2025. This signifies an increase of more than 100 thousand cards that were issued in the last week alone. 

In Gauteng, which is one of the three provinces with large beneficiary numbers, Postbank has already achieved a 58 percent card replacement conversion level of the total number of beneficiaries that it must issue with the new black cards. 

This is an encouraging number in the face of all challenges in the cards replacement process that Postbank is addressing. 

The Department wishes to reassure the public that no social grant beneficiary will be left out of the payments even those who may miss the deadline. 

SASSA and Postbank are committed to ensuring that there are no interruptions to the payments of grants. There is therefore no need to panic.