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How integrating Learnerships into your WSP and ATR can elevate your competitive edge Strategic business planning in South Africa needs a forward-thinking approach so when it comes to cultivating a skilled workforce, there is one action that repeatedly delivers – the inclusion of learnerships into Workplace Skills Programmes (WSP) and Annual Training Reports (ATR). “Companies …
Call for balance in investments for road and rail infrastructure
With South Africa deepening its efforts towards shifting freight from road to rail, the Department of Transport (DOT) Freight Logistics Specialist, Mihlali Gqada, says there needs to be a balance in investments that are made in rail and road infrastructure.
Addressing the colloquium on the Freight Road to Rail Migration Plan (FRRMP), Gqada said the amount of rail infrastructure investment pales in comparison to road.
According to National Treasury and the Minister of Transport’s Budget Vote Speech (2023/24), the allocation for roads (transfers and subsidies) is R42.4 billion, and for 2024/25, the estimate is R42.4 billion. This figure excludes the equitable share grant that provinces and municipalities get for infrastructure development.
“Rail infrastructure investment is limited to the allocation for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) from the DOT (+/-R7 billion), whilst freight rail relies on Transnet investment and competes with Ports and Pipelines. It is therefore imperative that a balance in investment be fostered so that the shift can be realised.
“Historically, public sector investment has largely been skewed towards road infrastructure investments, and going forward, there is a need to leverage a wide range of public and private investment tools to finance the construction and operation of rail freight infrastructure.
“The national freight transportation system requires investment to maintain performance at high levels, upon which the country's economic growth depends,” Gqada said on Thursday in Pretoria.
She said private sector and private investments must find expression in the railway sector.
“These investments must be in the form of infrastructure and operations as Transnet would not be in a position to meet all the investment required to get the railways competitive and responsive to the country's growth needs and demand.
“Historically the public and private sectors have collaborated clearly, and both played divided roles in relation to freight transport whereby the public sector has built, owned, and operated transport infrastructure on behalf of government, predominantly railways and highways. Furthermore, the private sector has used that infrastructure to conduct freight operations.
“This division of roles provides opportunities for government to leverage private sector efficiencies and expertise in the construction and operation of freight infrastructure,” Gqada said.
She said South Africa holds immense potential to become the gateway to the African market, boasting a well-developed network of ports and a robust logistics infrastructure.
“The country's transportation system offers several advantages compared to other African nations. Despite its potential, South Africa's freight transport system faces significant challenges in meeting the growing demand for freight movement, especially on rail. These challenges stem from operational and infrastructure deficiencies in the road, rail and port sectors, which hinder the competitiveness of the South African economy,” Gqada said.
She said poor rail performance has rendered the country unable to fully participate in the recent commodity boom.
As the country tries to deal with the lack of investment in rail, Gqada said it must not stop investment in road infrastructure, as this is currently the backbone of South Africa's trade success.
“We, however, need to be cautious of the role that the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) is being given by several provinces to manage their road network as this may overburden SANRAL.
“This gradual migration of provincial networks onto the portfolio of SANRAL must be managed very well and must not undermine the effectiveness of SANRAL in infrastructure development and maintenance,” she said. –SAnews.gov.za
nosihle
Thu, 01/25/2024 - 13:30
Health dept receives multimillion-rand equipment from German Development Bank
Health Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla, has welcomed the multimillion-rand donation of mobile health clinics from the German Development Bank (KfW) in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal.
The Minister said the donation supports efforts by the South African government to strengthen the public health system.
“Today is one of the most exciting days for the National Department of Health and the provincial departments as we formally acknowledge the support we received from the German government, through the German Development Bank and the DG Murray Trust.
“The governments of Germany and South Africa have enjoyed a very fruitful relationship across several departments for a while now,” he said on Thursday.
Phaahla was speaking at the official hand over of the equipment at the Town Hill Hospital.
The Minister was joined by the German Ambassador to South Africa, Andreas Peschke, Deputy Health Minister Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Health, Nomagugu Simelane, leaders from local government and DG Murray Trust.
The donated assets, valued at R500 million, include specialised vaccine fridges, vaccine carriers, temperature monitoring devices, notebooks, tablets and mobile health clinics.
Phaahla said the 46 mobile clinics have contributed to changing people’s lives and that they have reached 1.9 million individuals with direct interpersonal interactions.
“I will work with the MECs to sustain and maintain these assets when the funding ends in September this year.”
Phaahla said the mobile units operate in four provinces including Gauteng, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, and are operated by professional nurses, communicators and local mobilisers supported by the #KeReady youthful doctors.
“These units are serving as the bedrock of our campaign to get closer to the youth community and highlight the challenges that face youth life,” said the Minister.
“We consider the Ambassador and his team as friends; friends who did not abandon us at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but stayed with us and provided support for specific vulnerable communities in the informal settlements.
“We thank you for the precise, strategic and tailored programmes you brought into our primary healthcare ecosystem,” he said.
He told the attendees that today’s gathering was not just a celebration but an occasion to showcase the countries’ bilateral relationship and to demonstrate that their relationship was beneficial to both nations.
“Our vision and objectives for the health sector have been expressed in many documents and on many other platforms.”
The Universal Health Access through the National Health Insurance (NHI), he said, was a vision South Africa strives towards, working with the private sector.
“We are committed to this vision and the outcomes we envisage despite the huge setback due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
He noted German’s specific targeted programmes, which are evidence-based and believes that will have an impact.
The focus includes children who are reached through the Early Childhood Development (ECD) programme, young people in hard-to-reach areas, community-led social mobilisation campaigns, strong monitoring and evaluation systems and cost-effective approaches.
“Ambassador, we recognise that you give our people a hand to uplift them out of poverty, instead of once-off hand-outs which are not sustainable," said Phaahla.
He acknowledged the German government for its support during the COVID-19 response.
Phaahla expressed his gratitude for German’s forward-thinking approach, which he described as “precise and impactful”.
“We will scale it up as we move forward and apply lessons learned to our programmes.” – SAnews.gov.za
Gabisile
Thu, 01/25/2024 - 14:13
Debt management specialist TDX Group, an Equifax company, has partnered with business outsourcing provider Sigma Connected, drawing on their respective debt insights and collection expertise for an all-in-one recovery solution package for clients. The strategic link-up will see Sigma Connected and TDX Group working closely on white label customer service support for organisations spanning the …
Western Cape welcomes R114million relief funding for September floods.
Anton Bredell, Western Cape MEC for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning today confirmed that National Treasury has approved an amount of R114million to be released from the Municipal Disaster Response Grant to the Western Cape for damages suffered during the floods of September 2023.
“We appreciate this allocation, and I want to thank all the role players who worked together to do damage assessments, drafted the disaster classification application, and worked together with our colleagues at the National Disaster Management Centre to satisfy all the regulatory requirements to qualify for this disaster relief. It is important and necessary funding to help us deal with the significant impact that the flood had on our province”.
MEC Bredell said that although the province applied for relief of more than R700million, we appreciate the R114million, and will now focus on spending the money wisely in the 5 municipalities identified for relief:
MEC Bredell said the intense flooding of 2023, and the current wildfire season which is stretching fire services across the province to the limit, is a wakeup call for all levels of government: “A new mindset is needed for infrastructure development and how we interact with nature. “We cannot repair roads and bridges to be washed away in the next flood. We must design and construct with the future in mind where we should anticipate more extreme weather events.”
The Department of Local Government, together with these municipalities are currently working on dedicated business plans for each of the identified repair projects.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Western Cape Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, South Africa.
Comments sought on Water Acts amendments
The Department of Water and Sanitation will next week kick-start a series of public consultations on the amendment of the National Water Act and Water Services Act across the country.
The two legislations were published in the Government Gazette on 17 November 2023 and members of the public were invited to submit written comments on the draft amendment bills within 60 days from the date of publication.
The department said the objective of the consultations is to garner comments from the public and stakeholders, which are necessary to bring about legislation that will benefit the current and future generation of the country by ensuring equitable water allocation for all, and optimise access and use of water and sanitation.
“The amendments of the two legislations will strengthen the role of the department as a regulator of the water and sanitation sector, thus, decisively address socio economic challenges facing the country.
“Furthermore, this will ensure that the country’s water resources are managed, protected, used, and conserved, while promoting equity and redressing past imbalances. The redress of past imbalances will ensure that all citizens of the country have access to water,” the department said.
The amendments of the National Water Act are mainly aimed at strengthening the protection and conservation of water resources, including strategic water source areas; ability of the department to consider and decide on water use applications timeously; and the ability of the department to improve equity in water use allocation.
They are also aimed at strengthening the ability of the department to phase out previous water entitlements in order to achieve the targets for water allocation reform and ensure the efficient use of water, and representivity and governance of water user associations.
In amending the Water Services Act, the department aims to enhance the following regulatory objectives:
• Expand on the objects of the Act the regulation for safely managed sanitation;
• Include enforcement and rectification as further object of the Act;
• Provide for the accountability of water services providers in respect of the management, reporting and financial transparency through requirement of operating licence;
• Provide for the issuance of operating licence, content of the licence and Regulations for licence procedure;
• Develop regulations relating to registration of persons who install and operate water service works;
• Provide for the quality of potable or drinking water;
• Provide for the establishment and governance structures of water boards, the appointment of the chief executive officer and employees of water boards;
• Provide for monitoring, enforcement and intervention on poor performance and non-performance of WSPs (Water Safety Plans); and
• Expand on penalties for non-compliance with the Act
The public consultations will start in Upington, Northern Cape on 30 January 2024, followed by the engagements in all other provinces.
For confirmation to attend the Northern Cape consultation can be sent to cloetes@dws.gov.za
The closing date for written submission is on 01 March 2024 and submissions should be sent to Mapula Khuduga at KhudugaM@dws.gov.za or telephone number 012 336 7835.
The Gazette is available on www.gpwonline.co.za. – SAnews.gov.za
GabiK
Thu, 01/25/2024 - 10:49
Verdant Capital (www.Verdant-Cap.com) is pleased to announce that it has facilitated and advised on the raising of EUR 2 million of debt funding for US Plus Limited (“UsPlus”), an innovative specialist SME financing firm based in South Africa.
The funding increases UsPlus' capacity to finance SMEs in South Africa, thereby contributing to the country's development agenda. The new funding further broadens the institutional funding base of UsPlus following the USD 10 million debt capital raise completed by Verdant Capital in 2022 and building on the Domestic Medium Term Programme registered on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
Studies show that SMEs contribute close to 30% of employment in South Africa, but most of these SMEs do not survive beyond 5 years due to a number of causes, of which lack of funding is a leading factor. Most SMEs are self-funded and struggle to access funds at various stages in their operation. The South African government, under its National Development Plan 2030, is looking to SMEs to help achieve its objective of creating 11 million jobs by 2030. Against this backdrop, UsPlus has been operating since 2015, specialising in the provision of tailor-made working capital finance solutions to SMEs through the purchase of transferable instruments such as invoices, purchase orders and contracts issued by or to its SME clients. This convenient and cost-effective solution gives SMEs access to funding to manage working capital and maximise profits. Verdant Capital has acted as an important catalyst for funding SME clients in South Africa and across the African continent.
Since its establishment, UsPlus has deployed over ZAR 3.7 billion (approx. USD 196 million) in working capital to SMEs. Its clients are actively engaged in over 25 industries, including agriculture and film production. UsPlus focuses on social, economic and environmental impact and works with SMEs that contribute to employment in South Africa, the upliftment of black-owned enterprises, women-owned enterprises and rurally located enterprises. Furthermore, the company is guided by the International Finance Cooperation's Exclusion List and does not support businesses which operate within this list. UsPlus' success stems from its highly experienced management team and technology-enabled operations, which 1) help meet customers at their point of need, 2) enhance client service experience, and 3) help manage business risk.
Verdant Capital has a strong funding pipeline for UsPlus which will continue to support the successes of the business.
Verdant Capital was the sole advisor and arranger of UsPlus' International debt capital raise.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Verdant Capital.
Media enquiries:
Verdant Capital:
Liezel van Greunen,
T: +27 10 140 3700
E: liezel.vangreunen@verdant-cap.com
About Verdant Capital:
Verdant Capital is a leading investment manager and investment bank specialising in the private capital markets and operating on a pan-African basis. Verdant Capital is the manager of the Verdant Capital Hybrid Fund. www.Verdant-Cap.com.
DPWI Minister to award bursaries to deserving students
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala will on Thursday award bursaries to 100 learners from the class of 2023 Matriculants, who have enrolled to study various built environment courses at universities across the country.
The bursaries are part of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure’s (DPWI) Skills Pipeline Programme, which is one of government’s initiatives to bring more skilled professionals into the public sector and specifically the built environment.
As part of building a capable and ethical State, the DPWI annually awards bursaries to pupils in need of financial assistance, who display academic excellence and have been accepted for courses in the built environment for their tertiary education.
The bursary programme further aims to increase the number of built environment professionals from previously disadvantaged backgrounds and ensure transformation of the sector.
It also serves as a feeder to the department’s Internship and Young Professionals Programme and later forms a pool of qualified built environment professionals to serve the state in the delivery of infrastructure projects.
The bursary is for careers in the built industry, including Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Marine Engineering, Property Studies/Real Estate, Actuarial Science, Quantity Surveying, Construction Project Management, Landscape Architecture, Architecture and Town and Regional Planning.
The bursary covers tuition, accommodation, meals, textbooks, project and compulsory study resources and a monthly stipend.
In its 10th year of existence since 2014, the DPWI bursary programme has so far benefited over 500 deserving students, an investment of over R160 million into the lives of the students and to bring the required skills into the public sector. – SAnews.gov.za
Edwin
Wed, 01/24/2024 - 09:25
Plastics SA, the umbrella body representing the local plastics industry, successfully hosted a General Plastics Industry Meeting at its head office in Midrand, Johannesburg, on November 30, 2023. The hybrid meeting witnessed enthusiastic participation from representatives spanning various sectors of the South African plastics industry. The meeting commenced with a warm welcome from Deputy Chairman …
Despite our department providing holiday security to 486 schools over the December holidays, we recorded 26 incidents of burglary and vandalism at 24 schools over the holiday period.
While this is a significant decrease compared to the same holiday period last year, when 48 incidents were reported at 42 schools, we are nonetheless disappointed that once again our schools must pick up the pieces after criminal damage and theft.
Items stolen or damaged ranged from gas cylinders and food to computers and cameras. Damaged property included electrical boxes, windows, ceilings, doors and security equipment.
It is unacceptable that funding has to be diverted from educational purposes each year to replace items that have been stolen, or repair infrastructure damaged for no reason, especially in a significantly stressed financial environment.
Damaging and stealing from schools sabotages our children's futures, and we appeal to the public to come forward if they notice anyone attempting to sell goods that have been stolen from our schools. Someone, somewhere knows these perpetrators, and we appeal to them to do the right thing so that our schools cease to be a target of crime.
Reporting any suspicious activity in the vicinity of our schools to South African Police Services (SAPS) or the Safe Schools hotline (0800 45 46 47) immediately can make all the difference in apprehending the perpetrators and recovering stolen property.
Help us to protect our schools and the future of our learners in the Western Cape!
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic Of South Africa: Western Cape Provincial Government.
Initial consultation on National Employment Policy (NEP) concludes
Internal government consultations on the country’s National Employment Policy (NEP) have been concluded and the Department of Employment and Labour will be approaching Cabinet before the end of February to release it for public comment.
This was announced by Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi on Wednesday during an employer briefing session at a Digital Hub located at the Industrial Park in Botshabelo.
The Digital Hub seeks to bridge the digital divide among the township residents and equip young people with skills and knowledge to prepare them for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The NEP is aimed at fostering a demand-led employment growth and is expected to provide an overarching framework on issues of employment, including the National Labour Migration Policy (NLMP). The NLMP and the Employment Services (ES) Bill are currently in Parliament before the legislators.
Nxesi said the Department of Employment and Labour and the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) are currently working on legislation - the National Labour Migration Policy (NLMP) – that is going to respond decisively to the challenge with respect to foreigner’s employment.
“I can only sound an early warning to employers continuing to employ undocumented migrants to desist – you are stoking up problems for the future. Youth unemployment is a major national challenge and needs urgent and coordinated responses from all of us to address it,” Nxesi said.
The draft NEP provides a number of interventions that include work beyond the Department of Employment and Labour to assist the country in achieving the employment levels indicated in the National Development Plan.
The NEP proposes among others the re-activation of discouraged and inactive work-seekers through targeted interventions at sector, firm and work-seeker level that influence investment, productivity and employment outcomes.
The Minister said the National Labour Migration Policy and the Employment Policy are aimed at strengthening labour market interventions and to further support other related employment interventions that are already part of the macro-economic and fiscal policy framework.
He said the successful implementation of the policies will require inter-departmental collaboration and key stakeholders in the labour market. – SAnews.gov.za
DikelediM
Wed, 01/24/2024 - 14:23
“The South African story has already been written in Namibia” where there was a three-year moratorium on sardine and anchovy catch because stocks were so low
Municipalities called to re-invest revenue collection into water services
Water and Sanitation Deputy Ministers, Judith Tshabalala and David Mahlobo, have called for municipalities to re-invest money collected from revenue into water and sanitation services to ensure sustainability of infrastructure that will stand the test of time.
The Deputy Ministers made the call during an oversight visit to Mbombela Local Municipality in Mpumalanga to assess the state of water and sanitation services in the municipality.
Addressing a meeting held with Ehlanzeni District and Mbombela Local Municipalities officials and various stakeholders, Mahlobo decried the increasing levels of non-revenue water, which he attributed to old and dilapidated water infrastructure, as well as illegal connections.
Mahlobo underscored the need to drastically reduce water losses and the need for a concrete plan to reducelosses. This includes asset management and revenue enhancement to help stabilise the municipalities.
“Operation and maintenance, and renewal of water and sanitation infrastructure is of critical importance, and we need to invest in this consistently. Part of the money that people pay for services needs to be used for maintaining the existing infrastructure so that we don’t experience problems in the long run,” Mahlobo said.
Mahlobo urged the Mbombela Local Municipality not to rely too much on water tankering, and advised them to use it only when it is necessary on an interim basis to avoid the high cost for the service.
If the municipality has to use water tankers, Mahlobo said, the tankers must be government owned and not privately owned because this promotes the “black market”, a phenomenon of groups of people, who allegedly damage water infrastructure deliberately in order to benefit from it.
Tshabalala said the department is committed to supporting Mbombela Local Municipality in its quest to turn things around, and ensure sustainable provision of basic services to the people.
Tshabalala reiterated that water and sanitation services are basic constitutional rights that people are entitled to, and government is duty bound to provide these services in a sustainable manner.
“It is our interest as national government to give support to municipalities as Water Services Authorities to render these services. We are here to support you, but you must give us concrete plans with clear timeframes, [and] we will dispatch our teams to give you all forms of support, including technical support,” Tshabalala said.
The meeting agreed that a steering committee will be established to deal with water issues in the province focusing on all the regions.
The committee will include representatives from all spheres of government, as well as Inkomati-Usuthu Catchment Management Agency, an entity of the department in Mpumalanga.
The committee is expected to meet urgently to devise plans that will restore the dignity of communities and ensure sustainable water and sanitation services in the province.
The oversight ended with a visit to Kanyamazane and Karino Water Treatment Plants for the Deputy Ministers to get first-hand experience of the challenges that hinder water provision to the communities. – SAnews.gov.za
GabiK
Wed, 01/24/2024 - 13:15
Hundreds march demanding better services from government
Investment in transmission critical
Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, says on boarding new generating capacity – particularly renewable energy – is critical to ensuring that additional capacity is added to the national grid.
He was speaking during an update on the implementation of the Energy Action Plan on Tuesday.
The expansion is critical to on boarding new generating capacity – particularly renewable energy – onto the national grid to relieve pressure on the electricity system.
Ramokgopa explained that “tremendous progress” is being done to ensure that solutions are found for transmission.
“As the President said last week, the Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity is now given the responsibility to ensure that we are able to go into the market to procure or to access the financing in relation to the transmission side.
“We have been doing an extraordinary amount of work. The team was [at the World Economic Forum annual meeting] in Davos. Part of those conversations was to enter into bilateral discussions with some of the potential financiers.
“We have...financing. That is private sector willing to come into the space of transmission. We had conversations...with the heads of missions that are represented here in the country and they did confirm that availability of that financing,” he said.
Ramokgopa assured that although private sector participation is being encouraged in the transmission space, the South African government will remain the owner of the grid through the Eskom owned and newly established National Transmission Company of South Africa.
“What we have been doing is to find an architecture and legal configuration on how best we are going to access [funding] and one of the areas that is receiving attention is the possibility of us putting together…something that is akin to the IPP [Independent Power Producer Procurement] office on the generation side…an Independent Transmission Project office.
“[This is] to ensure that we are able to procure with speed, agility, applying some degree of innovation and ensure that we are able to access that liquidity that’s sitting with the private sector without relinquishing state ownership of the grid,” he said.
The minister acknowledged that transmission expansion is facing challenges. However, he emphasised that government is tackling these challenges.
“The challenges on the transmission side are almost equivalent to the ones on the generation side and in fact, if they are not tackled immediately they are likely to be even more catastrophic compared to the challenges on the generation side because those are likely to undermine our ability to maintain the integrity of the system.
“We are not waiting for the crisis to confront us. We are going to address that situation immediately. This is in support of Eskom’s work…consistent with their transmission development plan which advocates for the expansion of the network,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Tue, 01/23/2024 - 14:41
Several parts of KZN classified disaster areas following floods
Several flood-stricken parts of KwaZulu-Natal have been classified disaster areas by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Minister, Thembi Nkadimeng.
The move will enable government to access additional funding from provincial and national departments to start repairs as soon as possible.
According to the SABC, the disaster areas include Ilembe, Ugu and UMzinyathi municipalities and the hardest-hit eThekwini Metro and uThukela District, which suffered about R2 billion worth of damage.
“Nkadimeng says the classification is done while processing for the declaration is underway,” the public broadcaster explained.
Heavy rains have ravaged KwaZulu-Natal since mid-December, spilling over to the new year.
Ladysmith, which falls under UThukela District, has recorded 26 fatalities due to inclement weather during the festive season.
Meanwhile, the Minister also emphasised the need to find a lasting solution for the flooding of the Ladysmith Central Business District (CBD) by channelling water towards preservation dams or catchment areas to avoid flooding.
Nkadimeng led a multidisciplinary intergovernmental team on a visit to the uThukela District Municipality, specifically in the Alfred Duma Local Municipality on Friday.
The Minister was accompanied by Deputy Minister Parks Tau and KZN CoGTA MEC Bongi Sithole-Moloi.
The leaders engaged various stakeholders from across all sectors of society representing a wide range of communities.
“The engagements and the assessment showed the devastation caused by flooding, especially on lives and livelihoods which has resulted in extensive damages to properties and critical infrastructure collapse leaving affected families homeless.”
The department believes that the impact of natural disasters is made worse by the ongoing impact of climate change, which has brought unprecedented weather patterns.
“The Minister emphasised the need for all role players including communities to ensure better-integrated planning to mitigate the impact of such adverse natural disasters.
“She made it clear that disaster risk reduction and adaptability are the only way to reduce the impact of climate change,” CoGTA said.
Nkadimeng also appreciated the ongoing work and urged that other additional planned interventions in the municipality geared to improving mitigation against floods be accelerated.
The visit by the Minister, the department said, is an expression of government’s commitment to elevating integrated disaster management and the promotion of risk-averse behaviour among communities in keeping with the ethos of a caring government.
“She advised that government through the Disaster Management Centre, will assist to mobilise resources to rebuild and rehabilitate the damages to infrastructure.”
The Minister also conveyed her sincere condolences to all who lost their loved ones as a result of the recent heavy rains.
She also took the time to thank communities who assisted those who were displaced by floods.
“The selfless and compassionate actions by ordinary members of our communities and civil society organisations in support of humanitarian aid efforts including search and rescue as well as search and recovery symbolises the true meaning of a caring nation that South African is. We are immensely grateful to everyone for pulling together and showing Ubuntu,” Nkadimeng said. – SAnews.gov.za
Gabisile
Tue, 01/23/2024 - 10:46
Government activities for the week 22 – 26 January 2024
On Wednesday, 24 January, and Thursday, 25 January, the Department of Employment and Labour will be embarking on a series of service delivery activities in Thaba Nchu as a build up towards a Jobs Fair to be held in Botshabelo.
On Wednesday, 24 January, the Minister of Transport, Sindisiwe Chikunga, will release the 2023/24 festive season road traffic statistics at a media briefing scheduled to take place in Gauteng.
On Tuesday, 23 January, and Wednesday, 24 January, the Minister of Small Business Development, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, will embark on a monitoring and oversight visit to schools in the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape.
On Wednesday, 24 January, Minister of Employment and Labour, Thulas Nxesi, will host employers and engage with aspirant workers at an Employer breakfast session and Jobs Fair event to be held in Botshabelo, in the Free State.
On Thursday, 25 January, the South African Reserve Bank’s monetary policy committee (MPC) will announce the first repo rate for the year.
Janine
Tue, 01/23/2024 - 10:50
The department encourages the use of its online system but many can’t use it
Have your say on National Budget
Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana has called on South Africans to share their suggestions on the National Budget.
The Minister will deliver the National Budget Speech in February 2024.
People may submit their views on municipal finances, spending priorities of government, addressing a large budget deficit, stabilising state-owned entity finances, managing the energy crisis, tax revenues and debt sustainability.
The closing date for submissions is 11 February 2024.
“The budget allocation aims to strike a balance between growing the economy and supporting the vulnerable amid limited resources. It is in this context that Minister Godongwana invites South Africans to share their suggestions on the Budget. Minister Godongwana looks forward to your contributions,” the Ministry of Finance said on Monday.
Contributions can be sent through via the National Treasury website here: https://bit.ly/3ruszsi.
Citizens are encouraged to keep contributions concise and to the point.
The Ministry of Finance has urged those on social media to tag them on its social media accounts using the hashtag #TipsForMinFin and #Budget2024:
- SAnews.gov.za
nosihle
Tue, 01/23/2024 - 09:29
March over municipality’s failure to provide services planned for Tuesday
Education is the most powerful weapon against poverty, says President Ramaphosa
As the nation commemorates three decades of democracy this year, President Cyril Ramaphosa has commended the accomplishments of the class of 2023 matriculants, saying their success bears testament to the strides taken to enhance accessibility and equality in education.
“This year marks 30 years since South Africa became a democracy with equal rights, dignity and freedoms for all. The achievements of last year's matriculants show the progress we have made not only in making education more accessible, but also in making it more equal,” the President said in his weekly newsletter on Monday.
President Ramaphosa said the matric exam pass rate has been consistently improving over the past decade, from 78% ten years ago to 80% in 2022, with a new record now set by the class of 2023.
He said the country has high expectations of young South Africans who hope to sit for the National Senior Certificate (NSC) exam this year. He encouraged this year's cohort to draw inspiration from their predecessors, and challenged them to set their sights even higher.
“The class of 2023 has made our nation proud. The matric results released last week showed an 82.9% pass rate for the cohort of matriculants who sat for the NSC exam last year. This is the highest pass rate obtained since the NSC was introduced in 2008 and is a stellar achievement,” he said.
The President said by 2010, South Africa had attained the Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education. Since then, the country has made steady progress in improving secondary school and post-school outcomes.
The President asserted that education is about so much more than personal betterment or obtaining a qualification to seek gainful employment. He said it is a ladder out of poverty.
“In a country such as ours, universal access to education is by far the most impactful intervention in breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty. It is our most effective weapon to overcome the effects of centuries of racism, discrimination and marginalisation of the black majority.
“To support young people on their learning journey and increase their prospects of completing school, the democratic State provides various forms of social protection to cushion vulnerable and indigent learners from the worst effects of poverty.
“These interventions include, among others, Early Childhood Development, social grants, a nationwide school nutrition programme and no-fee schools,” the President said.
Government also continues to invest heavily in improving school infrastructure, including school sanitation, and in the provision of teacher and learner support materials to schools in poor districts.
To enable eligible young people from poor families to further their studies, the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funds the costs of their education.
“While we are proud of all our matriculants, we are particularly proud of the young people who have succeeded in the face of great hardship and adversity.
“Included in the cohort of successful matriculants from last year are young people with disabilities, childcare grant beneficiaries, learners from child-headed households, orphans, those from informal settlements and those from some of the poorest districts in the country,” the President said.
Of the 110 top performing learners in last year's NSC exam, 62 were social grant beneficiaries. In 2023, matriculants, who receive some form of social grant, together achieved more than 160 000 distinctions, and more than 200 000 qualified for university entrance.
Learners from no-fee paying schools constituted more than 65% of the total Bachelor passes obtained. Three of the country's most rural provinces - Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo - contributed 59% of total passes with distinction.
“Of those who have now completed their secondary education, some will go on to further their studies and others will seek employment. I encourage all of society to reward the achievements of the many young people who have successfully passed secondary school by making more opportunities available to them.
“As government we have made the call for businesses to invest in our nation's future by employing more young people and, where possible, to do away with the requirement of prior work experience.
“I encourage companies to use the Employee Tax Incentive to hire more young job-seekers, to make more training and mentorship opportunities available, and to sign up with the Youth Employment Service and other initiatives being rolled out in partnership with government,” President Ramaphosa said.
For the many young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who passed matric this year, the President emphasised that being given an opportunity to work or study further is a way out of poverty. He further urged that these young people must be given the hope and chance they need.
“As a country, we have laid the important groundwork for equitable access to education and ensured that young people are supported to finish school. It is now up to all of society to work together to ensure that every South African, young and old, is lifted out of poverty, given access to decent work and an opportunity to fulfil their true potential,” the President said. – SAnews.gov.za
DikelediM
Mon, 01/22/2024 - 09:08
Zulu congratulates social grant beneficiaries for passing Grade 12
Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu has praised the Grade 12 students, who benefit from Social Development services and have successfully completed the 2023 National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams.
Of the 897 775 Grade 12 learners who wrote their NSC, 543 786 full-time learners were social grant beneficiaries, with 62 out of 110 social grant beneficiaries amongst the top performing learners in different categories, as awarded by the Department of Basic Education (DBE).
According to the department, social grant beneficiaries formed the largest number of learners who wrote their 2023 National Senior Certificate and 441 871 learners passed the NSC examinations which is an overall pass rate of 82.9%.
About 202 156 received a Bachelor's pass, which gains them access to institutions of higher learning, with 160 326 distinctions.
The Minister said that the child support grant formed the biggest grant type received by these learners, with the majority of them from KwaZulu-Natal, the second-best performing province after Free State.
The South African Constitution, through the Child Justice Act, also obligates the state to provide care and support services to children in conflict with the law, including educational opportunities.
According to the data from the Departments of Basic Education and Social Development, 1 630 children in conflict with the law registered for the 2023 NSC.
“Providing educational opportunities for children in conflict with the law is a key element of rehabilitating and re-integrating them back into society. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (the CRC), which South Africa ratified in 1995, recognises the importance of education for children in conflict with the law,” Zulu said.
The Minister detailed that the Social Development sector has been integrating the social protection administrative data system to ensure better coordination of services and tracking of health and educational outcomes for beneficiaries of various government services aimed at tackling child and adult poverty.
She asserted that the linking and sharing of administrative data systems within the social cluster departments - Social Development, SASSA, Department of Basic Education, and NSFAS - ensure information is shared on the academic performance of social grant beneficiaries.
“One such success story of the benefits of linking and sharing of data systems was the agreement between Social Development and NSFAS on the exemption of social grants beneficiaries from the means test, a decision that has significantly bridged the higher education gap as it opened the doors of learning for many, regardless of their socioeconomic background,” the Minister said.
Zulu emphasised that education has the power to break the cycle of poverty and transform lives. By accessing education opportunities at institutions of higher learning, she said, many social grants beneficiaries have succeeded in creating a better future for themselves and their families, thus breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty and inequality.
“The benefits of social grants extend beyond individual beneficiaries to broader society. Our government’s pro-poor policies such as our social assistance programme, no-fee schools, school nutrition, school uniforms, free health care including sanitary dignity packs have made significant impact over the past 30 years in reducing poverty by bridging the education gap for learners from impoverished backgrounds. We will continue to build on the success of these impactful interventions that have lifted many of our people out of poverty," Zulu said. – SAnews.gov.za
DikelediM
Mon, 01/22/2024 - 12:10
Minister Mchunu calls on the water sector to set aside egos and prioritise providing adequate water and sanitation services to the public
In a bid to improve performance of the water sector and its services to the public, Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, has called for the sector to suspend its ego and prioritise professionalism.
The Minister made these remarks during the two-day Water Services Authorities Summit held on Thursday 18 and Friday 19, January 2024 at the Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, Gauteng.
The purpose of the summit was to review the progress assessment reports, find the underlying reasons for poor and good performance, and collectively develop a plan to reverse the decline in performance.
Attending the summit were Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Thembi Nkadimeng, Water and Sanitation Deputy Ministers, David Mahlobo and Judith Tshabalala, as well as provincial and local government representatives including Mayors, MMCs, Municipal Managers and technical officials of the 144 Water Services Authorities across the country. Also, in attendance and participation were representatives from various institutions including the water boards, the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency (MISA), National and Provincial Treasury, professional bodies, training organisations, whose wide range of support relate to funding, capacity building, professionalisation, engineering, financial management and governance. These institutions were critical elements in the process of developing and implementing improvement plans for the WSAs.
Setting the scene, Minister Mchunu gave an overview of the state of water in the country according to the previous Blue, Green, and No Drop reports released in December 2023.
He further highlighted that the Drop certifications were initially introduced 16 years ago in 2008, with annual reports being released from 2009 until 2014. These reports served as an effective regulatory mechanism, evaluating water and sanitation services, incentivising municipalities to improve their performance, and guiding areas for enhancement.
In recent years, the water sector in South Africa has faced numerous challenges, with reports showing a decline in the quality of drinking water and wastewater, as well as an increase in potable water losses. These issues have caused great concern among the public, particularly regarding the growing percentage of drinking water systems failing to meet both national and international compliance standards as revealed by these assessments.
“We have resuscitated the assessments and are committed to preventing similar mistakes in the future,” Minister Mchunu said.
Minister Mchunu's call for the water sector to suspend its ego stems from the need to prioritise professionalism and service delivery to the public to address the decline in performance.
The Minister emphasised that the non-provision of clean drinking water and a clean environment goes against people's basic human rights, as outlined in the Bill of Rights in the Constitution. It is therefore imperative that the water sector takes immediate action to address these challenges.
Following extensive discussions, several recommendations were put forward to improve the water sector and enhance water and sanitation services for the public. Notably, it was agreed that Water Service Authorities should make fundamental changes in the manner that they deliver water and sanitation services. This by either considering establishing their own entities or creating special-purpose vehicles as water service providers. This would allow for greater accountability and efficiency in the provision of water and sanitation services.
Municipalities have been categorised into four groups based on their Drop scores during discussions on how to improve.
The first group comprised 67 municipalities that have an average 'critical' score in their water supply and/or wastewater systems in the 2023 and 2022 full Green Drop. The second group consisted of 38 municipalities that had an average 'poor' score in their water supply and/or wastewater systems in the 2023 and 2022 full Green Drop. The third group includes 27 municipalities that have an average 'average' score in their water supply and/or wastewater systems in the 2023 full Blue Drop and 2022 full Green Drop. Lastly, the fourth group comprised 12 municipalities that have an average 'good' or 'excellent' score in their water supply and/or wastewater systems in the 2023 full Blue Drop and 2022 full Green Drop.
The 105 municipalities who are in the critical, poor and average categories were urged to utilise consider appointing reputable, credible, and competent water service providers for the next two to three years. This move would help address the current gaps in service delivery and ensure that communities have access to clean and reliable water sources. This could be in a form of another municipality that performed well in their assessments scores in all reports, a water board or a competent private water services provider.
Another important area of focus is the review of implementing agents, with an emphasis on capacity building. The Directors- General of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), COGTA, South African Local Government Association (SALGA), and the provincial and Local Government will collaborate to strengthen the capacity of implementing agents, the water sector will be better equipped to deliver on its mandate and meet the needs of the public.
Deputy Minister Mahlobo, who was also speaking at the summit, announced recommendations and a way forward on finance, security, and corruption.
One of the major recommendations made was the strengthening of the budget for water and sanitation services. This will include relooking at budget allocation to ensure that more funds are allocated towards provision of these services of the public.
Deputy Minister Mahlobo emphasised the importance of infrastructure security in ensuring uninterrupted water services. He urged all municipalities to develop and execute reliable infrastructure security plans, which should include the use of technology such as remote fencing and a rapid response system to combat theft and vandalism of infrastructure. These measures will not only protect the vital water infrastructure but also ensure a reliable supply of water to the public.
The Deputy Minister also announced the formation of a multi-disciplinary security cluster consisting of Ministers and Mayors. This cluster will be responsible for leading intelligence operations and prosecutions against elements that hinder service delivery such as vandals, mafia as well as saboteurs of water infrastructure. The team will also be tasked with screening technical division officials for lifestyle, integrity, morality, and community involvement, thereby ensuring that only the most qualified and dedicated individuals are entrusted with the responsibility of providing water services.
In his closing remarks, Minister Mchunu said the provision of reliable quality drinking water to citizens must be treated with priority and necessary urgency. The decline in water quality and increase in water losses were pressing issues that demanded immediate attention. By implementing the recommendations put forward, such as the establishment of dedicated entities or special purpose vehicles, and the appointment of reputable service providers, the water sector can make significant strides towards meeting the needs and rights of the public. Though the challenges are great, with a unified effort and a commitment to collaboration, a positive change is indeed possible.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Department of Water and Sanitation, Republic of South Africa.
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