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A total of 23 447 learners in Grades 7, 8, 10 and 12 attended ‘Back on Track’ and matric support classes over the holiday period in the Western Cape.

“Parents will be familiar with our successful winter school classes for matric learners which take place every year,” the Western Cape Education Department said on Tuesday. 

This year, according to the department, 10 842 matric learners attended ‘Back on Track’ classes, which are targeted to the schools that need the extra support the most, while 7 109 joined the district-based classes.  

That means that nearly 18 000 matrics have received extra academic support over the holiday period.

“What the ‘Back on Track’ does differently is to expand support to other key grades, so that learners are already in a better academic position by the time they reach matric.

“This is the first time we have held holiday classes for Grades 7, 8 and 10,” the department added. 

Of these, a total of 1 665 learners are Grade 7s and 2 113 Grade 8s went to camps and classes over the holidays, which focused on mathematics and language, along with psychosocial well-being and life skills sessions. 

“Our Grade 10 learners participated in a unique mathematics intervention, with 1 734 Grade 10s attending extra classes across the districts. 

“This intervention has been designed given the performance of last year’s Grade 9s in our annual systemic tests, which showed that they need extra support in mathematics.”

Western Cape Education MEC David Maynier also visited some of the Grade 10s at the University of the Western Cape, which hosted classes for the Metro South Education District. 

“The learners I engaged with said that they were finding these classes extremely helpful and that the tutors had given them a new perspective on the material covered. 

“What struck me was how optimistic the learners were, and the level of commitment they were showing to the programme. I was also impressed by the commitment of their parents, some of whom travelled with the learners and accompanied them to the classes,” he stressed. 

Meanwhile, the department noted that the teachers also form part of this intensive mathematics intervention. 

“I visited the 140 Grade 10 maths teachers who attended training at the Cape Teaching and Leadership Institute (CTLI) by our maths experts during the holidays. 

“We thank all of the officials, schools, tutors and parents who made this holiday period a successful one for the learners and teachers participating in the ‘Back on Track’ programme.”

He believes that their hard work will go a long way toward improving learning outcomes and giving our children a better future in the Western Cape. – SAnews.gov.za
 

The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has warned members of the public that it is unlawful to dress in clothing that replicates the uniforms of inmates and department officials. 

This after videos surfaced on social media of private citizens wearing the latter. 

“The Department...has noted with great concern the proliferation of videos on TikTok and other social media sites by private citizens dressed in replica uniform for inmates and officials. Be it for content generation or other means, it has been repeatedly clarified that such conduct is illegal and punishable in law.

“Section 124(a)(b) of the Correctional Services Act, Act 111 of 1998, is explicit on any unauthorised person who wears or uses (a) the departmental dress, distinctive badge or insignia of the Department or of a custody official; or (b)the prescribed sentenced offender dress, or anything deceptively resembling them is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine or, in default of payment, to incarceration for a period not exceeding 18 months or to such incarceration without the option of a fine or both.

“DCS is thus again cautioning those involved in such acts to immediately desist from it,” the department said.

In the same vein, the department said it is equally unlawful for inmates to have cellphones.

“The Department is also aware of inmates utilising mobile phones, being active on social media, and there are ongoing efforts to deal with this scourge. Hence, inmates found in possession of cellphones are charged in terms of Section 23 (1) of the Correctional Services Act 111 of 1998,” the department said. – SAnews.gov.za

The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government says preparations for the repatriation of the mortal remains of a medical student, who passed away in the Philippines, are at an advanced stage.

Snegugu Ntobeko Myeni from Utrecht, who was a final-year medical student in the Philippines, passed away at the airport on 10 July 2023, as she was about to board a plane back to South Africa.

After hearing about the family’s plight through a video recording where her mother, Lindiwe Myeni, made an emotional plea for assistance, the provincial government intervened and committed to provide support and assistance to repatriate Myeni’s mortal remains.
 
The provincial government said it has been working with the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) and the Ambassador of South Africa to the Philippines to expedite repatriation efforts.

“The initial expected date of the arrival of Snegugu’s mortal remains in the country was Saturday, 22 July 2023. However, we are still awaiting a final letter from the attending doctor in the Philippines to finalise the repatriation of Snegugu’s mortal remains. 

“We expect that the medical processes will be concluded soon. We encourage the Myeni family to take comfort in the knowledge that the greater part of the work has already been done by the provincial government to ensure that Snegugu’s remains are brought home to her loved ones in a dignified manner,” the provincial government said in a statement. – SAnews.gov.za

Global challenges, such as counter-terrorism, transnational crimes and cybersecurity, have taken centre stage at the Friends of BRICS National Security Advisors Meeting with her BRICS Security counterparts in Johannesburg, South Africa.

  
Minister in the Presidency responsible for the State Security Agency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, on Monday hosted a Friends of BRICS National Security Advisors high-level Meeting to discuss national security and global challenges, among other issues.

 
The Friends of BRICS meeting is convened as a build-up to the upcoming 15th BRICS Leaders' Summit and is constituted of all Security Ministers of the BRICS countries and Friends of BRICS countries which include Belarus, Burundi, Cuba, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The Friends of BRICS are a combination of countries who have expressed an interest in joining BRICS; those who chair prominent institutions of the Global South and those invited at the Chair's prerogative. They are invited after consensus is reached between the host and fellow BRICS members.

Among the issues discussed at this meeting were the agreement amongst all delegates that cybersecurity remains a crucial element of cooperation and that the architecture supporting a safer cybersecurity environment needs to be inclusive and accessible to all countries.

While there are both new and old challenges confronting BRICS, Ntshavheni said these present an opportunity to create an environment and world order that reinforces mutual benefit and global development that is inclusive.

“There are also challenges that are persistent and affect all of us as a global family. We must reinforce the way we do things through both the BRICS and the multilateral system of the United Nations, as we deal with challenges such as counter-terrorism, transnational crimes and cybersecurity,” the Minister said. 

In welcoming the delegates to the meeting, Ntshavheni hoped that the day’s engagements would generate an enduring partnership among all countries involved.

 
"We hope that the engagements we are going to have today on issues that are common to all of us will generate an enduring partnership and commitment to a friendship that will ultimately result in enhanced global development and strengthened global resilience and global peace,” she said. 

The Minister said the historic meeting is held during a time when geopolitics have taken centre stage and are affecting and impacting the development of national interests.

“It is a historic meeting because it is a first physical meeting after three years of the COVID-19 pandemic and a meeting that includes the friends of BRICS to focus on matters of common interest and mutual benefit.  This will generate enduring partnerships resulting in enhanced global development and strengthened global resilience and global peace”

“This is a time for us to seek resilience and extend friendship to our people, and it is for that reason that South Africa deemed it fit to invite the Friends of BRICS to join us so that we can converge as a family and chart a way forward together for global resilience and global peace and for mutual development and innovation,” Ntshavheni said. 

Following the closed meeting held earlier in the day, the BRICS members held several bi-laterals amongst themselves and Friends of BRICS countries on various other issues and interests that concern the individual countries. It is expected that such engagements will continue into the future on matters of common interest between these countries.

Ntshavheni said the Friends of BRICS platform offers an opportunity for a mutually inclusive, secure and beneficial environment, which is conducive for global peace and development.

"Where a child of Africa can develop and have access to opportunities like a child of China, India, Brazil and Russia and other countries under conditions of meaningful cooperation," she said. – SAnews.gov.za 

President Cyril Ramaphosa says although South Africa continues to rank in the top five African countries with the best infrastructure, more can be done to improve its development.

The President was addressing the nation through his weekly newsletter on Monday.

He highlighted that good infrastructure can be the foundation of greater and faster economic growth and addressing poverty.

“However for this world class infrastructure to continue to support our developmental goals, it has to be properly, effectively and efficiently maintained. And decisions on infrastructure investment have to respond to the growing need and upgraded appropriately.

“We have good quality infrastructure, but in far too many instances it is not being properly maintained and upgraded. Last year, the South African Institution of Civil Engineering gave the country’s social infrastructure a D rating, with E being failed or failing. Passenger rail scored particularly low, achieving an E,” he said.

The President warned that neglecting infrastructure maintenance can have “detrimental consequences”.

“We are seeing accidents, disease outbreaks and other tragedies that in a number of instances have been associated with dilapidated infrastructure.

“The maintenance of public infrastructure is often the responsibility of local government. It remains of concern that municipalities are failing to spend conditional grants allocated to them for maintenance and upgrades of infrastructure.

“Infrastructure Grant was being spent by municipalities. This grant is for upgrading and building new infrastructure and rehabilitating existing infrastructure,” he said.

President Ramaphosa said municipalities, particularly those that are smaller, do not have the capacity to implement infrastructure plans.

He added that however, there are those municipalities “spending conditional grants successfully and timeously”.

“For example, approximately 91% of funding allocated to municipalities to fund reconstruction and rehabilitation after floods in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal was spent by the respective municipalities.

“This illustrates that with the necessary support, technical assistance, planning and coordination, the problem of municipal underspending on public infrastructure can be overcome,” he said.

In this regard, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, National Treasury and provincial and national government continue to step up support for municipalities.

“Because of its vital developmental function, we continue to prioritise investment in infrastructure across government. Construction is underway on several bulk water, housing, energy and roads projects. Together with better infrastructure maintenance, we are determined that these investments will make a big difference in people’s lives.

“When social infrastructure is well-maintained not only do citizens benefit, but businesses are also supported and the economy as a whole grows and develops,” President Ramaphosa said. – SAnews.gov.za