Category: Government Opinion Pieces

Home Affairs offices have extended their operating hours in May due to the uptake of Smart ID cards by naturalised citizens and permanent residents from visa exempt countries.

The extension on Saturdays came into effect on 17 May and will continue until 31 May 2025.
This means that offices will open from 8 am until 1 pm.

“The Department of Home Affairs will extend its operating period by five hours on Saturdays in May 2025 at front offices to assist naturalised citizens and permanent residents to apply for Smart ID Cards.

“Extended hours over the specified weekends will allow for processing of Smart ID Card applications from naturalised citizens and permanent residents from listed countries, in possession of green barcoded ID books,” said the department in a statement.

READ | Home Affairs commends uptake of Smart IDs for naturalised citizens, permanent residents

The department encouraged naturalised citizens and permanent residents from listed countries to make use of this opportunity.
“This will take us closer to fully adopting the more secure Smart ID Card and doing away with the green bar-coded ID book.

The listed countries can be found here: : https://bit.ly/smartidcards-naturalised-and-pr

Yesterday marked a milestone in South Africa’s fight against corruption with the inaugural meeting of the Water Sector Anti-Corruption Forum (WSACF).

The WSACF is based on Pillar Six of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS), which emphasises the protection of vulnerable sectors and the enhancement of integrity management and anti-corruption mechanisms.

This pillar aims to reduce corruption and unethical behaviour in the sectors most at risk by implementing effective risk management strategies and establishing consequences for non-compliance.

The initiative aligns with Priority Three of the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG), which seeks to enhance and mobilise the inclusive participation of the public sector, private sector, civil society, and academia to prevent and combat corruption.

The WSACF is a strategic intervention aimed at developing tailored solutions to address corruption risks in the water sector.

By adopting a risk-based approach, the forum will focus on investigation, prevention, and enforcement to safeguard South Africa’s water resources, which are essential for sustainable development.

“The establishment of the forum follows the findings from 14 Special Investigating Unit (SIU) proclamations related to the Department of Water and Sanitation. With eight investigations completed and five still active, the need for a coordinated anti-corruption response in water management has never been clearer,” the Special Investigating Unit said in a statement.

“The inaugural meeting follows the 15th Commonwealth Regional Conference of Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Africa, held in Cape Town from May 5-9, 2025,” the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) said.

During the conference, chairpersonship of the association transitioned from Ghana to South Africa, with Advocate Andy Mothibi of the SIU assuming the role for 2025–2026.

The theme was: “Enhancing Inclusive Participation of State and Non-State Actors to Prevent and Combat Corruption”, highlighting the need for collaboration in the fight against corruption.

The WSACF also aligns itself with the goals of the National Development Plan (NDP) 2030, which focuses on water security and sustainable development.

It also supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6, which aims to ensure the availability and sustainable management of clean water and sanitation for everyone.

The WSACF embodies the National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 vision of a corruption-free South Africa while supporting Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which ensures access to clean water and sanitation for all.

The forum brings together a broad coalition of stakeholders, including law enforcement agencies, Chapter 9 institutions, civil society organisations and water activists, the public sector, regulators, traditional and religious leaders, organised labout and water conservation and environmental groups.

This collaborative model strengthens accountability, closes gaps, and implements measurable and actionable prevention plans. Importantly, the forum will also hold anti-corruption agencies accountable, ensuring transparency and effectiveness in their operations.

The WSACF supports anti-corruption initiatives in the water sector and fosters collaboration among stakeholders to combat corruption effectively.

The Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina, called for and welcomed the establishment of the WSACF.

The North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is calling on farmers across the province to step forward and take part in shaping the future of agriculture by registering their farming enterprises on the department’s official farmer database.

MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Madoda Sambatha, is championing the initiative as a vital move toward preparing the sector for the next wave of skilled agricultural professionals.

“This is more than just a registration process,” Sambatha said. “It’s about opening doors for young people who are ready to make their mark in agriculture.”

The database, managed by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), is designed to build a detailed and inclusive picture of farming activity in the province. More importantly, it will serve as the backbone of the department’s 2025/2026 internship programme, where registered farms will double as training grounds for qualified agricultural graduates.

“Farmer participation is key to the success of this programme. We want to see every farm become a platform for growth, not only for its productivity but also for nurturing the next generation of agricultural leaders,” said Sambatha.

By registering, farmers will not only gain access to support services but also have the opportunity to host and mentor motivated young interns eager to apply their knowledge and bring new ideas into the sector.

“By registering, farmers are helping shape the sector’s future, offering mentorship, and gaining access to motivated interns, who bring fresh skills and innovation to the field,” Sambatha said.

The internship programme aims to bridge the gap between academic training and real-world experience, giving graduates hands-on learning opportunities, while boosting the capacity of participating farms.

Farmers are advised to complete the registration form with care, ensuring that all information provided is accurate and up to date. The department has assured that all submitted data will be kept strictly confidential and used solely to enhance planning and improve support services across the province.

Registration is quick and can be done online via the department’s official website at https://dard.nwpg.gov.za/. For assistance, farmers can also contact their nearest agricultural office.

This initiative is part of a broader provincial push to build a sustainable, inclusive, and skills-driven agricultural economy rooted in innovation, collaboration, and the strategic development of human capital.

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister, Dean Macpherson, will sign memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with three municipalities to improve infrastructure delivery at local government level.

The signing will take place in Pretoria today.

This follows a decision taken at the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Council — chaired by President Cyril Ramaphosa — to embark on this pilot project in three local municipalities.

This ‘Adopt-a-Municipality’ initiative, which will be rolled out nationwide, will see Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) work with municipalities to introduce rapid infrastructure interventions aimed at improving the implementation and delivery of infrastructure projects.

“The objective is to address cost overruns, poor workmanship and inadequate planning that have often plagued municipal infrastructure initiatives,” the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure said in a statement.

The MOUs will be signed with Metsimaholo Local Municipality in the Free State, uMngeni Local Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal and Govan Mbeki Local Municipality in Mpumalanga.

“These municipalities will receive targeted support as part of the first phase of the project,” the department said.

Home Affairs Minister, Dr Leon Schreiber, has welcomed the Constitutional Court judgment handed down in respect of section 6(1)(a) of the South African Citizenship Act 88 of 1995, regarding the loss of citizenship.

In its unanimous judgment, the Constitutional Court affirmed an earlier ruling by the Supreme Court of Appeal that section 6(1)(a) of the Act is unconstitutional.

This section held that from 6 October 1995 onwards, if a South African acquired the citizenship of another country without first applying for, and obtaining ministerial permission to retain their citizenship, they would automatically lose their South African citizenship.

“This judgment settles a legal matter that has been contested for some time and lays the foundation for restoring the dignity of all South Africans who lost their citizenship due to this unconstitutional provision.

“South African law allows for dual citizenship, and there is no justification for South Africans to be deprived of their birthright in the manner that was previously done.

“Home Affairs will not only abide by this ruling, but has immediately started work to enable affected individuals to confirm their citizenship reinstatement,” Schreiber said.

To ensure compliance, Home Affairs will consider the implications of the judgment for legislative amendments, if any.

In line with the department’s vision for digital transformation, work has now commenced to build a dedicated online portal where any person who believes they were adversely affected by the unconstitutional provision can lodge an online case to confirm their citizenship reinstatement from anywhere in the world.

“It is important to note that this will only apply to cases of lost citizenship dating from 6 October 1995.

“The department is committed to speedily completing the development of this portal to facilitate effective compliance with the court ruling, and we aim for the system to go live by next month. The public will be informed once this happens,” the Minister said.

The Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety has noted with concern the suspension of more than 300 Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) officers, following their alleged participation in an illegal strike in March this year.

The strike resulted in major traffic disruptions across the city as well as access to the OR Tambo International Airport.

“While the Committee acknowledges the City of Ekurhuleni’s responsibility to take disciplinary action against employees implicated in serious misconduct, the mass suspension of these officers poses a significant risk to public safety, traffic management and the enforcement of municipal by-laws,” the Committee said in a statement on Tuesday.

The committee added that the sudden reduction in law enforcement capacity may leave residents vulnerable and exacerbate challenges in maintaining order on the roads and in communities across the city.

The committee urged the City of Ekurhuleni to implement immediate contingency measures to mitigate the impact of the suspensions.

“One such measure could include seeking temporary reinforcement from other municipalities in Gauteng, in line with the existing agreement that allows Municipal Police and Traffic Officers to operate beyond their jurisdictional boundaries to assist in crime prevention and traffic management.

“Furthermore, the Committee calls on the City of Ekurhuleni to expedite the resolution of the ongoing labour dispute to ensure the swift resumption of critical policing services.

“A prolonged impasse between the municipality and its employees will only deepen service delivery challenges and undermine public safety.”

The committee will continue to monitor the situation closely and remains committed to ensuring that community safety across Gauteng is not compromised.

Eskom is planning to avoid load shedding during the winter period, as its operational performance has improved and it expects additional capacity to come online.

For load shedding to be avoided, unplanned outages must remain below 13 gigawatts (GW).

“If outages increase to 15GW, load shedding would be limited to a maximum of 21 days out of 153 days at stage 2 – an improvement over the prior winter’s worst-case prediction of stage 5 load shedding,” Eskom Group Chief Executive, Dan Marokane, said on Monday, in Johannesburg.

Addressing a media briefing on Eskom’s State of the System for the 2024/2025 financial year, Marokane said the improved winter outlook is due to a 3.1GW decrease in unplanned outages compared to the previous year. 

As a result, the forecast range has been lowered to 13-15GW, down from 14 -17GW in winter 2024. 

Last winter had no load shedding, with average unplanned outages at 12.3GW – significantly below the winter 2024 base-case projection of 14GW.

“This year’s winter outlook prediction is built on an improvement in operational performance and overall efficiency. Load shedding was the lowest in Eskom’s last financial year (FY) 2025 than in the previous two years. 

“In FY 2025, we delivered power 96% of the time. In the previous year, the figure was just 9.9%. Our diesel open cycle gas turbines (OCGTs) were utilised approximately 50% less in FY 2025 compared to the two previous financial years, saving around R16 billion,” the CEO said.

Against this progress, Eskom has seen some setbacks in operational excellence, as evidenced by the recent load shedding requirements between January to April 2025. 

“A targeted plan has been put in place to reinforce operational discipline and accelerate recovery initiatives to address the root causes related to the recent load shedding events,” Marokane said.

Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, said Koeberg unit 1 has received the long-term operating go-ahead from the regulator to ensure 20 years of additional life. 

“We have been able to restore Kusile unit 2 and 3. Kusile unit 1 will be placed back in its original form before the end of May. The three units at Kusile will give us [additional] megawatts (MW) during the winter period.

“Kusile unit 6 has been synchronised to the grid. It is yet to be in commercial operation. It is a technical issue. It is [providing electricity] and at times, it must be taken out to be fixed. Once it gets into commercial operation, we will get the long-term benefits of the unit.

“We plan to bring back Medupi unit 4 back to service during winter. It has been out of service for about four years. We are expecting to get about 800MW in the middle of winter,” Ramokgopa said.

The Minister said load reduction will remain in place to protect the equipment and as a safety precaution to protect the lives of those who are close to the infrastructure when it gets overloaded due to rampant illegal connections.

From 1 April 2024 – 31 March 2025, Eskom implemented load shedding for 13 days compared to 329 and 208 in the two previous years, respectively.

Marokane said Eskom supplied South Africa with more electricity and reduced load shedding without the extensive use of diesel during the period under review.

“We had a 45% reduction in diesel consumption against the backdrop of the highest send out in the last three years and the lowest load shedding days.

“We used the OCGTs very tactically to support the high vulnerability and once we have our capacity, you will see the diesel expenditure going down significantly,” he said.

According to Eskom Group Executive for Generation, Bheki Nxumalo, Eskom has continued to maintain high levels of planned maintenance as part of efforts to improve fleet reliability in preparation for the high winter demand, while also meeting environmental licence conditions and regulatory requirements.

“We have evolved our Generation Recovery Plan to ensure our data-led analysis into the delays in returning units from outages on time, which has caused our fleet to be constrained and not able to accommodate a sudden loss of units, receives intense management focus, as we use our ‘high challenge, high support’ culture to support our teams to rectify this situation,” Nxumalo said.

The Jobs Fund has announced the launch of a new round for projects with funding of a minimum of R5 million in South Africa’s green and informal economies.

“The Fund is calling proposals from the public, private, and not-for-profit sector intermediaries that address key labour market barriers, such as technology, enabling infrastructure, regulations, access to markets and funding, and poor working conditions,” National Treasury said on Wednesday.

Successful proposals must provide scalable, implementable solutions with measurable impact on job creation.

Green economy projects include among others, renewable energy/energy efficiency, sustainable agriculture/agri-tech, transport/green mobility, waste/water management, while the informal economy includes street vending, small retail/manufacturing, care and repair work.

“Previous funding rounds have seen R7.4 billion being disbursed to Jobs Fund Partners, resulting in the creation of 210,719 permanent jobs, 114,534 short-term jobs/internships and more than 63 000 SMMES [Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises], and 16 000 emerging farmers supported.

“This initiative comes at a time when unemployment, especially among youth and women, remains a pressing challenge. The Fund seeks to support creative, scalable interventions that will contribute to sustainable job creation and stimulate inclusive economic growth in high labour absorptive sectors,” National Treasury said.

The application deadline for the grant funding is 05 June 2025 at 3pm.

More information about the Jobs Fund, the Term Sheet for this funding round, Answers to Frequently Asked Questions, links to the online application form, briefing and training sessions for applicants, can be found on www.jobsfund.org.za or contact: jobsfund@treasury.gov.za.

The Western Cape Government (WCG) is inviting residents to provide feedback on the proposed increases to motor vehicle licence (MVL) fees.

These proposals were published in the Provincial Gazette Extraordinary 9057 on 17 April 2025.

The proposed fee increases are set to take effect on 1 August 2025 and are open for public comment until Saturday, 17 May 2025.

“The Western Cape is home to over two million registered vehicles, and the condition of our roads is consistently rated among the best in the country.

“This is largely due to the provincial government’s commitment to ringfencing MVL revenue to maintain, upgrade, and expand our road network,” the WCG said in a statement.

According to the Western Cape Mobility Department, paying vehicle licence fees is not just a legal requirement — it is an important contribution to keeping roads safe, efficient, and reliable for everyone.

“These fees are directly reinvested into the Western Cape’s road infrastructure, helping to build and maintain the roads that connect our communities, support economic activity, and enable daily life,” the department explained.

MVL fees are primarily used to build, upgrade, and maintain the provincially owned road network. They also assist municipalities in maintaining their more strategic roads and ensure continued safe mobility for all road users, including residents, freight operators, tourists, and public transport passengers.

“The Western Cape’s road network is a vital provincial asset that supports commerce, tourism, service delivery and job creation. By ensuring that our roads remain in optimal condition, the province safeguards economic competitiveness and enhances quality of life,” the WCG said.

The draft regulation is available on this link: https://www.westerncape.gov.za/mobility/files/wcg-blob-files?file=2025-04/9057-wc-registration-licence-fees-2025-1.pdf&type=file

Western Cape residents are encouraged to review the draft regulation and submit comments before the closing date.

Email, post, or deliver comments to:
•    Email – Robyn.Titus@westerncape.gov.za.
•    Post – Mr Darryl Jacobs, Head of Department, Attention Ms Robyn Titus, Western Cape Mobility Department, PO Box 2603, Cape Town 8000.
•    Deliver – Mr Darryl Jacobs, Head of Department, Attention Ms Robyn Titus, Western Cape Mobility Department, Ground Floor, 34 Roeland Street, Cape Town.

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has agreed to a court order suspending his decision to increase the VAT rate by 0.5 percentage points.

The Minister of Finance and the main respondents in the matter, the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), agreed to have the matter settled out of court, and the Western Cape High Court subsequently ratified the agreement on 27 April 2025.

“Godongwana welcomes the court order, as it is entirely consistent with his announcement on 23 April 2025 to suspend the VAT increase. Having already announced the withdrawal, the Minister felt that he would no longer have cause to continue with the court case.

“The context to the suspension of the increase is set out in an affidavit filed earlier on Sunday by the Minister in response to the Democratic Alliance’s (“the DA”) supplementary affidavit filed on 25 April 2025,” National Treasury said.

Whilst the substance of the Minister’s responding affidavit was to reply to the most contentious points raised by the DA in its submission, a secondary, equally important purpose was to further clarify the rationale behind the proposed increase to VAT, its subsequent withdrawal, and the procedural context that should determine the future processes.

The Minister maintains that his initial budget proposal of 12 March 2025 was constitutional and appropriate, given the limited options available to balance fiscal sustainability with service delivery needs.

“But having listened to the submissions made by political parties and the public, and taken into careful consideration the various consultations with various stakeholders, the decision was made to withdraw the proposal, and the court gave effect to that,” National Treasury said.

For the benefit of the broader public and in the interests of setting the record straight, the Minister highlighted the most salient points covered in the responding affidavit, which are as follows:

• Following the Speaker’s letter of 21 April 2025, it became clear the VAT increase lacked the necessary political support. The Ministry subsequently announced plans to introduce legislation maintaining VAT at 15% from 1 May 2025.
• While proposed reluctantly, the VAT increase was considered less detrimental to economic growth and employment than alternatives examined by National Treasury.
• The withdrawal creates a medium-term revenue shortfall of approximately R75 billion, necessitating decreased government expenditure with likely impacts on service delivery.

“The Minister welcomes the clarity and certainty provided by the court order. Equally, he remains committed to fiscal responsibility and will pursue alternative measures to ensure sustainable public finances,” National Treasury said.