News

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has expressed grave concern over the imprisonment of two South African nationals in Equatorial Guinea. 

The DIRCO Director-General (DG), Zane Dangor, on Thursday said he was “disturbed” to learn of the sentence handed down to two locals, Peter Shane Huxham and Frederic Johannes Potgieter. 

According to media reports, Huxham, originally from Langebaan outside Cape Town and Potgieter from George, were jailed for 12 years and fined more than R100 million.

The two engineers were employed in the offshore oil and gas industry and insist they are innocent. 

The department said the pair was arrested on 9 February 2023 at their hotel in Malabo while preparing to board their flight to South Africa the following day. 

“They are employed on an oil rig off the coast of Equatorial Guinea and were coming off shift to rest and spend time with their families in South Africa.

“They made their first court appearance only on 26 June 2023, to receive the formal charges against them. They appeared in court again on 30 June 2023, for sentencing. The judgement was passed by a bench of five judges who found them guilty of ‘trafficking and illicit possession of drugs (cocaine)’,” the statement read. 

Dangor, according to the department, expressed his dismay that the South African Embassy continues to be denied access to the detainees in violation of international law. 

“The government of Equatorial Guinea has failed in its obligation to formally notify DIRCO and grant consular access by the Embassy officials to the two South African nationals. 

“He emphasised that such access is expressly required by Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, 1963, to which both states are parties despite numerous official requests in this regard.”

The DG emphasised that the Equatorial Guinea government remains responsible for the welfare and safety of the South African citizens being held in their custody. 

“He expressed his willingness to have more direct and constructive cooperation with the relevant authorities regarding this matter.”

Meanwhile, DIRCO said it was ready and willing to advance bilateral relations with Equatorial Guinea. 

“However, the continued denial of access to the two South African nationals in distress compromises the long-standing good bilateral relations between the two countries.”

The DG has also expressed support to the families and friends of the detainees. – SAnews.gov.za
 

Following the recent severe floods, the Western Cape Department of Agriculture (WCDoA) on Thursday released an updated assessment of the estimated financial cost of the damage.

A rapid assessment conducted during the period 26 to 30 June 2023 confirmed extensive damage to riverbanks, irrigation equipment, private roads and sediment over vineyards and fruit orchards.

According to WCDoA, the assessment considered damage to primary agriculture sites on the West Coast, Cape Winelands and the Overberg. 

The heavy rains last month caused huge damage to roads and infrastructure in the province, also claiming two lives. 

The provincial department said the damage is estimated to be R7.7 million for irrigation, R1.4 million for fencing, R1.4 million, R278 million for crop losses and R18.7 million for seasonal workers’ loss of income. 

Meanwhile, the WCDoA said it will cost a tune of R748 million to rehabilitate rivers, riparian zones, vineyards and orchards due to large volumes of sediment removed upstream and deposited downstream in rivers, riverbanks, vineyards and orchards. 

In addition, the department is expected to spend about R120 000 for the cost of clearing a weir to provide drinking water to 400 people. 

The department said the estimates do not consider potential losses experienced along the agriculture value chain nor provide insight into the impact on future exports.

“Armed with a more credible, albeit conservative estimate, officials will, together with the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, approach the National Disaster Management Centre with the aim of having the flood-damaged areas declared a disaster and unlocking the relevant funding and support that could be provided.”

In the interim, the WCDoA will ensure that affected producers can access the best technical information through its extension and advisory services.

In addition, the department will also extend its current river protection works programme to flood-affected river systems as this will mitigate the impact of future flooding. 

“The WCDoA will also reprioritise existing allocations, as well as approach its national sector department and the National Disaster Management Centre, via the Provincial Disaster Management Centre, to cover the costs of river protection works.” – SAnews.gov.za
 

In celebration of Nelson Mandela International Day, the Department of Water and Sanitation will on Tuesday formally adopt the Inzuzwenhle Full-Service School in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, for a period of two years.

Inzuzwenhle Full-Service School was the winner of the 2022 Baswa Le Meetse (Youth in Water) National Adjudication award in the poetry category. 

The department said the school has mastered the four focus pillars, which determine it as a water-wise school. 

The focus pillars are water wastage, greening of schools, management of toilet facilities, and health and hygiene good practices.

“During the school’s triumphant efforts in the 2022 Baswa Le Meetse National Adjudication in the Poetry category, the school was represented by three learners and guided by two water-wise educators from the school. 

“Officials from the Department of Water and Sanitation visited the school to assess their attitude towards water and they found a school with learners that are water-wise in nature and the kind of support they received from their educators,” the department said.

The department said the school with an enrolment of 1 402 learners and 65 educators, was mobilised into the Water and Sanitation Education Programme by one of the outstanding officials of the department in the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Office. 

The Water and Sanitation Education Programme is school-based, which aims to create awareness on water conservation and integrated water resources management. 

“One of the key components of the programme is an Intervention Project, which targets all the previous winning schools in its various competitions to strike a balance between theory and practice, hence the adoption of Inzuzwenhle Full-Service School by the department,” the department explained.

The department added that the Department of Basic Education, as the custodian of schools, is one of the potential key stakeholders for the implementation of the programme.

The adoption of the school on Tuesday will be preceded by a series of activities in and around the school.

The activities will include:
•    The cleaning of a river around the school to make people aware about the effects of littering on water quality;
•    Educate the community about the importance of water and how to stop water leaks;
•    Greening of schools and how it contributes to clean air; and 
•    Teaching learners about the importance of toilets and how to take care of them. 

Celebrated annually in July, the Nelson Mandela International Day has enjoyed 13 years of global support and solidarity since it was launched in 2009. – SAnews.gov.za
 

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala has outlined timelines and a project execution plan to ensure that projects are finished on time and within the scope and costs.

Zikalala, who has prioritised a coordinated response to addressing the problem of blocked and stalled projects -- informed by the District Development Model (DDM) -- held a meeting with the Limpopo Transport and Community Safety MEC, Florence Radzilani, on Thursday, ahead of the Presidential Imbizo, which is taking place in Limpopo on Friday.

The meeting aimed to discuss the stalled projects in the province, and these include the Vuwani Police Station Project.

Zikalala announced that the department is in the process of appointing new contractors to work on the Vuwani Police Station Project.  

He said the department is currently reviewing all slow moving projects in Limpopo and has resolved that failure to improve will lead to harsher consequences.  

“This will apply to those overseeing the project execution from the government side and contractors assigned to projects. All contractors working on stalled government projects and still have active contracts have been directed to remedy the problem,” Zikalala said.

The Minister warned that delayed projects impact negatively on service delivery by government institutions, noting that when the construction of a police station is delayed, “the journey to a safer South Africa led by the South African Police Services is compromised.”

“A project stalled or delayed is service delivery denied. We have resolved that the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure must not be associated with poor performance or workmanship by contractors,” Zikalala said.

Zikalala and Radzilani have called for immediate consequence management on project managers who delay project implementation, and termination of poor performing contractors, who do not meet timelines to complete projects.

Radzilani welcomed the road map unveiled by the Minister to resolve stalled projects in Limpopo, saying this is the action needed by the community. 

The MEC also welcomed Zikalala’s intervention into Vuwani Police Station Project, noting “this will bring the much waited relief to communities like Vuwani, whose police station has been incomplete for several years.”

The Minister will also be undertaking various follow-up visits to the province to ensure oversight and timeous implementation of projects. – SAnews.gov.za

 

Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga says government welcomes the Constitutional Court judgement handed on the constitutionality challenge against the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Act mounted by OUTA. 

South Africa's apex court declared that the AARTO Act was valid and constitutional, dismissing civil action group OUTA’s legal challenge to the law. 

According to reports, this comes after OUTA brought an application before the Constitutional Court (CC) to confirm last year’s Pretoria High Court’s judgment that the legislation was unconstitutional and invalid, stating that government will battle to implement it due to the red tape and potential for corruption. 

The ruling paves the way to penalise drivers and operators of motor vehicles who are guilty of traffic or road infringements through a system of demerit points, which may result in the suspension or cancellation of driving licences.

Chikunga said the ruling affirms government’s long-held view that this a necessary law to advance the state’s efforts in arresting the carnage on the roads.

“This judgement provides clarity on Schedule 4 matters of concurrent function between the national and provincial sphere as well as Schedule 5 which is exclusive provincial competence.  

“Our assertion that AARTO is part of Road Regulation and thus concurrent competence has been confirmed by the highest court in the land,” she explained. 

The AARO Act, according to the Minister, is an important mechanism in the country’s road traffic law enforcement interventions aimed at arresting road deaths and altering driver behaviour.  

“This will reinforce other interventions such as classifying traffic policing as a 24-hour, seven-day job alongside the regulation of driving schools and introduction of an NQF level 6 training for traffic law enforcement officers.”

The implementation of this law which has been pending for 25 years has been piloted in Johannesburg and Tshwane, the Minister said. 

“With this judgement having cleared the path for the implementation of AARTO, we will move with speed to roll out its implementation across the country without delay.”

In the coming days, the Minister said her Ministry will ensure that the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) mobilises the necessary capacity and proceeds with its rollout plans across all municipalities in the country.  

“We are also ready to finalise our recommendations to the President for the appointment of the Tribunal and the proclamation of the AARTO Act implementation as well as the AARTO Amendment Act,” she said. 

Meanwhile, government said it will now move speedily to implement a points demerit system, an important cornerstone of the AARTO Act intended to drive motorist behaviour on our roads.

“We are pleased that this judgement not only removes the uncertainty that was created by this legal challenge but enables us to focus on ensuring that our roads are safe for all road users with penalties that will make a telling difference.” – SAnews.gov.za
 

eThekwini Municipality Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda says a permanent solution to fix a water pump station, which was destroyed by a fire in Ntuzuma, north of Durban, is on the cards.

The Ntuzuma Reservoir 2 Pump station was destroyed by a fire two months ago and resulted in additional strain on the already challenged infrastructure.

Kaunda, joined by City’s Water and Sanitation senior management, and ward councillors from Ntuzuma, Inanda, and KwaMashu (INK) areas, attended a meeting to track the progress made by eThekwini Water and Sanitation Unit in implementing the decisions taken at an initial meeting two months ago.

During a follow-up meeting, Kaunda reported that temporary work has started to reinstate the duty pumps to the various areas.

“Parallel to this temporary work, the pump station will undergo a functional upgrade which will improve its reliability and ensure a stable supply of water,” Kaunda said.

While technicians are busy upgrading infrastructure at the pump station, Kaunda said plumbers will be deployed to every ward, to ensure that there are no technical challenges. 

“They will be dealing with water leaks and internal maintenance to improve water supply and prevent water loss,” he said.

Earl Haig road repairs underway

Meanwhile, the municipality reported that the repairs to Earl Haig Road in Morningside, Durban, are currently underway with the work expected to be completed by the end of the month.

Earl Haig Road, which serves as a link between Peter Mokaba Road and Valley View Road, was damaged in May, after a water pipe burst beneath the road due to heavy rains.

Western Region Senior Technologist Nhlanhla Ndaba said the reinstatement of Earl Haig Road involves the earthworks for the collapsed section, layer works, stabilisation of the base course, and milling of the existing asphalt surface layer. 

“After completion of the stabilised base, the road will be surfaced with asphalt as a final layer. The total surfaced length will be 250 metres and the width will be kept at an existing 5.5 metres. This will assist in free traffic flow.

“Minor challenges on the project have been encountered including the temporary water main pipeline that will affect progress as the Water Department has to relay the permanent pipeline before the final surface layer. Business forums and other affected stakeholders were addressed before the start of the project,” Ndaba explained. 

Regarding progress of repairs, Ndaba said the earthwork on the collapsed section has been completed with the stabilisation of the base course.

“The milling process has been completed as well. The road has been opened for traffic with precautionary signs where there is still outstanding works for the water department to finalise.”

The contractor in charge of this project is Raubex KZN under the supervision of the West Regional Office. – SAnews.gov.za