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Dear Editor Due to lack of transparency from the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development (DALRRD) on farm purchases made under the land acquisition programme, the DA has been compelled to submit a PAIA application in order to obtain details of a farm transaction that took place in 2014. This transaction involved the …
Dear Editor Mayors in DA led municipalities across the country have made submissions to the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) rejecting the ANC government’s District Development Model (DDM) regulations that were gazetted on 4 August 2023. The message from the DA Mayors is clear – the DDM, and its regulations, is unconstitutional …
During August, the Western Cape Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety, Reagen Allen undertook intergovernmental municipal engagements (IGMEs) to ensure that greater collaboration is strengthened in the fight against crime in the province. The first IGME occurred last week in Ceres with the Cape Winelands District municipality (CWDM), followed this past week in George …
Eskom planned maintenance outages aimed at improving performance
Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, says the current intensity of load shedding is due to planned maintenance outages to fix generating units.
These maintenance outages are aimed at reducing the incidence of units tripping on their own and improve performance.
He was speaking on Saturday during a media briefing to present an update on the implementation of the Energy Action Plan.
“The current intensity of load shedding as we are seeing it now is primarily on the back of us ramping up on planned outages.
“It could be expedient for us to continue to run these generating units and undermine philosophy maintenance, the fact that they’ve been able to carry us through the winter period. Of course the attraction is that continue to run them and of course you’ll…reduce the intensity of load shedding.
“But we have taken a view that when the generating unit needs to be taken out, we are going to take them out. Of course we’ll do a computation of what that means in relation to the intensity of load shedding and where we are, we’ve felt that because this is short term planned maintenance…we don’t foresee this to be long outages and that’s why we chose to take them out.
“Planned maintenance, we are ramping it up so that when these units come back, they come back healthy and they are able to give us a significant amount of hours and also performing at their designed capacity. As a result of that action, we are beginning to see that the units tripping on their own is coming down and of course that is going to help us to address the available capacity and we should be able to meet the peak focus especially during this period when demand is tapering,” he said.
He added that Eskom will “continue to ramp up almost at this scale or even a bit higher”.
“This is controlled intensity of load shedding to allow us the opportunity to really get these machines to be fixed and as a result of this intervention, you can see it also in the unplanned capacity loss factor…it’s beginning to come down.
“I did say that our intention is to keep it at sub 15000MW. You can see that from the 1st to the 31st again, we are at lower than 15000MW. When we went into the baseline period of May, this was upwards of 17000MW, when we did the winter outlook the worst case scenario was saying that the rate at which these units could be failing on their own could take out potentially about 18000MW,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Sat, 09/02/2023 - 10:33
Criminals must have "no space to operate in"
President Cyril Ramaphosa has issued a call to the South African Police Service (SAPS) to demonstrate that they can take on criminals and protect South Africans as well as the authority of the state.
The President was speaking on Sunday at the SAPS National Commemoration Day honouring the lives of police officials and reservists who died in the line of duty between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023.
President Ramapohosa’s call comes just two days after some 18 suspects – who were allegedly planning a cash in transit heist – were killed during a shootout with police in Limpopo.
“We must all unite and work together to ensure we leave no space for criminals to operate in. The time has come for the police to demonstrate to the South African people that indeed, we can gird our loins and indeed we can take on these criminals. Just like the police did in Limpopo 48 hours ago.
“It is now time to show that the authority of the state cannot be disrespected. It cannot and must not be disregarded. The authority of the state is the authority of the people of South Africa as a whole. We are the people.
“Therefore anyone who disrespects and disregards the people of South Africa collectively, under the umbrella of the state, must know that they’ve crossed the line and we will not allow them to do as they wish and we will not allow them to kill those whose job is to protect, defend the people of South Africa,” he said.
The President told the gathering that deadly attacks on police officers are once more on the rise.
“The Constitution mandates police to prevent, combat and investigate crime. It mandates them to maintain public order and protect the inhabitants of the Republic and their property. Theirs is the noble duty of ensuring that all people in South Africa are safe and feel safe.
“The officers we are commemorating today lost their lives to criminals who have no regard for the rule of law. The increase in the killings of police officers, whether on or off duty, demonstrates the level of desperation of criminals to remove any obstacle that is in the way of their criminal intent. Attacks on police officers must come to an end,” President Ramaphosa said.
Honouring fallen heroes and heroines
Some 34 police officials and reservists were honoured during the commemoration ceremony with their names etched on the Memorial Wall at the Union Buildings in Tshwane.
President Ramaphosa assured that “there must be justice and there will be justice for the families of our fallen heroes and heroines”.
“The hard work of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations, known as the Hawks, has resulted in the arrest of 76 suspected police murderers over the past year. These cases are currently before different courts.
“A total of 488 suspects have been arrested for deaths of police officers since 2018. Through diligent investigative work, nine convicted police killers were handed down nine life sentences, a sum total of 158 years imprisonment. We must continue to arrest, prosecute and convict those who wilfully undermine the authority of state.
“The members we are remembering today were spouses, parents, sons and daughters, siblings, colleagues, and so much more. Many of them were breadwinners. Although the convictions of these criminals can never bring their loved ones back, it will comfort them knowing that justice has been served,” he said.
The President passed on his condolences to the families that lost loved ones while serving the South African public through their work.
“On behalf of the government and the people of South Africa, we thank the 34 fallen heroes and heroines posthumously for their bravery and service to the country, which they rendered diligently.
“We want to thank their families who supported them throughout their careers in the SAPS, for having been their strength, their support and their comfort. To the families of the fallen officers, we pray that you find peace and healing.
“May their souls rest in peace,” President Ramaphosa said. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Sun, 09/03/2023 - 11:58
Two SAPS members to be sentenced for rape
Sentencing procedures against two members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) convicted of rape are expected to commence on Monday.
According to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), the two members raped a woman in 2017 after they offered her a lift home.
Sergeant Simphiwe Ncube stationed at Northern Cape Border Policing (Nakop Port of Entry) and Constable Andile Ntshweza stationed at the Upington police station were convicted of rape on 4 May 2023.
“The suspects are alleged to have both raped the...victim on 3rd of April 2017 at the house of one of the suspects after she was offered a lift from Upington town to her place in Rosedale.
“The accused first took her to Ncube’s house and raped her before she left and opened a case of rape. The case was investigated until the accused were convicted at the Upington Special Offences Court in May 2023.
“Both accused have since been disciplined by their Employer and have been sanctioned two months’ suspension without salary sometime in 2018,” IPID said in a statement. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Sun, 09/03/2023 - 09:50
Lessons to be learnt from tragic building fire
President Cyril Ramaphosa has reiterated that the tragedy in which 74 people died during a fire in Johannesburg must not be allowed to happen again.
He was speaking during a meeting of the Presidential Coordinating Council (PCC) at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Tshwane on Friday.
The PCC meeting was attended by Cabinet members and provincial Premiers and was preceded by a moment of silence for the victims of the fire.
“We are meeting here just a day after a catastrophic building fire in central Johannesburg claimed the lives of more than 70 people. As we await further information on the cause of the fire and the huge loss of life, we must ask hard questions about the effectiveness of our interventions to improve the living conditions of our people.
“As we grieve this devastating loss, let us learn from this tragedy and make sure that it never happens again,” President Ramaphosa said.
According to the Presidency, the meeting discussed various issues of national importance including service delivery, the District Development Model and crime and “the need to continue enhancing intergovernmental coordination”.
“The meeting…deliberated on service delivery constraints and proposed interventions; the implementation of the District Development Model (DDM); and corrective action plans to address the worst performing municipalities in terms of the Blue Drop and Green Drop assessments of water and wastewater treatment quality.
“The meeting reaffirmed the need to continue enhancing intergovernmental coordination, with a particular focus on infrastructure development and related financing mechanisms in view of the constrained fiscal environment. The meeting also welcomed proposals on the institutionalisation of the District Development Model and the roll out of the DDM support tool that will enable more focused and improved serviced delivery.
“On the ongoing fight against crime, the PCC resolved to strengthen the partnership between law enforcement agencies and the various provincial crime fighting initiatives to address illegal mining, intimidation of contractors and other security threats, and to bolster community based crime fighting capacity,” the Presidency said.
The PCC is the President’s platform for consultation and engagement with provinces and local government in order to raise matters of national interest, ensure alignment of strategic priorities, strengthen coordination, and discuss performance.
The PCC transcends local boundaries and coordinates action across spheres of government in a holistic and transversal manner, according to the Presidency. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Sun, 09/03/2023 - 10:16
Independent Power Producers programme reaping rewards
The Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) is having a positive socio-economic impact on the industry and the economy.
This is according to the Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, who was speaking during a media briefing on the Energy Action Plan on Saturday.
Thus far, some 134 IPPs have been selected as preferred bidders, 11 904MW have been procured with 6180MW already operational and investment of R334.5 billion has been attracted for energy infrastructure.
Ramokgopa said that through the programme, “about R85 billion…has been placed in the hands of black business”.
“This is significant if we talk about the deracialisation of the South African economy. We are able to use our transition towards cleaner forms of energy to ensure that they provide significant meaning on this agenda of the deracialisation of the South African economy and we are having new participants, new entrants in the form of black players so that the democratic dividend is equitably distributed to all South Africans.
“[The programme] has been able to produce over 72 153 job years. It is a computation that we are using for us to be able to account for the number of employment opportunities that have been created in the South African economy as a result of the interventions of the Renewable Energy Programme. This speaks to the areas of during construction and also during operations.
“The Rand value of about R3.2 billion is what has been accumulated to the South African economy and this has got to significant impact in relation to socio-economic development and the areas of enterprise development so that we are able to expand the floor of opportunities to local communities, we are able to provide new skills that helps them to participate in this energy transition,” he said.
Ramokgopa revealed that some R69 billion actual spend has been spent on local content.
“There’s been a significant industrialisation on the back of the localisation of the components that are necessary to help us to decarbonise and transition. Our view is that on the back of this transition, on the back of this crisis, we must be able to expand the industrial base of the country.
“And on the back of this decarbonisation, on the back of this resolution of this crisis, we are also able to address the challenge of unemployment, we are able to address the challenge of structural unemployment in the form of the skills that are required to support the kind of economy that we are constructing and this economy will be underpinned by renewable energy sources,” he said.
On the environmental side, the Minister said REIPPPP projects have been able to offset some 97Mton of Carbon Dioxide with 114.7 million kilolitres of water saved.
“This is meaningful. There’s a multiplicity of matrices that underpin the renewable agenda. It’s not just only on the complexion of the generation mix, on the reduction of the emission levels but it also plays an important role on the deracialisation of the work that we are doing,” Ramokgopa said. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Sat, 09/02/2023 - 11:12
On Friday the Executive Mayor of Drakenstein Conrad Poole alongside the Provincial Minister of Infrastructure Tertuis Simmers, officiated at an historic sod-turning of the housing project in Simondium. The housing project is anticipated to create 384 housing opportunities over the next 3 years. The beneficiary list for this project will be exclusively selected from the …
Dear Editor It has come to our attention that students, who are beneficiaries of NSFAS, have not received their allowances due to NSFAS’s administrative lapses. This situation has caused immense mental stress and financial hardship for these students, and it is absolutely unacceptable. The root cause of this issue lies in NSFAS’s failure to release …
Waste collection teams are being escorted by metro police in some areas amid violent threats by strikers
Premier Alan Winde took his 23rd Energy Digicon into the heart of one of the City of Cape Town’s most effective “weapons” against the energy crisis, the Steenbras Pumped Storage Station. He was joined by the Executive Mayor of Cape Town, Alderman Geordin Hill-Lewis. Before proceedings got under way, Premier Winde offered his deepest condolences …
New vehicle sales stumbled in August, showing the first potential signs of strain amidst economic headwinds. The market has performed resiliently despite tightening household budgets, low business and consumer confidence, and impact of the energy crisis among other factors. According to figures released by naamsa | the Automotive Business Council, SA’s new vehicle sales fell …
Garden Route-based actor and adventurer Ivan Zimmermann has teamed up with radio station Algoa FM to promote tourism to the region through the medium of short YouTube videos. “I started All Things Vuma, Garden Route, to connect people with people. “We live in such a fast track world that we forgot how important and healthy …
Concerns about maladministration, assassination attempts, academic malpractice, and the state of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme were raised
Activist organisations express frustration at lack of action against corruption-accused Member of Parliament Sfiso Buthelezi
Minister of Justice and Correctional Services is 100% liable to pay damages
Three-day imbizo on the way forward for the mini-bus taxi industry ends on a positive note
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has underlined support for South Africa in the wake of the deadly fire in Johannesburg on Thursday which killed at least 74 people, including 12 children.
The overnight blaze ripped through a five-storey rundown building in the city centre occupied by homeless people and squatters. Dozens were injured.
The building was among many in the downtown area that have been abandoned and “hijacked” by criminal gangs who rent them out to families.
Sadness and grief
The fire was among the worst in South Africa's history. President Cyril Ramaphosa, who visited the site, described it as a “tragedy” and “a wake-up call”, according to media reports.
The UN Secretary-General was deeply saddened by the news, his spokesperson said in a statement issued later on Thursday.
“In this moment of great sadness and grief, he conveys his sincere condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government and people of South Africa,” it said.
Mr. Guterres also wished a prompt recovery to the injured.
He added that the UN Country Team in South Africa stands ready to work with the authorities to provide assistance to those affected by the fire, and to prevent further incidents of this nature.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN News.
A major legal battle over the extension of 30-year mining rights has been averted
Joburg fire victims' families can identify bodies at Diepkoof morgue
Families who lost loved ones in the Johannesburg Usindiso Building fire can go and identify their family members at the Diepkloof mortuary from today.
At least 74 people died in the tragic incident when a fire broke out in the building they were living in on Thursday.
“A family member or relative who wishes to identify their loved one should have their original Identity Document (ID), ID of the deceased or birth certificate if the deceased is a child.
“If the deceased is a foreign national, a passport, asylum seeker certificate or a letter from [the] country of origin confirming who the deceased is and to whom the remains should be handed over to is needed. The Diepkloof Forensic Pathology Service (FPS) is located at 2 Collinder Road Berthsam, Diepkloof, Soweto.
“Identification of the deceased bodies at the Diepkloof FPS will take place on Friday. The facility will also open on Saturday and Sunday from 9am and 3pm. Counselling services will be offered to the bereaved families,” the Gauteng Provincial Health Department said in a statement.
Those who died include at least ten people whose gender could not be identified because of the extent of their burns.
In this regard, the department will use other means in an attempt to identify them.
“The Gauteng FPS will use the Digital Fingerprint System to identify unknown bodies who have visible fingerprints. The system uses biometric scanners and third-party access to the databases of Department of Home Affairs, South African Police Service and National Credit Bureau to identify deceased bodies.
“Bodies that been burnt beyond recognition and without fingerprints will be identified through DNA process,” the department said.
Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said: “As soon as we learned of the incident, we immediately activated our emergency protocols to ensure that we respond as speedily as possible to those that needed medical attention. The Gauteng Emergency Medical Services has been on the ground contributing to emergency and rescue efforts as part of the provincial disaster management response.
“We have further deployed counselling and other psycho-social support services to compliment interventions from the City of Joburg and provincial department of Social Development”.
Those family members who are looking to trace loved ones can call the toll-free hotline number on 0800 203 886 or direct line during office hours on 0113553048/0112415707.
“Those enquiring would need to provide their personal details including the name and last name of the family member they are tracing,” the department said. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Fri, 09/01/2023 - 08:48
Prof Jill Adler receives Lifetime Achiever Award
The National Research Foundation (NRF) has awarded Witwatersrand University’s Distinguished Professor, Jill Adler, the Lifetime Achiever Award at the 2023 NRF Awards ceremony held on Thursday in Durban.
Introduced to the NRF Awards in 2004, the Lifetime Achiever Award recognises an individual who has demonstrably made extraordinary contributions to the development of science in and for South Africa.
These contributions, according to the NRF, must be of international standard and impact. The NRF is a government mandated research and science development agency.
Adler expressed her gratitude for the special recognition.
“This award for me gives recognition to the importance of educational research and educational research that is grounded in the realities of our mathematics classrooms. It gives meaning to the NRF vision for science and service of society,” she said.
Adler said the NRF has been one of the most important institutions throughout her academic journey.
The Professor was born and raised in Johannesburg and completed a BSc in Mathematics and Psychology at the University of the Witwatersrand in 1972.
She pursued a teaching Diploma at the University of Cape Town in 1973 before taking up a teaching post at Harold Cressy High School in Cape Town.
In 1977, she returned to Johannesburg and joined the SACHED Trust, an educational non-government organisation (NGO) concerned with enriching the quality of education of those disadvantaged in apartheid South Africa.
She first taught mathematics to youth who were out of school following the Soweto uprising in 1976.
“Her work at the NGO over the next 10 years enabled her to further her social justice advocacy, seeking to address the educational inequalities in South Africa by improving mathematics education through the development and evaluation of distance education courses,” the NRF said.
At the same time, she studied for her Master of Education, graduating cum laude in 1985.
It was in 1987 that she moved into academia, lecturing in the Department of Professional Studies at the Johannesburg College of Education for two years before moving to Wits University’s Education Department as lecturer, Head of Department and Professor.
She was also a Chair of Mathematics Education at the South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) between 2010 and 2019.
“Prof Adler completed her PhD in 1996 with a thesis that looked at the dynamics of teaching and learning mathematics in multilingual classrooms, specifically examining secondary teachers’ knowledge in this context,” said the NRF.
Her theoretical and practice-based innovations paved the way for new and transformative approaches in mathematics education, addressing two fundamental research problems.
“The complexities and challenges of teaching and learning mathematics in multilingual classrooms, and the enhancement of professional education for mathematics teachers. The latter came to the fore in the mid-1990s with the demand for ‘upgrading’ the qualifications and teaching quality of secondary mathematics teachers in post-apartheid South Africa.”
Working alongside a dedicated cohort of students, she spearheaded efforts to position mathematics education as a robust research domain within the university, and more broadly in the country.
In 2005, Adler led the renowned Marang Centre for Mathematics and Science Education at Wits University.
The centre quickly gained a reputation for excellence in postgraduate research and development, attracting students from across the African continent.
Between 2010 and 2019, as the DSI-NRF SARChI Research and Development Chair in Mathematics Education at Wits, she directed a large professional development project.
The programme reached over 200 secondary mathematics teachers and many learners across 80 schools in Gauteng and researching its impact together with a large research team of doctoral and postdoctoral fellows.
She is an Honorary Professor at Oxford University and University College London both in the United Kingdom.
She has published more than 60 peer-reviewed articles and four books, co-edited two special journal issues and contributed 50 book chapters, achieving more than 7 000 citations and has published 37 papers that have each been cited at least 37 times.
Over the course of her 45-year career in teaching and academia, she has garnered numerous accolades in recognition of her contributions to education. – SAnews.gov.za
Gabisile
Fri, 09/01/2023 - 13:30
Government working to empower women
Women’s Month is not only a platform to commemorate the heroic contributions of women in South Africa’s liberation struggle but also serves as a mechanism to assess progress made to date.
“Our government focuses its attention on the rights of women and to assess how far we have come as a nation on the journey towards women empowerment and gender equality,” said Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Nomasonto Motaung.
The Deputy Minister was speaking at the Marketing, Advertising and Communications (MAC) Charter B-BBEE Council Women’s Day event held in Sandton on Friday.
She said that government continues to pursue programmes, policies and activities that seek to create a better Africa and a better world.
“Government believes that democracy has registered significant progress in restoring the dignity of women through various measures introduced by government, and this has contributed towards the empowerment of women, including availing more opportunities and access to services for women.”
Government is painfully aware that the struggle for women emancipation is far from over.
“Women still bear a disproportionate burden of the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment. Poverty and unemployment in South Africa continue to paint and portray a black female face,” she said.
“We are proud to be a country that is renowned as a multi-ethnic society. At the same time, we must all work together to end inequalities, poverty and social fragmentation.”
In 2022, working with the private sector, government appointed and launched the Marketing, Advertising and Communication Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Charter Council.
“We have 14 women in the council and many of whom, are chairpersons and deputies of committees.
“... there is an opportunity to learn from experienced members to impart knowledge and experiences, since the advertising sector is largely youthful.
“The assumption is that these young people, who are mainly women, derive invaluable experience from knowledge that will come from the sector.
“We are here to grow South Africa together and particularly, to grow our media, advertising and communication sector because this is a stream that shapes and is shaped by our national identity, cultures and ambitions.”
Economic growth
The Deputy Minister said South Africa through the MAC Charter Council must focus all its attention on economic growth and the key problems affecting the South African economy.
“One area of interest to us as government and to South Africans at large is that of advertising. It is an open secret that advertising is an integral part of everyday life and continues to be an important influence on people’s behaviour and attitudes, and on-demand creation in the consumer economy.”
Social cohesion
Meanwhile, Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) Acting Director-General, Nomonde Mnukwa, said social cohesion, nation building and promoting national identity are all high on the list of South Africa's priorities.
“The pillars to eradicate poverty, unemployment and inequality are based on our quest to achieve a socially cohesive nation,” she told those attending the event.
She added that job creation, reducing unemployment and inequalities are key economic and social challenges facing South Africa.
“This is clearly articulated by the National Development Plan (NDP) vision of a more unified South Africa in which the life experiences of South Africans will progressively undermine and cut across the divisions of race, gender, disability, space and class.
Madoda Dhlamini, Municipal Development Director at JCDecaux, said challenges facing society cannot be addressed in silos.
“[The] empowerment of women must be accelerated, the time is now, tomorrow is too late,” he said.
The event was attended by representatives from various advertising and communications companies, including final year Journalism students from the Tshwane University of Technology.
The MAC Charter Council, is tasked with monitoring transformation of the sector by facilitating the implementation of the B-BBEE sector code.
In addition, the Council, which has representatives from government, women, youth and organised labour, measure transformation progress made by the MAC sector. – SAnews.gov.za
Edwin
Fri, 09/01/2023 - 14:42
“Our own children don’t take care of us, they neglect us. These clubs help us feel accepted and loved” says pensioner.