Cabinet satisfied with preparations for LGE

Cabinet has expressed satisfaction with government’s preparations ahead of the local government elections (LGE).

Briefing the media in Pretoria following this week’s cabinet meeting, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says that co-ordination between local, provincial and national government spheres is in place to support a free, fair and credible electoral process.

She has however lamented violence ahead of the polls, which has seen the killing of at least five councillors across the country.

“Cabinet welcomed ongoing measures to improve voter participation, combat misinformation and ensure operational readiness and encouraged all South Africans to participate in the democratic process by exercising their right to vote. Cabinet has condemned the recent killing of councillors and appreciated the swift response of the law enforcement agencies in finding perpetrators of these heinous crimes. Cabinet called on all South Africans to uphold political tolerance, reject intimidation reject violence and reject any conduct that undermines the credibility of the electoral process as the country prepares for the 2026 local government elections.”

Eskom

Government has lauded improvements in Eskom’s performance which has seen 467 consecutive days without loadshedding since 16 May 2025.

Ntshavheni says that the power utility’s performance is at its highest levels since 2020, with unplanned outages declining by 40%.

She says government is also committed to reducing the cost of energy.

“Cabinet calls on all South Africans to make submissions on the draft revised Electricity Pricing policy which is currently open for public comment. The proposed policy measures are aimed at reducing the cost of electricity while maintaining cost reflective tariffs and protecting vulnerable households and strategic and economic sectors.”

Nepal floods

Meanwhile, government says it is monitoring developments related to the flooding disaster in Nepal, where six South Africans are reported to be unaccounted for.

They are among 1 400 missing people following the devastating floods on Wednesday.

It saw thousands of homes, shopping malls and businesses razed to the ground after a glacier collapsed near the Nepal-Tibet border.

Ntshavheni says: “We all recognise that the situation in Nepal is still a live situation wherein the disaster is not yet averted and we are talking to our missions that are close around the area in China so that we can make sure that South Africans that are stranded can find assistance from the Department of International Cooperation; and we will update as soon as there are developments.”