Komani News

Department of Agriculture official appeared in court for alleged theft of state funds

The Komani based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation (SCCI) has arrested Liziwe Eudocia Mxi (57) suspected in connection with allegations of theft involving public funds on 8 May 2026. Mxi appeared before Komani Magistrate’s court on the same day of her arrest where she was released on a warning.

According to reports, Mxi was employed as an Administrative Clerk at the Veterinary Laboratory under the Department of Agriculture during 2023 and 2024 financial period. In the execution of her official responsibilities, further reports revealed that Mxi was entrusted with the receipt of payments from members of the public and the subsequent depositing of such funds into the official departmental bank account.

It is alleged that the suspect intentionally failed to deposit certain monies received on behalf of the department and instead unlawfully appropriated the funds for personal enrichment. Following the discovery of the alleged financial irregularities, a criminal case was opened, and the matter was subsequently allocated to the Hawks’ for further probing.

Investigation by the Hawks exposed that the alleged criminal conduct resulted in an estimated financial loss of R60 000 suffered by the State. Meticulous investigation culminated in the successful execution of a straight arrest on 8 May 2026.

The Mxi appeared in court, and the matter was thus remanded to 26 May 2026 for it to be transferred to Komani Regional court.

Chris Hani Security Guards Unpaid for Months Go On Strike

Security guards stationed at Chris Hani District Municipality properties in Tarkastad in the Eastern Cape marched to council offices last week. The guards are employed by private companies contracted by the municipality.

At least 50 security guards stationed at Chris Hani District Municipality properties in Tarkastad in the Eastern Cape have been on strike since 19 April over their unpaid wages.

The guards are employed by private companies contracted by the district municipality. They say they were last paid in full in June 2025. Since then, they have either been partially paid or not paid at all.

The group first marched to the district’s offices in December and again in February but received no response. A week ago, their representatives joined a community service delivery march, urging the municipality to intervene.

Komani community leader Xola Njokweni said they were approached by guards from Whittlesea, Komani and Tarkastad, who told them the municipality had not paid the companies which is why they had not been paid.

Njokweni said when they asked the municipality, they were told the responsibilities of employment fell on the private companies, not the municipality.

On Monday, protesting guards met with district officials to discuss their grievances. Bongani Yose, a guard, said they had submitted several petitions to the municipality. Yose claims there are about 500 guards across the district who are affected.

“Since July, we either get R2,500 or nothing at month-end. That is why we decided to stop working until we are paid in full,” he said.

He said the companies they work for had blamed the delay in payments on the municipality, a claim the council has denied.

We attempted to contact the four security companies – Tyekana Protection and Cleaning services, SOV Security Services, Siyazu Security Services, and Reliable Guards Security and Cleaning services. None of them have responded to our requests for comment.

At Siyazu Security Services, a receptionist took our details and undertook to arrange a response, but subsequent calls went unanswered. SOV’s general manager, Thabo Mandila, also promised to respond but did not. Questions sent to Mr Gomba at Tyekana Protection went unanswered, while calls to Reliable Security Company went straight to voicemail.

Municipal spokesperson Nangamso Ngceke confirmed that the district municipality has contracts with the four security companies. She said the companies are paid monthly in line with contractual agreements.

Where administrative processes affect payment timelines, prior arrangements are made with the companies, she said.

Yose said the municipality promised to respond to the guards by the end of the week. The strike continues.

Environmental degradation: Damage to the environment and natural resources.

Sourced With Compliments of MyZA

Komani Residents Given Ultimatum: Pay Rates or Lose Electricity

Komani residents marched to municipal offices to demand that their electricity meters be unblocked.

Enoch Mgijima municipality in the Eastern Cape has blocked electricity purchases for more than 200 households for not paying their rates and service bills.
But residents say they are being charged R235 a month for refuse collection they never receive. Municipal refuse trucks have been grounded by the Department of Labour over safety concerns.
The acting mayor agreed to temporarily unblock meters after a protest march. He gave residents until 27 April to visit the municipal offices and make repayment arrangements.

Enkululekweni residents in Komani, Eastern Cape, have until 27 April to resolve their municipal bills or risk having their electricity meters blocked, preventing them from buying electricity.

On Thursday, more than 60 residents marched to the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality offices to demand that their meters be unblocked. The protest comes after the municipality’s blocked electricity purchases for more than 200 households.

Residents said they have been unable to purchase electricity since 12 April. When they enquired at municipal offices, they were told their meters had been blocked because of unpaid rates.

Acting Mayor Unathi Galada told residents the municipality is doing this to identify those who can afford to pay their municipal rates. He acknowledged that some residents qualify as indigent.

Galada said many households have accumulated debts for rates and refuse collection of more than R70,000, resulting in high interest charges. Some residents have not paid rates since 2011.

He said those residents who cannot afford to pay will not be forced to pay but must visit the municipal offices with supporting documents to apply for indigent status.

A municipal official told the protesting residents that the charges also included water provision.

Community leader Elias Magwayi said residents were being forced to pay for services they do not receive.

“We were told the municipality charges R235 per household for refuse collection. But we are not getting that service. Rubbish is not collected in our areas, so people burn it. Our streets are always dirty. Now we are told to pay for that,” he said.

“As for water, everyone knows the district municipality has been struggling to provide it for years,” said Magwayi.

Galada said water provision falls under the district municipality.

Resident Odwa Femele said the municipality’s actions were unfair. “We were not informed about this. There was no communication. It is not fair to block electricity that we are buying because we are not paying for refuse collection and other charges.”

He challenged Galada to visit the area and see the conditions first-hand.

“We have never seen a truck collecting rubbish in our area. Maybe they claim to be collecting it, but we have never seen it. Yet we are being charged R235,” he said.

Sandile Dyemsana said he had tried to make arrangements with the municipality but was told to pay R500 a month, which he cannot afford.

“I rely on an old-age grant. My children are not working, and I support my grandchild who is still at school,” he said. He owes the municipality over R60,000.

Polina Cothiyane, who depends on a disability grant, said she was told to pay R1,000 a month. “I don’t have that kind of money. I am on treatment and need to eat before taking my medication. How am I expected to cook without electricity?” she said.

“For the past three days I had no electricity. The meat I bought has gone bad. Now I must buy paraffin, with what money? We are being punished for a refuse collection service that we do not even receive,” said Cothiyane.

After engaging with residents, Galada agreed to unblock the electricity meters temporarily, giving them time to visit municipal offices and make payment arrangements. He said the deadline is this coming Monday.

Rubbish collection is at a standstill in Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality. All trucks are currently parked at the municipal fleet depot.

Meanwhile, refuse collection in the municipality came to a standstill last week.

Workers at the depot said operations were halted by the Department of Employment and Labour due to unroadworthy trucks and a lack of safety equipment for workers. All trucks are currently parked at the municipal fleet depot.

On Thursday, the municipality issued a notice on its Facebook page apologising for the slower-than-usual refuse collection.

It said a comprehensive safety programme is underway, including mandatory mechanical and safety inspections of refuse trucks, as well as occupational health and safety assessments for staff.

The municipality said refuse collection is expected to resume on 20 April.

Questions sent to municipal spokesperson Lonwabo Kowa were not answered.

Lack of housing: Shortage of affordable and adequate housing.

Sourced With Compliments of MyZA

South Africans Want Solar Power but They Worry Panels Will Be Stolen – Study

South Africa would seem like the perfect place for widespread uptake of solar energy.

The country is sunny, with high solar generation potential. solar is a clean, reliable source of power that can help people reduce their dependence on polluting fuels like paraffin and diesel. Switching to solar also cuts electricity bills, which have more than doubled over the last 10 years.

Yet solar power makes up less than 10% of the country’s energy mix. About 74% of South Africa’s electricity still comes from burning coal. Most households use electricity provided by coal fired power stations. For poorer households, paraffin and wood are still the main sources of energy for lighting and cooking.

Read more:
Satellite images reveal the dark side of household solar power – South Africa’s green transition is only for a few

We are environmental scientists who focus on sustainable energy and household energy consumption. We wanted to find out what prevents families in one of South Africa’s poorest provinces from adopting solar power. Our research covered both high income and low income families.

We interviewed people from 49 high income and 94 low income homes in the major cities in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province. We defined high income homes as those with a monthly income of more than R30,000 (US$1,565). Most of the low income households (65%) we interviewed had no wages coming in and were dependent on social grants (benefits) from the government. These range from just R370 (US$22.63) to R2,400 (US$146) per month.

This province also has a 42.5% unemployment rate with 65% of families receiving at least one grant.

We focused on households in the coastal metropolitan cities of Gqeberha and KuGompo City and two medium-sized inland towns, Makhanda and Komani. This was so that we could find out if people were deterred from installing solar by the high humidity and high corrosion levels on the coast, and the high temperature and dusty environments inland. (These conditions have been identified as deterrents in other studies.)

Read more:
South Africa’s big rooftops could power 6 million homes: how to make it happen

Our research found that, overall, most households across the income spectrum remained hesitant to install solar panels. Although they mentioned several concerns – including financial, technical and institutional – one major reason stood out: fear of theft and damage.

Read more:
What’s stopping sunny South Africa’s solar industry? Court case sheds light on the wider problem

South Africa is one of the most unequal countries in the world, with housebreaking the crime most experienced.

Based on our findings we make a number of recommendations. For low income areas, we recommend that the government should consider setting up communal solar mini-grids. These could be guarded by security officers. In high income areas, anti-theft fasteners and security lighting, such as floodlights connected to motion sensors, could help prevent theft of solar panels.

What’s holding people back from solar

We asked households whether they had ever thought about using solar panels at home, and what they saw as the main benefits and risks of doing so. We also asked about the challenges they faced, such as costs, technical issues and government support. We collected basic background information about them too, like their age, income and household details.

Nearly 90% of respondents said they would choose solar panels to avoid future power cuts, after experiencing scheduled power outages by the national electricity utility (also known as loadshedding) from 2007 to 2023.

Just over 80% of high income households said they’d considered switching to solar. Only 63% of low income households said they’d considered it.

Read more:
Home solar systems in South Africa: more will be installed if households are given loans, free maintenance and security

A big share of high income households (86%) said cost was the main obstacle to making the switch. For low income households this number was 58%. In addition, low income families said they’d be unlikely to buy the systems because of the high costs of maintenance (battery replacement, inverter repairs or replacement, panel damage or replacement, and technician costs).

About one third of the people interviewed in both groups said that solar home systems were unreliable during dusty, wet and adverse weather conditions.

But our findings show that almost all households shared a common fear – they worried that solar panels could be stolen. This fear did not affect everyone in the same way, however. Wealthier households (60%) were more concerned about theft than lower-income households (52%), likely because theft has been rare among lower-income households that received government-provided solar water geysers.

Read more:
Why southern Africa’s interior is an ideal place to generate solar energy

For wealthier households, solar panels are seen as valuable assets. Many live in more isolated properties and are more aware of crime risks. As a result, the possibility of theft becomes a serious concern, even for those who can afford the technology.

For lower income households, the stakes are even higher. Solar energy is often seen as a way to meet basic needs like lighting, cooking, and charging phones. If a system is stolen or damaged, replacing it may be impossible. This makes even small risks feel overwhelming and discourages adoption.

This highlights the need for solutions that are sensitive to these differences.

The mini-grid solution

One promising solution could be solar mini-grids – shared solar systems installed in a central location within a community. Instead of each household installing its own panels, multiple households connect to a single system and share the electricity it produces.

In Somalia, Zambia and Nigeria, mini-grids have proven to be effective in powering communities, especially where extending the national grid would be too expensive.

Read more:
South Africans are leaving the electricity network – but are solar mini-grids a fair solution?

The mini-grid approach addresses several challenges at once.

First, mini-grids improve security. A single, centralised system is easier to protect than many individual rooftop installations. This reduces the risk of theft and increases user confidence.

Second, mini-grids reduce costs. solar panels, batteries and installation can be expensive. By sharing the system, households split these costs, making solar energy more affordable, especially for low income communities.

Third, mini-grids solve space constraints. Many homes lack suitable rooftops for solar installation. A shared system removes this barrier by placing panels at optimal locations.

Read more:
Renewable energy projects in rural Ghana have some built-in limitations

Fourth, mini-grids can strengthen communities. Shared systems encourage cooperation and collective management. They can also create local jobs for maintenance and oversight.

Beyond access, mini-grids also support a just energy transition, that is, a shift to cleaner energy that is fair and inclusive, where the benefits of renewable energy reach everyone and no group is left behind.

Uzziah Mutumbi receives funding from the National Research Foundation and Rhodes University Post-doctoral Funding

Gladman Thondhlana has received funding from the National Research Foundation.

Sheunesu Ruwanza does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.