Daily Archives: August 19, 2026

Northern Cape Premier, Dr Zamani Saul extends his sincere appreciation to Makatong

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Picture: Northern Cape Premier, Dr Zamai Saul

ByBAKANG MOKOTO

19 August 2026 – The Northern Cape Premier, Dr Zamani Saul said following thorough consultations, he decided to accept the resignation of the Northern Cape MEC for Public Works and Roads, Fufe Makatong. Saul extended his sincere appreciation to Makatong for her service to the people of the Northern Cape during her tenure as a Member of the Executive Council (MEC).

He further thanks Makatong for her contribution to the work of the provincial government and wishes her success in all her future endeavours. Saul added that the resignation of Makatong has necessitated a reshuffling of the current Executive

Council.

“So, I have accordingly appointed the Bentley Vass as MEC responsible for Roads and Public Works, Lebogang Motlhaping as MEC responsible for Cooperative Governance, Human

Settlements and Traditional Affairs, Newreen Klaaste as MEC responsible for Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural

Development and Land Reform and Mirriam Kibi as MEC in the Premier’s Office, responsible for Children, Women,

Youth and Persons living with Disabilities.

“These changes take place at an important time for the Northern Cape, as the province

continues to make significant progress in growing its economy, creating employment and

improving the lives of its people,” he said.

Saul said the province has recorded the highest decline in unemployment in the country in the second

quarter of 2026. He said according to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey for Quarter 2 of 2026, the

province’s unemployment rate stands at 28.7%, representing a 1.7 percentage-point decrease from the previous quarter and a 4 percentage-point decrease compared to the same period

last year.

“This progress is a clear indication that we are making major strides in our efforts to expand economic opportunities and create sustainable employment for the people of the Northern

Cape.

“While we welcome this positive development, we recognise that much more work

remains to be done, particularly in addressing the high levels of unemployment among young

people and ensuring that economic growth translates into meaningful opportunities across all

communities,” said Saul.

He said they remain focused and firmly committed to achieving their targets of growing the Northern

Cape economy to a R200 billion GDP and creating 60,000 new and sustainable jobs by 2030. Saul said reshuffling of the Executive Council is therefore intended to further strengthen the capacity

of the provincial government to respond to the challenges facing the province, accelerate the

implementation of government programmes and build on the progress already achieved.

“Therefore, I call on all Members of the Executive Council and the public service to

continue working with dedication, integrity and urgency in fulfilling the mandate entrusted to

them by the people of this province.

“The Northern Cape Provincial Government remains committed to being of service to the

people of the Northern Cape,” said Saul.

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North West Department of Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation condemns unauthorised usage of Mahika Mahikeng logo

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Picture: The picture depicting Mahika Mahikeng logo/Supplied

By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

19 August 2026 – The North West Department of Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation (ACSR) said it condemns in the strongest terms the improper and unauthorised use of its intellectual property by any individual, entity or collective. The department said it reserves the right to take appropriate legal action to protect its good name and symbols from being used for dubious purposes.

The North West Department of Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation spokesperson, Shuping Sebolecwe said an electronic poster currently circulating on social media, calling for a meeting to discuss Mahika Mahikeng Cultural Festival, gives the impression that it has the support of the organisers of Mahika Mahikeng, that being ACSR. Sebolecwe said the department calls on the organiser(s) of the meeting to retract the poster using the Mahika Mahikeng logo and desist from doing so in the future.

“ACSR enjoys the protection of the law and that includes the protection of its logos or name(s). The organiser(s) of the meeting do not have the authorisation to use the Mahika Mahikeng logo and are therefore transgressing the law.

“The department will not hesitate to take legal action against anyone or entity using any of its Intellectual Property and Trademarks in an improper manner. We therefore distance ourselves from such a meeting and urge members of the public not to be misled,” he said.

Sebolecwe further said they warn members of the public to respect state property, intellectual or otherwise.

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Tlhapi leads NCOP engagement on GD Montshioa Airport overnight

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Picture: North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Virginia Tlhapi leads NCOP engagement on GD Montshioa Airport overnight

By REGINALD KANYANE

19 August 2026 – The North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Virginia Tlhapi has led an National Council of Provinces (NCOP) engagement on oversight of GD Montshioa Airport. Tlhapi, accompanied by Head of the Department, Dr Hans Kekana, said the purpose of the engagement was to present the department’s plans on the development of GD Montshioa and Pilanesberg Airports.

The NCOP is currently conducting its long week oversight over key public infrastructure and service delivery projects as part of the annual NCOP Provincial Week programme.

The 2026 Provincial Week, an annual flagship oversight and public participation programme of the NCOP, is taking place under the themes: “Confronting the Challenges Facing the Timely Delivery of Viable Public Infrastructure to Communities” and “Building Viable Municipalities for Enhanced Delivery of Basic Services to Communities.”

“This year’s programme marks an important report-back phase in the NCOP’s oversight cycle. The programme includes site inspections, engagements with provincial executives, municipalities and other stakeholders, as well as direct interaction with communities to verify progress and identify outstanding service delivery challenges,” she said.

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DPWR moves to strengthen institutional capacity through organisational restructuring

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Picture: The North West Public Works and Roads’ Head of Department (HOD), Moses Kgantsi/Supplied

By OBAKENG MAJE

19 August 2026 – The North West Department of Public Works and Roads has on Monday, convened a Technical Executive Management Committee to strength it’s institutional capacity following the concurrence of its new structure. The committee discussed the job evaluation process following the Minister of Public Service and Administration’s concurrence with the new organisational structure in March 2026.

The North West Public Works and Roads’ Head of Department (HOD), Moses Kgantsi said one of the conditions of the concurrence is that newly created and redesigned posts be subjected to job evaluation, which is meant to systematically determine the relative worth of different posts within an organisation. Kgantsi indicated that the department embarked on a review of its organisational structure to align it with its constitutional mandate, strategic objectives and service delivery requirements.

“During consultation on the new structure and the Minister’s recommendations, additional operational gaps were identified. Amongst the additional positions identified was a Directorate to specifically deal with state buildings’ compliance with occupational health and safety (OHS) requirements.

“With this unit, we envisage reducing and ultimately doing away with the closing of government buildings by the Department of Labour due to noncompliance with OHS standards which leads to the use of private leasing as an alternative which is something that government is working towards reducing,” he said.

Kgantsi further said linked to the above gap was the department’s struggle to reach its revenue collection targets hence the additional proposed Directorate for Property Sales and Rentals. He added that they are currently dealing with the challenge of not having a dedicated maintenance budget as a department that would enable them to ensure OHS compliance for their 140 state buildings.

“Elevating this Property Sales and Rentals unit to Directorate level will ensure there is a dedicated unit to focus on revenue collection so we can motivate for the Provincial Treasury to ringfence the monies collected towards maintenance of state properties.

“The meeting further discussed the recruitment of critical vacant posts. We are currently accelerating the filling of prioritised critical vacant posts and thus far we have made 50 appointments during July and August. We are ramping up our recruitment drive to contribute to the reduction of the unemployment rate,” said Kgantsi.

He said more than 100 vacant posts are still to be filled and are at various stages of recruitment across the department’s head office and the four district offices.

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