Author: Agency

The Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, through its Youth and After School Programme, is calling for unemployed youth, aged between 18 and 25, to apply to be part of the Year Beyond Youth Service Programme for 2024. Applications for the education programmes are now open for youth living in the Western and Eastern Cape who meet the criteria. All the education programmes require a matric certificate and some require minimum marks for language or maths. The Year Beyond platform offers young people the opportunity to get a year of hands on working experience and build their work…

Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has reiterated that while Eskom is working hard on improving its generation system, citizens can still expect load shedding. Providing an outlook on Eskom’s generation capabilities during a media briefing on Tuesday in Pretoria, the Minister explained that the majority of units remain unreliable and this is being addressed through the planned maintenance that Eskom is conducting routinely. Due to legacy issues including under investment at Eskom and the entity not having sufficiently planned for maintenance, South Africa’s grid is unreliable. “We will have periods of days of no load shedding and there will be…

The Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) has cautioned members of the public and stakeholders of a fake TikTok account impersonating Deputy Minister Pinky Kekana. The TikTok account “Pinky_Kekana3” has been fraudulently using the Deputy Minister’s name and photos while disseminating untrue promises of teaching clients to trade and quickly make amounts ranging from R56 000 to R67 000. The department said this is false and “intended to swindle and scam innocent citizens”. “For the record, Deputy Minister Kekana does not have a TikTok account and the Ministry and DPME do not offer any educational trading programmes about making…

The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) says a decision taken by the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board (CSPB) on 24 November 2023 to place inmate Oscar Pistorius on parole remains valid and is to be enforced. Pistorius’s parole will be effective from 5 January 2024. “… Pistorius shall be admitted into the system of Community Corrections and will be monitored until the expiry date of his sentence in 2029,” said the department in a statement. Pistorius was convicted of killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in 2013. In 2017, the Supreme Court of Appeal sentenced the former Paralympian…

The Ministry of Small Business Development has warned members of the public about a number of fake Facebook accounts, which purport to belong to the Minister of Small Business Development, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams. The ministry has strongly condemned the fraudulent use of the Minister’s name, profile and pictures to create fake accounts, whose sole intention is to defraud and scam innocent citizens, especially small business owners. “We would like to remind and advise all law-abiding citizens that neither the Minister nor the department will ever request ‘upfront fees’ from members of the public in exchange for accessing funding or business opportunities.…

The South African Police Service (SAPS) have arrested more than 90 undocumented foreign nationals who are suspected to be illegal miners. The police are conducting integrated operations against illegal mining, focusing on affected districts such as Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and the West Rand. These operations continue to yield positive results, the SAPS said. “During the operations the police seized illegal mining tools that included, pendukas, penduka stands, generators, gas cylinders, jack hammers, steel balls, gold bearing material, a welding machine, water pump motors and two live ammunition of a rifle. Illegal mining sites were also disrupted and dismantled. “The law enforcement…

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) says it has received several reports of individuals purporting to be Head of the SIU, Advocate Andy Mothibi, or his representatives. The scammers are reportedly going around soliciting money from public representatives, office bearers, and members of the judiciary. The reports have been received in the North West and Free State provinces this week, prompting the SIU to issue a public warning. “The SIU conducts its investigations with integrity and professionalism. “We never ask for money from subjects of investigations or anyone linked to our work. Members of the public are urged to be vigilant,…

A man has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for defrauding the Unemployment Insurance Fund and unduly benefitting from the COVID-19 Temporary Employer/ Employee Relief Scheme (TERS). The man, Dennis Patrick Lerato Modika, was sentenced in the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court, after being found guilty on eight counts. According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Modika submitted some 1 358 fictitious employee claims over a period of two years to the Department of Labour to benefit from the fund. “The accused and his company did not have the declared employees in their employ and were therefore not entitled to…

SA Cabinet has approved state-owned company Petro SA’s recommendation of GazpromBank Africa as an investment partner for the reinstatement of the Mossel Bay Gas to Liquids (GTL) refinery plant and production. This according to Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni who was speaking during a post-cabinet media briefing on Monday. Ntshavheni highlighted that the refinery is one of the “critical components of PetroSA’s turnaround strategy”. “Cabinet was updated about the process followed by CEF to source partners with requisite technical and financial resources to support PetroSA in bringing the refinery back to full operation. The preferred partner would share in…

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Interpol National Central Bureau (NCB) for South Africa that will allow the unit to have direct access to Interpol’s information system. “The MoU will strengthen the SIU’s investigating tools of trade and access to data systems to combat cybercrimes. Interpol NCB will provide the SIU with up-to-date training resources. The Interpol NCB has a network of data systems in 195 countries that the SIU can tap into,” the SIU said in a statement. The agreement was signed by SIU head Advocate Andy Mothibi and Interpol NCB’s…