HISTORIC GRADUATION OF FIRST OF SANSI YOUTH CADETS @KASIBC_NEWS

HISTORIC GRADUATION OF FIRST OF SANSI YOUTH CADETS @KASIBC_NEWS

The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Ms. Angie Motshekga, will attend the graduation ceremony for the inaugural cohort of the South African National Service Institute (SANSI) on 7 June 2025 at 09:00 at Dunnottar Military Base, Sharondale, Gauteng Province. 

This landmark event marks the successful completion of the programme by the first group of youth cadets, who have undergone intensive training focused on discipline, public service, and practical skills. The programme is designed to build a skills to industry pipeline, preparing young people to contribute to South Africa’s economic growth and social development. 

SANSI was launched in 2023 under the leadership of the Department of Defence and Military Veterans and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) as a strategic youth development initiative to tackle unemployment and social exclusion. It forms part of the broader National Youth Service Programme, which integrates civic education, character development, and sector-specific training to prepare young South Africans for productive economic participation and responsible citizenship. 

Minister Motshekga commends the resilience and determination of the graduating cadets. She described them as “disciplined, determined, and deeply patriotic” and reiterated the government's commitment to expanding the programme, stating: “Skills development is not a short-term fix, it is the backbone of our economic revival”. 

This initiative gives our youth not only the tools for employment but also a strong sense of civic duty and purpose.” The Minister emphasized that scaling up SANSI will ensure that no young South African is left behind in the fight against unemployment and poverty.

GAUTENG GANGSTERS PARADISE @KASIBC_NEWS

GAUTENG GANGSTERS PARADISE @KASIBC_NEWS 

 

COMMUNITY SAFETY COMMITTEE COMMENDS LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR CRIME REDUCTION, RAISES CONCERNS OVER MULTIPLE MURDERS AND POLICE KILLINGS

The Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety commends law enforcement officers across the province for their dedication, resilience, and hard work, which have contributed to a notable reduction in crime during the fourth quarter of the 2024/25 financial year (January – March 2025).

According to the latest crime statistics presented to the Committee by Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Tommy Mthombeni, on Thursday, 5 June 2025, Gauteng recorded a 7.9% decrease (8,393 fewer cases) in the 17 community-reported serious crimes compared to the same period in the previous financial year.

This represents a significant step forward in the province’s ongoing efforts to combat crime.

The Committee is particularly encouraged by the 10.8% reduction in murder cases, which reflects the continued commitment of law enforcement agencies and the effectiveness of collaborative crime prevention strategies.

However, the Committee remains deeply concerned about the ongoing occurrence of multiple murder incidents, which continue to devastate communities.

During the reporting period, Gauteng experienced two particularly disturbing incidents, each resulting in seven fatalities:

In Soshanguve, at the Marry Me Informal Settlement, a violent altercation reportedly erupted between community patrollers and some security company . The victims were stoned, shot, and partially burned. The Committee commends the swift response by the South African Police Service and the Hawks, who promptly arrested the alleged perpetrators.

In Kagiso, suspects set fire to four vehicles, a shack, and a spaza shop before indiscriminately opening fire on residents. Seven individuals (six men and one woman) were found dead with gunshot wounds, and three others were injured. These incidents highlight the urgent need for intensified interventions and intelligence-led policing in high-risk areas.

In line with the government’s stance that “crime has no colour in our country,” the Committee also notes a reported farm murder during the period. In this case, an African male was killed during a robbery in which livestock—including cows, goats, and sheep—were stolen. Such acts of violence are unacceptable in any context.

The Committee is gravely alarmed by the continued killing of police officers. Eleven officers lost their lives during the quarter—one while on duty and ten off-duty. The Committee strongly condemns these attacks, emphasizing that violence against law enforcement is an attack on the state and the safety of all citizens.

Encouragingly, incidents of sexual violence declined by 2.1%. While this decrease is acknowledged, the Committee stresses that more must be done to significantly reduce such crimes and to protect the dignity and safety of women and children across Gauteng.

The 8.9% reduction in robbery with aggravating circumstances is another positive development. However, the Committee is increasingly concerned about the 15.8% rise in kidnapping cases. These are often linked to hijackings, robbery, ransom demands, extortion, and human trafficking. 

The safety and freedom of movement of Gauteng residents must be protected with urgency.

The Committee applauds the success of crime-fighting initiatives such as Operation Shanela, which resulted in the arrest of 28,851 suspects, including 8,110 undocumented foreign nationals. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of coordinated and sustained enforcement operations.

While the Committee welcomes the progress made, it emphasizes that this is only the beginning. 

Gauteng must continue to intensify efforts to eradicate criminal activity and build safe, resilient communities where every resident can live free from fear and violence.

 

THE GAUTENG PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT BUDGET INCREASED BY R886.6 MILLION @KASIBC_NEWS

THE GAUTENG PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT BUDGET INCREASED BY R886.6 MILLION @KASIBC_NEWS 

The Gauteng Provincial Government is re-tabling the 2025/2026 Budget amounting to R172.3 billion. In the previously tabled Budget, tabled on the 18th of March 2025, we presented a provincial budget of R171.5 billion. This translates into an increase of R886.6 million. 

These additional resources were made possible through the provincial allocation of unspent funds and revenue over collection from the previous financial year.  Two weeks ago, there were reports circulating in the media stating that the Gauteng Provincial Government had underspent by R1.8 billion, and that these underspent funds would be returned to the National Treasury. On the 12th of May 2025, the Gauteng Provincial Treasury held a media briefing to address the concern that the underspent resources would no longer be available, or that they are lost by the Gauteng Provincial Government.  

We communicated that whatever funds could not be motivated would revert to the Provincial Revenue Fund and instructively, that these funds would remain available for re-allocation to programmes and projects, and that they were in no way lost by the Gauteng Provincial Government. 

The re-tabling of the provincial budget informed by the re-injection of the R886.6 million into the fiscus is confirmation of the truthfulness of the assertions that we made in the said media briefing. The developments that inform the re-tabling of the Gauteng Provincial Government’s Budget were also occasioned by extraordinary events at National Government level which saw the postponement of the National Budget that was initially scheduled for the 22nd of February 2025. The second attempt to table the national Budget was made on the 12th of March 2025 but ended with the withdrawal of the Division of Revenue Bill on account of substantive disagreements with proposed revenue generation mechanisms.  

The Minister of Finance, Honourable Enoch Godongwana, eventually tabled the National Budget to Parliament on the 21st of May 2025. The re-tabling of the national Budget by the Minister of Finance entailed amendments to the 2025 Fiscal Framework. The national Budget also considered political and economic developments in the global arena. 

These developments precipitated a wave of unprecedented uncertainty worldwide, and certainly on the African continent where we are having to re-think development aid and re-engineer our approach to revenue generation. It is on account of these developments that we had to write to the Speaker of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature to withdraw the Provincial Appropriation Bill for 2025/2026 that we introduced to the Legislature on the 18th of March 2025. 

This was done so that we could re-table the Budget in compliance with Sections 26 and 27 of the Public Finance Management Act which instructs that the MEC responsible for Finance in a province must table the provincial budget for a financial year in a Provincial Legislature within a period of two weeks after the tabling of the national annual budget by the Minister of Finance.

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK OF SOUTH AFRICA AND THE GAUTENG PROVINCE 

The International Monetary Fund projects that world economy will grow by 2.8 percent in 2025. This is largely because of uncertainties caused by the new US tariffs regime and retaliatory tariffs by other countries. On the domestic front, the National Treasury has downgraded its projection of the real Gross Domestic Product from 1.9 percent to 1.4 percent for 2025, due to adverse domestic and global developments. 

Our situation is compounded by the fact that the global economy is likely to provide less than ideal demand for South African exports. While it has largely stabilised following years of shocks from the COVID-19 pandemic to the effects of the Russo-Ukrainian war, it has stabilised at a relatively low growth rate. South Africa’s economic performance remained fragile in 2024. 

The real economic output of Gauteng, which makes up 33.8 percent of South Africa’s GDP, is R1.57 trillion, (nominal GDP is R2.43 trillion). Furthermore, GP’s real growth rate was 0.8 percent on an annual basis for 2024. 

The overall risks to the global economy and nationally are tilted to the downside, with the escalating trade measures prominent. 

REBUILDING THE PROVINCIAL ECONOMY 

The Gauteng Provincial Government has a five-year budget approach that will facilitate provincial delivery based on the Medium-Term Development Plan, strategic plans, and annual performance plans for the 7th Administration. 

This approach is anchored on maintaining fiscal discipline and credibility, and impactful service delivery; responding to high-level provincial risks such as safety, economy, climate change and debt management; re-tabling of the 2025 Provincial Budget that is aligned with provincial strategic plans, annual performance plans, and other planning and budgeting engagements; and introducing, testing, and implementing immediate, short-term, and medium-term budget reforms over the 2025 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework. 

This is against the backdrop of a deteriorating fiscal position that is driven by declining revenue, mounting debt obligations, and an unsustainable wage bill. 

To ensure that we reach and even surpass these targets, provincial departments are implementing various strategies to enhance revenue collection, anchored on our provincial Revenue Enhancement Strategy that is underpinned by the following five (5) principles: 

1. Accelerating the completion of interventions that has already started. 

2. Optimising the existing revenue sources. 

3. Enhancing revenue collection processes and systems to increase efficiency, cost effectiveness, and eliminate leakages. 

4. Identifying potential new revenue sources that have not been explored. 

5. The use of alternative funding and implementation models to achieve more value. 

GAUTENG INVESTMENT CONFERENCE 

The Gauteng Investment Conference that we hosted in April 2025 successfully secured R312.5 billion in investment commitments across 60 projects, against a target of R300 billion that was initially set. 

The Investment Book presented at the Gauteng Investment Conference featured 117 projects across Gauteng’s economic corridors, totalling an estimated R239 billion in potential investment. These projects span key economic sectors including infrastructure, smart cities, agro-processing, manufacturing, automotive, ICT, and energy. 

The Investment Book offered investors a curated portfolio of initiatives at various stages of development, from concept to shovel-ready, providing critical insight into Gauteng’s development pipeline. Thus, the pledges secured mark a significant milestone toward the province’s R800 billion investment target over the next 5 years. 

These commitments span a wide array of sectors, geographies, and investor origins, illustrating Gauteng’s growing reputation as Africa’s investment epicentre. The Gauteng Provincial Government is working with various institutions, including the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) to convert these pledges into projects, to ensure that what has been committed to the work of the government and the people of Gauteng materialises and facilitates the sustainable economic growth and development that we are pursuing. 

THE 2025 MTEF BUDGET ALLOCATIONS AND RE-ALLOCATIONS 

The budget allocations to departments for 2025/2026 financial year provided in this media statement are a quantitative summary and must be read alongside the re-tabled Budget Speech for a comprehensive outline of the qualitative value and rationale, as well as the departments’ areas of prioritisation. 

The re-allocations are as follows: 

• In the 2025/2026 financial year, the Office of the Premier will receive an additional R50 million. 

• The Gauteng Department of Economic Development will receive R100 million. 

• The Gauteng Department of Human Settlements has been allocated R332 million.

• The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport will be allocated R314.9 million 

• For the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the newly established Gauteng Department of Environment, R23.8 million and R18 million, respectively, are allocated. 

• The Gauteng Department of Environment will also receive an additional R50 million. 

The allocation of these additional funds demonstrates that the overall thrust of our budget approach remains the resourcing of critical social and economic programmes that are the basis of the social wage with our people, notwithstanding the increasingly challenging economic environment. 

Budgets for other departments remain unchanged over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, and are as follows:

• The Gauteng Provincial Legislature receives R1.2 billion in 2025/2026, and it grows to R3 billion over the MTEF period. 

• The Gauteng Department of Health’s 2025/2026 financial year allocation amounts to R67.1 billion, and a total of R141.9 billion over the MTEF. 

• In the 2025/2026 financial year, the Gauteng Department of Education receives R68 billion, and cumulatively R211.2 billion over the MTEF. 

• The Gauteng Department of Social Development receives R5.4 billion for the 2025/2026 financial year, and R16.8 billion over the MTEF. 

• The Gauteng Department of Cooperative Governance, Traditional Affairs and Urban Planning will be allocated R551.4 million in the 2025/2026 financial year and R1.7 billion over the MTEF. 

• In the 2025/2026 financial year, the Gauteng Department of Community Safety will receive R2.4 billion, and R6.8 billion over the MTEF.

 • The Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation will receive an amount of R1 billion in the 2025/2026 financial year and R3.1 billion over the MTEF. 

• The Gauteng Department of e-Government has been allocated an amount of R1.5 billion in the 2025/2026 financial year and R4.8 billion over the MTEF. • The Gauteng Provincial Treasury will receive R787.8 million in the 2025/2026 f inancial year, and cumulatively R2.4 billion over the MTEF. 

• The Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development’s allocation for the 2025/2026 financial year amounts to R3.6 billion, and cumulatively R10.8 billion over the MTEF. 

The 2025 MTEF Budget is characterised by compulsory baseline reductions across all Gauteng Provincial Government departments and entities, to accommodate the downward revision of the Provincial Equitable Share, and further baseline reductions to accommodate the provincial budget deficit. 

Despite the downward revision of budgets and reprioritisation within and between budget votes, the priorities highlighted in the State of the Province Address are funded in this 2025 MTEF Budget. 

We are confident that they will yield a measurable impact in delivering meaningful change for the people of Gauteng. 

CONCLUSION 

There must be no doubt, even in the face of challenges that we face, that Gauteng is still the economic nerve-centre of the regional economy. The challenges that we are confronted with are not insurmountable. 

The Gauteng Provincial Government will continue to prioritise the identification of efficiency gains and making trade-offs to fund government priorities. Fiscal discipline demands that the provincial and municipal governments maintain fiscal positions that are consistent with macroeconomic stability and sustained inclusive economic growth. 

Furthermore, provincial departments and entities must strengthen the exploration of alternative sources of funding to supplement the existing constrained revenue streams and thus enhance fiscal sustainability over the long-term. Public-private partnerships are going to be an anchor and vehicle to this approach and must be pursued committedly.

 

NPO FUNDING PAYMENTS @KASIBC_NEWS

NPO FUNDING PAYMENTS @KASIBC_NEWS 

The Gauteng Department of Social Development is ramping up the finalization of signing of SLAs with NPOs. Since the beginning of the current financial year, the Department has issued 1640 SLAs to NPOs, and 1424 of these have been signed and concluded.  The outstanding number of SLAs stands at 216, and warning letters were issued to the NPOs and the deadline for SLAs to be received back is this week. 

The Department would like to make a call to the outstanding NPOs to fast track the signing of SLAs. The Department has been meeting with NPOs which has positively resulted in increase in the number of SLAs received back.  

The Department would also like to report that 818 payments have been made against SLAs signed already, to the tune of R279 million. 

This number keeps improving as payment runs happen. The Department has been receiving media inquiries about the NPOs that have not been paid. Whilst we cannot discuss and divulge financial information of individual NPOs, we are calling on such NPOs to contact their regional offices and M & E officials for status of their SLAs.  

There have been delays with regards to organizations in the HIV & AIDS Sector to finalize SLAs due to compliance with the children's act, where all NPOs that deal with children must comply with the legislation regulating the child protection environment. 

The Department held a meeting with affected NPOs on Friday, and the matter has been resolved. 

The Democratic Alliance is also hopelessly trying to distract us from the work at hand but issuing populistic media statements which are nothing but an attempt to force relevance. 

MEC Mazibuko is more committed to ensuring that NPOs that meet all requirements are processed accordingly and won’t be involved in political mudslinging with the DA, a party that is failing to find resonance with the hearts and minds of people of Gauteng.   

BRUTAL MURDER OF LIKHONA FOSE @KASIBC_NEWS

BRUTAL MURDER OF LIKHONA FOSE @KASIBC_NEWS 

Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane is deeply saddened by the death of Likhona Fose, a 14-year-old Grade 8 girl learner at Ikusasalethu Secondary School in Braamfischerville, whose body was found mutilated in Roodepoort on Sunday, 1 June 2025. 

The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has urgently deployed its Psycho-Social Support Unit at Ikusasalethu Secondary School to provide extensive counselling and trauma support to learners and teachers who may have been affected by this tragic incident. 

While police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding this brutal incident, we are devastated by the occurrence of young Likhona’s death during National Child Protection Week, where we raise awareness of the rights of children as articulated in our Constitution. Furthermore, the GDE stands with the nation in condemning all acts of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, especially where learners are concerned. 

It is our duty as a society to collectively support and champion our children’s education beyond the classroom, this includes ensuring the safety of our children at all costs to protect their future.  “As the Department, we cannot begin to express how deeply disheartened we are by the loss of Likhona, a young girl learner who had a bright future ahead of her. For her life to have been taken from her in such a brutal manner is unacceptable, and we call on law enforcement authorities to speedily apprehend those responsible for this heinous act. 

We wish to extend our sincerest condolences to the family and the school community of Ikusasalethu Secondary, assuring them that we share their pain,” said MEC Chiloane. 

THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FREEDOM CHARTER AND 39TH ANNIVERSARY OF YOUTH UPRISING @KASIBC_NEWS

THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FREEDOM CHARTER AND 39TH ANNIVERSARY OF YOUTH UPRISING @KASIBC_NEWS 

The African National Congress this month commemorates the 70th Anniversary of the Freedom Charter, adopted by the Congress of the People on 26 June 1955 in Kliptown, and pays tribute to the youth who took part in the 1976 Uprising, who rose in defiance on 16 June to confront the brutality of apartheid and demand justice in education and our nation. 

This is a sacred time of remembrance, reflection, and renewal, as we draw strength from the vision of those who came before us and recommit ourselves to the urgent tasks of today. We do not mark this month out of routine, nor do we merely look back. As President Oliver Reginald Tambo declared in 1980 during The Year of the Charter, we are called to rise to the occasion and to renew our pledge of dedication to the future it visualises. That future is not abstract. It is the daily struggle for a society in which The People Shall Govern, where The Doors of Learning and Culture Shall Be Open to All, and where There Shall Be Work and Security. 

That future is owed to our young people today, who are not only inheritors of a proud tradition of struggle, but also the builders of a new era. June 2025 is therefore not a commemoration of dates but a living call to conscience. It is a rallying cry to forge a just society where the promises of the Freedom Charter become lived realities for the youth, for women, for workers, and for those who have long been excluded from the full fruits of democracy. 

The Charter must not remain ink on paper or etched only in memory. It must be a tool of mobilisation, of education, and of transformation. 

This June is both Freedom Charter Month and Youth Month. The ANC reaffirms that the Charter is the soul of our democracy and a revolutionary programme that remains as relevant in 2025 as it was in 1955. Its ten clauses are the moral compass of our Constitution and our transformation agenda. In every community and ward, the ANC calls on branches, leagues and alliance partners to take up this campaign and use the Charter to illuminate our work in the fight against youth unemployment, gender-based violence, and the crisis of political trust and participation. 

The theme for Youth Month 2025, “Skills for the Changing World – Empowering Youth for Meaningful Economic Participation,” speaks directly to the demands of our time. It calls on all of us to act with intention, urgency, and clarity. Young people are not just the future; they are the present. They are calling for pathways into the economy, for dignity in work, for access to quality education, and for the right to shape decisions that affect their lives. 

The Charter’s call that “the people shall share in the country’s wealth” cannot be postponed. It must be realised through concrete investment in skills, industries, infrastructure, and public innovation. This month must also be a space of community activism and involvement in the fight against the scourge of violence against women and children. 

The brutal murder of Olorato Kganyago, and the many women, children, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community who continue to face violence and indignity, require from us not words but resolute action. The Charter tells us that all shall be equal before the law and this is not negotiable. GBVF is not a women’s issue; it is a national crisis. It is a direct threat to the democratic promise, and as a society we must uproot it at its core. 

Let this month be a turning point. Let us build spaces of safety and love, of positive masculinities, of respect and equality. We call on the youth of 2025 to be the generation that ends the scourge of violence and reclaims the streets, homes, schools, and workplaces for dignity and peace. As the ANC commemorates 40 years since the founding of COSATU later this year, and reflects on the 30th Anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, let us remember that none of these milestones are detached from the Charter. 

The struggles of workers, of women, of the disabled and the poor are all stitched together by that historic document, the Freedom Charter, which spoke not just of political rights, but of land, of housing, of healthcare, of education, of economy, of peace and friendship. Let June be the month in which the Charter speaks again, not only in lectures and posters, but in the voice of the unemployed graduate, in the demands of the township girl who insists on walking safely, in the call of the informal worker seeking recognition, and in the dignity of the child learning in their mother tongue. 

Let it speak in our policies, in our meetings, in our communities and in our streets. The ANC makes a rallying call to all sectors of society to rise to the occasion in affirming the hopes of 1955 and confronting the challenges of 2025 with unity, purpose and conviction. Let us make this Freedom Charter Month and Youth Month a living campaign of renewal. 

Let us honour the sacrifices of the youth of 1976 not through ceremony alone, but through action that transforms lives and upholds the values they fought for. In the coming days, the ANC will announce a series of programmes forming part of the official commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the Freedom Charter. All power to the people. 

330 SUSPECTS ARRESTED DURING WEEKEND OPERATIONS @KASIBC_NEWS

330 SUSPECTS ARRESTED DURING WEEKEND OPERATIONS @KASIBC_NEWS 

Gauteng Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) are working tirelessly to ensure that criminals are brought to book. In past weekend, the Gauteng Traffic Police (GTP), Gauteng Traffic Wardens (GTWs), South African Police Service (SAPS) working with other Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) arrested more than 330 suspects during High Density Operations and Operation Shanela which took place from Friday, 30 May 2025 to Sunday, 01 June 2025, across all five regions in Gauteng. 

The City of Ekurhuleni recorded a total of 69 arrests within Etwatwa, Tembisa, Benoni, Springs, Boksburg, Benoni, Tokoza, Dunnotar, Norkem Park, Duduza, Primrose and Zonkizizwe amongst others. Noting that, 15 suspects were arrested for drinking and driving, 14 for possession of drugs and 05 for selling liquor without a license. 

In total, 944 people and 416 cars were searched in the city. In the City of Tshwane, officials arrested 96 suspects in Mabopane, Akasia, Mamelodi, Sunnyside and Olievenhoutbosch. Amongst those arrests, 38 suspects were apprehended for public drinking, 17 for drinking and driving, 10 for contravening the immigration act and 08 for theft. 642 people and 284 vehicles were searched in the city. 80 suspects were apprehended in the Sedibeng District Municipality for cases which include 28 suspects for drinking and driving, 24 suspects for contravention of the immigration act and 19 suspects for possession of drugs. 1198 people and 450 vehicles were searched, while the operations took place in Sebokeng, Orange Farm, Evaton, Vanderbijil Park, Boipatong and the Barrage.  In the West Rand District Municipality, 67 suspects were arrested in Mohlakeng and Westonaria, 40 of those emanated from Operation Shanela. 

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Suspects were arrested for cases which include possession of suspected stolen property, contravention of the immigration act, drunk driving and assault GBH amongst others. 999 people and 532 vehicles were searched in the municipality.  Law enforcement agencies in the City of Johannesburg arrested 18 suspects for cases possession of drugs and contravention of the immigration act. 500 people and 160 vehicles were searched, and one vehicle was recovered during the operations. 

The operations targeted Dobsonville, Doornkop, Protea Glen, Naledi and Ennerdale. “The Department commends the law enforcement officials for their continued efforts in collaborating and making these arrests. Drinking and driving, public drinking, possession of drugs and dealing in drugs are a sore thorn that officials are continuously dealing with decisively,” said Gauteng Department of Community Safety Spokesperson, Mr Ofentse Morwane.