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Here’s your daily news update for Thursday, 12 June 2025: An easy-to-read selection of our top stories.
Picture: iStock / The Citizen / Cheryl Kahla
In the news today, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa has announced the classification of a national state of disaster due to the recent bad weather.
Meanwhile, the Mpumalanga department of education has been lambasted for paying rent of R22 million a year to a private school that accommodates pupils with disabilities.
Furthermore, City Power has launched an registration campaign targeting 130 000 indigent households across Johannesburg, offering 50kWh of free electricity monthly to qualifying residents.
Weather tomorrow: 13 June 2025
Gauteng, Free State, and Northern Cape are expected to see cold mornings. Light rain and cloud cover are expected in Limpopo and Mpumalanga. Full weather forecast here.
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State of disaster classified in four provinces as floods claim 67 lives in Eastern Cape
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa has announced the classification of a national state of disaster due to the recent bad weather.
This comes after Hlabisa initially announced that 57 people had died in the Eastern Cape since Monday due to snowfall, wind and heavy rain.
“The figures of 57 are not just numbers. These are human beings. Some of them are breadwinners, and some of them are the only children in their respective families.”
Eastern Cape Cogta MEC Zolile Williams later said he received reports of more fatalities from across the province. Williams said this takes the death toll to 67.
CONTINUE READING: State of disaster classified in four provinces as floods claim 67 lives in Eastern Cape
MP Department of Education slated for R22 million annual school rent
The Mpumalanga department of education has been lambasted for paying rent of R22 million a year to a private school that accommodates pupils with disabilities, instead of building a facility that was promised 14 years ago.
This has angered education experts and the association representing disabled people who want the matter to be investigated.
Mpumalanga education MEC Cathy Dlamini confirmed during a recent education portfolio committee meeting that her department was paying Bukhosibetfu Private Boarding School in Nkomazi local municipality R22 million a year to teach and accommodate 253 deaf pupils.
Disabled People South Africa provincial chair Oupa Zitha accused the department of not taking the needs of pupils with disabilities seriously.
CONTINUE READING: MP Department of Education slated for R22 million annual school rent
City Power launches free basic electricity drive for Joburg residents: Here’s who qualifies
City Power has launched an ambitious registration campaign targeting 130 000 indigent households across Johannesburg, offering 50kWh of free electricity monthly to qualifying residents.
According to the utility, the registration initiative will run from 17 June to 31 July 2025.
The utility said this represents a comprehensive approach to addressing both affordability concerns among the city’s most vulnerable residents and its ongoing battles with revenue collection and infrastructure damage.
CONTINUE READING: City Power launches free basic electricity drive for Joburg residents: Here’s who qualifies
Another year, another decline in DStv subscribers: Will Canal+ be buying a shell?
Multichoice Group, parent company to DStv, has recorded another year of decline in subscribers. The announcement of another decline comes weeks after the Competition Commission approved the acquisition of the streaming company by French Media giant Canal+.
At the rate the streaming network is losing subscribers, Canal+ might find itself buying a shell.
Multichoice released its financial results for the year ended March 2025 on Wednesday, which revealed DStv lost subscribers, but not as many as the previous financial year.
The streaming network stated that the past two financial years have been a period of significant financial disruption for economies, corporations, and consumers across sub-Saharan Africa, due to challenging macroeconomic factors.
CONTINUE READING: Another year, another decline in DStv subscribers: Will Canal+ be buying a shell?
‘Luxury cloaked in secrecy’ – Ntshavheni explains why she won’t disclose her official travel expenses
Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, says she will not compromise national security for political expediency by disclosing information not meant for the public.
The minister was responding to ActionSA, which on Tuesday wrote to the Speaker of Parliament, Thoko Didiza, to demand urgent intervention and “defend the integrity of Parliament’s oversight role”.
The party sent a parliamentary question to the minister, requesting a breakdown of all her official travel and that of her deputy ministers since they assumed office on 3 July 2024.
CONTINUE READING: ‘Luxury cloaked in secrecy’ – Ntshavheni explains why she won’t disclose her official travel expenses
Here are five more stories of the day:
- Daughter pleads guilty to brutal murder of father in Limpopo
- WATCH: Video of pupil allegedly assaulted by KZN police during protest under investigation
- Eskom launches AI chatbot ‘Alfred’ to expedite fault reporting
- Man arrested for slitting mother’s throat, murdering grandmother
- Droom Troue fined R250 000 for turning brides’ wedding dreams into nightmares
