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The Benefits of Generators as an Alternative Power Source Loadshedding continues to beleaguer homes and businesses across South Africa, with the Energy Council of South Africa recently forecasting its continuation throughout 2023 with only a potential resolution by 2024. As South Africans grapple with the uncertainty of power cuts, the need for reliable backup power …
Jabaar Mohamed shines at SAFTAs
‘Accessibility With Jabaar’ TV talk show host, Jabaar Mohamed, could hardly believe it when he received news of his SAFTA nomination.
“When I got the email that I had been nominated, I was like, ‘for real? Me Jabaar, a Deaf person in the SAFTAs? Many in our society still see and treat our deafness and disability as a limit,” Mohamed told SAnews a day after being honoured with the Outstanding Person With Disability Contributor Award at the 2023 edition of the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) held in Midrand, Gauteng.
The SAFTAs honour and celebrate excellence, quality and innovation in South African cinema and television.
Mohamed, the Provincial Director of DeafSA Western Cape, was nominated for the award by Cape Town TV, the station that airs ‘Accessibility With Jabaar’ (previously called the ‘Disability Show’. He has been with the channel since 2018. During COVID-19, in July 2020, the show’s name was changed to ‘Accessibility With Jabaar’.
Mohamed said in all his time doing the show, he never thought he would one day be at the SAFTAs. He ventured into the TV show because he felt marginalised because of his disability.
“Imagine feeling marginalised because of a disability that you are living with. As unfair as this sounds, it is the reality for many South Africans trying to access opportunities in an environment that doesn’t cater for their special needs.
“People with disabilities constantly have to prove their capabilities to an often prejudiced and ignorant world, leaving many of them feeling that they can’t reach their full potential.
“‘Accessibility With Jabaar’ is a talk show that confronts misconceptions about ‘disabilities and the disadvantaged’ community through informative and engaging conversations so that the broader public can see the benefits of having an inclusive society,” Mohamed said.
‘Accessibility With Jabaar’ plays a role in changing the narrative of people with disabilities by highlighting powerful universal stories that make for uplifting content.
“The show plays the role of informing members of the community about opportunities and tips on not only coping with a disability but flourishing with it.
“Guests come into the studio to discuss issues pertaining to disabilities, which also features documentary inserts, where the show gets out into the field to interact with the disability community and uncover the issues that they confront in their daily lives,” Mohamed said.
Opening up views
Mohamed said ‘Accessibility With Jabaar’ is about being open minded, and educating audiences to avoid the word "shame".
“I have been doing this from 2018 and will continue for life, where my aim is to break the barriers and open more doors... as well to train other people to be producer or TV presenter one day,” he said.
Currently, Mohamed is working as a member of the Deaf Education Task Team for the Western Cape Education Department with the DeafSA expert team, and on a committee for the Provincial Department of Health.
He is also an ambassador for the Universal Accessibility Hub. He serves on many events as Motivational Speaker, Master of Ceremonies (MC) and Guest Speaker.
Mohamed completed his BCom Public Management degree, without the South African Sign Language Interpreter (SASLI), at University of the Western Cape. – SAnews.gov.za
Edwin
Sun, 10/01/2023 - 12:10
Electricity generation improving with return of Kusile units
Due to the return to service of Kusile Unit 3, the sustained improved generation performance and the lower than anticipated demand for electricity, load shedding will be suspended until 16:00 on Monday, when Stage 2 load shedding will be implemented.
Power parastatal, Eskom, on Sunday, said should any significant changes occur, it will communicate.
Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said at a briefing on Sunday that significant progress has been made with regard to electricity generation. Kusile Unit 3 returned to service ahead of schedule, with Ramokgopa saying South Africa was "starting to turn the corner" in terms of electricity provision.
The three units at the Kusile plant were discontinued in October 2022 for maintenance purposes. This strained the national grid and affected Eskom's generating capacity.
Speaking at his weekly media briefing in Pretoria on Sunday, Ramokgopa said they had to discontinue the units to address safety concerns.
“It’s been almost a year that these units have not been operating. Essentially, the South African economy and the grid were losing about 2 400 megawatts of generating capacity… and that contributed to a significant amount of strain that has been experienced on the grid,” Ramokgopa said.
Ramokgopa said Kusile Unit 3 now currently generates 550MW, and that it will take a considerable amount of time to restore normality, with the other units expected to return on-stream in due course.
“I am really excited to say that we will be returning the other units, with 2 400 megawatts,” Ramokgopa said.
This is eventually expected to be bumped up to 3 200MW when Unit 5 is brought back on-stream.
Ramokgopa said he is confident about the work that is currently being done.
Government continues to implement the country’s Energy Action Plan in earnest, with the long-term goal of securing continuous, credible energy supply.
To respond to the severe impact of load shedding on households, small businesses and the economy as a whole, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a range of measures in July 2022 to improve the performance of existing power stations, and add new generation capacity as quickly as possible. – SAnews.gov.za
Edwin
Sun, 10/01/2023 - 15:40
On Sunday, 01 October 2023 the streets of the Mother City were immersed in a sea of pink as runners and walkers from all walks of life toed the line at the much-anticipated Totalsports Women’s Race in support of PinkDrive and Breast Cancer Awareness Month. What made the day even more special this year was …
Ga-Mothibi clinic brings services to N West community
The opening of the community health centre in Ba-Ga Mothibi, North West, is a reaffirmation of the right to human dignity and basic services, says Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
Mashatile on Friday officiated the opening of the Ba-Ga Mothibi Community Health Centre.
“The Ba-Ga Mothibi Community Health Centre stands amongst the best in our country, and I would even dare to say, on the African continent.
“I am honoured to be part of today’s important gathering in celebrating another milestone in the improvement of service delivery to our people through the official opening of this centre,” said Mashatile.
The launch of the clinic is in line with the Thutsa Lerole Accelerated Service Delivery Programme in Sekhing Village, in the greater Taung Local Municipality in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District.
Mashatile commended the North West provincial government for their commitment to focus on job creation and accelerated service delivery, under the umbrella of the Thuntsa Lerole Intervention.
He explained that the Thuntsa Lerole Intervention is aligned with the District Development Model (DDM), which is designed to address problems with service delivery by allowing all spheres of government, from local municipalities to national government, to work together in a more effective and coordinated way.
“The DDM enables all spheres of government to better plan, budget and implement projects and programmes. Communities will undoubtedly benefit from more integrated service delivery as a result of this commitment and collaborations directed by the DDM.
“The backlog in housing delivery remains a challenging issue for the government. Education has always been our top priority for the government. We pledged to improve the quality of education, and achieve universal access and equal opportunities for all,” Mashatile said.
Mashatile said healthcare has been a critical focus for government.
“The promise to provide accessible and quality healthcare to all South Africans led to the implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme.
“The aim was to ensure that everyone, regardless of their financial circumstances, would have access to quality healthcare services.
“However, the introduction of the NHI [National Health Insurance] has been slow, and the healthcare system still grapples with issues such as overburdened public hospitals, a shortage of medical staff, and unequal access to quality care,” the Deputy President said.
Mashatile said accelerated service delivery, like the Thuntsha Lerole Programme, is not a luxury but a necessity.
“It is a human right, as enshrined in our Constitution. It is the key to unlocking the full potential of our communities and ensuring a brighter future for generations to come. – SAnews.gov.za
Edwin
Sun, 10/01/2023 - 13:22
The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor, has arrived in Kigali, Rwanda to attend a three-day Meeting of the African Union's Executive Council, from 1 October to 3 October 2023.
The Ministers responsible for Finance and Planning of the African Union member states will also attend the meeting.
Among key issues the meeting will deliberate upon is the evaluation of the First Ten-Year Implementation Plan (FTYIP) of Agenda 2063 and the development of the Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan.
The Retreat will comprise five (5) panel discussions which will discuss five (5) thematic areas, chaired by the representatives of the five (5) regions of the African Union.
The thematic areas are as follows:
Minister Pandor as the representative of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will moderate the panel 2 discussion, dealing with the financing of Agenda 2063 and its Flagship Projects.
The outcomes of the Retreat will feed into the wider AU process currently underway of presenting a draft Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want (2024-2034), which will be tabled for the consideration and endorsement by the African Heads of State and Government at the AU Summit in February 2024.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
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“This is just a classic case of laziness from the police. There is always a solution.”
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
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
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
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
BRICS offers SA prospects to deepen relations
The expansion of the BRICS not only gives weight to the bloc but also grants South Africa the opportunity to deepen ties with the countries that are expected to join the formation next year.
South Africa hosted the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg last month where President Cyril Ramaphosa as chair of the bloc announced that Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates will join the BRICS.
“It gives the bloc more weight politically [and] economically in an international space. Domestically, we can gain from ensuring that there’s deepened trade ties with these countries which would expand economic opportunities within South Africa itself and the other emerging markets you find in the BRICS bloc.
“It increases your momentum within the global stage itself,” assistant lecturer at the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Johannesburg, Ndzalama Mathebula told SAnews.
The six developing countries are set to become full members of the BRICS [Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa] bloc from January 2024.
Senior research associate at the think tank, Institute for Global Dialogue, Sanusha Naidu said there could be other developments leading up to the new year.
“…when we come to January 2024, what will be some of the issues? Will countries automatically accept the invitation to become members of the expanded BRICS or what will be some of the strategic orientation that will influence and the factors that will shape this?,” remarks Naidu.
Naidu adds that this poses “some serious questions, introspection and reflection around South Africa’s BRICS strategy going forward.”
She adds that South Africa now needs to be much more coherent about its strategy.
In his address to Members of Parliament earlier this month, President Ramaphosa said South Africa’s trade with the bloc has increased by an average of 10% every year over the period 2017 to 2021. According to the President, the country’s total trade with other BRICS nations stood at R830 billion in 2022 from R487 billion in 2017.
During the Questions for Oral Reply session held at the National Assembly, the President explained that BRICS is an important source of foreign direct investment in key areas such as mining, automotive, transportation, clean energy, financial services and information technology (IT).
New chapter
In his address to the nation post the summit, the President described the summit—which was attended by the five BRICS member countries and representatives of 61 other countries-- as a success that “heralded a new chapter” for the group.
Naidu said the expansion of the BRICS is very much part of the interest in Washington right now.
“I don’t think it’s because [and] I say this with the most respect for the South African government and for South Africa. I don’t think it is because of South Africa that there’s interest in the BRICS. The interest in the BRICS right now is because the BRICS is expanding but it is not because of South Africa.”
The country on the southernmost tip of the African continent, was invited to join the bloc in 2010 and in 2011, South Africa attended its first summit of the group of leading emerging markets and developing countries.
Having been part of the bloc for over a decade, it was interesting to see other countries invited to join the bloc on African soil.
She notes that the first expansion of the BRICS that happened was with South Africa being invited to join the formation but that “didn’t get the attention” because the world at that time was not as “volatile, unpredictable and inflamed as it is now.”
The summit called for a comprehensive reform of the United Nations (UN) including the Security Council. Speaking at the summit, Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres said the Security Council and the Bretton Woods system are two areas which require a ”particularly important reform effort.”
He said if reform fails, “we risk fragmentation, and fragmentation can be one day a factor of confrontation.”
Naidu agrees with the Secretary-General’s comments.
“If reform is not happening; it is fragmenting and you can see that happening in a very real way. I think the expansion of the BRICS actually brings about a regionalisation of the geopolitics of the international system and you see that with the countries that are being invited to expand [the group].
Naidu said that this time around, the reform of the UN Security Council was not just a broad statement.
“My view was that for the first time in a long time, I think since the BRICS inception [that] the issue of the UN Security Council reform wasn’t just a broad statement. It kind of referred to the developing world and especially India, Brazil and South Africa.
“I feel that was a bit of a broad win in a way that [gets] Russia and China to kind of not to explicitly endorse, but to implicitly support the membership of India, Brazil and South Africa into the Security Council … where I didn’t previously see them doing that.”
Mathebula said that 15-years ago when the BRICS was formed, it was not thought that the group would one day challenge the United States.
“We never thought that it would challenge US hegemony but what we are seeing right now, is that we have this challenge of the US hegemony using emerging economies like South Africa [with] these countries being central to the global stage and determining policies instead of inheriting it.
“So considering that Russia and China are permeant members of the UN, it is an important indication of the changing global order,” Mathebula said.
Meanwhile, Naidu said South Africa must align its foreign policy to the new chapter.
“Yes the President was right that it brings a new chapter, but is South Africa understanding what that new chapter is? Is it aligning its foreign policy to the new chapter? You’ve got to think about the alignment of your strategic interests in where you want to position yourself in global affairs.”
The African voice
While the African voice was heard at the gathering, Mathebula said the question was whether or not “Africa will take what it needs.”
“Will Africa use the bloc in the right way to ensure that there’s development within their domestic markets?” she asked.
This year’s summit was held under the theme: ‘BRICS and Africa: Partnership for mutually accelerated growth, sustainable development and inclusive multilateralism’.
Both analysts were of the view that South Africa did a good job in hosting the summit.
“Overall I think it was from a technical, transactional perspective, yes [South Africa] hosted the summit well. It showed that South Africa can host summits and has done so in the past and I think it will be difficult to nit-pick. The summit in itself did give some kind of transactional value to South Africa,” said Naidu.
Asked about what the country could have done better in hosting the summit, Mathebula said while a lot of people had something to say about the summit, there was also plenty of misinformation going around on platforms like TikTok.
“Not many people understood what it was about, the youth don’t know. [I] don’t know if its ignorance… the ignorance that you find in African states are [sic] actually the engineers of underdevelopment … I urge everyone to read on what [the] BRICS is,” said Mathebula. –SAnews.gov.za
Neo
Fri, 09/29/2023 - 14:31
Partnership between Biovac and EUBiologics welcomed
Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel has welcomed the recently announced partnership between Biovac, a leading South African biopharmaceutical manufacturer and EuBiologics, a global biopharmaceutical company based in South Korea.
The collaboration involves technology transfer of a Meningococcal Meningitis pentavalent conjugate vaccine, a significant stride towards enhancing health equity outcomes globally and bolstering vaccine manufacturing sustainability in Africa.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Biovac and EuBiologics was officially signed in Cape Town, alongside the 24th Annual General Meeting of the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturing Network (DCVMN).
The event, co-hosted by Biovac, gathered global partners, stakeholders and vaccine manufacturers from around the world, emphasizing the global commitment to health equity and vaccine accessibility.
The partnership is a positive development for Biovac, enabling the local production and distribution of a crucial vaccine across Africa, where the demand is most acute.
Meningococcal meningitis, a potentially fatal bacterial infection, poses significant health risks worldwide, with the highest unmet medical need located in the meningitis belt of sub-Saharan Africa.
The vaccine resulting from this collaboration will offer protection against various strains of the disease, including the emerging serotype X.
“We are pleased that Biovac was able to enter into an arrangement with a South Korean-based company for a vaccine that would be suited not only for South Africa but for our continent, particularly at a time when Africa is on a journey to vaccine manufacturing self-sufficiency,” said Minister Patel, expressing his optimism and support for the partnership.
He further emphasised the potential global and local impact of this collaboration, expressing hope for enhanced global public health.
“This is the beginning of the collaboration between the two companies, but I am hopeful that this will lead to an improvement in global public health, capacity building of an African manufacturer, and most importantly the impact on lives in Africa, where the disease burden is highest,” said Patel.
The dtic remains committed to supporting such impactful collaborations, fostering a climate of innovation, health equity and economic growth within South Africa and across the continent. – SAnews.gov.za
Edwin
Fri, 09/29/2023 - 12:13
By Dr Nivisha Parag (Head of Healthcare Management Studies at Regent Business School) In an era of constant transformation within the healthcare sector, it is crucial to pause and reflect on the profound changes shaping the future of healthcare in South Africa. Recently, Dr Nivisha Parag from Regent Business School had the privilege of hosting …
The 9th African Women Writers’ Symposium takes place from 8 to 20 of October 2023, featuring keynote addresses, panels, workshops and more on all things literature. The Symposium will kick off on Sunday 8 October at the Soweto Theatre and will result in the launch of the first ever African Women Writers Literary Award. The …
It’s official! The Investec South African Open Championship is returning to Blair Atholl Golf & Equestrian Estate in Lanseria, Johannesburg, with the 113th edition to be played from 30 November to 3 December 2023. The DP World Tour will present this co-sanctioned event with the Sunshine Tour and the tournament is always a highlight on …
South African retail group, Retailability has described the reconstruction of its 13 000m² apparel distribution centre at the Cornubia Ridge Logistics Park north of Durban as a “massive collaboration” and a “good news story” for the regional economy. The retail brand which includes Edgars, Legit, Swagga Style and Keedo was just one of the hundreds …
All six squads confirmed as 20-year-old Matthew Boast fetches joint-highest price of R1.6million in auction Thursday, 28 September 2023: Betway SA20...
President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared that the late former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad will be honoured with a Special Official Funeral Category 2 tomorrow, Saturday 30 September 2023.
Mr Pahad passed away on Wednesday, 27 September 2023, at the age of 82.
President Ramaphosa has extended his deepest condolences to the extended Pahad family who have in short succession lost Mr Aziz Pahad and his brother, former Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad, who passed away in July 2023.
The South African Police Service will provide ceremonial elements during the funeral service for the former Deputy Minister, which will commence at West Park Cemetery in Johannesburg at 10h00 tomorrow.
President Ramaphosa has directed that flags be flown at half-mast around the country until tomorrow evening.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency: Republic of South Africa.
South Africa, 28 September 2023 – Southern Sun once again proudly hosted the 27th edition of the prestigious Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards at a glittering event at the Cape Sun. The Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards, Africa’s most celebrated wine and spirits competition, renowned for assembling an outstanding panel comprising 18 international …