Concern About Cape Town’s Plan for Woodstock Hospital
Public comment period on proposed sale closes on 31 January
Cape Town
900 Families’ Portable Toilets Not Cleaned for Over a Month in Khayelitsha
City says community disputes over recruitment of workers disrupted the service
Plagued by Illegal Dumping, Residents Clean up Filthy Suburb
Rubbish has not been collected for months in some parts of Wallacedene
President calls for joint sitting of Parliament to deliver SONA on 6 February
President calls for joint sitting of Parliament to deliver SONA on 6 February
President Cyril Ramaphosa has requested the Speaker of the National Assembly, Thoko Didiza, and Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, to convene a Joint Sitting of Parliament next month.
During this sitting, to be held at the Cape Town City Hall, the President will deliver the first State of the Nation Address (SONA) of the seventh democratic Parliament.
“President Ramaphosa calls this joint sitting in accordance with Section 84(2)(d) of the Constitution and Rule 13(1)(a) of the Joint Rules of Parliament. The Constitution states that the President is responsible for summoning the National Assembly, the National Council of Provinces or Parliament, to an extraordinary sitting to conduct special business.
“During SONA, the President highlights achievements, flags challenges, and outlines interventions for the coming financial year.
“This address marks the official start of the parliamentary programme and sets out the government's key policy objectives and deliverables for the year ahead,” Parliament said.
This year’s SONA will be held on Thursday, 6 February 2025 at 19:00.
SONA 2025 will be broadcast live on Parliament TV on DSTV Channel 408 and on Parliament's YouTube Channel. - SAnews.gov.za
nosihle
Fri, 01/24/2025 - 10:04
24 views
Paarl Royals Take Hold of Top Spot
Paarl Royals have cemented their position at the top of the Betway SA20 table with a hard-fought five-wicket victory over Durban’s Super Giants at Kingsmead on Thursday evening. The Super Giants, meanwhile, remain rooted to the basement on eight points and face an uphill battle to qualify for the playoffs with three league matches remaining. …
Trump’s Sudden Suspension of Foreign Aid Puts Millions of Lives in Africa at Risk
Imprecise executive order leaves health providers dependent on PEPFAR funding unsure if or when money will arrive
Hansen, Bosman Help SA U19 Win England YODI Series
STELLENBOSCH: Captain Bennie Hansen led from the front with an assured half-century as South Africa Under-19 Men beat England in the...
A Week Later, Cape Town Fire Victims Still Wait for Relief
SASSA says City only sent details of affected residents on Wednesday this week
32 Young African Researchers Build Their Data Analysis Skills at the 2025 Afrobarometer Summer School and Thematic Workshop
Thirty-two young African researchers from 14 countries are sharpening their research and analysis skills at the 2025 Afrobarometer (www.Afrobarometer.org) English-language Summer School and Thematic Workshop, hosted at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. More than half of the programme's participants are women, underscoring Afrobarometer's dedication to empowering women.
Afrobarometer's Summer School is an introductory-level analysis course that equips young African scholars with essential skills in research design, survey methodology, and data analysis, focusing on public attitudes towards democracy, governance, and other critical areas. The 2025 Summer School, taking place from 13 to 31 January, will give participants the opportunity to explore a range of topics, including perspectives on climate change, support for military rule or democracy, and attitudes towards refugees, free trade and open borders, access to healthcare, and women's participation.
The two-week intermediate Thematic Workshop, running from 20 January to 2 February, focuses on developing more advanced data collection and analysis skills among African researchers, fostering impactful research and strengthening research networks across African institutions.
According to Jason Owen, Afrobarometer capacity building manager (advanced track), the Summer School and Thematic Workshop serve as vital platforms for capacity building, collaboration, and the advancement of research that addresses Africa's pressing governance challenges.
“By building a new generation of scholars and facilitating the production of analytical outputs that make use of Afrobarometer's extensive open access datasets, we continue to amplify African voices and contribute to data-driven policymaking across the continent,” he said.
Participants are optimistic about the workshop's transformative impact.
“As a humanitarian and development communication specialist, I work with communities and policy-makers to address political engagement issues among refugees and internally displaced people,” said Ruth Nakayima, research assistant and communication officer at Hatchile Consult Ltd and Plan International Uganda. “This workshop will build my capacities to understand geopolitics and to use data for social development.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afrobarometer.
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Afrobarometer (AB) is a trusted source of high-quality data and analysis on what Africans are thinking. With an unmatched track record of 380,000+ interviews in 42 countries, representing the views of 80% of the African population, AB is leading the charge to bridge the continent's data gap. AB data inform many global indices, such as the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, Transparency International's Global Corruption Barometer, and the World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators. The data are also used for country risk analyses and by credit rating and forecasting agencies such as the Economist Intelligence Unit. All AB data sets are publicly available on the website (www.Afrobarometer.org/) and may be analysed free of charge using AB's online data analysis tool (https://apo-opa.co/3WvFqdZ).
Social Development reiterates commitment to improving SASSA services
Social Development reiterates commitment to improving SASSA services
Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe has pledged her support and commitment to improving South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) services during an engagement with the agency's senior managers at a strategic planning session in Cape Town.
Tolashe on Tuesday expressed her heartfelt congratulations to the many social grant beneficiaries, who excelled in the 2024 matric exams.
Of the 724 156 full-time learners who registered for the National Senior Certificate (NSC), 572 338 are social grant beneficiaries, representing 81% of the registered pupils in the education sector.
These learners achieved a commendable pass rate of 86%.
“This indicates that the investment government is making in the lives of poor and vulnerable children is yielding a positive impact in breaking intergenerational poverty," Tolashe said.
Reflecting on recent achievements, the Minister highlighted key milestones and ongoing priorities. She committed to urgently addressing the issue of permanent leadership appointments and the shortage of personnel at most local offices.
Furthermore, the Minister highlighted the need for community-based engagements and outreach activities.
“Our community is waiting for our immense intensification of community outreach, where we prioritise underserved areas to bring services closer to our people,” she reiterated.
With regards to SASSA systems, Tolashe urged management to prioritise improving and modernising systems to improve accessibility, queue management and prevent fraud.
In addition, the Minister has requested SASSA Acting CEO, Themba Matlou, to provide a plan that seeks to resolve the challenges of payment channels in rural areas by providing an alternative solution for payments.
“We commit ourselves to work with [SASSA]... We are available at all times to address the challenges together. We all need to be solution-driven in our course to make changes to the lives of our people through concerted efforts,” the Minister said.
SASSA is a national agency of government that administers South Africa's social security system, including distributing social grants on behalf of the Department of Social Development. – SAnews.gov.za
DikelediM
Wed, 01/22/2025 - 14:56
26 views
City to Decide on Objections to Six-Storey Bo-Kaap Hotel
Residents are opposed to the development overshadowing the oldest mosque in the country
MI Cape Town Move to Second
MI Cape Town took another step closer to a first-ever Betway SA20 playoff spot on Wednesday evening after their encounter against Durban’s Super Giants at Kingsmead was abandoned due to weather. The visitors took away two points which pushed them up to second on the table with 16 points. Durban’s Super Giants, meanwhile, remain rooted …
NPA Deputy Head, Adv Rodney De Kock, passes away
NPA Deputy Head, Adv Rodney De Kock, passes away
Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Advocate Rodney De Kock, has died after he was diagnosed with brain cancer in December last year.
This according to a statement released by the De Kock family on Tuesday morning.
“Advocate De Kock was diagnosed with a particularly aggressive form of brain cancer in early December last year, resulting in a rapid decline in his health condition.
“He succumbed to the cancer at Morningside Mediclinic in Johannesburg, Gauteng, yesterday evening, 20 January 2025, surrounded by family and friends,” the statement read.
De Kock had been serving as the Deputy NDPP since his appointment by President Cyril Ramaphosa in June 2020 following a distinguished career in private practice and public prosecutions.
Some of his career highlights include:
- Serving as a Presiding Officer in the Electoral Court in 1994.
- Serving as Head of the Legal Aid Board Clinic at the University of Cape Town from 1994 to 1999.
- He was a founding member and served on the executive of the National Association of Democratic Lawyers.
- He was the first black person to be appointed as an Attorney General in the country when he took up the post of Attorney General of the Western Cape from 1999, after which he joined the National Prosecuting Authority as Director of Public Prosecutions for the Western Cape in November 2003.
- He was also asked to act as the National Director of Public Prosecutions in 2019 by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
“After a luminary career, marked by an uncompromising dedication to justice, the democratic order, and to his fellow citizens, his family and friends take great solace in knowing that Rodney served his country with unblemished integrity, dedication, honesty and humility.
“He was a devoted father to his children, Ryan and Samantha, whom he loved and cherished dearly.
“The De Kock family takes much comfort from the fact that their beloved father, brother and elder, passed peacefully after a short but courageous battle. They are grateful for the time they have shared with him. The family wishes to express its appreciation for the support from government, colleagues and friends at this difficult time,” the statement read. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Tue, 01/21/2025 - 10:39
187 views
Over a Hundred Disabled and Elderly People Queue Outside Sassa in Khayelitsha
Monday was the first day for disability grant applicants to make medical bookings
Paarl Royals Continue to Dominate
The Paarl Royals spinners continue to dominate at their Boland Park fortress to propel their team to the top of the Betway SA20 standings. The Royals quartet of Bjorn Fortuin, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Joe Root and Dunith Wellalage spun a web around the Joburg Super Kings batting unit to restrict the visitors to 146/6. Fortuin (2/22) started …
Newsflash: Those Cute Seals ARE Wild Animals
Following an incident involving a seal and freedivers off Simons Town’s Windmill Beach in False Bay, the NSRI wishes to acknowledge the swift response and ongoing efforts of the City of Cape Town, whose staff actively managed the situation on-site. To minimize risks, we remind swimmers to always: Buddy up: Never swim alone. Use a tow …
Cape Town Not Immune to Los Angeles Type Fire Disaster
The city has better preventative measures but is far less resourced than Los Angeles
SA celebrates 15 years of collaboration with European lab for particle physics
SA celebrates 15 years of collaboration with European lab for particle physics
The Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Nomalungelo Gina, will reflect on South Africa’s 15-year partnership with CERN, the European organisation for nuclear research, in Cape Town, this week.
The two-day event, on 20 and 21 January 2025, will be held at the National Research Foundation’s iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator-Based Science (iThemba-LABS).
It will recognise South Africa’s contributions to pioneering scientific research and innovation on the global stage.
CERN is the world’s largest particle physics laboratory and the SA-CERN collaboration has fostered advancements in physics, technology, and human capital development.
The SA-CERN programme was officially launched in 2008 and chaired by the late Professor Jean Cleymans.
“The programme has built on the rich history of experimental science in South Africa, increasing the local and international footprint of the country in high-energy physics, and facilitating South African researchers, engineers, and students’ access to CERN’s Large Hadron Collider in Geneva,” the statement read. – SAnews.gov.za
Gabisile
Mon, 01/20/2025 - 10:27
64 views
Daniels, Batters Help SA U19 Square Series
CAPE TOWN: Raeeq Daniels claimed four wickets to help set South Africa Under-19 Men on their way to a series-levelling five-wicket...
Eerste River Man Missing off Strand Beach
Brian Gosling, NSRI Gordons Bay duty coxswain, said: At 15h16, Sunday, 19 January, the CoCT (City of Cape Town) water rescue network was alerted by Strand Surf Lifesaving lifeguards and CoCT lifeguards engaged in a search for a missing man at Strand Beach. The local man, believed to be from Eerste River, age 24, had …
Immersion Suit Mystery Continues
During Saturday night CoCT (City of Cape Town) Law Enforcement Marine Unit officers located another 2 survival immersion suits that were recovered on Sunday morning, 19 January, by NSRI Strandfontein – 1 close to False Bay Surf Lifesaving Club, and one at Sonwabe Beach. Now a total of 7 survival immersion suits that we are …
False Bay: Can You Help Solve This Survival Immersion Suit Mystery?
Andrew de Kock, NSRI Simonstown duty coxswain, said: On Saturday morning, 18 January, NSRI Simonstown launched an investigation after a survival immersion suit was located floating offshore of St James Beach by a public member at around 07h30. The survival suit was recovered by Muizenberg security officers and handed into the care of NSRI Simonstown. …
Big Win For England U19 In First Youth ODI
CAPE TOWN: Chad Mason top-scored and claimed two wickets but it was not enough as South Africa Under-19 Men were swept...
What to Expect at African Energy Week 2025
Africa is on the precipice of accelerated growth, with major energy projects and untapped resources creating an attractive environment for project developers and financiers. With the continent's energy demand projected to more than double by 2050 and fossil fuels expected to comprise up to 60% of the energy mix by 2040, there lies a strategic opportunity for companies to invest, energy portfolios to grow and countries to reap the rewards of their oil, gas and energy resources.
Returning for its next edition from 29 September to 3 October at the Cape Town International Convention Center, the African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies conference serves as the leading platform for deal-making, energy partnerships and investments. Building on the success of its previous editions, the event offers a platform for capital and technology to be directed towards African energy projects. In 2025, the event returns bigger and better than before.
Greater Focus on Projects, Emerging Opportunities
With 2025 promising to be an impactful year for Africa's energy sector, the AEW: Invest in African Energies conference will further catalyze development by connecting investors to African projects. On the project front, a slate of major developments is either progressing or will begin operations. These include the second phase of the Congo LNG project; the full operation of the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim development in Senegal/Mauritania; the launch of the Cabinda Refinery in Angola; appraisal drilling in Namibia's Orange Basin, and many more. Strategic developments such as the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, the Mozambique LNG project and exploratory drilling continent-wide require capital, highlighting emerging opportunities for global financiers.
Additionally, Africa's 2024/2025 licensing rounds signal a renewed drive to position the continent as a leading frontier. In North Africa, Libya plans to launch a bid round featuring 22 blocks, Egypt plans to host an international bid round for 12 exploration blocks while Algeria will launch a tender featuring 6 onshore blocks. In West Africa, Mauritania, Nigeria and Liberia will launch licensing rounds, while in Southern Africa, Angola will offer 9 blocks for exploration, Namibia is rolling out a new open-door policy and Tanzania will promote 24 oil and gas blocks in March 2025. These opportunities will be on display at AEW: Invest in African Energies 2025, creating an in-roads for new players.
Uniting Stakeholders to Make Energy Poverty History by 2030
As the largest energy event on the continent, AEW: Invest in African Energies convenes energy, finance and policy stakeholders from the global and African markets. From presidents and ministers to explorers and infrastructure developers to financiers and technology leaders, the event serves as the premier event for the African energy sector. This year, the event offers an expanded program, covering strategic topics such as frontier exploration, refining and processing, power development and connectivity, green hydrogen, regulation and skills development. Speakers will not only address the pressing challenges impacting the continent's energy progress but showcase the range of investment opportunities available across the continent. AEW: Invest in African Energies is where African governments meet, international energy firms sign deals, and local companies drive the next wave of energy development in Africa.
Collaborating for a Just Energy Future
While the world prioritizes the development of renewable energy over traditional energy sources, African countries seek to drive a just energy transition that incorporates a variety of energy solutions. AEW: Invest in African Energies not only promotes a just transition in Africa but offers a platform where global and African energy stakeholders can forge a new pathway for the continent. Discussions in Cape Town will center on strategies for accelerating industrialization, how technologies such as gas-to-power and LNG can reduce emissions while bolstering energy security, and the impact of integrated energy systems on African economies. By driving a narrative of inclusivity, AEW: Invest in African Energies fosters collaboration, partnerships and cross-sector investments.
Policy Alignment, Global Engagement
To attract fresh investment in African energy projects, a slate of countries has enacted policy reforms to strengthen transparency and investor certainty. Nigeria signed the Petroleum Industry Act into law; South Africa launched a new petroleum company; the Republic of Congo is preparing to launch a Gas Master Plan; while Algeria has strengthened regulation to attract local participation in oil and gas projects. In conjunction with improved fiscal terms and rules of engagement, these policies have significantly enhanced the business environment in Africa, making 2025 a strategic year to invest in African energy.
For more information about AEW: Invest in African Energies 2025, visit www.AECWeek.com.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.