Daily Archives: April 1, 2025

SITA urged to get its house in order

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By OBAKENG MAJE

1 April 2025- The Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development today urged the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) to get its house in order and stabilise the organisation as its inefficiencies impacted the work of government. The Chairperson of the Committee, Xola Nqola said, the meeting comes hot on the heels of the committee’s oversight visit last week to entities in the justice portfolio in KwaZulu-Natal, where SITA was singled out as a major impediment to courts operating effectively due to connectivity and infrastructure issues.

Nqola said it comes across as if there are delays in what the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DOJ&CD) have been planning to do due to SITA. He further said as far back as last year, they took an official committee decision to call SITA and the department to iron out the challenges.

“Today, the committee received a briefing on the implementation of the integrated justice system (IJS) from the DOJ&CD, which are the lead departments on the matter. The Office of the Auditor-General (AGSA), the Department of Social Development, the National Treasury, Legal Aid South Africa, the National Prosecuting Authority and the Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) provided input.

“The committee took a dim view that the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) indicated that it would not participate in the meeting and the fact that the South African Police Services did not respond at all to the meeting invitation,” he said.

Nqola added all these systems should speak to each other. He said Home Affairs is the starting point.

“You need to be registered at birth and later receive an identity document for identification. Yet they are not here to make valuable contributions. The committee heard that the primary objective of the IJS Programme is to electronically enable and integrate the end-to-end criminal justice business processes, from reporting a crime to releasing a convicted person through technology solutions.

“Furthermore, it aims to manage the related inter-departmental information exchanges across the criminal justice system (CJS). The IJS is also used to fight fraud in the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) and verify the identity of social grant beneficiaries using the Home Affairs Database,” said Nqola.

He said the IJS enables integration of SASSA to DHA, making near real-time person verification service available. Nqola said the committee heard that SITA does not have the capacity to deliver on IJS projects.

“SITA resources are used to work on multiple projects simultaneously and end up being inundated with work. SITA supply chain processes are also cumbersome. The DOJ&CD said a further concern is an ageing and/or obsolete infrastructure, which remains a challenge across the CJS and may lead to vulnerability to cyber-attacks.

“SITA acknowledged that it has capacity issues due to a high vacancy rate. The organisation is unstable due to a challenge with a previous board that was dissolved and who took the matter to court. An interim board was appointed, and the court reinstated the old board,” he said.

Nqola said the end product was the interim board mixed with the old one. He said the Integrated Justice System (IJS) programme is a government initiative that strives to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the South African criminal justice process.

“It is driving a multi-department effort to increase the probability of successful investigation, prosecution, punishment, and rehabilitation of offenders and their release back into society to realise a national objective that all South Africans are and feel safe.

“The AGSA highlighted the fact that SITA was slow in addressing the AG’s recommendations and has now received a disclaimer audit opinion. The meeting was constructive as the committee believed in a joint solution to joint problems,” said Nqola.

He said the committee and the AG now bear the responsibility of strengthening accountability to see through the problems engulfing the entire system. Nqola urged the acting Chairperson of the SITA Board to stabilise the organisation so that it could make progress.

“The SITA has short-term and long-term goals. Getting the OCJ and high courts online is a short-term goal; it’s low-hanging fruits that you can quickly pick. We urge SITA to work with DOJ&CD to ensure connectivity in the courts, or the case backlog will pile up.

“We need to reach the objectives of the IJS, which state that it must be efficient and effective. We will have regular meetings to track the progress on IJS,” said Nqola.

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Home Affairs Committee adopts report on motion for upper limit and disclosure threshold

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By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI 

1 April 2025– The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has unanimously agreed on a motion to be recommended to the National Assembly (NA) on the upper limit for donations received by a political party, and the disclosure threshold for political parties, independent candidates and independent representatives.

The committee is confident that the process has produced a motion that strikes a balance between the considerable cost of running political programmes and the need for transparency.

The Chairperson of the Committee, Mosa Chabane said following an intensive process of public consultation and deliberation, the committee resolved to recommend to the National Assembly

that the amount referred to in Section 8(2) of the Political Funding Act of 2018 (upper limit of donations) be set at R30 million in a financial year and that the amount referred to in Section 9(1)(a) (disclosure limit) of the Act be set at R200 000 in a financial year. Chabane said this process has been rigorous and involved and recognises the value of public involvement, openness and transparency.

“The recommendations made are also evidence-based, and they take into consideration that there was no framework that guided the previous upper limit and disclosure threshold.

“The resolution we have made today is crucial to bring the threshold in line with inflationary increases over time. In making the decision, the committee acknowledged that there might be a need to review the Political Party Funding Act, particularly in light of the gaps and shortcomings of the Bill,” he said.

Chabane further said, also, the committee acknowledged that the unfolding process undertaken by the Electoral Reform Consultation will directly affect the funding of political activities going forward. He added that, they appreciate the inputs provided by all stakeholders, including the public, the Parliamentary Budget Office, and the Parliament’s legal team.

“This was certainly an all-hands-on-deck approach, and we are confident that the proposal on the table is measured and achieves the competing goals of openness and fairness.

“Meanwhile, as part of the public hearings on the Marriage Bill, the committee conducted an unannounced visit to the Department of Home Affairs offices in Umtata, Komani and Gqeberha,” said Chabane.

He said the committee raised concerns about the continuing downtime at Home Affairs offices and its impact on service delivery. Chabane said the committee has resolved to call the minister and senior leadership of the department to find solutions to the continuing challenge.

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COGTA Committee calls for expedited alignment of coalition governance Bills

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Picture: The Chairperson of Portfolio Committee, Dr Zweli Mkhize

By BAKANG MOKOTO

1 April 2025- The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs on Tuesday resolved to integrate two legislative proposals aimed at stabilising coalition governments at the local level. The committee discussed the Private Members Bill – the Local Government: Municipal Structures Second Amendment Bill, introduced by George Michalakis, a member of the National Assembly, which seeks to provide legal clarity and help stabilise coalition governments.

The Chairperson of Portfolio Committee, Dr Zweli Mkhize said Michalakis told the committee that following the 2026 Local Government Elections, coalition governments will be the “new norm”. Mkhize said to him, this will mean political parties and independent candidates will have to come together and form workable coalitions for the good of South Africa.

“Currently, many local government coalitions are highly unstable and plagued by frequent motions of no confidence, impacting their capacity to ensure stable, consistent and quality service delivery to residents.

“These motions of no confidence are often used by smaller parties, in cooperation with opposition benches, as a political tool, rather than a way to hold government accountable for failing to fulfil their duties adequately,” he said.

Mkhize further said this will continue in the absence of much-needed legislation to ensure stable coalitions. He added that, the committee noted that the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), has a similar Bill – the Local Government: Municipal Structures Amendment Bill – underway and that there is significant overlap between the two Bills.

“Members were concerned that since the two Bills seek to address the same issues, it may lead to duplication, delays and possibly confusion among the public during public hearings. We noted that the Private Member’s Bill has already been formally introduced to the committee and that the department’s efforts, also currently underway, must be aligned to ensure coherence and, importantly, timeliness.

“Presenting two similar Bills separately for public comment within a short space of time would be procedurally inefficient and impractical. The public and Parliament would be forced to consider overlapping Bills twice,” said Mkhize.

He said they must avoid that. Mkhize said they acknowledge the need to process and finalise the legislation speedily ahead of the local government elections next year.

“The committee resolved that Michalakis must engage with the Minister of COGTA to find ways to integrate the proposals into a single bill. The committee stated that this must be done within one month and that the Minister must thereafter brief the committee.

“During this briefing, the Minister must provide an update on the status of the department’s Bill and its readiness for introduction to Parliament, the department’s proposals on integrating the private member’s proposals, and provide the committee with a timeline for the expeditious tabling and processing of the bill to ensure that the legislation is in place ahead of the 2026 local government elections,” said Mkhize.

He said the committee will deliberate and decide on the best course of action, including consideration of the motion of desirability on the Private Member’s Bill. Mkhize said the committee stressed that the process must be without unnecessary procedural delays.

“The process must also be done in a manner that respects both parliamentary procedure and the public interest,” he said.

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Team North West ready to take part in Autumn National School Sports Championships

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Picture: Some of athletes who participated in provincial School Sports Championships/Supplied

By REGINALD KANYANE

1 April 2025- The young athletes who performed well during the Provincial School Sports Championships, will represent the North West province during the 2025 Autumn National School Sports Championships that will take place in Bloemfontein from 2 to 8 April 2025. Team North West is going to the National Championships with the support of the North West Department of Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation (ACSR).

The North West Department of Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation spokesperson, Shuping Sebolecwe said they will be sending them off on the April 2 at Rio Hotel in Klerksdorp at 9am. Sebolecwe said the National Championships will include swimming, track and field activities with Learners with Special Education Needs (LSEN) and mainstream schools -Primary and Secondary Athletes.

“Events contested will be Javelin, Short Put, High Jump, Long Jump, Triple Jump, Discuss and swimming with participation by both mainstream and LSEN. The province will be well-represented with as Athletics Mainstream boys will have 27 representatives from Dr Kenneth Kaunda, 19 from Bojanala, 8 from Ngaka Modiri Molema and 6 from Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati.

“The province will be represented by 21 girls from Dr Kenneth Kaunda, 9 from Bojanala, 1 from Ngaka Modiri Molema and 1 from Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati on the Athletics Mainstream girls,” he said.

Sebolecwe further said 16 boys from Dr Kenneth Kaunda, 5 from Bojanala and 1 from Ngaka Modiri Molema, will represent the province on Athletics LSEN Boys. He added that 13 girls from Dr Kenneth Kaunda, 5 from Bojanala and 1 from Ngaka Modiri Molema will represent the province on Athletics LSEN Girls.

“In Swimming Female category, 8 girls from Dr Kenneth Kaunda and 9 from Bojanala will represent the province, while in Swimming Male category, 14 boys from Dr Kenneth Kaunda, 15 from Bojanala and 2 from Ngaka Modiri Molema, will represent the province,” said Sebolecwe.

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SAFA launches Women’s Football Strategy

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Picture: SAFA CEO, Lydia Monyepao

By REGINALD KANYANE

1 April 2025- The South African Football’s (SAFA) Acting Head of Women’s Football, Dawn Lubisi, has launched the highly anticipated Women’s Football Strategy. Lubisi was appointed to the position on 1 November 2024, and has spent the past few months putting the finishing touches to a document that has been years in the making.

SAFA CEO, Lydia Monyepao said the Women’s Football Strategy is a guiding document that will supervise the continued growth of women’s football in South Africa from grassroots to elite. Monyepao said this include local to international, while also ensuring a defined pathway that will see the professionalization of women’s football and create sustainable programs.

“The aim of the strategy is to see the supervised and international growth of Women’s Football at all levels while also unlocking the high-performance culture of the national teams and installing the necessary structures to see them succeed beyond continental level.

“The Women’s Football Strategy was developed from October 2022 – May 2023 and further revised in late 2024. Various stakeholders, including two FIFA consultants, came together to identify the priority areas and framed the goals and actions that would eventually lay the foundation for the Women’s Strategy,” she said.

Monyepao further said the strategy aims to create a sustainable platform from grassroots to professional level, while also continuously empowering girls and women through football. She added that, the strategy is only the beginning.

“I am both honoured and privileged as a former Banyana Banyana player and manager to have been part of the journey in creating the first-ever SAFA Women’s Football Strategy, from start to finish.

“It has always been our dream to collaboratively develop such a document — a guiding framework for current and future leaders in women’s football to reference, enabling us all to elevate women’s football in South Africa to its full potential,” said Monyepao.

Meanwhile, Lubisi said: “We can only work to properly execute what we have set out to do and hope the fruit yield true. This is a very exciting time. Personally, I am grateful to be a part of this beautiful history we will be writing together.

“I am looking forward to this chapter and wish for it to be nothing but successful.”

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Only 43% of SASSA beneficiaries transitioned to new Postbank black cards in North West  

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Picture: The SASSA officials engaging with beneficiaries at Taung Mall/Facebook

By OBAKENG MAJE

1 April 2025- It is alleged that only 43% of grant beneficiaries in the North West have transitioned to the new Postbank black cards. This was revealed by the Democratic Alliance (DA) Member of Provincial Legislature (MPL) in the North West Provincial Legislature (NWPL), Hendriëtte van Huyssteen, who is also a DA shadow spokesperson on the North West Department of Social Development.

Huyssteen said they call on the North West Department of Social Development to work with Postbank to immediately increase service points and deploy mobile units to reach rural beneficiaries. She further said South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), has confirmed that as of mid-March 2025, only 43% of grant recipients in the North West had successfully made the switch, leaving thousands of vulnerable South Africans uncertain about their financial security.

“The North West has been particularly affected, with only 11 designated service points across vast rural areas. For residents in villages like Tshidilamolomo, Supingstad and Bray, the distances required to transition to the new card—ranging from 103km to a staggering 295km—are simply unmanageable for the elderly, disabled and financially vulnerable.

“The transition that was intended to enhance security, has instead highlighted a failure in planning and service delivery. Despite multiple deadline extensions, the final cut-off on 20 March 2025, had been repeatedly presented as a hard deadline that could not be extended under any circumstances,” said Huyssteen.

She further said a DA Member of the Provincial Parliament (MPP) in the Western Cape and spokesperson on Social Development, Wendy Kaizer-Philander, confirmed that just two weeks before the cut-off, Postbank officials went so far as to inform the Western Cape Standing Committee on Social Development that beneficiaries should “throw away their SASSA gold cards”, as they will be useless after the deadline.

Huyssteen added that, however, SASSA has now confirmed that the deadline for transitioning to the Postbank black card has been extended yet again until 30 May 2025, providing beneficiaries with additional time to make the switch.

“This is an unacceptable failure in governance. The DA has long championed competent and people-focused service delivery, ensuring that no South African is left behind.

“In the Western Cape, where the DA governs, the provincial government worked alongside Postbank and local authorities to mobilise communities and assist grant recipients efficiently,” she said.

Huyssteen said this proactive governance stands in stark contrast to the mismanagement witnessed here in North West. She said in the meantime, grant recipients who still have the gold cards must not delay.

“They have two options like visiting their nearest service point for transition to the new Postbank black card or they can open a bank account with another financial institution and visit a SASSA branch with a bank confirmation letter to update their banking details.

“The DA in North West will continue to hold the government accountable and fight for better service delivery to protect the rights and dignity of our province’s most vulnerable citizens,” said Huyssteen.

Meanwhile, SASSA regional officials in the North West engaged with beneficiaries at Taung Mall last week. They said their office was promoting SASSA services and assisting with payment methods.

“Different financial institutions assisted with new bank accounts and bank statements, while the Customer Care Unit assisted with all Covid-19 SRD Grant related enquiries.”

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