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President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his sadness at the passing of Imam Achmad Cassiem, a former Robben Island prisoner, Pan Africanist Congress member and founding member of the Qibla Movement.

Imam Cassiem passed away on Friday at the age of 78.

President Ramaphosa extended his condolences to the family, friends, comrades and associates internationally of the late political and religious leader, who hailed from the Western Cape.

As a teenager, Achmad Cassiem was politically conscientised by the Pan Africanist Congress’s campaign against apartheid pass laws, motivating him to join the armed struggle at the age of 15.

He was a high school learner when he and his teacher, Sadiq Isaacs, were arrested for sabotage, detained and charged under the Sabotage Act.

His was handed a five-year sentence, which caused him to become one of the youngest prisoners on Robben Island.

Upon his release, he was issued with a banning order, which he defied to remain politically active, including his role in the establishment in 1979 of the Qibla Movement to promote and defend Islam in South Africa.

He was detained again for an extended period after mobilising learners during a protracted class boycott in 1980 and was later charged under the Terrorism Act for facilitating military training and infiltration into South Africa for Qibla fighters who had been trained in Libya.

Years after arrest for this action, Achmad Cassiem was sentenced to six years in prison, which was cut short his release in 1991, following the unbanning of liberation organisations.

In later years, he served as National Chairperson of the Islamic Unity Convention and as advisor to the Islam Human Rights Commission.

“Imam Cassiem lived a life of courage, principle and faith in mobilising communities on the Cape Flats and around the country against apartheid,” President Ramaphosa said.

“Imprisonment, confinement to his home in Hanover Park and repeated harassment and detention by the apartheid security machine failed to extinguish the flame of resistance and revolution that burned in his being and which he ignited in everyone he inspired as an activist.

“We are joined by supporters of our Struggle in Libya, Iran and other nations who had an impact on Imam Cassiem who in turn, had an impact on them. We are grateful for his life and wish him eternal, peaceful rest,” the President said. – SAnews.gov.za

​​​​​Realising the benefits and opportunities of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) requires proactive collaboration between all levels of government and businesses, says Director of Africa Bilateral Economic Trade at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, Calvin Phume.

Phume was addressing the AfCFTA awareness workshop, which took place in Bloemfontein, in the Free State.

The workshop was part of a nationwide series aimed at equipping export-ready South African Small, Micro and Medium Enterprises (SMMEs), private sector, women and youth-owned enterprises with knowledge on the benefits of trading under the AfCFTA,

The AfCFTA is a flagship project of the African Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063 and aims to build an integrated market anchored on development integration.

It seeks to enhance intra-African trade through progressive elimination of tariffs, introduction of rules to manage non-tariff barriers among other things, opening up vast markets of over 1.3 billion people and a combined GDP of over $3.4 trillion.

Phume said beyond the policy transformation and reforms, the AfCFTA seeks to ensure inclusivity of women and youth, including youth in the rural areas, development of SMMEs and overall industrialisation of the Continent.

“Africa has the youngest population in the world, with 70% of the population under the age of 30. Women make significant contributions to cross-border trade in many African countries.

“However, women and young people face challenges such as underemployment, lack of opportunities and other structural and financial challenges that hinder their ability to trade.

“The AU Assembly took a cautious decision to also include the Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade on the Agreement.” 

Phume said the AfCFTA encourages innovation, fosters competition and promotes the development of value-chains, thereby spurring industrialisation and job creation across sectors. – SAnews.gov.za

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on mining companies under the Sekhukhune District Municipality in Limpopo to work together with government in uplifting young people.

 
“I want to call on mining companies to work together with us. It is about time that in an area that is concentrated with minerals, we uplift the young people of Limpopo… There should be meaningful skills development, which revolves around mining, engineering, metallurgy, and all other related courses. 

“We want the young people to be taught here in Sekhukhune. We must have an education facility [mining academy] right here, as many of you have called for it. I want a mining academy and college here in Sekhukhune. So I am going to make a direct call because it is unacceptable for an area, which has such a bright future with mining, not to have such," President Ramaphosa said.

The President lauded young people in the area for showing an interest in education. He further articulated the need for a mining academy. 

President Ramaphosa was speaking on Friday during the 8th Presidential District Development Model (DDM) Imbizo at the Motodi Sports Complex in Ga-Motodi Village under the Sekhukhune District Municipality in Limpopo.

 
The DDM is an integrated planning model for Cooperative Governance, which seeks to ensure integrated, district-based, service delivery approach aimed at fast-tracking service delivery.

The imbizo follows similar engagements that have taken place in the seven provinces of the North West, Free State, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Northern Cape, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. 

The President interacted with people and listened to their experiences of daily life, their service delivery challenges as well as their initiatives and solutions to improve socio-economic conditions.

The main challenges highlighted by the communities of Sekhukhune District Municipality includes the issue of a District Office location, illegal mining, basic services such as water and electricity, dilapidated roads, high rate of unemployment among the youth and the shortage of clinics. 

The communities told the President that one of the pertinent issues is the fact that the Sekhukhune District office is located in the Capricorn District, since 2007, making it difficult to access the services they need. 

In response to this, the President said that those in charge are playing ‘politics’ and pulling in different directions, hence the relocation of the district office is still hanging to date.

 
“From 2007, we have been talking about exactly the same thing, the political leaders here are pulling in different directions and it has paralysed the provision of good services to our people. Let us put the interest of our people first, and put our needs at the back.

 
“It is unacceptable to me that we have been waiting for a district office since 2007. Today, you are complaining about a simple thing like that. The instruction I am putting out today is that the district office must be built in Sekhukhune without fail,” he said.

 
The President strongly called on municipalities to do their work and correctly use the money that has been allocated for service delivery. 

“We have now realised that for us to go forward and see the money being put to good use, we have to come in and intervene as national government, whether they like it or not - this is going to happen. 

“We are now saying we want our municipalities to function and as they function, we want the best of the best to serve us, people with capacity and capability… We must get our municipalities to function better, this is why we say went to professionalise our civil service,” he said. 

On the many issues the community raised, the President said government is hard at work.

He told the community that one of the key issues government is looking at is the high rate of unemployment, along with the water challenges. 

“One of the key issues we are looking at is unemployment. We want to create jobs and that is why we want the Sekhukhune area to become the mining capital of our country. We want it to attract investors and our local business people must get involved in mining so that they can employ others as well. We must turn the situation around,” he said. 

The President lauded the communities for the positive spirit they showed in wanting to see the challenges solved. 

He highlighted that government recently launched the Olifants Management Model Programme (OMM) in Limpopo, with an estimated cost of R24 billion, in a bid to address pressing water needs. 

“Jobs will be created and water challenges will be solved. Let’s look at a way forward. We want to see young people getting skills and employment. Once the mining academy is built, I want to see many of you getting enrolled,” he said.  - SAnews.gov.za
 

As part of its Nelson Mandela International Day initiative for 2023, the Nelson Mandela Foundation said it continues to support communities to fight poverty and inequality.

The non-profit organisation said it will initiate a global commemoration of International Nelson Mandela Day along with a network of global partners who will be planting trees and resourcing home-based community food gardens across the world. 

“The global celebration will follow the sun as it traverses the globe from East to West, with networks participating on the 18th of July 2023.”

This year’s Mandela Day will be commemorated under the ‘Climate, Food and Solidarity’ theme. 

“Our call to action is ‘It is in your hands’,” the foundation added. 

Meanwhile, the organisation and its South African partners will be capacitating a community food garden in Diepsloot, a community north of Johannesburg.

“The foundation recognises that urgent action must be taken to combat the climate crisis and thereby ensure continued food security. 

“In making a positive contribution to climate justice and food security, the Nelson Mandela Foundation continues to work with communities to plant trees, the majority of which are fruit trees and to resource a number of community gardens across South Africa.” – SAnews.gov.za
 

A total of R1 billion has been disbursed to businesses affected by the KwaZulu-Natal July 2021 civil unrest, with 118 applications from businesses located in the province approved.

Giving an update on the economic recovery measures implemented after the July 2021 civil unrest, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube said following the civil unrest, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced measures to ensure that peace and stability are maintained throughout the country, and that there are no further incidents of violence. 

“There was also a programme to provide support and relief to poor households, in order to alleviate the hardship they are going through and reduce hunger and the need to help businesses to rebuild,” Dube-Ncube said.

On the back of the President’s announcement, Government then announced measures to address the social unrest, and these included R3.9 billion financial backing from the South African Special Risk Insurance Association (SASRIA); R2.3 billion support to small businesses that are not covered by SASRIA; and a R400 reinjection into the Solidarity Fund.

The rollout and accessibility of the relief measures is centralised in national departments and the Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), including the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC); the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC); and National Empowerment Fund (NEF).

The Premier said through the DTIC relief measures implemented through the National Empowerment Fund (NEF) and the IDC Critical Infrastructure Reconstruction Programme, a total of 118 applications from affected businesses have been approved with a value of R1.980 billion. 

She said under the National Empowerment Fund and IDC Critical Infrastructure Reconstruction Programme, eThekwini was allocated R444 233 503, uMgungundlovu R6 563 993, King Cetshwayo R26 741 606 Ugu R88 059 481, Amajuba R36 412 949, and uMzinyathi R10 490 963.

An amount of R27.233.263 was allocated to Harry Gwala, whilst uMkhanyakude allocated R3 000 000, Zululand R3 924 030 and iLembe R12 679 371, totalling R1 856 107 906 in funds dispersed to business in KwaZulu-Natal.

“Through the Department of Small Business Development, to date a total of 75 applications valued at R78 822 730 34 for businesses affected by the July civil unrest have been approved across the department with most of these in eThekwini which received R102 492 535 01 for 75 businesses,” the Premier said.

Whilst the Provincial Economic Development and Environmental Affairs Department (KZNEDTEA) had no resources set aside to assist the affected businesses in the province, Dube-Ncube noted that the department was at the centre of coordinating the National Relief Measures, with the allocated funds amounting to R3.75 billion to cover uninsured businesses.

Some of the measures undertaken by EDTEA entities included rent holidays and reversals to 164 social unrest affected tenants, which was provided by Ithala Development Finance Corporation (IDFC) to the value of R7 639 099.

Four affected clients were also assisted with instalment relief on their Business Finance Loans to the value of R558 462.

Trade and Investment KwaZulu-Natal (TIKZN) in partnership with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) disbursed R30 million funding towards social unrest affected businesses and informal traders. The funding benefitted 192 informal and formal businesses across the province.

“The department has worked with the municipalities to facilitate the registration of informal traders with their application processes through the current established informal trader’s business chambers. A total of 5 648 traders were assisted from districts such as Amajuba, uMkhanyakude, Harry Gwala, uGu, uThukela, iLembe, Zululand; uMzinyathi and King Cetshwayo,” the Premier highlighted.

She said no businesses based at Dube TradePort Special Economic Zones (SEZ) were damaged, or destroyed during the July unrest; hence there have been no compensation claims. 

She said the companies experienced supply chain and production disruptions, and losses due to impacts on the wider economy. 

“The Dube Trade Port did assist NGOs with air cargo fee waivers and free storage for food and emergency supplies in the weeks following the unrest,” she said.

Rebuilding infrastructure on track 

Meanwhile, the Premier said major progress has been made to get the province fully back on its feet after the devastating floods that wreaked havoc just over a year ago. 

“We are on track with our rebuilding plans and great progress has been made to restore infrastructure and to revive the economy,” Dube-Ncube said. 

She said while the provincial government is certain that all affected persons are safe in temporary accommodation government secured, the focus has firmly shifted to rebuilding infrastructure and rehousing people who have lost homes, through sustainable rehabilitation and reconstruction (Building Back Better) Programme. - SAnews.gov.za

Deputy President Paul Mashatile has urged businesses not to lose hope as government works around the clock to tackle the country’s major challenges. 

“South Africa’s economic and social challenges are mounting, risking stagnation amid an unprecedented energy crisis, increasingly binding infrastructure and logistics bottlenecks, high unemployment, crime and corruption,” the Deputy President said on Friday. 

Mashatile acknowledged that these were real problems that need real answers from society, business and the government. 

“As a result, we must never be disheartened by our divergent approaches to overcoming these obstacles. Rather, we must use dialogue such as this one to find common ground and develop an amicable strategy that will propel our nation forward.”

The Deputy President was delivering the keynote address at the Business Breakfast Roundtable with the CEOs of the metal and engineering companies hosted by the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (SEIFSA), in Gauteng. 

To restore faith in the economy, he said the metal and engineering industries need to come together, change with the times, and take decisive action.

“As a first step, we must recognise the importance of government in creating a dependable and helpful atmosphere for businesses to flourish.”

He believes that government needed to have enabling policies, solid infrastructure, and a receptive regulatory framework. 

“Our commitment to establishing a favourable business climate remains unwavering. Government has already undertaken various initiatives to restore confidence and promote growth.”

Red tape

He said these include tax incentives and relief measures to alleviate the burden on businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). 

“We are actively finding solutions to streamline regulatory processes, reduce bureaucracy and enhance ease of doing business.”

He touched on the Red Tape Reduction (RTR) task team announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa during his last year’s State of the Nation Address (SONA.  

The RTR aims to reduce excessively complex rules, regulations, procedures, and processes that stifle economic growth and job creation in key areas of the economy.

Infrastructure

In addition, he said the state was also pumping resources into infrastructure improvement. 

This includes transportation networks, power grids, and internet access, which he believe has the potential to spur development and bring in capital. 

“For example, the National Rail Policy has been enacted as a road map for modernising and reforming the rail industry, and includes provisions for third-party access to the railway network.”

He told the delegates that to implement the policy commitments, government is constructing a Transnet Roadmap, which will include reorganising Transnet Freight Rail to appoint a new Infrastructure Manager for the rail network by October 2023. 

“Improving the country's ports will also help them return to being some of the best ports in the world like they used to be.”

He also announced that the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) is still working to fulfil its duties related to funding, enhancing, managing, and maintaining the country's road system.

“Road infrastructure plays a critical role in the economy. It makes it possible to transport goods and services, but it also enables movement for people to gain access to basic healthcare.”

He assured the delegates that the state understands the “huge” role it needs to play to advance the economy. 

Deputy President also said government was determined to end load shedding, which is one of the foremost priorities. 

Corruption

On the other hand, the state, he said was up in arms to fight crime and corruption, describing it as a thorn in the country’s democracy. 

“Corruption undermines the functioning and legitimacy of institutions and processes, the rule of law and ultimately the state itself and it also damages the economy.”

Meanwhile, he reminded the packed room that corruption in government is no better than in the private sector. 

“The battle to root out corruption and strengthen the rule of law can succeed only if it is taken on by the whole of society. We must therefore all join forces to fight this scourge.”

Investment

In addition, he said they were actively engaged in promoting investment opportunities and forging stronger ties with other nations. 

“By enhancing our exports and diversifying our markets, we can reduce our dependency on any single market and mitigate risks associated with economic volatility.”

As his parting shot, he emphasised that the current administration is committed to fostering a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.

He spoke about investing in research and development, promoting innovation hubs, and supporting start-ups to harness the power of innovation and create a thriving ecosystem for entrepreneurship.

“Government is fully aware of the challenges facing our industries, and we are committed to providing the necessary support and resources to ensure their growth and resilience.” – SAnews.gov.za
 

The Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (BRICS) Ministers of Education have adopted a Ministerial Declaration which makes firm commitments on the areas identified as education and training priorities for the BRICS Member States.

 The declaration was adopted at the 10th Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Education, held in Mpumalanga, as part of the build-up to the 15th BRICS Summit scheduled to take place from 22 - 24 August 2023, in Johannesburg.

During the meeting, BRICS Member States identified eight thematic areas as education and training priorities, and these include climate change, entrepreneurship development, skills for the changing world, mutual recognition of qualifications, out-of-school youth, labour market intelligence, early childhood development and university global ranking.

The meeting was held in parallel with the BRICS Network University and BRICS Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Cooperation Alliance, which both culminated in the declarations, where the Member States committed to working together on matters of mutual interest for the prosperity of the nations. 

The meeting aimed to deepen cooperation and exchanges to improve the responsiveness and relevance of education and training in the current global context amongst BRICS Member States.

Higher Education, Science and Innovation spokesperson, Ishmael Mnisi, said the Ministers’ Declaration is premised on a shared vision of mutual respect and understanding, equality, solidarity, openness, inclusiveness and consensus. 

Through the declaration, the Member States commit to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13, which is to combat climate change and its impact. 

“This commitment to develop an alternative system includes exploring the development of an evaluation system that emphasises the quality (as opposed to quantity) of research outputs of universities and their diverse contributions to inclusive development of all humanity. Such a system would also seek to integrate cultural and indigenous knowledge of each country, respecting our member states’ diverse cultures,” Mnisi said.

The members also committed to strengthening entrepreneurship development at all levels of education and training amongst BRICS Member States, and impart the requisite skills for students to consider self-employment as a valuable career path. – SAnews.gov.za

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Office says he welcomes the judgment by the Constitutional Court affirming his adherence to due process and fairness in suspending Public Protector Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane. 

“The suspension followed the decision by the National Assembly to institute Section 194 proceedings against Advocate Mkhwebane,” the brief statement read on Thursday. 

In a unanimous judgment, the highest court in the land found that there was a rational reason and that the President “stood to gain nothing” for him to precautionary suspend Mkhwebane.

The apex court’s ruling reverses the Western Cape High Court judgment that found that President Ramaphosa's decision was unlawful and invalid in September last year. – SAnews.gov.za