Latest news with #Sowetan
TimesLIVE
2 days ago
- Business
- TimesLIVE
Pilot project to blacklist child maintenance defaulters launches in Gauteng
Ten courts in Gauteng have been used to roll out a pilot project aimed at blacklisting persistent child maintenance defaulters with credit bureaus. The project comes eight months after the department of justice and Social Justice Foundation confirmed they were going ahead with the initiative, with the rollout aimed to begin in August. The two entities signed a memorandum of understanding in November last year to have defaulting parents blacklisted. Spokesperson for the ministry of justice and constitutional development Terrence Manase confirmed to Sowetan that the pilot project involves 10 courts in Gauteng and training started last Wednesday. He said the training was part of a structured in-service programme aimed at capacitating court officials at the 10 selected pilot sites. 'This phase includes a two-level verification process to ensure data accuracy and legal compliance, including protection of children's identities. The department is finalising system integration and information security processes.' He said the training focuses on strengthening the application of section 26 of the Maintenance Act, which empowers complainants (usually maintenance beneficiaries) to enforce maintenance orders when payment has not been made.
TimesLIVE
21-07-2025
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Thembisa residents protest against new electricity tariff surcharge
Residents of Thembisa in Ekurhuleni took to the streets to protest on Sunday night and Monday morning, complaining they cannot afford the latest electricity tariff surcharge. Several major routes in Thembisa were blocked off with stones and burning tyres. The new electricity tariff surcharge of R126 a month was implemented from the beginning of July. WATCH | Protestors in Tembisa block the mayor's convoy as he prepares to address them regarding increased electricity tariffs in the area. Video: @Muchave1Muchave — Sowetan LIVE (@SowetanLIVE) July 21, 2025 Mithe Mokgotadi, 55, who said he has lived in Thembisa his whole life, told Sowetan: 'In May I was billed R12,000 and this month I've been billed R3,000. That is for everything, from rates to water. And on top of that, I still need to make payment for electricity. 'Paying R250 gets you at least 64 units, but that is not enough. It can last you three days at most, and so I have to keep buying electricity. 'I live in a house where there is more than five of us and I don't have a job. I only sell apples and some vegetables from home to make do with what I have. But it's not enough, because in a month I spend at least R3,000 on electricity — and now they want to make matters worse by increasing the tariff. 'At this point they want us to turn to crime and making illegal connections because we are really struggling — but they don't see that. They are mugging us of the little we have.' WATCH | Tembisa resident Josephina Siboni (62) says she does not understand the newly introduced tariffs and what they mean. She says when buying electricity, the units do not reflect accordingly. Video: @Koena_xM — Sowetan LIVE (@SowetanLIVE) July 21, 2025 Another resident, Enos Mohlari, 60, said he applied to fall into the indigent category in April and is baffled why he has been billed. 'Just a few days ago, I received a statement saying that I owed the municipality more than R3,000 — I am being forced to pay,' he said. 'My hands are tied because I don't have the money to pay these bills. I don't work at all, but they're billing me amounts that I don't have in my account. And now they want us to pay more for electricity. It's not fair, the units we get barely get us by.'
The Herald
19-07-2025
- Business
- The Herald
Arena Holdings mourns celebrated and seasoned Sowetan executive editor Pearl Sebolao
Sowetan executive editor Pearl Sebolao has died, Arena Holdings MD Nwabisa Makunga confirmed on Saturday. 'It is with sadness that we share the news of the passing of our colleague, Sowetan executive editor Pearl Sebolao,' she said. The seasoned and much-loved Sebolao previously served as Business Day digital editor where she helped shape content and provide guidance in the newsroom. 'Pearl was a quiet force in our newsroom, thoughtful, meticulous and deeply committed to editorial excellence,' Makunga lamented. Her career in journalism spanned many years. Though Sebolao worked away from the limelight, her influence was impactful in the newsroom, said Makunga. 'The stories she helped shape and the support she offered to many colleagues over the years will be missed. 'She was a mentor and a steady hand and someone who brought integrity to everything she did.' Makunga said Sebolao's death would leave a void in the newsroom. Memorial and funeral details will be released by her family in due course. TimesLIVE
TimesLIVE
10-07-2025
- Business
- TimesLIVE
Ekurhuleni municipal building's R46m budget skyrockets beyond R300m
After eight years, five contractors and more than R300m paid to the City of Ekurhuleni to renovate a municipal building, the structure in Germiston remains unfinished. The project launched in 2017 with a completion date set for 2021 still needs an additional R39m to complete. The plan was to ease severe office space shortages for the municipality but the project has turned into a drawn-out financial nightmare. When Sowetan visited the SAAME building this week, there was no contractor on site. Rubble surrounded the 10-storey structure, unused building materials including cement lay scattered around and there was no sign of any ongoing work. The building remains barricaded with only security guards stationed at the premises. A 71-page forensic report tabled in council in March 2025 outlined a damning paper trail of irregularities, inflated prices for material which cost the city more than R136m and defective workmanship for which the municipality had to fork out R4.8m. The council also lost R70m to unauthorised payments to some of the contractors. The total financial value of these irregularities amounted to R272m. The investigation into the refurbishment of the building was requested by the city manager after noticing 'potential red flags and substandard service from contractors'. According to the report, the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) was hired to manage the project and was paid more than R8.1m. Themane Management Consultants (TMC) was paid more than R163m, while Anita Building Construction, which later renamed itself FM Infrastructure, was paid R94.1m.
The South African
06-07-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Chiefs news: Priority signing falls through, Moutang claps back
Kaizer Chiefs fans will presumably be bitter by Oswin Appollis' decision to sign with Orlando Pirates yesterday. Both clubs have been trying to sign the 23-year-old since last offseason, but ultimately It was the latter who got their man. It appears, even before the Appollis news, that Kaizer Chiefs' faithful had started to get twitchy regarding their clubs lack of transfer business. Meanwhile, their Sowetan rivals have landed 9 top talents. In an open statement last week, Kaizer Chiefs boss Jessica Jessica Motaung addressed the club's transfer ongoings, saying, 'Great to hear the players come back. I see they have maintained their fitness. That's what I love. I see they are focused and ready to come and face the challenges that they have.' 'Certainly, we are working on the intakes for the new season and I know that the technical team, as well as the sporting department, is working closely to make sure that they are looking at different types of players and signing the players for the next season.' 'Hopefully, we will see some of those signings at the Toyota Cup and in the pre-season. But also, the window is open for a period of time, so we are not closed off and saying the signings we make now are fast and final,' she added. 'Certainly, there is a lot of work being done to make sure that we realise the vision, which is to continue ascending locally and on the African continent in terms of our rightful place and where we should be as Kaizer Chiefs.' 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.
