Cabinet reaffirms commitment to key issues, including water crisis, organised crime, unemployment, and Foot and Mouth Disease control, with targeted action and new initiatives.
Image: GCIS
Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni on Thursday briefed the media on the outcomes of the Cabinet meeting held a day earlier, highlighting the government's focus on tackling several persistent national challenges while pushing forward with key reforms.
Ntshavheni outlined that Cabinet remains committed to the timely implementation of the commitments made by President Cyril Ramaphosa during the 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA) and his subsequent response to the SONA debate.
The government is focused on addressing the critical challenges the country faces, even as the economy continues to show improvement, as indicated by the latest economic indicators.
Among the main areas of focus are the national water crisis, the ongoing Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak, organised crime, weaknesses within the criminal justice system, inefficiencies in local government, and persistent unemployment.
Speaking about the water crisis, Ntshavheni confirmed that President Ramaphosa will chair a new Water Crisis Committee, which will coordinate and consolidate all efforts to tackle South Africa's water challenges.
"The committee will be responsible for developing a comprehensive Water Action Plan, which will address both immediate and long-term water challenges," Ntshavheni said.
She added that, in the short term, Rand Water has been granted an urgent water use licence to abstract additional water from the Integrated Vaal River System, which would support Gauteng municipalities in stabilising water supply for the next three months.
On the issue of organised crime and a weakened criminal justice system, Ntshavheni outlined a multi-faceted approach.
"The fight against organised crime will be carried out through the National Organised Crime Combat Plan, which includes the deployment of the SANDF in crime hotspots and the re-vetting of police officers," she said.
This re-vetting process will include lifestyle audits aimed at rooting out compromised individuals from the system.
Ntshavheni also revealed that a dedicated task team, working with SAPS, has been set up to investigate senior officers implicated in the Madlanga Commission.
The government also welcomed the 2026 national budget, which has been set at R2.67 trillion. This budget will help fund the commitments made by President Ramaphosa during his SONA .
"The budget will support our efforts to fight organised crime, with an additional R2.7 billion allocated to Defence to improve operations. An additional R1 billion each has been allocated to the SAPS and SANDF from the CARA Fund to combat organised crime," Ntshavheni said.
She also highlighted that R27.7 billion will be allocated to reforming local government, particularly for metro trading entities in electricity, water, and solid waste, to ensure effective service delivery.
In terms of municipal infrastructure, Ntshavheni pointed out that the government will implement a Split Delivery model for the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG).
"This model will allow municipalities struggling with governance issues to shift to an indirect service model, where capable district municipalities or other accredited agencies will take over infrastructure delivery," she explained.
Ntshavheni welcomed the results from the 2025 Quarter 4 Labour Force Survey, which revealed a reduction in unemployment by 0.5 percentage points to 31.4%.
"We saw a decrease of 172,000 unemployed people, and employment grew by 44,000, marking the third consecutive quarter of job growth," she said.
She highlighted that key sectors such as construction, finance, and agriculture had seen notable increases in employment.
On the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease, Ntshavheni announced that the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) had resumed the production of FMD vaccines for the first time in over 20 years.
"The first batch of locally produced FMD vaccines was handed over on 6 February 2026. This milestone will contribute significantly to our efforts to contain the FMD outbreak that is currently affecting millions of livestock across the country," Ntshavheni said.
She expressed confidence that this will help South Africa regain its FMD-free status from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
In addition, Ntshavheni said Cabinet was briefed on the scale and severity of the FMD outbreak in South Africa and approved a national mass vaccination programme for cloven-hoofed animals as a core containment and recovery measure.
Ntshavheni outlined that the vaccination programme would cover the national herd of approximately 14 million cattle, requiring an estimated 28 million vaccines over the next 12 months.
"Cabinet has also been informed that two million vaccines are available to kick off the vaccination efforts," she said. The vaccination programme will be supported by central procurement to ensure that the correct vaccine for the circulating strain is used.
"The strategy will prioritise provinces based on the extent of the outbreak, and we are urging farmers to adhere to movement control measures to limit the disease’s spread," Ntshavheni added.
Cabinet also discussed the latest crime statistics, with Ntshavheni noting that the murder rate had decreased by 8.7%, reflecting 602 fewer murders compared to the same period last year.
"While this reduction is a positive sign, we remain deeply concerned about the rise in the murder of police officers, with 23 officers killed during the quarter, most of them off duty," Ntshavheni said.
She revealed that the National Commissioner of SAPS has been tasked with conducting a full assessment to prevent further deaths of officers.
The Minister also addressed the ongoing work of the Special Investigation Unit (SIU), which is investigating corruption and fraud in the visa application processes at the Department of Home Affairs.
"The SIU's work is crucial in ensuring that we safeguard the integrity of our immigration system," Ntshavheni said.
She also commended the Department of Home Affairs for the progress made in strengthening the immigration system in response to the corruption allegations.
Ntshavheni also gave an update on the return of 15 of the 17 South African men who had been lured to fight in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
She said the South African government, in collaboration with Russia, secured the safe return of these individuals.
"We thank President Vladimir Putin for his cooperation in helping bring these men back home," she said.
The two men still in Russia are undergoing medical and logistical arrangements before they return, she said.
Ntshavheni also confirmed that investigations were ongoing into the circumstances that led to the recruitment of these young men and the violation of South African laws.
The minister touched on the tragic mud rush accident at the Ekapa Minerals Joint Shaft Mine in Kimberley, which trapped five workers underground.
A rescue operation is ongoing, and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) is closely monitoring the situation, Ntshavheni said.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those affected.''
"Our work is far from over, but we remain determined to improve the lives of South Africans and build a stronger, more resilient country," she said.
hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za
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