For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Sane Dhlamini.

Making headlines: Fort Hare management will only meet with Nzimande once security services give go-ahead, task team to probe 'pattern of threats on the lives of staff' at University of Fort Hare and, Seifsa says loadshedding the biggest local headwind

Fort Hare management will only meet with Nzimande once security services give go-ahead

The Department of Higher Education and Training will establish a national task force dedicated to ensuring the safety of employees at universities, said Minister Blade Nzimande.

He announced this move during his controversial visit to the University of Fort Hare in the Eastern Cape. 

The minister briefed the media on threats against the institution's vice-chancellor and its staff, although the university issued a statement indicating the members of its management executive committee were not available to meet with Nzimande.

It said it was in "a state of mourning" and that the MEC members were "attending to the needs of those affected by the death of a colleague".

Task team to probe 'pattern of threats on the lives of staff' at University of Fort Hare

Police have established a task team to investigate hits and attempted hits at the University of Fort Hare in the Eastern Cape.

Police said the "multi-disciplinary" team would "closely investigate the pattern of threats on the lives of the staff members".

During a visit to the university, police management said they were "intensifying their responses to recent violent and fatal attacks" that led to two deaths.

The visit was led by Police Minister Bheki Cele, State Security Deputy Minister Zizi Kodwa and national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola.

Seifsa says loadshedding the biggest local headwind

Loadshedding remains the biggest local headwind facing the metals and engineering industries, and persistent loadshedding, the worst in more than ten years, has almost erased the sector's post-Covid-19 gains, says industrial organisation Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa CEO Lucio Trentini.

He said the energy crisis shows no signs of ending in South Africa  while the economic outlook doesn't look good and there is little investor confidence.

For the most part, 2022 was characterised by global and domestic turmoil, imported inflation, record levels of loadshedding and political uncertainty.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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