By Rachel Mohamed There has been a lot of criticism of the first leg of the National Dialogue Convention, which concluded over the weekend at UNISA in Pretoria. One of the largest trade unions, the South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu), and ActionSA were not happy with the convention and chose to stay away from the convention, along with other national legacy foundations such as the Thabo Mbeki Foundation. […]
By Rachel Mohamed The Standing Committee on Local Government met this week to review public hearing comments and raise concerns about the Western Cape Monitoring and Support of Municipalities Amendment Bill. The bill aims to detect early signs of dysfunction in municipalities, but critics fear it could allow members of the executive council (MECs) to abuse their power. Prof (adj) Alex van der Heever of the Wits University School of […]
By Rachel Mohamed Green Connection has welcomed the Western Cape High Court’s decision to overturn the government’s approval of TotalEnergies’ Block offshore drilling plans. This follows the 2023 exploration permission granted in Block 5/6/7, located between Cape Town and Cape Agulhas. The court ruled that the environmental impact assessment (EIA) was fundamentally flawed, failing to address critical risks. Speaking to VOC News, Shahil Singh, Legal Advisor at Green Connection, expressed satisfaction […]
By Rachel Mohamed In a protest action held today at the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy's head office in Pretoria, Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA) hand-delivered its submissions opposing the amendments to the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) and the erosion of rights-based mining governance. This submission comes eight months after the Stilfontein Massacre, which the organisation stresses had a devastating effect on the mining […]
By Rachel Mohamed Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) has announced a review of its Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS). This announcement follows the release of the agency's most recent unemployment data, which showed that 140,000 people had lost their jobs this year alone and that the unemployment rate had increased by 0.3% to 33.2% in the second quarter of 2025. Speaking to VOC News, the Chief Director of Labour Statistics […]
By Rachel Mohamed From September 12–14, Cape Town will host the 4th Organisation of Islamic Cooperation–IRCICA–Awqaf SA International Conference at the Kirstenbosch Gardens Conference Centre. Scholars, historians, and cultural leaders from across Africa and the Muslim world are expected to attend the event. Zeinoul Aberdeen Cajee, CEO of Awqaf SA, told VOC News that the main participant in the conference is the Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture […]
By Rachel Mohamed In a joint media briefing, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition provided a significant update on the South African government’s response to the US tariffs and its plans to protect the country’s economic interests. The Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition’s Ministerial Spokesperson, Kaamil Alli, told VOC News that South Africa is regrettably bound by non-disclosure agreements with its US counterparts. […]
Local authorities arrested a man for the illegal possession of ammunition in Delft on Sunday. According to SAPS Spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg, the man was found in possession of a firearm magazine and four rounds of ammunition. Meanwhile, two suspects, aged 35 and 40, were arrested last Friday (8 August 2025) by the Melkbosstrand police for the murder of Malcolm Pather and are scheduled to appear at the Atlantis Magistrates' […]
By Rachel Mohamed The approval of a new nuclear power plant at Duynefontein in the Western Cape by Environmental Minister Dion George has been met with strong opposition from two environmental activists, Earthlife Africa and Green Connection. This comes after the utility cancelled a Koeberg project agreement to install steam generators at the nuclear power station. Speaking on VOC News, the Director of Earthlife Africa, Makoma Lekalakala, explained that as an […]
VOC became the first Muslim radio station in South Africa when a special events license was granted to the station in Ramadan/January 1995. Subsequent temporary broadcast licenses were granted, permitting the station to broadcast for 24 hours.
