Henry Welman

“The majority of South Africans are unemployed because they’re unemployable, they’re unemployable because they don’t have the necessary skills to drive a modern economy. We boast about having so many people on the SASSA social welfare program as if it’s an achievement whereas it’s a failure.” - President Thabo Mbeki 🇿🇦

The Supreme Court of Appeal has dismissed Eskom's attempt to keep its coal and diesel contracts secret, with the utility now required to provide copies of these agreements to AfriForum. dailyinvestor.com/energy/125688/…

"That Pretoria acted with such venom towards the US Ambassador for raising perfectly valid questions about the conduct of our courts and the persistence of race-based laws indicates that the Ambassador might be onto something." My latest for @CommonSense_ZA (link below)

Hard to describe how much joy this brings me! 🥹 A year ago Dunoon's Thandabantu Park was filled with rubbish. And just look at this transformation! We've worked really hard to clean up Dunoon. It’s now looking and feeling cleaner than in years. And we’ve turned bad public spaces into lovely, safe places for Dunoon's families to enjoy 💙 This is the dignity we want to bring to everyone.

Stop race laws, the time is NOW! It is bad for everyone, except a small group of looters. If you agree, share this. President @CyrilRamaphosa is tagged. The time for silence and political correctness is over. Go big!

Ons Vrystaatse 2026-uitgawe van die fisikaboek (Gr. 12- & sommige 11-vrae) is beskikbaar by hwscience.blogspot.com (plasing van 11 Maart). Deel gerus hierdie inligting as jy iemand ken wat tans fisiese wetenskappe in graad 12 of 11 neem.

Our Free State 2026 edition of the physics book (Gr. 12 & some 11 questions) is available at hwscience.blogspot.com (post of 11 March). Feel free to share this information if you know somebody who is currently taking physical sciences in grade 12 or 11.

The beginning of the end for Home Affairs queues is here, as we roll out our new digital partnership to 100s of bank branches across the country. No appointments, no paperwork, no delays - just 5-10 minutes to apply! 🇿🇦 More information here: dha.gov.za/index.php/id-s…

👏The end of long Home Affairs queues is in sight! Under the leadership of DA Minister, Dr.  Leon Schreiber, a new digital rollout is underway at hundreds of bank branches. You can now apply in just 5 – 10 minutes with no appointments, no paperwork and no waiting! 🇿🇦

Die afsterwe van Soli Philander laat ’n groot leemte in die Afrikaanse wêreld, die kunste en in die land. ⁦@afriforum⁩ dra ons innige simpatie oor aan sy familie en vriende. Rus in vrede. maroelamedia.co.za/nuus/sa-nuus/s…

“Ons hou die SAPD dop.” - Solidariteit. Toe bewyse gevra is oor waarom ’n bevoegde kandidaat nie eens vir ’n bevorderingspos gekortlys is nie, was die dokumente skielik net weg. Nou het die KVBA beslis: die SAPD het ’n onbillike arbeidspraktyk gepleeg. Lees hoe hierdie saak blootlê wat verkeerd loop en waarom Solidariteit sê: Ons hou die SAPD dop: aanlyn.solidariteit.co.za/publieke/artik…

@solidariteit @afriforum Well done. The truth must be spread in all cases.

The list of rulings is growing 👀 𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸 has once again been instructed by the Press Ombud to correct false statements about Solidarity and to publish an apology. In the opinion piece, Judith February ironically lashed out at Solidarity and @afriforum for the alleged “spreading of 𝗳𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀.” Daily Maverick now finds itself in the company of News24, Sunday World, City Press, The Citizen, Mail & Guardian and Newzroom Afrika – all of whom have recently had to publish similar apologies.

@JacoKleynhans Interessante stuk geskiedenis. Baie dankie, Jaco. Tragies dat die mense dus in 1979 die ajatollas gekies het en van relatief kwaad na verskriklik onderdrukkend gespring het. Nou hoop ons die gety draai ten goede vir hulle en die res van die wêreld.

My ontleding van die redes waarom die VSA en Israel besluit het om Iran aan te val:

@pieter_mulder Dit gaan interessant wees! Die soortgelyke praatjies oor RSG was uitstekend.

Radio-onderhoud met my op RSG oor my nuwe boek Parlementpraatjies wat by Naledi.co.za nou beskikbaar is. Ook later in boekwinkels. Boek handel oor Parlementêre gebruike, tradisies en humor. Kliek: tinyurl.com/3kda4sxn

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said the province is outpacing the rest of the country in economic growth and job creation, with 93,000 new jobs created in the final quarter of the last financial year. ewn.co.za/2026/02/26/win…

WATCH | Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana says he does not see the value of the NSFAS institution, as opposed to the bursary scheme, noting that R700 million is spent annually on administration, which could cover the fees of 9,000 students. He adds, “All people who have sentimental ties with NSFAS are attacking me.”

@JacoKleynhans 😭 😭

Another brutal farm attack in South Africa: (Information obtained from Maroela Media and the FF Plus) Johan van Eck, a 76-year-old farmer from the Trichardtsdal area in Limpopo, is currently fighting for his life after he was brutally attacked with machetes on the farm Carpe Diem on Saturday morning. According to preliminary information, Van Eck was busy loading up his last belongings on the farm because he was moving when two unknown attackers attacked him in the bathroom of his home. Van Eck had R5 000 in cash with him which was intended to pay workers, but the attackers made off with the money. Van Eck fought bravely against his attackers, but suffered multiple stab and cut wounds to his head, arms and back. The farm manager came across Van Eck shortly after the incident and immediately called emergency services. He was admitted to the Hoedspruit private hospital in a critical condition where he is currently receiving treatment.

@JacoKleynhans Very informative and interesting

What are the consequences of the US Supreme Court's ruling yesterday on President Trump's tariffs? Ten points. 1. The ruling was essentially about the separation of powers. The right to impose taxes and tariffs is vested in Congress by the US Constitution. A president may only impose taxes and tariffs if Congress explicitly delegates it to him. 2. The International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) has never been used by a US president to impose tariffs. Nor is there any reference to tariffs anywhere in the law. If the US Congress wanted to give the president the right to impose tariffs through IEEPA, the court feels the law would have clearly stated so. 3. All tariffs imposed last year on the basis of IEEPA are therefore now invalid. The question of whether they should be repaid will now have to be answered by lower courts and a flood of court cases on this issue is expected. This could be a fairly messy process. 4. There is legislation that has been passed by Congress in the past that gives the president the right to impose tariffs under certain circumstances. In particular, section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 gives the US president the right to impose tariffs for short periods of up to 150 days. It cannot therefore deal with longer-term trade issues such as trade deficits. 5. While new tariffs were already imposed yesterday (for only 150 days), the solution ultimately lies with the US Congress. The speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, has already indicated that Congress will cooperate with the White House on this. Whether there are enough votes in Congress to give the White House new powers to impose tariffs, especially in a mid-term election year, is uncertain, however. 6. The US has a huge problem with trade deficits and many countries have abused access to the US market over the years. President Trump has always been right about that. This is an untenable situation. 7. However, according to the Supreme Court, using IEEPA to fix this was never the right remedy. After all, the solution lies in legislation that can only be passed by Congress. 8. Just over eight months before the midterm elections, inflation, perceptions of rising costs of living, economic growth and job creation, income growth and perceptions of upward economic mobility are the core questions that will determine the choice of those 10% to 15% of swing voters in November. It will also determine how high the turnout is for Democrats and Republicans, which is even more important in midterm elections. 9. The White House's reaction to yesterday's ruling will therefore also have a direct impact on the election campaign. Anxiety among Republicans in swing states and swing districts is increasingly a reality. 10. For us in South Africa, uncertainty still prevails. While the Trump administration already reduced tariffs on some agricultural products last year, everyone is uncertain about what the consequences of the extension of AGOA, yesterday's court ruling, but also the new 10% tariffs will be for our exporters. There are so many variables and so many things that are still difficult to interpret. Uncertainty is never good for producers who need to plan for the future.

Starlink has committed to a R500 million investment to connect 5,000 rural schools with free, high-speed internet, benefiting more than 2.4 million learners each year. But it is still on hold. Why? Because South African regulations require 30% local Black ownership for telecom licenses. South African farmers and rural communities are asking the government to approve Starlink. In many remote areas, there is no internet access at all, and people have to drive several kilometers just to get basic connectivity. The South African government is the enemy of its own people.

On my way home last night I noticed two street lights being out and I logged it on @CityofCT app. Within seconds the ticket was assigned and early morning a team was in the road busy with repairs. @geordinhl @EnergyMayco_CT