Learners from several schools in Mamelodi say they do not feel safe on buses contracted by the Gauteng Department of Education to transport them to school at no cost. They say the buses are chronically overloaded. GroundUp confirmed this, observing buses on different routes on various days throughout February. On Tsamaya Avenue, learners were seen standing on the steps with the doors open. The aisles were crammed with standing passengers. Most of the buses had no visible branding, making it …
Government
Groenkloof Residents’ Association Opposing Controversial Development on Bowling Green Site
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) has joined forces with the Groenkloof Residents’ Association in an effort to have a controversial property development project in Totius Street, Groenkloof, investigated through submitting a formal petition to the Tshwane Metro Council. The Metro currently leases the disputed site to Vriendekring MSW, a non-profit organisation that has operated a popular bowling green for decades. These sports fields and bowling greens are iconic landmarks in Pretoria, and form …
Pay Back the Money: Agreement Between City of Tshwane and Labour Unions to Address Approved Salary Increases Is Welcomed
GOOD Statement by Sarah Mabotsa, GOOD Councillor and MMC for Economic Development and Spatial Planning in Tshwane: I welcome the agreement reached between the City of Tshwane and the labour unions representing city employees to repay the approved, but never paid, staff salary increases from many years ago. Under DA-led administrations, including that of Cilliers Brink, the City failed to settle legally due debts to bulk suppliers such as Eskom and Rand Water, as well as outstanding payments to …
Government Promises to Fix Payment Backlog Choking SA Film Industry
Hundreds of film industry professionals protested in Cape Town on 28 January. The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) and representatives of the Save SA Films Jobs Coalition briefed Parliament on Tuesday on the crisis in the South African film industry. The DTIC has stopped approving production incentive payments due to a huge unpaid backlog. DTIC deputy minister Zuko Godlimpi said the department will try to secure urgent interim funding. The Department of Trade, Industry and …
Johannesburg Master’s Office: Allegations of Corruption and Incompetence
Lawyers complain of delays at the Johannesburg Master’s Office which can have serious consequences for their clients. Lawyers say delays at the Johannesburg Master’s Office in critical legal processes can have serious consequences, including financial losses for citizens who depend on its services. The office has glitch-prone digital platforms, backlogs and no emergency backup power. A “runner” system has emerged in which clients pay intermediaries for faster service, with one attorney saying, …
Willie Spies: Freedom Front Plus Mayoral Candidate for Tshwane Metro
The Freedom Front Plus (VF) today announced the well-known attorney Willie Spies as its mayoral candidate for the Tshwane Metro in the 2026 local government elections. Grandi Theunissen, an experienced councillor and local government expert, will lead the Freedom Front Plus’s campaign alongside him. Together, they make an experienced and knowledgeable team determined to restore the capital to its former glory. With his introduction, Willie stated that he has realistic hopes, and that he believes …
The Cost of Racial Targets Becomes Clear When a Mere 13 000 Vaccines for 15 Million Cattle Gets Government Jumping for Joy
(Dr Wynand Boshoff, Freedom Front Plus MP and chief spokesperson on agriculture, provides an overview of factors that contributed to the development of the current foot-and-mouth disease crisis) If anything underscores the inadequacy of government’s response to the foot-and-mouth disease crisis, it is last week’s proud announcement that the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) was able to provide 12 900 doses of vaccine. It was not always like this. Until 2010, there was no question about it: the …
Lights. Camera. But Very Little Action. Why?
People working in the film industry protested last week outside the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition in Pretoria. Just a few years ago, the local film industry was booming. South African production was at record levels and getting global recognition. We were one of the world’s darling destinations for shooting foreign productions. Billions of rand came into the country and the Avengers landed in Joburg. Local work also thrived: Inxeba made the Oscar long list, and Thuso Mbedu won …
Tshwane Audit Reveals Collapse of Service Delivery and Accountability Under Current Coalition
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) is deeply concerned about the 2024/25 report by the Auditor-General (AG), which lays bare the collapse of financial management, service delivery and accountability under the current ANC/ActionSA/EFF coalition in Tshwane. The report highlights: Incorrect asset valuation leading to inflated financial statements. Understatement of contingent liabilities by more than R4,3 billion. Inadequate consequence management, allowing irregularities to go unpunished. Weak …
Lesotho’s Failed Multi-Million Rand High-Altitude Sports Centre
The athlete’s village at the Rapokolana High Altitude Sports Training Centre is currently occupied by road workers. Built in 2005 to attract elite athletes, the M55-million Rapokolana centre has never been fully operational. Communities around Rapokolana say promised jobs and local economic benefits never materialised. Now South Africa plans to revive the abandoned centre as a regional high-altitude training hub. High in the mountains, Lesotho’s most ambitious sports infrastructure project has …