Latest news with #ThamiNtuli
The South African
6 hours ago
- Health
- The South African
Iconic SA landmarks host International Yoga Day: How to join
International Yoga Day takes place tomorrow, 21 June. To mark the day, various South African cities will host public yoga events. Celebrations in 2024 saw 8000 yoga practitioners converge at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. This year, there are events in multiple of the country's main cities. Originating in ancient India, yoga is now a popular practice around the world. It's no different in South Africa, with hundreds expected to join the celebrations this upcoming weekend. The United Nations recognised International Yoga Day in 2014. Then, in 2016, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recognised yoga as part of the world's intangible cultural heritage. The 2025 International Yoga Day takes place under the theme 'Yoga for One Earth, One Health'. Consul General of India in Cape Town, Ruby Jaspreet, told IOL that 'yoga' is the Sanskrit word for 'union': 'It's a timeless practice that brings harmony between body and mind, and between humans and nature.' Celebrations for International Yoga Day will take place across South Africa over the weekend of 21-22 June. Most of them are hosted by the local Indian consulates with involvement from different organisations. Some of the country's top landmarks will play host to events: Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Cape Town: 21 June Cradle of Humankind, Maropeng: 21 June North Beach Amphitheatre, Durban: 21 June Union Buildings, Tshwane: 22 June Furthermore, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli will open the Durban event, which is organised by the Sivananda World Peace Foundation. He told The Deccan Herald: 'As we celebrate this special day, we acknowledge the profound impact that yoga has on our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Yoga unites us, fosters peace and harmony, and inspires us to live in balance with ourselves and nature.' Those wanting to join in the events will find details on the social media accounts of their local Indian consulates. Let us know by leaving a comment below or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
TimesLIVE
11 hours ago
- Business
- TimesLIVE
KZN logistics company owner, drivers arrested in raid on undocumented foreigners
KwaZulu-Natal premier Thami Ntuli has vowed to continue a clampdown on businesses that flout labour laws by employing undocumented foreigners. He was speaking after a raid at Westmead Mining, a Durban-based logistics company where law enforcement officials arrested several workers without documentation. 'We will not tolerate the employment of undocumented nationals or anyone employed without due processes. It must be legal, ' said Ntuli. The visit follows an outcry from local drivers who complain undocumented workers accept lower wages, he said. An informer put the number of truck drivers working at the company at 85, said Ntuli. The owner was arrested More than 135 people were arrested in a crackdown by police for a wide range of crimes in the past two days, he said.
IOL News
2 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
KwaZulu-Natal government reallocates R900 million to education amid budget cuts
KZN Premier Thami Ntuli has directed Finance MEC Francois Rodgers to divert R900 million from other provincial departments to the education to fund the operations of the no-fee schools. Image: Independent Newspapers Archives THE majority of the KwaZulu-Natal departments will lose a combined total of almost a billion rands, which the provincial government diverted to provincial education to fund the operation of struggling schools. Only the health and social development, which are together with education, classified as frontline departments, have been spared from losing part of their budget. The no-fee schools have since 2022 struggled to operate as a result of government's budget cuts and austerity measures. The decision to allocate an additional R900 million to education came after a series of meetings between Premier Thami Ntuli, the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) and the National Teachers Union (NATU), who later engaged Finance MEC Francois Rodgers. Ntuli's spokesperson, Bongani Gina, said that after the meeting with the unions, Ntuli expressed the urgent need to resolve the long-standing financial constraints affecting the provincial Department of Education. 'The Premier directed Treasury to prioritise the reallocation of R900 million within the provincial budget. 'The reprioritisation will involve sourcing funds from across departments to restore the functionality of schools by ensuring they are adequately resourced to operate effectively,' said Gina. 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 Sadtu provincial secretary Nomarashiya Caluza described the additional allocation as a victory for no-fee schools as the past three years have been struggling to function. 'The Premier appreciated SADTU's presentation and indicated that it provided him with a broader understanding of the challenges facing the Department of Education,' said Caluza. However, she said this additional allocation was still not enough because the schools were owed money that was not paid to them last year. It was the government's responsibility to fund the no-fee schools with R955 for each learner per year. Caluza said the department was supposed to pay 60% of the R955 in May or June, while another 40% was supposed to be paid towards the end of the year to assist the school in preparing for the beginning of the next school calendar. However, the government could not pay the schools because of the lack of funds, a situation that left many schools unable to function adequately. She said the department had even failed to pay the R955 in monthly installments. 'Which is why there are still schools owed for last year's fees' said Caluza. She said this had left the school principals with the responsibility of using their own money to keep the school functioning. 'It has become the responsibility of principals to pay from their pockets for the running of the schools, which is unfair. 'That is why you find that the schools would be out of electricity because they cannot pay the electricity bills,' said Caluza. She said that while principals would use their money to buy printing papers and other material required for teaching, the schools were no longer able to participate in sports and music competitions because there was no money. 'Even teachers find it very difficult to attend workshops and carry out their teaching duties. 'Principals would complain about running out of money, which led to quarrels within their families due to their inability to meet family responsibilities. 'If you are a principal, everyone in school is looking up to you to provide when teachers run out of teaching resources, which forces the principal to use their money whenever the department fails to pay,' she said. Caluza said in 2023 and late last year, Sadtu marched and picketed as principals were saying, 'we don't know how learners are going to write exams because there were not printing machines and papers.' 'SADTU views this development as a major victory for our schools and for our members who braved freezing conditions in the picket lines to fight for a just cause,' said Caluza. Finance MEC Francois Rodgers confirmed that health, education, and social development budgets will not be affected by this.
TimesLIVE
3 days ago
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
KZN bus and truck crash death toll revised to 10
Duma said they received conflicting versions from survivors on the cause of the accident and investigations are ongoing. 'There are allegations the bus driver tried to overtake. Other survivors have alleged he fell asleep at the steering wheel. We do not want to speculate at this stage. We are confident the investigation will shed light.' The EFF has confirmed the victims were their supporters who were travelling home after the party's Youth Day rally in Durban. 'The EFF sends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of all those who have lost their lives. These fighters lost their lives following a show of support for the revolution they belonged to and they must be remembered as heroes to whom we owe a great debt,' the party said in a statement on Tuesday. 'These were committed fighters who had attended the rally to honour the courage of the youth of 1976 and to continue the struggle for economic freedom.' The party said it was working with relevant authorities to identify the deceased and support the families. Duma confirmed he had conveyed condolences to EFF secretary-general Marshall Dlamini and the department was working with the party. He expressed concern about the number of road accidents involving trucks in the province. 'Trucks are not supposed to be on this road in the first place and should be using the N2. Many innocent lives have been lost as a result of a huge number of trucks on our roads.' He said Transnet had confirmed more than 303,000 trucks, averaging nearly 6,000 per week, had used its Richards Bay port in the 2024 financial year, while the port's infrastructure was originally designed for a much smaller volume of trucks, about 200 per day. He emphasised the need to revitalise the rail network to move cargo and reduce road accidents, something national government is working on. Meanwhile, Premier Thami Ntuli said the provincial government was worried about the causes of bus accidents in the province. He said they needed to engage bus owners and drivers on problems such as speeding and overloading, ensuring that buses are in good condition and there are multiple drivers when the duration of trips demands it. 'It's something that is very worrisome, we have lost many lives through bus accidents in KZN which speaks a lot to the bus conditions, behaviour of drivers and the issue of owners wanting to make more profit by overloading buses. Those are some of the things we need to address.' He added they would also communicate with political parties to ensure they choose buses that are in good condition and avoid overloading when planning to host major events.
IOL News
4 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Funding crisis in KZN Education Department, R900m pledged 'not enough'
Sadtu provincial secretary Nomarashiya Caluza says all outstanding allocations need to be paid. Image: Independent Newspapers Archives The R900 million pledged by the provincial government to tackle the funding crisis in the KwaZulu-Natal Education Department is insufficient to deal with all the outstanding issues plaguing the province's schools. This is according to a political party and labour union who said yesterday that more funding was needed. One source claimed that an additional R700m was needed. Last week, the provincial government committed to providing R900m for schools and for norms and standards funding after labour unions downed tools, which led to the disruption of exams at some schools. There had been reports that, as a result of the failure to disburse the funds, some teachers have been using their own funds to pay for school operations. Some school principals have claimed they are borrowing money to run school operations. This failure comes amid concerns that the numerous budget cuts by the national government have crippled the department financially. KZN Premier Thami Ntuli had said R900m has been secured to clear outstanding norms and standards payments, with disbursements to schools expected within three weeks. He also said the filling of teaching posts and timely payment of permanent and substitute educators would be prioritised, compensation for Grade R practitioners will be reviewed, and payments to National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) service providers will be expedited to ensure uninterrupted food deliveries to schools. DA spokesperson Sakhile Mngadi noted the announcement from the Premier's Office regarding the allocation of R900 million to schools for norms and standards funding but said it was not enough. This funding is needed for operational costs, including the purchase of stationery, cleaning materials and to pay for municipal services, including water and electricity. He said close to R700 million additional funding was needed to deal with all the issues. 'While this is a step in the right direction, it is nowhere near enough to address the real crisis. The Department of Education is sitting with unpaid accruals, and hundreds of schools across the province are struggling to function due to months of delayed payments,' Mngadi stated. He also said that the protest by teacher unions, the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu), had disrupted exams in some schools. 'Sadtu's action has disrupted primarily rural districts, with some exams being cancelled. The department isn't forthcoming about when the matter will be resolved.' Sadtu has warned that its members will continue with its work-to-rule campaign and union members will work the seven hours a day they are contracted to work. Teachers, especially those who teach grade 12, also hold extra morning, afternoon and weekend classes, which they are not paid for. Sadtu provincial secretary Nomarashiya Caluza commented, 'The money (R900m) is enough to cover the outstanding allocation to schools, which was supposed to be paid by May. What the union is fighting for is the allocation for May 2025 and the outstanding allocation for 2024. The union members are still working the contracted hours of 7 hours,' said Caluza. Regarding the exams, Sadtu said it has observed inconsistencies, with some schools cancelling exams while others proceeded as planned. The union said departmental leadership should provide clear guidance to ensure uniformity across all districts. The National Teachers' Union (NATU) said the intervention by the KwaZulu-Natal Premier was necessary. The union said its recent campaign, which included pickets at schools and district offices, has successfully pressured the provincial government to act on education funding. Thirona Moodley, provincial CEO of the National Professional Teachers' Organisation of South Africa, said the financial challenges in the province have a direct impact on teaching and learning. 'The silence of the department is deafening and unacceptable. The department has shown no effort to improve the current circumstances. We have no substitutes in schools, and schools are not being paid their financial allocations. How do we expect schools to function? The department has collapsed, and Napotosa calls on the DBE to urgently intervene as the province has failed. When will it be enough?' She added that there had been some disruption to exams due to the crisis, stating, 'Some schools did not have the resources to print exam papers, but I did not have many of my schools report this to me.' KZN Education Department spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi stated that they are in serious engagement with Sadtu. 'There is now common ground, and we are just attending to the modalities.' THE MERCURY
