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The last century saw few changes to trucks; their appearances were unchanged, and they were all powered by internal combustion engines fuelled by diesel. However, this century has witnessed impressive change! The transport industry is enjoying one innovation following the next; anything and everything from electric trucks to those with fuel cells and even those …
Dear Editor While more than 70 000 beneficiaries are still waiting to receive their January social grants from the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), the Agency has blamed this failure on yet another glitch – the alleged misinterpretation or failure to verify beneficiary banking details. In September last year, another glitch left hundreds of …
Poppy Khoza returns as Director for Civil Aviation Authority
Director of Civil Aviation, Poppy Khoza, will lead the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) into a new chapter after being re-appointed to serve another five-year term at the regulator.
“Khoza is an aviation trailblazer who is internationally recognised and supported. It is through her work that our South African aviation sector continues to hold a critical voice on global aviation dialogues,” SACAA Board Chairperson Ernest Khosa said on Tuesday.
Her term in office is effective from 1 December 2023 until 30 November 2028. This will be her third term at the helm of the aviation regulator.
Khoza carries extensive experience and knowledge in aviation since being first appointed to this pivotal role in an acting capacity in October 2012 and then on a 5-year fixed term basis from December 2013.
Outside of being the first black female DCA, she was also the first woman globally to be elected to preside over the General Assembly at the ICAO’s 41st Assembly Session in 2022.
Some of SACAA's achievements under Khoza’s tenure at the Authority include:
This appointment was approved by Cabinet on 20 November 2023.
“As the SACAA Board, we see this as a vote of confidence for the exemplary leadership the DCA has demonstrated over the past 11 years being at the helm of the organisation. I would like to extend my message of support following this announcement from Cabinet.
“The stability we see at SACAA is testament to her great leadership which has equally received positive cheers from staff, the aviation industry, and international counterparts, when we first made this announcement on 20 November 2023,” Khoza said.
Khoza said she is deeply honoured and grateful for this opportunity to again serve as the Director of Civil Aviation.
“It is an exciting time for me personally and I pledge my commitment once again to drive positive change and promoting safety, efficiency, gender equality and innovation in our skies.” –SAnews.gov.za
nosihle
Wed, 01/10/2024 - 09:51
Africa, a vast and dynamic continent, never fails to offer a diverse news landscape. From political intrigue to environmental concerns and human triumphs, here are the top 5 stories shaping the continent’s conversation today: Africa Celebrates Earth Day as Continent Remains on Frontlines of Climate Crisis: While globally observed on April 22nd, many African countries …
As South Africa settles into a new week, its news landscape continues to buzz with a diverse range of stories, reflecting the nation’s multifaceted reality. Here are the top 5 headlines grabbing attention today: Earth Officially Records Hottest Year Ever in 2023: In a worrying indicator of the climate crisis, 2023 has been confirmed as …
RAPT Creative has taken SCOPEN’s 2023/24 AGENCY SCOPE South Africa by storm to rank 4th on its Agency Performance Table, scoop up four 1st place or tied 1st place results, achieve a top 10 ranking in 9 out of the 11 categories SCOPEN deems most important to agency performance, and rank 7th on the Overall …
Opening match of Betway SA20 Season 2 set up to be a thriller Tuesday, 9 January 2024: All roads lead...
SASSA spokesperson denies there is a problem, but officials speaking anonymously say otherwise
Death toll since December is at 24
Regain your confidence and drive in 2024 with Holsters well-groomed shoes! While a comfortable chunky sandal or basic trainer might be appreciated for a comfortable commute, the importance of a power shoe for the workplace can’t be overlooked. Shoes from Holster will have you looking stylish and comfortable whether you’re dressing up for a big …
Engen, in collaboration with the Community-Engen Joint Committee, has spread some heart-warming holiday cheer to 30 children residing at the Ocean View Child and Youth Care Centre on the Bluff. Engen’s generous donation of Santa Boxes, brimming with delightful treats and toys, brightened the faces of these vulnerable children aged 6 to 18. The Engen …
The Disciplinary process related to Byron Ralston citing in the BKT United Rugby Championship Round 9 game against Munster on Monday, January 1 has resulted in a three game suspension. The Citing Commissioner in charge reported Connacht Player (No 12) for an act of foul play in the 39th minute under Law 9.20d – Dangerous …
It has been a decade since an 18-year-old Kagiso Rabada swayed the world’s attention in the United Arab Emirates. Rabada, now the No.2-ranked bowler in the MRF Tyres ICC Rankings for Test bowlers, was making his first steps in international cricket at the time, at the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup. The exciting pacer …
The ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024 lies just ten days away, and preparations are in full flow as South Africa gears up to host the very best young cricketers in the world from 19 January. The 15th edition of the celebrated event will see 41 matches take place across 24 days of competition, …
Dear Editor ANC corruption poses an existential threat to the continued payment of social grants to millions of vulnerable South Africans. Yesterday, the party’s cowardly President, Cyril Ramaphosa, told a lie with his claim that social grants were “likely to disappear” when the ANC loses the fast-approaching 2024 election. The truth is the exact opposite …
The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced that the pitch for the second Test of the ICC World Test Championship series between South Africa and India at Newlands in Cape Town has been rated as “unsatisfactory” under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process. ICC Match Referee Chris Broad submitted his report expressing the concerns …
Ten post-graduate students who were previously unemployed recently embarked on a remarkable journey from Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape, to Tzaneen, Limpopo Province, as part of the SA Harvest entrepreneurial incubator initiative. Supported by Naspers Labs, this programme aims to equip young individuals with the skills and knowledge needed to become self-sufficient agri-food entrepreneurs. These ten students …
Dear Editor Today the DA laid criminal charges against the Minister of Higher Education, Dr Blade Nzimande, for his role in allegedly defrauding the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) through kickbacks paid to him, NSFAS board chairperson, Ernest Khoza, and the South African Communist Party (SACP). This alleged corruption was revealed by the Organisation …
OUTA says Blade Nzimande is trying to mislead the public by diverting from what leaked recordings disclose about him and the SACP The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) notes Minister Blade Nzimande’s comments at his media conference today, and his reaction to our investigation report and the leaked voice recordings in which the NSFAS debacle …
City of Cape Town libraries revert to pre-pandemic borrowing policy
The City of Cape Town has announced that the original borrowing privileges at its libraries will revert to pre-pandemic arrangements from next month.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, libraries extended the number of items that patrons could borrow, as well as the borrowing period.
However, from 1 February 2024 borrowing privileges will revert to pre-pandemic arrangements. In addition, printed newspapers and magazines will be discontinued as their subscriptions come to an end.
“During the pandemic, borrowing privileges were extended to a one month lending period and a maximum of 20 items for all borrowers. Those were extraordinary times and the city made the adjustment to benefit our patrons who couldn’t access the library or materials as readily.
“The longer borrowing period means other patrons wait longer to enjoy all the material our libraries offer. It also meant fines accumulated quickly due to the higher number of items that could be borrowed,” the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Patricia van der Ross said on Tuesday.
Prior to the pandemic, the frequency of access to available material was higher and could circulate as often as 24 times a year (twice per month), whereas at present it can only circulate 12 times.
“We want all our patrons to enjoy as much of our libraries’ offerings as possible. Therefore, the number of items that can be borrowed will go back to 12 for an adult and seven for children for a borrowing period of two weeks with an opportunity to renew the items for a longer period. This will help us provide a better and more efficient service,” said Van der Ross.
The change will also ease fines on patrons. Patrons with 20 overdue items quickly reached the maximum fine limit on the system, resulting in their accounts being blocked.
“This discouraged the return of overdue material and affected circulation, as patrons do not want to borrow material for fear of not being able to pay once the material becomes overdue; also for fear of being blocked on the system.
“It is anticipated that this change will also reduce annual losses, as staff will contact patrons sooner to return overdue material. It will also reduce the risk of accumulating fines. City libraries offer a reservation service, which allows patrons to reserve popular items that are always out on loan.
“By shortening the borrowing period, patrons are encouraged to prioritise the popular material they truly want to borrow and return them promptly for others to enjoy, thus reducing waiting times,” the City said.
Patrons are also advised that the provincial grant for printed newspapers and magazines will be cut from this year, which means libraries will only have electronic copies available via Pressreader, free of charge for all library members.
Patrons are able to access this resource from their desktops, as well as from smart mobile devices by visiting the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) at https://opac,capetown.gov.za. – SAnews.gov.za
nosihle
Tue, 01/09/2024 - 12:40
City of Cape Town workers are on site to fix burst pipe
Minister hands over outdoor gym in Mpumalanga
Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Zizi Kodwa has handed over an outdoor gym and sporting clothes to a community in Mpumalanga.
“Government’s intervention to build outdoor gyms in Royal Great Places is a commitment to develop sport in rural communities. Further to this, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture is also building multipurpose sports courts in rural and township communities,” the Minister said on Tuesday.
He said historically, rural communities have lacked these sport and recreational facilities.
“This has meant that there are not enough resources available in these communities for people, and the youth in particular, to exercise and play sport. By focusing on sport development in rural communities, we are inspiring communities to live active lifestyles.
“We are also addressing the issue of youths needing to go to towns and cities to play sport, where there are more resources. By prioritising sport development in rural communities, we are also working to ensure that sport talent is identified in these communities, and that sport talent is given opportunities to flourish. It is in communities such as KwaMhlanga where the next Trevor Nyakane or Caster Semenya will be discovered,” Kodwa said.
He said the outdoor gym, which is located in Royal Great Places, means that communities can exercise in a safe environment, and the gym equipment can be well looked after.
“This year, South Africa celebrates 30 years of freedom. One of the mandates of our government over the past 30 years has been to ensure social transformation in South African society through promoting social cohesion, social integration, and social inclusion.
“Sport plays a critical role in realising this goal. Just as President Nelson Mandela said, sport unifies people in ways little else can. Sport brings hope where there was once despair,” he said. –SAnews.gov.za
nosihle
Tue, 01/09/2024 - 13:26
The Hollywood Foundation is thrilled to unveil the eagerly awaited return of its highly successful “Back to School” campaign. With a remarkable R8 million pledge, the campaign aims to support parents and empower learners from diverse communities across South Africa, at the beginning of the new school year by providing them with essential school supplies. …
SA can still expect loadshedding
Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has reiterated that while Eskom is working hard on improving its generation system, citizens can still expect load shedding.
Providing an outlook on Eskom’s generation capabilities during a media briefing on Tuesday in Pretoria, the Minister explained that the majority of units remain unreliable and this is being addressed through the planned maintenance that Eskom is conducting routinely.
Due to legacy issues including under investment at Eskom and the entity not having sufficiently planned for maintenance, South Africa’s grid is unreliable.
“We will have periods of days of no load shedding and there will be days of load shedding. Eskom has announced its summer outlook and it makes the point that we should not be at more than Stage 4 level of load shedding.
“While demand was low during the week 22- 29 December 2023, Eskom was working to address issues of its fleet and used the opportunity to carry out planned maintenance.
“We have been working during the festive season to ensure that we address issues of the fleet to continue to perform but also readying the fleet to ensure that once there is a ramp up of demand, the units are able to return back to service and remain in service while delivering efficient megawatts (MW),” Ramokgopa said.
The Minister pointed out that Eskom is beginning to decrease its planned maintenance, as they are expecting demand to increase.
While in December 2022 South Africa experienced load shedding, Eskom had three units back last December at Kusile, which ensured that there were periods of no load shedding.
“If you had to look at the work that has been done at Eskom, they have reduced repeat failures. We have additional buffer for instances of a cluster of units failing where you do not have to initiate load shedding or if you do, it is not at intense levels.
“Unit 1 at Kusile experienced significant delays in relation to the timeline to return to service, which was set for June last year but it returned five months later due to outage slips. We are confident that the work that has been done by the generation team has ensured that we will not have a repeat when we want to return unit 2, which is currently out,” he said.
The Minister reminded citizens that Koeberg unit 1 and 2 were extending the license of the only nuclear power station in the country.
“We had to do a significant amount of work to meet the regulatory requirements and compliance so we can get the license extensions… so these units were out. As part of this robust exercise, unit 1 in Koeberg is now on full load. It has passed the full load tests. There is a plethora of tests that need to be run and the test was passed on 30 December.
“Now unit 1 in Koeberg is unleashing the MWs that are required and we hope it will continue to do that for the next 20 years. Another development is the synchronisation of Kusile Power Station’s unit 5.
“That power is intermittent. It is doing a number of tests, and it will go into full commercial operation for an average period of six months so they continue to do the tests but as they continue to do the tests, it does give us MWs,” Ramokgopa said.
“Unit 5 is running at 60% and there are a lot of things that need to be done such as balancing and optimisation tests so that we are sure when the unit is in commercial operation so essentially giving us MWs uninterrupted.”
Integrated Resource Plan
The Minister called on the public to make submissions on the draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2023 that was issued by Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, for public comment in Government Gazette no 49974 of 04 January 2024.
“I want to urge that your comments are not restricted to public commentary, engagements and with the media. That does not amount to a submission. A submission means you make a written response of ideas of what you think of the IRP and submit it as required.
“As it stands, the IRP represents the views of Cabinet and we want to know what the public thinks. I want to encourage you to make submissions and as and when the DMRE offers an opportunity to make oral representation, I encourage you to do that as well,” Ramokgopa said.
The IRP is an electricity generation plan that seeks to ensure security of electricity supply by balancing supply with demand, while taking into account the environment and total cost of supply.
The purpose of this publication is to solicit public comments on the assumptions, input parameters, scenarios, and observations made. Comments submitted will be considered when drafting the final policy adjusted plan, which will map out the future energy mix for the country. – SAnews.gov.za
nosihle
Tue, 01/09/2024 - 12:22