Latest news with #R58
Eyewitness News
13-07-2025
- Business
- Eyewitness News
Motshekga backs Ramaphosa for waiting for dust to settle on Mkhwanazi allegations before addressing nation
Meanwhile, Motshekga, in response to Parliament's portfolio committee chair on defence Dakota Legoete's criticism over a shrinking defence budget, said that Parliament was made aware of the issue because of the department. Last week, Motshekga delivered her department's budget vote, which went from R58 billion in the last fiscus to R57 billion this time around. The minister said that the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) was operating at 50% and remained at risk."Even giving them the figures of what as Parliament, but what also Cabinet should do and the president is very conscious and aware of the problems. He's tasked Treasury to engage with us to see what it is we can do urgently, but the envelope is tight." READ MORE:• Holomisa warns of escalating domestic threats, wants military to enhance SA's internal security • Motshekga tables defence budget, says dept will do more with 'the little we have'
The South African
12-07-2025
- General
- The South African
School calendar: When do June-July holidays end?
Learners across South Africa will return to school on Tuesday, 22 July, as the third term of the 2025 academic year kicks off after the mid-year break. The Department of Basic Education has confirmed that Term 3 will run from 22 July to 3 October, forming part of the 200 school days scheduled this year. The school year began on 15 January and will end on 10 December. So far, the calendar has included two full terms, with learners enjoying a 27-day winter break since schools closed on 27 June. The fourth and final term will begin on 13 October and conclude just before the festive season school holidays. As learners prepare to return from the school holidays, concerns about municipal services in Gauteng schools remain in the spotlight. According to DA MPL Sergio Isa dos Santos, 536 schools in the province have faced water or electricity disconnections since January due to unpaid municipal accounts. 'More alarming is the confirmation that these schools collectively owe over R58 586 285,04, an amount the department admits it could not settle in the 2024/2025 financial year,' said dos Santos. Furthermore, he added that the department has promised to clear the debt by 30 June 2025, but 'no evidence has been provided to confirm this.' In response to mounting criticism, the Gauteng Department of Education said it had already disbursed the necessary funds to all affected schools. Also, the Spokesperson, Steve Mabona, confirmed that all designated schools received the money in June. 'The department wishes to confirm that it has provided the necessary funds to all schools for payment of their respective municipal billing accounts,' said Mabona. 'Once funds have been transferred, the schools and their respective school governing bodies assume full responsibility for ensuring that their municipal accounts are settled and paid on time.' 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.
Eyewitness News
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Legoete says government must be educated on importance of a well-capacitated SANDF
JOHANNESBURG - Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Defence chair, Dakota Legoete, said government, including the president, need to be educated on the importance of a well-capacitated South African National Defence Force (SANDF). The committee chair said the department's budget decreased, despite a global crisis that has left more countries bolstering their military capabilities. On Wednesday, Minister Angie Motshekga tabled a R57 billion budget – a marginal drop from 2024's R58 billion. Legoete – an African National Congress (ANC) member of Parliament (MP) who currently serves as one of the committee chairs of defence – is refusing to stay mum as the department's purse continues to shrink. 'I have taken an oath of office to be loyal to the republic and defend its people, and I will be failing if I'm not honest. I also need to be another Mkhwanazi so that people must understand, we are getting sick and tired of being sick and tired.' He said money over the years has not been used to capacitate the country's military, but instead to bail out sinking state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Legoete said the country remains vulnerable. 'We are the only ones still at 0.7% but expect not to have porous borders, expect not to have the criminal elements that extort people, even on the cyber level, South Africa has one of the highest targets in the globe.' He said the president and his government must be taught about a war cabinet and its functions, including how to override allocation of funds to favour security and defence.
The Citizen
09-07-2025
- General
- The Citizen
Almost 300 Gauteng schools went without electricity for a month in 2025
Water and electricity services were cut at schools in 2025 due to unpaid bills amounting to almost R60 million. Schools throughout Gauteng have experienced multiple days without electricity in the first half of this year. Schools responsible for paying their own municipal bills defaulted to the tune of millions, leaving thousands of classrooms dark. Many of those affected are no-fee paying schools, with some questioning the wisdom of giving them the responsibility of covering their own bills. School electricity disconnections The financial situation at the schools was shared in a written response to an issue raised by the DA shadow MEC for education, Sergio dos Santos. A detailed list provided by Education MEC Matome Chiloane's office showed that 536 schools endured some sort of billing-related disconnection in 2025. Of those, 293 were for a period of at least 30 days, while another 250 experienced disconnections lasting between seven and 18 days. Four of the schools had their water disconnected for periods between 10 and 27 days, with the remaining schools having had their electricity disconnected. There were 16 schools that had their water, electricity, waste and sewerage services disconnected simultaneously. 'This made it impossible to provide lighting in classrooms, power educational technology, and maintain hygiene and safety standards,' stated Dos Santos. Almost R60 million owed The value of the unpaid municipal accounts amounts to R58 million, with the schools disconnected for 30 days, owing over R100 000 each. Schools with the highest bills include Fleurhof Primary with an overdue amount of R3.8 million, R1.6 million owed by Soshanguve South Primary, and R1.9 million owed by Fusion Secondary in Lotus Gardens. These schools have section 21 status under the South African Schools (SAS) Act, with the national education department's 2024 document on norms and standards for school funding explaining the distinction. 'Schools that have section 21 responsibilities, or functions, receive the school allocation as a transfer into the school bank account,' read the document. 'Schools that do not have section 21 responsibilities do not receive the school allocation of money. Instead, the school works together with the department to decide what the school allocation should be used for, and the department buys the goods for the school.' Over 2 000 new Section 21s The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) said in the last five financial years, 2 034 schools were given greater financial autonomy under this clause. Asked what criteria were used to determine if schools could handle such responsibility, Chiloane said the GDE gauged the school's capacity to perform such functions effectively. 'To establish this, the GDE also looked into the ability of the governing body to manage finances,' stated Chiloane. 'To empower governing bodies to manage the Section 21 functions, the department ensures that schools are trained in financial management as soon as new governing bodies are elected,' he added. 'The governing bodies of schools are also expected to take all reasonable measures to supplement the resources supplied by the state in order to improve the quality of education provided by the school,' Chiloane explained. 'Utility crisis' The MEC stated that while they provide financial oversight, they did not keep municipal accounts for the school. He added that the GDE was unable to settle the arrears but stated that they 'anticipate' schools will be caught up by 30 June. Chiloane said the GDE was engaging with municipalities and Eskom to resolve billing issues and asked municipalities to inform them before disconnections occurred. Dos Santos inquired whether the financial situation had improved, but that feedback was still outstanding. 'The utility crisis has serious implications for learners' dignity, health, and access to quality education, particularly in schools with limited resources to cope,' concluded the Shadow MEC. A request for an update on the schools' bills was sent to the GDE by The Citizen on Tuesday, but no response had been received at the time of publication. NOW READ: More than 7 000 grade R teachers aren't qualified to teach their class
TimesLIVE
29-06-2025
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
SANDF meets with Sandu over unpaid allowances for DRC deployment
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has held an urgent meeting with the South African National Defence Union (Sandu) after the union's public outcry over unpaid allowances for troops deployed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The SANDF said the meeting came after the union issued a statement and circulated a video on its social media platforms regarding outstanding allowances related to the SAMIDRC deployment under Operation Thiba, part of the Sadc Mission in the DRC. SundayTimes reported that soldiers have turned their anger on their own top brass over a pay dispute, saying they are owed at least R600,000 each. One of the aggrieved soldiers told the Sunday Times he and his fellow troops should have been paid R100,000 a month during their 15-month deployment as part of a Southern African Development Community force in the eastern DRC, but had received only R58,000. The SANDF expressed concern that Sandu had released the statement without first following the established process of direct engagement with it.. 'This occurred while the SANDF was still in the process of demobilising the deployed members and addressing payment-related and other administrative matters internally,' said SANDF spokesperson Rear-Admiral Prince Tshabalala. Tshabalala said the meeting focused on clarifying the status of outstanding allowances and emphasising the importance of effective and respectful communication between the SANDF and recognised unions, in line with the Bargaining Council framework. 'During the meeting, Sandu was cautioned that issuing public statements on unresolved internal matters without prior consultation may lead to misinformation and miscommunication, potentially undermining the morale of troops and affecting the command and control structures of the SANDF,' he said. However, despite these concerns, the meeting was conducted in a cordial and constructive spirit, he said. Tshabalala said both parties committed to continued engagement to resolve the outstanding issues. He added that a follow-up meeting would be scheduled.
