NEWS
Borehole shared
In a gesture aimed at benefiting the local community, the management of The Clarens Golf and Leisure Estate has agreed to return a borehole to the local Municipality. This decision follows an agreement made in December 2019, in which the estate was permitted to use a...
Efforts to secure a sustainable water supply are ramping up
The goal is to retrieve and process 3 million liters of water per day. Currently, the existing plant can handle just 1 million liters daily, but the new facility will meet the increased demand once operational. Six new boreholes have been drilled, five of which are...
The local hydropower plant is on track
Construction at Serengeti Energy's Boston Hydro project is progressing as planned, with attention shifting to preparations for the scheduled water outage of the Lesotho Highland Water Project from October 1 to March 31, 2025. This period will facilitate crucial...
Clarens Water Project Progress: Borehole Development Faces Yield and Power Challenges
In a meeting held on September 6, contractor Mr. Barnabas Mboweni of KLOK Engineering updated the Clarens Chamber of Commerce (CCC) on the ongoing development of six boreholes aimed at providing a sustainable water source for the town during the Lesotho Highlands...
No Show
Despite the local municipality sending out a notice for a water update meeting in the Kgubetswana Hall, none of their representatives attended the water meeting in Clarens on August 20, 2024. Jacquie Le Roux, Clarens Ratepayers Association (CRA), gave an update on the...
How important is the maintenance
Maintenance of the Lesotho Highlands water tunnel is the right thing to doProfessor Mike Miller, a professional engineer with experience in water management, discuss the maintenance of this tunnel, how crucial it is, and what exactly will be maintained. He said...
Lesotho Highlands Tunnel closure
During a media briefing in Pretoria earlier this year, the Department of Water and Sanitation highlighted the importance of an upcoming maintenance shutdown to ensure the longevity of a critical water tunnel. The last maintenance occurred in 2019, and this upcoming...
Reporting on 14/8 meeting
The Dihlabeng Municipality reported at the Stakeholder meeting held on August 14 as follows: Lesotho Highlands Water Tunnel Project The teams working on the project, both in Lesotho and South Africa, are confident that all tunnel construction will be completed by...
Not a single mun in the Free State has received a clean audit
For six consecutive years, not a single municipality in the Free State has received a clean audit, according to Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke. Among the 11 municipalities in financial distress is the struggling Dihlabeng Local Municipality. In her office’s 2021/22...
Fixing the pump station at Little Caledon
In a virtual meeting with members of this chamber, Ntate Lawrence Ramuwela from the Dihlabeng municipality disclosed that the extraction point at Little Caledon has been repeatedly vandalized since January 2023. The electricity supply has been fixed by Eskom. The...
Loadshedding beat
As a small town heavily reliant on tourism, residents and businesses have managed to avoid scheduled power outages for seven consecutive months. Gert Kruger, a chartered accountant and owner of Augos consulting company, led the effort. Augos facilitated Clarens'...
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Fraudster scams — five red flags that should raise your suspicions
Fraud refers to instances where documents have been forged or someone has been impersonated, such as identity theft, while a scam is when someone manages to successfully convince you to either provide your banking details, part with your money or help them access your funds.
“When we look at monetary values, however, the most money is lost to romance scams,” Manie van Schalkwyk, chief executive officer of the Southern African Fraud Prevention Society, said at a recent Daily Maverick Money Cents webinar.
Every Municipality Must Work
In a crucial address at the National Assembly Mini-Plenary, Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa presented the 2024/25 budget vote for the Departments of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) on Tuesday, 16 July 2024. Amid ongoing crises and ambitious plans for reform, the budget emphasises improving local government functionality and disaster response capabilities.
SA’s recovery depends on municipalities getting solid support from government
Addressing the deep-seated issues plaguing municipal finance is not only essential for improving service delivery and infrastructure but also for restoring public trust in local governance and our very democracy itself.