The City of Cape Town has called for urgent funding certainty, amid reports that the national Government is phasing out the Public Transport Network Grant (PTNG), which the Metro says threatens the viability of the MyCiTi bus service and could halt expansion plans.

Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has written to Transport Minister Barbara Creecy and Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to get clarity on the matter.

Hill-lewis says Cape Town’s MyCiTi is the most successful service of its kind, accounting for 42% of all passenger trips on Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) nationally.

However, uncertainty over national grant funding jeopardises both existing MyCiTi bus services and the major new Cape Flats route expansion, set to benefit over 1,4 million residents across 30 neighbourhoods, from Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha, to Wynberg and Claremont.

“MyCiTi ridership has grown by 68% since 2021 to 23 million passenger trips annually, and is set to reach 30 million once the Cape Flats extension begins operating.”

The Mayor says while he understands the need for national funding reforms, especially where other BRT systems have failed, successful bus services, like the MyCiTi, must be protected for the sake of the commuters who rely on them.

“The state should not throw out the baby with the bathwater, by cutting funding to successful BRT services along with all the unsuccessful ones.”

Hill-Lewis says long-term certainty and performance-based funding for MyCiTi and other successful programmes are required.

R7,1 billion has already been committed to infrastructure for the new Cape Flats route expansion. The next step is to convert this new infrastructure into actual passenger service, including bus fleet procurement, which is now at risk due to national cuts to the PTNG, which is set to be phased out at the end of 2027/28.

During Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s delivery of the 2025 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) on 12 November, he confirmed the PTNG had not met its objective, and it will be replaced with better-targeted support.

R8.4 billion will be cut over three years from underperforming metro projects.

Since the 2010/11 financial year, the government has allocated about R84 billion in grant funding to projects in cities including Cape Town, Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini, George, Nelson Mandela Bay, Polokwane, and Rustenburg.

As the Stellenbosch community mourns the death of a 12-year-old boy earlier this week, locals are hoping this prompts authorities to heighten traffic control measures along Polkadraai Road.  

The young boy, identified as Calvin Jansen, was tragically struck by two vehicles while trying to cross the road at around 06:50 on Wednesday morning. 

The Western Cape SAPS spokesperson, Ndakhe Gwala, said the circumstances of the case are being investigated under a charge of culpable homicide. 

“According to reports, a 12-year-old boy was waiting for his school transport when he crossed the road and was ran over by two vehicles, one after another,” said Gwala. 

The boy was declared dead on the scene.   

The Stellenbosch Community Policing Forum CPF said the tragedy follows ongoing calls from locals to address speeding on that road.  

“Locals have been calling for speed control measures for months, provincial government must address this urgently before there is another fatality,” said Pelser.  

Local media house, Eikestad Nuus, reports that nearly a month before this incident, a 48-year-old man, who was a pedestrian, died after being struck by a motorcycle along the same road.  

On the day of the incident, Vlottenburg Primêre Skool, where Calvin attended, shared the school community’s heartbreak over the incident on social media.  

“It is with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to a beloved learner from Vlottenburg Primary School. Although his time was short, his memory will always live on in our hearts and in the history of our school. Our sincere sympathy to his family and loved ones. We carry you in our prayers and are thinking of you at this time of great loss. Rest in peace, beautiful son.”  

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The dismissal of Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe has been widely welcomed.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced he had fired the Minister less than an hour before a Parliamentary Q&A where he would face questions on the allegations against her.

Ramaphosa told MPs during the Q&A session he had carefully considered all reports on the allegations, including accusations of maladministration and failing to declare donations to Parliament, before deciding to remove her from Cabinet.

He said he had requested a report from Tolashe and later met with her in person to hear her side.

“Having considered all these submissions by the Minister and mindful of the conduct expected of members of the executive, I have decided to remove the Minister.”

Recent media reports detailed allegations that Tolashe failed to declare luxury vehicles allegedly gifted by a Chinese delegation, irregular staff appointments and the reported use of state funds to employ a nanny at her private residence.

Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, has been appointed as acting Social Development Minister pending a full-time appointment.

The Western Cape MEC of Social Development, Jaco Londt, has welcomed Tolashe’s removal, adding that the new permanent appointment must serve with transparency, honour and respect.

He says that among the priorities for the new Minister must be better service delivery by SASSA to the residents of the Western Cape.

“The Government of National Unity has shown that progress is possible with some Ministers changing their departments for the better. We are looking forward to having a national Social Development Minister willing to work in a constructive and collaborative manner with integrity and a clear focus on serving vulnerable people who depend on government’s support.”

Political parties have also welcomed the President’s decision.

DA Leader Geordin Hill-Lewis says Tolashe’s position in the Cabinet was untenable, and the President has done the right thing. He has called on Ramaphosa to urgently make a permanent appointment.

“South Africans deserve a competent and credible Minister who can lead this critical department with integrity, stability and a clear focus on serving vulnerable people who depend on its support.”

ActionSA MP Dereleen James says Tolashe’s axing was long overdue. ActionSA was the first party to lay criminal charges against the former Minister.

“This outcome is a clear vindication of ActionSA’s relentless efforts to expose corruption at the highest levels of government. It was ActionSA, through a written parliamentary question, that blew the lid on the Minister’s receipt of a foreign “gift” of two SUVS from Chinese officials in the ongoing Cars-for-Cadres scandal engulfing Ministers in the GNU.”

James says Tolashe should face criminal charges, and she must be denied any loss-of-office gratuity payouts as she leaves office in disgrace. James says there should also be deductions from her government pension.

The search for a man who went missing near the Botha Wine Farm along the Breede River has ended in tragedy after his body was recovered on Thursday night.  

The City’s Chief Fire Officer, Clinton Manuel, confirmed that the body of the missing man had been found following an extensive search operation involving the City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Service, law enforcement officials and drone units. 

“This is quite important because it brings closure to the family as well,” said Manuel. 

Emergency crews continued operations throughout Thursday in the flood-stricken Breede Valley area, where flooding complicated rescue efforts.  

According to the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, teams were deployed after reports that the man had gone missing on Wednesday morning. He said aviation teams launched drones while rescue technicians carried out a grid search through the flooded terrain. He added that search efforts resumed on Thursday morning after water levels subsided overnight. 

The recovery comes as emergency services continue responding to widespread flooding in parts of the Breede Valley. The City’s Fire and Rescue teams are expected to return to the region on Friday to support relief operations in communities cut off by floodwaters. 

“At first light, there will be assisting gift of the givers in delivering food, blankets, water to stranded communities. The decision was to leave the communities in place, and the law that takes supplies to them, assess the medical needs and make sure they are comfortable. They’ll be using our boats and our jet skis to access these communities,” said Manuel.

ALSO READ: City rescue teams deployed to flood hit Breede Valley – Smile 90.4FM

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