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IOL News
4 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
Cyril Xaba urges stronger contract management in eThekwini Municipality
eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba warned municipal officials that the failure to monitor contracts showed a weakness in governance. Image: Independent Media Archives eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba warned municipal officials that the failure to monitor contracts showed a weakness in governance, and he suspected there was collusive corruption in the city. The municipality came under public scrutiny following three court cases that cost it millions, involving Daily Double Trading 479 CC, Solbeth Security and Risk Management Services, and Bless Joe Trading CC. Speaking at an Executive Committee (Exco) meeting on Tuesday, Xaba said the Service Delivery Improvement Plan (SDIP) needed to be thoroughly interrogated by all political parties, and whether the money allocated in budgets would meet the performance indicators and targets. He warned of a mismatched budget where performance indicators were low while the budget was high. Xaba stated that the budget is meant to provide goods and services to the people, and it was important to monitor the process and improve oversight. He went on to urge municipal officials to do things differently. 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 ✕ Ad loading Councillor Zandile Myeni, the deputy mayor of eThekwini Municipality, stated that the heads of departments should be held accountable. Andre Beetge, DA Exco member, said it should not be a case where, within three months into the budget cycle, there would be calls to reprioritise the budget, which often left projects incomplete. Xaba said the city's losing cases in court pointed to a weakness in managing contracts. 'I do not know who benefits from such, but I suspect collusive corruption in the process. We have to put a stop to this. We must be able to monitor contracts.' The recent court orders issued against the city have prompted the municipality to strengthen contract management controls. To ensure contracts are properly planned, executed, and monitored, the municipality stated that they have implemented the following measures: Early Contract Initiation: Departments are directed, in terms of Supply Chain Management circulars, to initiate procurement processes at least nine months before the expiry of existing contracts. This allows for proper planning, competitive bidding, and uninterrupted service delivery. Automation and Red Flag Reporting: Contract monitoring is being automated in line with the Municipal Standard Chart of Accounts requirements. This includes the implementation of exception-based red flag reports to detect delays, non-performance, and irregularities in real-time. Capacitation on Contract Compliance: Targeted efforts are under way to train and capacitate departments and legal services to ensure a thorough understanding and enforcement of the terms and conditions of contracts.
IOL News
5 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Organise or Starve: Youth Mobilisation Key to Overcoming Poverty, Unemployment and Inequality
Members of the National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (NUMSA) marched through the streets of Durban, March 19, 2014 to highlight youth unemployment in the country. Image: Independent Media Archives Mbuso Ngubane This Youth Day, we must speak the truth without the varnish of liberal sentiment. The truth is this: South African youth are under siege. They are not free. They live under the dictatorship of hunger, unemployment, crime, and hopelessness. This is not a democracy for the working class. It is a capitalist nightmare, run by the same comprador elite who inherited the whip from the apartheid bosses, and now wield it in the name of profit. The Young Lions of 1976 rose against Bantu Education and the racist capitalist state. They had no illusions. They understood that the struggle for education could not be separated from the fight for freedom and dignity. Today, our youth face a different, but no less brutal enemy: neoliberalism, austerity, and a corrupt ruling class that has sold out the dreams of liberation. We must remember that the youth who marched in Soweto in 1976 were not just reacting to Afrikaans as a medium of instruction. They were rejecting a system designed to make them hewers of wood and drawers of water — cheap labour for white capital. The apartheid bosses, like the ANC's current neo-liberal government, feared nothing more than a politically educated and organised youth. Steve Biko said, 'The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.' That is why we must centre political education. Without it, the youth are led like lambs into the slaughterhouse of TikTok distraction, and fake entrepreneurship, and are dying for sneakers and status. The revolution must begin in the mind, and move into action. The youth of today must not be reduced to hashtags and handouts. You must organise. You must take power into your own hands. The capitalist system has nothing to offer you but casualised labour, surveillance, poverty, and mental collapse. The gig economy is not freedom — it is wage slavery without the dignity of a contract. We must return to the principle Lenin taught us: "Without revolutionary theory, there can be no revolutionary movement." That means building youth structures rooted in class struggle. NUMSA's youth structures are not built on empty slogans but on political education, shop-floor militancy, and international solidarity. We must build unity among the unemployed, the precarious, the students, and the exploited. In Cuba, the youth were not bystanders in the revolution. Fidel Castro and Che Guevara were in their twenties when they picked up arms and overthrew the U.S.-backed Batista regime. Today, because of that struggle, Cuban youth have universal education, healthcare, and a future not dictated by private profit. Video Player is loading. 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Next Stay Close ✕ In Burkina Faso, the revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara placed young people at the heart of nation-building. He trained them in agro-ecology, literacy, and defence. He built schools and clinics. He fought against corruption, privilege, and the domination of international finance. He said: 'While revolutionaries as individuals can be murdered, you cannot kill ideas.' And today, in the same country, young Captain Ibrahim Traoré has become a symbol of defiance against the old order. Whether his government can remain on a revolutionary path is not guaranteed. But what is clear is this: young people in Burkina Faso have rejected the old elite and are demanding that their country serve the people, not foreign powers. It is a lesson for us here. We too must reject leaders who have long passed their sell-by date, men who cling to office while the country burns; men who were once comrades and have become tyrants. The revolution must be renewed by the youth or it will rot in the hands of the old. Even in the belly of the beast, in the United States, we have seen young people rise. From the Black Panthers to today's movements like Black Lives Matter, young people have resisted imperialism and racial capitalism. However, we must also be clear: without structure and class analysis, movements can be co-opted and destroyed. In South Africa, the reality is stark. Youth unemployment sits above 60% for those under 25. But the capitalist state has no solution. The ANC government implements budget cuts, not jobs. They militarise communities instead of building schools. They worship private capital and destroy public institutions. The solution is not individual hustle, nor is it waiting for handouts from ministers living in luxury. The solution is organisation. We must build revolutionary youth brigades, trained in Marxist theory, linked to working-class struggles and rooted in the community. We must revive the spirit of the Young Communist League, of COSAS in its militant days, and of youth who linked their liberation to the overthrow of capitalism. Youth must return to the factory gates, to community halls, to classrooms and campuses with one message: We are not commodities. We will not be sacrificed so that the rich can live in Sandton while we rot in townships.
IOL News
5 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Organise or Starve: Youth Mobilisation Key to Overcoming Poverty, Unemployment and Inequality
Members of the National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (NUMSA) marched through the streets of Durban, March 19, 2014 to highlight youth unemployment in the country. Image: Independent Media Archives Mbuso Ngubane This Youth Day, we must speak the truth without the varnish of liberal sentiment. The truth is this: South African youth are under siege. They are not free. They live under the dictatorship of hunger, unemployment, crime, and hopelessness. This is not a democracy for the working class. It is a capitalist nightmare, run by the same comprador elite who inherited the whip from the apartheid bosses, and now wield it in the name of profit. The Young Lions of 1976 rose against Bantu Education and the racist capitalist state. They had no illusions. They understood that the struggle for education could not be separated from the fight for freedom and dignity. Today, our youth face a different, but no less brutal enemy: neoliberalism, austerity, and a corrupt ruling class that has sold out the dreams of liberation. We must remember that the youth who marched in Soweto in 1976 were not just reacting to Afrikaans as a medium of instruction. They were rejecting a system designed to make them hewers of wood and drawers of water — cheap labour for white capital. The apartheid bosses, like the ANC's current neo-liberal government, feared nothing more than a politically educated and organised youth. Steve Biko said, 'The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.' That is why we must centre political education. Without it, the youth are led like lambs into the slaughterhouse of TikTok distraction, and fake entrepreneurship, and are dying for sneakers and status. The revolution must begin in the mind, and move into action. The youth of today must not be reduced to hashtags and handouts. You must organise. You must take power into your own hands. The capitalist system has nothing to offer you but casualised labour, surveillance, poverty, and mental collapse. The gig economy is not freedom — it is wage slavery without the dignity of a contract. We must return to the principle Lenin taught us: "Without revolutionary theory, there can be no revolutionary movement." That means building youth structures rooted in class struggle. NUMSA's youth structures are not built on empty slogans but on political education, shop-floor militancy, and international solidarity. We must build unity among the unemployed, the precarious, the students, and the exploited. In Cuba, the youth were not bystanders in the revolution. Fidel Castro and Che Guevara were in their twenties when they picked up arms and overthrew the U.S.-backed Batista regime. Today, because of that struggle, Cuban youth have universal education, healthcare, and a future not dictated by private profit. In Burkina Faso, the revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara placed young people at the heart of nation-building. He trained them in agro-ecology, literacy, and defence. He built schools and clinics. He fought against corruption, privilege, and the domination of international finance. He said: 'While revolutionaries as individuals can be murdered, you cannot kill ideas.' And today, in the same country, young Captain Ibrahim Traoré has become a symbol of defiance against the old order. Whether his government can remain on a revolutionary path is not guaranteed. But what is clear is this: young people in Burkina Faso have rejected the old elite and are demanding that their country serve the people, not foreign powers. It is a lesson for us here. We too must reject leaders who have long passed their sell-by date, men who cling to office while the country burns; men who were once comrades and have become tyrants. The revolution must be renewed by the youth or it will rot in the hands of the old. Even in the belly of the beast, in the United States, we have seen young people rise. From the Black Panthers to today's movements like Black Lives Matter, young people have resisted imperialism and racial capitalism. However, we must also be clear: without structure and class analysis, movements can be co-opted and destroyed. In South Africa, the reality is stark. Youth unemployment sits above 60% for those under 25. But the capitalist state has no solution. The ANC government implements budget cuts, not jobs. They militarise communities instead of building schools. They worship private capital and destroy public institutions. The solution is not individual hustle, nor is it waiting for handouts from ministers living in luxury. The solution is organisation. We must build revolutionary youth brigades, trained in Marxist theory, linked to working-class struggles and rooted in the community. We must revive the spirit of the Young Communist League, of COSAS in its militant days, and of youth who linked their liberation to the overthrow of capitalism. Youth must return to the factory gates, to community halls, to classrooms and campuses with one message: We are not commodities. We will not be sacrificed so that the rich can live in Sandton while we rot in townships.
IOL News
13-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Mashatile promises land back to the people
Deputy President Paul Mashatile. Image: Independent Media Archives Deputy President Paul Mashatile delivered a firm commitment in Parliament: the new government will return the land to the people - and ensure they don't lose it again to banks. Answering questions in the National Assembly on Thursday, Mashatile said the government was determined to protect land reform beneficiaries from being trapped by commercial debt. 'Our role as a new government is to return the land to the people and do it in such a way that we protect them from the commercial banks,' he said. 'We don't want a situation where they lose land again because of loans.' Questions about land ownership were asked by the DA MP, Willie Aucamp and MK Party MP, Andile Mngxitama. Mashatile also explained that most land-related funding currently comes from state institutions like the Land Bank and other government financial entities. But he acknowledged that commercial finance still plays a role - one that must be tightly regulated to prevent exploitation. 'We must also tap into resources in commercial banks, but with state support so people are not exploited. We are doing exactly that, he said. 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 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. Next Stay Close ✕ Addressing concerns over support for emerging farmers, Mashatile pointed to the estimated two million small-scale farmers already receiving government assistance. 'It's not enough to give land,' he said. 'You must support people to till that land. That's what we're doing with the Land Bank and other institutions.' One of the key challenges, Mashatile admitted, is the lack of title deeds - particularly among older farmers and those in rural areas. This limits access to credit, as commercial banks demand security. A programme is underway, he said, to issue title deeds to land reform beneficiaries. Earlier this year, President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Expropriation Act. The Act aims to allow the government to acquire private property for public purposes or in the public interest. But the government must tread carefully in traditional areas. 'Sometimes traditional leaders say they must hold the title for everyone,' Mashatile noted. 'We have to engage with them.' Collaboration between the Ministers of Agriculture and Land Reform, he added, is ongoing to resolve these complexities and ensure land reform delivers real, lasting change. Mashatile on Thursday also sent a clear and uncompromising message underscoring the government's intensified focus on consequence management in the water sector to combat corruption and inefficiency. 'We are stepping up consequence management. Water boards, municipal managers, and service providers will be held accountable - no exceptions,' Mashatile stated, addressing concerns over poor performance, criminal interference, and service delivery failures. He acknowledged that many of the country's water authorities were managed at the municipal level, with oversight from the Department of Water and Sanitation. 'Their performance is under scrutiny. We cannot afford weak leadership in these critical institutions. When individuals don't deliver, action must follow, because failure costs lives and fuels corruption,' he said. However, Mashatile spotlighted the growing threat posed by 'water mafias' - organised criminal networks that sabotage public infrastructure to profit from tanker contracts. 'They have embedded themselves within city systems, disrupting services so that municipalities are forced to rely on outsourced water supply. What began as a temporary solution for emergencies has become a captured industry,' he said. Mashatile affirmed that these networks are being targeted. 'We are actively dismantling their influence. Protecting our cities from this kind of corruption is a top priority.' Mashatile confirmed that a high-level task team, working with the Minister of Water and Sanitation, is developing stricter accountability measures and performance standards for all water institutions. Cape Times
IOL News
04-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Political stability essential for Durban's ambitious targets, says Mayor Xaba
eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba has called for political stability at an administrative level; otherwise, the city will not be able to achieve its targets. Image: Independent Media Archives eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba has called for political stability at an administrative level; otherwise, the city will not be able to achieve its targets Xaba was unpacking the budget for the 2025/2026 financial year at a business breakfast held in Durban on Wednesday. The municipality has a R70 billion budget, which is made up of an operating budget of R63bn and a capital budget of R7bn. Xaba also spoke of the water and sanitation turnaround strategy, which has been adopted by the council and approved by the National Treasury. He said the electricity unit is also undergoing the same process, and will be followed by the Cleansing and Solid Waste Unit (CSW). 'The ultimate goal of these reforms is to have self-contained utilities that are able to render these basic services in the most effective and efficient manner,' Xaba said. Xaba, who had outlined multimillion-rand investments in the city, called for a collective effort from all stakeholders for the city to reach its targets. Addressing the guests and municipal management, and looking towards city manager Musa Mbhele, Xaba said: 'The city will not be able to achieve all of these things under the administration you lead, city manager (Musa Mbhele), there are upheavals.' Looking towards Mbhele, Xaba added: 'We need your team to cooperate with you to deliver on these achievements, and for me as the political head, it is to ensure that there is political stability in the city.' Xaba went on to say that politics and business are two sides of the same coin. He then used the French expression "tête-à-tête" which means "head to head", but in English, it refers to a private conversation between two people. During the previous budget consultations, businesses raised concerns about the unaffordability of tariffs as they exceed inflation, which negatively impacts the cost of doing business in the city and service delivery. Xaba said the consultative process was not just a box-ticking exercise, but a genuine effort to deliver a budget for all eThekwini residents. The tariff increases for the 2025/2026 financial year are as follows: Domestic water tariff: +13%, Water tariff for business: +14%. The average property rates: +5.9%. Domestic and business refuse removal: +9% Electricity: +12.72% Bishop Vusi Dube, of eThekwini Community Church (ECC), said the interfaith structures can play a role in the city with moral regeneration, which also seeks to address drug abuse and homelessness. Other speakers were concerned about community health centres, crime, undocumented people in the inner city, and water issues. Xaba acknowledged that a great deal must be done to revive the city centre and briefed guests about the implementation of the inner city regeneration programme. 'Through this bold initiative, we want to improve public safety, address the challenge of homelessness – eradicating bad buildings, upgrading public realms, patching potholes, and ensuring that streetlights are on.'
