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Johannesburg Water has reminded its customers to store water from Sunday ahead of the planned Rand Water shutdown, which takes place from 11 - 13 July.  

The shutdown is part of efforts to sustain capacity within the impacted infrastructure, according to Joburg Water. 

In a statement on Tuesday, Johannesburg Water said the purpose of the planned shutdown is to install isolation valves and conduct systems updates at Rand Water’s Eikenhof pump station.

“During the shutdown, Johannesburg Water infrastructure supplied by Rand Water's Eikenhof pump station will be affected by no water supply, as well as areas receiving direct water supply from Rand Water.

"It is estimated that full recovery of the systems may take approximately five days or longer after the supply has been fully restored,” Johannesburg Water said.

Johannesburg Water said alternative water supply will be arranged at hospitals, clinics, schools, municipal offices, police stations, and shopping centres.

The following Johannesburg Water infrastructure, including reservoirs, towers and direct feeds will be impacted:

Roodepoort/Randburg areas
•    Boschkop reservoir
•    Randpark Ridge reservoir
•    Cosmo City reservoir
•    Constantia tower and pump station
•    Helderkruin Tower
•    Helderkruin reservoir
•    Corriemoor reservoir
•    Fairland reservoir
•    Waterval tower
•    Quellerina tower
•    Florida North tower and pump station
•    Horison/ Finch tower
•    Honeydew reservoir
•    Honeydew tower
•    Olivedale reservoir
•    Blairgowrie reservoir
•    Linden 1 reservoir
•    Linden 1 tower
•    Linden 2 reservoir
•    Kensington B reservoir
•    Kensington B tower

Central
•    Aeroton reservoir
•    Aeroton tower
•    Berea reservoir
•    Parktown 1 and 2 reservoir
•    Brixton reservoir
•    Brixton tower
•    Crosby reservoir
•    Hurstihill 1 and 2 reservoirs
•    Northcliff reservoir
•    Northcliff tower
•    Crown Gardens reservoir
•    Crown Gardens towers
•    Foresthill tower
•    Hector Norris pump station
•    Yeoville 1, 2 and 3 reservoirs.

Ennerdale
•    Orange Farm reservoir
•    Ennerdale 1, 2 and 3 reservoirs
•    Lawley reservoir.

Southdale
•    Eagles Nest reservoir
•    Kibler Park reservoir
•    Alan Manor reservoir
•    Glenvista reservoir.

Soweto areas
•    Chiawelo reservoir
•    Jabulani tower
•    Zondi reservoir
•    Zondi tower
•    Bramfischer reservoir 1
•    Doornkop reservoir
•    Naturena reservoir
•    Meadowlands 1 and 2 reservoirs
•    Orlando East reservoir
•    Diepkloof reservoir
•    Power Park 1 and 2 reservoirs
•    Jabulani reservoir

Johannesburg Water said all direct feeds from Rand Water will be affected, affecting the Roodepoort, Central and Soweto areas.

The shutdown will take place from 7pm on Tuesday, 11 July. – SAnews.gov.za

Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu is expected to file a detailed affidavit outlining all the measures taken by the department in respect of the Vaal River pollution intervention.

This follows a court order on the application filed by a non-governmental organisation, Save The Vaal Environment, against the Water and Sanitation Minister regarding concerns about “the discharge of raw or inadequately treated sewage by Emfuleni Local Municipality from its wastewater care and management system into the Rietspruit River and/or the Klip River and/or the Vaal River and/or the Vaal River Catchment Area”.

The department said the High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Johannesburg) has, as per the agreement between the parties, ordered that Mchunu file an affidavit outlining all the measures taken to date in respect of the Minister’s Vaal River intervention, in terms of Section 63 of the Water Services Act, 1997. 

“The agreement was made an order of the court and the notice thereof was given on 26 June 2023,” the department said in a statement.

Under Section 63 of the Vaal Intervention, one of the ministry’s priority projects in Gauteng includes the upgrading of water infrastructure, refurbishment, operations and maintenance, sustainability, water conservation, water demand management, and advocacy within the Vaal area. 

“This is meant to deal with urgent matters relating to security of supply and more urgently, matters relating to the pollution of the Vaal River, and enhancement of capacity for the embattled Emfuleni Local Municipality.

“Rand Water, as the implementing agent, was formally appointed on 5 October 2021,” the department said. 

The department said Mchunu will be filing a detailed affidavit, including progress updates on the various elements of the intervention, amongst others. – SAnews.gov.za

The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has welcomed 78 newly trained constables deployed in various police stations in that province.

The welcoming session was held at the Landbank Building at the Provincial Commissioner’s boardroom.

Hadebe officially welcomed the new constables to the South African Police Service (SAPS) and prepared them for the new environment of policing and protecting the residents of Limpopo.

The constables are graduates from colleges and universities with different qualifications obtained at diverse faculties.

In her address, Hadebe congratulated everyone and thanked them for choosing to share their expertise with SAPS, as they will contribute towards the growth of the organisation.

She praised 10 constables with Master's degrees from different faculties such as Physics, Animal Production and Chemistry.

Hadebe advised the new constables to be humble and disciplined when sharing their ideas with their superiors, saying they should not allow their qualifications to stop them from learning the SAPS's functioning methods.

“As they perform their duties, they must always be alert and keep in mind that criminals are not kind but they should still abide by their mandate when faced with such challenges,” SAPS said in a statement.

Hadebe warned them not to be involved in corruption and abuse their powers as police officers.

She encouraged them to excel in their legal obligations and be proud of their new responsibilities of ensuring safety and security of the people of Limpopo. – SAnews.gov.za

President Cyril Ramaphosa will next week hold the 8th Presidential Imbizo in the Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality under the Sekhukhune District in Limpopo.  

The Presidential Imbizo is scheduled to take place on Friday, 14 July 2023, at Motodi Sports Complex, Ga Motodi village in Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality. 

The Imbizo will be preceded by a series of build-up outreach activities led by Ministers, MECs and Mayors in parts of Sekhukhune District Municipality and across the Limpopo Province. Media advisories will be issued for each of these activities. 

The Imbizo follows a commitment the President made to engage with communities throughout the country in his 2022 State of the Nation Address (SONA).

The imbizo platform builds on the District Development Model (DDM), which calls for greater cooperation between citizens and public representatives.

The DDM embodies an approach by which the three spheres of government and state entities work in unison in an impact-oriented way, and where there is higher performance and accountability for coherent service delivery and development outcomes. 

Last week, President Ramaphosa led the 7th Presidential District Development Model (DDM) Imbizo at the Oqungwini Sport Field in Alfred Duma Local Municipality, under Uthukela District Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal.

To date, President Cyril Ramaphosa has visited seven provinces, namely the North West, Free State, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Northern Cape, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal where he interacted with residents. – SAnews.gov.za
 

The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), in partnership with the City of Cape Town, will host a workshop on the implementation and operationalisation of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA).

The workshop, which will be held on Friday, is also in collaboration with the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism, and the Western Cape Tourism, Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Wesgro).

This follows the successful hosting of workshops in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.

The primary objective of these gatherings is to apprise South African companies and export-ready Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) on the benefits of trading under the AfCFTA.

The AfCFTA seeks to establish a large single continental market, encompassing a population of approximately 1.3 billion people and a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of approximately USD 3.4 trillion.

By participating in preferential trade beyond the Southern African region, South African companies can unlock significant progress and benefits for their respective businesses.

According to the Chief Director of Africa Multilateral Economic Relations at the dtic, Sandile Tyini, the workshop seeks to communicate and engage with the private sector, SMEs, as well as women and youth-owned export-ready businesses on the status of the implementation of the AfCFTA, including opportunities for South African companies to participate in preferential trade beyond the Southern African region. 

“The workshop will focus on six sector master plans, namely steel and metal fabrication; agriculture and agro-processing; retail-clothing, textiles, footwear, and leather (R-CTFL) value chain; automotive industry, sugar value chain and forestry.

“These workshops will also identify companies, within the provinces in the targeted sector master plans, as well as other priority sectors that wish to export to the rest of the continent. 

“In addition, the workshops will expose export ready companies to the benefits of exporting under the AfCFTA,” Tyini said.

The AfCFTA presents tremendous opportunities for South African companies to expand and diversify their export base beyond traditional markets in Southern Africa.

By exploring new markets in North, West, Central and Eastern Africa, businesses can tap into previously untapped potential.

The continental free trade area also includes mechanisms to support emerging producers, SMEs, as well as women and youth entrepreneurs, enabling them to participate and benefit from the opportunities it offers. – SAnews.gov.za

A Bloemfontein pastor has paid back some R1.9 million in funding fraudulently received from the Agricultural Sector Education Training Authority (AgriSeta).

According to a joint statement by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Lerato Mokoteli and accomplice Anthony Dywili applied for funding at AgriSeta under the guise of providing training and mentoring in food garden operations in Kimberley.

The corruption busting unit said the two claimed that the application was a joint venture between Business Against Crime and another AgriSeta-accredited service provider, Dipalemo – a joint venture which did not exist.

“Upon receiving the R1.9 million funding, Mokoteli and Dywili concluded a Memorandum of Understanding between Business Against Crime and Northern Cape Empowerment Academy led by Dipalemo, knowing very well that the academy exists only on paper.

“Mokotedi submitted to AgriSeta a close-up report on behalf of Dipalemo knowing very well that Dipalemo did not render any training. 50 learners were trained and received certificate of competency in food operation. They were paid a stipend of R219 000…

“R381 564.86 was claimed to have been used for the administration of training. Dywili did not disclose to AgriSeta that R600 000 of the funding was unspent, in violation of the terms of the agreement,” the statement read.

In July 2016, some R317 000 of the funding was then paid to a non-profit organisation chaired by Dywili.

The SIU has referred evidence of criminality to the National Prosecuting Authority for criminal prosecution.

“The duo, together with Jeremia Madiba, AgriSeta CEO between 2008 and 2017, were charged with various counts of fraud and money laundering. Madiba allegedly awarded the tender without the required decision by the Board of Directors of AgriSeta, therefore, in contravention of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). He will be appearing in court on a PFMA charge on 28 August 2023.

“On 26 May 2023, Mokoteli entered into a guilty plea agreement with the State. In terms of the agreement, Mokoteli pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud and two counts of money laundering and agreed to pay back R1.9 million to AgriSeta,” the statement read.

Mokoteli was convicted and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for fraud and a further five years for money laundering, wholly suspended for five years. – SAnews.gov.za

 

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) continues to record success in its fight against corruption with the arrest of an examiner of motor vehicles licences and a driving school instructor in Vrede, in the Free State.

In a statement on Tuesday, the RTMC said the two face charges of fraud relating to the issuing of learner driving licenses.

“For the past eight months, members of the National Traffic Anti-Corruption Unit and the Hawks have been investigating operations at the Vrede driving and learner licensing centre.

“Their investigations revealed that a specific driving school instructor was colluding with an examiner employed at the licensing centre for his clients to be fraudulently assisted to obtain learner licences.

“The instructor allegedly recruited and introduced learner licence applicants to the examiner who then assisted applicants by surreptitiously indicating the correct answers to the questions while in the process of writing the test,” RTMC said.

Unsuspecting applicants were made to pay a bribe of R1 500 for the fraudulent service.

The suspects are scheduled to appear in the local magistrate’s court soon.

Last week, four individuals were arrested at the Temba licensing centre in Tshwane while trying fraudulently attempting to take learner licences tests on behalf of absent applicants.

Twelve examiners of motor vehicles were also arrested in Polokwane last month for issuing vehicle roadworthy certificates for vehicles that were never presented to testing. – SAnews.gov.za

Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane is today visiting Hoërskool Garsfontein in Pretoria  following the discovery of a deceased learner on Tuesday.

In a statement on Tuesday, Chiloane said this follows the discovery of a Grade 10 girl learner’s body this morning. 

According to information at the department’s disposal, the discovery was made by the school’s security, who found a corpse on the school’s rugby field on Tuesday morning, which has been identified as a Grade 10 girl learner from the school.

Police have been called and they are currently at the scene conducting investigations.

According to the department, the learner’s family is also at the school and they will receive necessary support from the department’s psycho-social support team.

“What is unclear at this stage is how the dead body of the girl learner ended up at the school, especially as schools are on recess and there are no learners at school. We call upon police to urgently apprehend the perpetrators.

“We also extend our sincerest condolences to the family and the school community at large,” Chiloane said. – SAnews.gov.za 

The Electoral Commission (IEC) has partnered with social media giants Google, Meta, TikTok and non-profit organisation Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) to curb disinformation ahead of South Africa’s 2024 National and Provincial Elections.

In a crucial step towards safeguarding the integrity of information and preserving the fundamentals of South Africa's electoral processes, the parties signed a Framework of Cooperation to work together to combat disinformation and other digital harms.

Although the IEC worked with platforms in the last two general elections, it is the first time that a Framework of Cooperation is signed.

The bourgeoning use of digital media in recent years has seen a corresponding surge in digital disinformation, particularly on social media platforms. Electoral processes have not been spared. Left unchecked, this phenomenon stands to undermine the conduct of credible elections.

Disinformation is defined as false, inaccurate or misleading information designed to intentionally cause harm. Within an election context, this includes false information intended to unduly affect participation in and the outcome of elections.

Electoral Commission Chairperson, Mosotho Moepya, said the framework is important because disinformation poses a threat to the exercise of various rights and to the access of constitutional protections, including freedom of expression, access to credible information, and the freedom to make informed political choices.

“The dissemination of disinformation has huge potential to undermine the fairness and credibility of elections. Credible information is the lifeblood of all democracies. Trustworthy information is crucial in the process that enables citizens to choose their leaders,” Moepya said.

The framework covers the following:

• It establishes cooperation during the election period, in good faith.
• It is a collaborative framework that respects existing laws and does not require sharing confidential user data.
• It aligns with the South African Constitution, the Electoral Act and Electoral Code of Conduct.
• It supports the establishment of a working group between partners, promotes access to accurate information; conduct of awareness campaigns on elections, and provides training to political parties, election candidates and other key election stakeholders on addressing disinformation.
• It allows online platforms to implement policies and processes such as content removal, advisory warnings, and delisting to address disinformation.
• It enables signatories to cooperate with the IEC and MMA on initiatives including Real411.org (complaints platform) and PADRE.org.za (transparent repository of political advertisements) to combat disinformation.

“Real411 takes proactive measures against disinformation. Upon careful review of any reported complaint indicating disinformation or misinformation, the Commission promptly notifies the relevant online platform. The platform is expected to acknowledge and swiftly process the notification, ensuring a diligent response,” said William Bird, the MMA Africa Director.

The social media platforms will bolster resources to prioritise referrals from the Commission during the election period.

Actions taken by the platforms are in terms of their policies and may include the removal of the content, the publication of an advisory warning and/or the delisting of the post.

Action to deal with disinformation

The Real411 digital disinformation reporting platform will form part of the work of the Electoral Commission’s Directorate of Electoral Offences, which was first established ahead of the 2016 Municipal Elections to investigate alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct and prohibited conduct as contained in the Electoral Act.

The Commission’s Directorate, comprising independent attorneys, operates throughout the term of the election timetable. It investigates complaints and provides recommendations for possible further action.

Real411 complaints regarding disinformation will be considered by a panel of relevant experts, including those with expertise in media law, social and digital media. They will make recommendations for possible further action for the consideration of the Commission.

Such action could include:

• Referring the matter to the Electoral Court.
• Referring the matter to social media platforms to act upon in terms of their respective policies and undertakings.
• Issuing media statements to alert the public and correct the disinformation.

The initiative will also include information to help educate voters about the dangers of disinformation and how to spot it.

The social media partners applauded the framework and reiterated their commitment to cooperate with the IEC in this initiative.

The partners stressed that they have policies and mechanisms in place to counter disinformation, and would continue to use these as contribution to the collective effort to eradicate falsehoods.

“Google has always been committed to supporting democratic processes, including supporting elections integrity and ensuring trust among voters.

“We place a big focus on creating products and programmes that enable people across the globe to engage with these activities through information that is accurate, protecting elections and campaigns from bad actors, as well as assisting campaigns in managing their digital presence,”Abongile Mashile, Senior Manager: Government Affairs and Public Policy, at Google Southern Africa said.

Balkissa Idè Siddo, Public Policy Director for Africa at Meta, said: “Protecting the integrity of the 2024 elections in South Africa is a key priority for our company. As our platforms continue to play an important role in civic discussions around the world, including here in South Africa, we know we have an important responsibility.

“Using lessons from the past and input from a range of experts, including dedicated and local teams within Meta, we continue to make substantial investments to help take aggressive steps in fighting abuse across our platforms, while rolling out policies and products to help ensure a safe and secure general election. We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with the South African Electoral Commission.”

Fortune Mgwili-Sibanda, the Public Policy and Government Relations Director at TikTok, said: “At TikTok, we take the responsibility to protect our community as well as the integrity of our platform – particularly around elections – with the utmost seriousness.

“We're proud to be a place that brings people together over creative and entertaining content, and we work hard to keep harmful misinformation and other violations of our policies off our platform.” – SAnews.gov.za

KwaZulu-Natal Social Development MEC, Nonhlanhla Khoza, has reiterated her call for parents and caregivers to take every necessary precaution to protect their children.

Khoza’s call comes after the tragic incident that occurred in Mandlanzini, Richards Bay, resulting in the loss of two young lives.

According to the reports, two-year-old Lwandoluhle Khetha and her eight-month-old sister Kwanelisiwe Khetha, lost their lives in a devastating house fire while left unattended by their father.

Khoza emphasised the importance of safeguarding children from various potential hazards, including drowning, poisoning and accidents within the home and community.

“We call upon parents and caregivers to assume responsibility for taking every necessary precaution to protect their children. We urge the public to redouble their efforts in creating a safe and nurturing environment for all children to thrive, grow and flourish.”

Khoza extended her deepest condolences to the Khetha family affected by the tragic incident.

She said the department remains committed to providing support, education and resources to parents, caregivers and communities to ensure the safety and well-being of all children.

A team of social workers has been dispatched by the department to provide psycho-social support to the grieving family.

The children were laid to rest on Sunday. – SAnews.gov.za

Daytime load shedding is expected to return from Wednesday morning following increased failure of generation units at state power utility, Eskom.

The power utility had not implemented the rolling power cuts in the daytime since Friday due to improved performance at power stations.

From Wednesday, Stage 1 load shedding will be implemented from 5am to 4pm on Wednesday and Thursday followed by Stage 3 from 4pm until midnight on both days.

The scheduled power outages are then expected to be suspended from midnight on Thursday until 4pm on Friday afternoon with Stage 3 following.

“Over the past 24 hours, a generating unit each at Grootvlei, Kriel and Matla power stations was returned to service. In the same period, a generation unit each at Majuba and Tutuka power stations was taken out of service due to breakdowns.

“The delay in returning to service a generating unit at Tutuka Power Station is contributing to the current capacity constraints. Eskom teams are working around the clock to return generating units to service over the next few days,” the power utility said in a statement.

Generation unit breakdowns have taken offline some 14 991MW of capacity coupled with a further 4264MW offline due to planned maintenance.

“We thank those South Africans who do heed the call to use electricity sparingly and efficiently, including switching off geysers from 5pm to 9pm, as this lowers demand and helps in alleviating the pressure on the power system and contributes to lower stages of load shedding,” Eskom said. – SAnews.gov.za

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) is investigating allegations of assault against members of the Protection Security Services unit in the South African Police Service (SAPS).

IPID Executive Director Dikeledi Jennifer Ntlatseng received a complaint from Members of Parliament Andrew Whitfield and Ockert Terreblanche regarding an incident of assault that took place on the N1 North, within the precinct of the Sandton Police station.

A video of heavily armed SAPS officers assaulting a Gauteng motorist and two others has been circulated on social media.

The footage showed members of SAPS assaulting the driver of a VW Polo and his passengers.

IPID investigators have already been in contact with family members of the victims so that they could be assisted in laying charges.

“Engagements are underway to also get the employers of the victims to assist with the investigations. IPID has already engaged SAPS management who are offering their full cooperation as far as the IPID investigation is concerned,” IPID said in a statement.

The police said they have established that the two black BMW X5s captured in the viral video were indeed owned by the SA Police Service. After allegedly assaulting the victims, the VIP officers got back into three black BMW SUVs and sped off.

Meanwhile, the National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola has condemned the behaviour of the police officers.

“Members of the SAPS are meant to uphold and protect the fundamental rights of every person and exercise the powers conferred upon them in a responsible and controlled manner. Such action cannot be condoned regardless of the circumstance,” he said. - SAnews.gov.za