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File photo of the Ugu District Municipality building. (Photo by Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

Outa sounds alarm over new bills that ‘protect’ irregular appointments in local government

The civil society group said the bills were probably being written by legislators with ‘self interest and expediency’ in mind

File photo by Delwyn Verasamy)

A stench of failure: The sewage overflow crisis in South Africa’s municipalities

As cities grow, so does the volume of wastewater produced, placing immense strain on infrastructure ill-equipped to handle the load

Dr Kerhsen Pillay, CEO of GIFS

Victory for financial sector learners as certificates issued after months of delays

The Graduate Institute of Financial Science is fighting back against shoddy service delivery

File photo: The pilot project involves 39 public higher education institutions, including the University of Johannesburg and the University of the Western Cape. (Photo by Ihsaan Haffejee/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

NSFAS accommodation project is a ‘time bomb’ says Outa

The civil rights organisation says students have been asking it to intervene and warned if the crisis was not resolved fast, they would have no option but to protest

File photo

Delay in piloting of new driver’s licence cards as supplier is sought

The Department of Transport has not provided a new date for implementing of the pilot programme

Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande (Photo by Darren Stewart/Gallo Images via Getty Images)

Sue us, Outa tells Nzimande after accusing him of graft

The student funding scheme has accused the civil rights organisation of veering into politics and, like the minister, has threatened legal action

Higher education minister, Blade Nzimande.  File photo

NSFAS dismisses graft claims as Outa calls for Nzimande’s head

The taxpayer-funded scheme has accused the civil rights organisation of veering into politics and, with the higher education minister, has threatened legal action

The vicious cycle of NSFAS: A journey through corruption and hope

The real tragedy lies in the suffering of the students

Parliament grills NSFAS over student funding failures

The funds annual budget is just under R50 billion

About seven billion litres of sewage are released every day into rivers and dams. (Andy Mkosi)

Government has known about Hammanskraal time bomb for over a decade – OUTA

The problems date back to about 2008, when large quantities of raw sewage began flowing into the Apies River from the Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Works in Tshwane

The Jukskei River flows through the City of Johannesburg, including areas that are poorly serviced. Photos: Odd Andersen/Getty Images & Bafana Mahlangu/Gallo Images

Cholera: Sewage infrastructure failure worsens disease spread

Three cases in Gauteng were imported or import-related from Malawi but the increasing number of locally acquired cases is raising concerns

Scarce: People fill up water containers for home use from a well near Sudan’s most populous city, Omdurman, on 21 March, a day before Unesco’s World
Water Day, to focus attention on clean water and the sustainable use of water resources. Photo: Ashraf Shazly/Getty Images

Risk of water crisis looms – UN

Citizen activists have warned that the water situation in South Africa is ‘dire and precarious’

Wind energy is cost effective and pollution intolerant. One Megawatt of wind energy equates to 2 600 fewer tonnes of carbon emissions, in comparison with coal-fired energy generation. (Photo: Rodger Bosch/AFP)

Court cases ‘will not stop energy plan’

An energy action plan is slowly taking shape, with significant milestones reached recently, including obtaining a licence for Eskom’s new transmission company

Too little protection: Slain corruption fighter Babita Deokaran was not safe after making disclosures relating to personal protective equipment fraud at the Gauteng health department. (Fani Mahuntsi/Gallo Images)

Outa demands accountability for Deokaran assassination

Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse members protested at the Gauteng health department over corruption exposed by the whistleblower

Impofu Dam. (File photo)

Nelson Mandela Bay metro ‘failed to act on water crisis’

The dam levels have been low for years, the canal transferring water from the Orange River Project to the storage dam was not repaired and the metro rejected help from the state

Minister Of Transport Fikile Mbalula conducts a road safety operation. (Gallo Images)

Smart driver’s licence on the cards

The department of transport says it will issue the smart driver’s licence card by October

ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula.

Transport ministry to appeal Aarto Act driver demerit system ruling

Minister Fikile Mbalula says motorists’ behaviour will change with disincentives for ‘unbecoming conduct’, but Outa and AA say the legislation was carelessly drafted

More recently, the government chose to relinquish its majority stakeholding in SAA, after it became the first parastatal to go into business rescue. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

Public procurement law is not the problem – people are

The Zondo report delves into South Africa’s procurement web, as it tries to figure out why state-owned entities were able to be captured

Offshore oil and gas development in South Africa is governed, among others, by the National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998, as amended in 2022, and the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act.

Nersa approves Karpowership generation licences

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse has questioned why Nersa has not immediately provided its reasons for issuing the controversial generation licences

Everyone in South Africa lives downstream from a sewage discharge point into their drinking water supply, which is why the Blue and Green Drop reports are so important. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

Why we need the Blue and Green Drop reports: ‘Everyone in SA lives downstream from a sewage discharge point’

The last reports were in 2014 but were stopped probably because the results were too shocking to be publicised, water experts say