NSFAS claims procurement rules ‘don’t apply’ to R500k adviser deals — Treasury disagrees

The National Treasury has rejected NSFAS’s claim that Public Finance Management Act rules ‘do not apply’ to its adviser contracts that could potentially add up to millions of rand. The sharp rebuttal follows revelations that two top advisers to NSFAS administrator Hlengani Mathebula billed nearly R500,000 a month through private firms, which would total close to R6-million each over two years if the contracts continue.

How leaks, billing write‑offs and Excel accounting pushed Nelson Mandela Bay to the brink

Based purely on cash flow, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is on the brink of structural insolvency, but it is not yet legally defunct because it is currently being kept operational by national grant lifelines.

Mchunu violated protocol to share confidential report with Idac, inquiry hears

Sidelined police minister Senzo Mchunu has been accused of being a part of efforts to derail criminal investigations into cartels that had infiltrated the criminal justice system. There’s no smoking gun, but details are emerging that raise questions about his role in targeting Crime Intelligence members.

Gauteng education spends R230m a year on offices as schools face subsidy cuts

While public schools across the province face severe budget cuts and massive shortfalls in fee collections, the provincial education department continues to spend hundreds of millions of rand leasing office space from private landlords.

SA unemployment rate rises to 33.6% as Iran war takes economic toll

South Africa’s unemployment rate has remained over 30% for more than five years, with no signs of dropping below that ghastly threshold in the face of sluggish economic growth. But the unemployment story in South Africa is not just a tale of endless woe. While worryingly high everywhere, its geographical distribution is highly unequal.

Up there with the best

Clinical All Blacks thrash directionless Sharks in ugly mismatch

The All Blacks produced some vintage class in treacherous conditions to thrash an inexperienced and disjointed Sharks 54-0 (halftime 14-0) at King’s Park in Durban on Tuesday.

DA’s local government plan eyes the private sector, devolving policing

The DA has promised to get rid of corruption in municipalities, ring-fence revenue for electricity and water, and to bring in the private sector to boost many service areas. Let’s assess its manifesto.

Another UCT leadership crisis: 34 complaints, secret findings and a VC in court

A new leadership row unfolding at the University of Cape Town has seen Vice-Chancellor Mosa Moshabela taking the UCT Council to court over investigations into his conduct.

Fourteen killed, several believed trapped in illegal chrome incident near Marikana

Illegal chrome mining and illicit chrome washing plants are rife in the region and hiding in plain sight, though the police have had some recent successes on this front. Last week the Hawks swooped on one operation and seized four excavators and one dump truck.

Mzansi’s freezing winter comes with a heat warning

Joburg’s freezing winter offers a chilly reminder of how climate change is reshaping the weather we thought we knew.

Grieving mom wins Gqeberha road safety battle two years after fatal crash

A mother’s two-year campaign has finally delivered traffic-calming measures at the site where her son died in Walmer in Gqeberha.

It’s Zuma’s shop, and he will run it the way he wants

In Jacob Zuma’s latest purge and reshuffle of his uMkhonto Wesizwe party, Duduzane Zuma, the twin of sacked Duduzile Zuma, has been appointed first deputy president. A boy with a taste for the good life, Duduzane’s politics are more barren than his sister’s. In his early adult life he was donated to the Gupta family by his father as part of the State Capture package deal. The Guptas made him artificially rich.

Street art can’t transform Joburg’s inner city, but it’s a start

On Johannesburg’s bridges and gateways, street art is shifting how the inner city is seen, crossed and slowly reclaimed by those moving through it daily.

NMB Art Museum celebrates 70 years by bringing art education to 70 township schools

As part of its 70th anniversary celebrations, the Nelson Mandela Bay Art Museum is bringing art education directly to township schools, unlocking creativity in communities where access to the arts has long been limited.

Decades in the making, SA’s embassies are in ruin

Some of our prized overseas properties have been closed and the question is: have years of mismanagement, lack of maintenance, and upkeep finally caught up with South Africa (SA) because of departmental neglect?

Mafias rule a water tankering system needing urgent reform

‘Water mafias’ siphon public supply for profit. There is an urgent need for the enforcement of tracking, record-keeping and investing in permanent infrastructure.

Prasa’s R5.6bn Siyangena scandal demands NPA action

Former Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa boss Lucky Montana, along with his alleged corruptors and their enablers, could be facing charges for their alleged crimes.

Severe cold front brings snow, freezing temperatures and road closures to SA

Roads in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal have reopened after brief closures amid severe weather disruptions.

SA’s vanished R1.377-trillion — the cost of compliance without delivery

Every year, billions of rands intended for clinics, roads and clean water vanish into a black hole of administrative compliance that delivers zero actual value to South African citizens.

NSFAS says student debt ‘not its fault’ despite housing cap and rising rent

As South African students report evictions, mounting debt and academic exclusion, universities, student leaders and Parliament clash over an unyielding student housing financial cap.

How local parks and community gardens can help cities adapt to climate change

Climate change is affecting cities more and more. This creates major challenges, but it also gives fast-growing cities, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, the chance to adapt to global warming in new and better ways.

Unfunded municipal budgets: Councils promise, residents pay dearly

An unfunded budget is not a misfortune that befell a municipality. It is a council voting to spend money it knows will not arrive. Last year, 116 councils did it. Seventy-seven had done it in every year of their term.

The real PIC crisis — moving from governance theatre to accountability

Recent developments at the Public Investment Corporation reveal how easily governance can become a performative exercise. Real institutional strength depends on unyielding transparency, independent judgement and public confidence.

Clueless

Why AI’s spoils will pass South Africa by

Few questions matter more than what the long-term economic and social impacts of AI are, particularly for countries such as South Africa, which are a long way — in every sense — from the AI deus ex machina .

Trump backs Infantino as Uefa, AFC, Concacaf renew attacks on Fifa president

Three confederations have accused Infantino of breaking trust over a proposed World Cup commercial stake sale and called for leadership change, even as Trump and other members defended him.

‘Release secret Metro Centre reports’ demand as Joburg planning collapse deepens

In an effort to save an estimated two million records left rotting in the basement of Joburg’s Metro Centre, the Legal Resources Centre has launched a Promotion of Access to Information Act (Paia) application to clarify why the City of Johannesburg is not rectifying the problem.

Inclusive Joburg skateboarding school helps children to find balance

An inspirational coach has created a nurturing space for girls and neurodivergent youth.