MyZA
News, Directory, Events and Other Stuff
Johannesburg, South Africa – JR Activate, a 100% black female-owned enterprise, has established itself as a leading force in the event management industry, showcasing an impressive ability to execute events of all scales with precision and creativity. The company’s growing portfolio of high-profile clients and successful events has positioned it as a go-to partner for …
Pretoria, South Africa, 26 July 2024 – This year Discovery celebrates 35 years of ingenious versatility with a new special edition version of its luxurious full-size seven-seat SUV. Discovery remains an exceptional family SUV that’s been setting the standard for versatility and all-round breadth of capability since its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show …
Johannesburg, South Africa – JR Promotions, a leading name in the marketing and promotional industry, has demonstrated significant progress and innovation during the first quarter of 2024. The company’s recent newsletter highlights several key achievements and developments that underscore its commitment to excellence and growth. Job Creation Amidst Economic Challenges In the face of South …
[Listen to Coach Philip Snyman interview here] Springbok Sevens interim head coach Philip Snyman praised his team after their stunning victory over New Zealand in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, a win that will see them contest for a medal when they face France at 15h30 on Saturday in the semi-finals …
It was another seismic and record breaking day for rugby sevens at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 as a single-day attendance record of more than 130,000 fans was set at a packed Stade de France across two competition sessions to witness the speed, skill and all action entertainment of sevens at its best as the …
Dear Editor The Democratic Alliance extends its warmest congratulations to Justice Mandisa Maya on her appointment as the Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa. Justice Maya will take up the highest office in the Judiciary on 1 September 2024. The Chief Justice of South Africa is the head of the Judiciary and is …
President Ramaphosa appoints Justice Maya as next Chief Justice
In a significant milestone for the country, President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed current Deputy Chief Justice Mandisa Maya, as Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa with effect from 1 September 2024.
“The appointment follows the President’s consultation, in accordance with Constitutional prescripts, with the Judicial Service Commission and the leaders of political parties represented in the National Assembly,” said the Presidency in a statement on Thursday.
In a letter addressed to Chief Justice Raymond Zondo on 22 February 2024, President Ramaphosa informed the Judicial Service Commission of his intention to appoint Deputy Chief Justice Maya as the Chief Justice of the Republic upon the expiry of the term of office of Chief Justice Zondo on 31 August 2024.
The President invited the Judicial Service Commission to provide its views on the suitability of Justice Maya to hold the office of Chief Justice.
Discharging its consultative mandate set out in Section 174(3) of the Constitution, the Commission interviewed Justice Maya on 21 May 2024 to ascertain her suitability to be appointed as Chief Justice of the Republic.
The Commission subsequently assured the President of Justice Maya’s suitability to lead the judiciary in the country based on the interview, Justice Maya’s qualifications and judicial record, her leadership qualities, her experience as a judge in various courts, her past leadership of the Supreme Court of Appeal and her role as Deputy Chief Justice in the period leading to her nomination by the President.
The Commissioners also advised that Justice Maya’s appointment would be a significant milestone for the country as Justice Maya would be the first woman in South Africa to be appointed Chief Justice.
“President Ramaphosa appreciates the confidence expressed by the Judicial Service Commission and leaders of political parties in the suitability of the incoming Chief Justice, who can draw inspiration and support from the confidence expressed in her,” said the Presidency.
Maya’s appointment is in terms of Section 174(3) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. -SAnews.gov.za
Neo
Fri, 07/26/2024 - 09:10
25 July 2024 – Johannesburg, South Africa – Mercatique Consulting had the immense honour of playing an integral role in the 7th Presidential Inauguration — a historic event celebrating 30 years of democracy in South Africa. Under the visionary leadership of Yasmine Kazadi, CEO of Mercatique Consulting, their mission was to deliver a turnkey solution …
(Cape Town, 25 July 2024): Tickets are now on sale for the 2024 Bookmark Awards, the digital media and marketing industry’s most-anticipated event! Get ready to be inspired by the best of the best as we celebrate the power of digital storytelling, innovation and creativity. With the dynamic Sne Dladla as host, and the Finalists’ …
Scotland Women Head Coach, Bryan Easson, has announced an extended training squad ahead of the side hosting Wales and Fiji in two Autumn Tests before heading to Cape Town in September for WXV 2. The 35-player squad, which comprises 19 forwards and 16 backs, will convene in camp on Monday 29 July for four weeks, …
[Listen to a soundbite by Willie Aucamp MP] Dear Editor The DA condemns in the strongest possible terms the abhorrent and inflammatory remarks made by an EFF councillor Obakeng Ramabodu during today’s Tshwane Council Sitting. The councillor’s statement, expressing a desire to “moer a boer” and his utterance that he “wants the blood of an …
The Joburg Crisis Alliance (JCA) is making a public call for the resignation of Councillor Kabelo Gwamanda, the Executive Mayor in the City of Johannesburg. This call is made in the wake of the significant decline in citizen confidence and trust in the leadership of the Executive Mayor and his Mayoral Committee. Since its establishment …
Dear Editor The DA welcomes the recent raid conducted by the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) and South African Police Service (SAPS) at the “Sun City” correctional facility in Johannesburg. This operation is a crucial step towards addressing the prevalent issue of contraband smuggling within our prison system. While it is acknowledged that visitors play …
(Cape Town, 26 July 2024): The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) South Africa’s Industry Measurement Dashboard reveals dedicated radio listeners in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal for Q2 2024. According to the industry organisation’s audience data across the months of April through June, independent radio station Jacaranda FM garnered an impressive 5,64 million daily listeners via its web …
More than 200 families live in the dilapidated Molo hostel in Butterworth without toilets - and the smell is annoying the neighbours
The warm winter weather, exquisite venues, and welcoming communities make Durban a prime destination for hosting large-scale events, with 2024 showing off the region’s capabilities. The fun continues from 17 to 28 July as the greater Durban area plays host to the 2024 Ignition Group Polocrosse World Cup, with the support of Durban Tourism. The …
Unions welcome appointment of Godfrey Raliphada to Chief Financial Officer
Plan is to slash time spent on paperwork
Survey shows encouraging trends in HIV prevalence
HIV prevalence in South Africa across all ages decreased from 14% in 2017 to 12.7% in 2022, resulting in a decline from 7.9 million (2017) to 7.8 million (2022) people living with the virus.
This is based on the findings of the sixth South African HIV Prevalence, Incidence, and Behaviour Survey (SABSSM VI), which was released by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) at the 2024 International AIDS Conference on Wednesday.
While HIV prevalence has decreased across all age groups, data shows that females continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV, with a prevalence of 16.4%, compared to males at 8.8% across all age groups.
Prevalence peaks at 34.2% for females aged 35 to 39 years, whereas prevalence peaks at 27.1% for males aged 45 to 49 years.
The survey also found that HIV incidence in individuals aged two years and older in 2022 was 0.44%, resulting in 232 400 new HIV infections in South Africa.
HIV incidence was at 0.60% among adults 15 years and older translating to 227 400, 0.39% among youth and young adults aged 15 to 24, and 0.72% among adults aged 15 to 49 years.
In addition, the HIV incidence rate in 2022 was consistently higher in females than males in all age categories.
“In terms of treatment, South Africa recorded an increase in antiretroviral treatment (ART) coverage, from 63.7% in 2017 to 80.9% in 2022,” the HSRC said.
This means an estimated 5 700 000 people living with HIV receive ART, an increase from 4 500 000 in 2017.
“A greater proportion of females, 83.2% than males, 76.2% were on ART.”
Data shows that HIV viral load suppression stands at 81.4% for all ages.
Evaluating progress
The SABSSM VI survey, conducted between 2022 and 2023, evaluates the progress of the South African national HIV and AIDS, STI, and TB Strategic Plan.
It also monitors HIV indicators for national and international reporting.
The survey also assessed progress towards the 2030 UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets, HIV drug resistance, and the relationship between social and behavioural factors, intimate partner violence, and HIV infection.
In December 2020, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) outlined a set of new targets ensuring that 95% of all individuals living with HIV are aware of their HIV status, 95% of all individuals diagnosed with HIV infection receive continuous treatment, and 95% of all those on treatment achieve viral suppression by 2025.
The HSRC said progress towards the 95-95-95 targets improved, with 89.6% of people living with HIV knowing their status, and of those knowing their status, 90.7% were on treatment, with 93.9% of those who knew their status and being on treatment, being virally suppressed.
“Improvement across the 95-95-95 indicators was more pronounced in males compared to females.”
Overall, the survey found that 81.4% of all people living with HIV were virally suppressed.
“However, it is concerning that the survey further reveals that gaps remain in knowledge of HIV status among youth aged 15 to 24 (73.1%). Early sexual debut, age-disparate relationships, multiple sexual partners, and low condom use persist as key drivers of HIV.”
According to the findings, the awareness and uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) are increasing.
Stigma
Overall principal investigator of the study, Professor Khangelani Zuma, stated that HIV-related stigma persists as a significant issue among individuals aged 15 years and older.
“Addressing stigma is essential to improving the quality of life and well-being of people living with HIV. However, of the six questions related to HIV-related stigma, the majority yielded results that indicated that most people held positive attitudes toward people living with HIV,” said Zuma.
Response rate
The survey achieved a household response rate of 80% and an individual interview response rate of 94.1%.
A total of 47 766 participants provided blood specimens for HIV testing, resulting in a testing response rate of 62.7%.
The professor said this indicates that the results suggest advancements in the fight against the HIV epidemic in South Africa.
“This is evidenced by a stabilisation of HIV prevalence, ageing epidemic, a reduction in HIV incidence, enhancements in HIV treatment outcomes such as increased rates of ART coverage and viral load suppression (VLS) in line with the 95-95-95 targets,” he added.
The study has since recommended key actions that can address the HIV epidemic as a public health threat in South Africa by 2030.
These include continuing intensive programmes focusing on reducing new infections among adolescent girls and young women.
It also proposed enhancement of prevention efforts that target groups disproportionately affected by the drivers of HIV infection such as women and young people. – SAnews.gov.za
Gabisile
Thu, 07/25/2024 - 09:25
President Cyril Ramaphosa has, in terms of Section 174(3) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, appointed current Deputy Chief Justice Mandisa Maya as Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa with effect from 1 September 2024.
The appointment follows the President's consultation, in accordance with Constitutional prescripts, with the Judicial Service Commission and the leaders of political parties represented in the National Assembly.
In a letter addressed to Chief Justice Raymond Zondo on 22 February 2024, President Ramaphosa informed the Judicial Service Commission of his intention to appoint Deputy Chief Justice Maya as the Chief Justice of the Republic upon the expiry of the term of office of Chief Justice Zondo on 31 August 2024.
The President invited the Judicial Service Commission to provide its views on the suitability of Justice Maya to hold the office of Chief Justice.
Discharging its consultative mandate set out in Section 174(3) of the Constitution, the Commission interviewed Justice Maya on 21 May 2024 to ascertain her suitability to be appointed as Chief Justice of the Republic.
The Commission subsequently assured the President of Justice Maya's suitability to lead the judiciary in the country based on the interview, Justice Maya's qualifications and judicial record, her leadership qualities, her experience as a judge in various courts, her past leadership of the Supreme Court of Appeal and her role as Deputy Chief Justice in the period leading to her nomination by the President.
The Commissioners also advised that Justice Maya's appointment would be a significant milestone for the country as Justice Maya would be the first woman in South Africa to be appointed Chief Justice.
President Ramaphosa appreciates the confidence expressed by the Judicial Service Commission and leaders of political parties in the suitability of the incoming Chief Justice, who can draw inspiration and support from the confidence expressed in her.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa.
Well wishes for new SANEF Chairperson Nwabisa Makunga
Government has congratulated Nwabisa Makunga who is the current Deputy Chairperson of the South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) on her appointment as Chairperson of the forum.
Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) Acting Director-General, Nomonde Mnukwa, said the appointment of Makunga is a demonstration of her ability and capability.
“Makunga’s elevation to this important responsibility is an inspiration to many women journalists and proof that the media industry is making great strides in affirming gender equality. It is a further demonstration of the triumph of abilities over obstacles of women in the media sector,” Mnukwa said on Thursday.
Makunga will lead a team responsible for representing those who are responsible for telling stories and representing the aspirations and wishes of the population.
“The media landscape is going through challenges, especially with the emergence of digital media and the impact of social media. SANEF is, amongst others, ceased with navigating challenges in the media sector such as declining revenues, shrinking media houses, fake news enabled by artificial Intelligence and other emerging threats to the information platforms,” Mnukwa said.
It is against this background that the GCIS is looking forward to further fostering its partnership with the forum and it office bearers, and the media as a whole.
“I want to reiterate that GCIS recognises the significant contributions made by SANEF in upholding press freedom, ethical journalism, and media diversity in South Africa,” Mnukwa said. –SAnews.gov.za
nosihle
Thu, 07/25/2024 - 09:41
Expanded Public Works Programme workers lose jobs as budget is cut
Call to reform Expanded Public Works Programme
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister, Dean Macpherson, believes that urgent reform is needed for the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) to provide a sustainable pathway to permanent employment.
This follows the ongoing protest action by former EPWP employees in Ethekwini, KwaZulu-Natal.
The Minister has condemned any violence or damage to public property during the protests, particularly as it has halted key municipal service delivery such as the removal of waste which creates a health hazard.
“The EPWP program was always designed to be a short-term program to give recipients work experience and training in order for them to find permanent employment,” Macpherson said, adding that due to the stubbornly high unemployment rate in South Africa, many have grown dependent on the program, having been employed as an EPWP worker for many years.
“As mentioned during the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure budget speech last week, it is therefore imperative that the EPWP program be re-imagined to become skills outcomes-based which leads to South Africans climbing up the opportunity ladder, rather than being stuck in EPWP for years on end,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
Macpherson looks forward to working with all stakeholders in the coming months to look at a better outcome for recipients nationwide.
The Expanded Public Works Programme is one of the government’s strategies to alleviate poverty through the creation of work opportunities using labour-intensive methods. The programme is implemented in four sectors namely: infrastructure, social, environment and culture, and non-state.
All spheres of government and state-owned entities are expected to implement the programme.
The EPWP participants (beneficiaries) work on different projects such as the Community Work Programme (CWP), Early Childhood Development Programmes, Home Community Based Care Programmes, Extra School Support Programmes, Working on Fire, Working for Water and roads maintenance projects.
Since its inception on 01 April 2004 to 31 March 2022, more than 13 million work opportunities have been created in the EPWP space across all spheres of government. – SAnews.gov.za
Edwin
Thu, 07/25/2024 - 10:01
President Ramaphosa signs Public Procurement Bill into law
President Cyril Ramaphosa has assented into law the Public Procurement Bill, which aims to create a single framework that regulates public procurement, including preferential procurement, by all organs of state, with the necessary efficiency, cost-effectiveness and integrity.
“The President has assented to the Public Procurement Bill which complies with the stipulation in Section 217 of the Constitution that [the] contracting of goods and services by organs of state in all spheres of government must occur in accordance with a system which is fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost-effective; and that national legislation must prescribe a framework within which a procurement policy must be implemented,” said the Presidency.
As enacted by the President, the Public Procurement Act addresses weaknesses in the procurement of goods and services by organs of state that have in the past enabled various degrees of corruption, including state capture.
The Act also responds to the acknowledgement that legislation regulating procurement by organs of state is fragmented and constrains justified advancement of persons or categories of persons who could provide goods or services.
The Act establishes a single framework that regulates public procurement, including preferential procurement, by all organs of state and promotes the use of technology for efficiency and effectiveness. The law seeks to enhance transparency and integrity, among others, to combat corruption, ensure efficient, effective and economic use of public resources and advance transformation and broadened economic participation.
It foresees that economic development will be stimulated through the procurement of goods that are produced and services that are provided in South Africa, as well as procurement that is developmental in nature.
The Public Procurement Act, which will be administered by the Minister of Finance, applies to departments, constitutional institutions, municipalities, municipal entities, and public entities.
There are also a limited number of clauses which apply to Parliament and provincial legislatures.
The Act applies to all procurement carried out by a procurement institution (including procurement through donor or grant funding) any person who submits a bid or has been awarded a bid and all procurement carried out by any person on behalf of a procuring institution.
Among its wide-ranging provisions, the Act lists persons who may not submit bids including a public office bearer, employees of Parliament or provincial legislatures, and officials or employees of, among others, public entities, constitutional institutions, municipalities and municipal entities. – SAnews.gov.za
Edwin
Thu, 07/25/2024 - 10:39