KwaZulu-Natal Govt Raises Alarm Over Bus Crashes
The KwaZulu-Natal provincial government has expressed concern over the rising number of bus accidents in the province, reports EWN. This follows a tragic crash in Vryheid, where a bus carrying Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) supporters collided with a truck, killing 10 and injuring 38. The group was returning from a Youth Day rally in Umlazi. Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli said that such accidents have become alarmingly frequent in the province and extended condolences to the victims’ families and the EFF.
MPs Question Delay in the Bela Act Regulations
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube says her department is on track to publish the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Act regulations by the end of June 2025, reports IOL. She clarified that the Act, signed into law in December 2024, is already in effect, including clauses on language and admissions. However, MPs raised concerns about the delay in publishing regulations, especially on language and admissions. Gwarube said that drafting regulations is a legal process handled by the department’s legal team and the Chief State Law Advisor. She said guidelines were already promised last year and the regulations would be released for public comment by June’s end. Committee members called for updates on how many schools have submitted language policies, with Gwarube noting that only one Free State school is currently going through a policy change.
Gift of the Givers Urges Safer Housing After Eastern Cape Floods
Gift of the Givers has urged that future housing developments in the flood-hit Eastern Cape avoid low-lying areas and riverbanks, which are highly vulnerable to disasters, reports EWN. Over 2,600 people in Mthatha have been left homeless and are currently being accommodated at various shelters. Gift of the Givers’ Ali Salbay said that families who built homes along riverbanks were bound to be the most severely affected as rivers and dams swell and overflow in stormy weather. He said that this should be a wake-up call for residents and the government to plan for better housing development.
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