Latest news with #MkhulekoHlengwa
IOL News
04-08-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Department of Transport breaks 31-year streak, achieves first clean audit in 2024/25
The Department of Transport secures its first clean audit in 31 years, reflecting strong governance, timely financial reporting, and effective management responding positively to audit recommendations. The Department of Transport has received a clean audit outcome from the Auditor-General South Africa (AGSA) for the 2024/25 financial year, ending a long period without such recognition. This result reflects the department's progress toward fully accountable and transparent governance. Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, and Deputy Minister, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, welcomed the positive audit findings, which showed no material misstatements in the Annual Financial Statements (AFS) submitted on time. The AGSA found no significant deficiencies in internal controls, particularly in financial management processes, and identified no issues with the completeness of performance indicators used for planning and reporting. Creecy and Hlengwa credited the clean audit to the department's firm commitment to clean governance and accountability. They pointed out management's serious approach to assurance providers, ensuring they are well-resourced and capacitated.
Daily Maverick
21-07-2025
- General
- Daily Maverick
South Africa's dangerous fishing vessels spark urgent safety audit
A shipping shakedown is imminent as the SA Maritime Safety Authority finds many ships in South Africa's national fleet are unsafe and in poor condition. Fishing remains one of the deadliest jobs on Earth – and in Africa, the fatality rate for fishers is estimated to be 12 times the global average. These disturbing figures were shared by South Africa's Deputy Minister of Transport Mkhuleko Hlengwa at the Cape Town launch of the marine safety audit. Since 1996, nearly 400 commercial fishing fatalities have been recorded in South Africa – more than half in the Western Cape – each representing a family, a community, and a promise lost to the ocean. The nationwide safety audit is under way – and the findings so far are as stark as the sea in winter: many of South Africa's fishing vessels are dangerously old, ill-maintained, illegally modified or simply operating outside basic safety norms. The consequences, as the deputy minister reminded all in attendance at the Cape Town docks launch, are counted not in rands and cents, but in coffins and missing bodies. For many, the horror of the 63‑year‑old fishing trawler Lepanto, which sank in just minutes on 17 May 2024 with the loss of 11 crew off Hout Bay, is still in their minds. Its sister ship, the Armana, caught fire only months later and was lost at sea. As Thandimfundo Mehlo, who led the SA Maritime Safety Authority's (Samsa's) audit team in Gqeberha noted: 'These tragedies were not freak accidents, but symptoms of a neglected system. 'We're sitting with fleets whose average age is 35 years, and many are over 60,' he said. 'Steel doesn't last forever. If owners don't maintain or modernise these ships, structural integrity is just a myth on paper – until it fails at sea.' His audit team in Gqeberha has spent months crawling into engine rooms and hulls, checking paperwork and examining vessels that should have been decommissioned decades ago. The findings? A pattern of expired certificates, makeshift repairs and shocking levels of noncompliance. Worse still, some owners have secretly modified vessels – extending decks or changing gear – to chase better catches in an overfished market. These shortcuts can destroy a vessel's stability, making it more vulnerable to capsizing or fire. 'Ship repair facilities are also in crisis,' Mehlo explained. 'There was a time, not long ago, when not one single dry dock was operational in this country. We were forced to keep giving exemptions, extending certificates so these rust buckets could keep working. It has come back to bite us.' When a door becomes a death sentence Even when a vessel's hull is sound, small oversights can kill. Principal Officer Captain Thembela Taboshe from Mossel Bay highlighted a detail so simple it seems absurd: open doors. 'When deck doors are left open in rough seas, one wave can flood a compartment, sink the ship and drown the crew in minutes,' Taboshe said. 'Basic drills, watertight doors – these are things that should be second nature. But we see again and again that the culture of safety is missing.' The audit revealed that safety drills are often tick-box exercises. Some crews cannot demonstrate evacuation procedures or don't even know how long it would take to get everyone off the vessel in an emergency. Navigation lights are out of place or blocked by deck clutter, leaving ships invisible at night. For fishers already battling brutal seas, these are risks they should not have to take. Lives are not bargaining chips Deputy Minister Hlengwa's speech cut through the defensive murmurs of industry guests in the room. Some worried about losing income while ships were inspected. But Hlengwa was unwavering: 'No profit is worth a life. Compliance is not optional. It is your responsibility.' He described the audit not as a tick-box exercise, but as 'a risk intervention in real time'. South Africa, as a signatory to the International Maritime Organization's 2012 Cape Town Agreement, is obliged to enforce stringent safety standards for fishing vessels – especially small vessels of under 10 metres, where capsizing is most common. For the new Government of National Unity, the audit was more than just policy housekeeping, said Hlengwa. It was about rebuilding trust between the people who fished for a living and the government that regulated them. 'Oversight is not just about identifying what is wrong,' he said, 'but about building a system that makes it right.' A sector under strain Fishing in South Africa is not just an industry. It is the lifeblood of coastal communities. It feeds a huge number of people and sustains tens of thousands of jobs. But the audit suggests a possibility that this backbone is buckling under the weight of neglect. Mehlo reminded the Cape Town gathering of this brutal reality: 'When we launched this audit in Port Elizabeth in March, we were clear that this was not ceremonial. Every hull and hatch involves a crew and a family waiting at home. Our job is to get those crews home safely.' He praised the cooperative spirit shown by some vessel owners – but warned that enforcement had to bite where persuasion failed. 'We will strengthen our oversight. We will leverage digital tracking tools, risk profiling and, if needed, we will take non-compliant vessels out of the water. This is not about punishing the industry. It's about protecting it.' What happens now? So far, more than 160 vessels have been inspected, about 10% of the national fleet. Inspections have spanned every major port: Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Mossel Bay, Saldanha Bay and Richards Bay. The audit team's preliminary report reads like a catalogue of an industry stuck in another century: old ships, dodgy modifications, patchy crew training and inadequate safety equipment. But the audit is only the beginning. The findings will feed into a national Fishing Vessel Safety Improvement Plan. This plan, according to the deputy minister, must tackle three urgent fronts: A recapitalisation programme to retire or modernise unsafe ships; Mandatory annual training and random drills for crew and owners; and Tough consequences – including prosecution – for owners who put profit above people. Critically, the audit aims to embed a culture shift. As Samsa board leaders put it, safety is not an annual trade-off; it's the foundation of sustainability and accountability. Safety as a culture Mehlo believes this mindset is long overdue. He recalls a telling conversation in Port Elizabeth: 'We were doing a stability test on an old trawler. The owner shrugged and said, 'It's always been fine.' The same sentiment echoes down the coast. But the science doesn't lie. And the ocean doesn't negotiate.' Captain Taboshe said she hoped the message got through before another tragedy unfolded. 'Please, just close the doors,' she told the audience, half-joking, half-pleading. 'If your parents taught you to close the door behind you, you can do it at sea too.' It's a simple habit – but one that might mean the difference between a crew coming home or not coming home. The final w o rd Back on the windswept quay in Cape Town, the final word belonged to the deputy minister. Standing stoically in a light drizzle beside the towering, rust-streaked hull of a stern trawler, he called for a reckoning that went beyond any single audit. 'Every life lost at sea is one too many. Every unsafe vessel is a threat, not just to a crew, but to an entire community. Safety is not a privilege – it is a right. Let us not wait for another tragedy to remind us of our duties. Let us act now.' From the deckhand on a 40-year-old trawler to the boardroom where fishing quotas are decided, the message is clear: safety is a priority and it will be enforced. And if the Marine Safety Audit does what it promises, the next generation of fishers might finally set sail on ships that are safe enough to bring them home. DM
The South African
19-07-2025
- Automotive
- The South African
START of controversial AARTO traffic fines system 75 days' away
It's been two years since we last discussed AARTO traffic fines in South Africa. For those who are unfamiliar or who have simply forgotten, AARTO traffic fines work on a points-based demerit system. Essentially, instead of motorists only being fined for traffic indiscretions, they will also start to accrue demerit points on their licence. Rack up enough demerits against your name (the maximum is 15) and you'll have your licence suspended for three months. Do this twice and the department will revoke your driver's licence and you will have to reapply from scratch and recomplete the learners' and drivers' tests. Getting the AARTO traffic fines system to work all around the country is a huge IT undertaking, hence the years of delays. Image: File In theory, AARTO traffic fines sound like a good way to reform motorists from repeat offences. And now, the system that's taken nearly a decade to come into action nationwide, has finally been given a start date – Wednesday 1 October 2025. This is according to the Department of Transport Deputy Minister, Mkhuleko Hlengwa. Speaking in Parliament, Hlengwa confirmed that AARTO traffic fines will go live in all 69 major municipalities – including Cape Town and Johannesburg in just 75 days' time, reports TopAuto . Key to the implementation of AARTO traffic fines is municipal readiness. As The South African covered previously, the new centralised AARTO system promises to take money out of the pocket of local municipality law enforcement efforts. The IT system alone, to track and coordinate fine issuance nationwide is a huge undertaking. Moreover, the deputy minister confirmed that there will also be a phased approach to the current rollout. First major metros, then phase 2 and 3, which will commence on 1 February and 1 October 2026 across another 144 municipalities. Excessive speeding, drunk driving and reckless endangerment are the highest accruing AARTO traffic fines. Image: File From 1 October 2025 onwards, motorists should note the new system for challenging AARTO traffic fines. Infringements can be issued to motorists on the side of the road or affixed to the vehicle (parking violations). Likewise, camera-recorded infringements (speeding), can be legally served to the infringer by email. Upon receipt of AARTO traffic fines, an admission of guilt fine is uniformly applied, giving you a 50% discounted rate. The notice will also state the number of penalty points incurred due to the infringement. You then have 32 days in which to do the following: Settle the traffic fine immediately at the discounted rate. Demerit points still apply. Pay the traffic fine in instalments, in which case the discounted rate falls away. Demerit points still apply. You may appeal the violation. Download a form HERE. If you're not the motor vehicle owner/operator (a juristic person), you may nominate another driver for the fine. Download a form HERE. If the AARTO traffic fines are not settled after 64 days, a R200 late fee is added on top of the existing fine. Demerit points still apply. late fee is added on top of the existing fine. Demerit points still apply. Thereafter, if there's still no action, an enforcement order will be issued. And the infringer is blocked from performing any transactions on the NATIS system (vehicle licence renewals, etc). Certain serious infringement may be considered criminal offences, and you can be prosecuted under the Criminal Procedure Act. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Herald
12-07-2025
- Business
- The Herald
RTMC board suspends CEO Makhosini Msibi
The board of the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has placed its CEO, advocate Makhosini Msibi, on suspension after allegations of financial misconduct, irregular expenditure and governance failures at the entity. Deputy minister of transport Mkhuleko Hlengwa said in a statement the board has officially informed him of Msibi's precautionary suspension after a board meeting held on June 13. The suspension came into effect on July 1. Spokesperson for the department of transport Collen Msibi said in its letter to the ministry, the board had indicated it took this decision after whistle-blowing allegations of financial misconduct, irregular expenditure and governance failures at the entity and that based on the seriousness of the allegations, the board has taken a decision to institute a forensic investigation into these allegations. 'The CEO will be on precautionary suspension for a period of 30 days, extendable to 60 days or any further period as may be reasonably necessary,' Msibi said. 'The board has also advised the ministry of the appointment of Ms Refilwe Mongale as an interim CEO, with effect from July 1 until further notice to ensure continuity and stability within the RTMC while the forensic investigation is under way.' TimesLIVE
The South African
10-07-2025
- Automotive
- The South African
BIG changes coming to taxpayer-funded NATIS system in 2026
Crazy to think the South African National Traffic Information System (NATIS) is only four years' old. Established in 2021 by the Road Traffic Management Council (RTMC), it started merely as a way to renew vehicle licence discs online. At the time, there were dozens of alternatives to the taxpayer-funded service – banks, the post office and supermakets. However, in a relatively short space of time, NATIS has emerged as the defacto renewal portal online that all others piggyback on. Furthermore, over the half decade, NATIS has steadily expanded to include other services, like driver's licence renewals and learner's licence bookings. Better still, NATIS can now provide you with a certified damage report in case of an insurance claim for a vehicle accident. However, the Deputy Minister of Transport, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, last week revealed ambitious upgrades to NATIS for next year. Specifically, NATIS will expand its service scope by onboarding at least four additional registration clients. What this will do is improve the already-excellent efficiency, reducing queues and wait time further still, reports TopAuto . The growth and acceptance of NATIS over the last four years has largely eradicated private-sector competitors. Image: File One of the RTMC's goals for NATIS is a new Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN). Currently, the online portal relies on copper connectivity technology, but the former will improve network speed and security tremendously. Likewise, NATIS will introduce biometric identity verification as a means to eliminate fraudulent activities. And one of the biggest changes will be digitised learner and driver's licence applications. The department wants to continue with Computerised Learner's Licence Testing (CLLT), as well as fully digitised driving licence testing. Hlengwa says the system will modernise the way driver competence is assessed in South Africa. More than two-million online vehicle licence renewals went through NATIS in the last financial year. That's a 54% year-on-year increase. Plus, it handled 78 566 online vehicle registrations and 112 845 online change of ownership transactions. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
