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Beiersdorf announces further funding and strengthens its seven-year partnership with SA community programme, Thanda.

Location: MyPR

Following the success of its 7-year long-standing partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal based non-profit, Thanda, Beiersdorf has further committed a funding donation to address the critical long-term aftershocks of the Covid-19 pandemic. With this commitment, Beiersdorf lives up to its sustainability agenda CARE BEYOND SKIN, which seeks to enhance inclusivity within society and achieve sustainable advancements …

Read moreBeiersdorf announces further funding and strengthens its seven-year partnership with SA community programme, Thanda.

National Movement Of Rural Women Commemorates Women’s Day By Recognising Rural Women’s Efforts To Attain Socio-Economic Freedom

Location: MyPR

The National Movement of Rural Women (NMRW) joins members of the South African press and public in celebrating Women’s Day on the 09 August 2023. The National Movement of Rural Women (NMRW) is a social movement that advocates for constitutional concerns of rural women and communities and procures funds for existing community projects to sustain …

Read moreNational Movement Of Rural Women Commemorates Women’s Day By Recognising Rural Women’s Efforts To Attain Socio-Economic Freedom

Serenity Hills attracts foreign investment while uplifting local communities on the KZN mid-South Coast

Location: MyPR

Serenity Hills – the R800m eco-estate near Margate on the KZN mid-South Coast – has been included in the South African Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan after being honoured by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the 5th South African Investment Conference (SAIC) in April this year. Following up on this national recognition, Deputy Ministers in the …

Read moreSerenity Hills attracts foreign investment while uplifting local communities on the KZN mid-South Coast

Conservation and community are driving investment in billion-rand Renishaw Coastal Precinct

Location: MyPR

Renishaw Coastal Precinct, the 1 300-ha mixed-use development on the KZN mid-South Coast, is considered one of the country’s biggest developments underway. To date, R500m has been spent on this 25ha Renishaw Hills – the first development within Renishaw Coastal Precinct – out of an anticipated R1 billion, with a total anticipated spend of around …

Read moreConservation and community are driving investment in billion-rand Renishaw Coastal Precinct

Boost for KwaNongoma infrastructure projects

Location: News

Boost for KwaNongoma infrastructure projects

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport and KwaNongoma Local Municipality have committed to work together to accelerate service delivery, especially the delivery of transport infrastructure projects.

This follows a meeting where Transport, Community Safety and Liaison MEC, Sipho Hlomuka, led a team of departmental officials to engage with the municipality in a bid to identify areas of possible partnership.

During a meeting on Monday, KwaNongoma Local Municipality Mayor, Mshangane Ndabandaba and Speaker Babongile Sithole shared the challenges facing the municipality and pledged to work with the provincial and national government in promoting service delivery.

The Department of Transport introduced a team of fleet and personnel that is deployed to assist in improving local roads under the three various traditional councils in the area.

The team deployed will be working in the area for a month, where they will rehabilitate roads, including D1857, D1858 and D1858, which are located in Mthwadlana, KwaNongoma.

Hlomuka said government is exploring a number of innovations to support struggling municipalities like KwaNongoma, where key projects will be prioritised.

He said the department is going to identify critical areas of intervention. 

“We will assist the municipality to fulfil its constitutional and political mandate to deliver services to the people. The Department of Transport has started, and we commit to reviving road infrastructure in KwaNongoma,” Hlomuka said.

The MEC said the team will do local roads but will also look at critical capital projects.

“Government, at a provincial level, has agreed that all departments will improve their service delivery roll-out in Nongoma. This will also culminate in the Premier-led Operation Sukuma Sakhe, which is a provincial government integrated service delivery programme,” Hlomuka said.

He said national departments have also committed to accelerate services to assist the municipality.

Ndabandaba commended the department’s intervention, saying that with a budget of R39 billion from the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG), the municipality is unable to cover all the wards within the local municipality.

“We welcome the involvement and partnership with the provincial government. This marks a new era for the people of KwaNongoma, and it is a start of more good things to come,” Ndabandaba said.

Hlomuka also expressed concern with the level of political intolerance and political killings in the area, saying more work will be done on crime, including political violence. – SAnews.gov.za 

GabiK
Tue, 08/08/2023 - 12:38

Read moreBoost for KwaNongoma infrastructure projects

Health skills development programme to empower KZN youth

Location: News

Health skills development programme to empower KZN youth

The youth of uMshwathi Local Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal are set to benefit from the Hub of Hope – a health and skills development programme for youngsters in Gcumisa and neighbouring communities in that municipality.

Deputy Health Minister, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, on Monday presided over the launch of the Hub of Hope.

“The hub is aligned to the department’s broader youth support programme to empower young people with health information to make well-informed health choices and economic opportunities to increase their skills and knowledge and improved employability,” the department said. 

The launch was organised in partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA), TB HIV Care, uMgungundlovu District Municipality, Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) and other public institutions. 

The programme is implemented through DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored and Safe) programme. 

DREAMS is an ambitious public-private partnership aimed at reducing rates of HIV among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), decreasing teen pregnancy, keeping girls in school, reducing sexual and gender-based violence and equipping them with skills. 

According to Dhlomo, apart from health services, the programme also offers skills development opportunities including basic computer training, baking, hairdressing, beauty technology, nail technology and bookkeeping.   

Most of these training opportunities targeted at out-of-school youths are accompanied by starter packs upon completion to enable them to become entrepreneurs.

The launch was attended by amongst others, District and Local Mayors, senior government officials from the South African Police Service (SAPS), South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), over 900 Masijabule High School learners, parents and members of School Governing Body (SGB). – SAnews.gov.za
 

Gabisile
Tue, 08/08/2023 - 08:32

Read moreHealth skills development programme to empower KZN youth

TNPA, CSIR to address extreme wind disruption in Port of Cape Town 

Location: News

TNPA, CSIR to address extreme wind disruption in Port of Cape Town 

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to address extreme wind disruption to operate in the Port of Cape Town (PoCT). 

The TNPA and the CSIR-hosted programme, the Alliance for Collaboration on Climate and Earth Systems Science (ACCESS), and the other institutions intend to establish a series of research projects aimed at understanding the impact of extreme wind disruption on operations for the integrated maritime transport logistics chain at the PoCT. 

In the past few years, according to the joint statement, the PoCT lost an average of 1 200 hours per year of operational time due to extreme wind disruption.

“Extreme wind gusts can result in terminal equipment becoming unsafe to operate, thereby impacting terminal operations. 

“This sometimes leads to congestion inside and outside the port, resulting in vessels being at anchorage for extended periods. Several industries, including the time-sensitive fruit industry, are severely impacted by wind disruptions in the port,” the statement read. 

The parties said experts in various institutions who possess the skills required to address the problem are conducting the research. 

Meanwhile, the University of the Witwatersrand’s experts are studying the seasonal climate patterns that result in these extreme winds to establish whether there are trends and whether the wind is indeed intensifying with time. 

They are also looking into how wind patterns in the Cape Peninsula and the port are likely to change because of climate change. 

In addition, the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the University of Cape Town (UCT) researchers are examining the current and future economic impact of these disruptions on specific value chains to estimate the financial losses and assess the required investment into adaptation measures to deal with the problem. 

“The CSIR and UCT are focusing on feasible engineering and operational adaptations to address the challenge.”

TNPA Managing Executive for Western Region ports, Advocate Phyllis Difeto, said the institution appreciates the increasing risk of environmental challenges to port operations. 

“Unless these are carefully understood and managed, they can add a burden to the smooth management of the ports, which are vital to the functioning of the country’s economy. 

“Climate change presents a growing challenge to shipping and ports in that it impacts the state of both land and sea operations,” Difeto said. 

CSIR Senior Researcher and ACCESS Director, Dr Neville Sweijd, noted that extreme weather is the way in which climate change manifests. 

“The extreme wind problem in the PoCT is a classic example. It is not a new problem, but potentially a worsening one, and so it will increasingly have an impact on lives and livelihoods all around the Western Cape, especially for those people who are involved in the fruit export industry,” Sweijd added. 

He explained that the project seeks to produce solutions that can be used to adapt to and manage extreme wind impacts for the next two years. 

“We cannot turn the wind off, but we can learn to better work with it,” he said.

The MoA between TNPA and the research consortium will provide researchers with access to valuable data sources that are required for the study, while national ports authority will facilitate engagements with their key clients and stakeholders.

“Strategic partnerships are critical for a successful and integrated maritime transport logistics chain, and the TNPA continues to collaborate and partner with all stakeholders to optimise the value proposition of the port and the western region,” said Difeto. – SAnews.gov.za

Gabisile
Mon, 08/07/2023 - 13:36

Read moreTNPA, CSIR to address extreme wind disruption in Port of Cape Town 

KZN investment projects fabricate a contrast

Location: News

KZN investment projects make a difference

The Deputy Ministers in the Presidency on Friday led a media tour to KwaZulu-Natal to showcase the South African investment projects taking place in the province.

The tour was led by Deputy Ministers Kenneth Morolong and Nomasonto Motaung to the Serenity Hills R800 million eco-estate and the R500 million Renishaw Coastal Precinct respectively.  

Speaking after the tour at the Renishaw Coastal Precinct in Scottburgh, Morolong said the community programmes that are linked with the two projects are making a significant impact in the lives of those who were unemployed previously.                                                                               

According to Morolong, the skills and entrepreneurial opportunities that have been created for young people at both projects are very impressive.

“The investments of both Serenity Hills and Renishaw Coastal will make a serious economic transformation for the country. Government is also committed to continue mobilising investment in order to create sustainable jobs for the future of this country,” he said.

The Chief Executive Officer of Trade and Investment KwaZulu-Natal, Neville Matjie said he was pleased with the progress of the projects which are important for the province.

Open for business

“We have worked with both projects, coordinating the unblocking of bottlenecks in municipal processes so that the developments run smoothly and timeously,” Matjie said.

“As the provincial investment promotion agency, we confirm that KwaZulu-Natal is open for business. We will continue to work and showcase the province’s competitive advantage and position as a world-class investment destination,” he said.

The Serenity Hills R800 million eco-estate in Margate, is meant to attract foreign investment while uplifting local communities in the mid-South Coast. It has been included in the South African Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan after being honoured by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the 5th South African Investment Conference in April this year.

The second project visited was the Renishaw Coastal Precinct, the 1 300 hectares mixed-use development on the KwaZulu-Natal mid-South Coast, is considered as one of the country’s biggest developments.

The projects have employed local communities who have benefited through skills development.

South Africa hosted its fifth South Africa Investment Conference (SAIC) in April 2023 in Johannesburg. The conference was the final leg of the drive to attract R1.2 trillion into the country over a period of five years.

The target of reaching R1.2 trillion worth of investments was successfully reached.

These investments have resulted in new factories, call centres, solar power plants, undersea fibre optic cables, expansion of production lines and the adoption of new technologies.

Serenity Hills was selected for attracting both national and international interest, contributing significantly towards the country’s socio-economic goals of creating sustainable jobs, driving back inequality, and positioning the region as a key investment destination.

Serenity Hills launched Phase 1 in the second half of last year and has already sold 50% of its units, with national and international buyers also coming from Canada, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Germany.

Community development

Through the Sweetdale Skills Centre, the development committed to investing in local communities to revitalise the area.

There are several community-driven projects already underway, with 100 jobs already created.

Forming part of the Centre is the Sweetbike Community Project, a non-profit organisation that provides vulnerable schoolchildren with bicycles.

Mxolisi Mthwana who fixes bicycles at the centre, told SAnews that his happy with what he is doing.

“It’s been five years now fixing bicycles, I love what am doing,” he said.

According Mthwana, the centre had already donated 50 bicycles to learners in nearby schools.

“We doing this to assist the learners to get to school on time and to encourage them not to abscond,” he said.

 Mlonde High School Principal Linda Mkhize told SAnews that there had been an improvement in school attendance since the school received the bicycles.

“I thank the centre with the bicycle donation because even school attendance has improved a lot, with learners no longer coming late,” she said of the bicycles donated to matric leaners.

Quality bicycles are imported from Europe and refurbished at the Sweetbike Workshop, employing and upskilling people from the local communities.

Once ready, these bicycles are donated to the learners attending rural schools from Umzumbe to Port Edward, with recipients given training in mechanics to maintain and look after the bikes. – SAnews.gov.za

 

Edwin
Sat, 08/05/2023 - 07:51

Read moreKZN investment projects fabricate a contrast

KZN legislature, six departments commended for receiving clean audits

Location: News

KZN legislature, six departments commended for receiving clean audits

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube has commended the Provincial Legislature and six provincial departments for obtaining clean audits for the financial year 2022/23. 

The Office of the Premier, Economic Development Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Provincial Treasury, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Community Safety and Liaison, Agriculture and Rural Development, have all received unqualified audits with no findings.

“This deepens our resolve and commitment to good, clean, ethical and transparent governance while accelerating service delivery, addressing poverty, unemployment and inequality. We will work hard to ensure that every department in the province achieves a clean audit and work together with those that may have some challenges,” Nomusa-Dube said.

Premier not investigated by SIU

Meanwhile, the Office of the Premier said the Premier is not the subject of an investigation by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), nor under investigation by any agency.

This follows the SIU announcement on Tuesday, that it would investigate allegations of maladministration in the affairs of the Office of the Premier in KwaZulu-Natal, after President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a Proclamation authorising the unit to investigate allegations dating back to 2007.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Office of the Premier noted that a false narrative has been peddled by some mischievous members of the media, analysts and politicians, that the Premier is being probed for wrong-doing.

The provincial government warned that such a narrative is a colossal misrepresentation of facts, which has also been dispelled by the SIU in its announcement of the probe and subsequent media engagements.

“While the Proclamation clearly states that it covers allegations of unlawful and improper conduct that took place between 1 April 2007 and 29 July 2023, the investigation is not targeted at the Premier or Executive Authority, personally.

“Probes of this nature are information seeking based on reports of previous investigations. The SIU is at the beginning of its probe into the office and is not investigating the incumbent during the period of interest. We reject insinuations by members of the opposition that this is about Premier Dube-Ncube or any of her predecessors," the Office of the Premier said.

It added that it views any narrative or reporting that suggests otherwise, when the facts are clear, to be "mischievous and out of order". 

“Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube welcomes any probe into any activity covering any period relating to the KwaZulu-Natal Office of the Premier. We wish to assure the people of KwaZulu-Natal that the Office will cooperate fully with the SIU and make sure that all relevant matters are finalised as soon as possible.

“The Premier and her administration will not be distracted from a singular focus and commitment of leading a transparent, ethical and accountable provincial government while accelerating service delivery to our people. This is clearly reflected the Office of the Premier and five other provincial departments, including the Provincial Legislature attaining clean audits for the 2022/23 financial year,” the Office of the Premier said. – SAnews.gov.za

 

GabiK
Fri, 08/04/2023 - 13:49

Read moreKZN legislature, six departments commended for receiving clean audits

60 Minutes Display Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse: A Powerful Tale of Excellent vs Evil

Location: MyPR

As part of its 10th-anniversary celebration, the 60 Minutes Show partnered with The Cedars South Coast Addiction Treatment Facility to put on a transformative production about the battle against drug and alcohol abuse which was presented at KZN schools from 24 to 26 July. As usual, the production was also opened to the public with …

Read more60 Minutes Display Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse: A Powerful Tale of Excellent vs Evil