RC 260904702Africa Melane
Friday, 4 September 2026
Municipal dysfunction dominated the programme, with scrutiny of a €300 million loan, alongside refugee shelter demands, conservation jobs and Joburg Day preparations.
- 05:17
A €300 million concessional loan from France and Germany amounts to roughly five days of the eight metros’ annual R363 billion budgets, with Johannesburg’s electricity backlog alone near R40 billion.
- 05:20
Analyst Ofentse Donald Davy warned that borrowing to cover operating losses deepens municipal debt; reforms must improve billing, collections and maintenance, potentially through performance-based private operators.
- 04:27
Foreign nationals camping outside Durban’s Home Affairs refugee reception centre for three months asked government for temporary shelter, saying many have refugee or permanent-resident status and nowhere else to go.
- 04:50
Nature Connect marked 25 years after exposing more than 60,000 young people to nature and training 738, while highlighting urban conservation, river management and green-economy opportunities.
- 05:51
More than 12,000 people are expected at 947 Joburg Day on Saturday; gates open at 9am, performances run from 10am to 8pm, and a 500-person rugby fan zone opens at 3pm.