Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane says South Africa’s housing challenge remains significant, with demand for affordable housing continuing to outstrip supply.

The country’s housing backlog is estimated at about 2.6 million people in need of housing.

Simelane was speaking at the National Housing Finance Corporation’s (NHFC) 30th Anniversary Summit at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg on Friday.

She said decades of apartheid spatial planning had deliberately excluded millions of South Africans from property ownership, credit and the basic dignity of a secure home.

“The government of the day recognised a hard truth that the housing crisis could not be solved through public funding alone,” Simelane said.

“We needed an institution capable of mobilising private capital, bridging the gap between what South Africans could afford and what traditional lenders would finance.”

She said the NHFC was established to provide access to housing finance.

Simelane noted that the

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A black woman-owned hotel in White River, Mpumalanga, has received more than R3.5 million in blended government and development-finance funding to expand the business, upgrade facilities, and support job creation.

Hotel 247 received a R1.65 million grant through the Tourism Transformation Fund, a R1.65 million senior loan from the National Empowerment Fund, and R242,600 through the Alternative Energy Fund.

The investment was officially unveiled on Friday during the launch of the hotel’s refurbished restaurant, which can accommodate up to 140 patrons.

ALSO READ: Xaba unveils R312m Eleventh Avenue interchange as Go!Durban! nears December launch

Deputy Tourism Minister Maggie Sotyu said at the launch that access to finance remained one of the biggest barriers facing emerging tourism businesses.

“Mechanisms such as the Tourism Transformation Fund are important to enable entrepreneurs to establish, expand, and improve their businesses,” she said.

According to the Department of Tourism, the investment created

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eThekwini Municipality Mayor Cyril Xaba has unveiled the R312 million Eleventh Avenue Interchange in Clermont as the city moves closer to the December launch of the Go!Durban! Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network.

The interchange, situated along the Dumisani Makhaye Highway, forms part of the C3 Corridor connecting Pinetown and Bridge City, which the municipality has identified as the first corridor for the rollout of Go!Durban!

Xaba officially opened the interchange on Thursday, saying the milestone showed the city remained on track to commence operations in December.

ALSO READ: Ninth woman found dead in Ekurhuleni

“Today, we are taking another significant step forward. We are officially commencing the rollout of key infrastructure that will support the implementation of Go!Durban!” Xaba said during an interview with the media before the unveiling.

Construction of the interchange began in February 2024 and was completed in June this year.

Xaba said 30%

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A ninth woman has been found dead in Ekurhuleni, with police confirming that the latest body was discovered in Dawn Park, Boksburg.

Gauteng Acting Provincial Commissioner Major General Fred Kekana said the woman, believed to be around 30 years old, was found partially clothed in the Villa Lisa area of Dawn Park on Thursday morning.

ALSO READ: Voters are tapping into Zuma’s MKP for solutions to KZN water crisis

“The unfortunate incident just came to our knowledge this morning at Dawn Park in Villa Lisa, where a plus-minus 30-year-old female was found half naked,” Kekana said.

Preliminary information suggested the woman may have been killed elsewhere before her body was dumped at the scene, Kekana said.

The discovery brings to nine the number of women whose bodies have been found across Ekurhuleni since July.

Police have not confirmed that the cases are linked or that a serial

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The much-anticipated Section 132 hearing by the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) in eThekwini on Wednesday became heated when ANC mayor Cyril Xaba accused DA committee chairperson Marlaine Nair of using the platform to advance political agendas.

The committee, made up of MPLs from political parties represented in the provincial legislature, was in eThekwini to address governance and service-delivery concerns raised by the Auditor-General.

ALSO READ: Rodgers reaffirms KZN commitment to supporting vulnerable children

Among the issues on the table were the municipality’s hiring of water

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The demonstrations were called by the opposition C64 coalition, linked to former presidential candidates Martin Fayulu, Moise Katumbi and Delly Sesanga. 

A previous protest organised by C64 in the capital Kinshasa in June was violently dispersed by security forces.

Several hundred people took part in the protest in Kinshasa, according to two Reuters witnesses. In the cities of Lubumbashi and Uvira, protests were officially prohibited by local authorities but went ahead anyway and were quickly dispersed, two other witnesses said.

The protest in Kinshasa was authorised and began peacefully, but clashes broke out between protesters and pro-government supporters. Both sides threw stones and brandished machetes, prompting the police intervention, two

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Kardashian, who had testified that she ​thought she was going to die during the ​ordeal, had sought the symbolic amount from some of ⁠those convicted in May 2025 over the heist in ​a civil damages case, according to a lawyer for ​the hotel’s receptionist – another plaintiff.

The robbers, often referred to in France as the “Grandpa Robbers” because of their advanced ages, wore ski masks and ​were disguised as police officers.

The robbery was, at ​the time it occurred, France’s largest in 20 years. Most of ‌the ⁠jewels were never recovered, including the engagement ring given to her by then-husband, rapper Kanye West (now known

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Average inflation expectations two years ahead dropped to 3.8% in the third quarter from 3.9% previously, according to a survey released on Wednesday by the Stellenbosch-based Bureau for Economic Research.

The central bank’s monetary policy committee prefers expectations around its 3% inflation goal.

The drop may provide the MPC with room to again hold its benchmark interest rate at 7% on September 23 to support an economy battered by surging energy and fertiliser prices caused by escalating tensions in the Middle East.

South African gross domestic product contracted 0.2% in the second quarter, snapping six quarters of growth.

Even so, Amundi SA’s Nicolas Dahan warned another hold could dent the central bank’s credibility after its surprise pause in July.

Forward rate agreements, used to speculate on borrowing

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KwaZulu-Natal Finance MEC Francois Rodgers said government has a responsibility to support institutions that provide care, stability and hope to vulnerable children.

Rodgers made the remarks on Wednesday during a visit to the SOS Children’s Village in The Grange, Pietermaritzburg, where he handed over cleaning and gardening equipment to the facility.

The visit reaffirmed the KZN Treasury’s commitment to supporting vulnerable children and strengthening partnerships with organisations that provide care and protection to those in need.

The equipment will assist the facility in maintaining its 10 family households and surrounding grounds.

The donation includes buckets, mops, brooms, gardening forks, rakes, lawnmowers and a chainsaw, among other items.

Rodgers congratulated Nonhlanhla Shange, the programme director at the village, and staff for their work and praised the facility’s maintenance.

“Despite financial constraints, the team has maintained a beautiful asset for children facing challenging circumstances,” Rodgers said.

He said

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Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has vowed to tighten accountability across the provincial government after a forensic investigation into the controversial Kopanong Precinct project uncovered R558 million in irregular expenditure linked to leases for privately owned buildings.

The findings were among several governance issues highlighted by Lesufi during an update on key Gauteng Provincial Government programmes on Wednesday.

The province also revealed that 3,671 officials have submitted lifestyle audit forms, while 20 officials have been referred for further investigation.

Lesufi said the Kopanong forensic investigation had exposed serious weaknesses in the management of lease agreements involving nine provincial government departments.

The investigation found that there were no proper procurement or approved deviation processes, while contract management was weakened by automatic lease renewals and repeated month-to-month extensions.

It identified R558,079,624.71 in irregular expenditure.

“I have noted the findings of the report and will ensure that all its recommendations are

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