For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Thabi Shomolekae.

Making headlines: ActionSA announces Dr Nasiphi Moya as Tshwane deputy mayor nominee; NSFAS-appointed company breaks its silence on allegations in Outa report; And, Ramaphosa reflects on gains made in advancing access to education

ActionSA announces Dr Nasiphi Moya as Tshwane deputy mayor nominee

ActionSA’s candidate for Tshwane deputy executive mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya has assured opposition parties in council that the deputy mayor position is not about prestige but about delivery, adding that opposition parties will find her door open if they would like to “rise above partisan politics” and prioritise the needs of their communities.

ActionSA announced Moya’s nomination as other parties welcomed the Democratic Alliance’s proposal for a deputy mayor position to be created, although the Economic Freedom Fighters has rejected the move.

Moya explained that in addition to deputising, as outlined in the legislation, this role brought with it a unique opportunity to focus on transversal functions related to infrastructure development, repairs and maintenance.

She said her responsibilities would include overseeing capital projects, which she said would ensure that major development initiatives were effectively managed, monitored and completed in a timely manner.

Moya will oversee service delivery at a regional level and will also be working with the COO portfolio.

NSFAS-appointed company breaks its silence on allegations in Outa report

A director of a company whose husband was implicated in a damning Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse report has broken her silence over the allegations in the document.

On January 4, Outa released the report in which it was alleged that service providers contracted by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme had paid millions of rand in kickbacks to Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande and the chairperson of the NSFAS board, Ernest Khosa, as well as at least R1-million towards a South African Communist Party conference.

Outa also released voice recordings of two meetings in August between Khosa and Thula Ntumba, a Coinvest Africa representative who is the husband of one of its directors, Tshegofatso Ntumba.

Nzimande, who is the chairperson of the SACP, has vehemently denied the allegations contained in the Outa report, while NSFAS said Khosa, who voluntarily asked to be put on leave of absence on 10 January following the allegations, also "strongly dismissed with contempt" the voice recordings.

Tshegofatso Ntumba said that Coinvest have no knowledge of any previous donations to any political party and have not been approached by any political party or individual for a donation.

Ntumba said in light of these allegations, the company will seek legal advice and take legal action where necessary.

And, Ramaphosa reflects on gains made in advancing access to education

President Cyril Ramaphosa wished “good luck” to the 2023 matriculants eagerly awaiting their results, and noted South Africa’s gains in advancing access to education, which he says is the most critical area of any nation’s development.

Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga will announce the National Senior Certificate results on Thursday, and individual results will be released on Friday. Matrics will have until February 2 for both manual and online applications for remarks.

Ramaphosa noted that this year coincided with the thirtieth anniversary of South Africa’s democracy, and he urged South Africans to consider how far the country has come from an era where the educational prospects of young black men and women were greatly diminished, and where the inferior education they received was deliberately designed to prepare them to be “hewers of wood and drawers of water”.

He said that much has changed in South Africa since and he noted that while the task of ensuring that the economy grows at a scale and pace to absorb graduates and those seeking formal employment was a daunting one, South Africans must not lose sight of how far the country has come in this critical developmental indicator.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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