Cape Town

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Despite the Western Cape Government subsidising holiday security at 436 schools over the June/July holidays, our schools have unfortunately once again been targeted by criminals during this period.

Incidents of burglary and vandalism were reported by 38 schools during the holidays, mainly concentrated in the metro education districts. Thankfully only one of the incidents was considered major.

Items stolen or damaged ranged from water piping to windows, cables to computers, fencing to fire safety equipment, stationery to security gates, and numerous other items. The cost of replacing and repairing these is still being calculated, and will divert funding away from the essential task of educating our learners.

While the number of schools reporting incidents is a decrease from the 42 schools affected in the same holiday period in 2022, the number of incidents remains unacceptably high, and negatively affects our children's education.

Recently, the theft of water pipes at Crystal High School resulted in a large portion of the school being flooded, forcing the school to close temporarily.  An entire group of learners had their teaching and learning time disrupted, despite us being able to accommodate them at another school while the water was drained.

At a time when we are providing extra classes to get our children #BackOnTrack, we simply cannot afford to have normal teaching and learning time disrupted by criminals targeting school property.

Someone, somewhere, knows who the perpetrators of these crimes are.

Someone, somewhere, will be offered the goods stolen from our schools.

We appeal to the public to report any details about these crimes, not matter how small, to the South African Police Services (SAPS) immediately, so we can shut down the criminal economy that is preying on our schools.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Western Cape Education ​Department, South Africa.

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The Western Cape Cabinet today agreed to proceed with applying to the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) to have a provincial disaster declared due to damages suffered from the severe weather which affected the province from 14 to 19 June 2023.

Cabinet was presented with a consolidated damage report compiled by the Department of Local Government, Anton Bredell, Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning said today.

After taking into account insured damages, damages not associated with the flooding, and the ability to reprioritise funding within existing budgets, unfunded damages have been calculated to be R703.3million, according to the cabinet report.  

“The declaration of a provincial disaster by the NDMC will allow us to approach the National Government for funding support, as the scope of damages are beyond the ability of the provincial fiscus, “Minister Bredell said.

 Unfunded agricultural damage of R500million is the largest amount, and of great concern to the province. The Department of Agriculture has reprioritised R18.6million to assist the sector. Commenting on the WC Cabinet's decision to request the NDMC to declare a Provincial Disaster Western Cape Minister of Agriculture, Dr Ivan Meyer said: “During my oversight visits to parts of the West Coast, Cape Winelands, Overberg, I gained first-hand knowledge of the devasting impact the floods had on our rural communities.  The damage to agriculture irrigation, fencing, orchards, vineyards, crops as well as the damage caused by the removal of sediment upstream and which was later deposited downstream in the rivers and riparian zone was extensive.  The decision to approach the national government is therefore welcomed.”

Unfunded damages to provincial infrastructure have been calculated to be R18.8million.  The Department of Infrastructure has reprioritised R4.6million from its appropriated budget for the 2023/24 financial year to address immediate repairs to critical infrastructure.  Minister Tertius Simmers emphasized the importance of requesting the classification of a provincial state of disaster.  “The aftermath of the devastation of the floods still lingers and is there for all to see. Although we were able to reconnect our towns and reopen parts of our roads within days of the floods, the declaration of a state of disaster will assist in accelerating the economic recovery. The restoration of infrastructure will enable a seamless movement of goods and services to market as well as enable the commute of residents.  As a province that exports more than 50% of the country's agriculture products, we must ensure that our infrastructure enables the sector to operate optimally. This will further ensure that the stature of the infrastructure is preserved and help mitigate future erosion.”

Unfunded damages to municipal infrastructure, after reprioritised budgets were taken into consideration was calculated to be R21.5million. This includes damages of R4.4million in Overstrand, R1.4million in Theewaterskloof, R350 000 in Swartland, R8million in Cederberg, R435 000 in Drakenstein, R5.6million in Stellenbosch and R1.4million in the City of Cape Town.

Minister Bredell said although the province should be grateful that our dams are full due to the heavy and widespread rain this winter, the flood damages should also be seen in the context of climate change and the understanding that future flooding and droughts will be of a more intense nature. “When we rebuild from this disaster, we need to ensure our planning and design is with our eyes on the future. Well maintained ecosystems, such as catchments and river courses that are clear of alien vegetation allows for better water retention, less erosion, and free flowing rivers that prevents expensive damage to infrastructure or possible loss of life.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Western Cape Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, South Africa.

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Parliament has taken note of media reports alleging that the delay in the timeframes for rubble removal in the fire-gutted buildings will impact the completion deadline of the rebuilding project, set for November 2025. These allegations are entirely unfounded. Parliament emphatically stresses that there are no significant risks of delays in delivering these essential upgrades within the specified timeframes. We are resolute in our commitment to completing the projects as scheduled and providing an improved working environment for Members of Parliament and staff.

While a month's delay in the rubble removal process is not uncommon for projects of this nature, it will not have a material effect on the original set timeframes. Infrastructure development projects often involve unforeseen challenges, necessitating a process of discovery and detailed investigations as project stages unfold. Such factors may potentially impact time, cost, or the final scope of work.

The delay in the rubble removal was caused by serious structural and biological risks, including low oxygen levels and suspicion of the presence of bio-fumes, as well as unexpected stormwater ingress. Ensuring the health and safety of everyone involved in the project is paramount, and these necessary interventions were implemented to address identified risks and prevent potential injuries or fatalities. The responsible project team could not, in good conscience and professional ethics, overlook such significant risks to human life in the pursuit of avoiding media criticism.

However, we assure the public that these regulatory and precautionary measures will not significantly impact our objective of repairing and upgrading the Old Assembly and the New Wing, aligning with stakeholder expectations.

Substantial progress has already been made on the project, including demarcating safe access routes by engineers and safety specialists, asset verification, and the appointment of a contractor for assets, debris, and rubble removal. Additionally, a temporary roof has been constructed over the Old Assembly Building to replace the one destroyed by the fire.

The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), as the project implementation agent, has successfully appointed professional teams for the work in both the Old & New Assembly buildings. These teams will collaborate on a cloud-based platform, enabling efficient production of concept designs and final drawings for contractors, thereby shortening construction timeframes. They will also oversee extensive structural rebuilding and analysis, as well as decision-making on reconstruction methodologies. Stakeholder consultations and inter-agency collaboration, including external and independent reviews, will ensure the prudent allocation of funds and optimal outcomes for Parliament as an institution.

It is important to note that the rubble removal contract has been strategically planned to run concurrently with the technical design stages. This approach ensures that the restoration and reconstruction projects can progress efficiently without delays.

In addition to the work on the Old Assembly and New Wing buildings, we have prioritized addressing the immediate workspace needs of our Members of Parliament and staff at the 90 Plein Street building during the rebuilding process. The project, which began on July 17, 2023, is currently approximately 40% complete. Our aim is to ensure that the work of parliamentarians is not adversely affected during this rebuilding phase. The significant progress achieved demonstrates our commitment to expediting our infrastructure delivery program.

To mitigate potential risks, we have implemented stringent monitoring and accountability measures. Transparency and open communication remain integral to our approach. In this regard, we have regularly provided updates to all stakeholders, including political parties in parliament, to keep everyone informed and engaged throughout the process.

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

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“The spread of HIV in the Western Cape ends with me”. With this simple message, the Western Cape today (1 August 2023) officially launched our multi-sectoral undetectable equals untransmittable (U=U) campaign to promote the benefits of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for people living with HIV (PLHIV). The province also welcomed back HIV patients who were diagnosed but did not start treatment as well as patients who started treatment but stopped for various reasons.

ART is not only beneficial to the individual but also their partners, children, community, and the health system at large. ART does not cure HIV infection or remove the virus from your body, but, when taken as prescribed, you can suppress the virus to such an extent that HIV will not be found or detected in your blood. And when it is undetectable, it is also untransmittable, which means you cannot pass it on to your sexual partner.

In the Western Cape, 92% of people living with HIV know their status, but only 59% of them are on ART, and only 21% have had their viral loads (VL) checked in recent months, and 92% of those whose VLs were checked were virologically suppressed. It remains a concern that a relatively high number (273 949) of residents living with HIV in the province are currently not on ART.

Speaking at the launch, Premier Alan Winde said, "the U=U Campaign offers us an opportunity to give the prevention and treatment of HIV the urgent priority needed to make significant inroads in fighting this disease. Our aim is to gives residents living with HIV dignity and hope. This initiative will be driven with the same determination and urgency we used in delivering a world class Covid-19 response. Through this initiative, those in our province living with HIV are given the hope that this disease does not have to determine the course of their entire lives but rather they can grab any opportunity with the comfort of knowing that they are healthy.”

According to Western Cape Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Nomafrench Mbombo, the launch of the U=U campaign comes at a crucial time in our province. “Following the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our residents were not able to continue their treatment which placed their health at risk. Despite this, our resources and services can now be reprioritised towards addressing a virus that is now endemic in our communities. It is crucial that we all work together ensure that we maximise access to ARVs and address the stigmas associated with HIV, as any person one knows could be HIV positive. It is up to us to end the spread of HIV in our communities through proper collaboration with all stakeholders.”

“U equals U is not just an ordinary campaign for persons living with HIV. This campaign is also an educational effort aimed at informing communities, inclusive of persons living with HIV, of the benefits of antiretroviral treatment. A person who is infected with HIV and who has an undetectable viral load cannot transmit the virus to a HIV-negative person. This is an innovation in the use of treatment as prevention.  The U equals U campaign will promote greater adherence to antiretroviral treatment and result in fewer new HIV infections,” says Neliswa Nkwali, PLHIV Sector Lead.

“I started family medicine in 1993 caring for mostly gay men in Canada. In 1996, when I came to South Africa and life-saving highly active antiretroviral treatment (ART) became available in ‘first world' industrialised countries it was too expensive to roll out globally. After civil society advocacy and taking the South African government to the Constitutional Court, South Africa started providing life-saving ART to people living with HIV (PLHIV). Before the availability of ART, people died young. Now PLHIV can live a full and healthy life and, when they are virally suppressed, they will no longer transmit HIV to their sexual partners. This is the essence of ‘U=U'. From the moment that a person tests HIV-positive, they should start taking ART and know their viral load. When their viral load is undetectable (at four months), they will not transmit HIV (untransmittable) and remain healthy,” says Prof Harry Hausler, Chairperson of Western Cape Civil Society Forum.

Through this campaign, the province is committed to re-engaging people living with HIV who have been lost from care. With the support in place, we are positive that more people can begin ART, adhere to treatment, and ultimately achieve undetectable viral loads. The spread of HIV ends with me and you. Visit your clinic to find out more about starting or continuing your ART treatment. 

For more information about the U=U campaign, visit: https://www.westerncape.gov.za/UequalsU

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic Of South Africa: Western Cape Provincial Government.

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“Farmers and agri-workers do not deserve the vile sentiments expressed in the song "Kill the Farmer, Kill the Boer which was so enthusiastically and irresponsibly sung of over the weekend,” said Western Cape Minister of Agriculture, Dr Ivan Meyer.

“Our farmers work hard to produce food for our nation and ensure food security” added Minister Meyer.

Minister Meyer continued, “The contribution of the agricultural sector to the Western Cape economy is something that we are incredibly proud of and want to sustain and grow,” adding that the Western Cape agricultural industry increased by 32%, reaching R5.2 billion in 2021.

The Western Cape Government also at its core, believes in redress and the important role that government must play to champion and support aspiring farmers and agri-workers. As part of this redress initiative, the department completed an external land reform study to evaluate the performance of agricultural land reform projects that had been supported by the WCG during the period, 2014 - 2019. The study revealed a 72% success rate from 243 projects – the best result of any province.

Minister Meyer commented: “Through the support of the Western Cape Department of Agriculture,  Beverley Joseph, South Africa's first black female hops farmer and owner of the 50.8-hectare farm,  Zelpy, has developed into a successful commercial hops farmer.

“Klein Goederust Franschhoek Boutique Winery, owned by the child of an agri - worker, Paul Siguqa, serves as another example”, said Meyer. “Located in Franschhoek, Klein Goederust has been transformed from its dilapidated state to a promising boutique wine farm.”

“The Western Cape is also the only agriculture department in South Africa which has a dedicated programme established to enhance the socio-economic conditions of agri -workers and their family members.  We do so, through the facilitation of training and development initiatives, to improve their quality of life.

“We are also the only department in the country that hosts an annual agri-worker competition to acknowledge the contribution of our agri-workers to the economy of the Western Cape.”

In the context where we are working so hard to support and build agri-business in the Western Cape and South Africa, the kind of rhetoric displayed over the weekend, severely damages the work to strengthen our social fabric.

“Farm attacks are a reality in South Africa. The increase in farm murders and attacks is a serious concern. It is, for this reason, the Western Cape has worked hard to implement the Provincial Rural Safety Plan, which requires the government to form partnerships with the South African Police Service, Neighbourhood and Farm Watches, the private sector and any other structure that can contribute towards making our rural communities safer.”

Minister Meyer Meyer also highlights that guided by the Western Cape Government's focus areas of jobs, safety and dignity the Western Cape Department of Agriculture has done much to improve the lives of those working in the sector. “Our farmers, agri -workers and families deserve respect and dignity,” concluded Minister Meyer. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Western Cape Agriculture and Rural Development, South Africa.