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30 September 2023

W Cape records increase in dam levels after heavy rains

Location: News

W Cape records increase in dam levels after heavy rains

The national Department of Water and Sanitation’s hydrological report of 26 September indicates significant improvement across the Western Cape dam system following the disruption of heavy rainfall in the past few days.

The Cape Town System Dams increased by more than 7% compared to last week, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) said on Friday.

The Western Cape Water Supply System (WCWSS) -- comprising six dams (Theewaterskloof, Bergriver dam, Upper and Lower Steebras, Voelvlei and Wemershoek dams) supplying water to the City of Cape Town and its surroundings -- is sitting at 109.38%, a significant improvement compared to 85% same time last year.

On individual dams, Theewaterskloof, the biggest dam in the Western Cape, which accounts for 54% of the province's water supply, is at 100% and spilling.

Other dam levels are standing as follows: Misverstand Dam 152.67%; Brandvlei Dam 80.91%; Ceres Dam 101.16%; Gamka Dam 102.49%; Clanwilliam Dam 101.38% and Miertjieskraal 111.71%.

The Olifants / Doorn River Catchment has reached the 100% mark, a very healthy water yield compared to 86.71% of last year.

“It is pleasing to see that Gouritz River Catchment is hovering above 80%, as the system was below 50% at the same time last year.

“Some dams have sluice gates, while others do not have sluice gates. When the dams are full or overflowing, water is automatically released through spillways to control the flow downstream,” the department said.

While DWS is pleased with the significant rainfall, it has acknowledged that the heavy rains and adverse weather conditions have led to significant damage of infrastructure and detrimentally affected lives and livelihoods, especially those in riverbanks and low-lying areas.

“DWS continues to urge citizens to be careful near water resources and facilities, including crossing low-lying bridges.

“The department is currently conducting assessments on the infrastructure and there are no immediate reports of extensive water infrastructure (gauging stations) being damaged or washed away.

“DWS, together with other stakeholders, is monitoring the situation.” – SAnews.gov.za

Matona
Sat, 09/30/2023 - 15:44

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30 September 2023

President Ramaphosa pays tribute to legacy of Aziz Pahad

Location: News

President Ramaphosa pays tribute to legacy of Aziz Pahad

President Cyril Ramaphosa says to give full expression to the legacy of stalwarts like Aziz Pahad, their teachings must not be confined to history books but they must be frequently revisited and taken into the future.

“We have lost a comrade, a friend and a patriot who dedicated his life to the liberation of our country and its people,” President Ramaphosa said on Saturday.

Delivering the eulogy at the funeral service of the former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aziz Pahad, at Westpark Cemetery in Johannesburg, President Ramaphosa described Pahad as a hardworking public servant.

“It is a sad day for the diplomatic community, particularly for the many men and women chosen to represent the country abroad, who had the privilege of being mentored, counselled and trained by our departed brother and comrade,” President Ramaphosa said.

President Ramaphosa declared a Special Official Funeral Category 2 for Pahad and ordered that flags be flown at half-mast until this evening. Former Presidents Thabo Mbeki, Kgalema Motlanthe, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lusufi, senior government officials, politicians and members of the public attended the funeral.

“Over the past few years, we have had to bid farewell to many dear comrades, men and women who were giants of the liberation struggle,” President Ramaphosa said.

President Ramaphosa said the departed stalwarts played an important role in the history of the country.

“They were there at all the high and low points in our struggle for liberation, and remained on to shepherd us along the difficult road to democracy. At times such as this, when we lose another stalwart, we are shaken, as would a tree whose roots have been damaged or lost.

“These great men and women, of whom Aziz Pahad was one, were the roots that nourished the tree of our democracy. It feels as though a part of us has gone with them.

“And yet, such were the legacies they left behind that this great tree that is our democracy, abides. We may at times be battered by strong headwinds. Times can be hard.”

President Ramaphosa said the democracy that Aziz Pahad and his generation worked so hard to achieve remains firm, steady, well-anchored and strong.

“Aziz Pahad will be remembered for his many fine attributes and we will have reflected on some of them today.

“He was an activist who played a formative role in the liberation movement in exile in the 1960s and beyond, and was a key figure in the anti-apartheid movement in Europe and the United Kingdom.

“As Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, he was involved in peacebuilding and mediation efforts in a number of conflicts on the continent and in the Middle East,” the President said.

Pahad passed away on Wednesday evening at the age of 82. He served as the Deputy Minister of the then Department of Foreign Affairs - now the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) -from 1994 to 2008.

Pahad's passing follows that of his brother and former Minister in the Presidency, Essop Pahad, in July 2023.

Former colleagues hailed Pahad as a fine diplomat. He has also been hailed as one of the key architects of South Africa’s foreign policy.

In April 2021, the University of Pretoria conferred on him an Honorary Doctorate in Literature for his contributions to local and international peace, security, justice and international solidarity.

“Pahad's contributions and approach to diplomacy bring strong moral convictions, careful judgement and above all, a quiet, influential determination in the search for solutions to South Africa's challenges,” the University of Pretoria said at that time.

Years after relinquishing his role in government, Pahad remained active in civic affairs. In 2018, he chaired the Foreign Policy Review Panel appointed by then Minister Lindiwe Sisulu.

At the Ubuntu Awards organised by DIRCO early this year, Pahad was awarded the OR Tambo Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his contribution to a South Africa that is free and democratic, and a world that is fair and just. - SAnews.gov.za

Edwin
Sat, 09/30/2023 - 13:03

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30 September 2023

Preparing for the Future

Location: Business

The Volkswagen brand is preparing its Germany-based production network for the future. At a meeting today, the Group Board of Management informed the Supervisory Board of the Volkswagen Group about its vehicle allocation plans for the brand through 2028. In taking this step, the company has set its sites up for profitable capacity utilization and …

30 September 2023

Yet Another Strategy To Siphon Taxpayer Funds

Location: News

Location: News

“This is just a classic case of laziness from the police. There is always a solution.”

29 September 2023

Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Adopts its Report on National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (NCGBVF) Bill

Location: News

Republic of South Africa: The Parliament
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The Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities has today adopted the A-list and B-list of the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (NCGBVF) Bill. The Bill was tabled in Parliament and referred to the committee on 11 October 2022. It was classified by the Joint Tagging Mechanism as a section 75 Bill.

The committee received its first briefing on the NCGBVF Bill from the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities on 28 February 2023. In facilitating effective public participation on the NCGBVF Bill, the committee conducted in-person and virtual public hearings on 6 and 13 June 2023. 17 oral submissions were heard by the committee during these hearings.

The committee received oral submissions from individuals, various groups and organisations such as academics, civil society organisations, one statutory body, business sector experts and one labour union. In addition to the public hearings, the committee received 52 written submissions from the public. The written submissions were submitted electronically (via email) and online.

The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities responded to the issues raised during the public hearings on 29 August, 5 and 12 September 2023, and thereafter the committee was briefed by the department on 19 September 2023 on the revised Bill as a working document, with further inputs received from the members of the committee made in the meeting held on 12 September 2023.

The committee also deliberated clause-by-clause on the Bill with respect to the amendments made. Furthermore, it deliberated clause-by-clause on the Bill in its entirety on 27 September 2023. The committee accepted and adopted its report on the Bill on 29 September 2023. The report will be tabled in the National Assembly for its consideration and thereafter it will be referred to the National Council of Provinces for further processing before it goes to the President for assent into law.

The Chairperson of the committee, Ms Nonhlanhla Ncube-Ndaba, thanked members of the committee for their insightful contributions on the views of the people on the Bill. “Your dedication and contributions delivered the report we are proud of and which we pass to the National Assembly with full confidence. The establishment of the Council would be an important milestone for the country in the fight against GBVF,” said Ms Ncube-Ndaba.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.

29 September 2023

Justice dept gives Gupta brothers extradition update

Location: News

Justice dept gives Gupta brothers extradition update

The Department of Justice and Correctional Services is engaging with its counterparts in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in South Africa’s extradition request of the Gupta brothers, Atul and Rajesh.

The two are wanted in South Africa on charges including fraud and money laundering related to State Capture.

In April this year, the UAE rejected South Africa’s extradition request for the brothers, which the department described then as “inconsistent with article 17 of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, to which both nations are a signatory”.

In a statement, the department said it has now been requested to resubmit a new extradition request.

“On 26 July 2023, the South African Embassy in Abu Dhabi forwarded a Note Verbale dated 25 July 2023, as received from the UAE Central Authority in which… South Africa is requested to urgently resubmit a new extradition request for the Gupta brothers.

“It is, however, our view that a new extradition request can only be submitted to the UAE once the questions raised in our Note Verbale dated 19 June 2023, have been sufficiently answered by the UAE

“On 18 and 28 August 2023, respectively the Minister and Director-General directed letters to their counterparts in the UAE stating South Africa’s position that despite the UAE’s invitation to submit a new extradition request, it remains necessary to first obtain clarity on the questions asked previously by the Central Authority of South Africa in order to assess the matter before a decision can be taken to submit a new extradition request,” the statement read.

The department added that it has not yet received a response to the correspondence with the South African Embassy in Abu Dhabi “following-up in this regard”.

Fugitive prophet

In the extradition case against controversial pastor Shepherd Bushiri and his wife, Mary Bushiri, the department said the matter – which is being heard in a Malawian court where the two fled to – has been postponed to October.

“On 30 May 2023, the matter was postponed due to arguments raised on behalf of the Bushiris that South Africa’s extradition request was not properly authenticated. The South African prosecutors prepared arguments to assist the Malawian prosecutors with the filing of supplementary affidavits for purposes of the interim application where the legal team of the Bushiris is again trying to stop the extradition processes.

“On 10 August 2023, the formal application brought by the Bushiris was argued in court and thereafter postponed to 11 September 2023, for a ruling by the court. On 11 September 2023, the Magistrate gave judgment during which she indicated that the extradition request was in fact not certified in terms of the Malawi’s Extradition Act.

“The State however was afforded an opportunity to re-certify the request. The matter has been postponed to 10 October 2023, on which date state representatives will give testimony,” the statement read.

Criminal tribunal request

The department said a request by the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) related to alleged Rwanda genocide killer Fulgence Kayishema to stand trial overseas has been transferred to the High Court for hearing.

“The request cannot be executed as a normal extradition request under the Extradition Act, 1962 (Act No. 67 of 1962), or in accordance with the Implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Act, 2002 (Act No. 27 of 2002), as requests from tribunals do not fall within the ambit of this legislation.

“The position is that there is no domestic legislative framework to deal with the mechanism’s request. The request is being dealt with in accordance with South Africa’s international law obligations.

“The matter was transferred to the High Court, and has been set down for hearing on 1 November 2023. It is worth noting that along with the IRMCT request Mr Kayishema is also being charged with 51 counts of contravening the Immigration Act, 2002 (Act No. 13 of 2002), and three counts of fraud,” the department said. – SAnews.gov.za

NeoB
Fri, 09/29/2023 - 10:26

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29 September 2023

Western Cape working to restore services after severe storm

Location: News

Western Cape working to restore services after severe storm

The Western Cape Provincial Government has urged flood-ravaged municipalities to compile damage assessments for provincial government to present a disaster declaration motivation to the National Disaster Management Centre.

Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC, Anton Bredell, said the provincial government needs a national disaster declaration in order for the municipalities to qualify for potential assistance.

Bredell said the provincial government is working to restore services and calculating the costs of the severe storm.

He said the City of Cape Town’s assessment shows that 3 986 structures and 4 449 people are in need of assistance, with more than 30 areas still needing to be formally assessed.

“The South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) reported that a stop-and-go is in place on the N1 at De Doorns. The N2 section that washed away at Botriver has been visited by engineers, and there are discussions with the SANDF to provide a temporary solution with a mobile bridge for the short-term.

“Sir Lowry’s Pass is confirmed open. Pringle Bay and Bredasdorp are still without cell reception and a helicopter has been made available to assist restoring the infrastructure located in mountainous area,” Bredell said.

Noting some of the interventions by provincial government, Bredell said water tankers from other municipalities are being sent to Overstrand Local Municipality to assist.

In Breede River Municipality, the MEC reported that several farms are still inaccessible due to roads being washed away. He said plans are being made to provide the affected people with food and other essentials.

“Work is progressing in Franschhoek, which is currently divided into two inaccessible parts, and the CBD is still without electricity. Road access should be restored in the next 24 hours.

“Eskom reported that major faults are being restored, and power in affected areas in Khayelitsha and Caledon should be restored by [Thursday night]. Smaller faults will be attended to as soon as possible,” Bredell said.

Bredell said he has also written to President Cyril Ramaphosa requesting assistance with humanitarian aid.

“This is now the number one priority, and we need urgent support from the Department of Social Development and the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) to reach especially people in rural and isolated areas. We are also requesting engineering support from the SANDF to help with temporary roads and bridges, as well as aerial support to help with evacuations and logistics in inaccessible areas.

“Donations are being coordinated by the Red Cross, and anyone wishing to donate is encouraged to contact them. Relief work is being conducted throughout all the affected areas, with 3 250 people currently receiving food from aid agencies, as coordinated by SASSA,” Bredell said. – SAnews.gov.za

GabiK
Fri, 09/29/2023 - 12:01

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29 September 2023

SA, Tunisia bolster relations

Location: News

SA, Tunisia bolster relations

South Africa and Tunisia should increase their political consultations to ensure a robust and dynamic utilisation of opportunities that exist between the nations, says International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Dr Naledi Pandor.

Pandor on Friday hosted Tunisian Foreign Minister, Nabil Ammar.

“I'm really pleased, Minister and brother, to welcome you to Pretoria today on the occasion of our political consultations, which gives us a chance to discuss our bilateral relations - regional, continental and international issues - of mutual interest,” said Pandor.

Today’s political consultations are expected to provide an opportunity for the two Ministers to reflect on the state of bilateral relations between South Africa and Tunisia and discuss further strengthening bilateral cooperation in several areas.

These include economic cooperation, security, health, science and technology.

“The meeting we're going to have today is also going to lay the ground for the future meeting of our Joint Bilateral Commission for Cooperation (JBCC), which we established in 1996.

“However, the last meeting of JBCC was held in 2008. A further meeting is long overdue to revitalise its mission to ensure that we have focused programme areas of cooperation and projects that we execute together,” Pandor said.

The Minister said she hopes that officials in both countries are going to work hard to ensure they meet these ambitions and come up with concrete programmes of cooperation to work together.

“I do believe we have opportunities to expand and explore, and that these will benefit both our countries, as well as the people of our country. I've made reference to stronger cooperation between our business sector as well as stronger cooperation in skills, training and development.”

South Africa, according to Pandor, has a great ambition to enhance innovation and research capacity and has developed programmes in nanoscience and space science.

“I know on satellites, previously, our researchers had been collaborating and it would be wonderful to revive that collaboration.”

She also told Ammar that she was pleased his country has taken an interest in establishing the business forum, who was accompanied by the President of the Tunisian Union of Industry, Commerce and Handicrafts, who also has business interests locally.

“So dear Minister, please know that we are absolutely committed to the relationship between South Africa and Tunisia.

“I assure you that I would like to walk together with Tunisia as we advance the goals of Agenda 2063 as well as implement the African Continental Free Trade Area, and together, support our continent to achieve its Developmental Goals.”

Pandor also took the time to express her gratitude to Ammar for attending South Africa’s 15th BRICS Summit last month and leading his country's delegation.

“We were thrilled that your country was in attendance,” she said.

She also applauded her counterpart after the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) announced it was adding the Tunisian resort island of Djerba to its list of World Heritage Sites because of its ancient ruins, whitewashed villages, mosques, churches and synagogues.

“Minister, our bilateral relationship continues to be one that is strong and solidified through bilateral mechanisms which provide for political, economic, scientific and socio-cultural engagement,” she added. – SAnews.gov.za

Gabisile
Fri, 09/29/2023 - 13:44

306 views

29 September 2023

Former SAA chairperson appears in court on fraud, corruption charges

Location: News

Former SAA chairperson appears in court on fraud, corruption charges

Former South African Airways (SAA) board chairperson, Dudu Myeni as well as former Sondolo IT director, Trevor Mathenjwa have been granted bail of R10 000 each at the Richards Bay Magistrates’ Court.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Investigating Directorate spokesperson, Sindisiwe Seboka, said the two were arrested earlier today on charges of fraud and corruption related to controversial business BOSASA.

Seboka said Myeni allegedly failed to disclose her interests during her tenure as SAA board chairperson.

“Myeni thus stands accused of corruption for receiving gratification from BOSASA subsidiary Sondolo IT, offered by Trevor Mathenjwa, the company's former director. Myeni is accused of having received security upgrades for her Richards Bay premises during May 2014 to March 2015, to the value of R200k.

“She is further accused of benefiting from hotel accommodation and travel expenses for her and persons close to her, from BOSASA, facilitated by Blake Travels, between May 2014 and March 2015 for over R107k,” Seboka said.

The case is expected back in court in November. – SAnews.gov.za

NeoB
Fri, 09/29/2023 - 14:26

264 views