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Former Bafana Bafana and Kaizer Chiefs defender Fabian McCarthy believes football development is key to improving South African football standards. McCarthy, 47, is impressed with how Varsity Football has changed and transformed the lives of young talents. “I was an under-20 when I made it to the national team, there was a bank sponsoring a …
Ketamine can be life-saving or lethal The anaesthetic drug ketamine can bring life-saving hope for people suffering treatment-resistant major depression or at severe risk of suicide, but unsupervised use or excessive dosages hold addictive and even lethal risks. This is the warning sounded by the South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) against the “recreational” or …
Compared to high income households, lower income households typically face more financial difficulties as a result of the constant rise in living expenses. For the average household, this requires putting limited resources to the best possible use by making often tough decisions about what and how much to consume, produce, trade and invest. The 2024 …
Dear Editor The DA has learnt that President Ramaphosa intends to sign the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill into law on Friday, 13 September. If he proceeds, despite the DA’s strong objections, he will violate both the letter and spirit of the joint Statement of Intent, that forms the basis of the Government of National …
On 9 September 2024, Western Cape Minister of Mobility, Isaac Sileku, visited Beaufort West as part of the Provincial Sustainable Transport Programme (PSTP) where he handed over bicycles to learners at Beaufort-West Primary School and John D. Crawford Primary School. The programme at both schools included a meeting with the principal and designated educators, a …
Affinity Health, a leading provider of high-quality health coverage, explores childhood cancer, its types, signs, and what to expect if your child is diagnosed. “September marks Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, a time to recognise the challenges young cancer patients and their families face,” says Murray Hewlett, CEO of Affinity Health. “While childhood cancer is relatively …
KIMBERLEY: Beyers Swanepoel starred with bat and ball but South Africa A (SA ‘A’) still found themselves in a difficult position...
Care and compassion are with the families and friends, in relation to the incident at Victoria Bay, near to George, on Saturday, 31 August, where a local 20 year old male and 17 year old male went missing while swimming. We can confirm that on Saturday, 7 September, SAPS Water Policing and Diving Services (WPDS) …
The tournament, which started later than scheduled, is underway in Pretoria and ends on Saturday
Cape Town which is also known as the Mother City has been ranked 17th on the Savills Executive Nomad Index. Kelcie Sellers, associate director, Savills World Research said: “The more common digital nomad is symbolised by the young backpacker; however, executive nomads tend to be older and more likely travel with family in tow.” “For …
South Africa‘s Ukrainian Association has expressed outrage that a Russian naval vessel was recently allowed to dock for several days at Cape Town harbor. Critics say the incident calls into question Pretoria’s purported neutral stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The Ukrainian Association in South Africa said it was dismayed to learn the Russian naval training …
National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola has declared a firm commitment to using all available resources to combat crime and protect communities in the Eastern Cape. Speaking on Sunday during a visit to Mthatha and Gqeberha, Masemola addressed concerns about a rise in extortion cases and acknowledged that many incidents are underreported. Masemola emphasised the need …
Tsomo waste water treatment works were meant to be completed two years ago
The City of Cape Town says its problem building unit has 291 active cases under various stages of investigation along with legal proceedings against 55 property owners. The specialised law enforcement unit, comprising 13 members, closed 425 cases during the past financial year, from July 2023 to June 2024, compared to 207 the previous year. …
UP-Tuks showed no signs of slowing down when they sealed a solid victory over Madibaz Netball as the Varsity Netball tournament resumed at the Madibaz Sports Centre in Gqeberha, the Eastern Cape on Sunday, 8 September 2024 The reigning champions overwhelmed Round 3 and 4 hosts Nelson Mandela University’s netball team 81-47 to secure their …
It wasn’t a flawless performance, but the South Africans deserve a lot of credit for the win in their first match under a new coaching staff of Swys de Bruin, Laurian Haupt-Johannes, Bafana Nhleko and Franzel September. Last year the Barbarians were victorious by 38-26 at Athlone Stadium, and they beat the Bok Women by …
Former Chippa United coaches Siyabulela Gwambi and Kurt Lentjies have found new homes in the SAFA Eastern Cape ABC Motsepe League. Gwambi, who served as assistant and interim coach at ‘The Chilli Boys’ in the PSL, has been appointed head coach of Gqeberha United FC. Gqeberha United are a new side in the Eastern Cape’s …
In May this year, a seal at a popular beach in Cape Town, South Africa, bit five surfers in a matter of minutes. The surfers laughed it off with characteristic nonchalance, but seal experts were concerned because this extremely unusual behaviour seemed part of what was becoming a pattern. Six days earlier, on the other …
A powerful beast was launched in style last week in the picturesque city of Gqeberha with a scenic drive through to Graaff-Reinet. The new VW Tiguan is all sharp lines, confident curves, and a front end that says, “move over, slowpokes.” And it is like VW took a magic eraser to wind resistance – the …
The Portfolio Committee on Tourism today met with the National Empowerment Fund (NEF) and the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (SEFA) to discuss the different tourism development programmes the two entities are implementing on behalf of the Department of Tourism.
The NEF gave an update on the Transformation Fund, a funding initiative targeting tourism businesses in previously disadvantaged communities. The entity's Acting Chief Executive Officer, Mr Mzwamadoda Dayimani, explained that the partnership and co-funding arrangement between NEF and the department applies to all transactions supported under the programme.
“The department funds through a grant, limited to R5 million per transaction and if a transaction value is more than R10 million, the NEF funds the excess. The NEF portion is funded through a repayable loan,” Mr Dayimani said.
A number of the projects supported through this Fund are still in the development stage and servicing their loans. After paying off the loans, the projects are expected to be self-sustainable and create more jobs. The funding also comes with post-investment support to ensure they meet their financial targets and repay the loans.
SEFA Acting CEO, Mr Nkosikhona Mbatha, presented a progress report on the Tourism Equity Fund (TEF) to the committee. This Fund seeks to increase growth and transformation and stimulate more inclusive participation in the tourism sector in line with the Tourism BBBEE Sector Codes. It also addresses funding challenges faced by enterprises in the tourism sector.
TEF's core funding activities focus on accommodation, hospitality and related services, travel and related services, and tourism-related products that support the development of the tourism sector in South Africa.
The committee Chairperson, Ms Lungi Mnganga-Gcabashe, said the department should provide additional funding for the programme to accommodate increasing demand, implement awareness programmes, and strengthen post-funding support to ensure the funded projects are sustainable.
“NEF must also increase its own funding because it is clear that there is a demand for this support and should consider stretching the repayment period because tourism projects take long to break even,” said the Chairperson.
Commenting on the SEFA presentation, Ms Mnganga-Gcabashe, said the entity should expedite processing applications for funding as there seems to be slow progress.
She also advised the two agencies and the department to consider the quality of jobs created through these programmes versus the quantity of menial jobs.
“We also need to ensure equitable geographical share of the programmes. Instead of approving projects in more developed areas, we must spread to previously disadvantaged communities,” she said.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.
Strike at Germiston factory enters fourth week
Observed on 9 August, Women’s Day serves as a powerful reminder of the ongoing journey toward gender equality. A proudly Level 1 B-BBEE company, Shumani Industrial Equipment continuously strives to empower its employees through continuous training and development. “We are a truly diverse and inclusive business across all our areas of operation,” says MD Victor …
The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has unanimously resolved that a proposed draft motion in respect to regulations governing the maximum amount of a donation that can be accepted and the threshold amount of donations that must be disclosed must undergo a public participation process to ensure that it is reflective of the will and views of the people.
The draft motion tried to remedy a lacuna in the Electoral Matters Amendment Act of 2014 as confirmed by the Western Cape High Court judgement in the matter of My Vote Counts NPC v The President and others. In making the decision, the committee highlighted the importance of public participation in line with Section 59 (1) of the constitution that compels the National Assembly to facilitate public involvement in its processes.
The draft motion proposes that, in terms of section 24 of the Act, the President as soon as reasonably possible, makes regulations regarding the amounts contemplated in section 8(2) and 9(1)(a) of the Act in accordance with the process set out in that Act, and that the President in that regard considers amounts set by items 7 and 9 of Schedule 2 to the Act prior to its amendment by the Electoral Matters Amendment Act 2024 (Act No. 14 of 2024), namely:
(i) the amount referred to in section 8(2) (upper limit of donations) being fifteen million rand in a financial year; and
(ii) the amount referred to in section 9(1)(a) (disclosure limit) of the Act being one hundred thousand rand in a financial year.
The committee will in due course communicate avenues that the public can contribute comments to the draft motion.
Meanwhile, the committee adopted a report on the draft notice determining the remuneration of Commissioners of the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 financial years in line with the Determination of Remuneration of Office-Bearers of Independent Constitutional Institutions Laws Amendment Act of 2014.
The committee concurred with the President's determination on the remuneration adjustment of IEC Commissioners, that a retrospective salary increases of 3% be implemented for the 2023/24 financial year and 2.5% for the 2024/25 financial year for the Chairperson and other full-time Commissioners.
The committee will recommend to the National Assembly to approve the notice determining the remuneration of the Commissioners of the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).
Furthermore, the committee received a presentation from Parliament's Public Education Office on their plans to ensure a rigorous public participation process on the Marriage Bill [B43 – 2023]. The committee intends on undertaking a comprehensive public participation process and the presentation laid a framework that will be followed to ensure that the public participation process that will be undertaken will be inclusive and meaningful.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.
South Africa Cape Town 2024″> Read More at the SOURCE Stellenbosch: The Stellenbosch Train Station – The train station, built in 1888, is one of the oldest railway stations in South Africa and plays a vital role in local transport