Deputy President Paul Mashatile has maintained that access to clean water cannot be a privilege “enjoyed by some”, welcoming the launch of the national water acceleration programme as a practical step towards restoring dignity to disadvantaged and underserved communities across South Africa.

Speaking at the launch of the Babanango Water Supply Scheme at the Nhlengile Spring Water Treatment Plant in the Zululand District Municipality on Saturday, Mashatile said the programme honoured Nelson Mandela’s legacy by ensuring vulnerable communities received one of the country’s most basic constitutional rights.

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“The world remains beset by so much suffering, poverty, and deprivation. It is in your hands to make our world a better one for all, especially the poor, vulnerable, and marginalised. Today, as we commemorate Mandela Day, we respond to that call through practical action that uplifts communities,”

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The national government marked Nelson Mandela Day on Saturday by launching a major new initiative aimed at accelerating access to safe drinking water, with President Cyril Ramaphosa officially unveiling the National Water Access Acceleration Programme at the Klipdrift Water Treatment Plant in Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria.

Addressing guests at the official opening of the programme and cutting the ribbon at the new facility, Ramaphosa praised the collaboration between the different spheres of government that made the project possible.

“This is a great achievement. I’m really pleased that we are also doing it on Nelson Mandela Day. This is a day when all of us must be making a contribution to make the lives of our people a lot better, a lot easier, where we bring progress to our people as a whole,” Ramaphosa said.

ALSO READ: Daggakraal residents urge government to tackle elder abuse, disability access and

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Residents of Daggakraal in Mpumalanga have called for urgent government intervention to address elder abuse, improve accessibility for people with disabilities and expand economic empowerment programmes for women, saying these challenges continue to affect vulnerable members of the community.

The concerns were raised during the Integrated Community Registration Outreach Programme (ICROP) in Daggakraal on Friday, where Minister of Social Development Dina Pule led a government outreach initiative aimed at bringing essential services closer to communities.

The outreach brought together national, provincial and local government representatives, traditional leaders and strategic partners to provide integrated services while giving residents an opportunity to

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The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on the Public Protector to investigate what it describes as systemic maladministration in the City of Johannesburg, arguing that persistent governance failures, deteriorating municipal infrastructure and weak accountability have severely undermined service delivery.

Speaking during a media briefing in Eldorado Park, Johannesburg, on Friday, DA Federal Leader and Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said years of political neglect, irregular expenditure and inadequate infrastructure maintenance had left residents and businesses bearing the consequences.

“Firstly, what I have seen here today is absolutely shocking. I also know that it is fixable. What we have seen here today is caused by years of neglect, failure to prioritise investment in basic infrastructure and failure to spend money properly,” he said.

“The consequences are plain for all to see, and not just in the smell and the huge river of sewage that we saw, but also

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eThekwini Municipality has welcomed Toyota South Africa Motors’ R10.4 billion investment in the production of the ninth-generation Toyota Hilux, saying it will strengthen Durban’s position as South Africa’s leading automotive manufacturing hub and provide a significant boost to the local economy.

The investment was announced during the launch of the new-generation Hilux at Toyota South Africa Motors’ Prospecton manufacturing plant in Durban on Thursday.

Mayor Cyril Xaba said the investment reflected growing confidence in Durban’s economy and the municipality’s efforts to improve the business environment.

“We welcome this investment as a strong endorsement of Durban’s economic potential. It reflects the progress we have made in creating a stable and enabling environment for investment, supported by continued improvements in service delivery. We remain committed to partnering with industry to drive economic growth and create sustainable employment opportunities for our residents,” Xaba said.

The municipality said the investment is

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The case against Sipho Mahlangu, who is accused of murdering Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Tshwane Region 2 secretary Monicca Dube, has been postponed to 23 July for a formal bail application after he appeared in the Cullinan Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

Mahlangu, 35, faces charges of murder and robbery in connection with the fatal shooting of the 44-year-old EFF regional leader and election coordinator, who was gunned down at her Wallmannsthal home on 13 June.

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Police allege that Dube’s cellphone was stolen during the attack.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) said investigators are still searching for a second suspect and are working to identify those who allegedly ordered the killing.

Speaking outside court, SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the Gauteng Political Killings Task Team was confident it had arrested the correct

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The video footage highlights ongoing growing unease about undocumented migration and the perception that the system is failing to hold offenders accountable.

In the days following the video’s release, police announced nationwide operations in a statement.

Over 8,896 foreign nationals were arrested in just two weeks for contravening the Immigration Act.

Some

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The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) says it is making progress in reclaiming hijacked and neglected state-owned buildings as it intensifies its Operation Bring Back (OBB) campaign to recover properties that have been unlawfully occupied or transferred.

Deputy Minister Sihle Zikalala addressed residents in Mogale City, Gauteng, on Thursday as part of the nationwide initiative to identify and recover state properties that were illegally occupied or transferred after 1994.

“Many of these properties became vacant following the post-1994 restructuring of government departments and were subsequently occupied,” Zikalala said.

He said government intends to reclaim and repurpose the properties for community facilities, development centres, shelters for victims of gender-based violence and femicide, social or commercial housing, and government offices to reduce the state’s rental costs.

The campaign has already been rolled out in KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and North West before reaching Mogale

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eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba has deployed a multidisciplinary technical team to oversee all construction projects at the Nazareth Baptist Church in eBuhleni Village, Inanda, following the collapse of a retaining wall that injured eight congregants earlier this week.

The eThekwini Municipality said the team was deployed on Wednesday evening after Xaba visited the church with Deputy Mayor Zandile Myeni, municipal councillors and senior officials.

The intervention follows the collapse of an approximately 18-metre retaining wall shortly before midday on Monday while congregants were seated near the structure during a church gathering.

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The wall collapsed without warning, trapping worshippers beneath rubble and soil and triggering a major rescue operation involving eThekwini Fire and Emergency Services and other emergency response agencies.

All eight injured congregants were rescued and transported to hospital for treatment. Rescue teams

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The centre is designed to equip current and future talent with relevant skills.

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This relaunch represents an upgrade to South Africa’s automotive skills development pipeline, transitioning a decade-old artisan training facility into a high-tech manufacturing centre of excellence.

The revamped Manufacturing Center is now tailored to modernise the workforce so South Africa can compete in the highly digitised global automotive market.

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Lesufi will deliver a keynote on how the centre will be designed to equip current and future talent with industry-relevant skills.

This revamped center is tailored to modernise the workforce.

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