GOOD Statement by Sarah Mabotsa, GOOD Tshwane Councillor: Today, I joined the picket at the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition to lobby for increased oversight and regulation of the online gambling industry. The reasons for the call for increased regulation are due to the rapidly escalating losses incurred by people, especially lower-income earners and the youth, arising from illegal online gambling. Better regulation of the industry can increase job creation, protect vulnerable …
Government
More and More Signs That AARTO Is Collapsing
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) views the postponement of the nationwide rollout of the AARTO system as a sign that it is beginning to collapse, just like the e-toll system. Much like the e-toll system in Gauteng, AARTO — currently active only in Gauteng (in the Johannesburg and Tshwane Metros) — appears to be slowly but surely nearing the end of the road. It seems Gauteng is where sophisticated systems meet their end, either due to a lack of legitimacy or a lack of the managerial competence …
EPWP Workers March for Permanent Jobs and Better Pay
CWP worker Ewart Sithebe led the crowd. Hundreds of workers affiliated with the Maanda-Ashu Workers Union of South Africa (MAWUSA) marched to the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure in Pretoria on Monday, demanding permanent employment and better pay. The workers are temporarily employed through the government’s Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) and the Community Work Programme (CWP), doing work such as road maintenance and street sweeping. They gathered at the old Putco bus depot …
Salary Decision Spells Financial Disaster for Tshwane Metro
Die VF Plus-tak in Warmbad wyk 1/ VF Plus het ‘n formele skrywe gerig aan die hoofbrandweerbeampte (VOLLE NAME ASB.) waarin ‘n reeks katastrofiese tekortkominge uiteengesit is ná ‘n residensiële brand op Saterdag (1 November) in die Bela Bela-plaaslike munisipaliteit (Warmbad, Noodhulp, Rooipoort). Die brandweerdiens het meer as ‘n uur geneem om by die toneel aan te kom – ‘n reaksietyd wat teenstrydig is met nasionale veiligheidsstandaarde (SANS 10090). Met hul uiteindelike aankoms is gevind dat …
Tshwane Coalition Government Puts up Facade While Metro Crumbles
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) refuses to hold its tongue while the ActionSA/ANC/EFF coalition tries to cover up the Tshwane Metro’s growing decay. Key documents tabled to the Council in October show that the coalition is not only incompetent, but also that its mismanagement is actively pushing the Metro over the financial and administrative edge of ruin. According to the Service Delivery and Budget Implementation Plan (SDBIP) for the first quarter of the 2025/26 financial year, Tshwane’s …
Tshwane commits to restoring power
Tshwane Executive Mayor, Cilliers Brink, says the City of Tshwane is prioritising the restoration of power to all areas affected by the collapse of pylons on the N4 Freeway in Pretoria East on Sunday. “We understand the frustration of residents and we are working on temporary measures to ensure that we ease the burden of prolonged power outages,” Brink said. Brink noted that the city is working with internal and Eskom teams to restore electricity in a two-pronged approach. “Internally, …
N4 Powerlines Cleared
The City of Tshwane's Energy and Electricity team has completed the clearing of powerlines that fell on the N4 eastbound freeway on Sunday night. The road has now been reopened. “The 132kv powerlines fell on the N4 freeway between Solomon Mahlangu and Simon Vermooten, resulting in a power outage that affected large parts of Pretoria East and North,” the City of Tshwane said in a statement. According to the City, the initial assessment by the Energy and Electricity team found that at least …
A soft shuffle to a poor-performing Cabinet
Eleven new ministers with two new posts in a Cabinet that keeps growing without delivering OUTA had hoped to see the back of Gwede Mantashe, Bheki Cele, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Blade Nzimande and Ebrahim Patel, who have largely performed poorly. Instead, we get a new Minister of Electricity to clean up the mess that two other ministers could not fix and reassignment of some problem ministers like Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma into new roles. Missed opportunities The President missed an …
The Man in the Hot Seat – Loadshedding or not!
President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa as the new Minister in the Presidency for Electricity. The announcement of the newly established position was made by the President during an address to the nation on Monday evening. President Ramaphosa said in his new role, Ramokgopa’s primary goal will be to drive government’s programme of significantly reducing the “severity and frequency of load shedding as a matter of urgency” and to expedite government’s work to ensure …
SA’s New Deputy President
Paul Mashatile has been appointed as South Africa’s new Deputy President. President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement via a televised address to the nation on Monday evening, where he made changes to the National Executive. “As I indicated in my reply to the State of the Nation Debate on the 16th of February, Deputy President David Mabuza asked to step down from that position. “I am grateful for his support over the five years of his tenure and for his dedicated service to the …