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ActionSA announced on Wednesday that will be collaborating with the Forum 4 Service Delivery (F4SD) party, amending its interim constitution to establish the position of an ActionSA deputy president, which F4SD president Dr Mbahare Kekana will take up.

ActionSA president Herman Mashaba pointed out that shortly after his party's refusal to join the Government of National Unity (GNU), and the party's exit from the Multi-Party Charter, Kekana approached him to discuss the possibility of the two parties coming together.

"I have been impressed by his vision and his selflessness in doing what he knows is correct for his party, its supporters and the people who look to the Forum 4 Service Delivery for leadership," he said.

Mashaba said F4SD was a natural first choice for ActionSA.

"…while not represented in Parliament, its makeup is entirely oriented to local government, as its name suggests. Without any resources of any kind, it managed to be the 10th and 16th largest political party in South Africa in 2016 and 2021 respectively while only contesting a limited number of municipalities. In both elections the Forum 4 Service Delivery won over 80 000 votes," he pointed out.

Founded in 2015, the F4SD cut its political teeth in the 2016 local government elections where it won several municipal seats.

The F4SD currently has thirty-eight municipal seats in North West, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and Free State, eight MMCs and eight chairpersons of Municipal Public Accounts Committees.

The organisation has over 42 000 members, structures in six provinces and has enjoyed relatively stable leadership over the past 10 years, said ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont.

"…it is also important to say that they bring leadership, and leadership is not something that you can quantify in a way that you can, with votes and seats," highlighted Beaumont.

He said Kekana and the members of the F4SD were going to be important assets to ActionSA, and strong leaders in the country's political future.

Beaumont noted the mutual agreement between the parties, clarifying that the two organisations would campaign under the banner and identity of ActionSA.

Members of the F4SD will be encouraged to join ActionSA.

F4SD councillors will take up dual membership until the end of their term of office, with Beaumont explaining that these councillors will begin the work of governing under ActionSA policy and its constitution.

He announced that a joined elective conference will be held in future, in which these organisations will formally come together.

In the intervening period there will be an amalgamation of structures in which the presidents of the two organisations will determine the leaders at regional, provincial and national levels.

Mashaba pointed out that ActionSA had begun engagements with "like-minded" political parties with the explicit strategy of exploring opportunities to cooperate and unite the opposition space.

"…while it is still early days, I am delighted to report that there is growing political will to engage in these discussions with the aim of prioritising the needs and best interests of South Africans," he said.

SERVICE DELIVERY

Kekana said service delivery in rural municipalities was in shambles, accusing the African National Congress (ANC) of not being ready to co-govern, particularly in areas where it was in coalition with other political parties.

He further claimed that opposition parties in rural areas were "very weak and are bulldozed and forced into maladministration".

He pointed to the millions in fruitless expenditures wasted yearly, and said public officials were only interested in self-enrichment and lacked required educational skills to address service delivery.

"…as we are beginning in this journey today, the poor have no hope of being serviced, struggling with jobs, the poor are struggling with water, roads, electricity. This journey is not about ActionSA, is not about Forum 4 Service Delivery, this journey is a cal...

The Information Regulator (Regulator) of South Africa has given the Department of Basic Education (DBE) until close of business on Tuesday to provide it with the requested information regarding the alleged security breach concerning matric results.

The Regulator wrote to the DBE to request confirmation of the incident after it was made aware of social media posts alleging that matric results were being sold to the public on a private website for R100, ahead of its official release by the Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube.

The Regulator expressed concerns that personal information of learners may have been "unlawfully" accessed and compromised.

The Regulator said it cannot yet address the specifics of the security compromise on personal information until the DBE has fulfilled its obligations under Section 22 of the Protection of Personal Information Act, No 4 of 2013 (Popia).

"Section 22 of Popia states that when a responsible party has suffered a security compromise, the public or private body must notify the Regulator within a reasonable time.

"Section 22 also requires that the responsible party, such as the DBE, should notify both the Regulator and data subject(s) of the security compromise that it has suffered. The Regulator has not yet received such a notification from the DBE," it explained.

The Regulator says it takes seriously any unlawful access to, and usage of, personal information of data subjects.

The security compromise of learners' personal information under the custody of the DBE is no different, it says.

Traders scaled back their bets for South Africa's interest rate cuts this year, with markets now pricing in only one as they decipher the Federal Reserve's preference to move slower on rates and US president-elect Donald Trump's path on tariffs.

Forward-rate agreements, used to speculate on borrowing costs, are now pricing in just a single 25-basis-point rate cut in 2025, at the central bank's January 30 monetary policy committee meeting.

Marek Drimal, a strategist at Societe Generale in London, said in a note to clients the central bank may even delay the cut until March due to less favourable market and external financial conditions.

His and the market's view is contrary to what most economists expect for this year. They foresee two 25 basis point cuts this quarter to 7.25% and another by the third, bringing the bank's total reductions since it started its easing cycle in September to 125 basis points.

Governor Lesetja Kganyago has repeatedly said the monetary policy committee would proceed with caution on rates as the outlook remains uncertain, even as its modelling signals further cuts on the horizon.

"We should not be creating uncertainty by making moves that we would later regret," he said in an interview with CNBC Africa last month.

Since the MPC's last meeting on November 21, the rand has weakened 4.5% against the dollar on concerns that the Fed would make fewer rate cuts than expected because of the strong US economy and Trump's tariff threats.

The weaker rand has already led to higher gasoline prices and may impact the central bank's 4% inflation forecast for this year. It prefers to anchor inflation expectations at the 4.5% midpoint of its target range.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has commended the matric class of 2024 on multiple "unprecedented achievements", which he says bears testimony to learners' personal commitment and advances in the basic education sector, calling on government and civil society partners to provide opportunities to learners.

The class of 2024 achieved a record 87.3% matric pass rate, the highest in the country's history, while Independent Examinations Board (IEB) candidates achieved a pass rate of 98.47%.

The national pass rate for the NSC increased from 82.9% in 2023.

67% of Bachelor passes were achieved by learners from Quintile 1 to 3 schools (no-fee schools), while 319 651 distinctions were achieved.

Ramaphosa pointed out that in 2024, 615 429 learners passed the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, surpassing the pass rate at any other time in the country's history.

"The achievements of the Class of 2024 are a proud contribution to and evidence of our progress as a nation during 30 years of freedom and democracy. These results reinforce our resolute development of our nation's most valuable resource, our young people. They also provide proof that we are undoing apartheid's planned legacy of intergenerational indignity, disadvantage and poverty for the majority of South Africans," he said.

He added that these results demonstrated the "agency, resilience and pride" of South Africa's youth to create a better future for themselves.

He said government must work with civil society partners to ensure that learners are able to take up as many opportunities they can create for learners to succeed.

MATRIC RESULTS REACTIONS

The African National Congress (ANC) celebrated the "outstanding achievements" of the matric class of 2024, saying their success stood as a testament to the transformative power of the party's policies.

"These achievements reflect decades of targeted ANC policies, from introducing no-fee schools, which now boast an 85.8% pass rate, to expanding access to school nutrition programmes and addressing resource inequalities. The Class of 2024 has further demonstrated that these interventions work: 319 651 distinctions were achieved, with significant gains in critical subjects such as Mathematics," explained ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri.

Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Basic Education chairperson Joy Maimela said the steady improvement in the NSC average pass rate attests to the education system's maturation and bodes well for the sector's future in the country.

The committee also welcomed that every province improved its pass rate, which she said was a testament to hard work within the system and dedication of stakeholders.

PROPOSED STRATEGIES

However, Maimela highlighted the need for strategies to enhance enrolment in technical subjects, saying this was critical to producing learners inclined to meet current labour and market needs.

"While the improvement in the overall results is welcomed, the committee highlighted concerns with the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training (Umalusi's) information that 407 pupils were caught cheating during the 2024 matric exams. The committee has highlighted the continued need for the sector to raise awareness among learners on the dangers of cheating and its possible future impact on individuals," she said.

EDUCATIONAL INEQUALITY

The GOOD Party called on the Western Cape government to prioritise education and save teacher posts, with GOOD secretary-general Brett Herron pointing out that although the province achieved an improved pass rate of 86.6%, it remained below the national rate of 87.3%, with a provincial ranking of fifth place.

"…despite its overall performance, the province did have successes. Pinelands High boasted the top achiever of all public schools and all 3 of the country's top achievers in the 5th quintile - schools that cater for the least poor 20% of learners - were from the Western Cape.

"The sobering reality is that ...

ActionSA on Monday demanded an urgent Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) investigation into Crime Intelligence's reported use of about R23-million of taxpayer funds on purchasing a luxury hotel in Pretoria.

ActionSA MP Dereleen James noted a News24 exposé, in which South African Police Service (Saps) Crime Intelligence, spent a staggering R22.7-million on a luxury boutique hotel, "misusing funds meant for covert operations in what is, by all accounts, an egregious abuse of police resources".

She said, shockingly, the revelation came at a time when Crime Intelligence was grappling with resource constraints, leaving the division exposed to critical inefficiencies.

"…consequently, officers are severely under-resourced and unable to perform their duties effectively, while Saps's crime detection and prevention efforts are severely hampered by gross mismanagement and blatant abuse of power and resources," she stated.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday that government will use the upcoming G20 summit to profile and actively promote South Africa as a tourism destination of choice, saying the tourism sector has significant potential.

South Africa assumed the G20 Presidency on December 1, 2024 and will host the G20 Leaders' Summit later this year.

Ramaphosa wrote in his weekly letter to the nation that government is scaling up a range of tourism promotion strategies to restore inbound tourism figures to pre-pandemic levels.

He said these strategies included an improved tourism visa regime, streamlining the tour operator licence process, increased investment in tourism infrastructure and services, and improving safety and security at tourism sites.

"Following a slump in tourism numbers because of the Covid-19 pandemic, inbound tourism is on the rise. In 2023, South Africa recorded around 8.5-million international tourist arrivals. These visitors spent over R95-billion," he said.

He pointed out that domestic tourism was the mainstay of the tourism economy, highlighting that between January and July last year, South Africans took over 21-million trips to explore their country.

Last year, the World Economic Forum ranked South Africa as Africa's premier tourism destination.

Ramaphosa highlighted that this was owing to factors such as the country's business operating environment, IT and tourism infrastructure and services.

He said the country's tourism sector employed about 1.5-million people directly and indirectly, pointing to the Presidential Employment Stimulus, which he said continued to support job creation by providing work opportunities for young people as tourism monitors and by supporting tourism-related small, medium-sized, and microenterprises.

He said a partnership between government, business and communities could ensure the country's natural splendour became a driver of economic growth, job creation and shared prosperity.

The Government of National Unity had identified tourism growth as a vital part of creating employment, he pointed out.

In October last year, Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille released a new White Paper on the Development and Promotion of Tourism in South Africa, which Ramaphosa said would guide government's approach to building a sustainable, competitive and inclusive tourism industry.

"Tourism is a growth area for small business development. In line with the global shift towards sustainability, figures from South African Tourism show that increasing numbers of new tourism ventures are centred around sustainable tourism and eco-friendly business practices," he explained.

South Africa's natural endowment was an integral part of the country's national heritage, he said.

"…it is an asset to our economy that every year draws millions of tourists from around the world to our shores. Beyond the substantial natural resource endowments of our beaches, national parks and biodiversity conservation areas, cultural and heritage tourism is also thriving in South Africa," he added.

Education standards quality assurance council Umalusi is pleased that while there were no detected cases of paper leakages, or other irregularities that could have compromised the overall credibility and integrity of the 2024 national examinations, it did note a high absenteeism rate in some examinations.

As matric learners anticipate their matric results on Tuesday, Umalusi approved the release of the results and, in a media briefing, revealed that out of the 880 209 candidates who were registered to write the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination under the Department of Basic Education (DBE), 810 900 wrote their exams.

"…that implies that 69 309, or 7.9%, of the registered students were absent from the examinations. The 810 900 candidates who sat for the examinations include 704 401 full-time candidates and 106 499 part-time candidates," said Umalusi council chairperson Professor Yunus Ballim.

The examination was written across 6 933 centres across the nine provinces.

The DBE presented results of 68 subjects for standardisation, and, after careful analysis of the numerical evidence and narrative reports presented, the Amended Senior Certificate (ASC) arrived at the decisions that raw marks were accepted for fifty-three subjects (77.9%).

"A year-on-year comparison shows a clear pattern of an upward trend in the number of subjects for which raw marks were accepted over the last four years. This is a clear signal that the system continues to produce consistent and reliable results over time," explained Ballim.

Umalusi CEO Dr Mafu Rakometsi said the council was concerned with "the persistent phenomenon" of some teachers and principals refusing to allow registered learners to write examinations in particular subjects.

"Anecdotally, this practice is motivated by the desire to improve results. This is unlawful and Umalusi advises the affected learners and parents or guardians to report such incidents to the relevant authorities," Rakometsi stated.

Umalusi had received a report from the DBE stating that an independent school allowed 30 candidates who did not pass Grade 11 to register for the Grade 12 examinations.

It also received reports from the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), which revealed that 128 private colleges administered the N2-N3 examinations despite those colleges not being accredited by Umalusi.

For that reason, Umalusi had directed the DHET to investigate the matter and furnish Umalusi with a full report, said Rakometsi, who pointed out that almost 365 N2-N3 candidates in the private college sector were reported to have been involved in acts of copying.

He highlighted that while there had been a reduction in the number of reported cases of group copying in the DBE, Umalusi was concerned that KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga were once again at the top of the list with 195 and 74 implicated candidates respectively.

This is a decrease from 945 in 2023 to 407 in 2024.

Meanwhile, a total of 1 060 852 candidates sat for the 2024 end of year examinations. Of these candidates, 227 859, or 21.5%, wrote the NC(V) L2-L4 examinations, N2-N3 examinations or the GETC: ABET examinations.

MARKING CONCESSIONS

Rakometsi pointed to year-on-year increase in the number of marking concessions that the DHET applied for. He said for the 2024 examinations Umalusi received marking concessions in 19 subjects compared to 17 in 2023.

A marking concession is when an assessment body makes a request to Umalusi to have certain questions that are found to be 'problematic' during the marking process to be excluded either entirely or partly and upscaling the total marks achieved using conversion tables.

"What is problematic about this practice is that it has the likelihood of negatively affecting the overall standard of the question papers concerned," Rakometsi explained.

Umalusi urged all role players to put in place stringent measures to prevent the recurrence of all the issues, highlighting that if left unattended, the laps...

While the Democratic Alliance (DA) has welcomed the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition's approach on compensating whistleblowers who suffer serious losses because of their contribution to cleaning up corruption, the party is calling for a department-wide policy.

In a reply to a DA Parliamentary Question, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau confirmed that the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) will compensate whistleblowers who helped expose up to R2-billion of corrupt grants.

This comes as a result of whistleblowers being dismissed from work, suffering great torment and financial losses in the whistleblowing process.

DA spokesperson on Trade, Industry & Competition Toby Chance said the approach is not good enough that it only happens sporadically, and in this case only for the NLC.

"As a prime example, this policy must extend to the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) which has been plagued by allegations of governance and management failures, brought to the DA's attention by numerous whistleblowers since August 2024. As they suffer similar fates to their colleagues at the NLC, they too should have recourse to a department-wide policy of whistleblower compensation," stated Chance.

Further, he has written to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition Mswandile Masina, requesting him to summon Tau to account to the committee for his inaction in appointing an independent inquiry to investigate the allegations against SABS executives and board members.

Masina has agreed to the request in principle, but a date is yet to be set for the meeting.

"It is imperative that clean and transparent governance becomes the norm in our State institutions. One way of achieving that is to give whistleblowers the confidence that the information they reveal, once confirmed for its veracity, will result in their fair and just treatment in the hands of their employers and law enforcement agencies," highlighted Chance.

Gauteng MEC for the Department of e-Government Bonginkosi Dhlamini is encouraging Gauteng learners to make use of the new Gauteng Matric Results Online System, as eager matriculants await the release of the results on January 14.

The website will allow learners, parents, and educators immediate access to matriculation examination results, while adhering to the right to privacy for matriculants.

Dhlamini highlighted the critical role of technology in transforming the education landscape.

"The Gauteng Matric Results Online System is a testament to our commitment to using technology to improve education in Gauteng. This platform makes it easier to access results, and provides the right privacy needed by the matriculants and guardians," he said.

Results can be accessed with digital devices via the new, user-friendly website, using matriculants' examination numbers.

Dhlamini further emphasised the system's contribution to transparency in education.

"This initiative aligns with our broader vision of creating an open and accessible education system. By providing instant access to matriculation results, we are encouraging a culture of transparency and accountability in our education through digital transformation," he said.

The website can be accessed here.

Deputy President Paul Mashatile on Friday promised that government will invest in speedy policy execution and implementation to ensure that the critical transformation policy contributions made by South Africa's first democratic Minister of Education Professor Sibusiso Bengu are not undermined and that they continue to drive change in the sector.

Bengu was bestowed a Special Official Category 2 Funeral by President Cyril Ramaphosa, following his death on December 30, at the age of 90.

Mashatile delivered the eulogy at the funeral, which was held at the University of Zululand, in KwaZulu-Natal, where he said Bengu introduced many key pieces of legislation that shaped democratic South Africa's education system.

In transforming the country's education system, Mashatile said government will ensure that the full implementation of the controversial Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act takes place as soon as possible.

Ramaphosa signed the BELA Bill into law, in September last year, despite a significant degree of public rejection and concern over its constitutionality.

He placed on hold two clauses of the Bill for three months to find solutions to the concerns around them.

Should no solutions be found, it will be implemented fully, he said.

Some political parties and civil society organisations have been vocal about the Bill, saying in its current form, it would deprive children of mother-tongue education in single-medium schools.

Mashatile noted that the BELA law grants provincial education departments greater control over school admission policies, language practices, and codes of conduct, while respecting the cultural and religious beliefs of learners.

"The BELA Acts seeks to ensure that in line with the changing socio-political, economic, and geographical landscape in South Africa, all learners have equal and fair access to quality basic education that the country can offer," he said.

He pointed out that government's goal is to create much-needed employment while also ensuring that many young people have meaningful participation in the economy.

Mashatile said government's task is to ensure that the State, as well as institutions of higher education, and the private sector, will expand the ten growth sectors, which include finance, manufacturing, agriculture, business.

He said government will focus on growing an inclusive economy and reducing the cost of living.

BENGU'S LEGACY

In honouring Bengu, Mashatile said government is reaching out to the intelligentsia in society, particularly in universities, to continue to work with the government to deal with societal and economic challenges.

As the first Minister of Education in a democratic South Africa, Bengu played a pivotal role in the transformation of a deeply "flawed and unequal" education system of the apartheid era, Mashatile noted.

He added that Bengu's notable contributions include his advocacy for inclusive governance and for solving society's inherent injustices.

"As a champion of education, Prof Bengu has been instrumental in demolishing the apartheid structure of our country's education sector. In multiple ways, Prof Bengu exemplified perfection, and never undermined any task or responsibilities assigned to him. He served in every portfolio with the intention of improving the lives of the majority, never accepting a position out of self-interest," Mashatile said.

Government is also encouraging the student fraternity, to maintain its position at the forefront of finding enduring solutions to the country's challenges, as they have done in the past.

"As the Professor has taught us, we should understand the connection between education and development. We must continue to address challenges related to access to better education. An educated society has better prospects for a better future and breaking the shackles of poverty and injustice.

"Educated populations correspond with national economic growth and, both directly and indirectly, increase economic productivity,"...