Latest news with #R69
The Citizen
30-06-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
DA opposes additional R184m funding for Polokwane Softball Stadium
Quick read The DA in Polokwane has opposed an additional R184 million allocation to complete the international softball stadium. The project is jointly funded by the municipality and the Limpopo Department of Sport, Arts and Culture. R69 million has already been spent since the stadium's initial approval in the 2019/20 financial year. The DA says co-funding the project will strain other capital projects funded through the Integrated Urban Development Grant. Projects at risk include roads, waste facilities, electrical upgrades, and rural sports infrastructure. Delays have been caused by vandalism, COVID-19, business forum disruptions, and cash flow problems. Full story below Full story POLOKWANE – The DA in Polokwane has voiced its opposition to the additional R184m in funding allocated for the completion of the Polokwane Softball Stadium. Read more: Polokwane Softball Stadium gets R184m boost after years of delays The municipality confirmed last week that the municipal council and the Limpopo Department of Sport, Arts and Culture have pooled resources to finalise the long-delayed project, with completion anticipated in early 2026. According to municipal spokesperson Mantlako Sebaka, the stadium has already cost the municipality R69m approved during the 2019/20 financial year. In 2023, the DA said it actively opposed the municipality's co-funding of over R90m, warning that the expenditure would affect other capital projects funded through the Integrated Urban Development Grant. These projects include road upgrades, waste transfer stations, electrical infrastructure, and the development of rural sports facilities. DA councillor Jacques Joubert reiterated the party's stance, saying the project has been plagued by challenges, including vandalism, business forum stoppages, Covid-19 delays, and cash flow issues. He added that in 2023, the projected cost of completing the stadium was estimated at over R251m, which the party viewed as unrealistic for the municipality's financial capacity. Sebaka said the current project scope includes the completion of general external works, the grandstand, mechanical and electrical installations, and the roof. Joubert added that the DA has requested the Municipal Public Accounts Committee to investigate possible poor planning and financial mismanagement related to the project. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The South African
30-06-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Orlando Pirates coach Ouaddou could beat Chiefs with a relegation side
Abdeslam Ouaddou took over at Marumo Gallants when they were in a spot of bother, but he excelled and earned a big move to Orlando Pirates. ADVERTISEMENT 46-year-old Moroccan Abdeslam will be tasked with winning the league at Pirates. He's already got new players to work with, but what's his style? How will Orlando Pirates play under their new boss? Ouaddou used a 4-2-3-1 with Marumo Gallants and made his side difficult to beat. In 10 Betway Premiership matches in charge, he won four, drew four and lost just two. With 1.6 points per game, his average tally was far superior to that of Kaizer Chiefs, who only scraped together 1.14 points per game. Some fans say Ouaddou would finish higher than Chiefs while coaching a relegation-threatened side. Ouaddou had a solid playing career Abdeslam Ouaddou was a key figure for Morocco, winning an impressive tally of 68 caps for his country. A late bloomer, he only made his debut aged 21 and earned his first massive move in 2001 when he moved to newly-promoted Premier League side Fulham. Back then, €3.3 million was a lot of money. Today it's equivalent to R69 million. ADVERTISEMENT Is Moremi the new Segolela? He also courted controversy Abdeslam Ouaddou's first professional club was Ligue 1 side Nancy. During his second spell there, the board claimed that his refusal to train was sufficient under French labour law to constitute gross misconduct. Although his deal at the time ran until 2012, he left immediately. The story, however, had a happy ending as the imposing central defender returned to Nancy in January 2013 for a third stint. However, he retired two weeks later without playing a match. Ouaddou won the 2007 Greek League with Olympiacos and the 2002-2023 UEFA Intertoto Cup with Fulham. He holds French citizenship and won 68 caps for Morocco's Atlas Lions. Pirates make their move for exciting PSL striker? Is Ouddaou the right man for the Orlando Pirates job? Let us know by leaving a comment below or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Also, subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The South African
26-06-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Orlando Pirates' new coach had a STELLAR playing career
It's often the case that top managers have underwhelming playing careers. New Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou isn't one of them. 46-year-old Ouaddou won 68 caps for Morocco and enjoyed a club career spanning 15 years. An imposing central defender, he spent spells in France, England, Greece and Qatar. Pirates make their move for exciting PSL striker? Orlando Pirates' NINE new signings revealed? Abdeslam Ouaddou was a key figure for Morocco, winning an impressive tally of 68 caps for his country. A late bloomer, he only made his debut aged 21 and earned his first massive move in 2001 when he moved to newly-promoted Premier League side Fulham. Back then, €3.3 million was a lot of money. Today it's equivalent to R69 million. Is Moremi the new Segolela? Ouaddou used a 4-2-3-1 with Marumo Gallants, and made his side difficult to beat. In 10 betway Premiership matches in charge, he won four, drew four and lost just two. According to a report by UnplayableZA , Abdoulaye Mariko could be headed to Pirates next season. With experience in the Caf Champions League and Confederation Cup, he could be a shrewd acquisition for the Buccaneers. Click for the story Will Ouaddou be too defensive at Pirates? Let us know by leaving a comment below or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Also, subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
13-06-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Concerns over R500 million spent on outsourcing matric exam paper printing
MPs are urging the Basic Education Department to centralise the printing of matric exam question papers after it was discovered that the North West Education Department will spend more than R500 million over the next five years hiring a private company to handle the task. Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers One provincial Education Department spending more than half a billion rand on printing matric exam question papers has shocked members of Parliament. They accused some of the provincial Education departments of collapsing their printing facilities to outsource this duty to private companies. The Select Committee on Education, Science and Creative Industries Chairperson, Makhi Feni, raised the concern after the committee heard this week that the Gauteng Education Department, which had a three-year contract to print exam papers for its North West counterpart, had since outsourced its exam paper printing. After the end of its Gauteng contract, the North West Education Department signed a more than R500 million five-year contract with a private company, which was not named. 'I am not supporting that when you are having the service, you collapse the service and you run to the private service provider,' Feni said. This would mean that the North West Education Department was now spending over R100 million a year on a private printing company. 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 Gauteng Education Department spokesperson, Steve Mabona, declined to respond to questions sent to him regarding his province outsourcing its exam printing service. The deputy director-general of the North West Education Department, responsible for exam papers, informed the committee that in 2009, the department secured printing machines from Bytes Solutions and Altron Solutions; however, their contracts were not renewed in 2019. The province spent more than R69 million printing with the Government Printing Works (GPW) between 2019 and 2022, and also signed for R27 million to print with the Gauteng Education Department between 2023 and 2024. The latest contract with a private company, which started at the beginning of the 2024/2025 financial year and would end in 2029, contained extra security, transport, and storage features for the papers, which were available in the previous contracts. The Gauteng and North West departments had since joined the Eastern Cape in outsourcing the printing of their exam papers, while the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, and Western Cape departments still print in-house. Only Limpopo used the GPW facility. Basic Education Chief Director, responsible for the National Assessment and Public Examinations, Rufus Poliah, told the committee in a virtual meeting held on Tuesday that the law allowed the provinces to handle the printing of their exams, but that should be transparent and cost-effective. The exam papers were printed for the May/June examination for candidates who want to improve their results and adult candidates, and also for the main matric exams in October and November. Poliah said departments have three options, which are for those who print in-house but do not have the facilities to hire printing machines, outsource, and use central government facilities. He said those who insource use their staff for the printing job, while those who outsource are dependent on a private company to carry out the whole process, including providing the safety and distribution of the papers, while being monitored by Education officials. He said the GPW was responsible for the printing of exam papers for the Department of Higher Education and Training's Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges. Feni expressed concern about the department spending money on private companies when the state has its printing facilities. He said insourcing would bear no extra expenditure for the safety of the papers, as they would have to be protected by the police. Feni stated that there were instances where learners would be out of transport because there was no money for that, while the money is being given away to private companies. 'They are giving away their responsibilities under the excuse that the facilities were not giving them satisfactory results. Why are you not enhancing your existing capacity to achieve your desired outcome? 'Why don't you buy your equipment? Are you telling me that the department is no longer having any technicians who can operate these particular works that you have been running, rather than going for private providers?' asked Feni. 'We must always take into cognisance the serious infrastructure backlog that provinces like the North West are confronted with. 'How does one balance the two, the infrastructure backlogs and the expenditure on this private company for printing?' said Feni. He said there was nothing wrong with outsourcing the work if the government lacks the technical ability or skills, 'but outsourcing to private companies should be necessary and there ought to be plans for transfer of skills.' 'We will not tire of making the call to the enhancement of internal capacity within departments. 'If we continue along this line, are we doing away with the functions of the state?' he said.
The Citizen
28-05-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Lotto draw Excitement: What You Need to Know
Another lucky player could join the millionaires' club tonight. Tonight's Lotto and Lotto Plus draw has a total estimated jackpot of an amazing R69 million. The Lotto draw is scheduled to take place at 8.57pm. Detailed jackpots for tonight's Lotto draw: Lotto: R53 million Lotto Plus1: R10 million Lotto Plus2: R6 million The previous Lotto and Lotto Plus draw had the highest amount won, sitting at R119 033. This was won by only one player, who managed to match five correct numbers and the bonus ball during the Lotto draw. How to play Lotto You can play the Lotto / Lotto Plus 1 / Lotto Plus 2 games by choosing a Quick Pick option, where the lottery processing system randomly chooses six lucky numbers for you. Many players find this helpful for the Lotto draw. Alternatively, a bet can be placed by a person choosing six numbers from 1 to 52 on any board. ALSO READ: Lotto and Lotto Plus results: Saturday, 24 May 2025 There is no limit to the number of boards a person wants to play and the system also allows a multi-draw option. This option allows you to play the same numbers over multiple Lotto draws. How much does it cost to play Lotto? Lotto entries cost R5 per board, including VAT. Lotto Plus costs an additional R2.50 per board. Players can also use their respective banking apps to place their bets. Terms and conditions apply. Ticket sales close at 8:30pm on any given day, just before the Lotto draw. What happens after winning? All winners receive an SMS from their bank containing a reference number and further instructions on the documents to bring when visiting the lottery operator, Ithuba. If a winner wins less than R250 000, the money will be deposited directly into their account if they used a banking app to play. Players who win more than R250 000 will be referred to the Ithuba for a payout. Free financial and trauma counselling is offered to those who win more than R50 000. Winnings are tax-free. ALSO SEE: Daily Lotto results: Tuesday, 27 May 2025 The national lottery also gives you a chance to win money every day from the Daily Lotto. The draw takes place every evening just after 9:30pm. Tickets for the Daily Lotto can be purchased every day until 8:30pm. How to play Daily Lotto in SA? If you are buying a ticket in-store: Pick up a betslip in any lottery store. Choose five numbers between 1 and 36, or select a Quick Pick. Entries cost R3 each. You can play a max of R150, but you are allowed to play multiple boards. Select how many consecutive draws you wish to enter, up to a maximum of 10. Leave blank for a single draw. Take your betslip to the teller to pay for your ticket. Write your details on the back of your ticket in case you need to claim a prize. If you do not sign your ticket and it is lost, anyone can use it to claim the prize. If you are playing online: Set up a lottery account here and make a deposit to pay for tickets. Choose five numbers from 1 to 36 or select 'Quick Pick' to generate a random set. Repeat this on as many boards as you want to play. Decide whether to enter a single draw or multiple draws. Confirm and pay for your entry for the Lotto draw. All players must be at least 18 years old.
