Sassa investigating clients thought to have other sources of income
These individuals appear to be active in the job market and have an income that exceeds the means threshold.
Beneficiaries are urged to visit the local Sassa office to check their status.
'Beneficiaries who fail to comply with this process risk having their grants suspended. Continued noncompliance may lead to the permanent lapsing of their grants,' Sassa spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi said. 'Failure to comply constitutes a violation of the social assistance legislation and may result in corrective action.'
Letsatsi said the agency is reviewing its database to root out fraud and ensure they help those in need.
No grant has been suspended yet, Letsatsi said.
'Sassa has amended the payment schedule for those beneficiaries who have been requested to come in for a review. From previous reviews, Sassa has become aware that most clients do not maintain their contact details with Sassa, and as a result often don't get notifications that the agency issues.
'While it is a legislative obligation for all beneficiaries to ensure that their contact details are always up to date, and they would have little recourse should their grant be suspended due to failure to respond to a notification issued by Sassa.'
An additional payment date has been issued for those placed on review as a way to communicate the need for them to contact Sassa. Failure to contact the agency after two months would lead to the grant being suspended.
'During the time of suspension, the beneficiary has one month to approach Sassa should they believe they still qualify. After this period, the grant will be permanently cancelled and, depending on their circumstances, a fraud investigation will be opened.'
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Mail & Guardian
12 hours ago
- Mail & Guardian
Digital technology must speak African languages
(Graphic: John McCann/M&G) Every year on 25 May, Africa Day is observed to celebrate the continent's strength and rich cultural heritage. But it is also a day that reminds us how far we still have to go. Across Africa, many still face daily struggles with unemployment, poverty and inadequate access to basic services. Less visible, but just as urgent, is another kind of inequality: language. As governments increasingly connect with citizens through digital platforms, millions are left out, partly because the technology does not speak their language. Africa is home to more than 2 000 languages and a vibrant linguistic and cultural tradition, yet its civic tech infrastructure remains stubbornly monolingual. In a world where artificial intelligence (AI) and digital tools increasingly mediate civic engagement, leaving out African languages in these platforms is both a technical oversight and a governance failure. Civic technology (civic tech) refers to digital tools used to promote citizen engagement, government transparency and public participation. From apps that track service delivery to platforms that allow people to report corruption and access public services, civic tech is important for participatory democracy. But what happens when the very people these tools are meant to serve and empower cannot understand them? The reality is that most African civic tech platforms are designed in English or French, the languages of former colonial powers. This excludes most citizens who are more comfortable in indigenous languages such as Swahili, Yoruba or isiZulu. In most cases, English is the default interface language, even in countries where only a minority speak English fluently. A key reason for this dominance is that English is the primary language of the internet, where most training data for language technologies used in digital tools comes from. Natural language processing (NLP), the AI subfield that allows machines to understand and generate human language, depends on large, annotated datasets. These are widely available for English but rarely for African languages, many of which are considered ' Tech developers often lack the training, tools or funding to build NLP models for these languages, especially when faced with the added complexity of dialectal variation, oral traditions and frequent code-switching. Another reason is that civic tech initiatives and efforts are often concentrated in developed urban areas, where English tends to be the main language of communication. This creates a situation where digital governance tools are more responsive to elites and uphold old hierarchies. The other barrier is institutional. In many cases, language inclusion is often an afterthought in civic tech development, with design decisions made by teams that do not consider the linguistic realities of the users they serve. This disconnect is worsened by the inadequacy of language policies or government mandates requiring digital platforms to support indigenous languages. As a result, civic tech ends up amplifying the voices of those already heard (urban, educated and English-speaking) while muting those on the margins. Take South Africa, for instance. It has 11 official spoken languages and the Post-apartheid reforms may have constitutionally elevated African languages, but digital systems have not caught up. Language inequity is being replicated in digital space, and this often results in diminished civic participation, poor service uptake and distrust in institutions. These problems are worse in rural areas, where literacy in former colonial languages is low. In Kenya, for example, citizen feedback platforms like Ushahidi have struggled to reach monolingual Swahili speakers. In Nigeria, digital voting education tools often exclude Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba, creating information asymmetries in the democratic process. In Ethiopia, the dominance of Amharic-based civic systems means that minority language speakers in Oromia or Tigray are digitally disenfranchised. There are growing efforts across the continent to localise AI and digital governance tools, and, equally, lessons to learn from these initiatives. The Masakhane project, for example, is a pan-African research initiative developing machine translation models for African languages. In Rwanda, Kinyarwanda-language platforms are being integrated into agriculture extension services, enabling farmers to get weather forecasts and pricing in real time. Open-source solutions are also important. Projects such as Mozilla Common Voice have crowdsourced voice data in several African languages. These community-collected datasets can help train AI and language technologies to understand under-resourced languages, bypassing the expensive proprietary route. As these efforts grow, so does the need to centre accessibility and inclusion from the very beginning of civic tech projects. Mark Renja, project manager at Code for Africa, Others in the civic tech space echo this view. 'We are quick to condemn inaccessibility in the physical space because it is glaring, but we are making the digital space inaccessible because we think it doesn't matter,' Professor Mpho Primus, co-director of the Institute of AI Systems at the University of Johannesburg, argues that the rise of the Fifth Industrial Revolution (a shift focused on ethics, collaboration and human-centred AI) provides a key opportunity for change. She explains that this new paradigm corresponds with Africa's pluralistic and multilingual societies, if we choose to embrace it. She notes that integrating African languages into emerging technologies would not only help bridge the digital divide but could also position the continent as a leader in shaping ethical AI development. 'The push toward human-centred AI requires linguistic inclusion to be at the forefront,' says Primus. Importantly, there is a strong case for governments to mandate the inclusion of indigenous languages in all e-governance systems. This includes local language support in digital identity systems, chatbots, mobile apps and voting education platforms. Multilingual support should not be viewed as a 'feature' but as a default standard, much like data protection or accessibility for persons with disabilities. Donors and international development partners also have a role to play. Too often civic tech funding is tied to short-term performance metrics (number of users, clicks or reports filed) rather than long-term inclusivity. But trust is the foundation on which civic tech succeeds and delivers. If marginalised communities do not trust the system or the institutions behind it, the technology will either fail or exacerbate inequalities. Language inclusion is one way to build that trust. A multilingual platform may be slower to scale in the short term, but it is more likely to foster trust, uptake, and resilience. Funders must be willing to back projects that prioritise inclusion over convenience, invest in research that improves the quality and availability of language data and support programmes that connect technology, governance and language inclusion. Finally, we must reframe language not as a barrier, but as an enabler. African languages are rich in nuance, metaphor and centuries of indigenous knowledge. When we include them in civic tech, we are making tools more accessible and meaningful. Imagine an AI tool that interprets a proverb-laden community feedback report in Tshivenda, or a chatbot that explains land tenure in Wolof using culturally grounded analogies. Those are the kind of tech that truly speaks to people. As AI becomes central to everything from taxation to public service delivery, the cost of exclusion will grow. Civic tech needs to be built with more voices at the table, especially from communities that speak lesser-known or low-resource African languages. A digital state that cannot speak the language of its people is a state that cannot hear them either. Nnaemeka Ohamadike is a senior data analyst at Good Governance Africa.
Mail & Guardian
19 hours ago
- Mail & Guardian
A new chapter in the life of the glitzy Ritz hotel
Legendary: At its height, The Ritz had a classy revolving restaurant on its top. (Supplied) If you've ever driven through Sea Point in Cape Town and caught a glimpse of that tall, skinny building towering above Main Road, then you already know her. She's hard to miss at 23 storeys high, 80 metres tall, with sleek curves and a shiny skyline presence that still steals the show even when she's asleep. I'm talking, of course, about The Ritz Hotel. She's bold and legendary. And now, after standing empty for nearly seven years, she's finally been sold. Yes, the grande dame of Sea Point has officially changed hands in what insiders say was a deal worth anything from R240 million to R300 million. An international family-owned hospitality group has taken over from another family business that owned the property for decades. It's a big moment,not just for Cape Town real estate, but for everyone who remembers The Ritz for what she once was, and who dreams about what she could still become. And as someone obsessed with buildings, their stories and the strange, beautiful crossroads where the two meet, this one feels personal. Construction of The Ritz wrapped up in 1970, and even then, it was considered futuristic. The way it was built was ground-breaking for its time — literally. The hotel's rooms, including the bathrooms, were all prebuilt off-site using modular construction methods — a technique that feels modern even by today's standards — and dropped in, one by one, from the top of the structure. It was a bold, efficient way to construct a high-rise hotel in a prime location, and it earned the project a string of awards in the early 1970s. The original owner, Barney Hurwitz — a pharmaceutical mogul — was no stranger to risk or innovation. He was the man behind the vision and the money. But he also knew when to let the professionals run the show. In the mid-1980s, he contracted Protea Hotels to manage and market the building, and that's when The Ritz began its golden years. Under the watchful eye of general manager Alan Romburgh and his deputy, John Watson (who would later manage The Peninsula), the hotel thrived. The energy was electric. Celebrities stayed. Sports stars partied. And the two nightclubs on the ground floor — Paschas and In-Excess — became legendary spots on Cape Town's nightlife map. In-Excess, tucked away in the basement, was known for its wild energy, bold music and fashionable crowd. These were the years when The Ritz was a social magnet. A place to be seen. A place that hummed with the energy of the city. But perhaps the most poignant story ever told about The Ritz doesn't involve celebrities or champagne — it involves a president and a view. More specifically, Nelson Mandela's view from the top. After his release from Victor Verster Prison, Mandela stayed at The Ritz for more than two months. The manager at the time told me something that still gives me goosebumps: Madiba made his own bed and tidied his own room every day. He was reported as the only guest to ever do this daily. He rose at 4.30am and went for walks along the Sea Point promenade, flanked by his security. When he returned, he'd sit and have tea with the hotel manager. He once spoke about how, during his years on Robben Island, The Ritz was the one building that stood out on the mainland skyline. Sitting in the hotel years later and looking back at the island that once held him prisoner must have been an emotional full-circle moment. That story alone captures what this building means to Cape Town. It's more than bricks and mortar. It's memory. Legacy. Layers of lived experience. At its peak, The Ritz boasted two penthouses and 213 hotel rooms, with a legendary fine-dining restaurant called Top of the Ritz. The crown jewel that looks like a spaceship. The restaurant revolved. It made a full 360-degree rotation every hour, offering diners a moving feast of Atlantic views, city lights and Table Mountain silhouettes. Sydney Joseph was its first manager and was the place to celebrate life's milestones. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the general manager was Bernard MD Cassar, a name that many in the industry will recognise. He graciously gave me his time to talk about those years, and I want to thank him here. Under Bernard's management, The Ritz was running at more than 80% occupancy. They even had a weekend special where you could stay for just R19.50. Can you imagine? But, like many grand hotels, The Ritz also had her darker chapters. Over the years, she became infamous for a series of tragic events, including a number of suicides. There are heartbreaking records of guests leaping from bathroom windows. And in one particularly chilling case, the hotel made front-page news for seven consecutive days after an axe murder took place in room 1803. Even so, the building soldiered on. Protea Hotels eventually stepped away and The Ritz became independently managed again. At one point it was operated by a company called African Sky, run by Gustav Krampe, himself a former food and beverage manager from the Protea team. The hotel underwent several refurbishments. In 2006, the iconic revolving restaurant was reopened. And in 2014, a large-scale renovation began to bring her back to life. At its height, The Ritz had all-round luxury. (Supplied) The Ritz had glitz, and she had glam. And then, she had the drama. In 2016, a new chapter seemed ready to begin. Celebrity couple Nicky van der Walt and Lee-Ann Liebenberg took over the lease of the building. Their company planned a dramatic relaunch, featuring R110 million in renovations, a fresh restaurant concept (Casa) with celebrity chef Bertus Basson, a champagne lounge backed by Dom Pérignon, and a nightclub with performances by Black Coffee. The dream was alive. The promise was seductive. But the fairytale unravelled quickly. Despite hosting a flashy launch party, the hotel never actually reopened. The landlord cancelled the 20-year lease agreement after nearly two years of no rent being paid, despite the R1.3 million a month rental obligation. The matter went to court. Nicky's company demanded R20 million in damages from the landlord. Then, in a twist worthy of a soap opera, Nicky resigned from his own company, and the saga ended with them vacating the property. Since then, the hotel has stood still and silent. Now, in 2025, The Ritz has finally been sold. Time for a new chapter. A hospitality group has stepped up to continue writing her story. Their portfolio of laid-back luxury, top hotels around the world is sure to make a statement with their latest acquisition in the Mother City. OKU Hotels is a Spanish hospitality brand best known for its beach resorts in Spain, Greece, Ibiza and Turkey. The brand is backed by Westfort Capital, a hotel investment fund that focuses on resort properties, as well as Alychlo NV, the private investment company of Belgian Marc Coucke. The website, under the coming soon tab, says: 'The team at OKU Hotels are constantly searching for opportunities to develop new OKU's, from Bali to Miami to the Maldives, our family is expected to grow soon – watch this space.' Whatever OKU decides to do with this site can only add value to Sea Point. The ground-floor retail spaces were more recently managed by Excellerate JHI, but the rest of the building has been dormant since July 2018. This sale marks more than just a transfer of ownership; it's the start of a reinvention and reimagining. She deserves it. Concrete isn't cold — it holds stories. And The Ritz is one of those places where personal history, architectural brilliance and urban identity intersect. Buildings aren't just structures; they're time machines, memory banks, cultural mirrors. I write about concrete because it's a language — one of ambition, legacy and the power of place. Got your own memories of The Ritz? Please share them with me. Ask Ash examines South Africa's property, architecture and living spaces. Continue the conversation with her on email (
The Herald
a day ago
- The Herald
Jake White leaves the Bulls by mutual consent
Having consulted with the shareholders, White stated his decision was based on a desire for the team to find a new voice. 'I have made the decision to move on. With many years' coaching experience, I felt it would be difficult to get the squad to perform to the next level. Therefore, in the best interest of both myself and the Bulls I feel it's time for a new chapter. It's time for this group to have a new voice. 'I have enjoyed my time in Pretoria. I met some wonderful friends. I believe that rugby is like life — you win some you lose some. You learn as you grow. You need to be strong and courageous and, most importantly, it isn't always fair. 'I would like to thank all the loyal supporters, the Bulls staff that worked tirelessly, and to the players for their hard work and dedication. I wish BBRU president Willem Strauss and the amateur game lots of success in the future. 'To the shareholders, I will always be grateful for all the support and financial backing they gave, far and beyond any other club. Thank you for the privilege. To the board for their support and CEO, Edgar Rathbone, coaches and management, it was great to be part of this winning culture. To be part of Bulls rugby history has been an absolute honour. I wish Bulls rugby all the best. Hou die blou bo!'
