The SA Politics Thread Part 7 - The Truly GNU Dawn

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MKP will try and take the credit soon...
To be fair to them, they did put a hand, and if they do that more often they can actually have a chance of surviving for a few years after Zuma. It is actually good to see politicians doing something good, even if we know it's just politicking.
 
From today's ST - Part 1:

Macpherson wants government offices back in the city centres​

  • Sunday Times
  • 14 Jul 2024
  • By THABO MOKONE
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Picture: FacebookPublic works minister Dean Macpherson says he will closely monitor the management of the rebuilding of parliament, to ensure costs do not run out of control and that it’s completed on time.
Public works minister Dean Macpherson says he plans to stop government departments from renting offices in swanky areas such as Sandton and Umhlanga Rocks while leaving state-owned buildings empty in city centres.
Macpherson said in an interview this week that he does not need President Cyril Ramaphosa’s approval for this as the cabinet’s ministerial handbook gives him the executive authority to determine policy on offices and other accommodation for departments and state entities as well as cabinet ministers.
The government owns almost 5-million hectares of land and almost 90,000 properties, with a market value of almost R155bn.
But the newly appointed minister, who served for 10 years as DA shadow minister of trade and industry, has cast doubt on that property value, saying it should be significantly higher.
“That doesn’t make sense. I am not sure how you can have nearly 88,000 buildings and nearly 5-million hectares of land that is worth that. We need to look at what are these assets ... and how they are being valued.”
Macpherson, appointed by Ramaphosa as part of a power-sharing agreement between the DA and the ANC under the auspices of the government of national unity, said his early engagements with industry experts suggested to him government properties were undervalued.
“My discussions with the department about this are ongoing ... how to ensure that we are being given accurate information because ... these assets belong to the public and must be used for public good.” Their value needed to be fairly reflected, he said.
Macpherson, from Durban, criticised government departments and other public entities for choosing to rent offices in expensive areas while deserting government buildings, vowing this would come to an end under his watch.
“There are entities that are renting office space in Sandton for R150 per square metre when we’ve got office space that [can be occupied]. My own entities are not even using government buildings and that’s not okay. I am not going to say which entities because I am going to see them.
“If we are the managers of government assets and buildings, then our entities need to lead by example … the problem is departments want to have offices in Umhlanga Rocks because of sea views but our offices are in Durban central and are a fifth of the cost per square metre. It can’t be that way, we’ve got to decide in terms of what to prioritise, sea view or infrastructure.”
Shortly after his appointment, Macpherson made headlines when he announced that the government would no longer procure new houses for ministers and their deputies. This marked a departure from previous government practice, where the public works department shopped for ministerial homes in Cape Town and Pretoria, paying around R10m per house in some instances.
Macpherson said he had already communicated his spending cuts to his cabinet colleagues and did not need to consult them first.
He said the government had enough stock in its property portfolio to accommodate all 75 members of the expanded cabinet.
“The executive power I have being given, I can use. I don’t need cabinet approval to exercise that,” he said.
The department would continue carrying the costs of maintaining existing ministerial homes.
That area of government has been controversial, as it emerged that public works spent R750m on the maintenance and renovation of ministerial homes shortly after the election of the Ramaphosa administration in 2019.
“Where there are maintenance issues, we will attend to that because those are the properties of the state. But when it comes to furnishings, fittings and all that sort of thing, we’re not carrying that cost anymore. If a department wants to add a 60-inch [TV] into the house of minister, they can do that but we’re not going to be doing that anymore.”
Macpherson said he would chase down other government departments that owe public works R18bn in unpaid leases.
He would also closely monitor the management of the rebuilding of parliament, to ensure costs do not run out of control and that it’s completed on time.
Article Name:Macpherson wants government offices back in the city centres
Publication:Sunday Times
Section:News / Politics
Author:By THABO MOKONE
Start Page:8
End Page:8
 
From today's ST - Part 1:
Part 2:

Malatsi aims to stabilise troubled SOEs​

  • Sunday Times
  • 14 Jul 2024
  • By SISANDA MBOLEKWA
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Picture: FacebookNew minister of communications Solly Malatsi has criticised the litigious nature of the ICT sector, which he hopes to change.
Newly appointed communications and digital technologies minister Solly Malatsi says stabilising SOEs in his portfolio and introducing legislation that opens up competition in the sector are among his top priorities.
In an interview this week, Malatsi said he was already preparing to fill vacancies in a range of entities’ boards whose term is due to expire.
“There are a series of boards whose terms are coming to an end, so it is important for us to open and expedite filling those for stability in-house.
“The initial discovery is that there has been a lot of steady work that has been established, but there is still a lot of room for improvement — the governing and stability of SOEs and the department’s role in regulation and creation of legislation that enables market competition in the ICT sector and fosters the unlocking of economic opportunities in the digital economy.”
Malatsi criticised the litigious nature of the ICT sector, which he hopes to change.
“Communications is a sector that is huge, has competing interests that often are litigious. I believe that some of the differences, deadlocks and impasses that exist in the sector can be resolved with a very proactive approach to stakeholder engagement.”
As the much-anticipated date for the analogue switch-off approaches this December
— more than a decade after the initially planned November 2011 termination date — Malatsi said this was also one of his big projects.
“One of the priorities is going to be a decision regarding analogue switch-off, it is going to require us to look at it very carefully and action it in a very delicate manner.”
The minister expressed concerns over embattled entities in his care, from the cashstrapped Post Office to the stability of leadership in the SABC.
“We are going to look at the business rescue that is currently under way at the Post Office and explore ways of structuring [its] future ownership by making provision for government to still have a stake while opening it up to public-private partnerships for it to be financially sustainable in a market that is already competitive.
“The SABC has had a difficult past and it comes from controversies. What is refreshing is the sense of the current leadership, at group CEO level with Nomsa Chabeli and the new board chair — the focus has now been on the things that matter: positioning the SABC as competitive in the broadcasting space, improving its content offering and governing it well with the stability it needs.”
Malatsi said it was important for a public broadcaster to be financially sustainable and competitive.
He expressed a determination to protect its editorial independence and promised zero interference.
Malatsi said that during his first 100 days in office he would also be paying attention to the issue of sports broadcasting rights.
“We need to have certainty around the structure of sports broadcasting rights and how those are managed and resolved. The industry and the public also need this level of certainty.”
Article Name:Malatsi aims to stabilise troubled SOEs
Publication:Sunday Times
Section:News / Politics
Author:By SISANDA MBOLEKWA
Start Page:8
End Page:8
 
The one in the article and in your link is the municipal manager, it's a hollow victory for the municipality and Dunga is just gloating because he thinks everyone is stupid, the municipality actually regressed under his tenure.

Sure, being Municipal manager has taken its toll, unless these 2 pics are 20+ years apart. This reminded me of Obama, before & after.
1720949834196.png 1720949863680.png
 
Natalians, it's up to you to testify if this is a true reflection of what is happening on the ground, I am only qualified to speak on Joburg and most importantly, Tshwane ya Mamelodi.

At best it's lipstick on a pig.

It's all well and good having a clean promenade but if the rivers are still spewing shyte into the bay then it's pointless.

They need to fix the basic infrastructure while keeping the tourist place neat and tidy.
 
Natalians, it's up to you to testify if this is a true reflection of what is happening on the ground, I am only qualified to speak on Joburg and most importantly, Tshwane ya Mamelodi.


Just came back from Durban and as always it's pretty clean all-round, as I've always said it's paradise. I'm loving the mega projects there and how they coming along.....

The infrastructure needs some work, but the DA will get it right. Natalians are helping in keeping the city clean and working and the municipality is failing on major points which is in contrast to Tshwane where Pretorians litter and destroy the city and the municipality tries it's best to fix things.


Good to see progress. North beach & moses mabhida stadium ? I hardly go there once in 6 years so can only speculate.

I wouldn't call it progress, it's always been well maintained, clean and safe.
 
Pity that rural safety and the Land Bank is not under Dept. Agriculture..... If it was we would see an explosion of production.
I disagree. Land Bank is financial and should be under Finance (all I could find is this that says it is under direct Treasury jurisdiction).

Rural safety links back to policing.
 
Just came back from Durban and as always it's pretty clean all-round, as I've always said it's paradise. I'm loving the mega projects there and how they coming along.....

The infrastructure needs some work, but the DA will get it right. Natalians are helping in keeping the city clean and working and the municipality is failing on major points which is in contrast to Tshwane where Pretorians litter and destroy the city and the municipality tries it's best to fix things.




I wouldn't call it progress, it's always been well maintained, clean and safe.
Er, not quite. Several recent warnings of attacks on early morning cyclists and runners under the bridge at Blue Lagoon and on the bridge over the Umgeni.
 
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