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The spokesperson for the Triangle Project, Ling Sheperd, said that despite legal protections, many queer South Africans still face discrimination, violence, and social exclusion.

As Pride Month is marked worldwide, LGBTQIA+ rights groups in the country are calling on government to take stronger steps to enforce laws protecting queer communities.

The theme in 2025 – "One story, one future" – speaks to unity, shared experiences, and the continued fight for freedom and equality.

The spokesperson for the Triangle Project, Ling Sheperd, said that despite legal protections, many queer South Africans still faced discrimination, violence, and social exclusion.

"The community faces discrimination, violence and social stigma still, access to affirming health care remains limited, and many still experience exclusion in workplaces and in their families, which is how many queer folks end up being unhoused."

Sheperd said that while legal progress has been made, practical implementation is lagging.

"Our decision makers, and those that run the country and those that are writing these laws and having them passed, there needs to be some kind of oversight on how implementation happens. Pride Month goes beyond one month."

*This article was first published by Eye Witness News

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) is introducing a new feature called ‘Express Access’ to its eFiling systems for tax season 2025, which should make it much easier for taxpayers to process their auto assessments.

According to the service, income taxpayers should see a new ‘Express’ tab on their eFiling landing page that will make their Personal Income Tax returns more easily accessible.

The new functionality will let taxpayers quickly view their 2025 auto assessment, submit previous years’ returns, submit the current year’s returns and update personal banking details.

SARS said that the update aligns with its strategic objectives to provide modernised and streamlined services and provide clarity and certainty of tax obligations for taxpayers.

It is also part of the taxman’s wider simplification processes, which drive taxpayer compliance and ensure that its other automated processes go through faster and smoother.

The focus on giving taxpayers quick access to their auto assessments is key, as the service expects to process a record number of these tax assessments in 2025.

Auto assessments will start rolling out two weeks ahead of the opening of filing season, starting 7 July, where taxpayers with simpler tax affairs can resolve their returns quickly.

Auto-assessed taxpayers will find their tax returns already populated with third-party data sourced by SARS, with no need to manually submit a return.

If the assessment is accepted, there is no need for any further action, and the tax refund, if applicable, will be paid into the taxpayer’s account, typically within 72 hours.

If money is owed to SARS, taxpayers will be prompted to make payments via eFiling or the MobiApp.

However, if the auto-assessment is not accepted, taxpayers will have to reject it and submit a manual return.

Make sure your details are correct

Another focus of the new Express tab is for taxpayers to update their contact and banking details.

SARS previously warned taxpayers to ensure that their banking details are correct, as the incorrect account data could lead to delays in getting tax refunds.

This would it necessitate manual action from taxpayers who have been auto-assessed, countering the benefits of the process being automated.

However, SARS said that it is also crucial to have up-to-date contact details as the tax service will communicate critical updates and information to taxpayers exclusively through digital channels.

These channels are also used for additional security features, such as OTPs, it said.

Missing updates from SARS could carry severe consequences if they contain requests that require timeous action, such as a request for supporting documentation or for payment.

Communication from SARS often contains time-sensitive information, such as:

Audit notifications and verification requests

Final demands or payment reminders

Requests for supporting documentation

Assessment adjustments or penalty notices

Dispute or objection outcomes

Ignoring or missing these letters can have significant implications, including penalties, legal enforcement, loss of tax compliance status or missed refunds and appeals.

The SARS army is coming

The final focus of the new Express features is ensuring that past and current tax returns are up to date.

While this is a step outside the automation processes, it aligns with SARS’ focus on ensuring taxpayers become compliant and that any past returns and uncollected debts are accounted for.

SARS commissioner Edward Kieswetter recently confirmed that the R1 billion in additional funding received from the National Treasury this year will be used to hire 1,700 additional staff.

This will be done over the next three months, aligning with the bulk of the tax filing season, with a key target being the large stock of undispiture debt it believes it can rake in.

Kieswetter noted that during SARS’ previous Recovery Project, it observed the effectiveness of nudging taxpayers who owe taxes.

Often, all it takes is a reminder, such as a phone call or SMS, to prompt payment, he said, which is a gentle approach that taxpayers appreciate.

The revenue service hopes to increase collections by making it faster and easier for taxpayers to receive the message, log on, and organise their tax affairs.

However, tax experts at Tax Consulting SA warned that, should these “friendly reminders” not yield the desired result, SARS will escalate its enforcement.

This includes appointing third party such as banks to recover debt, applying for civil judgment, and eventually reverting to freezing bank accounts or seizing assets.

*This article was first published by BusinessTech

As part of Youth Month commemorations, the department is rolling out the Youth Health Plug Career Expo, an initiative aimed at inspiring and empowering youth to consider careers in healthcare.

Amid a national youth unemployment crisis, with rates climbing above 40% and a critical shortage of healthcare workers, the Gauteng Department of Health has launched a campaign to expose young people to careers in the public health sector.

As part of Youth Month commemorations, the department is rolling out the Youth Health Plug Career Expo, an initiative aimed at inspiring and empowering youth to consider careers in healthcare.

The week-long expo kicks off on Monday and will run until Friday.

It will be hosted across various Gauteng College of Nursing campuses and public hospitals in all five provincial districts.

The Youth Health Plug campaign is part of broader efforts to address workforce gaps in the public health sector, while also offering sustainable employment pathways to young South Africans.

"We are going to be exposing various areas, whether it be nursing, medicine, radiography, pharmacy, therapeutic services, social work, audiology, all sorts of career options," said spokesperson Motalatale Modiba.

"We believe that this will give young people a chance to interact with professionals in these particular areas, but also to expose them to how we offer bursaries, internships and also some of the opportunities for employment within the sector."

*This article was first published by Eye Witness News

At a mass funeral in Vryheid, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema vowed to build houses and boreholes to the families of the ten young victims who lost their lives in a bus accident.

The tragedy occurred last Monday night near Vryheid, KwaZulu-Natal when a bus carrying supporters from Umlazi collided with a long-haul truck, resulting in a catastrophic crash.

At the mass funeral on Sunday, Malema expressed his deepest condolences and promised support to the grieving families.

"To the families of these young heroes, we say you are not alone. Your loss is our loss. Your tears are our tears. Your children are not forgotten," he said

“We must continue to be disciplined and die in the revolution, because to die in a revolution must be an honour, and so we will honour all of these young heroes. 

“Each one of them, with a house, proper houses that have all the facilities… and if there is no water in those yards, will make sure we put boreholes to restore the dignity of those families.

“We will build those houses and put those boreholes because we want to build a permanent relationship with these families. We don’t want to forget you; do not forget us,” he added.

He emphasised that the young lives lost were not mere statistics, but they were dreams cut short, representing the potential of a generation that should be shaping South Africa's future. 

"These children were warriors,” he said. “They fought in the battlefield of life, not drowning in drugs or alcohol but standing tall in the fight for land, justice, and dignity."

He condemned the normalisation of premature death in black communities, urging the nation to address the systemic issues that perpetuate such tragedies. 

"Our children are not born to die on dangerous roads; they are born to build, create, and lead," Malema proclaimed.

"Their deaths must serve as a wake-up call. We must fix our roads, regulate the transport industry, and hold those responsible accountable."

He called for collective resilience, encouraging the community and the nation to turn grief into action. 

"We must continue to fight for land and justice, because this land belongs to us-to our grandchildren.”

Malema listed the names of the victims, including Sbongakonke Mathe (17), Ntombi Ndlovu (19), Lungani Mbatha (25), and others, emphasising that these were young people full of promise, dreams, and hope.

“They were full of life, courage, and the spirit of resilience,” he said. “Their deaths are a reminder that we must do more to protect our youth from preventable tragedies.”

He drew parallels with historic struggles, invoking the spirit of 1976 youth protests and revolutionary heroes like Thomas Sankara and Burkina Faso’s President Ibrahim Traoré. 

“Our young people are the future of Africa,” Malema asserted.

“They are the leaders, fighters, and builders of tomorrow. We must inspire them to continue the fight for liberation, dignity, and justice.”

Malema’s speech extended beyond mourning, criticising government failures in infrastructure, transport regulation, and social services. 

He condemned the government’s inaction on road safety and highlighted the urgent need for reforms to prevent future tragedies. 

"We cannot accept a country where young lives are sacrificed on the roads simply because of neglect and corruption,” he stated.

He also linked the tragedy to broader struggles, poverty, unemployment, and systemic inequality, calling South Africans to unite and push for a more just society. 

“Our fight is not only for land and dignity but for a future where no child dies prematurely due to avoidable circumstances,” Malema declared.

*This article was first published by IOL News

The duo, aged 36 and 56, was nabbed during a joint operation at OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday.

Two South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members have been arrested in connection with the murder of Hawks senior officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Frans Mathipa.

Mathipa was attached to the directorate's crimes against the state unit.

The duo, aged 36 and 56, was nabbed during a joint operation at OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday.

The suspects linked to the murder of Mathipa were taken into custody on Sunday. 

Authorities also seized a vehicle linked to the 36-year-old suspect, which is believed to have been used in the kidnapping of two foreign nationals at a Midrand mall in December 2022.

Lieutenant-Colonel Mathipa was shot and killed in August 2023 while driving on the N1 near Hammanskraal.

Following the shooting, his vehicle veered off the road and crashed into a ditch.

The suspects are expected to appear before the Randburg Magistrates Court on Monday on charges of murder and kidnapping.

*This article was first published by Eye Witness News

Hundreds of refugees living in tented camps in Cape Town say they’re not refusing help from authorities but were pleading for relocation out of South Africa as the city seeks a court order to evict them.

Hundreds of refugees living in tented camps in Cape Town say they’re not refusing help from authorities but were pleading for relocation out of South Africa as the city seeks a court order to evict them.

Around 360 foreign nationals, many of them asylum seekers, have been living in two temporary sites — Paint City in Bellville and Wingfield in Maitland — since 2020. About 800 of them were moved there after being removed from a church in Cape Town's city centre, where they had camped out in protest, demanding repatriation or relocation to a third country.

In a video statement posted on social media on 19 June, Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said that the city was now moving forward with formal eviction proceedings.

But the group at the sites said they weren’t fighting to stay in South Africa, they just didn’t want to be deported to the countries they fled. Many insist they’ve been asking for international relocation, not local reintegration.

Mayor Hill-Lewis told CapeTalk’s John Maytham that efforts from agencies, including the UNHCR, had not swayed what he called "die-hards":

"Even the United Nations Commission on Refugees has helped, or tried to help, but they have stubbornly insisted that they should be transported to Canada. They will only leave if they get free passage to Canada — which is obviously not going to happen."

"We don’t want to be here anymore. We just want the UN or someone to help us leave South Africa, but not go back to our country," said one refugee who spoke anonymously.

Congolese national, Mukanda Lambert, who lives at the Wingfield site, said it was untrue that they were occupying the land unlawfully. 

"We didn’t come here by ourselves — the very same government put us here. I don’t know what game they’re playing."

Others who took up the offer to return to South African communities said that reintegration efforts have failed because the support offered was insufficient.

"Some of us took the money, but they haven’t really supported us," said a 24-year-old mother who was born in South Africa without documentation. "They only gave R2,000 per family to move and as a family of five how do you pay rent, buy food and other needs? We’d hoped they’d help us get our papers so that we can live normal lives."

In the same statement published via social media, the Department of Home Affairs said the eviction formed part of a broader effort to reclaim public spaces and enforce immigration laws.

"There were numerous offers made in cooperation with international agencies to relocate many of the people. Many of them took up the offers but some have refused and today we’re saying enough is enough," said Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber.

"The department recently launched 'Operation New Broom' to signal our commitment to enforcing the rule of law when it comes to illegal immigrants occupying public spaces."

The land occupied by the camps is earmarked for possible future social housing projects in partnership with the city, according to Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson.

Meanwhile, those who remain at the camps described life as increasingly dire, with a lack of sanitation leaving people to use plastic bags, makeshift structures from cardboard have been erected inside the tents and illness is common.

"We live like we’re not human," said one woman. "But still, we stay because there’s nowhere else to go. If the eviction is successful, we’ll be here waiting for the City of Cape Town to throw us out."

With eviction proceedings now formally under way, many refugees said they'd have no choice but to wait on the city’s next move because they had nowhere else to go.

*This article was first published by Eye Witness News