Latest news with #Mabotsa
IOL News
15-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Empowering Tshwane: 420 beneficiaries complete financial literacy training
EPWP beneficiaries were awarded certificates upon successfully completing the financial education training programme, which was facilitated by Absa in partnership with the City of Tshwane. Image: Supplied / City of Tshwane A total of 420 beneficiaries from the Public Employment Programme (PEP) and Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) have completed a financial education training programme, facilitated by Absa in collaboration with the City of Tshwane. The programme aimed to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to manage and protect their finances effectively, according to Absa's team leader of external sales, Khudisi Makhaga. He said the training empowered participants to educate and protect themselves financially, maximising and securing their financial futures. "Absa is proud to be able to empower residents with financial skills through this programme," he said. The comprehensive training covered key aspects of financial management, including budgeting, wealth creation and growth, credit management, and risk and debt management. Region 3 participants who successfully completed the programme were awarded certificates. Member of Mayoral Committee for Economic Development and Spatial Planning, Sarah Mabotsa, congratulated the participants on completing the programme and expressed gratitude for their contributions to improving and maintaining the city. "The City of Tshwane's multiparty coalition government is committed to enhancing and further advancing the involvement, skills development, and employment opportunities for our residents and especially our youth, women, and persons living with disabilities," she said. She highlighted the significant impact of the PEP and EPWP programmes on the city's functionality, cleanliness, and safety. She said initiatives such as pothole repairs, informal settlement management, cleaning and greening, waste management, and artisan training have made a tangible difference. "The work that our PEP and EPWP participants do is very important for all residents," she said. Tshwane, already recognised as South Africa's safest city, has seen a decline in nearly all crime categories in 2025, according to the SAPS quarterly crime statistics report. Mabotsa attributed this to the city's focus on cleaning public spaces, repairing streetlights and potholes, and other initiatives. "Cleaner, safer neighbourhoods and cities also help to attract more investment, attract more businesses, and this enables the creation of more jobs," she said. She noted that the city's coalition government has prioritised these efforts since taking office in October last year and has allocated budgets accordingly. Mabotsa urged eligible job seekers in Tshwane to register on the city's EPWP database at their nearest regional office or designated application points to ensure a fair and transparent process for allocating PEP and EPWP opportunities. [email protected]
IOL News
26-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Tshwane aims to boost economic growth by showcasing tourism at C20 and G20 meetings
MMC for Economic Development and Spatial Planning, Sarah Mabotsa, stated that the tourism sector is a crucial part of the South African economy, and the city aims to prioritise this sector to stimulate job creation and economic growth. Image: Supplied / City of Tshwane The City of Tshwane is set to leverage the C20 and G20 meetings in South Africa to showcase its capabilities, hospitality, and infrastructure in hosting international conferences. Member of Mayoral Committee for Economic Development and Spatial Planning, Sarah Mabotsa, said the tourism sector is a vital component of the South African economy, and the city aims to boost job creation and economic growth by prioritising this sector. She highlighted the importance of tourism, citing its significant contribution to the country's economy. "In 2024, tourism and travel contributed R618 billion to the South African economy – R117 billion from international visitors and R430 billion from domestic travel spending. Importantly, the sector also provided employment to 1.8 million people in South Africa," she said. The city recently co-hosted the 2025 Urban20 (U20) meetings with the City of Joburg at the CSIR in Pretoria, which brought together tourism stakeholders from across Africa and globally. The theme of the session was "Harnessing Tourism for Inclusive and Sustainable Cities". The meetings, Mabotsa said, offered a platform to explore how tourism can transform cities into more inclusive, resilient, and future-focused hubs. She emphasised that hosting the U20 meetings in Tshwane aligns with the city's focus on growing the meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions component of the business tourism sector. 'At the same time, promoting township tourism, an example of which is the activities of the Friends of Toloane, aligns with our economic growth strategy's prioritisation of both the tourism and township economy sectors,' she said. The Friends of Toloane, under its director Thabang Rabotho, promotes environmental awareness and conservation within the Toloane Nature Reserve and has received notable recognition for its efforts. The City of Tshwane is confident that the entity's participation in the C20 and G20 meetings will help to promote its tourism sector and showcase its capabilities to a global audience. Rabotho said: 'Our youth are at the forefront of preserving our natural heritage, using their voices and actions to champion environmental justice in our communities. Through initiatives like the Toloane Youth Water Network, they are proving that young people are not just beneficiaries of change - they are leading it. In them, we see the future of a greener, more just Tshwane.' The issue of safety was also addressed at the U20 meeting, with Mabotsa noting that Tshwane has been recognised as the safest city in South Africa, as reported by the SA Cities Network Safe Cities 2024t. The city, she said, has seen further decreases in nearly all reported crime categories in 2025, as evidenced by the SAPS quarterly report for January to March 2025. Following the meetings, the city organised a trip for delegates to the Union Buildings, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Dinokeng Big Five Game Reserve. The Dinokeng project, a public-private partnership, has generated over 1,000 job opportunities and numerous small businesses that support or benefit from the reserve's tourism activities. Mabotsa promised that the multiparty coalition government will actively showcase Tshwane to the world, encouraging residents to proudly promote the city and encourage friends and family to visit. [email protected]
The Citizen
11-06-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
In-house services for city projects to save Tshwane millions
The metro has cut outsourcing costs by millions as in-house architects and surveyors drive major savings on clinics and community projects across the city, according to its economic development and spatial planning department. The savings announcement comes at a time when the mayoral committee has approved a policy that mandates all municipal construction projects to use in-house quantity surveyors and architects. This was aimed at tightening cost controls, mandating that internal services within the department's physical development services unit be prioritised over external consultants. 'The insourcing of these services for new building design projects, alterations, additions and as-built documentation has already begun to save the metro millions in fees that would otherwise have been outsourced,' explained MMC of Economic Development and Spatial Planning, Sarah Mabotsa. Mabotsa said her department has skilled and equipped professionals. 'Physical development services of the department is staffed by qualified architectural professionals, quantity surveyors, and building works inspectors. [They] are equipped to manage projects from inception through to completion as per the six stages of a project described by the South African Council for the Architectural Profession.' Mabotsa said that until now, certain city departments contracted these services externally, resulting in high consultant costs for the city and often leading to inconsistent quality and misalignment with city-wide standards. 'By insourcing these services, the metro will reduce expenditure and also ensure standardised project quality and protect municipal interests,' she said. She added that savings of 10–20% on external consulting fees are typically achieved on smaller projects of up to R500 000 in value, and on larger projects of R20-million or more, savings are usually between 7% and 15% of the project cost. 'This insourcing has already saved the city R16.6-million on recent projects. The initiative to mandate insourcing of these services going forward will save the city many more millions.' She added that the initiative has earned praise from the city's CFO and gained strong support across departments. 'For projects like the Stinkwater Social Development Centre (R51-million), Gazankulu Clinic (R26.5-million), Rayton Clinic (R24-million), and Soshanguve Clinic (R18.5-million), the metro saved R3.6-million, R1.9-million, R1.7-million, and R1.5- million respectively in architects' fees alone,' she said. According to Mabotsa, all of the completed projects have had their building plans approved and occupancy certificates issued. She said other developments, such as the R50-million Mabopane Social Development Centre and the R61-million Lusaka Clinic, are currently underway or in planning, with assistance from the city's physical development services section. Savings of R3.5-million and R4.4-million in architectural fees are expected on these projects. 'Our insourcing initiative supports the Multiparty Coalition Government's commitment to financial stabilisation in Tshwane. By delivering projects faster and at a lower cost to ratepayers, we're cutting expenses and maximising the impact of our budgets,' said Mabotsa. Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading! Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App here
IOL News
11-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
City of Tshwane saves millions by insourcing construction services
The City of Tshwane will save millions of rand in architectural fees by outsourcing these services for projects like the building of the Lusaka Clinic in Mamelodi. Image: Supplied In a bid to save the City of Tshwane millions of rand, the multiparty Mayoral Committee has approved a proposal mandating all city construction projects to utilise the city's internal professional services, which are part of the Physical Development Services section within the Department of Economic Development and Spatial Planning. 'The insourcing of these services for new building design projects, alterations, additions, and as-built documentation has already begun to save the City of Tshwane millions of rand in fees that would otherwise have been outsourced,' Councillor Sarah Mabotsa said. She added that the Physical Development Services of the Department of Economic Development and Spatial Planning is staffed by qualified architectural professionals, quantity surveyors, and building works inspectors. They are equipped to manage projects from inception through to completion. She explained that until now, some city departments have contracted these services externally, resulting in high consultant costs for the city and often leading to inconsistent quality and misalignment with city-wide standards. 'By insourcing these services, the City of Tshwane will reduce expenditure and also ensure standardised project quality and protect municipal interests,' Mabotsa said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading According to her, savings of about 10% to 20% on external consulting fees are typically achieved on smaller projects of up to R500,000 in value, and on larger projects (of R20 million or more), savings are usually between 7% and 15% of the project cost. 'This insourcing has already saved the city R16.6 million on recent projects. The initiative to mandate insourcing of these services going forward will save the city many more millions,' she said. For the projects of the Stinkwater Social Development Centre (a R51 million project), Gazankulu Clinic (a R26.5 million project), Rayton Clinic (a R24 million project) and the Soshanguve Clinic (a R18.5 million project), architect fees of R3.6 million, R1.9 million, R1.7 million and R1.5 million were saved on each project respectively. Other projects under way or in planning, which the Physical Development Services section is assisting with, like the R50 million Mabopane Social Development Service and R61 million Lusaka Clinic, will see savings in architectural fees of R3.5 million and R4.4 million respectively. 'Doing our work faster and at less cost to ratepayers means that we reduce our spending and can do more with our available budgets,' Mabotsa said.
The Citizen
06-05-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Tshwane is SA's safest metro
The Tshwane metro has welcomed an independent study naming it the safest metropolitan city in South Africa. The 2024 State of Urban Safety in SA report, published by the South African Cities Network (SACN), claims to use rigorous, data-driven methodology to assess the safety levels of SA's major cities. The findings place Tshwane at the top of the list, declaring it the country's safest major metro. MMC for Economic Development and Spatial Planning, Sarah Mabotsa, welcomed the findings, saying it relies on more than 'internal data or wishful thinking'. 'We welcome the confirmation that Tshwane is South Africa's safest city. The Tshwane Tourism Association's safety figures are verified by this fully independent national report.' According to Mabotsa, the report is based on a range of indicators, most notably homicide rates, and draws on public data from sources including the police and Statistics South Africa. She said it has been designed to offer cities and their residents a clear, comparative view of urban safety and be free from political spin. 'Importantly, the SACN does not operate under municipal or political structures, ensuring the report's independence. Its findings are widely regarded as a reliable benchmark across the public and private sectors.' Supporting the findings of the SACN report, surveys by StatsSA also indicate that residents of Tshwane feel safer walking their neighbourhoods at night than residents of other major South African cities. In April, the metro and the Tshwane Tourism Association signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to boost tourism collaboration. A key part of this agreement is focused on promoting safety, visitor confidence and economic opportunities, especially in the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE) sector. 'The tourism sector, and specifically the MICE component, has been identified as a sector that can create much more employment in Tshwane,' said Mabotsa. She said the metro has a lot to offer, and now, safety is something it can confidently promote. Based on international data from the United States in 2021, Tshwane is statistically as safe as cities like Newark or Chicago and safer than Cincinnati, Atlanta, Washington DC and New Orleans. 'Tshwane has its challenges like any other city, but we must tell the full, data-backed story,' said Mabotsa. She added that visitors can enjoy a wide range of attractions, from the 90 000-hectare Dinokeng Big 5 Game Reserve in the north to township and city tours, local nature reserves, cultural landmarks, and historic sites like the Voortrekker Monument, Freedom Park, and the Union Buildings. The multiparty coalition government in Tshwane also committed to a far-reaching economic revitalisation strategy. 'We're aiming to add at least 80 000 jobs to the city's economy by 2029,' Mabotsa said. Mabotsa said tourism is one of the top priority sectors. 'To our local and international visitors, we say: Welcome to South Africa's safest city. 'Not only do we have a lot to offer you, but your visit helps create jobs and opportunities. Thank you. Baie dankie. Kea leboga. Inkomu, Nkosi.' Chairperson of the Tshwane Tourism Association, Susan Marais, welcomed the report as validation of what many in the local tourism industry already knew. 'Tshwane offers not just an abundance of attractions, but also a comparatively safer experience for visitors.' Marais said it is a vibrant, globally relevant destination. She added it represents over 200 members, from tour operators and accommodation providers to event venues and culinary experiences. 'Safety is a critical part of what makes a destination attractive, and this report confirms what our visitors are already experiencing.' To see the independent report, click on the following link: Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
