Category: News

Western Cape Mobility reports a rise in road fatalities

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The Western Cape Mobility Department is deeply concerned about a significant rise in road fatalities during the first 11 days of August 2025. 

In this period, the provincial department said 52 people have lost their lives, compared to 28 fatalities in the same timeframe last year.

According to the department, fatalities have occurred across urban and rural areas. 

There were 37 deaths on municipal roads, with 15 more recorded on provincial routes. Meanwhile, the pedestrians remain the most vulnerable, with 28 fatalities. 

In addition, the department said passenger and driver deaths have also risen sharply, and motorcycle-related fatalities on municipal roads have been reported for the first time this year.

“The main causes are speeding, alcohol use, unsafe pedestrian crossings, and poor visibility at night.
These behaviours put all road users at risk,” the statement read. 

According to the department, from 1 and 11 August, provincial traffic officers conducted 394 integrated checkpoints and roadblocks on high-risk routes. 

They stopped and inspected 60 226 vehicles, which included 3 770 public transport vehicles, and arrested 195 drivers for driving under the influence, with one driver registering a blood alcohol level nearly six times the legal limit.

During this period, the team also recorded a total of 15 824 offences, which included speeding, reckless driving, cellphone use while driving, and seatbelt violations. 

In addition, they discontinued 341 vehicles from use and impounded 46 due to roadworthy issues.

“Fifty-two lives lost in eleven days – that’s 52 families shattered. These aren’t numbers, they’re our neighbours, friends, and loved ones. I’m asking every driver, passenger, and pedestrian – slow down, stay sober, and make the choices that keep us all alive. Let’s make sure no more families must get that devastating call,” Western Cape Mobility MEC, Isaac Sileku. 

The department has since urged drivers to slow down, stay alert, and obey traffic laws, and pedestrians to cross roads only at safe points, stay visible at night, and avoid alcohol near traffic. 

The province is also encouraging all road users to avoid walking on freeways and use safe and legal routes. 

“Road safety is a shared responsibility. Every choice matters, and every life is precious.” 

Eskom marching in the right direction – Minister Ramokgopa

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Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has assured South Africans that Eskom is “moving in the right direction” to dismantling the load shedding challenge.

South Africa has not experienced load shedding since May this year.

The Minister was speaking during a media briefing to update the nation on the state of the electricity grid.

“We are in a good space. We are moving in the right direction. We made the promise that we are going to address this situation and we made the promise that we are confident of our technical ability to resolve what many thought was an intractable challenge. 

“We are within that touching distance,” Ramokgopa said.

The Minister said Eskom does not “expect any major surprises in relation to the performance of the grid” for the remainder of the winter and the subsequent transition to the warmer months.

“Of course, this is a dynamic system. These are rotating units and there could be challenges here and there. However, the grid is designed in such a manner where we can call upon the peaking plants to help us to sustain the performance of the grid without relying on load shedding.

“[The peaking plants] are a card we have when are in major challenges… to keep the lights on,” he said.
Before the winter season, Eskom had warned that load shedding would be implemented in a situation where unplanned outages went beyond 13 000MW.

“We are doing substantially better than that. We are beginning to see that the system is stable, resilient and becoming more reliable as we move on.

“The unplanned outages of the generating units average about 10 880MW over the past seven days and] we have seen that even going below 10 000MW. I really want to congratulate the… 42 000 plus men and women at Eskom for being able to keep their shoulder to the wheel and transfix on the resolution of what is essentially an existential crisis [facing] the country.

“We are more than confident that we are getting out of the woods,” he said.

Between April and August 8, power stations have been operating with an Energy Availability Factor (EAF) that has reached 60.14%.

“This is major progress that we are making, if you look at where the performance was. If we go back to 2023 when we initiated this intervention, it was substantially lower… we are coming from a low of about 49%.

“The past 14 days or so… the EAF is continuing to give us spectacular results. At some point, we even breached the 70% mark in relation to performance of the EAF. The average month to date… we are sitting at 65.38%.

“We had made the promise to the country that we are going to experience short-term pain… We said we know what we are doing. Most of the country… believed in us and we are happy to say we are delivering against the promise that we have made and, in some instances, we are delivering more than what we had promised,” Ramokgopa said.

The Minister noted that during some periods, Eskom has been generating more electricity than is demanded.

“There are periods during the week… where we have to put machines in cold reserve, meaning… we are generating more than what the demand is and to protect the grid, we must pull back some of the machines.

“That says... we have now created sufficient space and headroom for the economy to grow on the back of this performance. We are marching and we are going to get out of the woods,” Ramokgopa said.

SA’s success story in elephant conservation

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Home to 44 000 African savanna elephants and a population that continues to grow, South Africa’s conservation efforts have demonstrated success when compared to the decline of elephant numbers in some other countries. 

“Our elephants are a national treasure, a keystone species, an integral part of our heritage and plays a significant role in maintaining a balance where the creation of value exceeds consumption, crucial for sustaining and increasing South Africa’s social and natural capital, which are fundamental for inclusive socio-economic development,” Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Narend Singh said on Tuesday.

As South Africa joins the global community in celebrating World Elephant Day, the Deputy Minister noted that elephants in South Africa have also expanded their range over the past 40 years.

Most elephants in the country live in government-protected areas like Kruger National Park, Mapungubwe National Park, and Tembe Elephant Park. 

These parks are part of larger Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs), where elephants often move freely across national borders and are shared with neighbouring countries. 

“In addition to these large parks, there are 89 smaller, fenced reserves that also support elephant populations. About 6000 elephants are owned privately or by communities, and in recent years, more and more communities have started to manage elephants themselves,” Singh said.

While South Africa’s success in recovering elephant populations offers hope for the species, the Deputy Minister warned that it also brings a difficult trade-off in the context of the country’s developmental agenda and needs. 

“As elephant numbers and ranges expand, encounters between people and elephants have increased, particularly in rural communities living near protected areas.

“Human-elephant conflict can result in crop losses, damage to infrastructure, and in some cases, injury or loss of human life. For many affected families, these incidents can threaten food security and livelihoods. 
“Managing these interactions is essential to ensuring that conservation gains do not come at the expense of community well-being. It requires innovative solutions that promote co-existence, such as, improved land-use planning, early-warning systems, community-based monitoring, and benefit-sharing initiatives that recognise the costs of living alongside elephants,” Singh said.

While re-imagining conservation in the country, South Africa’s aspiration is to ensure that thriving elephants contribute to improving the well-being of people and ecosystems simultaneously.

The country’s conservation efforts are guided by the four goals of the White Paper policy on Conservation and Sustainable Use of South Africa’s Biodiversity, which are aimed at balancing conservation with sustainable use, transformation, access and benefit sharing.

The Deputy Minister was addressing the Elephant Indaba at Bonamanzi in KwaZulu-Natal, a province that is home to the second largest elephant population in the country.

The Elephant Indaba coincided with World Elephant Day that is being celebrated under the theme: “Matriarchs’ and Memories”.

World Elephant Day is a day dedicated to raising awareness of the urgent need to protect and manage the world’s elephants. 

Capitec, FNB partner with Home Affairs to deliver Smart IDs

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Capitec Bank and First National Bank (FNB) have signed up to the Department of Home Affairs’ new digital partnership model that aims to expand access to Smart ID and passport services.

The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, announced that the partnership will see the expansion of Smart ID and passport services from the existing 30 to hundreds more bank branches in urban and rural areas across South Africa.

It will further expand these services to digital banking applications.

“In fulfilment of the target set by Cabinet in the Medium-Term Development Plan, which tasks Home Affairs with expanding its services to 1 000 bank branches by 2029, the Director-General of the department, Mr Tommy Makhode, on 30 April 2025 wrote to the Chief Executive Officers of ABSA, African Bank, TymeBank, Capitec Bank, Discovery Bank, First National Bank, Investec Bank, Nedbank, and Standard Bank, inviting them to join this transformative, digital-first new phase of the department’s existing collaboration with the banking sector,” explained the department.

It said the collaboration dates back more than a decade and has, until now, seen the successful delivery of Smart ID and passport services at only 30 branches across five different banks.

The original model relied on the costly duplication of Home Affairs staff and hardware inside bank branches and failed to take advantage of technology to dramatically expand services into all rural and urban areas where bank branches already exist, as well as onto secure banking apps that have come to be widely used across society.

The department said the new partnerships marked the beginning of the end for long travelling distances to reach Home Affairs services, for long queues, as well as for the Green ID book with its unacceptable vulnerability to fraud and identity theft.

It is also the next step in the new digital-first era of public service delivery that the Government of National Unity is building, said the department.

The Minister will visit Capitec and FNB this week to provide further information on how this reform will benefit all South Africans. On Tuesday, the Minister will visit Capitec Head Office in Stellenbosch and then on Wednesday he will visit FNB at the Portside Tower, in Cape Town.

“The department further reiterates its call for all other banks to similarly take up the invitation to work together, to ensure that all South Africans have access to Smart ID and passport services in their own communities.

“This reform marks a critical milestone on our journey to unlock the power of digital transformation to deliver Home Affairs @ home.”

Police operations nab over 16000 suspects

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Over 16000 suspects have been arrested in Operation Shanela efforts over the last week, said the South African Police Service (SAPS).

This as a total 16, 571 suspects were arrested between 4 and 10 August 2025 across the country’s nine provinces.

During the arrests, police recovered stolen property and confiscated illicit goods and firearms.
The crime-fighting activities by the police included tracking operations, roadblocks, high visibility patrols, stop and searches, as well as the tracing of wanted suspects. 

“These efforts reflect SAPS’s intensified, intelligence-driven approach to restoring public safety and dismantling organised criminal networks,” said the SAPS in a statement.

During the operations, 2 065 wanted suspects were arrested for serious crimes, including murder, rape, hijacking, and drug trafficking while 138 suspects were arrested for murder. 

A further 134 people were arrested for attempted murder ,154 for rape, and 1 390 for assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH).

The number of those caught for driving under the influence of alcohol stood at 607, while 796 were arrested for drug dealing and 2 336 others were nabbed for the possession of drugs.

When coming to confiscations and recoveries, police recovered1 480 rounds of ammunition and 124 firearms confiscated while 52 stolen and hijacked vehicles were recovered during this period.

Other breakthroughs made by the SAPS include the arrest of a 32-year-old suspect after a vehicle entering the country from Eswatini via Paulpietersburg carrying 90 bags of dagga worth R4 million was intercepted.

The SAPS said it remains committed to protecting lives, dismantling criminal enterprises, and ensuring that the streets are rid of the scourge of criminality.

One week left for 2025 school transfer applications

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The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Western Cape is calling on all parents and caregivers to act immediately, to meet closing date for applications.

This process applies only to learners in Grades 2–7 and Grades 9–12 who are already enrolled in a school but need to transfer to another.

Parents can submit applications online via the WCED admissions portal or directly at the relevant school or nearest WCED district office. Schools can only process transfer applications for their own institution, while district offices can capture applications for multiple schools.

According to the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), all applications must include:
• The learner’s last school report card;
• ID, birth certificate, passport, study permit, proof of application, or police affidavit; and
• Proof of address or police affidavit.

Applying now is critical. Acting early will secure placement at a preferred school before spaces run out, prevent overcrowded classrooms and long travel distances, and allow the WCED to allocate teachers, resources, and infrastructure effectively. It also ensures a smooth start to the 2026 school year with all arrangements finalised well in advance.

Leon van Wyk, MPP and DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Education, says, “Making use of this transfer period is important. Parents and caregivers who leave it too late, risk their children being placed far from home or in overcrowded classrooms. By applying now, we give every learner the best chance to start the school year prepared and ready to succeed.”

"The DA in the Western Cape remains committed to ensuring smooth transitions within the education system for the benefit of learners, teachers, and administrators. We believe that education is the key driver of economic growth and will continue to advocate for effective processes that put the needs of our learners first".

SA reaffirms support for global treaty to tackle plastic pollution

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With the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC 5.2) on Plastic Pollution underway in Geneva, Switzerland, South Africa has reaffirmed its support for a legally binding global treaty to tackle plastic pollution.

Plastic pollution is already harming communities, economies and ecosystems - from land to rivers to oceans.

“Plastic pollution is not just an environmental issue. It affects public health, sustainable development and the future of our oceans. We must act now,” Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, said on Monday.

The Minister is leading the South African delegation that is attending the second part of the INC 5.2 on Plastic Pollution.

This session is a critical opportunity to finalise a legally binding global treaty to tackle plastic pollution.

George reaffirmed South Africa’s strong support for urgent and coordinated international action to end plastic pollution across its full life cycle.

Global plastic production has grown rapidly, from two million tonnes in 1950 to 475-million tonnes in 2022. Without urgent intervention, South Africa’s plastic pollution is expected to nearly double by 2040 compared to 2020 levels.

In response, South Africa has moved to ban plastic microbeads. Draft regulations have been signed and are set to be published for public comment. 

These regulations aim to prohibit the manufacture, import, export, sale and distribution of microbeads and products containing them.

“South Africa is acting with urgency to address this crisis. But no country can solve it alone. We need global cooperation, innovation and ambition,” George said.

The INC process was established by the United Nations Environment Programme in 2022, following the adoption of a resolution to develop a treaty addressing plastic pollution, including marine plastic. 

While the first part of INC 5 took place in Busan, Republic of Korea in November 2024, a final agreement was not reached, and negotiations have resumed in Geneva.

The expected treaty will cover the full life cycle of plastics, from production and design to disposal.

It will also align with existing global commitments on climate change, biodiversity and chemical safety.

Suspect charged with murder of Hermanus woman

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A 37-year-old suspect is expected to appear in the Hermanus Magistrate’s court today (Monday, 11 August 2025) on murder charges. The arrest follows the death of a 59-year-old woman outside the Whale Mall in Hermanus on Thursday, 07 August after she sustained gunshot wounds inflicted by armed assailants.

After the incident, an extensive investigation ensued that led to several persons being questioned. On Saturday, 09 August the suspect was charged. Two vehicles and a firearm were seized over the weekend as part of the probe.

The shooting incident is believed to be taxi-conflict related.

Crime investigators are still hard at work in search of more suspects.

Decision to grant permission to Eskom to build new nuclear power station upheld

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After thorough consideration and consultation, the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, has upheld the 2017 decision to grant Eskom Environmental Authorisation to construct and operate a new nuclear power station in Duynefontein, Western Cape.

The decision was upheld after appeals were made by various environmental organisations.

“In considering these appeals, I have carefully reviewed the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAr), as well as the independent peer review conducted in respect of the project.

“In the end, my decision was made in respect of the principles of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act No. 107 of 1998), and with full appreciation of the environmental, social and economic considerations involved,” the Minister said on Friday.

The original decision to grant the Environmental Authorisation was made in October 2017.
Various appellants challenged the decision, submitting appeals that ranged from comprehensive and detailed submissions to shorter, individual objections. 

This week, the Minister has decided, in terms of section 43(6) of NEMA, to dismiss the appeals, and confirm the decision to grant the Environmental Authorisation to Eskom.

The Minister’s decision to uphold the Environmental Authorisation does not automatically grant Eskom permission to begin with the construction or operation of the nuclear power station. 

The entity is still required to obtain several additional statutory authorisations before proceeding in accordance with section 24(7) of NEMA. 

The authorisations include:
A Nuclear Installation Licence from the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR);
Approval from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA);
Water use licences from the Department of Water and Sanitation, and
Any other relevant approvals, including those from the Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources.

“As per section 24(7) of NEMA, the granting of an Environmental Authorisation does not exempt an applicant from complying with any other applicable legal requirements or obtaining permits from other competent authorities,” George said.

The Minister has emphasised that the protection and preservation of South Africa’s environment is a non-negotiable. 

“The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment supports South Africa’s transition to a cleaner, more sustainable energy future where inclusive growth, job creation and poverty reduction are central,” he said.

Woman Arrested for Allegedly Exploiting Social Grant Beneficiaries

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The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) in the Northern Cape has welcomed the arrest of a 61-year-old woman in Groblershoop, located within the ZF Mgcawu District Municipality, who was allegedly involved in an illegal loan scheme targeting social grant beneficiaries.

According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), the woman was arrested during a joint operation on Tuesday, 5 August 2025. She was found at an ATM in possession of multiple SASSA and bank cards, along with a large sum of cash.

Initial investigations suggest that the suspect was unlawfully holding beneficiaries' social grant cards and using them to withdraw cash from their accounts during payment periods — allegedly as repayment for illegal loans.

The woman is facing charges of fraud and contravening the National Credit Act and is expected to appear in court soon.

SASSA Northern Cape’s Acting Regional Executive Manager, Ms Karabelo Mojanaga, commended law enforcement for their swift action and reaffirmed the agency’s zero-tolerance approach to fraud and exploitation.

“We trust this arrest will send a clear message that we will not tolerate the abuse of our beneficiaries. The law will catch up with those who prey on the vulnerable,” said Mojanaga. “The illegal retention of social grant cards and ID documents is not only a crime but morally unacceptable.”

She urged beneficiaries and the public to report any withholding of SASSA cards to either the police or SASSA’s toll-free number, 0800 60 10 11.

Mojanaga also highlighted the work of SASSA’s Fraud Management Unit, which actively investigates suspicious trends using data analysis and tip-offs from the public. All reports are handled confidentially and investigated thoroughly.

As the current payment cycle and national grant review process continue, SASSA is reminding beneficiaries to protect their personal information and stay vigilant against scams and exploitation.
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