Latest news with #MakhiFeni
The Citizen
13-08-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Parliament slams Operation Dudula's ‘vigilante tactics'
Parliament emphasised that it must operate within established legal frameworks rather than extrajudicial means. The chairperson of parliament's Select Committee on Education, Science and the Creative Industries has condemned Operation Dudula's campaign to disrupt services at healthcare centres and schools. Makhi Feni expressed his disapproval of the organisation's actions, which have prevented foreign nationals from accessing healthcare facilities in recent months. Three arrested members of Operation Dudula were released on Monday on a warning after appearing in the Orlando Magistrate's Court. They were arrested for denying foreign nationals access to healthcare at the Lilian Ngoyi Clinic in Diepkloof. Police allege the women stormed the maternity ward at the clinic and tried to remove a pregnant woman. ALSO READ: 'We've not broken any laws': Operation Dudula to press on with ID checks after members freed on warning The arrests did not deter them. Shortly after their release, they marched straight back to the clinic to remove undocumented migrants. Operation Dudula announced last week that it plans to carry out similar disruptions at schools when they reopen in 2026. Operation Dudula's vigilante approach condemned The organisation's tactics have drawn sharp criticism from some in parliament. 'Operation Dudula's actions have the potential to misrepresent our country and our democracy. South Africa is a country of law and order, and these should be strictly adhered to,' said Feni on Tuesday. The parliamentary chairperson described the organisation's actions as problematic and counterproductive to government efforts addressing immigration challenges. 'The actions of Operation Dudula are objectionable and are an unnecessary distraction to the work the government is doing around immigration challenges. People do not just come to South Africa out of free will but for refuge and from hunger,' he added. ALSO READ: Gauteng health MEC warns against denying foreign nationals health care access Feni emphasised that the government must operate within established legal frameworks rather than extrajudicial means. 'We cannot all adopt vigilante tactics when dealing with a challenge everyone accepts as massive and worthy of resolution. Legislative amendments and means are being proposed to resolve this challenge,' he said. Government initiatives underway The chairperson highlighted several government initiatives already in motion to address immigration concerns. In 2024, authorities established the Border Management Agency to manage border-related issues more effectively. 'On the labour front, something is being done with the Labour Migration Policy. Home Affairs is deporting those it can, who have been found to have been in the country illegally,' Feni explained. He called on Operation Dudula to collaborate constructively with the government rather than targeting vulnerable populations. Operation Dudula leader defiant Operation Dudula leader Zandile Dabula remained defiant when speaking to the media, criticising the legal process her organisation faces. 'There's no way that you will keep people in jail for five days and give them free bail and take them out on a warning. We have been treated like this is a Schedule 6 offence,' she said. Dabula drew comparisons between current government actions and historical oppression. 'The government of the ANC and the GNU together. They're taking us back to the apartheid days. They're using the system. It's just coming in a different colour now. They're using the police to work against us,' she stated. Escalation threats and continued operations Dabula indicated her organisation would intensify its activities despite government opposition. 'Now we're going to do what the ANC did to the apartheid government. Now we're going to do it to the ANC government, together with the GNU, whatever they call themselves. We're not going to stop,' Dabula declared. She stopped short of explicitly calling for violence but suggested confrontation is possible. 'I'm not inciting violence, but if we have to fight. If this country has to be ungovernable, then let it be. We're going to operate,' she said. Dabula maintained that her organisation operates within legal boundaries while the government fails to enforce existing laws. 'There is nothing wrong that we have done. We have not broken any laws. Instead, we are implementing and enforcing the laws that the government is failing to enforce,' she claimed. READ NEXT: Operation Dudula wants to know why organisations prioritise foreign nationals
Zawya
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Select Committee on Education Notes Policy Framework on Internationalisation but Calls for More Information
The Select Committee on Education, Sciences and Creative Industries has noted the Policy Framework on Internationalisation of universities as presented by the Department of Higher Education and Training on Tuesday. The Chairperson of the committee, Mr Makhi Feni, called on the department to provide updated statistical information, that will help the committee to act from an informed perspective on issues in the sector. He said: 'We appreciate this initiative but we call on the department to ensure that it empowers black South Africans, the previously disadvantaged and other vulnerable groups. 'Keeping up with international standards is ideal but such move must empower South Africans. We must not be swallowed up in convenient phrases, but we want South Africans to equally influence the world through research output that does not regurgitate international models.' Minister Nobuhle Nkabane led the departmental delegation in the meeting with the committee this morning. She informed the committee that the policy will serve as a guideline to South Africa's institutions of higher education. Mr Feni said the policy is urgent and that in the era of indigenous knowledge systems and decolonised knowledge, we should be able to make conditions conducive for black South African scholars at home and abroad. 'But in the absence of relevant and reliable information, we are unable to do anything. Even the swirling complaints about foreign nationals uprooting Black South Africans from their system will continue,' Mr Feni said. Mr Feni said the development of a policy framework must not be delayed as Black South Africans legitimately feel they are being substituted by foreign nationals. 'There will be claims of xenophobia, when in fact this was something that could have easily been avoided.' Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.
Zawya
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Challenges in the Basic Education and Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centres Must Not Become a Phenomenon, Education Committee Chair
The Select Committee on Education, Sciences and the Creative Industries has called for coordination of resources in order to maximise the impact Early Childhood Development (ECD) have in society. The Chairperson of the committee, Mr Makhi Feni, said the ECD centres are an empowerment tool whose role and importance should never be forsaken. 'It is really concerning to the committee that we read of challenges besieging the ECD sector when we had just transferred the function to the Department of Basic Education (DBE) Surely, our portfolio will not and must not fail our children, as there was a reason to migrate the function to education.' 'This is a function that requires everyone and any help with regards to the welfare and foundation phase education of our children. We are building a nation; and our actions include budget allocated for this specific function must support that,' emphasised Mr Feni. Weekend reports indicated that several ECD centres, and some attached to schools, struggled with basic necessities like water, sanitation and food items especially in the rural Limpopo and the Eastern Cape. Mr Feni said the committee would love to receive an update briefing on empirical and manifest challenges since the migration of the function to the DBE. 'We do not want a system that breaks our children and their early educators either through budget constraints or infrastructure. We call on the minister and the provincial MECs to prioritise the work around ECD centres. These are areas where our children spend the longest time without parental supervision and outside their homes.' The committee also noted the challenges around payment of student teachers and tutors in Quintile One schools. Mr Feni said the committee accepted the fiscal constrained environment the DBE operated in. 'But we do not want the challenges to become a phenomenon; the DBE must attend to this matter urgently wherever it is manifest.' 'Salaries of teachers are a no-go area for cuts and hiccups. These are meagre salaries, it is not as if these teachers are paid millions.' Mr Feni said the committee's interest was a functional system where all parents see value and trust that their children will turn out responsible and accountable young adults whose skills will be relevant to a 21st Century economy. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.
Zawya
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Government must move to ensure that US funding cuts do not affect South Africa's Research Excellence, says committee chair
The Chairperson of the Select Committee on Education, Sciences and the Creative Industries, Mr Makhi Feni, has called on the Department of Higher Education to be proactive in plugging the gap left by the US cuts in grant funding that occurred earlier in 2025. Mr Feni said a deliberate drive is needed, even if it means going on tour abroad to mobilise resources for research purposes. 'The grant funding impact was massive and at a time when South Africa found itself operating in a fiscally constrained environment. We must not allow a situation where community-based research programmes suffer and get aborted due to this decision,' he said. The Minister of Higher Education, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, had informed the committee that work to address this issue is being done. In addition, the government had opted for a collaborative approach, as cuts affected programmes administer by the departments of Health and of Science and Technology. Minister Nkabane said a technical team has been set up to coordinate and collate the affected programmes. Mr Feni said the committee welcomes the news that the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation is contributing to resource mobilisation. 'We would appreciate if all these efforts yield results. Our institutions are research intensive and that is one area we excel in and could not lose momentum. The committee is looking forward to receiving the report on the sector-wide impact of the funding cuts,' Mr Feni said. Minister Nkabane led a strong departmental delegation to present the department's annual performance and strategic plans. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.
IOL News
23-06-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Select Committee on Education condemns infrastructure failures after Eastern Cape School tragedy, pledges accountability
Makhi Feni urges accountability in school infrastructure after a tragic minibus accident, vowing oversight and support for affected families while addressing national failures in safety and disaster preparedness. Chairperson of the Select Committee on Education, Sciences, and Creative Industries, Makhi Feni, has addressed a range of urgent national issues affecting the basic education sector. Speaking at the Social Services Cluster Briefing on Monday, he highlighted challenges ranging from infrastructure damage caused by recent floods to the implementation of progressive education legislation, including the BELA Act and the Early Childhood Development Amendment Act. Feni expressed his deepest condolences following a tragic incident where 13 schoolchildren died after a minibus fell into a river while crossing a bridge in the Eastern Cape. He described it as a national tragedy that reflects broader infrastructure and safety failures. "We lost the future. As the committee, we are with the families. We are feeling what they are feeling," Feni said. He emphasised the committee's commitment to investigating the incident and supporting the affected families. He confirmed that oversight visits and a full disaster management report would be pursued to investigate possible negligence or poor workmanship in infrastructure projects. Feni stressed the importance of accountability in infrastructure spending, especially after floods have severely damaged school properties across the country. "We do not want to find ourselves rebuilding because someone ticked a box without providing quality." Moreover, Feni said the committee would work with the Auditor General to monitor the use of public funds and submit quarterly broadcast reports to ensure transparency.
