City of Joburg scraps prepaid levy It’s good news for Joburg residents. The City of Joburg has decided to scrap the R200 levy it intended charging all pre-paid meters customers for the next financial year. This is in spite of the collection of revenue not going well with rates this month , with only R1.8 …
FITA’s court bid to have cigarette ban overturned, dismissed with costs The High Court in Pretoria has dismissed with costs an application by the Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association to have government’s ban on the sale of tobacco products overturned. FITA argued that cigarettes should be viewed as essential on the basis that tobacco is …
Man climbs 15m pole to ‘steal’ valuable train metal in broad daylight On Wednesday afternoon, TimesLIVE filmed a man on top of an overhead mast in Bonteheuwel, Cape Town. In broad daylight, he was disassembling the remnants of infrastructure left along Cape Town’s Central train line which services millions of people in Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain …
Poor leadership and a lack of accountability are the culprits behind yet another year of dismal financial outcomes in local municipalities. Poor leadership and a lack of accountability are the culprits behind yet another year of dismal financial outcomes in local municipalities. The latest municipal audit results, presented to the NCOP on Wednesday 24 June, …
Focus areas for small businesses to achieve success post-lockdown As South Africa gradually opens the economy, it may be a little too late for many business owners. According to the latest survey by the South African SME Finance Association (Sasfa), the majority of small businesses in the country will close their doors due to the …
New tax increases necessary to deal with South Africa’s debt: Mboweni While South Africa has a number of strengths which will help it get through turbulent times, its greatest weakness remains its high level of debt, says finance minister Tito Mboweni. In his supplementary budget speech on Wednesday (26 June), Mboweni said that the country has accumulated …
Madonsela also recommends government perform a risk assessment on the impact of laws or policies on society before making them official. Professor Thuli Madonsela, as part of the Social Justice and Covid-19 Policy and Relief Monitoring Alliance (SCOPRA), has highlighted shortfalls in the implementation of the Disaster Management Act (DMA) during the Covid-19 pandemic. Following the …
The then R20bn cash reserves Ald. Neilson had his hands full and finally admitted in April 2020 during the COVID 19 pressure the investment of R20bn in cash reserves. (Cape Town’s looming financial crunch as Covid-19 throttles income streams – Daily Maverick)Prior to April 2020, the Cost Coverage Ratio was reported at 3:1. (See below) …
Dodging questions: Dlamini-Zuma does not have available the reasons a state of disaster was declared Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma does not have the reasons why the Covid-19 pandemic was declared a national disaster available. The “scientific rationale” relied on to ban the sale of tobacco products is also not available, nor …
Strandfontein desalination plant decommissioned by City of Cape Town Cape Town – The Stranfontein temporary desalination plant was decommissioned by the City of Cape Town last Wednesday after providing 3,8 billion litres to the city over a period of two years. Two years on from the commissioning of the Strandfontein desalination plant, during the worst drought in Cape …