[Govt of SA] Media release by MEC Meyer on World Desertification and Drought Day - Western Cape allocates R55m to ecological infrastructure

[SAnews.gov.za] Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula has called for an end to the blockade of roads and for truck drivers to allow the engagement process to run its course.

[SAnews.gov.za] The Select Committee on Public Enterprises and Communication has welcomed the expansion plans at Durban's port terminal and Gqeberha's Ngqura port.

[Govt of SA] South Africa commemorates Africa Public Service Day

[SAnews.gov.za] Police Minister Bheki Cele will on Friday visit the family of Warrant Officer, Mokgadi Joseas Mpepe, who was murdered while on duty on Monday.

[SAnews.gov.za] The Police Ministry has commended the commitment demonstrated by the community of Khayelitsha, especially its youth, for not allowing themselves to be by-standers but choosing to be active participants in the collective fight against crime.

[SAnews.gov.za] South Africa on Thursday recorded 1 936 new COVID-19 cases, taking the country's tally of laboratory-confirmed cases to 3 983 675.

[SAnews.gov.za] Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu and the MEC of Social Development, Nonhlanhla Khoza, will on Friday receive a donation from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

[Govt of SA] Sassa beneficiaries beware of Scammers.

[Daily Maverick] First they published a book called Beer Food Fire; now Karl Tessendorf and Greg Gilowey - collectively, Beer Country - are back with Pots Pans & Potjies.

[Daily Maverick] Onions are sharp, garlic pungent, but if it's subtle flavour you want, look no further than the leek.

[Daily Maverick] Aromatic and evocative of the veld, a new palette of fynbos seasonings and herbs challenges and delights palates at a masterclass tasting experience with Giselle Courtney of South African Fynbos.

[Govt of SA] Department of Higher Education and Training successfully hosts the Worldskills South Africa Biennual National Competition, Conference and National Artisan Career Festival

[Daily Maverick] Apex court refused to confirm a Pretoria high court ruling that sections of the Births and Deaths Registration Act are unconstitutional.

[Govt of SA] The Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu accompanied by Executive Mayor of NMBMM, Eugene Johnson had a series of visits in Nelson Mandela Bay Metro Municipality (NMBMM) assessing dam levels and water supply infrastructure to avoid the upcoming threat of Day Zero and later conducted a community engagement at Walmer Multi- Purpose Centre to find buy-in from the community members.

[allAfrica] Cape Town -- Nelson Mandela Bay Races to Avoid Day Zero Water Crisis

[GroundUp] The R23-million Lehae Library was meant to open in 2018

[GroundUp] Health department agrees to meet nursing unions next week over allegations of unpaid allowances

[Daily Maverick] The Bulls travel to Cape Town as underdogs to face the Stormers in the United Rugby Championship final on Saturday. Bulls coach Jake White has already written another impressive chapter in his story.

[Daily Maverick] At a Youth Day Parade on Thursday, more than 1,000 young people from a range of organisations marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria in pursuit of systemic change. In a memorandum handed over to the Presidency, they demanded action on issues such as unemployment, unequal education and gender-based violence.

[Daily Maverick] Traffic on the N3 started flowing again on Thursday evening after a day of blockades by trucks seriously disrupted traffic on the normally busy Van Reenen's Pass. The blockade shut down the critical supply chain route that connects KwaZulu-Natal to the interior of the country.

[Daily Maverick] Thursday's memorial service at Westminster Abbey saw hundreds of friends of the beloved Archbishop Desmond Tutu literally walking over the body of another evangelical non-conformist, David Livingstone.

[Daily Maverick] There's nothing to celebrate this Youth Day, opposition parties argue because young people have no future under the ANC government.

[Daily Maverick] During a phone call on Wednesday, the two BRICS leaders stressed intention to 'expand mutually beneficial cooperation'

[Daily Maverick] Elderly people and small children are among those still living in community halls in KwaZulu-Natal after the floods in April. One municipal official blamed 'construction mafias' for delaying plans to build temporary residential units for the homeless.

[Daily Maverick] Khayelitsha, one of Cape Town's largest suburbs, has been rocked by several mass shootings in the past few months. On Youth Day (with ANC councillors for the area glaringly absent) members of the community raised the situation with a delegation that included Police Minister Bheki Cele.

[Daily Maverick] A group of angry residents of Merebank and surrounding areas braved the rain and protested outside the Engen refinery on Wednesday, 15 June, in response to the oil giant's plans to continue with its moves to set up a fuel storage depot in the refinery.

[Daily Maverick] Youth Day, 16 June, is here again - and we will go about it with the same activities and conversations as usual.

[Daily Maverick] As the country remembers the events of the 1976 Soweto demonstrations, South African youth still raise questions over unfulfilled promises of access to quality education.

[allAfrica] Cape Town --  

[New Frame] With a government that fails to provide the much-needed relief available to a population that is increasingly desperate, the onus is on ordinary South Africans to hold the country together.

[Africa In Fact] For more than a decade now, poor energy reliability in South Africa has had a crippling effect on the country's economic development. According to a report by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa experienced 859 hours of rolling blackouts in 2020 alone, equivalent to 10% of the year spent in darkness. Eskom is currently indebted to the tune of R440 billion. This is equivalent to slightly less than half of the country's annual budget.

[New Frame] He may have been a quiet man, but the reverence afforded him by the photographers in his orbit speaks volumes about his passion for photography, music and passing on his knowledge.

[Daily Maverick] After persistently trying to halt the inquiry into her fitness to hold the office of Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane lost her application in the Western Cape High Court on Friday morning.

[SAnews.gov.za] The Department of Human Settlements has approved over R16 million towards the rebuilding of houses in the Alfred Nzo District Municipality.

[SAnews.gov.za] Eight contractors have been appointed to build much-needed Temporary Residential Units (TRUs) to assist communities displaced by the recent floods in KwaZulu-Natal and currently sheltered at mass care centres.

[SAnews.gov.za] Deputy President David Mabuza says government has overseen the finalisation of a pension policy for military veterans.

[SAnews.gov.za] President Cyril Ramaphosa has reiterated government's vision for South Africa, which is laid out by the National Development Plan (NDP), aimed at eliminating poverty and reducing inequality.

[SAnews.gov.za] A 43-year-old woman from Bethelsdorp in the Eastern Cape has been arrested after she was found in possession of copper cables worth over R600 000.

[New Frame] As his name suggests, Kobe Alessandro has a diverse background reaching across many countries and continents. For now he's in the United States, but South Africa is his true home.

[SAnews.gov.za] President Cyril Ramaphosa says he and government are committed to accounting to the people of South Africa and addressing challenges that the country is facing.

[SAnews.gov.za] Deputy President David Mabuza says government has begun implementing solutions to ensure that there is energy security at power utility Eskom.

[Govt of SA] Department of Employment and Labour pours cold water over sexual misconduct and wants it to end

[SAnews.gov.za] Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Ronald Lamola says the President, as a victim of crime, has a right to be treated fairly by the justice system.

[allAfrica] Cape Town --  

[VOA] Cape Town, South Africa -- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed parliament Thursday for the first time since a former spy boss last week accused him of hiding millions of dollars in his farmhouse.

[Daily Maverick] While the optics of President Cyril Ramaphosa's suspension of Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane on Thursday -- a day after she announced she would be investigating #CouchGate -- may not look good from any angle, the decision is not unexpected.

[Daily Maverick] Civil society organisations this week raised the alarm about the Department of Social Development and the SA Social Security Agency not paying Social Relief of Distress Grants to millions of poor South Africans for two months, April and May.

[Daily Maverick] After a buoyant first quarter that saw the economy expand faster than expected and the current account surplus widen, a spate of data strongly suggests that the party came crashing to an end this quarter. Data released on Thursday showed that mining and manufacturing production tanked in April, adding to an emerging picture of renewed economic woe.

[The Conversation Africa] Two southern African countries, South Africa and Eswatini, are undergoing important reforms. South Africa is reviewing its electoral system while Eswatini is revisiting the powers of the monarch through a national dialogue.