This is according to the latest water justice report, which exposed the daily realities of those forced to queue or pay high prices for water.
The report, titled State Capture and Beyond: Water Justice, is a collaboration between Brot für die Welt (Bread for the World [BfdW]), the Human Rights Media Trust (HRMT), and the Legal Resources Centre (LRC), with funding from the European Union (EU).
The purpose of this project is to address corruption in South Africa based on the recommendations from the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.
The report stated that with a growing population, it is important for the government to carefully manage the storage, treatment, and distribution of water to avoid waste, but poor management and the influence of corruption, as identified by the commission of inquiry.
This, according to the report, has left the country with decaying water delivery systems.
“Infrastructure is failing because of a lack of maintenance, suspect tender practices, poor water quality and delivery, and inadequate wastewater treatment,” stated the report, adding that this leaves sections of the country, especially those who are poorest, with limited access to sufficient, safe, and affordable potable water.
*This article was first published by IOL
By JN Reporter
Awaiting trialist and Minister of Police Senzo Nchunu’s alleged associate, Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala, is in hot water.
On Wednesday morning, the Department of Correctional Services Spokesperson, Singabakho Nxumalo, revealed that Matlala was found with a cellphone at the Kgoši Mampuru Correctional Centre during a raid.
“One of the raids conducted over the past weekend led to the discovery of a mobile phone in Mr Matlala’s cell. The discovery led to the department taking action, and the remanded inmate was then transferred to the facility’s C-Max section,” said Nxumalo.
However, in response to recent allegations made by KZN Provincial Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, the embattled minister, Mchunu, insists he has never met alleged crime kingpin Matlala.
In a statement released on Wednesday morning, Mchunu said he has never spoken to Matlala nor requested or received anything from him.
Mkhwanazi made allegations of a link between Mchunu and Matlala and presented WhatsApp exchanges, which he said were extracted from Matlala's phone, showing alleged conversations between him and the minister.
Mchunu's spokesperson, Kamogelo Mokgotsi, said the minister has denied the alleged links.
"The minister did, however, initiate a review of the SAPS [South African Police Service] tender awarded to him when suspicions of possible wrongdoing surfaced. It was the same tender, which has since been terminated."
Furthermore, the statement has clarified that while the minister denies an association with Brown Mogotsi, he knows and has met him as just “a comrade.”
This is a developing story…
US President Donald Trump threatened China, India, and some of the world's fastest-emerging economies with higher import tariffs, hitting back at BRICS' criticism of his trade policies as the bloc meets Monday.
The 11-nation grouping -- which also includes US allies Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia -- is concluding a two-day summit in Rio de Janeiro.
On Sunday, BRICS leaders described Trump's stop-start tariff wars as "indiscriminate", damaging, and illegal, drawing a quick rebuke from the pugilistic US president.
"Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy," Trump wrote on social media.
BRICS members account for about half the world's population and 40 percent of global economic output.
Conceived two decades ago as a forum for fast-growing economies, the BRICS have come to be seen as a Chinese-driven counterbalance to US influence.
But it is an expanding and often divergent grouping -- bringing together arch US foes like Iran and Russia, with some of Washington's closest allies in Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
Some US allies inside the bloc had tried to blunt criticism by not mentioning Trump by name in their summit statement.
Saudi Arabia -- one of the world's biggest purchasers of US high-tech weapons -- even kept its foreign minister away from Sunday's talks and a BRICS "family photo" of leaders, seemingly to avoid Washington's ire.
But such diplomatic gestures were lost on the US president.
In April, Trump threatened a slew of punitive duties, before backing off in the face of a fierce market sell-off.
Now he is threatening to impose unilateral levies on trading partners unless they reach "deals" by August 1, with BRICS nations seemingly getting higher tariffs than planned.
It cannot have helped that BRICS leaders also condemned the recent US and Israeli bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities -- a show of solidarity with fellow member Iran.
Beijing on Monday insisted BRICS was not seeking confrontation with the United States.
"China has repeatedly stated its position that trade and tariff wars have no winners and protectionism offers no way forward," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.
Beijing also defended the bloc as "an important platform for cooperation between emerging markets and developing countries".
"It advocates openness, inclusivity, and win-win cooperation," Mao said. "It does not engage in camp confrontation and is not targeted at any country," she said.
The political punch of this year's summit has been depleted by the absence of China's Xi Jinping, who skipped the meeting for the first time in his 12 years as president.
The Chinese leader is not the only notable absentee. Russian President Vladimir Putin, charged with war crimes in Ukraine, also opted to stay away, participating via video link.
He told counterparts that BRICS had become a key player in global governance.
· *This article was first published by Enca News
Investment signals strong institutional confidence in the SME financier’s business model, credit philosophy and long-term growth trajectory
Preference Capital Group (PrefCap), a leading innovator in SME financing, has announced a further R200m capital injection, this time from African Bank. This latest raise follows closely on the heels of a R250m investment from Stanlib Asset Management, reinforcing PrefCap’s role as a key driver of SME growth in SA.
These recent investments signal strong institutional confidence in PrefCap’s business model, credit philosophy and long-term growth trajectory — bringing total capital raised to just under R1bn in the past 12 months.
“Partnering with African Bank marks another important milestone in our journey to support SA’s SME sector at scale. Their backing is a strong endorsement of our credit philosophy, risk discipline, and long-term vision,” says Jason Sostak, Corporate Finance Executive at PrefCap.
African Bank’s involvement follows a comprehensive due diligence process and reflects their shared vision of empowering underserved yet high-potential businesses that form the backbone of SA’s economy.
This capital injection will allow PrefCap to expand its lending portfolio across industries, ensuring small and medium-sized businesses continue to access the fast, flexible funding they need to sustain operations, unlock growth and drive long-term economic impact.
*This was First published by Business Day
Four years ago today, South Africa witnessed one of the most violent episodes of civil unrest since the dawn of democracy.
The July 2021 riots in some parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, left more than 300 people dead, caused an estimated R50 billion in economic damage, and exposed deep cracks in the country’s security apparatus.
Now, as the anniversary passes, those cracks remain — especially in crime intelligence, which insiders and experts say is still plagued by dysfunction, corruption, and internal power struggles.
This week, KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi laid bare ongoing failures in the country’s justice system as South Africa marks the fourth anniversary of the riots that claimed more than 300 lives and cost the economy an estimated R50 billion.
DA parliamentary portfolio committee chair of police, Ian Cameron said that since the riots, crime intelligence (CI) has not improved in the province.
"It has not been beefed up since 2021, especially with the current controversy regarding management of the SAPS and many people being implicated in many different things. I cannot say with confidence that crime intelligence within the SAPS has been adequately increased," Cameron said.
A police source who spoke to IOL on condition of anonymity and who was on the frontline of the riots in 2021 said he believes that after the riots there was visible improvements due to pressure placed on the police's top brass.
However, the officer said that as internal factions grew within the police - in the years after the riots - so did the morale of the rank and file members
"High ranking officers made it dysfunctional as they used crime intelligence to fight internal battles to remove honest cops who were against them and who would not be part of their corruption as their intentions were to loot secret funds from CI," the officer said.
He went on to claim that they also used crime intelligence resources to unlawfully eavesdrop on politicians by high ranking police officers based at the KZN Provincial Headquarters.
"Crime intelligence is weak because funds were stolen. Now there is no money to pay informers to give info on organised crime syndicates," he added.
KZN violence monitor Mary de Haas told IOL that the province remains plagued by abnormally high levels of violence. "Highly sophisticated unknown forces are attempting to destabilise the province," said De Haas. "This is a warning, especially in light of the standoff between the provincial commissioner and the police minister."
De Haas also cited circulating messages alleging that Mkhwanazi should be left alone, or further unrest would erupt.
*The article was published by IOL News
The African National Congress (ANC) has described its late deputy president, David Mabuza, as a comrade who dedicated his entire life to the organisation.
Mabuza died at a hospital in Sandton last Thursday at the age of 64.
ANC leaders visited his home in Barberton, Mpumalanga.
In the 2017 ANC national elective conference at Nasrec, David Dabede Mabuza was instrumental in wrestling the party away from the so-called RET faction to the renewal one led by Cyril Ramaphosa.
In 2023, with more than a year left of his term, Mabuza resigned as the state deputy president to make way to make way for the ANC's newly elected deputy at the time, Paul Mashatile.
ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said that Mabuza always put the party ahead of everything.
Mbalula said that Mabuza always campaigned for the ANC and would fund some of its programmes from his own pockets.
The ANC said it had planned a number of events and memorial lectures to honour Nabuza’s life.
*This article was first published by EWN NEWS
