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The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), in partnership with the City of Cape Town, will host a workshop on the implementation and operationalisation of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA).

The workshop, which will be held on Friday, is also in collaboration with the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism, and the Western Cape Tourism, Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Wesgro).

This follows the successful hosting of workshops in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.

The primary objective of these gatherings is to apprise South African companies and export-ready Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) on the benefits of trading under the AfCFTA.

The AfCFTA seeks to establish a large single continental market, encompassing a population of approximately 1.3 billion people and a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of approximately USD 3.4 trillion.

By participating in preferential trade beyond the Southern African region, South African companies can unlock significant progress and benefits for their respective businesses.

According to the Chief Director of Africa Multilateral Economic Relations at the dtic, Sandile Tyini, the workshop seeks to communicate and engage with the private sector, SMEs, as well as women and youth-owned export-ready businesses on the status of the implementation of the AfCFTA, including opportunities for South African companies to participate in preferential trade beyond the Southern African region. 

“The workshop will focus on six sector master plans, namely steel and metal fabrication; agriculture and agro-processing; retail-clothing, textiles, footwear, and leather (R-CTFL) value chain; automotive industry, sugar value chain and forestry.

“These workshops will also identify companies, within the provinces in the targeted sector master plans, as well as other priority sectors that wish to export to the rest of the continent. 

“In addition, the workshops will expose export ready companies to the benefits of exporting under the AfCFTA,” Tyini said.

The AfCFTA presents tremendous opportunities for South African companies to expand and diversify their export base beyond traditional markets in Southern Africa.

By exploring new markets in North, West, Central and Eastern Africa, businesses can tap into previously untapped potential.

The continental free trade area also includes mechanisms to support emerging producers, SMEs, as well as women and youth entrepreneurs, enabling them to participate and benefit from the opportunities it offers. – SAnews.gov.za

Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane is today visiting Hoërskool Garsfontein in Pretoria  following the discovery of a deceased learner on Tuesday.

In a statement on Tuesday, Chiloane said this follows the discovery of a Grade 10 girl learner’s body this morning. 

According to information at the department’s disposal, the discovery was made by the school’s security, who found a corpse on the school’s rugby field on Tuesday morning, which has been identified as a Grade 10 girl learner from the school.

Police have been called and they are currently at the scene conducting investigations.

According to the department, the learner’s family is also at the school and they will receive necessary support from the department’s psycho-social support team.

“What is unclear at this stage is how the dead body of the girl learner ended up at the school, especially as schools are on recess and there are no learners at school. We call upon police to urgently apprehend the perpetrators.

“We also extend our sincerest condolences to the family and the school community at large,” Chiloane said. – SAnews.gov.za 

The Electoral Commission (IEC) has partnered with social media giants Google, Meta, TikTok and non-profit organisation Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) to curb disinformation ahead of South Africa’s 2024 National and Provincial Elections.

In a crucial step towards safeguarding the integrity of information and preserving the fundamentals of South Africa's electoral processes, the parties signed a Framework of Cooperation to work together to combat disinformation and other digital harms.

Although the IEC worked with platforms in the last two general elections, it is the first time that a Framework of Cooperation is signed.

The bourgeoning use of digital media in recent years has seen a corresponding surge in digital disinformation, particularly on social media platforms. Electoral processes have not been spared. Left unchecked, this phenomenon stands to undermine the conduct of credible elections.

Disinformation is defined as false, inaccurate or misleading information designed to intentionally cause harm. Within an election context, this includes false information intended to unduly affect participation in and the outcome of elections.

Electoral Commission Chairperson, Mosotho Moepya, said the framework is important because disinformation poses a threat to the exercise of various rights and to the access of constitutional protections, including freedom of expression, access to credible information, and the freedom to make informed political choices.

“The dissemination of disinformation has huge potential to undermine the fairness and credibility of elections. Credible information is the lifeblood of all democracies. Trustworthy information is crucial in the process that enables citizens to choose their leaders,” Moepya said.

The framework covers the following:

• It establishes cooperation during the election period, in good faith.
• It is a collaborative framework that respects existing laws and does not require sharing confidential user data.
• It aligns with the South African Constitution, the Electoral Act and Electoral Code of Conduct.
• It supports the establishment of a working group between partners, promotes access to accurate information; conduct of awareness campaigns on elections, and provides training to political parties, election candidates and other key election stakeholders on addressing disinformation.
• It allows online platforms to implement policies and processes such as content removal, advisory warnings, and delisting to address disinformation.
• It enables signatories to cooperate with the IEC and MMA on initiatives including Real411.org (complaints platform) and PADRE.org.za (transparent repository of political advertisements) to combat disinformation.

“Real411 takes proactive measures against disinformation. Upon careful review of any reported complaint indicating disinformation or misinformation, the Commission promptly notifies the relevant online platform. The platform is expected to acknowledge and swiftly process the notification, ensuring a diligent response,” said William Bird, the MMA Africa Director.

The social media platforms will bolster resources to prioritise referrals from the Commission during the election period.

Actions taken by the platforms are in terms of their policies and may include the removal of the content, the publication of an advisory warning and/or the delisting of the post.

Action to deal with disinformation

The Real411 digital disinformation reporting platform will form part of the work of the Electoral Commission’s Directorate of Electoral Offences, which was first established ahead of the 2016 Municipal Elections to investigate alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct and prohibited conduct as contained in the Electoral Act.

The Commission’s Directorate, comprising independent attorneys, operates throughout the term of the election timetable. It investigates complaints and provides recommendations for possible further action.

Real411 complaints regarding disinformation will be considered by a panel of relevant experts, including those with expertise in media law, social and digital media. They will make recommendations for possible further action for the consideration of the Commission.

Such action could include:

• Referring the matter to the Electoral Court.
• Referring the matter to social media platforms to act upon in terms of their respective policies and undertakings.
• Issuing media statements to alert the public and correct the disinformation.

The initiative will also include information to help educate voters about the dangers of disinformation and how to spot it.

The social media partners applauded the framework and reiterated their commitment to cooperate with the IEC in this initiative.

The partners stressed that they have policies and mechanisms in place to counter disinformation, and would continue to use these as contribution to the collective effort to eradicate falsehoods.

“Google has always been committed to supporting democratic processes, including supporting elections integrity and ensuring trust among voters.

“We place a big focus on creating products and programmes that enable people across the globe to engage with these activities through information that is accurate, protecting elections and campaigns from bad actors, as well as assisting campaigns in managing their digital presence,”Abongile Mashile, Senior Manager: Government Affairs and Public Policy, at Google Southern Africa said.

Balkissa Idè Siddo, Public Policy Director for Africa at Meta, said: “Protecting the integrity of the 2024 elections in South Africa is a key priority for our company. As our platforms continue to play an important role in civic discussions around the world, including here in South Africa, we know we have an important responsibility.

“Using lessons from the past and input from a range of experts, including dedicated and local teams within Meta, we continue to make substantial investments to help take aggressive steps in fighting abuse across our platforms, while rolling out policies and products to help ensure a safe and secure general election. We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with the South African Electoral Commission.”

Fortune Mgwili-Sibanda, the Public Policy and Government Relations Director at TikTok, said: “At TikTok, we take the responsibility to protect our community as well as the integrity of our platform – particularly around elections – with the utmost seriousness.

“We're proud to be a place that brings people together over creative and entertaining content, and we work hard to keep harmful misinformation and other violations of our policies off our platform.” – SAnews.gov.za

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) is investigating allegations of assault against members of the Protection Security Services unit in the South African Police Service (SAPS).

IPID Executive Director Dikeledi Jennifer Ntlatseng received a complaint from Members of Parliament Andrew Whitfield and Ockert Terreblanche regarding an incident of assault that took place on the N1 North, within the precinct of the Sandton Police station.

A video of heavily armed SAPS officers assaulting a Gauteng motorist and two others has been circulated on social media.

The footage showed members of SAPS assaulting the driver of a VW Polo and his passengers.

IPID investigators have already been in contact with family members of the victims so that they could be assisted in laying charges.

“Engagements are underway to also get the employers of the victims to assist with the investigations. IPID has already engaged SAPS management who are offering their full cooperation as far as the IPID investigation is concerned,” IPID said in a statement.

The police said they have established that the two black BMW X5s captured in the viral video were indeed owned by the SA Police Service. After allegedly assaulting the victims, the VIP officers got back into three black BMW SUVs and sped off.

Meanwhile, the National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola has condemned the behaviour of the police officers.

“Members of the SAPS are meant to uphold and protect the fundamental rights of every person and exercise the powers conferred upon them in a responsible and controlled manner. Such action cannot be condoned regardless of the circumstance,” he said. - SAnews.gov.za

The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DOJCD) has been fined R5 million by the Information Regulator for failing to comply with an enforcement notice issued in May.

The regulator issued the notice after the department contravened various sections of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) following its failure to renew anti-virus and IT security solutions licenses.

“The Enforcement Notice had required the DOJCD to submit proof to the regulator within 31 days of receipt of the notice that the Trend Anti-Virus licence, the SIEM [security information and event management] licence and the Intrusion Detection System Licence have been renewed.

“It also required the department to institute disciplinary proceedings against the official/s who failed to renew the licences, which is necessary to safeguard the department against security compromises.

“The regulator indicated that should the DOJCD fail to abide by the Enforcement Notice within the stipulated timeframe, it will be guilty of an offence, in terms of which the regulator may impose an administrative fine in the amount not exceeding R10 million, or liable upon conviction to a fine or to imprisonment of the responsible officials,” the regulator said.

According to the independent body, the deadline for submitting proof that the licences had been renewed was 3 June – a deadline the department missed.

“To date, the department has not provided the regulator with a report on the implementation of the actions required in the enforcement notice or any other communication in that regard. The department had the right to appeal the Enforcement Notice in terms of section 97(1) of POPIA, and they have failed to exercise that right.

“Given this lack of compliance with the enforcement notice, the regulator has made a determination that the department has failed to comply with the Enforcement Notice served to it in terms of POPIA. Accordingly, the regulator has issued an administrative fine of R5 million to the department for failure to comply with the enforcement notice.

“The department has 30 days, from 3 July 2023, to pay the administrative fine or make arrangements with the regulator to pay the administrative fine in instalments or elect to be tried in court on a charge of having committed the alleged offence referred in terms of POPIA,” the regulator said. – SAnews.gov.za