The newly elected African National Congress (ANC) Veterans League in Limpopo has called for timelines to be imposed on party members and government officials who have been instructed to present themselves before the Integrity Commission (IC) in relation to the VBS scandal. Provincial secretary of the structure, Sechaba Nkoana, said the resolution was taken at the first ordinary meeting of the provincial executive committee (PEC) following their 3rd ANC Veterans League conference held earlier this month. During the meeting, a…

Limpopo authorities have warned all employees within the provincial Department of Health to stay away from a night vigil and march organised as part of a sustained effort to remove Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba or face the no work, no pay principle.  The circular, which African Times has seen, cautioned the workers against participating in a protest march to be held at Premier Stan Mathabatha’s offices at the provincial headquarters in Polokwane on Friday. The march, organised by the National…

Unemployment is one of South Africa’s biggest tragedies. Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for the first quarter of 2023 has painted a grim picture of the youth unemployment rate in the country, which increased by 1.1 percent to 46,5 percent this year.  Around 11% of workers who should be working are unemployed. Up to 70% of young workers, between the ages of 15 and 24 years, are unemployed. Over 30 million South Africans live below the poverty…

Leaders of the National Education, Health, and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) in Mpumalanga’s Bohlabela region expect 5 000 of their members to join their march when they take to the streets on Friday in a demonstration against a Mashishing school principal that they accuse of racism and nepotism. The march will take place at the Estralita Special School in Mashishing, which caters to the needs of children living with disabilities. Estralita has been closed down for the past two months…

Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane has successfully prevented the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) from Investigating allegations that he participated in a fraudulent scheme that resulted in undeserving students being awarded tertiary qualifications at the University of Fort Hare (UFH). Mabuyane took the SIU to court when it broadened a presidential proclamation to investigate academic qualifications fraud at the university based in Alice. The premier, who is also the ANC chairperson in the province, took the matter to court after feeling…

Breaking down how the bribery scandal unfolded, Public Protector advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane said the late Tina Joemat-Pettersson physically attended the inquiry for the first and only time on March 16, where she asked for her husband’s contact numbers. Mkhwebane was addressing the media during a briefing held in Sandton yesterday on allegations that Section 194 chairperson Richard Dyantyi and ANC parliamentary Chief Whip Penny Majodina solicited bribes to make the inquiry go her way. “[Joemat-Petterson] asked one of the parliamentary…

In what Public Protector advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane has labelled the biggest scandal to hit South African democracy, the suspended Chapter 9 institution leader blamed the death of former Minister of Energy Tina Joemat-Pettersson on “state capture.” Mkhwebane was speaking during her much-anticipated media briefing on allegations that Section 194 chairperson Richard Dyantyi and ANC parliamentary Chief Whip Penny Majodina solicited bribes to make the inquiry go her way. She said the solicitations of the bribes were communicated to her husband,…

The ANC Integrity Commission (IC) released a statement condemning the media, opinion makers, and commentators for seeing it as “toothless.” This statement issued by the Chairperson of the Integrity Commission, George Mashamba, warrants a closer examination.  The statement citing its Terms of Reference reiterates that “it is the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson who are authorised and entrusted with full responsibility to engage the media and release any media statements on the work of the Commission.” It states, “Neither of them…

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s drive to create temporary job opportunities for young people and help them gain work experience is showing signs of success, according to the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). In a statement, the IDC said that the Social Employment Fund (SEF) is part and parcel of the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES), which is meant to create employment within communities through partnerships with various organisations that are committed to social development. The SEF was established by the Department of Trade,…

The African National Congress (ANC) in Limpopo has denied trying to shield its deputy chairperson, Florence Radzilani, from facing the party’s newly appointed Integrity Commission (IC) for her alleged role in the VBS Mutual Bank scandal. This week, the party’s Limpopo provincial executive committee (PEC) announced a resolution that all those implicated in the VBS scandal should subject themselves to the Integrity Commission. “The PEC also expressed its displeasure about the manner in which some of the implicated officials from…