insert_link South Africa South Africa grants two-year extension for Zimbabwe and Lesotho permit holders By Joseph Chirume via Groundup Minister of Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaledi announced on Friday that new permits will be issued for holders of the Lesotho Exemption Permit (LEP) and the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP), which will be valid for two more years, until 29 November 2025. Motsoaledi faced a litany of litigation from civil society organisations challenging the decision to terminate the LEP (held by about 55,000 people) and the ZEP (held by […] todayDecember 4, 2023 4
insert_link South Africa South Africa’s president urged to fulfill his promise to evacuate seven South African families in Israel The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Coalition South Africa urges president Cyril Ramaphosa to fulfill his promise to evacuate seven South African families trapped in the Gaza Strip. BDS SA claims it has been more than six weeks since Ramaphosa made the commitment. The coalition notes most foreign nationals have been evacuated by their governments, except the South Africans. They call for urgent government intervention to ensure the immediate release of […] todayDecember 4, 2023 3
insert_link South Africa High Court in Pretoria’s instructs the SA government to end load-shedding in public facilities SA's President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged the High Court in Pretoria’s ruling, instructing the government to end load-shedding in public facilities by the end of January 2024. This directive includes public hospitals, clinics, schools, and police stations. Speaking on the sidelines of COP28 in Dubai, Ramaphosa stated that the judgement confirms the government’s commitment to its programme to end load-shedding. todayDecember 4, 2023 2
insert_link South Africa South Africa’s African Transformation Movement launched their election manifesto South Africa's African Transformation Movement launched their election manifesto in Buffalo City Stadium, East London. This marks their first step in preparing for the 2024 general elections. During the launch, ATM president Vuyolwethu Zungula highlighted the government’s incompetence as the root cause of economic instability and socio-economic challenges. Zungula also emphasised on the rise of corruption, the energy crisis and rand manipulation. He called for accountability from government. todayDecember 4, 2023 1
insert_link South Africa The Freedom Front Plus in South Africa says the country’s water crisis shows the ANC is out of touch with reality The Freedom Front Plus party in South Africa says the water crisis in South Africa makes a mockery of the government’s mission statement about serving the people, and it shows how out of touch the ANC is with reality. According to the latest census, eleven million people in the country still do not have access to running water. FF Plus’, Adriaan de Bruyn, says the decay of water infrastructure and […] todayDecember 1, 2023 3
insert_link South Africa Sharpeville: new research on 1960 South African massacre shows the number of dead and injured was massively undercounted Nancy L Clark, Louisiana State University and William H. Worger, University of California, Los Angeles On 21 March 1960 at 1.40 in the afternoon, apartheid South Africa’s police opened fire on a peaceful crowd of about 4,000 residents of Sharpeville, who were protesting against carrying identity documents that restricted black people’s movement. The police minimised the number of victims by at least one third, and justified the shooting by claiming […] todayDecember 1, 2023 9
insert_link Entertainment Opera in Cape Town: critics trace how a colonial art form was reinvented as African By Wayne Muller, Stellenbosch University via The Conversation Many people thought that classical opera in South Africa – regarded as a western, colonial art form that was the preserve of white people during apartheid – would die with democracy in 1994. Instead the opposite happened. Black singers emerged as the new stars and the format of opera began to be Africanised for new audiences. Critics mapped this transformation as Cape […] todayDecember 1, 2023 5
insert_link South Africa City of Tshwane says it has started the relocation of the Mamelodi residents affected by the floods in February last year The City of Tshwane says it has started the relocation of the Mamelodi residents affected by the floods in February last year. They have been living in the Nellmapius Community Hall since the disaster. Mayoral committee member for Human Settlements, Ofentse Madzebatela, says in total, more than 500 households will be relocated to Leeuwfontein Extension 27. He adds that the township is developable and near major roads. todayDecember 1, 2023 17
insert_link South Africa Eskom is pinning its hope on the Municipal Debt Relief programme to address arrear debt Eskom says it continues to make efforts to address the arrear debt, particularly municipal debt, however, these have not yielded the desired outcome. As of the end of March this year, arrear municipal debt was at 58.5-billion-rand, a substantial 30-percent year-on-year increase from 44.7-billion-rand in March last year. The top 20 defaulting municipalities account for about 78-percent of total arrear municipal debt. Eskom’s spokesperson, Daphne Mokwena, says they are pinning […] todayDecember 1, 2023 3