News

Government has noted Fitch’s decision to affirm South Africa’s long-term foreign and local currency debt ratings at ‘BB-’ and maintain a stable outlook.

According to Fitch, South Africa’s credit rating is constrained by low real gross domestic product (GDP) growth hampered by power shortages, high level of inequality, a high government debt-to-GDP ratio, and a modest path of fiscal consolidation.

National Treasury said the ratings are supported by a favourable debt structure with long maturities and denominated mostly in local currency as well as a  credible monetary policy framework.

“Government is implementing urgent measures to reduce load-shedding in the short term and transform the sector through market reforms to achieve long-term energy security.

“Over the medium‐term, the fiscal strategy aims to achieve fiscal sustainability by reducing the budget deficit and stabilising the debt-to-GDP ratio.

“On‐budget allocations for infrastructure and other policy priorities and maintaining a sustainable fiscal stance will support economic growth,” National Treasury said on Monday. – SAnews.gov.za

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Wednesday sign into law the South African Sign Language Bill during a ceremony at the Union Buildings, in Pretoria. 

On 2 May 2023, the National Assembly approved that Section 6 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, be amended to include South African Sign Language (SASL) as an official language to promote the rights of persons who are deaf and hard of hearing.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Presidency said the recognition of South African Sign Language (SASL) as the 12th official language is an important step towards the realisation of the rights of persons, who are deaf or hard of hearing.

“South African Sign Language is an indigenous language that constitutes an important element of South African linguistic and cultural heritage. It has its own distinct grammatical structures and lexicon and it is independent of any other language,” the Presidency said. 

The new legislation seeks to:

• Advance the cultural acceptance of SASL; 
• Ensure the realisation of the rights of persons who are deaf and hard of hearing to equal protection and benefit of the law and human dignity; and 
• Promote inclusive and substantive equality and prevent or eliminate unfair discrimination on the grounds of disability, as guaranteed by Section 9 of the Constitution.

With this initiative, South Africa becomes the fourth country on the African continent to recognise sign language as an official language. Other countries are Kenya, Zimbabwe and Uganda. – SAnews.gov.za

As the country and the world at large commemorate President Nelson Mandela’s birthday, President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on everyone to promote peace across the globe.

In his weekly newsletter to the nation, President Ramaphosa said everyone is called upon to get involved in peacemaking and peacebuilding processes, which is the fruit of Nelson Mandela’s legacy.

The President highlighted that last month marked six months since the signing of the Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities Agreement between the government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front in Pretoria on the 2nd of November 2022. 
 
“This peace agreement that South Africa played a role in brokering under the auspices of the African Union, continues to hold. President Mandela said that ‘the heroes are those who make peace and build.’ 
 
“We will continue to follow in his footsteps by calling for political solutions to conflicts. We are fortified by the towering moral courage of great leaders like President Mandela. That is why on this Nelson Mandela Day, I call on every one of us to promote peace everywhere,” the President said. 

President Ramaphosa said President Mandela’s legacy is celebrated around the world, with its international observance having been declared by the United Nations in 2009.
 
“This is in testament to his role as a revered statesman, unifier and above all, as a peacemaker. Striving for peace in the world, for an end to conflicts everywhere, and for a true international fellowship of humankind are the ideals that Nelson Mandela stood for.

“They were relevant when he was a statesman on the world stage, and they are even more relevant today with many parts of our continent and the world embroiled in conflict. 
 
“As South Africa, we hold fast to the ideal that a better world can be achieved through engendering peace. This derives from negotiation and compromise over violence, the use of force and resorting to war,” the President said. 
 
President Ramaphosa said that South Africa’s contribution to world peace is through supporting societies in conflict, and this is largely as a result of the Nelson Mandela legacy.
 
He said the country’s experience with negotiating an end to apartheid and with building a multiparty democracy is regularly sought out by parties seeking to bring conflict to an end.
 
Since democracy, South Africa has played such a role in Northern Ireland, Palestine, Zimbabwe, South Sudan, Eswatini, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Ethiopia, and most recently, in Sudan.
 
Last week, President Ramaphosa met with the Deputy President of the Transitional Sovereign Council of Sudan, where they discussed the support South Africa can lend to the convening of an inclusive dialogue process towards a permanent peace.
 
Earlier this month, the President was in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where South Africa is playing a key role in facilitating dialogue, conflict resolution and providing technical assistance under the 2013 Peace and Security Cooperation Framework for the DRC and the Great Lakes. – SAnews.gov.za
 

Deputy Minister of Transport, Lisa Mangcu, is leading the South African delegation on a lobbying mission for International Maritime Organization IMO Council membership.

“The election of South Africa to the body will strengthen Africa’s position and will ensure the representation of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) sub-region on the Council,” the Ministry of Transport said on Monday.

The Deputy Minister started his campaign with South Africa’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland by hosting a dinner for the members of the diplomatic community accredited to the Court of St James.

The dinner will be hosted at the South Africa House where the Deputy Minister will deliver a key lobby statement motivating strongly for the support of the diplomatic community for South Africa’s candidature.

The Deputy Minister is already attending the 129TH Session of International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Council taking place at the headquarters of the IMO from Monday until Friday.

“The significance of this session of the IMO Council is the election, later in the week, of the Secretary General who will succeed the current incumbent Kitak Lim whose term will end by the end of 2023.

“Also significant in this regard is that for the first time in the history of the IMO, three of the contestants for the post of Secretary General are women, one of whom is Ambassador Nancy Karigithu of Kenya,” the Ministry of Transport said.

The attendance and participation of Deputy Minister in the Council is to strengthen Africa’s influence and support during the consideration of the IMO’s Strategic Plan for the 2024 to 2029 period as well as during the elections of the future Secretary General.

“South Africa as a member state of the IMO has previously served on the IMO Council and will further contest a Council seat under category C of the IMO Council taking place later in the year. The IMO Council is the highest decision-making body in between the Assembly of the International Maritime Organisation,” the Ministry of Transport said.

South Africa has a long-standing relationship of cooperation as a member of IMO after its re-admission to the UN System in 1995. The country has continued to actively maintain its cooperative relationship with the organisation and its members beyond this period. – SAnews.gov.za

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has called on South Africans to take part in the Clear Rivers campaign to protect water resources in honour of former President Nelson Mandela.

The annual Clear Rivers campaign takes place in July, as part of promoting volunteerism in the celebration of the iconic Statesman, former President Nelson Mandela’s birthday on 18 July and throughout Mandela Month.

Department spokesperson, Wisane Mavasa, said the campaign calls on everyone to dedicate their 67 minutes of goodwill activities towards cleaning up streams, wetlands, dams, canals and any freshwater source.

Mavasa said during Mandela Month, everyone is encouraged to participate in cleaning up the water ecosystems.

“The objective of the Clear Rivers campaign is to undertake a collaborative effort and actively engage communities, as well as promoting and creating ongoing awareness and education on protecting our water resources. Fostering volunteerism among communities is actively encouraged as part of a proactive approach to protecting our rivers, streams, wetlands and other water ecosystems,” Mavasa said. 

Mavasa noted that South Africa’s rainfall is unpredictable and common periods of drought limit the water resources even further. She said rivers that used to flow throughout the year are now dry, while others flow only during rainy seasons.

Mavasa warned that years from now, the demand for water might exceed the amount of available water in the country, and this means that the nation must take care of its water resources, use and share water more effectively.’ 

“The health of the rivers in our country is threatened by pollution, excessive use of the water and the riverbanks. If we pollute a river in one place, we affect the condition of the river for a long distance downstream. A river performs functions such as the ability to clean itself best when it is healthy. 

“Therefore, active and responsible citizenry is encouraged across the spectrum, where people from all walks of life become participants in promoting healthy rivers. The relationship between communities and healthy rivers can never be overstated, as it is community members who must take care of our rivers to ensure that they are not filled with litter,” Mavasa said. 

Mavasa emphasised that the need for water security, particularly in the face of global climate change and a multitude of anthropogenic impacts affecting rivers, calls for a national and unified approach to protect rivers, wetlands and broader catchments.

“It is for this reason that the Department of Water and Sanitation connects South Africans to their sources of water and the natural infrastructure that is crucial for a water-secure future. 

“South Africa is a water scarce country and rated the 30th driest in the world, with a rapidly increasing population. This is based on its average rainfall of 500mm, compared to the world average of 860mm,” Mavasa said. – SAnews.gov.za 
 

The International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Dr Naledi Pandor, will join South Africans and the international community in marking the annual Nelson Mandela Day on Tuesday, 18 July 2023. 

Pandor will visit the Bophelong Community Centre in Mamelodi East in Pretoria, Gauteng. 

She will be joined by the visiting Irish Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Micheál Martin and several Heads of Diplomatic Missions accredited to Pretoria.

Bophelong Community Centre was established in 2000 by Pastor Titus Sithole as a community-based, one-stop centre of hope, which provides free and easily accessible social and welfare services to the community of Mamelodi and surrounding areas.

“Minister Pandor visited the centre 10 years ago, in 2013. This year’s visit will, therefore, serve as an opportunity for the Minister to observe how the centre has grown over the past decade and what challenges remain to be addressed,” the statement read. 

In November 2009, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted a unanimous resolution in recognition of the former South African President’s contribution to the culture of peace and freedom. 

The General Assembly declared 18 July ‘Nelson Mandela International Day’. 

The day marks Mandela’s life and is used as a global call to action for people to recognise their power to make an imprint and change the world. 

The International Nelson Mandela Day for the year 2023 will be celebrated under the ‘The Legacy Lives on Through You: Climate, Food and Solidarity’ theme. – SAnews.gov.za

More than 2 000 cases and arrests have been made in cases linked to criminality at Eskom.

This was announced by Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, during a media briefing on Monday.

“Over the period from April 2022 to date, there are 2 147 Eskom cases that have been reported to the South African Police Service (SAPS) and about 1 586 of these are under investigation. Since that period…126 arrests have been made.

“In addition to the technical solutions that we are seeking to resolve the issues at Eskom, we are also focused on addressing some of the underlying problems which have been issues of fraud, corruption and security,” he said.

Ramokgopa explained that law enforcement is hard at work, not only patrolling Eskom power stations but also investigating criminal activity linked to the power utility.

“A unit is located and embedded at Eskom and they also get to interact with various police stations that are attached to the various power stations.

“They do make regular visits not just to power stations but also to coal yards because they are trying to understand the anatomy of these criminal activities. They also go to second hand dealers just to ensure that people can account for their activities,” he said.

The Minister further stated that thousands of scrap yard dealers – where stolen Eskom copper cables can be sold – have been visited in thr crackdown on copper cable theft.

“They have visited about 15 043 scrap metal dealers. They have done compliance inspections so that we are able to undermine and cut the arteries of these syndicates and allow Eskom to do its work going forward,” he said.

The Minister emphasised that the work done by law enforcement, coupled with the recovery of some R93 million for Eskom coffers, carries a tangible impact not only for the power utility, but also citizens.

“We have tried to provide a physical value of what has been recovered but there’s a greater value that, from a security point of view, is intangible but from a technical point of view, is tangible.

“If we could be able to illustrate that some of the megawatts recovered are as a result of the work of our colleagues in the intelligence and security agency, the megawatts would far exceed the R93 million.

“Those would be the additional megawatts that are made available to the South African economy,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za