Latest news with #Mazibuko
The Citizen
5 hours ago
- Business
- The Citizen
No NPO crisis
The Gauteng Department of Social Development (GDSD) has rejected false and alarming claims made by some political parties and groups alleging there is a non-profit organisation (NPO) funding crisis. • Also read: NPO appeals process for funding underway According to the MEC for Social Development, Faith Mazibuko, these claims are said to be not only misleading but also deliberately distorting the facts to create unnecessary panic within the sector and among the communities that the department serves. Mazibuko made it clear that while the department experienced funding challenges in the previous financial year, these challenges have been effectively addressed, and the ongoing narrative of a crisis is a gross misrepresentation of facts. She said the department has adjudicated about 2 000 applications from NPOs. 'So far, over 1 200 letters of award have been issued to successful organisations. Notifications to unsuccessful applicants are underway, with a formal appeals process in place. Appeals must be lodged within seven days of receiving a rejection notice and are being handled by a dedicated team led by the Deputy Director-General. 'The department has also signed Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with many of the approved NPOs, and over 300 SLAs have already been paid. A brief payment delay occurred due to technical issues at Treasury – a challenge not unique to Gauteng. Several other provinces also only effected NPO payments last week for the same treasury-related reasons.' According to the MEC, payments are now being processed daily, and the department is on track to complete payments to all approved NPOs by the end of the first quarter of the current financial year. 'The department's ongoing engagement with the NPO sector through meetings and media platforms keeps NPOs informed and supported. These efforts have ensured stability, with no protest action directed at the department's offices.' The MEC further issued a clear warning that compliance is not an option. 'NPOs are expected to meet all legislative and regulatory requirements, including municipal by-laws, departmental programme registration, and full compliance with the NPO Act. The Department will not be held responsible for the consequences faced by organisations that fail to comply. The GDSD remains focused and unwavering in its commitment to work with compliant NPOs to deliver critical services to the people of Gauteng. We will not be derailed by misinformation or political grandstanding,' she concluded. If you are affected as an NPO or NGO, please send an email to randfonteinherald@ At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
26-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Small black-owned furniture businesses urged to apply to take part in 2025 SME Accelerator
Black-owned SMEs in areas such as bedding, crockery, lighting, carved wooden items, upholstery, and bespoke artwork printing are encouraged to apply to take part in the eThekwini Furniture Cluster (EFC) SME Accelerator. Image: Pexels Black-owned small businesses in the furniture and homeware sector have been urged to apply to take part in the 2025 eThekwini Furniture Cluster (EFC) SME Accelerator as they may get the chance to pitch their products directly to decision-makers from big retailers. The EFC SME Accelerator is supported by the eThekwini Municipality's Economic Development Programme & Planning Unit. Four of the country's major retailers and manufacturers, Mr Price Home, Homewood, Pepkor Lifestyle and Poetry of Living are participating in this year's programme. Titus Mazibuko, eThekwini's Economic Development programme manager for furniture said as a key contributor to employment and GDP growth, the furniture industry in KwaZulu-Natal plays a vital role in the regional economy. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ 'Initiatives like the EFC SME Accelerator highlight the impact effective collaboration between government and the private sector can have in helping the industry to grow,' Mazibuko added. Mazibuko said connecting high-potential small businesses with opportunities that can elevate them to national and even global markets lies in the long-term growth it enables not just for individual entrepreneurs, but for the broader communities and industries they support. Selected SMEs will get a rare chance to pitch their products directly to decision-makers from the four participating furniture and homeware retailers and manufacturers and will also benefit from coaching, business support, and the opportunity to win cash prizes. Since 2021, the programme has seen 14 SMEs pitching to major retailers, 15 commercial opportunities unlocked, and one SME securing expansion funding through the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). Participants have also benefited from coaching, diagnostic assessments, and industry support.
Daily Maverick
21-05-2025
- General
- Daily Maverick
Meet the ‘book guy of Zondi' — Soweto bibliophile creates hub for reading, games and learning
Thami Mazibuko's café in what used to be a dangerous area attracts schoolkids and tourists, who gather to browse, play and connect. Thami Mazibuko, owner of the Soweto Book Café, says there are now more than 10,000 books in his shop. He's been sitting quietly on his own, listening to classical music while reading The Beautyful Ones are Not Yet Born, a novel by Ayi Kwei Armah, about corruption and moral decay in postcolonial Ghana. He loves these peaceful mornings, Mazibuko says, before people start popping into what has become a popular bookstore, library, learning hub and venue. The Soweto Book Café is at the end of a cul-de-sac in Zondi, on the second floor of a quirky double-storey house with long passages and round windows. A soft light floods the room, which is filled with books. A self-proclaimed bibliophile, Mazibuko says he became 'cultured' when he lived in Yeoville for several years, hanging out with intellectuals, musicians and artists who exposed him to new ideas, political theories and social issues. When he moved back to Soweto in 2018, he realised there was a huge need for access to books. He had the idea of a bookshop and started out with small donations of books from friends, colleagues and helpers. Then one day he was contacted by the family of a man called John Crawford, a scientist from the University of the Witwatersrand, who had died and wanted to donate his entire book collection to the Soweto Book Café. 'I never met him,' says Mazibuko, 'but I was thrilled to take the books, so I went with a friend to collect them. It was a house in the suburb of Parkhurst, and it was crammed full of all sorts of books. There wasn't even a television, just rooms and rooms of books.' This massive donation allowed Mazibuko to start a bookstore, but as locals started visiting, it quickly turned into a library where people could borrow rather than buy. 'Now it has become a place where people can gather. It's an internet café, a research centre, a learning hub, a safe space.' In the afternoons, the Soweto Book Café is filled with schoolchildren who come to read and do their homework, or play chess and the Chinese board game Go (Wéiqí in Chinese), which is believed to have originated in China about 2,500 years ago. Mazibuko is an expert in both games. 'I really enjoy watching children learn to read and enjoy reading,' he says. 'I also help them to learn to use the internet and AI tools. Random guests also pop in – tourists, security guards, people from this street, people who've seen us on social media. 'They visit for different reasons. Some just out of curiosity, some to read or just browse. When there is no one here, I sit quietly and read and listen to classical music.' Zondi used to be a dangerous area that struck fear into the hearts of locals and visitors alike, Mazibuko says. The Soweto Book Café has made a huge difference to the suburb. In 2024, the café had its first festival and also hosted the Soweto International Book Fair. It has hosted book clubs, workshops and other events too. 'I wasn't a big reader when I grew up, but it grew on me as a result of my aunt's influence and the access I had to books at school,' says Mazibuko, who is now an avid reader and known as 'the book guy of Zondi'. Books are his portable magic – they are the plane, train and the road. They are the destination as well as the journey. 'I'm delighted the Johannesburg City Library has [partially] reopened,' says Mazibuko. 'I was a regular visitor and used to borrow books frequently. I would walk to town, take out books and then walk back to Yeoville. I was that guy that even went to clubs with a book in my hand. 'I have become a symbol of someone who reads and loves books. I'm always reading, and I cover a wide range of subjects, from African history to Shakespeare, from economics to DIY.' Mazibuko says the bookstore has had donations from a variety of people, including tourists from Scotland, Germany and the UK. He would love the Soweto Book Café to be a sustainable space, but he still needs a couple of side-hustles to keep him going. 'Our main problem is funding. I'd love to be able to pay volunteers to help me out.' DM Bridget Hilton-Barber is a freelance writer who writes for Jozi My Jozi. This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.
eNCA
12-05-2025
- Health
- eNCA
Little to celebrate as world observes nurses day
JOHANNESBURG - It's International Nurses Day, with the world honouring the tireless dedication of these often-unsung heroes of healthcare. They stand on the front line of patient care, with compassion, resilience, and unwavering courage. But as we celebrate their invaluable contribution, this day also calls for urgent action to address the mounting challenges they face and to invest in a stronger, more sustainable future. Among those making the call is nursing union, Denosa. Gauteng provincial chairperson, Bongani Mazibuko says health facilities still face a shortage of staff, and equipment, poor infrastructure and nurses' safety being threatened. Mazibuko has pleaded with the government to employ more nurses to alleviate shortages in the system but also to attend to the frustule issues
The Citizen
11-05-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Ugu council appoints Vela Mazibuko as MM
Messages of congratulations were directed at Ugu District Municipality's acting municipal manager, Vela Owen Mazibuko, on social media last week for being appointed municipal manager, a post which has been vacant for some time. Ugu municipal spokesperson France Zama said the recruitment process for the position of municipal manager was at an advanced stage. Zama said on April 17, the Ugu Council considered a report from the Recruitment and Selection panel, which presented a suitable candidate with prescribed skills and competencies for the vacant position of municipal manager. 'After due consideration, council unanimously resolved to appoint Vela Owen Mazibuko as municipal manager, subject to obtaining a concurrence from the KZN MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Rev Thulasizwe Buthelezi. Once a concurrence has been obtained, an official announcement will be made as provided in the recruitment process of municipal managers,' said Zama. Comment from Cogta had not been received at the time of going to press. In October 2024, labour unions in Ugu opposed the appointment of a new municipal manager other than Mazibuko. The Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (IMATU) and the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) previously told Fever that Umzumbe municipal manager, Nandi Dlamini, was preferred by Ugu's Executive Committee (Exco) members. This was confirmed by some Exco members. Lungisa Njiyela, IMATU's Ugu chairperson, said they were shocked to learn about Dlamini's possible appointment at the cost of Mazibuko, who has acted in the position for more than two years. 'We normally do not interfere with the nomination of senior administrators in municipalities, but the situation in Ugu requires us to make a statement. Mazibuko has effectively guided the ship through difficult conditions at Ugu. We at IMATU strongly support and recommend that Mazibuko be allowed to fulfil his tasks of fully returning the municipality to its former grandeur. We warn the council that their conduct may lead to and have unfavourable effects,' said Njiyela. After Mazibuko's appointment, Njiyela said they welcomed the decision and wished him well in his new position. Also, SAMWU's Mthandeni Ngcobo previously said they had written to Ugu mayor Sikhumbuzo Mqadi and the council to challenge the hiring process. HAVE YOUR SAY Like the South Coast Herald's Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
