The Weekend View

Community law clinics are vital to improving access to justice in South Africa. Legal experts say , community law clinics offering free legal services to those who can't afford legal representation or support are a lifeline for these individuals. They say higher education institutions through their law faculties play an important part in ensuring improved access to justice throughout the country. 

The spotlight this week is on Rheumatic Fever (RF). From the 5th to the 9th of August , South will commemorate RF , the aim is to raise awareness about the harm RF can cause to young children and individuals. Rheumatic Fever Week is a week-long campaign to bring attention to RF as a serious autoimmune disease which affects various body parts of a child's body, including the joints, heart, skin, ne...

The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities says there is still a long way to go in ensuring the advancement of women in South Africa. While progress on womens' rights has been achieved, many challenges such as poverty, violence against women and unemployment persist. The department launched the Womens' Month campaign commemorated under the theme "Celebrating 30 Years of Freedom T...

The Gauteng Liquor Traders Association (GLTA), representing thousands of taverns and hospitality outlets in the province, has welcomed the arrest of four suspects for the murder of 8 people in a tavern in Kanana, outside Orkney in North West province, following an attack which took place last week.  The Association has registered its outrage and deep sadness of the escalating and ongoing tavern sh...

President Cyril Ramaphosa this week signed the Public Procurement Bill into law. The Act will seek to ensure that the state has procurement opportunities for black people, women, youth and persons with disabilities. The act will apply to all government departments and state entities. It establishes a unified public procurement system across government and introduces new preferential procurement me...

Investigations into the discovered military training camp in Masoyi near White River, Mpumalanga will not be limited to the site but throughout the province.  A high level inspection to the facility included the minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, his two deputies - Cassel Mathale and Polly Boshielo, the National Police Commissioner, Fannie Masemola and the National Head of the Hawks National, advoc...

Winter pollution can smell musty, dank, dusty, smoky, or sulphuric – like a rotten egg. Leaving an unpleasant smell in our immediate surroundings. South Africans on the east coast, where it's humid year-round, and those in the Western Cape with its endless winter rain, know the musty smell well. But they may not know that the damp and mould causing the smell can also cause sinus congestion, respir...

Ndibize Foundation is hosting the first of it's kind Men's Conference today at the OR Tambo Hall in Zwelitsha in the Eastern Cape. The conference will be held under theme "Anger within me.  According to the group the conference comes at a time when the country is under siege from people that are killed either by their partners, relatives or community members

The opening ceremony of 2024 World Olympic Games taking place in France was for the first time held outdoors yesterday. The games are expected to be the largest in terms of the audience and geographical coverage. 

The Emergence of Modern Human Behaviour: The Pleistocene Occupation Sites of South Africa" (EMHB) has been inscribed as World Heritage site.  Sport, Arts and Culture Minister, Gayton McKenzie announced the news YESTERDAY. McKenzie says this is a great moment for South Africa and the continent to have another site added to the prestigious World Heritage Listing.  The inscriptions were made at the 4...

The SA Youth programme is one of various initiatives government has implemented to reduce unemployment, especially among South African youth. The programme connects job seekers with legitimate employment and training opportunities. SAYouth.mobi was officially launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2021. According to government the  programme has positively impacted South Africa's youth by provid...

The commission's Report on July 2021 unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. According to the commission,  the launch of the unrest report  is aimed at kickstarting  a national dialogue on the causes and triggers for such manifestations of social instability as the July unrest. 

The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) says over two-thirds of South African agribusinesses implemented innovative activities during 2019–2021, despite the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges. The South African Agricultural Business Innovation Survey (2019–2021), conducted by the HSRC's Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators (CeSTII), shows that 6...

Young children in South Africa are more likely to live in poverty, suffer from food insecurity and malnutrition, and die before their fifth birthday than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic. This is according to the South African Early Childhood Review of 2024 which shows that the situation of young children has worsened in many ways. Senior Researcher at the Children's Institute at the Univers...

As speculation continues on whether the members of the newly-formed Government of National Unity (GNU) will be able to deliver and complete the term together, some political pundits say the role of opposition parties now is more crucial than ever to hold the executive accountable. This comes as many South Africans and political parties have raised concern about the GNU, arguing that it is just a w...

Amidst rising living costs and an increase in decline rates from formal lenders, many consumers are being forced into accessing high-cost credit from unregulated lenders. Due to increased compliance requirements and a reduced appetite for risk among formal credit providers, loan decline rates in the formal lending industry have risen significantly. According to MicroFinance South Africa, this tren...

While mental health has become an increasingly important topic in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, a subject that remains relatively untouched is the topic of access to quality mental healthcare for those residing in rural and outlying areas in South Africa. Experts suggest that high unemployment, poverty, violence and political and economic instability have exacerbated the upsurge in menta...

The Special Investigation Unit says the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has failed to design and implement controls to ensure that there is an annual reconciliation between the funds disbursed to institutions of higher learning and the allocation of those funds to the students. This as the SIU has urged students who received NSFAS funds unduly to come forward. The SIU says its in the...

Civil society organisations say they are extremely concerned about the Department of Basic Education's amended Regulations Relating to Minimum Uniform Norms and Standards for Public School Infrastructure. They say the Regulations published in the Government Gazette on 27 June 2024, dilute critical obligations previously placed on the DBE and provincial education departments to make urgent and adeq...

Many South Africans under the age of 60 plan to work beyond retirement age, with many seeing retirement as a transition phase. This is according to the 2024 Retirement Insights Survey conducted by FNB. The survey showed that the vast majority of South Africans are insufficiently prepared for retirement, mainly due to economic pressures and a lack of financial literacy. Comparing these finding with...

International Wildlife Charity,  Born Free is celebrating its 40th anniversary with an official sanctuary certification from global accreditation body, the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS). Born Free's Big Cat Sanctuary at Shamwari Private Game Reserve has been officially recognised as a true sanctuary. It is the first big cat sanctuary in South Africa to be awarded the accredited st...

The Democratic Alliance has written to Parliament's Police Portfolio Committee Chairperson, requesting SAPS be summoned for failing to update on the alleged VBS corruption by Shivambu and Malema. This comes after a leaked former VBS Chairperson, Tshifiwa Matodzi's affidavit saying EFF allegedly received donations to the value of around sixteen million rand. EFF spokesperson, Leigh-Ann Mathys says...

South Africa has one of the lowest rates of savings in the world. In addition to being a problem for households, poor personal saving practices may also have a negative impact on the economy as a whole. Budgeting and understanding how to allocate towards savings is a skill that should be instilled in children from a young age, to help them build a better relationship with money. 

Orphaned baby rhinos drink about 20 litres (about 20 boxes)  litters of low fat milk per day!! Now.. with the adult rhino species being poached, de-horned and killed, most baby rhinos find themselves in danger of death unless they are rescued and taken care of. For a Mandela Day initiative we have various communities in the North of Johannesburg who have gone out of their way to collect thousands...

Big Food companies are under scrutiny for potentially misleading consumers about the healthiness of their products. This issue is particularly urgent for children, who are increasingly suffering from obesity and related health issues. Globally, over 220 million children aged five to 18 are obese, with South Africa seeing one in five children under 13 affected – twice the global average.