Latest news with #VFPlus
IOL News
02-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
'Nothing more than their ambitions': DIRCO slams Freedom Front US visit
Following a significant trip to Washington DC, Afrikaner politicians Dr Corné Mulder, Dr Theo de Jager, and Gerhard Papenfus discuss their meetings with US leaders and the challenges facing South Africa. The South African government has emphasised that it was not part of the delegation of Afrikaner politicians who visited Washington, DC, in the US. The group that went without being directed by the government arrived back in South Africa on Wednesday. The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) spokesperson Chrispin Phiri told IOL that the group was pursuing its "own agenda". "Our experience is that State actors do not use non-state actors as intermediaries; therefore, Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) visit and subsequent pronouncements will be viewed as nothing more than their ambitions," he said. The group includes VF Plus leader Dr Corné Mulder, the executive director of Southern African Agri Initiative (SAAI), Dr Theo de Jager, and the National Employers' Association of South Africa (NEASA) chief executive Gerhard Papenfus. Mulder claimed that they were selected and invited to the US by members of the Donald Trump administration. "We had a successful visit and were well received. We met with people responsible for Africa in the White House, the Senate, the House of Representatives, and think tanks. It was a comprehensive visit," he said.
The Citizen
22-06-2025
- Climate
- The Citizen
Paul Sauer Street's stink is getting attention – the road will be closed tomorrow
Less than a minute Zita Goldswain Less than a minute Paul Sauer Street's stink is getting attention – the road will be closed tomorrow Paul Sauer Street will not be accessible tomorrow. Keep this in mind when you travel tomorrow and plan alternative routes. 'The sewer problem in the street will be fixed tomorrow and that necessitates the closure of the road,' said the VF Plus Councillor Sharon Schlachter. She said the sewer has posed a problem since 2023 and caused the flow of raw sewer to Doornpoortspruit. The road will be closed between 09:00 and 14:00. Breaking news at your fingertips … Follow WITBANK NEWS on our website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or TikTok Chat to us: info@ At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
21-06-2025
- IOL News
Eskom raises alarm over theft and vandalism affecting electricity restoration in Cape Town
Eskom blames infrastructure vandalism for power delays as political pressure mounts. Image: Pexels Eskom has raised alarm over the continuous theft and vandalism of its infrastructure across parts of Cape Town, warning that these criminal acts are significantly delaying electricity restoration in several communities. In a statement issued on Friday, Eskom said that areas such as Bishop Lavis, Connaught, Elsies River, Leonsdale, Matroosfontein, and Riverton have experienced prolonged outages in recent days due to the theft of conductors and the destruction of kiosks. 'These criminal acts not only compromise the reliability of the electricity supply, but also place a heavy burden on communities,' the power utility said. It added that technicians often face life-threatening conditions and harassment while working in the field. 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 ✕ Eskom urged communities to report infrastructure-related crimes through its crime hotline and to use official channels for logging faults, rather than approaching depots directly or confronting staff. 'We remain committed to ensuring the availability of electricity supply, but we need the public's support in safeguarding critical infrastructure,' it said. Meanwhile, growing frustration over persistent outages has led to renewed political pressure on Eskom, with calls for the City of Cape Town to take over electricity supply in areas currently served by the power utility. Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) councillor Emre Uygun said residents in Eskom-supplied suburbs are 'repeatedly left in the dark for weeks', pointing to recent outages in Fisantekraal, Elsies River, and Ravensmead. Protests erupted in some of these areas this week due to the disruptions. 'The city currently supplies electricity to 75% of the metro, while Eskom supplies the remaining 25%. Unfortunately, those Eskom-supplied areas are the ones suffering the longest outages,' Uygun said. 'Macassar has been left without electricity for three months, and the residents have reached out to Eskom.' He added that the VF Plus has helped escalate complaints directly to Eskom, resulting in faster intervention in some cases, but warned that this was 'not a sustainable solution'. The party has now called for the City of Cape Town to continue engaging the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) to seek legal authority to take over the power supply in affected areas. 'Should Eskom continue to refuse, we are prepared to launch a petition to compel them to relinquish control,' said Uygun. Residents in Wesbank have also voiced their frustrations, with one community member reporting that 26 households have endured repeated outages between June 12 and 18. 'This has been going on for years. We need serious intervention. People are sick, elderly, and disabled, yet we are waiting weeks for faults to be resolved,' a resident said.
The Citizen
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
MILLIONS in power assets lie idle amid continuing energy crisis
While residents of Ekurhuleni endure near-daily power outages, more than R500 million worth of critical electricity infrastructure has been sitting unused in municipal warehouses for nearly a decade. An inventory report from the Department of Energy revealed that prepaid electricity meters, transformers, breakers, switches, and high-voltage cables, valued at approximately R512 million, have gathered dust since 2015. This equipment could be deployed immediately to address urgent repairs and upgrades across the Metro. Also read: Kempton Park resident in trouble after tenant tampers with electricity meter Despite these findings, the Department continues to cite equipment and labour shortages as the reason for delayed repairs, an explanation that is now under intense scrutiny. Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) councillor Denise Janse van Rensburg has raised the alarm, saying the situation reflects severe mismanagement within the Metro's energy services. 'Residents are suffering while life-saving infrastructure rots in warehouses,' said Janse van Rensburg. 'The excuses have run dry. There needs to be full transparency and urgent intervention.' The VF Plus has repeatedly challenged the Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Mzayifani Ngwenya, over the backlog in service delivery and the apparent contradiction in the Department's justifications. Also read: Terenure resident faces electricity woes Ngwenya has maintained that the inventory is being managed according to service delivery needs and denied any overspending in its procurement. However, concerns are mounting that much of the unused equipment may already be obsolete or damaged, representing a looming financial loss for the City. In response, the VF Plus has called for a full, independent investigation into the management of power inventory since 2015 and a comprehensive audit of all electricity-related equipment procured and stored. The party has also requested a detailed action plan to ensure proper supply, circulation, and installation. Also read: Water and electricity supply in Kempton Park gets worse 'The Department of Energy underpins the economic and social well-being of Ekurhuleni,' Janse van Rensburg added. 'This level of mismanagement is unacceptable. The community deserves transparency and decisive action.' The Kempton Express requested comment from the City of Ekurhuleni by close of business on May 8. At the time of publication on May 9, no comment had been received from the City of Ekurhuleni. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
23-04-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Freedom Front Plus defends Orania amid EFF's calls for review
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) launched a staunch rebuttal against the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) following the party's major protest against the existence of Orania, a 'whites only' town in the Northern Cape. On Tuesday, a significant contingent of EFF supporters marched to the Premier's office in Kimberley, where they presented a memorandum demanding the review of Orania's status, asserting that its existence contradicts both the spirit and letter of the South African Constitution. However, VF Plus Member of Parliament Dr Wynand Boshoff countered these claims, describing the EFF's position to be unfounded. "Since its founding, the VF Plus has been advocating self-determination, as embodied by Orania, among others. Therefore, the party unequivocally rejects the EFF's demands. In a multi-ethnic country like South Africa, there is often a majority that pays lip service to recognising diversity but, in reality, denies it," Boshoff said. Dr Boshoff went on to argue that the EFF's approach not only undermines the diverse fabric of South Africa but also denies minorities the opportunity to foster and maintain a vibrant culture through various institutions. He further elaborated that the push for a single cultural narrative often forces minority groups into a corner, reducing their ability to express their identities fully.
