Latest news with #R11
TimesLIVE
10 hours ago
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Minister wants foreign offenders to serve time in countries of origin
Foreign criminals sentenced to jail time should ideally be deported to their countries of origin to serve their terms, says correctional services minister Pieter Groenewald. He hopes the home affairs department can assist with deportations of foreign offenders granted parole. His department spends R11m a day on inmates from other countries, he told parliament's correctional services portfolio committee on Tuesday. 'The South African taxpayer foots the bill for more than 24,000 foreigners in correctional facilities. Calculated at R463 per day, this results in an expense of R11,112,000 per day. 'We are exploring various solutions, including diplomatic approaches.' Anna Molepo, the department's chief deputy commissioner of community corrections, previously told the committee the number of sentenced foreigners in South African prisons was 12,676 in January 2025, which was 12.4% of the sentenced inmate population. The committee was briefed in February on the challenges the department faced, including the legal issues that affect deportation orders and the processing of foreigners. The department said it was working to ensure the Immigration Act aligns with the relevant frameworks. On Tuesday, Dereleen James, an ActionSA MP, called for accelerated deportation policies. 'Prisoners live in relative comfort while our communities are being destroyed, broken, under-resourced and forgotten,' James said. The R463 daily cost per inmate could fund 555,600 loaves of bread, enough to feed 277,800 households with two loaves each.
IOL News
12 hours ago
- Business
- IOL News
Tshwane Mayor unveils horticultural equipment worth R11 million to enhance city maintenance
City of Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya handed over 555 pieces of horticultural equipment valued at R11 million to enhance the city's internal capacity for maintaining clean and beautiful streets. Image: Supplied/City of Tshwane Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya has unveiled 555 pieces of horticultural equipment worth R11 million in Pretoria as part of the city's efforts to build internal capacity and maintain clean and beautiful streets. During the handover ceremony on Wednesday, Moya said her administration decided to build internal capacity, moving away from relying on tenders for services that the city's workforce can handle. 'When we were doing our adjustment budget in February we said as this administration that we need to capacitate our officials with the tools of trade and with the PPEs,' she said. The equipment will empower the municipal workforce to address service delivery backlogs, including grass-cutting, in all seven regions of the city. 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 Among the equipment were brush-cutters, backpack sprayers, backpack blowers, chainsaws, pruners, and garden tractors, which were purchased through the reprioritisation of funds by the regional operations and coordination department. Moya said: 'In the next three months, with the delivery of the new equipment, our regions will work in accordance with an urban management plan to address grass-cutting in public spaces including parks and cemeteries. The aim is to ensure that grass-cutting takes place ahead of the summer season.' She said her administration aims to create a beautiful city with decent landscapes and livable spaces. 'Our workers have, for years, decried their inability to perform because they do not have the tools of trade. The supply of this equipment comes as the City has adopted a revised urban management plan that will align service delivery initiatives across all departments in the City,' she said. The plan, she said, aims to get municipal departments collaborating in each of the seven regions to tackle key service delivery issues such as road maintenance, public lighting, urban infrastructure upkeep, and waste management. Each department will have a weekly target of actions to deliver and be assessed on, based on the plan's action list. Moya mentioned that in May, the city rolled out 30 fleet vehicles to the seven regions to boost response times for the Tshwane Metro Police Department. Additionally, the mayoral executive handed over the first 14 cherry pickers out of a batch of 100 last month to support enhanced city maintenance efforts. 'We have also prioritised the purchase of personal protective equipment to protect our workforce and ensure we mitigate injury in the discharge of their work,' she said. Deputy Mayor Eugene Modise cautioned workers against stealing parts of the equipment, the equipment itself, or diesel, warning that such actions would land them in trouble with city management. He also assured workers that the administration is committed to settling outstanding payments, asking them to be patient as city management engages in ongoing negotiations with the labour unions to find a solution. Modise's comments on negotiations with unions follow the breakdown of talks between the City and the South African Municipal Workers Union over the outstanding 3.5% wage increase for the 2021/22 period, which were facilitated by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration on June 10 and 23.
The South African
a day ago
- Business
- The South African
Here's who donated to SA's political parties in Q4
South Africa's political parties declared nearly R231 million in private donations during the 2024/25 financial year, according to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). However, new legislation threatens to dilute transparency just as the country approaches the 2026 local government elections. The IEC's latest quarterly disclosure report shows that R14.19 million was declared in the fourth quarter (January-March 2025), a notable dip reflecting ongoing trends of lower contributions outside election periods. Only three parties – the ANC, Democratic Alliance (DA), and ActionSA – made disclosures during this period. ANC : R7 million R4 million from Chancellor House Trust R3 million from Naspers Limited (Chancellor House has donated R11 million in 2024/25 — still under the R15 million legal cap) : DA : R6.19 million R3 million from Naspers R1.04 million (in-kind) from the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) for internal training and strategy R743,687 from Main Street 1564 Smaller contributions from Polyoak Packaging, DKS Cleaners, and private individuals : ActionSA : R1 million From African Equity Corporation (Pty) Ltd : The Political Party Funding Act (PPFA), enacted in 2018 and enforced from 2021, was a landmark law meant to regulate and increase transparency in party financing. It: Required donations above R100 000 to be disclosed to be disclosed Capped annual donations from a single source at R15 million Banned funding from foreign governments and state-owned entities Introduced public funding via the Represented Political Parties Fund and Multi-Party Democracy Fund (MPDF) However, this framework is now under threat. Earlier this year, Parliament passed a resolution – not yet enacted – to double both: The minimum disclosure threshold to R200 000 to The maximum annual private donation limit to R30 million per donor This is despite criticism from civil society and findings by the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) that South Africa's R15 million cap already made it an international outlier in donation limits. Civil society watchdog My Vote Counts (MVC) has fiercely criticised the proposal and has filed legal action to block it. The group said the changes are 'a step backwards for democracy' and undermine the public's right to access information on political funding. 'If the president signs off on this, it will lead to greater secrecy just as South Africa prepares for another heated election cycle,' MVC said. 'It's a fruit of the poisoned tree.' While parties like the ANC and DA consistently report large donations, the EFF and MK Party – both major players in the 2024 elections – declared R3.2 million and just R380 555, respectively, in the entire 2023/24 cycle. These low figures raise red flags about undeclared funding and enforcement loopholes. With municipal elections looming in 2026 and campaign activity ramping up, political donations are expected to increase – but transparency may decrease if the president enacts the Parliamentary resolution. Despite tight finances, no increase in public party funding has been approved for 2025/26, making parties more dependent on private backers. Yet, without robust regulation, civil society fears the system is becoming more opaque and vulnerable to undue influence. Total 2024/25 declared donations : R231 million : R231 million Top Q4 donor : Naspers (R6 million combined to ANC and DA) : Naspers (R6 million combined to ANC and DA) Donation threshold (pending change) : R100 000 → R200 000 : R100 000 → Annual cap (pending change): R15 million → R30 million Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
TimesLIVE
3 days ago
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
VinFast opens second domestic EV factory amid global expansion
Vietnamese electric vehicle manufacturer VinFast began production on Sunday at its second domestic factory, aiming to ramp up output of affordable mini urban models as its global expansion plans face delays. The new facility, located in the central province of Ha Tinh, has an initial annual capacity of 200,000 units and spans 36 hectares, the company said. By comparison, VinFast's flagship factory in northern Haiphong is designed to reach a capacity of 950,000 units by next year. VinFast, backed by Vietnam's largest conglomerate Vingroup, has set ambitious goals to establish production plants in international markets, including the US, India, and Indonesia. However, it has faced hurdles in its global expansion, including weaker demand and stiff competition. The company announced last year that operations at its US factory would be delayed until 2028. Its India assembly plant is expected to become operational next month. "Once operational, the VinFast Ha Tinh factory will contribute to VinFast's goal of producing one million vehicles per year to meet the increasing demand of domestic and foreign markets," said Nguyen Viet Quang, Vingroup's CEO. The EV maker has set a delivery target of 200,000 cars for 2025, having sold about 56,000 units in the first five months, primarily in its domestic market. It reported a net loss of $712.4m (R12,642,570,552) for the first quarter, less than the $1.3bn (R23,069,131,410) loss in the previous quarter but 20% more than a year before. Revenue jumped 150% to $656.5m (R11,649,911,362) over the same period.
The Citizen
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Citizen
Court reinstatement of suspended Madibeng manager Quiet Kgatla
The High Court in Pretoria has ruled in favour of Quiet Kgatla, declaring his suspension invalid and ordering his immediate return to work. Suspended Madibeng municipality boss Quiet Kgatla has been granted a court interdict against his suspension by the council and will go back to work. The High Court in Pretoria ruled Kgatla's precautionary suspension had lapsed in terms of the disciplinary regulations for senior managers. The municipality, along with the speaker, acting municipal manager and the mayor, must immediately allow Kgatla to resume his duties as a manager. Kgatla's suspension Kgatla was suspended following allegations of financial misconduct after appointing a contractor for a housing project without following due process. The ANC Bojanala regional executive committee (REC) ordered disciplinary action be taken against Kgatla. But some councillors twice did not attend council meetings where his fate was to be decided, forcing them to collapse due to a lack of quorum. The ANC North West executive committee, along with ANC national executive committee deployees Faith Muthambi, Mdu Manana and Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, endorsed the REC decision. ALSO READ: Public protector launches probe into Madibeng mayor's office over crashed municipal bakkie Kgatla then sought an urgent interdict. The court restrained the council from pursuing or continuing with disciplinary proceedings against the manager, scheduled for today. Irregular appointment Kgatla was accused of irregularly appointing a contractor for a R11 million electrification of Damonsville in Brits in the Madibeng municipality. It is alleged that Kgatla appointed the supplier as an emergency measure, without following the tender process. The ANC Bojanala recommended that Kgatla be placed on precautionary suspension with full salary pending the outcome of an independent investigation into misconduct allegations against him. The ANC provincial leadership endorsed this, but the council, led by mayor Douglas Maimane and speaker Ditshego Mbezi, refused to implement the decision. Kgatla denies allegations At the time, Kgatla denied any wrongdoing, saying the allegations levelled at him were baseless as the whistle-blower had insufficient information and documentary proof. He said he had to act to appoint a new contractor, after Damonsville residents embarked on a violent protest on 29 January, demanding the electrification promised by the municipality. NOW READ: ANC reduces Bojanala ex-mayor's suspension after appeal
