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Pretoria, South Africa – 25 March 2024: The inaugural 2024 Tokyo E-Prix will mark Jaguar TCS Racing’s 100th race in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Jaguar returned to motorsport in 2016, joining Formula E’s third season. Now in its eighth season of competition, over the last 99 races Jaguar TCS Racing has grown …
Dear Editor Today, the Democratic Alliance (DA) publicly released its candidates for the 2024 National and Provincial Elections (NPE 2024). This brings to conclusion a 10-month-long process that both measured and assessed the performance of incumbent members of parliament and provincial legislatures, and tested and vetted some of the very best new candidates South Africa …
Former Steinhoff director appears in court for fraud, racketeering
Former Steinhoff director Stephanus Grobler has appeared in court on charges of racketeering, three counts of fraud worth R21 billion, manipulation of financial statements and failure to report fraudulent activities.
Grobler appeared in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Monday where he was granted bail of R150 000.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana explained that Grobler and then Steinhoff Chief Executive Officer, Markus Jooste – who has since been reported dead – allegedly committed acts of racketeering between 2014 and 2016 within the company.
“During that period, it is alleged that Jooste played a major role in the management of the criminal enterprise. Furthermore, it is alleged that Grobler created documentation of transactions that supported the fraudulent transactions used to inflate and falsify the annual financial statement of the Steinhoff Group.
“In court, using an affidavit, Grobler told the court that he intended to plead not guilty to the charges, and would prove his innocence. He further asked the court to release him on bail,” Mahanjana said.
According to the spokesperson, the prosecution opposed the bail application on account of the seriousness of the crime and indicated that Grobler is a flight risk.
“In delivering the judgement, Magistrate Nicca Setshogoe granted him bail with conditions that he should report to Brooklyn police station twice a week, Monday and Friday. He should hand over his two passports to the investigating officer and is not allowed to apply for a new one.
“He should hand over his two firearms to the police. He is not allowed to leave Gauteng province without informing the investigation officer. [He] must not interfere with state witnesses,” Mahanjana said.
The matter is expected back in the court on 26 June 2024. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Tue, 03/26/2024 - 09:28
The Western Cape Police Ombudsman’s (WCPO) report into matters the office are investigating, indicate that between April to December 2023, it finalised 265 (86.32%) of the 307 cases. There are currently thirty (30) cases that are being investigated, eight (8) still need to be allocated, while four (4) are to be finalised. The outstanding matters …
Dear Editor The DA has received confirmation from the Acting Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Lechesa Tsenoli that the Motion of no Confidence in the Speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has been granted. The motion will now be considered by the House in due course. The rules of the National Assembly are clear. The motion …
Today, Premier Alan Winde delivered his budget vote speech for the Department of the Premier. Below is a summary of his address: It is my privilege to table the Department of the Premier’s 2024 budget, a critical component of our government’s collective efforts to keep building a province where all our residents can thrive in …
The following debate speech was delivered in parliament today by Kevin Mileham MP: Chairperson, There can be no doubt that the nuclear age heralds a bright future, both from a technology and energy perspective. It is one that promises boundless energy and great leaps in science and medicine, but also a horrendous escalation in warfare, …
Veteran South African distance runner Elroy Gelant has set his sights on running a maiden sub-28-minute clocking at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K on Sunday 7 April 2024. “My goal for the Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K will be to run a sub-28. I’m looking forward to it. All of my training …
Independent and political party candidates lists available for inspection
The Electoral Commission (IEC) will today and tomorrow between 09:00 and 17:00 make the lists with the names of independent and political party candidates available for inspection at its national office, at all its nine provincial offices and at local municipal offices.
Parties intending to contest the elections had until 17:00 on Monday to revise their lists and inform the commission if they had nominated candidates who also appeared on the list of another party or who were nominated as independent candidates.
In all, there were 42 candidates appearing on more than one party list implicating 39 parties. Furthermore, one candidate was nominated as an independent candidate and also appeared on a list of a party.
“The focus in the evolving candidate nomination process shifts to a period within which interested persons may inspect the lists of candidates and raise objections against candidates.
“To this end, the Commission will today and tomorrow, between 09:00 and 17:00 make the lists with the names of independent and political party candidates available for inspection at its national office, and in all its nine provincial offices and in local municipal offices.
“Copies of the documents accompanying the lists are available for inspection at the commission’s national office between 09:00 and 17:00,” said the commission in a statement.
In all, 14 662 candidates have been nominated to contest the 887 seats available in the National Assembly and the nine legislatures. The spread of the candidates is as follows:
The biggest ballot paper will contain 56 contestants. This is the ballot for the compensatory seats in the National Assembly. The biggest regional election ballot will be in the Gauteng region with 40 political parties and 2 independent candidates.
Similarly, the biggest ballot in respect of provincial legislature elections will be in Gauteng with 42 political parties and 2 independent candidates.
Seven independent candidates will contest the regional elections and six will contest the provincial legislature elections. The region with the most number of independent candidates is the Limpopo region with three candidates.
Any person may object to the nomination of a candidate. Such objections must be lodged with the commission by 17:00 on 27 March 2024.
An objection may be raised on the basis that an independent candidate or nominating party has failed to submit the signed prescribed acceptance of nomination or that there is no signed prescribed undertaking, that the candidate is bound by the electoral code of conduct, the commission said.
An objection may be on the basis that a candidate is not qualified to stand in the election. In this regard section 47 and 106 of the Constitution are instructive.
The sections provide that every citizen who is qualified to vote for the National Assembly is eligible to be a member of the Assembly, except:
(a) Anyone who is appointed by, or is in the service of the state and receives remuneration for that appointment or service
(b) Permanent delegates to the National Council of Provinces or members of a provincial legislature or a Municipal Council
(c) Unrehabilitated insolvents
(d) Anyone declared to be of unsound mind by a court of the Republic or,
(e) Anyone who, after this section took effect, is convicted of an offence and sentenced to more than 12 months imprisonment without the option of a fine, either in the Republic, or outside the Republic if the conduct constituting the offence would have been an offence in the Republic, but no one may be regarded as having been sentenced until an appeal against the conviction or sentence has been determined, or until the time for an appeal has expired. A disqualification under this paragraph ends five years after the sentence has been completed.
The commission will decide the objections by 28 March 2024. The objector, registered party or nominated candidate may appeal against the decision of the Commission to the Electoral Court by 2 April 2024.
The final list of candidates contesting the elections will be published by the Commission on 10 April 2024.
Voters are reminded that they may only vote at a voting station in which they are registered.
Voters who will unavoidably be away from their voting districts on Election Day may give notice of their intention to vote at another identified voting station by 17 May 2024. – SAnews.gov.za
Edwin
Tue, 03/26/2024 - 09:32
In an extensive search and rescue operation involving multiple resources, reaching in excess of 80 nautical miles South East of Cape Point, the DFFE Fisheries Patrol vessel Ellen Khuzwayo located and recovered the 6 missing fishermen deep sea off Cape Point. They are reportedly all in good health and not injured. At this stage we …
When it comes to hotel development across Africa in 2024, just five words tell the story, “Egypt and the Big 5”. In this context, “the Big 5” does not refer to Africa's major wildlife attractions, (lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant and buffalo) but to the global hotel chains – Accor, Hilton, IHG, Marriott International and Radisson Hotel Group. This year's African Hotel Chain Development Pipeline report, widely acknowledged as the industry's most authoritative source, documenting and analysing the number of hotels being planned and built across the continent, reports a market share of 28% for Egypt and 71% for the Big 5 global chains.
The survey, conducted by Lagos-based W Hospitality Group, in association with the Africa Hospitality Investment Forum (AHIF), is based on responses from 47 global and regional (African) hotel chains, reporting on a pipeline of hotel development activity totalling around 92,000 rooms in 524 hotels, in 41 of Africa's 54 countries.
Significant trends to emerge in the past year include strong growth, over 9%, in both North and sub-Saharan Africa, an increase in very large hotels (the average size of the largest 10 hotels is 770 rooms, up from 723 rooms in 2023) and a rapid growth in resorts, up by 32% on 2023. In this respect, Zanzibar has performed particularly strongly. There, the pipeline has grown from seven resorts with 983 rooms in 2023 to 14 resorts and 2,048 rooms in 2024, a sure sign of confidence in these beautiful Indian Ocean islands.
The extent to which Egypt dominates the African hotel development pipeline each year, with almost 26,250 rooms in 109 hotels, is quite remarkable. The country's pipeline, up by 19 hotels and about 5,200 rooms in 2023, is larger than the next four countries put together. It has well over three times the number of rooms as second-placed Nigeria, which has 7,622 rooms in 50 hotels. Third-placed Morocco has 7,169 rooms in 52 hotels and Ethiopia, in fourth place, has 5,128 rooms spread across 31 properties.
There has been an extremely strong increase in the number of resort projects in the pipeline, growing from 24% of the total in 2023 to 30% in 2024. In addition, around half of the rooms in hotels and resorts that opened last year were in resorts. Both Boa Vista (Cape Verde) and Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt) score highly because of the very large average size of the resorts there. The largest hotel in the entire pipeline is a Rixos resort being planned in Sharm El Sheikh, with over 1,800 rooms.
The Big 5 global chains – Marriott International, Hilton, Accor, Radisson Hotel Group and IHG Hotels & Resorts – account for 66% of hotels and 71% of rooms in the entire African pipeline.
Marriott International, the world's largest hotel chain, remains in the lead for the third consecutive year, in a seemingly unassailable position as number one, with almost twice the number of pipeline hotels and rooms as second placed Hilton, and it has the largest number of rooms added in the year.
Looking back at previous years, there used to be a neck and neck race between Accor and Marriott International but, for the second year running, Accor's pipeline has actually decreased, from a high of about 20,250 rooms in 2022 to 13,375 rooms today. Executives say that they are focused on having a “clean and achievable pipeline, rather than numbers for numbers sake”.
Accor's quote highlights a key issue in tracking hotel development in Africa, which is differentiating between hotel projects that are proposed from those that are under construction and from those that have been completed. Typically, the length of time between signing and opening is between four and five years. However, the report identifies 35 projects in the pipeline that are 10 or more years old, including one hotel that was signed 16 years ago.
When it comes to hotels under construction, Marriott International leads the way, with 138 hotels (15,011 rooms) currently being built. It is followed by Hilton (72 hotels, 5,955 rooms), Radisson Hotel Group (35 hotels, 5,748 rooms) and Accor (70 hotels, 3,346 rooms). TUI Hotels & Resorts has charged into the rankings in fifth place with 12 hotels (2,208 rooms) under construction.
As well as looking at deals, which may or may not materialise, W Hospitality Group also looked at who was opening hotels in Africa in 2023, and where. Of the total 29 chain hotels and resorts that opened in Africa in 2023, the split was 10 in North Africa and 19 in sub-Saharan Africa. Of those 19 openings, 11 were in East Africa, including six new hotels and resorts in Tanzania, which had the most openings of any African country. It is clear evidence of the attractiveness of both the mainland and Zanzibar to investors and operators.
Accor came out top of the list for openings last year, and it also tops the number of hotels and rooms opened over the past five years (2019-2023), with 34 hotels opening, comprising around 5,500 rooms.
In terms of “actualisation”, 2023 was an exceptionally slow year. However, that is likely to be offset by a strong 2024, during which the top 10 chains expect to open 139 hotels with 19,122 rooms.
Trevor Ward, Managing Director, W Hospitality Group, said: "Our report contains very positive data, with the pipeline expanding by more than 9 per cent in 2023. This is the largest increase since 2018 and, according to data produced by CoStar/STR, is one of the highest increases globally, surpassed only by the Americas. We look not just at signed deals and their status, but also at the historical actualisation of these deals. This year, we've placed greater emphasis than we have in the past on the actualisation, because if the deals don't become operating businesses, generating profits for the owners and paying fees to the hotel chains, no one's objectives are being met, are they?"
“We're looking forward to some 139 hotels and resorts opening in Africa in 2024, with expectations of a far greater actualisation rate than in recent years, as Africa strives to achieve its fair share of the global hotel industry”.
When one considers existing hotels, as well as hotels in the development pipeline, the continent's current king of the jungle is Accor, with 165 hotels, containing 29,041 rooms, open and trading. Marriott International is in second place, 25,451 rooms in 143 hotels, Hilton is third, 12,525 rooms in 47 hotels and Radisson Hotel Group is close behind with 12,179 rooms in 61 properties. However, if Marriott International delivers all the rooms in its pipeline, it is on course to overtake Accor and become pack leader, with 51,816 rooms in operation.
Matthew Weihs, Managing Director of The Bench, which organises the Africa Hospitality Investment Forum (AHIF), concluded: “The report reveals some very positive trends, including strong growth in new hotel projects, the emergence of high-quality white label hotel operators and governments successfully attracting investment into their tourism industries. All this bodes well for deal-making discussions at AHIF.”
An update to the pipeline development survey, along with in-depth insights, will be presented by Trevor Ward at AHIF, which takes place at the Mövenpick Hotel, Windhoek, Namibia, from 25th – 27th June 2024.
The event is the most influential gathering of hospitality executives in Africa, connecting business leaders and fuelling investment in tourism projects, infrastructure, and hotel development across the continent.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Hospitality Investment Forum (AHIF).
Media contact:
For further information and high-resolution images, please contact:
David Tarsh
+44 (0) 20 7602 5262 / +44 (0) 7770 816 070
Email: David@Tarsh.com
About W Hospitality Group:
The W Hospitality Group, a member of Hotel Partners Africa, specialises in the provision of advisory services to the hotel, tourism and leisure industries, providing a full range of services to clients who have investments in the sector, or who are looking to enter them through development, acquisition or other means. In sub-Saharan Africa W Hospitality Group is regarded as the market leader due to the market and financial expertise of its staff, its worldwide knowledge, and its commitment to its clients. In Africa, W Hospitality Group has to date worked in 40 countries on the continent, from its Lagos and Addis Ababa offices.
About the Africa Hospitality Investment Forum (AHIF):
AHIF is the premier hotel investment conference in Africa, attracting many prominent international hotel owners, investors, financiers, management companies and their advisers. It is organised by The Bench (www.TheBench.com), which has a long track record of delivering multiple premium hotel investment conferences and forums across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America. The Bench's mission is enabling prosperity by facilitating growth, networking, and thought leadership in the hospitality industry worldwide.
Sponsors of AHIF are Host Sponsor: Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB); Host Partner: Kasada Capital Management; Platinum Sponsors: ClubMed, Radisson Hotel Group; Gold Sponsors: Accor, Aleph Hospitality, BWH Hotels, CHIC, CityBlue, hansgrohe, IHG Hotels and Resorts, Knight Frank, Kofisit, LEVA, Marriott International. Millennium Hotels and Resorts; Silver Sponsors: Gondwana Collection, HVS, STR, TIME Hotels, TV5Monde; Tuck Shop Sponsor: Profica; Bar Sponsor: Zia Travel Atelier; Exhibitor: MultiChoice Namibia; Networking Sponsor: Talinda; Official Carriers: Discover Airlines, FlyNamibia, South Africa Airways.
Mchunu tackles water shortage in King Cetshwayo District Municipality
Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu has raised concern at the high deficit of water supply to communities in the King Cetshwayo District Municipality and the management of debt owed to the uMngeni-uThukela Water Board.
Mchunu raised his concerns at a meeting held with the leaders of the King Cetshwayo District Municipality, including the Mfolozi and uMlalazi Local Municipalities, which fall under the district in KwaZulu-Natal.
According to the 2022 Stats SA community survey, the King Cetshwayo District Municipality is home to 1 021 344 citizens and is one of the municipalities within KwaZulu-Natal that is faced with water and sanitation challenges.
The district is a Water Services Authority (WSA) and Water Services Provider (WSP) within its area of jurisdiction, except for the City of uMhlathuze Municipality, which has its own WSA status.
Mchunu noted that despite the interventions by the department and the district, there is a shortfall of 63 megalitres per day.
To address this challenge, Mchunu said the department, together with the district, will have to build additional water resources infrastructure, including water treatment capacity and distribution infrastructure to augment the supply of water, which currently stands at more than 36 megalitres per day.
The Minister said water supply schemes must augment water supply in the district in order to deal with the long-standing water shortage in the district.
“This is a huge deficit, which is a challenge because it is more than the available water we have for the district at the moment. We need to close this deficit and ensure that there is enough access to water for the people,” Mchunu said.
The King Cetshwayo District Municipality performed poorly during the Blue Drop assessment, resulting in a significant decrease of the municipal Blue Drop score from 74.08% in 2014 to 41.06% in 2023.
Municipal debt
Mchunu raised his dissatisfaction at money owed by the district to the uMngeni-uThukela Water Board, which manages and operates bulk water infrastructure, including abstraction, water purification plants and command reservoirs.
The water board is also responsible for ensuring good quality water in line with SANS: 241, and to undertake maintenance related challenges, and manage and operate boreholes within district.
“The district municipality debts to our water boards are a worrying factor and interferes with the capacity of the municipality to offer the services to the people. We, as the Department of Water and Sanitation, will be assisting municipalities and the water boards to deal with the issue of debt,” Mchunu said, adding this issue can only be resolved through cooperation between the affected parties.
The Minister also called on the district not to compromise the services to the people, and to improve on its capacity and determination to ensure that members of the community have access to clean and fresh water.
He said there should be cooperation between the district municipality and the Department of Water and Sanitation to deliver the services to the people within the district.
King Cetshwayo District Municipality Executive Mayor, Thamsanqa Ntuli, said the municipality has attained a steady and notable improvement on access to water supply, with major attention on bulk water supply infrastructure.
“The implementation of water infrastructure projects within the district is critical and will assist in addressing challenges of water rationing, and to eradicate the use of water tankers in the communities that are without water,” Ntuli said. – SAnews.gov.za
GabiK
Mon, 03/25/2024 - 12:09
Progress made at troublesome power stations
Eskom Group Executive for Generation, Bheki Nxumalo, says although challenges continue, at least five power stations identified for attention and intervention are beginning to show improvement.
Nxumalo was speaking during an Energy Action Plan (EAP) media briefing on Monday.
“One of the stations identified was Kusile Power Station, where we were running one unit and it was also not running at full capacity. At Kusile now, we have actually taken it out of recovery station because it is running exceptionally well, on average above 90% availability.
“It shows that we have taken the lessons from Medupi [power station], which has been consistently running at those levels. Kusile has now turned the corner,” he said.
Kusile power station is located in Mpumalanga.
Meanwhile, improvements are being seen at the Majuba, Matla, Duvha and Kriel power stations, which are all located in Mpumalanga.
“With the work that we’ve done, we’ve seen a significant improvement at Majuba in terms of reduction of partial load losses and also trips at that plant. That plant is also running exceptionally well, so is Matla power station as well.
“Duvha has been doing exceptionally well, except for the boiler failures but on average, Duvha is on the right track. It is actually performing much better than it was a year ago. Kriel power station is also seeing good improvement,” he said.
Nxumalo conceded that Kendal and Tutuka power stations “have not improved as expected”.
“We understand why. With Tutuka… we are starting to commission those units so in the next two months, we are going through a major commissioning period. We expect that Tutuka will start performing much better than what has happened.
“Kendal we understand the issues there [and] we are now also starting to commission the units. We are dealing with both the partial [load losses] and the unavailability,” he said.
Load shedding
Meanwhile, Eskom has suspended load shedding between 5am and 4pm daily followed by Stage 2 load shedding in the evening. This pattern will be repeated until further notice.
“Load shedding will be suspended... until 4pm on Monday when Stage 2 load shedding will be implemented until 5am on Tuesday.
“This pattern of suspending load shedding from 5am until 4pm and Stage 2 load shedding from 4pm until 5am will be repeated daily until further notice,” the power utility said on social media platform, X. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Mon, 03/25/2024 - 12:14
Fund launched to empower young tech entrepreneurs
A transformative fund to empower innovators and tech entrepreneurs from higher education institutions was officially launched by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Monday.
The Higher Education Innovation Fund is aimed at students aspiring to become innovators and tech entrepreneurs emerging from Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges and universities.
“This will be done through programmes that support general entrepreneurship, ideation, and design thinking,” said Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, speaking at the launch in Pretoria.
He informed the audience that the stakeholders aim to fill the gaps in the current set of tools and programmes available to support innovation and technology entrepreneurship nationwide.
“This will be done through, among others, supporting business model development, validation and development of tech-entrepreneurship, support commercialisation, market access and IP [intellectual property] protection, and supporting scale-up and investor readiness.”
According to Nzimande, there is a need for a well-coordinated, integrated and responsive innovation-entrepreneurship ecosystem to support student innovators and tech-entrepreneurship in higher education.
The parties are also looking at sufficiently funding an innovation-entrepreneurship ecosystem and for all partners to back the “ecosystem”.
In addition, the fund also aims to train and up-skill student tech entrepreneurs, who are capable of developing and commercialising competitive innovative products, and to support the establishment and management of sustainable tech-enterprises.
Unemployment
The department said the fund represents a beacon of hope in addressing youth unemployment, inequality, and poverty by fostering the growth of the knowledge economy.
While South Africa grapples with youth unemployment, Nzimande noted a concerning trend of increasing unemployment among graduates, as reported by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA).
He highlighted a few challenges that characterise innovation and entrepreneurship in the post-school education and training (PSET) sector, including poor coordination across the ecosystem, a weak culture of entrepreneurship and innovation, and a lack of support and networks at institutions of higher learning.
He raised concern about students’ limited exposure to entrepreneurial opportunities, mentoring and coaching, and a small number of innovation leaders in TVET colleges.
Another stumbling block, he added, was the lack of early seed funding and incentives.
“These challenges are more acute in TVET colleges and historically disadvantaged universities,” Nzimande said.
Background
The fund’s establishment process began with a Memorandum of Understanding signed between Nzimande's department and UNDP in 2021.
The Higher Education Innovation Fund is provided by the 2019 White Paper on Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI), which according to Nzimande, acknowledges the challenge of high youth unemployment in the country.
“Further to this, our Decadal Plan commits my department to transformation and inclusion of the marginalised, in terms of demographic, institutional and geographical transformation of the National System of Innovation.
“This is why innovation for inclusion is a theme that runs across all chapters of our Decadal Plan and overlaps with many of the Policy Intents of the White Paper on STI,” the Minister explained.
Nzimande’s department and the UNDP are the lead partners, while the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) recently joined as a co-funder and potential implementer of some programmes and looking for more donors.
“Equally important, in a couple of months, two calls for proposals will be publicised for interested parties with suitable programmes and expertise to apply," said the Minister.
Nzimande said they were looking to grow the Higher Education Innovation Fund to R1 billion.
He also used his platform to invite private sector companies and other funding institutions to come on board and help achieve this objective.
“The Higher Education Innovation Fund is a first for our PSET system and country. Also, this fund has great potential to become a game changer in terms of the production of student innovators and tech entrepreneurs and by extension, helping us to address the interconnected challenges of skills development and youth unemployment.” – SAnews.gov.za
Gabisile
Mon, 03/25/2024 - 12:56
This year’s Constitution Hill Human Rights Festival focused on the war in Gaza
Orders granted to seize assets from illegal mining kingpins
The National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (NPA AFU) has obtained three orders granting the unit permission to seize assets worth some R18 million from alleged illegal mining kingpins.
The order was granted in the Pretoria High Court to seize 16 bank accounts, 51 vehicles and seven properties from several suspects which NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said are “the proceeds of unlawful activities of a syndicate dealing in unwrought gold in Khutsong area” in Carletonville.
“This emanates from a criminal investigation by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation [the Hawks] registered project Gillette in 2018 with the specific purpose of infiltrating a syndicate which dealt in unwrought gold where they illegally buy gold-bearing materials from legal mining workers and illegally from Zama-Zamas [illegal miners].
“They then process it into gold nuggets and sell it around the Johannesburg area, but the main buyers are unknown at this moment. The syndicate is mainly composed of foreign nationals from Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Some members of the syndicate acquired South African Identity documents fraudulently,” she said.
The properties are expected to be sold at public auction with the proceeds going into the Criminal Asset Recovery Account (CARA).
“The trial against the nine accused who are facing various charges including money laundering and racketeering is set to start on 24 July 2024 at the Pretoria High Court after it was transferred from [the] Oberholzer Magistrates Court.
“These forfeiture orders are part of the implementation of the Asset Forfeiture Unit’s asset recovery strategy to claim the proceeds of criminal activities back to the state. The overall National Anti-Corruption strategy by law enforcement agencies is to strengthen the fight against corruption by pursuing both civil and criminal processes to ensure that impunity is no longer a given,” Mahanjana said. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Mon, 03/25/2024 - 14:30
Philippine Ambassador to South Africa Noralyn Jubaira Baja met with Ambassador Andre Groenewald, Director of the Diplomatic Training and Research Development Institute of the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO-DTRDI).
The main objective of the meeting was to discuss and exchange views on how to implement the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on diplomatic training and research which was signed between DIRCO-DTRDI and the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) of the Philippines on 23 February 2023.
The meeting ended on a positive note, with both sides agreeing to explore cooperation in areas of mutual interest such as middle power diplomacy, blue economy, and artificial intelligence under the framework of the MOU.
First Secretary and Consul Maurice A. Tiempo accompanied Ambassador Baja during the meeting.
Ambassador Groenewald previously served as South Africa's top envoy to Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia and Moldova from 2019 to 2023. As a career diplomat, he has served at various offices in DIRCO. This is not his first time to be assigned at DTRDI and he has played a key role in strengthening DIRCO's training arm to capacitate diplomats not only from South Africa, but also from other African countries.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Department of Foreign Affairs, Republic of the Philippines.
Labour inspectors to be trained in scientific methods
The Department of Employment and Labour has officially unveiled an Occupational Health and Hygiene laboratory as part of exploring new ways of conducting inspections and equipping the inspectorate to adopt a scientific approach to their work.
The laboratory, unveiled by the Chief Directorate: Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) on Monday, is the first of its kind for the department and is located on the ground floor of the department’s head office in Laboria House, Pretoria.
The department’s Chief Inspector, Milly Ruiters, said the laboratory is part of a drive by the Inspection and Enforcement Services (IES) branch to professionalise the work of the inspectorate and will be replicated in all provinces.
“The purpose of the laboratory is multifaceted, in that it will be used as a training facility in the field of occupational hygiene to prepare and provide technical support for OHS inspectors.
“Furthermore, this laboratory will also be used to support practical exposure for inspectors who wish to prepare themselves for professional certification in the field of occupational hygiene,” Ruiters said.
The laboratory will also be used to support exposure monitoring by inspectors in high-profile inspections and investigations.
The facility is equipped with equipment capable of monitoring several occupational stressors (factors in the workplace that cause stress to employees) including noise, hazardous chemical agents, illumination, indoor air quality, and airflow.
Ruiters said the department has 700 OHS inspectors and the bulk of them are specialising in Occupational Health and Hygiene (OHH).
“We previously had OHS inspectors focused mainly on engineering. We are branching into other areas of OHH. This is a milestone for us.
“A lot of employers are not complying with OHH. With this facility, we will empower our inspectors to go and do spot checks and they will no longer be second-guessing,” she said.
Ruiters said the department views the laboratory launch as part of its capacity building and developing a cohort of specialists.
“We want to proactively prevent injuries and diseases. We are preparing to prevent rather than investigate incidents.”
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), work-related stress can be caused by poor work organisation; poor work design (lack of control over work processes); poor management; unsatisfactory working conditions, and lack of support from colleagues and supervisors.
The department’s IES branch Inspector General, Aggy Moiloa, said the unveiling of the laboratory is the start of "something big" that is coming and a legacy the branch wants to leave behind.
“While this is a humble beginning, it is a giant step,” Moiloa said.
Department of Employment and Labour Senior Specialist: OHH, Bulelwa Huna, said the launch of the “small” facility has been a long journey, which started in 2018 in partnership with the department’s stakeholders.
Huna warned that occupational hazards are silent killers.
“As a department, we will not accept the proposition that injury and death go with the job. When we talk about creating decent work, we cannot leave out OHH.
“We want to support inspectors when making decisions. We want to develop technical data that supports reports. The facility will also make our inspectors comfortable using the instruments,” Huna said.
The department has spent R956 000 to set up the facility, and the OHH Directorate will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the laboratory.
The department emphasised that the lab is not replacing the work of existing authorities. The Compensation Fund, an entity of the department, is expected to be one of the beneficiaries of the work of the lab. – SAnews.gov.za
GabiK
Mon, 03/25/2024 - 14:37
When it comes to parcel delivery, few names resonate on a global scale quite like DPD. The company’s reach, credibility, and the esteemed network it belongs to are nothing short of phenomenal. In this article, we delve into the vast expanse of DPD and its associated companies around the world, unveiling a picture of unmatched …
Increased deployments at the country's borders this Easter weekend
More Border Management Authority (BMA) resources are going to be deployed and operating times will be increased at the country’s ports of entry in anticipation of an increase in movements during the Easter long weekend.
“The BMA is compelled to properly plan and execute a deliberate plan in order to ensure smooth and secure border operations during this period,” BMA Commissioner Michael Masiapato said on Monday.
Briefing the media in Pretoria, Masiapato said there was a critical need for the authority to increase its deployment of resources in anticipation of increased movements at the borders, as this presents unique challenges.
“As a reminder to all the stakeholders, the BMA is mandated to facilitate and manage the legitimate movements of persons and goods across all our 52 land ports of entry, 10 international airports and nine seaports,” he said.
The facilitation of movement at the ports of entry is done across five key functional areas of immigration, port health, environmental and agricultural biosecurity, including access control and general law enforcement at the ports of entry and border law enforcement areas.
“During these facilitations, the BMA officials have to secure the ports environment against threats of illegal migration, smuggling, as well as trafficking of persons and goods.
“With this in mind, we have formulated comprehensive strategies and an operational plan to ensure that our deployments are responsive and ensure efficient port operations, with the requisite capability to deal with any security threats and/or risks, which may arise during the upcoming Easter period,” he said.
The Easter operational plan is supported by various law enforcement structure,s such as the South African Police Service (SAPS), South African Revenue Service (SARS), South African National Defence Force (SANDF), Cross Border Road Transport Agency and various traffic authorities.
“Since our establishment, the BMA has intensified its working relationship with the Immigration Inspectorate, which has the mandate to identify illegal migrants who are already in the country and ensure their processing for deportation to their respective countries,” Masiapato said.
He said in this Easter period, they anticipate about one million people moving through the country’s ports.
“The numbers for this year’s Easter period could escalate further as members of the Zion Christian Church (ZCC), one of our biggest churches in the region, is opening for the annual Easter pilgrimage to Moria for the first time since COVID-19.”
Masiapato said the BMA has engaged their counterparts in Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Eswatini and Botswana, and they have agreed to extending operating hours at certain critical ports, which do not usually operate on a 24-hours basis.
The chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Consultative Committee on Border Management, who is also the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, has approved the request to extend operating hours for selected ports.
Statistics for the 2023 Easter period showed that ports of entry, which facilitated the majority of the people were Beitbridge to Zimbabwe, Lebombo to Mozambique, Groblers Bridge to Botswana, Maseru Bridge and Ficksburg to Lesotho, OR Tambo International Airport, Cape Town International Airport, Oshoek to Eswatini, Kopfontein to Botswana and Caledonspoort to Lesotho. – SAnews.gov.za
Edwin
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African Secret Cream Liqueur, a proud South African brand known for its rich, creamy texture and unique taste, is creating abuzz for its “Secret Hero of Africa” Corporate Social Investment (CSI) initiative. This initiative is celebrating the quiet army of dedicated individuals who stand as guardians of its precious wildlife and marine life across the …
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SAP ordered to pay SIU half a billion Rand over 'invalid' Eskom contracts
German software company, SAP, has been ordered by the Special Tribunal to pay some R500 million to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) within seven days following a settlement reached between the company and the unit.
According to the SIU, the settlement stems from an agreement on the validity of two Eskom contracts awarded to SAP between 2013 and 2016.
“Eskom and SAP entered into two contracts, the Enabling Agreement and the Cloud Services Agreement, worth approximately R1.1 billion. The Special Tribunal order has also declared that the two contracts are constitutionally invalid and therefore set aside.
“The order of the Special Tribunal is part of the implementation of the SIU investigation outcomes and consequence management to recover financial losses suffered by State institutions due to negligence or corruption. The settlement agreement does not absolve SAP or any implicated party from possible prosecution,” the SIU said.
The corruption-busting unit explained that an investigation into Eskom found that the contracts were entered into illegally.
“Thereafter, SAP entered into a Sale Commission Agreement with CAD House CC, a Gupta-linked company. Furthermore, Eskom and SAP signed an agreement for Cloud services at a contract value of R21 712 514.82. Following payments from Eskom to SAP, CAD House received funds from SAP.
“SIU findings revealed that the Enabling Agreement and the Cloud Services Agreement did not comply with the Public Finance Management Act, which resulted in Eskom incurring fruitless and wasteful expenditures in respect of the agreements.
“The SIU is empowered to institute civil action in the High Court or a Special Tribunal in its name, to correct any wrongdoing uncovered during its investigations caused by acts of corruption, fraud or maladministration. In line with the Special Investigating Units and Special Tribunals Act 74 of 1996, the SIU refers any evidence pointing to criminal conduct to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for further action,” the SIU said. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
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Gonzo Instrumental released ‘SA’NGOMA METAL:An Instrumental Album’ consisting of 18 tracks on the 21st January 2024. The project is the Continuation of the Lost Tape collection of assembled projects that just never got released. Most of them were created around 2011-2016. Teboho Sekete aka Gonzo Instrumental (producer name) aka Tebu Vision(rap name) was born and …