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Checkers – driving patriotic spirit and giving away R8 million this Rugby World Cup Checkers is going all in to ensure South African consumers have the ultimate Rugby World Cup experience on local soil – just light the fire and Checkers will do the rest! This includes making sure that there are enough beer glasses …
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde’s Energy Digicon this week looked to the future; more specifically measures the Western Cape Government (WCG) is exploring and implementing to meet the future energy needs of a growing population. A vital component of the Western Cape Energy Resilience Programme is the Provincial Integrated Resource Plan (PIRP). Essentially the PIRP …
The Welsh Rugby Union collaborated with Welsh rap band, GWCCI, on a rugby anthem ahead of the rugby world cup. The song entitled, “I’R GÂD”, is a heartfelt tribute to Welsh culture, the nation’s rugby heritage, and to the enduring pride of the Welsh people. Roughly translated as ‘to the fray’ or ‘to battle’, “I’R …
Dear Editor Despite years of fierce resistance to the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) repeated calls to sell properties abroad and save taxpayers money on maintenance costs, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) is finally taking steps to dispose some of its property portfolio. The DA welcomes DIRCO’s policy shift and we strongly believe that …
Hawks officials to appear for allegations of corruption
Two Hawks officials at the rank of a Sergeant and Captain will appear in the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court this morning, 8 September 2023 for allegations of corruption.
This comes after the Mthatha-based Serious Corruption Investigation and Serious Organised Crime Investigation of the Hawks arrested them during an undercover operation on Thursday, 7 September 2023.
“It is alleged that on 31 July 2023, a complainant received a call from the suspect who introduced himself as a Hawks official at the rank of a Captain in Gauteng wanting to meet them because the Department of Labour had opened a case against his company.”
The following month, it is said that the accuser allegedly received another call from the same official demanding R400 000 which the complainant reportedly indicated not to have.
“The complainant further indicated that on 5 September 2023, he received another call from the very same official securing their meeting in Mthatha to bring an amount of R50 000 for the docket to be destroyed and thus close the case.”
The complainant reported the matter to the Hawks and an undercover operation was conducted wherein the suspects were arrested immediately after the transaction.
“An amount of R10 000 was found in their possession. The duo will appear in Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court this morning.”
The Eastern Cape Hawks Head Major General Mboiki Obed Ngwenya expressed his satisfaction with the swift response of the joint operation.
“Such conduct by our own bring the name of the Hawks into disrepute,” he said, adding that the Hawks will continue to act without favour, fear or prejudice. – SAnews.gov.za
Gabisile
Fri, 09/08/2023 - 10:15
The Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Zizi Kodwa has welcomed the agreement between the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and MultiChoice regarding the broadcast rights for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. MultiChoice announced that it had reached an agreement with the SABC to sub-license broadcast rights to the public broadcaster for the Rugby …
On Monday, 11 September 2023, the DA’s seminal case against this year’s extortionate 30% national electricity tariff hike, by NERSA, will be heard in the North Gauteng High Court. The DA is taking this unaffordable and offensive national increase on review, because people across South Africa can no longer afford the out of control price …
Springbok wing Courtnall Skosan has made the move home to his roots in Cape Town to play for the DHL Stormers. After two seasons in the English Premiership with Northampton Saints, the prolific wing is back in the city where he grew up and learned the game, having signed with the DHL Stormers. Skosan represented …
Awards to honour accomplished, inspiring South Africans under 40
Deputy President Paul Mashatile will on Saturday, 9 September 2023, attend and deliver the keynote address at the Forty under 40 SA Awards, taking place at Houghton Hotel, Gauteng.
The Forty under 40 SA Awards celebrate and honour the nation’s most influential, accomplished, and inspiring South Africans under 40, across various sectors.
This year more than 350 nominations were received and the final 40 of these will be hailed as the most influential for their achievements in their respective areas.
The awards are hosted by the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, together with the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), in partnership with Xodus Communications.
The awards will be preceded by the Champion Summit, which is an interactive gathering that aims to empower and equip young leaders with the necessary skills, knowledge, and networks to drive positive change in their communities.
“The summit promises to bring inspiring interactions, engaging workshops, and panel discussions, which will foster an environment for the exchange of ideas and personal development,” the Deputy President’s Office said.
During his address, Deputy President Mashatile will highlight how government has placed the education and training of young people at the top of its agenda as one of the most crucial enabling factors for economic emancipation. – SAnews.gov.za
Gabisile
Fri, 09/08/2023 - 10:22
People from the town and surrounding areas are having to travel to Port Alfred
Construction of N4 Montrose road infrastructure investment complete
Minister of Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga will officially open the multi-million rand N4 Montrose Interchange in Mpumalanga on Friday.
“Construction of the Montrose Interchange is now completed and temporarily being used by traffic to service the entire community traversing through between Middleburg and Mbombela as well as the cross-border traffic leading to the neighbouring state, Mozambique through the Maputo Port of Entry,” the Department of Transport said on Thursday.
The department, through the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) and the Trans African Concessions (TRAC), completed the upgrading of the N4/Montrose/Schoemanskloof Interchange in August 2023 as part of the Maputo Corridor Development initiative.
“Work on the interchange included the construction of four new interchange ramps and the widening of the existing two-lane Crocodile Bridge from two to five lanes.
“Two new arch bridges supported by adjacent rock cut faces have also been constructed to cross the existing Elands Valley section to accommodate two new ramps with Five 25-m-high masts illuminated at the interchange, increasing visibility and road safety,” the department said.
The interchange has already created over 350 jobs and provided subcontracting opportunities for at least ten local companies.
Chikunga will officially open this key economic corridor interchange joined by Mpumalanga Premier Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, the SANRAL Board of Directors, CEOs of Transport Department roads entities, TRAC CEO, traditional leadership and community members in the Mpumalanga province. – SAnews.gov.za
nosihle
Fri, 09/08/2023 - 09:15
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the 20 match officials for the League Round of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India. Sixteen umpires will officiate the 13th edition of the tournament, including all 12 of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and four members of the ICC Emerging Umpire Panel, …
Afrika Tikkun is proud to join the global community in celebrating International Literacy Day on Friday, 08 September 2023. This annual observance is a testament to Afrika Tikkun’s unwavering dedication to providing quality education and literacy programmes to underserved communities in South Africa. International Literacy Day, established by UNESCO, serves as a reminder of the …
On Friday, 8 September (20:00 CEST+1) at the Stade de France, prior to the long-awaited opening match between France and New Zealand, Rugby World Cup 2023 will begin with a very special Opening Ceremony. Rugby began thanks to an unconventional gesture: that of William Webb Ellis, a student who took the ball in his hands …
An updated fixture list for the African Rainbow Community Gold Cup Round of 32 has been released following the suspension of a club and time changes to a number of other matches. The match between Saldanha Bay and the Ncera Leopards has been cancelled after the Boland Rugby Union suspended the West Coast club following …
The City of Cape Town says it has followed a fair and independent process and consulted a community committee
The scheme has had more than 170,000 appeals from students about allowance payments
The FIFA (www.FIFA.com) Talent Coach programme sits under the umbrella of FIFA's Talent Development Scheme; Twenty-five member associations will benefit from a Talent Coach working with them for two years; Wenger: “We want to develop children, to ultimately make football globally more competitive.”
One afternoon last week at the Home of FIFA, a group of U-14 players were gathered in a huddle. In their midst, an ‘over-age' player could be spotted, linking arms with players less than half his height. FIFA's Chief of Global Head of Development, Arsène Wenger.
Players from FC Zurich's junior teams were supporting the final preparations of FIFA's latest Technical Development programme to be launched, which will see Talent Coaches spend two years each, working together with twenty-five of FIFA's member associations (MAs).
The FIFA Talent Coach Programme is another important pillar under the umbrella of the Talent Development Scheme, following a six-month pilot involving seven countries (Kyrgyz Republic, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Benin, South Africa, Fiji, and Finland).
“We want to develop elite players in countries where there is potential for further development. There are many children in the world who don't get the chance to develop their talent, and the quality of our work can change this,” explained Wenger.
Observing the different coaching sessions taking place, Wenger's engagement was clear. From passing on a tip to one of the coaches, to sharing his philosophy on the game. It felt pertinent to ask: what lies behind his motivation?
“Arsenal is known for giving players a chance but I knew that was not the case everywhere. One of my worries was always to give people who deserve it, a chance in life.
“When I joined FIFA, we analysed football around the world, and realised that the main deficit in football is education, in many, many countries. Look at the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™. It shows you how quickly women's football has developed at the top level, and what is possible.
“If you love football, you don't just love it at the elite male level. After my competitive career, I had a chance to create a legacy for developing talented children. This doesn't make headlines, but that's not important. What is important is that we are efficient. That we help develop children between the ages of 12-16, to ultimately make football globally more competitive.”
In December 2022, the FIFA Council approved a funding allocation of USD 200 million (https://apo-opa.info/3sNcfXR) to cover the 2023-2026 operational lifecycle of this ground-breaking initiative, and in March 2023, the Council also approved a set of regulations laying out the principles and distribution of funding and the process of approval, as well as the rights and obligations of member associations.
Participating member associations may apply for funding under one or more of the annual bespoke FIFA talent programmes to support specific projects related to their strategic long-term development plan.
Patricia Gonzalez, FIFA's Team Lead of the Talent Coaches programme, is one of the Talent Coach programme leads and admitted that on paper, the key objectives of the Talent Coach programme look simple.
1. To put the best young players with the best in each country
2. Increase the contact time
3. Improve the processes of planning, talent identification and coach education
“By having a dedicated coach on the ground, working in partnership with our MAs, we believe together we can enhance the high-performance environment in each country and give more talent a chance,” said Gonzalez.
“Over the last three years, FIFA conducted a ‘ecosystem analysis' to understand the challenges and strengths of more than 200 MAs, supporting each MA to shape a long-term talent development strategy. It's clear that nations competing for, or winning trophies are offering more and more meaningful contact time to players. This creates a big competitive advantage.”
The main focus of the Talent Development Scheme will be to invest in academies. The objective is that every member association has at least one academy or centre of excellence to develop the most talented players by 2026.
“The majority of Talent Coaches will work in countries where the programme can have more of an impact,” Gonzalez explained. “This player age group – 12-15 – is where a player' brain has a very high plasticity. It's a crucial stage for their development, if they hope to become professional players of the future.”
The Talent Coaches must have a minimum A Licence and relevant prior experience e.g., having previously worked with youth national teams or at academies in a talent development role. Equally important are cultural and personality traits; the selected Talent Coaches in the words of Gonzalez are ‘people who can develop others by coaching, by mentoring. Who care about making other people better.'
“Player Development is very complex, and we need the Talent Coaches to put the process above themselves and their ego. You are the coach and the architect of the environment but cannot influence everything. So, they need to possess ‘soft skills' too,” she expanded.
Ulf Schott, FIFA Head of High Performance Programme concurred, whilst underlining the importance of an additional quality.
“We want these Talent Coaches to be role models,” he said. “Through the ecosystem analysis, it was clear that many MAs don't have enough systems to find their most talented players, so this is the first step. Once you find the players, you can bring them together.
"By having that role model, it will create a ‘ripple effect.' We don't want the Talent Coaches organising admin. We want them on the pitch, showing what high-performance means, inspiring other coaches. We want them to show a dedication to elite football.”
Only a small percentage of talented youngsters will go on to have a professional career. Yet as Schott underlined, in many countries, that possibility is not even currently an option.
“Through this programme, we want to give talented players the chance to live their dream. It's clear not everyone will be able to do that, but the aim is to give everyone a pathway. This will look completely different all over the world. What we really want, is to have a shift in the way of thinking when talking about high performance.
“We are talking about 5-7 training sessions a week for the most talented players, whilst ensuring a holistic approach to the education as a player, and as a person. Fundamentally, this is about players who are dedicated to high performance football.”
The majority of the 25 MAs will be focused on developing boys and girls, though some have requested to specialise. Bhutan for example, are planning a female-only academy.
“We want to work with MAs who are ‘ready, willing and able'," said Gonzalez in conclusion. "MAs who have a Technical Department, youth national teams, domestic minimum playing opportunities and basic Coach Education in place. If you don't have these things in place, you are not ‘willing' and will not be ‘able' to bridge that gap to the top.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of FIFA.
Contact for African media:
AfricanMedia@fifa.org
Prisoners are held according to the law, writes the Department of Correctional Services spokesperson
Master Offices services to go digital
The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DJCOD) is expected to officially launch the Masters’ Deceased Estates Online Registration System in October.
In a webinar to inform the public about the new online service, Advocate Kanyane Mathibe, Chief Director for Strategy and Policy in the Office of the Chief Master said the system seeks to enable the Masters’ offices to serve clients in a quicker manner and reduce queues.
“We then embarked on a journey to develop an online deceased estates registration system that cuts the time in half that you can now register or report estates in the comfort of your home or in your office without having to interact with the Masters’ Office except in the lodgement of an original will where you would still need to lodge the original will after which the letter of authority would be granted.
“Further to that, we then allowed other features to be developed including an online appointment booking system where you would be able to book an appointment with the master in your jurisdiction at a specific time and you will be attended to either by an estate controller, a legally trained professional or an assistant master…depending on the complexity of the matter,” Mathibe said.
She explained that the office had received a number of complaints about services at the Master’s Office and this, coupled with other factors, prompted the move towards an online service.
“We have had challenges. Some…would have submitted complaints about the challenges that you’re experiencing with the Masters’ Office. We’ve got long queues. We’ve got more clients than we have the capacity to handle in our offices. We’ve seen increased customer complaints over the year, two years or so with the slow response of our systems, the high likelihood of fraud where letters of authority are being manipulated through fraudulent activities.
“Repeat walk ins where you come into the Master’s Office, you do not have the right documents, we send you back and you still have to come back. In some instances, misplacing or losing client documents where then duplicate files would have to be created. And we’ve been plagued by load shedding…that interrupts our services in offices where back up power has not been installed,” she said.
Mathibe added that a new letter of authority will be put in place in order to cut out incidents where letters of authority or executorship were fraudulently obtained through falsifying signatures.
“We now have a QR Code…that is embedded in a letter of authority. So the new letter of authority…it’s got an embedded QR code where you can then verify the authenticity of the letter of authority or the letter of executorship by a master,” she said. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Thu, 09/07/2023 - 09:34
As global demand continues to grow and African countries seek to unlock new investment in untapped energy resources, the African Energy Chamber (AEC) (www.EnergyChamber.org) – serving as the voice of the African energy sector – is committed to facilitating engagement between governments, industry players, and capital and technology providers. On Thursday, the AEC hosted a High Commissioners and Ambassadors Reception in Pretoria, aimed at fostering new connections between countries.
The reception served as a prelude to the continent's largest energy event, African Energy Week (AEW) 2023 – taking place from October 16-20 at the Cape Town Convention Center. More than 50 High Commissioners and Ambassadors took part in the reception, with remarks delivered by André Nzapayeke, Ambassador of Central African Republic & Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in South Africa; Tebogo Seokolo, Acting Deputy Director General: Africa; and NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the AEC. Verner Ayukegba, the Senior Vice President at the AEC, served as the Master of Ceremonies at the Reception.
“Energy security represents one of the greatest threats in the 21st century. It is one of the vexing challenges facing the African continent. We have to put all hands-on deck to address these challenges. It is about time that we see the positive results, see the investments,” Ambassador Seokolo stated. “This event is a precursor to AEW. It brings together global leaders and executives from both the public and private sector to discuss the future of African energy. On our part as Ambassadors of international relations, we commit to providing the support for visa facilitation.”
“We are dealing with a subject that is very important: energy. Without energy, we will not go far. Our continent has huge potential in energy. We will encourage out countries to attend AEW, because it is an opportunity for the actors in the sector to know each other and explore real business opportunities,” stated Ambassador Nzapayeke. “I would like to give the promise that we, the international diplomatic group, are willing to work hand in hand with you to promote the energy sector on the continent. The pan-African parliament can play an important role. Together we can make a difference.”
With energy security representing a significant challenge in Africa, the AEC Reception served as a strong foundation for country representatives to engage, share ideas and understand different approaches to resource maximization.
“Six million Africans don't have access to electricity, 900 million don't have access to clean cooking solutions. We have to deal with that fundamental issue,” stated Ayuk, adding that, “We need diplomacy to make energy poverty history. We need an environment that we can do projects in Africa and where we can do business. This is where governance will play a big part.”
AEW builds on a series of successful editions and has become the premier platform for investment to flow into African energy projects. This year's AEW takes place under the theme, ‘The African Energy Renaissance: Prioritizing Energy Poverty, People, the Planet, Industrialization and Free Markets,' and convenes African governments and policymakers, regional energy companies and thought leaders, and global investors and technology providers for four days of dialogue and deals.
“AEW, the largest oil and gas conference on the continent, is a platform that we use to push our agenda: increase investment in the oil and gas space. We want to see your companies from your countries help build for a future African. Come to AEW and create the right type of partnerships,” stated Ayukegba.
With the event merely weeks away, time is running out to secure your participation at the biggest gathering of energy stakeholders on the continent. Visit www.AECWeek.com and secure your place among Africa's energy leaders.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.
Simbini Lifestyle Estate is not only a unique Investment opportunity bordering Kruger National Park, it also offers an innovative way of ensuring the financial sustainability of the project. Do you dream of owning a place where the irresistible allure of African landscapes merges seamlessly with luxurious modern living? Could there be a place that offers …
World Rugby, working together with Worldwide Partner Capgemini and Opta, has launched three brand-new insights which will be showcased for the first time at Rugby World Cup 2023. World Rugby has delivered the first hat-trick of Rugby World Cup 2023 aimed at enriching the fans’ viewing experience. Working together with Opta and Worldwide Partner Capgemini, …
Ron Rutland ended his epic cycle journey as he delivers the match whistle to referee Jaco Peyper ahead of Friday’s Rugby World Cup 2023’s opening match in Saint-Denis. Cycling superman Ron Rutland has finally blown time on his epic adventure to deliver the whistle for the Rugby World Cup 2023 opening game in Paris. Ron …