By: Matshidiso Selebeleng
The Free State Legislature has sworn in Mamiki Mkhabela as a new Member of the Provincial Legislature (MPL), marking the African Congress of Transformation’s (ACT) latest representation in the house.
Mkhabela’s swearing-in strengthens the small party’s footprint in ...
Professor Hester Klopper is the first woman to lead the university in its 121-year history.
Professor Hester Klopper was officially inaugurated as the 15th vice-chancellor and principal of the University of the Free State (UFS) and is the first woman to lead the university in its 121-year history, in a ceremony at its Bloemfontein campus on Monday.
n her inaugural address, titled “Walking Together with Purpose: Unlocking Excellence to Lead Change”, Klopper outlined her vision to transform UFS into a research-led powerhouse that harnesses artificial intelligence while preserving human connection and African identity.
Klopper challenged the higher education sector to confront an uncomfortable reality about the pace of technological change vs educational transformation.
“Artificial intelligence capabilities are advancing exponentially, doubling in power every few months. However, our educational systems remain fundamentally unchanged from their industrial-era origins.
“We are preparing students for a world that is transforming faster than we can imagine, using methods designed for a world that no longer exists,” she said.
Klopper emphasised that it was essential for UFS to find its place and purpose in confronting the challenges faced by the higher education sector, and not merely emulate what other institutions were doing.
“The question before us is not whether we will adapt — it is whether we will step up and lead this transformation or be swept aside by it,” she said.
Klopper shared her vision of UFS as “a true entrepreneurial knowledge ecosystem, thriving on the creative synergy produced when our best academic minds work together across our three campuses, allowing us to be the very best we can be”.
She emphasised that preparing students for the world of work will focus on “their ability to think creatively, to empathise deeply, to ask the right questions, to challenge assumptions, and to work collaboratively with both humans and artificial intelligence”
During her address, Klopper announced two significant new funding initiatives for UFS.
The first is the VC-ISRC Imbewu Legacy Fund, a dedicated student support fund that ensures that no deserving student is denied access to quality education due to financial constraints. Klopper invited support for the fund and expressed her appreciation to the Motsepe Foundation which contributed R1.3m, which was matched by the university, providing a springboard of R2.6m.
The other is the VC Talent Magnet Fund, an ambitious recruitment initiative to attract world-class academic talent to UFS, offering competitive packages and the opportunity to shape Africa's educational future.
UFS said Klopper brings with her a wealth of experience, global recognition, an outstanding record of visionary leadership and academic distinction.
“Her career spans more than three decades and includes eight postgraduate qualifications — including an honorary doctorate from Oxford Brookes University in the UK — leadership roles on more than 30 national and international boards, and recognition such as being a Fellow of the Academy of Science of South Africa, a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, and the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland.”
Before joining UFS, Klopper was deputy vice-chancellor at Stellenbosch University for eight-and-a-half years, overseeing strategy, global and corporate affairs.
Wood and paraffin sales are soaring in parts of the eastern Free State, where a cold front continues to unleash a bitter cold front.
Residents of Meqheleng in Ficksburg say they are doing whatever they can to stay warm and safe.
Perched around the mountainous area, the community of Meqheleng knows the harsh weather conditions they face each winter season as temperatures plummet to freezing cold.
The weather brings a severe cold to young and old alike; however, for some, the chilly weather brings much-needed business.
“All I can say is that we will continue to sell wood because Ficksburg is very cold with constant rain. We can’t stop selling wood because if we do, our people will suffer. A lot of people here in Ficksburg don’t have electricity; they rely on wood as a source of energy,” says one resident.
“It’s very cold, and this is the only way to help the community. I make sure I assist them by selling wood and paraffin just to keep warm, as it is too cold,” adds another seller.
Hailstorm hits the area
Meanwhile, Setsoto Local Municipality Mayor, Seipati Mbiwe, says all their emergency services are on standby should the need arise.
This is after the area experienced a hailstorm on Monday instead of expected snow and continues to experience extreme cold like other parts of the country.
The municipality says it is ready to deal with any eventualities.
“However, on Monday, we experienced a very serious hailstorm that covered the whole town, which lasted an hour. This morning, we woke up to extremely cold weather, like we normally get. We know this time the mountains Lesotho area will be covered in snow, where we are now receiving the cold air from that area.”
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube says the government of national unity (GNU) has a mammoth task of ensuring that more job opportunities are created for the country’s youth.
She says it is heartbreaking that many young graduates are still unemployed.
Gwarube was part of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s engagement with beneficiaries of the Presidential Youth programme in Pretoria.
“It’s heartbreaking, and that is the reality of our unemployment crisis in SA. There are people who are educated, who find themselves applying just to be educators’ assistants. And it’s heartbreaking because those people should be in full-time employment. And so, we celebrate this opportunity for young people to be able to be upskilled and be in places of work for six months.
“But ultimately, this is not the permanent solution. The permanent solution is for young people to find work. That seven out of 10 young people who are without work today is an indictment and we have to work harder as the seventh administration to create jobs and permanent employment for people.”
World Bank has approved a $1.5 billion (R26 billion) loan to support South Africa's key reforms aimed at making the country’s infrastructure more efficient and sustainable.
According to the bank, the loan will address South Africa’s twin economic challenges of low growth and high unemployment by easing infrastructure constraints in the energy and freight transport sectors.
Earlier this year, IOL reported that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised its forecast for South Africa's economic growth in 2025, lowering it from 1.5% to 1%.
The government has also committed to modernising state-owned enterprises and introducing private sector competition in the power and freight transport sectors, with the goal of attracting new technologies and investment.
The bank said the loan supports this effort by improving energy supply, making freight transport more efficient, and helping South Africa move toward a low-carbon economy while protecting communities affected by the changes.
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said the "loan represents another important milestone in our government's commitment to transforming South Africa's infrastructure into a more efficient, competitive, and sustainable foundation for growth".
"Our ongoing partnership with the World Bank will assist us to move forward with greater speed on the reforms vital to transforming our infrastructure landscape," Godongwana said
Satu Kahkonen, World Bank Division Director for South Africa said the reforms could create up to half a million jobs by the early 2030s and are key to attracting investment and improving services
“The World Bank supports these reforms which tackle longstanding bottlenecks and have the potential to create 250 000 jobs by 2027 and about half a million jobs by the early 2030s. They are essential for attracting investment and enhancing public service delivery,” said
Department of Water and Sanitation director-general Sean Phillips said of the 446 allegations the internal audit investigated, 326 were confirmed to be true, 120 were unfounded and 73 allegations were currently under investigation.
The Department of Water and Sanitation disclosed on Tuesday that its internal audit unit investigated a total of 446 allegations of financial misconduct over the past five years, between the 2019/20 and 2024/25 financial years.
Briefing the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, the department’s director-general Sean Phillips said the investigation confirmed 326 of the allegations while 120 were deemed unfounded and 73 were currently under investigation.
“Seven cases have not yet been investigated as they were received recently,” he said.
Phillips also said finalised cases were referred to the department’s employee relations unit to take disciplinary action against official who committed financial and other acts of misconduct, and SAPS and the Hawks for criminal investigation.
There were also cases referred to the department’s legal services for civil recovery in instances where the department suffered financial loss.
Phillips stated that for the 326 cases confirmed to be true, most of the disciplinary processes have been completed and the remainder was still in progress.
“The disciplinary processes resulted in various sanctions against the transgressors. These sanctions included dismissal, demotion, suspension without pay and written letters.”
He added that the internal audit has conducted 140 awareness sessions during the five year period and 4,307 officials were trained about anti-fraud and corruption measures.
Regarding the audit outcomes for 2024/25, Phillips said the department has implemented its financial recovery plan.
This saw the department move from near-bankruptcy in 2016/17 to a healthy financial state and moved from qualified audits to unqualified audits with findings.
“We are not satisfied with an unqualified audit with findings,” Phillips said.
He told Scopa that the problem of high under-expenditure on both the department’s budget and grants has been addressed.
The department is now achieving over 99% expenditure in its budget and grants.
This was ascribed to strengthened controls, and reducing irregular and unauthorised expenditure compared to the 2017/18 period.
Phillips said improving the implementation and monitoring of the department and municipal grant-funded projects was the key area requiring further improvement to achieve clean audit.
“Department of Water and Sanitation is engaged in the required process to regularise past irregular and unauthorised expenditure through taking disciplinary action, implementing improved controls and approaching the National Treasury for condonation.”
However, Phillips noted that the Auditor-General issued nine material irregularities in the 2024/25.
“Three of these material irregularities have been resolved while six are still in progress.”
Phillips said they were taking disciplinary action against the implicated officials, recovering funds in instance where financial loss has been suffered and improving procurement and contract management processes.
Quizzed by ANC MP Helen Neale-May about guaranteeing that financial statements were prepared adequately, Minister Pemmy Majodina confirmed that the Auditor-General raised concerns in terms of full compliance.
Sinoxolo Kwayiba and Ashley Cupido scored second half goals that helped Bafana Bafana beat Mozambique 2-0 at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Tuesday night.
South Africa’s men's senior national team should have won the match by a much bigger margin such was their domination and numerous chances they created.
Not that coach Hugo Broos would have complained, the victory, better than what transpired at the same venue on Friday when Bafana drew goalless against Tanzania.
As he’d promised, Broos gave every player he selected a chance to play and Chippa United’s Kwayiba scored his first goal in national team colours and even walked away with the Player-of-the-match award.
His goal came three minutes after the break as he headed in a corner kick by Mohauu Nkota.
Kwayiba could have scored a hat-trick actually as he incredulously side footed the ball way off target when Oswin Appolis set him up on 86 minutes. He’d also missed another on 21 minutes.
Ashley Cupido made it 2-0 with his first goal for Bafana after ten appearances by just lobbing the ball into the open net after the Mozambique defence had given the ball away on the left side of their box. Nkota was again responsible for the assist.
The match could well have been over as a contest by half time, such was the domination Bafana enjoyed and their ability to pierce the Mambas’ defence open.
The hosts had no less than seven shots on target at the break but they found Ivanne Urrubal in an uncompromising mood, the Mozambique goalkeeper playing a blinder.
Relebohile Mofokeng could easily have had a first half hat-trick had it not been for the brilliance of the number one who plays his club football for Sombo in Mozambique.
The Orlando Pirates star was in imperious form as he hovered around the top of the box, switching flanks and varying his attempts at goal – shooting from range, trying to dribble his way past defenders and getting into good position to receive passes.
He had his initial chance on 17 minutes when he made a fantastic break to receive a through ball and watched in disbelief as Urrubal used his outstretched leg to block his low shot that was headed in.
Later on the Mambas keeper stopped Mofokeng’s shot from range but the young South African did not give up.
Late in the half, he tested the keeper with a sweetly-struck high shot but Urrubbal was equal to the task, showing his agility to fling himself up and punch the ball away.
There were chances for Kwayiba and Nkota on ten and 21 minutes respectively but Urrubal was uncompromising, ensuring the scores were level when the referee blew his whistle for the break
Yet there was no way just one man was going to withstand such relentless pressure as what the goalkeeper endured and it was just a matter of time before Mozambique were breached.
And it took just three minutes after the break for the resistance to crumble, Kwayiba heading in Nkota’s corner almost unchallenged.
The Pirates man could have made it 2-0 on 54 minutes but Urrubal again came to the Mambas’ rescue with a good save pushing away Nkota’s left-footed piledriver after he’d cut in from the right.
Mozambique had one chance late on but Ricardo Leaner pulled off a fantastic save as Bafana left Broos smiling from ear to ear, confident that he now has a much larger pool of players to pick his squad from.
