Months of uncertainty surrounding the controversial Bodulo Mothong housing project could come to an end today when the Free State High Court delivers judgment in a closely watched legal battle that could determine the future of hundreds of vulnerable families awaiting relocation to safer living cond...
AfriForum has challenged the Matlosana Local Municipality to prioritise life-threatening road conditions at a major Klerksdorp intersection.
The civil rights group formally notified the Acting Municipal Manager regarding the intersection of Jan van Riebeeck Road (R30), Leemhuis Street, and Ian Street.
Residents frequently pass the site and report unsafe conditions caused by non-functional traffic lights and missing road signs.
AfriForum District Coordinator for the Mooi River, Alta Pretorius, described the current state of the R30 as an unacceptable risk to road users.
“This situation exposes road users to unacceptable risks on a daily basis. The R30 is an important route with heavy traffic; without proper traffic control, collisions and injuries are inevitable.”
The organisation stated that the municipality’s failure to maintain the site is a sign of gross negligence, while further arguing that authorities have a legal obligation to manage traffic control measures in terms of the National Road Traffic Act.
While the formal complaint focused on one intersection, many other parts of the town are reportedly riddled with deteriorating markings.
Pretorius pointed to a systemic failure in infrastructure maintenance that forces residents to navigate dangerous streets alone.
“It is clear that there is a systemic failure in the maintenance of infrastructure. Residents are being left to their own devices while their safety is compromised.”
AfriForum has urged the municipality to urgently repair the traffic lights and install correct signage to alert motorists of upcoming hazards. The organisation further warned that the local government could be held liable for any future damage, injuries, or loss of life.
President Cyril Ramaphosa travelled to Lesotho to join His Majesty, King Letsie III, and Lesotho Prime Minister, Samuel Matekane, for the official opening of the Senqu Bridge in Mokhotlong.
The ceremony, which took place on Wednesday, marked a significant milestone under Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project.
According to the Presidency, the Senqu Bridge project has created employment for over 1 200 people - most of them Basotho - and prioritised local expertise to ensure regional development.
“The project has employed local engineers, technicians, and professionals from both our countries.” The Presidency said in a statement.
The landmark bridge was built to endure extreme conditions considering that it is located more than 2 500 metres above sea level.
Officials also emphasised that the bridge tells a story of determination in the face of technical complexity.
“It will serve many generations to come. Together with the two other bridges being constructed to span the Polihali reservoir, this bridge will improve travel across this part of the country, making transport easier and cheaper for communities, businesses, and visitors.
Ramaphosa thanked the Basotho nation for making water resources available to South Africa, whilst conceding that South Africa is a water-scarce country that relies on such partnerships.
He also announced South Africa’s intention to provide Lesotho with humanitarian assistance worth R30 million. The funding will be facilitated through the African Renaissance Fund.
“As a reaffirmation of our desire to further deepen cooperation, I am pleased to announce that South Africa will provide humanitarian assistance to the Kingdom of Lesotho to the value of R30 million from our African Renaissance Fund,” Ramaphosa stated
This contribution will help Lesotho strengthen its national response to HIV and tuberculosis. These efforts come at a time when international humanitarian assistance levels are dwindling globally.
“As the current interim Chair of SADC and Chair later this year, South Africa will continue to promote and champion regional initiatives to accelerate trade, investment, and integration and to deepen people-to-people links,” said Ramaphosa.
This collaboration between Lesotho and South Africa helps both countries realise the vision of an economically integrated Africa as espoused by the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
The project is also one of the most ambitious and successful transboundary water initiatives in the world and is currently the largest investment South Africa has ever made outside its borders.
The MEC for Finance, Economic Development, and Tourism, Ketso Makume, delivered his department’s budget vote succesfully on Tuesday, despite surviving a near fatal car accident two days prior.
The department confirmed in a statement that Makume and his protectors hit a kudu on the N5 road between Paul Roux and Senekal on their way back from the ANC Thabo Mofutsanyane Regional Conference in Bethlehem on Sunday night.
The spiral-horned antelope was hit unexpectedly when it attempted to cross the road under the dark skies, leaving the driver with little to no chance of avoiding the imminent collision.
Despite this near-fatal collision, Makume ascended the podium at Harry Gwala Sports Complex, in Sasolburg, and presented the 2026/2027 Departmental Budget Vote - although with a neck-brace for neck support.
While questions of where the kudu actually comes from remain unanswered, it is largely believed that it probably escaped from one of the game farms in the area.
It would also be safe to assume that the kudu was one of the resident wildlife population found at the nearby Holhoek Hiking Trail which is located just 18km from Paul Roux.
Meanwhile, road safety in the province remains a growing concern, with fatal animal-related accidents estimated to be roughly around 10 000 in South Africa each year.
While costs around Makume’s accident will be covered by the taxpayer, it is estimated that around R83 million is paid out annually in insurance claims, specifically for vehicle collisions with wild animals.
A lack of coordinated accountability across government departments is at the heart of ongoing safety and compliance concerns at the controversial Heidedal Quarry site, according to Mangaung Ward 16 councillor Logan Kruger.
Kruger who also serves as MMC for Safety and Traffic at the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, outlined a complex web of responsibility that has left the site in limbo, with critical rehabilitation and safety measures still unmet.
When questioned about whether the quarry site has a valid environmental impact assessment and complies with its conditions, Kruger clarified that such matters fall outside municipal authority.
“Environmental impact assessments fall under the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI). It is not within municipal jurisdiction.
“However, the quarry issue is not confined to a single authority but spans multiple departments.
“This matter is multidisciplinary. Environmental compliance lies with DSTI, mining closure certificates with the Department of Mineral Resources, and bylaw enforcement with the municipality,” she said.
At the centre of the controversy is what Kruger describes as a premature issuance of a mine closure certificate by the Department of Mineral Resources.
“The certificate was granted based on promises made by the owners — to fence, rehabilitate, and secure the land — but there was no follow-up to ensure those commitments were met,” she said.
She says a temporary closure certificate with strict conditions and timelines should have been issued instead.
“There should have been a monitoring period of at least three years before granting a permanent certificate and that is where the system failed..
The result is a dangerous accountability vacuum.
“Once that certificate was issued, the department effectively removed itself from responsibility, shifting the burden elsewhere.
“The land is privately owned and as a municipality, we cannot simply spend public funds on private property without facing legal and financial repercussions.
“We have instructed the owner to comply, as they accepted responsibility for rehabilitation when acquiring the land from the mining company.
“The land may have appeared cheap, but the real cost was the obligation to rehabilitate it.
“We understand the risks, especially with reports of people drowning. That is why enforcement remains critical, said Kruger
The suspended CFO of the City of Tshwane was grilled at the Madlanga commission this week.
Former Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink has hit back at ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, who blamed the DA for the looting of the municipality’s coffers which has been exposed in the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.
The Madlanga commission has uncovered widespread corruption, tender rigging and financial irregularities in the City of Tshwane, particularly within the metro police department (TMPD). The municipality’s suspended CFO Gareth Mnisi gave his testimony to the commission this week.
However, on Monday Mbalula told reporters during a media briefing in Johannesburg that the DA is to blame for the situation the City of Tshwane finds itself in.
“Look at Tshwane, who was the mayor there? Brink. He produced a debt crisis for Tshwane under the DA. They governed there for the longest time… even now Tshwane is still facing financial challenges, bankruptcy and all of that.
“Look at Madlanga and think about Tshwane. Open the TV now and see who is on the stand, the CFO of Tshwane that is unheard of,” he said
DA’s Brink points finger at ANC
Brink responded to Mbalula’s claims, blaming the ANC for the corruption and tender fraud in the metro. The DA lost power to the ANC and its coalition partners in October 2024.
“If Gareth Mnisi committed misconduct while I was the mayor, I would’ve taken action against him. The revelations at the Madlanga commission relate to his conduct after the DA-led coalition in Tshwane was replaced by an ANC-led coalition.
“Eugene Modise, the ANC regional chairman and Tshwane’s current MMC for finance, has been implicated in a forensic report as benefitting unlawfully from a contact with the city. Nothing happens to him. The ANC think that a different set of rules apply to them.
“Fikile Mbalula must sweep in his own backyard before peering his head over the wall to criticise his neighbours,” he said.
Will City of Tshwane council act?
Brink told The Citizen that the DA brought a motion to the last council meeting for a full investigation into the Madlanga commission revelations. He said the motion was not carried because the meeting was prematurely adjourned. He blamed the speaker of the council for this.
“We believe he acted in a deceitful manner in doing so. The name of Eugene Modise has come up again and again, not just at the commission but in a forensic report of the council. Mayor Nasiphi Moya is too weak and scared to act against him, but the DA won’t let her get away.
“She claims that she is waiting for a council committee to act against Modise, but in the meantime, why doesn’t she suspend him as MMC? It is the minimum precautionary measure she can take to protect Tshwane’s finances and the interests of taxpayers,” said Brink.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, the Moya committed to implementing the recommendations of the Madlanga commission regarding the City of Tshwane. But she has been accused of not acting against the coalition partners that voted for her to become the mayor.
Meanwhile, Mbalula also blamed the DA administration in the City of Ekurhuleni for corruption exposed by the Madlanga commission. He described the looting in Ekurhuleni as a “smash and grab”.
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) Governor Lesetja Kganyago said it is still too early to determine the full impact of escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
He has warned that risks of secondary effects on inflation continue to weigh on the country's economy.
Kganyago said this could force the bank to keep inflation anchored at its 3% target.
He was speaking at the first Monetary Policy Forum of the year on Tuesday night.
“We have learnt our lesson from the previous shock of 2002. It was a costly macroeconomic lesson.”
Kganyago said that despite current global shocks, the bank will not tinker its inflation target to deal with current shocks.
This comes as central banks seek to find ways to deal with the impact of the Middle East conflict while keeping a hold on prices.
“The inflation target is 3%, and it remains 3%.”
He said the bank cannot wait before inflation is broad-based in the economy before acting.
Meanwhile, the acting head of economic research at the central bank, Theo Janse van Rensburg, said there are renewed concerns about global stagflation.
He said the trajectory of monetary policy has become increasingly uncertain amid the ongoing conflict.
“The impact is still uncertain as the conflict is evolving.”
He said markets are now anticipating central banks to hike interest rates in response.
FOOD PRICE INFLATION LIKELY TO RISE
The SARB said multiple pressures could push food inflation higher as fertiliser and diesel costs and the impact of foot-and-mouth disease put a strain on food prices.
It added that weather-related risks, including the possibility of a strong El Niño effect, may further disrupt agricultural output.
On Wednesday, Statistics South Africa will release the latest inflation numbers, which are expected to show a moderate uptick in food inflation.
Janse van Rensburg said the start of the conflict in the Middle East has sharply increased oil prices.
This, together with increased fertiliser prices, has seen global food prices rise for a second consecutive month in March, since September last year.
“To plant and to harvest, you need a lot of fuel. That’s going to raise the cost of food production, but also fertilisers are going to be more expensive, and because of that, we’re likely to see food prices rising going forward.”
