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South Africa’s BRICS “Sherpa” Anil Sooklal announced on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will participate in the upcoming summit virtually. 

This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s statement that Putin will not be attending the BRICS Summit “by mutual agreement”, adding that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would lead his country’s delegation. 

“But he will attend the summit virtually. He will be involved in all of the sessions that the leaders are partaking in the traditional summit of BRICS leaders,” Sooklal told the press. 

In addition, the Russian President will also deliver his closing remarks virtually at the BRICS Business Council and all the other deliberations of the conference. 

“Although Minister Lavrov will be physically present, President Putin will participate virtually,” he stressed.

This is after the International Criminal Court (ICC) judges issued arrest warrants against Putin and Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova in March for allegedly being responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation and transfer of children from Ukraine to Russia.

According to the Sherpa, who is a representative of the Head of State tasked with preparing for international summits, this was “unusual”. 

He reminded the media that last year, he also did not attend a gathering of leaders from the Group of 20 (G20) nations in Jakarta, Indonesia. 

“It was because of the good relationship that he has with Indonesia and President Joko Wododo. He didn’t want to collapse that summit because there was a threat that if he attended the summit, certain leaders would walk out and the summit would collapse,” he explained. 

“He considered that he wanted Indonesia to have a successful conference and he sent Minister Lavrov.”

Sooklal believes that the agreement that has been reached by BRICS leaders reflects President Ramaphosa’s job well done. 

“He has engaged all parties and not just President Putin. This decision wasn’t just taken between President Ramaphosa and President Putin.”

He added that the country’s First Citizen in the past several months has engaged all BRICS leaders. 

“He has spoken to them personally several times, discussing this issue. As I said, BRICS is a consensus-based entity,” he explained. 

“President Putin not being physically present in the summit impacts all the other leaders as well and I think it shows the maturity and the strength of the partnership and that collectively, we could come to a decision.

“President Putin understands the dilemma South Africa faces and didn’t want to jeopardise the summit or create problems for South Africa and this is the strength of BRICS cooperation.”

Meanwhile, he believes this demonstrates President Putin’s desire for South Africa, as a BRICS chair, has a successful summit and all the issues set on the agenda are discussed collectively. 

“We’re confident that the summit will be a success. There’s no threat of a walkout by anyone like in G20. All the BRICS leaders will fully embrace the summit and so are the leaders of the Global South.” 

He also outlined the three-day programme of the 15th BRICS Summit in South Africa that will take place from 22 to 24 August 2023 at the Sandton Convention Centre.

This includes a media briefing led by the Heads of State, dinner, and cultural activities. 

For the first time, he said the summit, will incorporate the participation of the youth.  

The Sherpa also said that they have invited a total of 69, including Global South leaders and believes that this year’s gathering will be the largest yet.

“President Emmanuel Macron has also asked to attend the summit. There’s a high interest in the summit.” 

Sooklal said Ministers in BRICS, a group of emerging markets — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, will soon deliberate on the issue of expansion. 

The Sherpa said 22 countries have formally approached BRICS nations to become members of the group. 

“There’s no area of the world where a country hasn’t formally asked; from the Middle East, Latin America, Asia, Europe and all the major players from the Global South.” – SAnews.gov.za
 

Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Kenny Morolong, has encouraged the youth to actively influence public policy decisions.

“As the youth, you should not just be passive recipients of public policy decisions; instead, you should and are actively influencing them, either directly through political participation or indirectly through civil society activism,” Morolong said.

He was speaking at the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Youth Summit in Durban on Thursday.

Addressing the summit, Morolong said youth activism was a necessary pressure point that led governments to elaborate on policies that prioritise education, job creation, climate change, and social justice - issues he said “resonate with the broad section of our youth populace”.

Challenges of unemployment, including inadequate educational opportunities and social inequalities, are some of the pressing issues that define youth experience, especially in South Africa and Africa as a whole.

While the youth are digitally connected, Morolong said, there was an increasing danger of information overload and a spread of misinformation.

“I hope that this summit has had time to address these issues to provide governments with a policy platform fully to harness the potential dividends for the youth and frustrate its negative impact.

“On a global scale, you have the possibility to significantly impact the geopolitical landscape through the kind of actions you take; issuing out of the policy platforms on which you may have agreed.

“As the BRICS youth, you have to insist on contributing to the digital economic policy that drives more inclusion and cooperation, to enable you fully to participate in global competition.

“Your innovation and entrepreneurial spirit presents an opportunity for the creation of a south-south supply chain that could strengthen the BRICS nations' position in the global digital landscape,” Morolong said.

Beacon of hope

Morolong highlighted that BRICS is gaining more and more global significance, as a beacon of hope in the global South. 

He said the countries’ combined economic influence can play an important role in leading the global south towards a new era of finance and debt relief, focusing on sustainable growth, innovative financial mechanisms, and debt relief.

The Deputy Minister argued that sustainable growth is underpinned by not only economic expansion, but also by environmental preservation and social progress. 

By focusing on inclusive growth, BRICS can help reduce inequality within and between nations, thus creating a more balanced global financial structure.

“Significantly, what are the innovative financial instruments that can significantly reshape the financial landscape and secure youth participation on a grand scale? How can the youth of the BRICS countries and the global South more broadly benefit from the financing that emanates from the New Development Bank (BRICS Bank)?

“The New Development Bank is a significant step towards providing an alternative source of funding for development projects for BRICS and other emerging economies. Enhanced financial cooperation between BRICS and countries of the global South can foster a more equitable financial order,” Morolong said. 

He said that through bilateral or multilateral trade agreements, currency swap arrangements and collaborative investment projects, BRICS can help create a financial environment that supports the growth and stability of the global South.

In this regard, BRICS can help strengthen the economic resilience of the global South by sharing best practices in areas like financial regulation and fiscal management.

“As the world grapples with the economic effects of global challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, the role of BRICS could be more critical than ever in building a more equitable and resilient global financial system,” the Deputy Minister said. – SAnews.gov.za

 

 

The climate change threat can only be confronted through activism led by the youth, says Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Kenny Morolong.

Morolong said the BRICS nations are key actors in the global energy landscape, both as consumers and producers of energy needs. 

The Deputy Minister was speaking at the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Youth Summit in Durban.

He said the dual challenge of ensuring energy security and combating climate change, requires the world to transition to a more secure and sustainable energy system. 

This transition he said, holds substantial prospective benefits for the youth, emphasising that for young people to fully take advantage of these new job opportunities, the BRICS will need to invest in education and skills training. 

“This investment will have to focus on technical training in renewable energy technologies, as well as broader skills, such as project management, policy analysis, and entrepreneurship. In this regard, a corps of skilled youth will be more capable of realising the economic opportunities that will flow out of the renewable energy interventions,” Morolong said on Thursday.

He added that the Just Energy Transition also presents opportunities for entrepreneurship, and young people in BRICS nations can create start-ups that provide innovative solutions for renewable energy, energy efficiency, and climate resilience.

To practically encourage entrepreneurship, financiers and governments will have to develop new financial instruments and provide financial support and mentoring.

“The creation of a favourable regulatory environment, and promotion of collaboration between start-ups, academia, and industry led decisively by our governments. The Just Energy Transition beckons a unique opportunity to create enormous economic value for our domestic economies and for the youth. 

“Through the creation of green jobs, investment in education and skills training, promotion of youth entrepreneurship, and the involvement of the youth in policy making, BRICS can ensure that energy transition is just and equitable.”

Held under the theme “BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Inclusive Multilateralism”, the four-day summit, which started on 18 July 2023, brought together youth participants and afforded them an opportunity to share ideas and work on a concrete Action Plan for co-operation in economic, humanitarian, mass media and the science sphere.

The BRICS Youth Summit is among the series of high-level engagements, hosted by KwaZulu-Natal provincial government, as a precursor to the 15th BRICS Summit that will take place in August 2023. – SAnews.gov.za

 

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi says an investigation into the deadly Lillian Ngoyi (Bree) Street explosion that ripped through the heart of the Johannesburg CBD is now being investigated by the Department of Labour.

The blast claimed the life of one person and left at least 48 others with injuries.

Some eight people remain hospitalised.

“Currently, as we speak, there is no confirmation regarding the cause of the explosion. We have preliminary reports from the Department of Labour. We've got reports of all institutions that have one form of infrastructure underground…Telkom, Egoli Gas, Sasol, City Power and all those institutions,” he said.

The Premier said a preliminary report by the Department of Labour indicates that there may be similarities to an incident that occurred in 2010, also in Johannesburg.

“The department…indicates that the nature of gas when it exploded and what has happened here is similar to what has happened at Yeoville…what is known as Telkom Towers. They claim that there are similarities and on the basis of that…there are three manholes that are an interest to their investigations.

“The explosion came through those three manholes and the department of labour…are of the view, from their preliminary reports, that there are certain institutions that they want to interview further even though they have given us the reports that they have given us.

“They’ve analysed the nature of the explosion and they also feel that there is a gas that they still want to experiment so that they can tell us the type of gas that they are sensing that is responsible,” he said.

The Premier said a consolidated report from all relevant stakeholders is being compiled and the area still remains under close guard.

“We are still treating that area, from a risk point of view, that it might have a secondary effect. Which simply means let’s treat it [carefully] until all these reports are finalised. We must keep it closed from being accessed by people who are not authorised to be there.

“But since this morning, there have been many people going to that area. We believe that there is a breach in terms of the human element. So we have accepted the guidance and the advice of the provincial commissioner that we are pulling the human bodies from being the frontline. We are now going to unleash barbed wires across all the areas that are going to be identified as the scene … so that there’s no movement at all in that area,” he said.

People living in the area will be presented with permits to allow them to access their homes safely. – SAnews.gov.za

The South African Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has decided to keep the repurchase rate at its current level of 8.25% per year.

Announing the MPC’s decision on the repo rate, Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago said three members of the Committee preferred to keep rates on hold and two preferred an increase of 25 basis points.

“At the current repurchase rate level, policy is restrictive, consistent with elevated inflation expectations and the inflation outlook. Serious upside risks to the inflation outlook remain. In light of these risks, the Committee remains vigilant and decisions will continue to be data dependent and sensitive to the balance of risks to the outlook,” Kganyago said on Thursday.

He said while South Africa’s economic conditions appear to have improved, the longer-term outlook mirrors the uncertainty of the global environment.

“Prices for commodity exports continue to weaken. In addition, energy supply remains unreliable and stronger El Nino conditions threaten the agricultural outlook. For 2023, the Bank’s forecast for South Africa’s GDP growth is slightly higher than in May, at 0.4% (from 0.3%).

“Energy and logistical constraints remain binding on the growth outlook, limiting economic activity and increasing costs. From a demand perspective, spending by firms, households, public corporations and general government remains positive in real terms. Disposable income of households continues to grow, albeit slowly. Investment by the private and public sectors is revised up and the terms of trade has remained more beneficial than previously forecast,” Kganyago said.

Debt service costs of households have increased to 8.4% of disposable income, and now sit at around the average for the past decade.

“Although credit growth to households and corporates has slowed in recent months, it has increased in real terms compared to last year. Our GDP growth forecast for 2024 and 2025 is unchanged from the previous meeting, at 1.0% and 1.1%, respectively.

“While households and firms exhibit resilience, economic growth has been volatile for some time and highly sensitive to new shocks. An improvement in logistics and a sustained reduction in load-shedding, or greater energy supply from alternative sources, would significantly increase growth.

“At present, we assess the risks to the medium-term domestic growth outlook to be balanced. Turning to inflation prospects, our current growth forecast leaves the output gap around zero over the next three years, implying little positive or negative pressure on inflation from GDP growth,” he said.

Kganyago said South Africa’s external financing needs are expected to rise due to expansion in the current account deficit.

“Despite somewhat lower oil prices, falling export commodity prices are forecast to result in a current account deficit of 1.9% of GDP this year (down from 2.5%), 2.9% and 3.3% of GDP in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

“Sharply lower tax revenue, higher employee compensation and ongoing financing needs of state-owned enterprises are likely to keep the long-term cost of borrowing elevated. Despite the expected moderation of inflation over the forecast period, long-term bond yields currently trade at about 11.6%,” he said.

He noted that the rand has generally weakened over the past year, depreciating by about 5% year to date against the US dollar, and showing high volatility in response to risk-on and risk-off episodes.

“The trajectory of South Africa’s headline inflation rate has been shaped primarily by fuel, electricity and food price inflation. Compared to the previous meeting, fuel price inflation is lower at -3.1% in 2023 (from -2.0%).

“The electricity price forecast is unchanged at 11.6% this year, 13.4% in 2024, and 10.9% in 2025. Our food price inflation forecast for 2023 remains high but is revised lower in this meeting to 10.3% (from 10.8%), and up slightly to 5.2% in 2024 (from 5.0%),” the Governor said.

He credited better monthly outcomes to a downward revision in the forecast for core inflation to 5.2% in 2023 (previously 5.3%), 4.9% (from 5.0%) and 4.5% (from 4.6%) in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

“Services price inflation in 2023 is expected to come in at 4.8% (down from 4.9%). Core goods inflation, while still elevated, is also revised slightly lower for this year at 6.2% (from 6.3%).

“Growth in average salaries and unit labour costs is lower in 2023 and 2024 and slightly higher in 2025. With core goods and food inflation lower in the near term, headline inflation for 2023 is revised down to 6.0% (from 6.2%). The headline inflation forecast for 2024 also decreases to 5.0%, before stabilising at 4.5% in 2025,” Kganyago said.

Despite recent easing in some food price components, domestic food price inflation is still elevated at 11% in June and the risk of drier weather conditions in coming months has increased.

The Bureau for Economic Research survey released in July shows average inflation expectations of 6.5% for 2023 (from 6.3% in the first quarter).

“Expectations for inflation in 2023 based on market surveys are currently 5.9%, and near-term breakeven rates have decreased to around 4.5%. Longer-term expectations remain elevated,” the Governor said. – SAnews.gov.za

 

 

Those who were injured during or after the explosion that occurred at the Johannesburg CBD on Wednesday evening remain hospitalised in healthcare centres across the city.

This is according to Gauteng Health and Wellness MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, during a visit to the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital where most of the patients are receiving care.

The explosion ripped through Bree Street in the CBD and left one person dead and more than 40 others injured.

Nkomo-Ralehoko said at least 11 patients remain hospitalised.

“We have received these patients and they are receiving medical treatment. We want to appreciate that there was a good response from our teams in all the hospitals. We want to thank them…for the good work they have done in making sure that even the critical ones who were referred here are stable now,” she said.

The hospital’s head of trauma Professor Maeyane Moeng gave an update on the wellbeing of the patients.

“From where we are as a hospital…all of [the patients] are stable and are well. We will be preparing to get them the wards moving forward. They might require some intervention later related to the lower limbs. It is good to know that most of our patients are stable and are doing well.

“It is a team approach…if we are not ready for such mass casualty events then we will not be able to help. These things will happen one way or the other for various reasons and the team that was behind us has worked very hard,” he said.

Moeng said healthcare workers have pleaded with citizens to refrain from entering areas where dangerous events such as explosions have occurred.

“When we have such mass events like these and people are requested to vacate from these incidents, can we listen please? When we have an incident like this and we are asking the community to move away and they hold onto the events, if something else happens after that, we are going to have much more casualties than what we’ve seen.

“This is not the only incident that we’ve seen that the communities are not listening to the safety guidelines. Please, as healthcare workers, we are pleading with you, that please when you are asked by those looking after safety and security at these scenes, that’s not a time for pictures, that’s not a time for cameras, that’s a time for safety so that we can evacuate and deal with those that are injured at the scene,” he said.

The hospital’s CEO Gladys Bogoshi, in her capacity as Cluster Head of Facilities in the area assured that hospitals are ready and on high alert should any more incidents related to the explosion were to occur.

“In Johannesburg we’ve got two academic hospitals…Charlotte Maxeke and Chris Hani Baragwanath. They have highly specialised trauma trained doctors. They are not only trauma trained but they are also disaster management trained,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za

Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creecy has accepted a request to co-facilitate discussions at a political level among ministers responsible for climate change ahead of the Global Stocktake (GST) discussions. 

The Minister will carry out this responsibility with her counterpart from Denmark, Minister Dan Jørgensen.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) made the request in its capacity as COP28 Presidency-designate.

“This co-facilitation role entails reaching out and listening to a representative sample of parties, groups and constituencies to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to hear their views on what they consider the critical elements of the outcomes of the GST.

“The Ministers will report back their findings to the UAE ahead of the opening of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September 2023, where the UAE intends to convene a ministerial meeting on the GST.

“As such, the co-facilitation is intended to support the UAE in its efforts to guide the international community towards a successful outcome to the GST at COP28,” the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment said on Thursday.

The Global Stocktake is the main mechanism under the UNFCCC’s Paris Agreement to take stock of the collective challenges and opportunities in its implementation.

“The purpose of this is to help inform parties in preparing their next nationally determined contributions to the Paris Agreement to raise ambition and accelerate climate action, as well as to enhance international cooperation.

“This is to ensure that the stocktaking exercise and the forward-looking set of recommendations to parties to be adopted at COP28 is comprehensive, covering all aspects of the convention and the global goals in the Paris Agreement, such as mitigation, adaptation and enabling means of implementation and support for developing countries,” the department said.

This work needs to be based on the best available science and equity, so that it is evidence-based and fair because countries are at very different levels of development and have divergent national circumstances.

“The first Global Stocktake is a critical moment in the multilateral process because it provides an opportunity to reflect both on the collective achievements made under the historic Paris Agreement, as well as to agree on course corrections to bring the international community on course to fully meet the global goals.

“The best available science, backed up by the on-the-ground realities in all parts of the world, clearly show that transformational change is required to address climate change, in the context of sustainable development and just transitions.

“The GST is the key moment for such strategic level discussions. Its value lies in its facilitative, non-punitive and collective nature, because the focus is on stocktaking and setting the direction for enhanced climate action at the collective level as an international community, where all stakeholders need to work together to address a common threat,” the department said.

The appointment does not have consequences for South Africa’s country role in the climate negotiations.

“Our country will develop our negotiating mandate for consideration by Cabinet by the third quarter this year. This mandate will then inform our country position in the negotiations and our discussions with fellow negotiators in the African Group and the G77 plus China,” the department said. – SAnews.gov.za

 

Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DJCOD), Minister Ronald Lamola, is expected to address the Public Service Commission’s (PSC) symposium into the protection of whistleblowers.

The symposium is expected to be held on Tuesday at the Government Communication and Information System head office, Tshedimosetso House in Pretoria.

According to the PSC the symposium aims to, amongst others:

• Create a platform for participants to reflect on the challenges confronted by whistle-blowers
• Deliberate on tools and measures to enhance the Protected Disclosure Act of 2017 with a view to achieve an ethical and corrupt-free environment and to ensure effective and efficient performance in public administration
• Establish a whistleblowers support programme including confidentiality of whistleblowers
• Promote a high standard of professional ethics in the public service

“Fraud and corruption in South Africa continues to undermine the government’s efforts to deliver quality services to its citizens. Although efforts are being intensified to prevent and combat corruption in state institutions and ensure that perpetrators are brought to book, there is still concerns on the extent of the protection of whistle-blowers.

“To this end, as part of safeguarding the protection of whistle-blowers and to enhance the integrity of the country, the Public Service Commission in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme will host a Whistle-blower Symposium … under the theme “the extent and nature of the protection of whistle-blowers in South Africa,” the PSC said in a statement.

Recently, the DJCOD released – for public comment – reforms for whistleblowing legislation which proposes several measures to enhance the protection of whistleblowers.

The whistleblowers document can be accessed on https://www.justice.gov.za/legislation/invitations/invites.htm and the deadline for comments is 15 August 2023. – SAnews.gov.za

Department of Employment and Labour’s Deputy Director: Employment Equity, Niresh Singh, has told an Employment Equity workshop that South Africa’s laws are about inclusivity.

Singh was addressing one of the Department's, together with the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration's (CCMA) EE workshops, at Horseshoe Inn in Kimberley, on Wednesday.  

The Department and CCMA 2023 Employment Equity national workshops are held under the theme: “Real transformation makes business sense”. 

“It is not true that the Department wants to exclude Whites, Indians or Coloureds. Our laws are about including all the people,” Singh said.

In presenting the 2023 EE Report, Singh highlighted the distortion revealed by the statistics where Whites with a national economically active population(EAP) of eight percent occupy 62.9 percent of top management whereas Africans with a national EAP of 80 percent only occupy 16.9 percent of top management.

Singh told the gathering that the department does not in any way condone overrepresentation of any group.

 “What we are saying is ‘take the EAP into consideration’. We do not want to exclude anyone,” he said.

He told the meeting that the distortion has been there since 1998 when the Employment Equity Act was enacted, resulting in no change or the change being negligible. Singh said this necessitated a change in dealing with equity in the workplace, hence the Sector Targets coming into the equation.

Singh stressed the differences between the Quotas and Sector targets. He said quotas are inflexible whereas targets are flexible.

“With targets, the designated employers still maintain power to consult employees and self-regulate their annual EE targets toward achieving the 5-year sector EE target which is now regulated by the Minister. Where employers fail to achieve their own annual EE targets – the law permits them to raise a justifiable ground or reason for non-compliance and a certificate of compliance will be issued to the employer – section 53(6) of EE Amendment Act,” he said. 

Meanwhile, CCMA Commissioner Lucky Moloi dealt with case law on employment equity related matters. He took the workshop through several cases stressing several mistakes and errors employers and employees do which lead to losing cases.

In a quest to move away from the laborious manual reporting, the Department’s Acting Deputy Director, Innocent Makwarela, took the workshop through the EE Online reporting system. He reminded the attendees that both Manual and Online reporting will open on 1 September 2023, with the manual reporting closing on 02 October 2023 and Online reporting closing on 15 January 2024. 

The EE workshops are targeted at Employers or Heads of organisations, Academics, Assigned Senior Managers, Consultative forum members, Human Resource Practitioners, Trade Unions, employees and other interested stakeholders.

The national series workshops/roadshows which started on 18 July 2023, will end on 29 August 2023. 

The remaining July programme of workshops is as follows:
North West
•    Lichtenburg (25 July 2023) – (Scotts Manor Guest House – 21 Bree Street, Retiefs Park)
•    Rustenburg (26 July 2023) – (Orion Hotel – 115 Hagia Sophia Drive, Kloof)
KwaZulu-Natal
•    Pietermaritzburg (25 July 2023) – Ascot Wedding & Conference Venue, 210 Woodhouse Road, Scottsville)

- SAnews.gov.za
 

The President of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Parliament, Dikgang Morudu, has welcomed the signing of the Sign Language Bill into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa as the 12th official language.
 
Members of the Children’s Parliament have been advocating for the recognition of sign language as an official language to accommodate children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

The President hosted a signing ceremony of the South African Sign Language Bill at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Wednesday,

During their 10th sitting in 2021, the members of the Children’s Parliament appointed Hamza Muhammad as their President, a deaf boy from the Dominican School in the Western Cape.
 
Upon receiving the news, Hamza said the signing of the bill into law “was good news for deaf people”. 

“As a deaf person and former President of the Children’s Parliament, I have always wanted South Africa to make sign language official. I am happy to hear that President Cyril Ramaphosa has recognised it as an official language,” Hamza said. 
 
He added that the signing of the bill showed there are no two separate worlds in the country.
 
“We are all human beings who live in one world and deaf people also have rights. I would like to thank the President for supporting deaf people in the country,” he said.
 
On 14 July 2023, members of the Children’s Parliament continued to raise their voices regarding the recognition of sign language during their 11th sitting in Bisho, in the Eastern Cape.

Morudu, the current President, said the signing of the bill means that someone is starting to listen to the voices of the children.