Malema demands a change in the Springbok Rugby Team’s name and symbol.
Julius Malema, the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), has reportedly demanded that the rugby team from South Africa, the Springboks, change their team name and emblem. Malema argues that in order to more accurately reflect South Africa’s democratic values, the Springbok name and logo should be changed because they are vestiges of apartheid. Malema said these things following the World Cup rugby match in France, where the Springboks defeated the All Blacks of New Zealand. The only team to win four world titles since the tournament’s inception is the Boks.
12,000 Eastern Cape Students Are Made to Walk Alone to School
12,000 students are being forced to walk more than 10 km to schools throughout the province because the Eastern Cape transport department is finding it difficult to meet the demand for scholar transport due to a limited budget, according to News24.Out of the 137,000 students in need of transportation, the department ferries 125,000, citing a budget deficit of R694 million as the reason for the shortfall. Without access to scholar transportation, the kids—some of them as young as six—must cross treacherous rivers and dense undergrowth in order to get to school. The Auditor-General has called for the adoption of digital systems and enhanced oversight due to concerns regarding the shortcomings of internal control and the misappropriation of public funds in relation to student transportation.
Roads Agency Officials Jet Off to Prague Despite Budget Shortfall
According to Carol Paton’s exclusive News24 report, the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has been underspending on non-toll roads for the last four years and has canceled R9.3 billion worth of tenders because of difficulties with the procurement process. Sanral spent R3.1 million to send 29 officials to an international conference in Prague last month, in direct violation of Treasury regulations despite these financial difficulties. Sanral’s inability to reach its road targets is another indication of its poor financial performance. The financial sustainability of Sanral has drawn the attention of the Auditor-General due to restrictions imposed by the Treasury on the use of funds that have been allotted. Notwithstanding these problems, the board chair of Sanral made R3.1 million in 2022–2023—double the amount of chairs at Transnet and Eskom.
