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Dear Editor In addition to Eskom’s ruinous load-shedding schedules which have resulted in South Africans spending more and more time in the dark, the theft of critical electricity infrastructure has reached crisis levels across the country. This was revealed in a written response, to a DA parliamentary question, on the number of cases of theft …
Tickets for the Springboks’ highly anticipated home Tests against Ireland, Portugal and Argentina – priced from R150 and R350 – will take the local rugby market by storm in March, only a few days before the double Rugby World Cup-champions host their first alignment camp. Two weeks after launching their 2024 season against Wales at …
Dear Editor The Democratic Alliance (DA) can today announce that we will now submit applications as per the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) to obtain and expose all minutes and records from the ANC’s nine provincial and dozens of regional cadre deployment committees. Using the precedent created in the DA’s Constitutional Court victory, …
Dear Editor The DA will request a parliamentary inquiry through the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) into the failed section 139(7) intervention at the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality. The administrator appointed, requested to be withdrawn due to a lack of political support at a cost of R12 million as well as …
Get ready to groove to the beat and satisfy your food cravings because Rosebank Mall’s Street Feast is back for round two on Saturday, 2 March 2024! Following the resounding success of the inaugural event in 2023, this year’s Rosebank Mall Street Feast promises to be even bigger, bolder, and filled with nostalgic vibes straight …
KwaZulu-Natal records high number of rhino poaching cases
While efforts to prevent rhino poaching have resulted in positive outcomes in national parks across the country, South Africa has seen a shift in rhino poaching with the majority of cases in the past year being recorded in KwaZulu-Natal.
“The pressure again has been felt in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province with Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park facing the brunt of poaching cases losing 307 of the total national poaching loss. This is the highest poaching loss within this province,” Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy said on Tuesday.
Last year, 499 rhinos were poached across South Africa, 406 were killed on state properties and 93 on privately owned parks, reserves and/or farms. This was an increase of 51 in comparison to 448 rhinos poached in 2022.
Addressing a media briefing on the 2023 national rhino poaching statistics in St Lucia, KwaZulu-Natal, the Minister said the province recorded 49 arrests and 13 firearms were seized by multi-disciplinary teams that continue to work tirelessly in an attempt to slow the pressure on rhino poaching.
The Kruger National Park (KNP) recorded a 37% decrease from 2022 with a total of 78 rhino poached in 2023. No rhinos were poached in any other National Parks.
“As part of the government’s poverty relief program there are a number of fence monitors employed from neighboring communities that patrol the western boundary fence of the KNP and report fence breakages, illegal tracks and people entering the KNP as well as animals escaping from the KNP,” Creecy said.
Various interventions can be attributed to the decrease of rhino poached at KNP in 2023:
The Minister commended the work performed by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation – the Hawks - in several regional and transnational engagements to enhance the government’s integrated approach to combat wildlife trafficking.
“Responsible partnerships between the public and private sectors, and the financial and transporting sectors remains critical in combating international wildlife trafficking.
“The approach is not exclusive to South Africa but is followed within the region and transnationally working with the transit and end user countries in South-East Asia, especially with the People’s Republic of China, Singapore, Qatar, Malaysia and Vietnam,” she said.
In relation to rhino prosecutions, verdicts were handed down in 36 cases of which 35 resulted in guilty verdicts and one in a not guilty verdict.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Environmental Working Group (EWG) meets on a biannual basis to share best practice in the investigation and prosecution of environmental crime and to address challenges experienced.
These meetings also foster closer collaboration between the provincial conservation authorities dealing with wildlife trafficking cases and to help identify repeat offenders moving around the country to further the implementation of the National Integrated Strategy to Combat Wildlife Trafficking (NISCWT) strategy.
“Further to this, real time information pertaining to arrest is shared, which enhance collaboration between prosecutors and the law enforcement agencies significantly. A national environmental cases audit has been conducted to establish the number of cases being dealt with by the National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa (NPA).
“A consolidated list of investigating instructions pertaining to rhino and abalone cases has been developed to ensure that comprehensive investigations are requested,” the Minister said.
In the 2023/24 financial year, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) embarked on a consultative process to revise both the Black and White Rhinoceros Biodiversity Management Plans (BMP) in line with the provision of the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act.
“The revision of the BMP aims to address the needs of both black and white rhino, provide a strategic approach and detailed action plan to conserving rhino in South Africa and for engaging with range States to the north.
It consolidates previous work at policy and planning level on rhino management into a single integrated tool in order to usher in a whole of society approach in the interest of both the rhinos and the people of South Africa. The revised draft BMP will be published in a Government Gazette for public participation in the near future,” Creecy said. – SAnews.gov.za
nosihle
Tue, 02/27/2024 - 10:53
Port Alfred – With just 30 days before the inaugural Port Alfred Easter Festival, Port Alfred is gearing up for a pivotal long weekend. The Port Alfred Easter Festival will take place over the Easter Weekend, March 29th – April 1st, and will showcase the vibrant sports and culture of the coastal town of Port …
At the 9th annual Cyber Security Weekend – META conference held recently in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Kaspersky (www.Kaspersky.co.za) presented an industrial cybersecurity review for the countries in the region and outlined the key cybersecurity challenges for industrial enterprises in the year ahead.
According to Kaspersky Security Network (KSN) statistics, in the second half of 2023, 32.6% of ICS computers globally had been attacked with malware. In the Middle East, Turkiye, and Africa (META) region the figure is 36.5% for Turkiye, 36.8% for Africa (27.5% in South Africa, 34.55% in Kenya, 28.8% in Nigeria, 33.17% in Ghana), and 33.5% for the Middle East region. There is a slight decrease in this figure in the region compared to 2022 which can be the result of industrial organisations paying more attention to cybersecurity.
African countries are undergoing rapid digitalisation and integration into the world's economy, while at the same time facing a significant cybersecurity under-investment problem. In the second half of 2023, 7.55% of Operational Technology computers in Africa were exposed to threats via USBs (that is 20 times more than the figure of Western Europe); 7.2% faced threat by worms (that is 28 times more than in Australia & New Zealand); and 9.1% of OT computers were exposed to spyware (that is 7.7 times more than the figure for North America).
Kaspersky Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS CERT) predictions for 2024 highlight the persistence of ransomware threats, rise of cosmopolitical hacktivism, an outlook on the state of “offensive cybersecurity”, and transformative shifts in logistics and transport threats.
Looking back at 2023 (https://apo-opa.co/3OXrfus), Kaspersky predicted the industrial cybersecurity landscape continuing to evolve, with several key trends emerging. The pursuit of efficiency in IIoT and SmartXXX systems fueled an expanded attack surface, while the surge in energy carrier prices led to heightened hardware costs, prompting a strategic shift towards cloud services. The growing government involvement in industrial processes also introduced fresh risks, including concerns about data leaks due to underqualified employees and insufficient practices for responsible disclosure.
This retrospective analysis lays the groundwork for understanding the cybersecurity landscape faced by industrial enterprises in 2024, such as:
Ransomware is projected to persist as the primary concern for industrial enterprises in 2024. Large organisations, unique product suppliers, and major logistics companies face increased risks, with potential severe economic and social consequences. Cybercriminals are expected to target entities capable of substantial ransom payments, causing disruptions in production and delivery
Geopolitically motivated hacktivism is forecasted to intensify, presenting more destructive consequences. In addition to country-specific protest movements, the rise of cosmopolitical hacktivism is expected, driven by socio-cultural and macro-economic agendas such as eco-hacktivism. This diversification of motives may contribute to a more complex and challenging threat landscape.
The use of “offensive cybersecurity” for gathering cyberthreat intelligence is anticipated to have controversial consequences. While it may improve corporate security by providing early signs of potential compromises, the thin line between the grey zone and the shadows may be breached. Profit-driven cyber activities, armed with commercial and open-source tools, could operate more discreetly, making detection and investigation challenging.
The rapid automation and digitisation of logistics and transport are introducing new challenges, intertwining cyber and traditional crimes. This includes theft of vehicles and goods, maritime piracy, and smuggling. Non-targeted cyberattacks may lead to physical consequences, especially in river, sea, truck, and special-purpose vehicles.
“The industrial sector's cybersecurity is continuously going through significant changes, with both new types of attacks and more sophisticated versions of old ones. Ransomware attacks are still a big problem, and hackers are getting better at targeting large, profitable companies with more advanced methods. Hacktivists who are motivated by social issues are also becoming more active, adding another layer of complexity to the threats. The transportation and logistics industry is especially vulnerable to these changes because its systems are becoming more and more digital. This combination of cyber and traditional crime is a serious threat to global supply chains. To protect themselves, organisations need to prioritise cybersecurity and keep improving their defenses,” commented Evgeny Goncharov, head of Kaspersky ICS CERT.
Read the full list of ICS predictions for 2024 at ICS CERT website (https://apo-opa.co/3OYsGZB).
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kaspersky.
About Kaspersky:
Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity and digital privacy company founded in 1997. Kaspersky's deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into innovative solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company's comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection, specialized security products and services, as well as Cyber Immune solutions to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky technologies and we help over 220,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.Kaspersky.co.za.
Some parts of eThekwini have been without water for seven years
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Law must crack down on police killers - Cele
Police Minister Bheki Cele has called for stricter laws to crack down even harder on criminals who murder police officers.
The Minister was speaking during a panel discussion at the National Conference on the Implementation of the Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJS) programme and the review of the Criminal Procedure Act.
Cele highlighted that between October and December 2023, at least 22 police officers were killed.
“Our call… is that human rights must be respected. Police are humans and they have rights. I would really like to see [the law] protecting members of the South African Police Service.
“There has been a call… to say that the law must protect the law enforcers adequately. Sometimes, there is a feeling that criminals are more protected than the law enforcers. As this law, the Criminal Procedure Act, is developed, we wish that it takes that on board that [SAPS] members must find some cushion in the law,” he said.
He assured that any change in law would not give SAPS members leeway to abuse their power.
“The lives of SAPS members cannot be above the citizens of South Africa. But it must also be understood that they stand as a buffer between criminality and the whole of society. If they are pushed to the brink and they fall, these criminals will walk over the community thereafter,” he said.
Cele also called for increased protection of whistle-blowers and witnesses, as they remain crucial for the criminal justice system to work.
“We would love to see the law really getting tight on protecting witnesses. Sometimes, witnesses feel that we don’t take care of them. There are witnesses that lose everything for us to win cases, so it would be important that the law… makes sure that those who are prepared [to take the stand are protected].
“If witnesses fall off, then cases fall off. It’s important that all processes are kept in place so that when the day [a case is in court] and it’s time for the magistrate to pronounce [a verdict], we are all happy,” he said.
Turning to the issuance of bail for suspected criminals, Cele said more stringent conditions for the approval of bail must be put into place.
“[Criminals] go and get bail and the community takes matters into their own hands so the bail issue is one issue that we have to look at,” he said.
He encouraged all stakeholders to work together for the betterment of the criminal justice system and to make citizens safer.
“Let’s work together across the board to reduce crime, while police are at the hard end of leading it with all law enforcement. But all other departments and all of us, we can do better to reduce crime and make South Africans feel better,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Tue, 02/27/2024 - 12:29
Current legal framework must transform to respond to society's current needs - DP Mashatile
Deputy President Paul Mashatile says although much has been done to address challenges in the criminal justice system, the current legal framework requires transformation and amendments that align with society in its current form.
He was delivering the keynote address at the official opening of the National Conference on the implementation of the Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJS) programme and the review of the Criminal Procedure Act.
The conference is expected to be held over the next three days.
“For many years, the integrated criminal justice system and the Criminal Procedure Act of 1977 have had a profound impact on how we handle law enforcement, prosecution, and adjudication in South Africa.
“However, we must examine the current legal framework and identify areas that require transformation or amendment. Our laws must be responsive to the changing needs of society and aligned with international standards,” he said.
Challenges
Mashatile said the criminal justice system “has been put to the test due to widespread corruption, criminality, gender-based violence and femicide” and added that despite government’s concerted efforts, crime remains persistent.
“The prosecution and judicial systems are overburdened; the correctional service is overcrowded, and the police system continues to be besieged as the state fights to prosecute and punish criminal behaviour, frequently compromising on ‘zero-tolerance’ pledges to ‘punish at all costs’.
“Looking at these challenges, it is easy to grow despondent, but we must never be discouraged. Instead, we must double our efforts to reach our desired goal,” he said.
Outlining government’s actions to combat crime and corruption, Mashatile told the conference that tackling lawlessness is government’s top priority.
“We are tackling significant commercial and serious organised crime through the developed Anti-Corruption Task Team (ACTT) and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation Operational Committee, currently known as the National Priority Crimes Operational Committee (NPCOC) under the South African Police Service Act.
“Through the Integrated Task Force, we are coordinating the implementation of 205 recommendations for criminal investigations made by the Zondo State Capture Commission. As it stands, three convictions secured and 11 cases are currently before court relating to 36 recommendations. The remaining recommendations are still under investigation,” he said.
Turning to gender-based violence and femicide, Mashatile said the courts are now coming down harder on perpetrators of the scourge.
He said laws that have been passed and Bills at the desk of the National Assembly are enabling the courts to be more efficient and effective in dealing with GBVF.
“In the 2022-2023 fiscal year, the courts have shown a 27.9% increase in life imprisonment sentences for GBVF at Thuthuzela Care Centres, indicating the courts’ robust approach to combating GBVF. Most significantly, the National Assembly approved the Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Bill, which is currently under the National Council of Provinces review.
“The government is responding swiftly to the GBVF epidemic by putting an emphasis on robust institutions and solid evidence. In late 2020, the Department of Justice introduced three amendment bills including the Criminal and Related Matters Amendment Act 12 of 2021, the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 13 of 2021, and the Domestic Violence Amendment Act 14 of 2021.
“The latter Act established an electronic repository for domestic violence protection orders, which became operational on April 14, 2023,” he said.
Loss of trust
The Deputy President acknowledged that despite government embarking on crime intervention strategies and other initiatives, “it is concerning the most recent Statistics South Africa Victims of Crime Survey indicates that confidence in our criminal justice system is declining”.
As a result of this, he revealed that the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) cluster is embarking on key interventions to address the challenge of crime.
These include, amongst others:
“As we look towards the future, let us commit to further enhancing and protecting this crucial institution to ensure a just and fair society for all South Africans.
“I am optimistic about the potential outcomes that will emerge from the conference’s discussions, which will ultimately shape the ongoing evolution of the criminal justice system,” Mashatile concluded. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Tue, 02/27/2024 - 11:07
Term of office for SARS Commissioner extended
President Cyril Ramaphosa has extended the term of office for the Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service (SARS), Edward Kieswetter, for two years.
“The decision follows the agreement between the President and Kieswetter to extend the tenure of the Commissioner to enable an orderly leadership transition in the organisation,” the Presidency said on Tuesday.
READ | President Ramaphosa agrees to extend Commissioner Kieswetter’s tenure at SARS
In March 2019, President Ramaphosa appointed Kieswetter in terms of Section 6 of the South African Revenue Service Act, for a five-year term that started on 1 May 2019.
Kieswetter will continue leading the execution of the current strategic direction of the revenue service while ensuring a smooth leadership transition. – SAnews.gov.za
nosihle
Tue, 02/27/2024 - 09:43
JOHANNESBURG: Proteas Men’s Captain, Temba Bavuma, visited the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital on Monday to see first-hand the institution’s ongoing...
Lebo Gaoaketse, Head of Marketing and Communication at WesBank, says that the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) in South Africa has been slow in comparison to other world markets. While local consumer interest in new-energy vehicles continues on an upward trajectory, demand remains subdued due to a number of factors, key among these being the …
Three days of protest because allowances are now paid directly to landlords
Few business leaders dispute that artificial intelligence (AI) is on course to upend every major market sector and industry, but many boards aren’t always aware of what a successful AI strategy looks like, or how best to prepare their organisations for the change. A survey conducted among IoD members in 2022 found that a significant …
Ask any trapeze artist, and they’ll tell you that a safety net is a non-negotiable part of flying high. While few of us are circus performers, an emergency savings fund is still one of the most important requirements for our peace of mind and financial stability. Life has a way of throwing curveballs our way. …
Two days prior to the shooting, Parliament recommended the property become a drug rehabilitation centre
Leeuwfontein developer and residents say the City has never contacted them
Boost Your Home Security with Ultralock™ in 2024 As we venture further into the digital age, securing our homes and businesses against evolving threats becomes paramount. That’s why the Ultralock™ installation guide is your first step towards a fortified sanctuary. Proclaimed as the best home security system in the industry, Ultralock™ ensures you’re not just fitting a lock, but …
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Investigation into KZN bus crash ferrying ANC supporters
An investigation has been launched into a bus crash which claimed the lives of nine people who were returning home to Mpumalanga after the African National Congress (ANC) election manifesto launch in Durban.
According to media reports, the bus accident happened at around 5am in Paulpietersburg under the eDumbe Local Municipality in Zululand on Sunday.
“The law enforcement team on the scene has so far confirmed nine fatalities. However, they have not concluded the full recovery of the bus at the accident scene.
“Scores of other occupants sustained injuries, with four being more critical [and] they have all been taken to a local hospital. The cause of the accident is being investigated, and experts will be deployed to assist with the forensic investigation,” KwaZulu-Natal Transport MEC, Sipho Hlomuka said.
The MEC said a team was deployed on the scene to work with all law enforcement agencies.
“The investigation has already started, and we are in touch with the bus owner. Our investigation is looking at the condition of the road, condition of the bus, weather during the times of the accident, and the condition of the driver,” Hlomuka said.
He expressed his deepest condolences to the ANC and all affected families and wished those who sustained injuries a speedy recovery.
The MEC encouraged road users, especially public transport movers, to be extra cautious on the road. – SAnews.gov.za
GabiK
Mon, 02/26/2024 - 10:37
When it comes to managing erectile dysfunction, a myriad of solutions promise to restore the vitality and confidence that can be shaken by this common condition. Among them is Kamagra Oral Jelly, a product heralded for its supposed effectiveness as an ED treatment. Originating from India, this medication has piqued the interest of many searching for an affordable and …