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Johannesburg, February 7, 2024: RivExcel and American Hospital Dubai recently partnered and launched three medical tourism offices in Nigeria. This expansion will facilitate greater access to premium healthcare services, reflecting both organizations’ dedication to enhancing global health outcomes. Part of the expansion plan is to have 30 offices across crucial Africa and Eastern Europe locations. …
About 200 people attended a summit hosted by Mining Affected Communities United in Action in Pretoria
The Runified City 50km event which will start and finish at Pollock Beach, Summerstrand on Sunday, 25 February, will be open to all this year and will be an official Two Oceans and Comrades Marathon qualifier. An added incentive for entrants is that there will also be an official 42,2km timing mat which runners will …
The judge is before the Judicial Conduct Tribunal to answer charges of gross misconduct
Taking stock of the sixth administration
Thursday’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) to be delivered by President Cyril Ramaphosa will be the last one to be made by the sixth administration.
The President - in his capacity as Head of State and government - will deliver the annual SONA at 7pm, before a joint sitting of the National Assembly (NA) and the National Council of Provinces (NCOP).
Just as individuals usually make a list of their goals at the start of each year, and the steps they need to take to attain them, the SONA similarly sets out government’s key policy objectives as well as deliverables for the year ahead.
The President is expected to reflect on the gains made and the areas that still need attention since the last SONA.
However, having been inaugurated as President on 25 May 2019, President Ramaphosa is also likely to look back on the term of his administration.
According to the Presidency, this administration “took office with a mandate to grow the economy, create employment and reduce poverty.” It was also tasked with putting an end to corruption as well as “restoring the integrity and capability of public institutions.”
Government has over the years made progress in improving the lives of those within the borders of South Africa.
Advancements have been made in the key priorities of growing the economy and job creation, building better lives, making communities safer and fighting crime.
Over the years, irrespective of the administration at the helm, an inclusive economy in which all South Africans can partake in, has and continues to be a top issue for government.
Fixing the economy and load shedding
In order to grow the economy, reliable energy supply is essential and energy security is cited in the country’s Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan (ERRP). In July 2022, government launched the Energy Action Plan (EAP). The EAP is a set of steps to be taken to address load shedding.
Government has amended Schedule 2 of the Electricity Regulation Act to remove the licencing requirement for generation projects to accelerate private investment.
By September 2023, more than 100 projects were at various stages of development, representing over 10 000 megawatts of new generation capacity and over R200 billion in private sector investment.
Other steps taken to reform the electricity sector include the tabling of the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill in Parliament.
In addition, progress continues to be made towards the unbundling of Eskom, with the newly established National Transmission Company of South Africa (NTCSA) obtaining its operating, trading, and import and export licences from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa in September 2023, allowing the company to operate independently from the power utility. This as government works to separate Eskom into the Generation, Distribution and Transmission entities. Last month, Eskom announced the appointment of the National Transmission Company of South Africa board.
This is one of the most important pillars of Eskom’s legal separation which will “create a level playing field to enable competition in electricity generation, as a key step towards energy security,” noted the 'Leave No One Behind 2024 – A Five-Year Review', document released by the Presidency earlier this week.
The sixth administration also oversaw the appointment of Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, in March last year as part of efforts to address power cuts and to expedite government’s work to ensure the full implementation of the EAP.
At a recent media briefing on the implementation of the plan, Ramokgopa said that work continues to address partial load losses – that is, when Eskom’s generating units do not produce the full capacity, they were intended to.
In November 2023, South Africa received the first consignment of 450 gasoline generators donated by the People’s Republic of China. The donation formed part of the Technical Assistance Programme that was entered into in August 2023 during China’s Head of State Visit to South Africa.
Jobs and investment
The ERRP was government’s response to the severe health, social and economic effects of the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic.
Announced in 2020, the plan was founded on engagements among social partners, including government, labour, business and community-based organisations.
October 2023 marked three years since government embarked on the plan, which outlined the actions to rebuild the economy and create jobs in the wake of the pandemic.
The government has put in place the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI). Through the initiative announced in 2020, at least 135 000 earning opportunities were secured by young people.
On Tuesday, the President held a presidential youth engagement in Cape Town reflecting on the three years since the initiation of the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES) and PYEI.
According to the Presidency, the PES and PYEI programmes have “collectively generated over 1.8 million job opportunities and provided livelihood support, predominantly benefiting young individuals”.
The sixth administration also oversaw the successful raising of the R1.2 trillion worth of investments over five years that President Ramaphosa announced in 2018.
Held annually over the past five years, the South Africa Investment Conference (SAIC) surpassed the initial R1.2 trillion target to reach R1.51 trillion in investment pledges. To date, there are concrete results of how the pledges made at the conference are changing lives and creating employment.
The review document notes that of the commitments made, over R500 billion has already flowed into the economy.
Having made pledges continually at the SAIC, Procter &Gamble in November 2023 launched a state-of-the-art production line of Pampers Premium Care which the President attended in Kempton Park in Ekurhuleni.
Another company which pledged R135 million at last year’s SAIC is also making good on its commitment.
In October 2023, energy company, Ener-G-Africa, launched an energy-efficient cook stove manufacturing line in Paarl, and expanded its solar panel production line from 15MW to 500MW capacity.
The company pledged R135 million in the production of small solar PV panels and solar cooking appliances at their women-led production facility in Cape Town.
AfCFTA
President Ramaphosa also oversaw the launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as Chairperson of the African Union, which is currently the largest free trade area in the world. The AfCFTA which entered into force in May 2019, is expected to boost trade and economic growth on the continent.
Trading under the AfCFTA regime commenced January 2021 and last month South Africa practically realised the AfCFTA agreement. This as the President officiated the launch of the first export shipment of goods produced by South African companies destined for other African countries from KwaZulu-Natal’s Durban port.
Better lives and education
On building better lives, the current administration introduced the National Minimum Wage (NMW) for the first time in the country’s history, guaranteeing a minimum floor below which no worker may be paid with the coming into effect of the minimum wage on 1 January 2019.
The President had announced its coming into effect in December 2018.
Back in 2019, the minimum wage was set at R20 an hour and has increased over the years. Currently standing at R25,42 the minimum wage will increase to R27,58 for each ordinary hour worked with effect from 1 March 2024.
Click here for more on the “National minimum wage increases”.
To ensure healthcare for all, Parliament passed the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill last year after it was introduced in 2019. The Bill aims to provide free health care at the point of care for all South Africans. In preparation for the NHI, Health Patient Registration Systems have been installed in over 3 200 facilities.
Meanwhile, social grants for people most affected by COVID-19 were expanded, including the Special Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant, which reached around 11 million unemployed people.
On the education front, no-fee schools which government introduced in 2007 have continued to ensure that children get access to schooling. To date, the number of learners that are not required to pay school fees increased from 71% to 75% in 2021.
In addition, the latest matric pass rate, at 82.9%, is the highest ever, up from 78% ten years ago. Learners from no-fee paying schools accounted for more than 65% of the total bachelor passes obtained. The percentage of learners who completed 12 years of education rose from 45% in 2008 to 62% in 2022.
Safer communities
The sixth administration has increased the number of police officers including the recruitment of 20 000 police trainees and an additional 4 000 public order policing members in 2022 and 2023.
In addition, 20 specialised South African Police Service Economic Infrastructure Task Teams have been established to work with business, private security and state-owned enterprises to tackle illegal mining, construction site extortion, cable theft and vandalism of economic infrastructure.
The review noted that by November 2023, the teams had made over 4 000 arrests for damage of critical infrastructure, 70 arrests for extortion at construction sites and over 3 000 arrests for illegal mining, and confiscated significant quantities of copper cable, rail tracks and other metals.
Government also launched the Border Management Authority as the third armed force to manage and secure the country’s borders, providing a vital link in government’s efforts to harness the benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
On tackling gender-based violence and femicide(GBV), he National Strategic Plan on Gender-based Violence was developed, together with civil society, as a society-wide response to this national emergency. Around R21 billion has been dedicated over the medium term to the implementation of the six pillars of the plan, including the economic empowerment of women.
Meanwhile, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has achieved an average conviction rate of 94% in femicide prosecutions and 75% in sexual offences prosecutions since 2019.
In addition, the GBVF Response Fund 1 was launched, which raised R200 million from the private sector for community-based organisations combating GBV. In the first year of the Fund’s operation, 53 community-based organisations were funded, reaching 280 000 participants.
Fighting corruption
The NPA Investigating Directorate was established to prosecute state capture and other significant corruption cases.
To date, the Investigating Directorate has taken 34 state capture and corruption cases to court, involving 203 accused persons and 65 accused entities. The NPA has also secured the conviction of over 500 government officials and nearly 800 in the private sector on offences related to corruption since 2019.
In addition, a SIU Special Tribunal was appointed to expedite civil claims against corrupt individuals and the recovery of stolen funds. Since its establishment, it has recovered over R8.6 billion.
As the country prepares for its 30 years of freedom celebration, the sixth administration has certainly done its bit in a challenging environment. -SAnews.gov.za
Neo
Wed, 02/07/2024 - 15:11
The Basketball Africa League (BAL), FIBA Africa and Hennessy, the world-renowned cognac brand and the Official Spirit of the BAL, will host a networking event, “BAL IN” on Feb. 9 at the FIBA Regional Office in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire.
The “BAL IN” experience will be an opportunity for sports lovers, basketball fans and cognac enthusiasts to live an exciting experience from the two iconic brands. BAL and Hennessy share common values of bringing people together, creating unforgettable experiences and celebrating the creativity and culture on the continent. As part of the event, BAL, FIBA Africa and Hennessy will celebrate Africa's cultural resonance across basketball, fashion, music, art, and design through tasting, mixology and cultural experiences.
The “BAL IN” experience is part of the league's long-term strategy to connect and engage with fans across the continent and beyond including the African Diaspora. Previous networking events have been held in Accra, Ghana; Berlin, Germany; Lagos, Nigeria; Paris, France and Salt Lake City, U.S.
“We are super excited to see the momentum building across Africa and around the world, especially among the African Diaspora,” said BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall. “This “BAL IN” event in Abidjan celebrates African sports industry excellence, provides networking opportunities for industry stakeholders, in line with the BAL's commitment to being a catalyst for the growth of a robust African sports, entertainment and lifestyle ecosystem.”
“As the Official Spirit of the NBA and the BAL, Hennessy is looking forward to another exciting season, especially with the addition of South Africa to the host markets this year. We invite fans to enjoy both the games hosted across the continent and the cultural playground that's celebrated beyond the court,” said General Manager Southern Africa and Marketing Director Africa Middle East at Moët Hennessy David White.
The expanded fourth season of the BAL will tip off on Saturday, March 9, 2024, at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa. The 2024 BAL season will feature the top 12 club teams from 12 African countries playing a record 48 games in Pretoria; Cairo, Egypt; Dakar, Senegal; and Kigali, Rwanda over four months, marking the first BAL games in South Africa and the first time the league will play games in four different countries. Fans can register their interest in tickets to games in all four markets at BAL.NBA.com.
During the 2024 BAL season, the 12 teams will be divided into three conferences of four teams each. Each conference will play a 12-game group phase during which each team will face the other three teams in its conference twice. The inaugural Kalahari Conference group phase will take place from Saturday, March 9 – Sunday, March 17 at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria. The Nile Conference group phase will take place from Friday, April 19 – Saturday, April 27 at Hassan Mostafa Indoor Sports Complex in Cairo. The Sahara Conference group phase will take place from Saturday, May 4 – Sunday, May 12 at the Dakar Arena in Dakar. The top two teams from each conference and the top two third-place teams from across the three conferences will travel to Kigali for four seeding games followed by an eight-game, single-elimination Playoffs and Finals from Friday, May 24 – Saturday, June 1 at BK Arena.
The 12 BAL teams, conferences, game schedule and additional information about the 2024 BAL season will be announced in the coming weeks.
BAL Season 4 announcement video (Credit: Basketball Africa League) (https://apo-opa.co/3SrLphb)
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of National Basketball Association (NBA).
Prof Tladi sworn in as SA's first permanent ICJ judge
Professor Dire Tladi has been sworn in as the first-ever South African judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The ICJ held a public sitting on Tuesday morning, where Tladi and three other Excellencies were officially sworn in after being elected by the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council on 9 November 2023.
The other new members of the court include Bogdan-Lucian Aurescu from Romania, Sarah Hull Cleveland from the United States and Juan Manuel Gómez Robledo Verduzco from Mexico
During the sitting, the four judges each solemnly declared Article 20 of the Statute of the Court.
The declaration, according to the ICJ, stipulates that members shall, before taking up their duties, make a solemn declaration in open court that they will exercise their powers impartially and conscientiously.
The new members’ nine-year terms of office will begin on the same day.
Last year, President Cyril Ramaphosa described Tladi’s election as an outstanding personal achievement that the nation shares with great pride.
“We appreciate the confidence expressed by the United Nations in Prof Tladi’s capabilities. He becomes the newest member of a fraternity of South Africans globally who are in positions of service to the international community and making important contributions to the better world we seek to build.
“We wish Prof Tladi well as he prepares to contribute to the Court and its jurisprudence from the Palace of Peace in The Hague, Netherlands,” the President said then.
The ICJ is the principal judicial organ of the UN and one of the six principal bodies of the intergovernmental organisation.
The court’s role is to settle, per international law, legal disputes submitted to it by states and to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorised UN organs and specialised agencies.
South Africans have become familiar with the top UN court after the country approached it to garner not only a ceasefire of Israel’s military barrage of Palestine but also to ask the court to find the Israeli government guilty of committing acts of genocide.
The ICJ found that it was “plausible” that Israel committed acts which violated the Genocide Convention.
The court in The Hague ordered Israel to, amongst others, take all measures within its power “to prevent and punish the direct and public incitement to commit genocide” and to immediately ensure that Palestinians have access to basic services and humanitarian assistance.
The Professor is a leading international law scholar whose accomplishments span different areas of the field, including academic, government service, diplomatic and practice.
On his appointment as a judge of the ICJ, he was the University of Pretoria professor of international law and Future Africa's Research Chair in Global Equity in Africa.
Speaking to the university last year, he said he was experiencing a mix of different emotions.
“I am filled with mixed emotions – excitement, elation and a touch of nervousness. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude because so many people played a role in this journey.
“The entire experience has been humbling, especially navigating through the challenges of an intense campaign, and juggling various responsibilities over the past few months. The announcement and the tense process have undoubtedly taken a toll, but I'm absolutely ecstatic and profoundly humbled by the experience,” the Professor added. – SAnews.gov.za
Gabisile
Tue, 02/06/2024 - 13:35
President Ramaphosa engages youth ahead of SONA
President Cyril Ramaphosa has held a pre-State of the Nation Address (SONA) engagement with young people at the Belhar Sports Complex in Cape Town.
The engagement was aimed at taking stock – together with the youth – of the past three years since the commencement of the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES) and Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI).
The two programmes have created more than 1.7 million job opportunities and provided livelihood support, predominantly benefiting young people.
At the engagement on Tuesday, President Ramaphosa told the youth that the sixth administration has, since it took office, made a decision to “focus on young people" because of the youth unemployment challenge that South Africa faces.
"We are going to craft many programmes and as many as we can. We did so because we wanted to give young people an opportunity to start off with their lives.
“Sitting here, I am rather pleased that we’ve set up this Youth Employment Service,where we’ve said to the private sector: take young people and give them a life chance opportunity by getting them to learn on the job. But we went further and we set up the PYEI, which has opened up enormous opportunities,” he said.
Reflecting on the past 30 years of democracy and how the lives of young people are impacted by this, the President said that since the end of apartheid, government has opened the doors of learning for all school going children, and assisted more than a million older youth in attaining higher education.
“When apartheid ended, we decided that we are going to open the doors of learning for young people to go into learning institutions by their millions and having done so, we opened up no-fee schools… We decided that we are going to feed young people at school. We have the biggest feeding programme on the whole continent, feeding nine million children everyday for five days of the week.
“We focused on higher education, [where]... today NSFAS [National Student Financial Aid Scheme] supports 1.2 million young people. I know of no country on the African continent that does so,” he said.
President Ramaphosa noted that by putting more youth through higher education, more effort needs to be put into creating jobs for those who graduate.
“This is what led to the conceptualisation of all these [employment] programmes. We rely on the private sector to create jobs but they are not creating jobs fast enough so government had to step in to create those job opportunities.
“The vision is to make sure that we prepare the future of South Africa through educating, through skilling and then creating job opportunities for these young people,” he said.
The President assured the youth that government will not stop in its efforts to ensure that the youth are skilled and employed.
“We never had those opportunities but the democratic government has made sure that we open all these opportunities and they are there for you to take…and to make a good start in your own lives.
“But we are going to massify. I want to see millions of young people becoming involved in various opportunities and getting into jobs. Our commitment to you, as young people, is irrevocable, it is permanent, it is there committed like no other,” President Ramaphosa said. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Tue, 02/06/2024 - 19:18
On 02 February 2024, Western Cape Minister of Social Development, Sharna Fernandez, visited different SASSA offices in Cape Town.
These oversight visits follow last month's reports of at least 150 000 SASSA grant beneficiaries not receiving their payouts for January. SASSA is a national agency of the South African government, yet the Western Cape Department of Social Development (WCDSD) receives regular complaints and queries about SASSA from beneficiaries in the province and even from other parts of the country, and the department does everything it can to step into this service delivery gap left my national government.
The only course of action available to the provincial department is to refer the matter directly to SASSA's regional staff so that they may look into the matter.
While the operations of SASSA fall outside of the mandate of WCDSD, Provincial Minister Fernandez felt it was important to hear from residents directly on their experiences.
Speaking to Old Age Grant beneficiaries, they commented that they had been queueing at pay points in Mitchells Plain from as early as 4am. There were many who complained about the poor service they have experienced at their local SASSA office, from unhelpful staff to systems regularly being offline and only a limited number of people being helped at a time.
At the Mitchells Plain SASSA office, there was no one to engage with, as the manager was in a meeting. The Western Cape Department of Social Development staff share a building with SASSA and beneficiaries often seek help from them if they get turned away by SASSA or aren't helped. On certain days there are long queues of people standing outside the office waiting to be helped, with no shelter from inclement weather like extreme heat or rain.
In Wynberg, SASSA staff and management were open to engage with Provincial Minister Fernandez, sharing their challenges and wins. National Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu was at this office on 26 January 2024.
“My office has contacted Minister Zulu several times on previous occasions to meet about SASSA. The fact that the Minister was in Cape Town, meeting with a SASSA local office, without extending an invitation to my office is disheartening as I believe a collaborative approach is best to serve vulnerable citizens. We wish to work with Minister Zulu for the benefit of all those who are dependent on grants, for all those who wake up before the crack of dawn and walk far distances in the dark to withdraw their money. It seems however that the Minister is content to maintain the status quo of poor services to the most vulnerable,” says Provincial Minister Fernandez.
Provincial Minister Fernandez was impressed with the orderly way the Wynberg SASSA office was being run, although management said staff shortages and load shedding sometimes negatively impacted service delivery.
“I will be meeting with SASSA's provincial management next week. I hope to discuss these on the ground experiences and other issues beneficiaries and staff have raised with us. I trust that through teamwork and collaboration we can work together to ensure beneficiaries receive quality services and are treated with respect, with their dignity protected,” says Provincial Minister Fernandez.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic Of South Africa: Western Cape Provincial Government.
JOHANNESBURG: Cricket South Africa (CSA) and South Western Districts Cricket (SWD) have received with great the sadness, news of the passing...
Home Affairs pleased with response to extension of operating hours
The Department of Home Affairs has assisted more than 33 500 people in its offices and 105 mobile units that were deployed in the first two days of the service delivery blitz during the Voter Registration Weekend.
The majority of the people, that is, more than 25 700, visited on Saturday, 03 February 2024. Nearly 7 900 visited during the two additional operating hours from 4pm to 6pm on Friday, 02 February 2024.
“This public response is galvanizing us to do more as we prepare to welcome those people who want to visit our offices today. We are open from 8am until 5pm,” Deputy Minister Njabulo Nzuza said on Sunday.
This as the Electoral Commission is holding the country’s second Voter Registration Weekend ahead of the national elections.
According to the department, the overwhelming public response led to two offices and four mobile units operating beyond 5pm in the Eastern Cape.
One office in the Western Cape operated beyond the closing time while there were three offices and two mobile units that did the same in Mpumalanga. In Gauteng, four offices operated beyond 5pm while one office did in KwaZulu-Natal.
Over the two days, nearly 23 400 people came to collect their IDs. Another 9 100, mostly first-time applicants, came to apply for IDs. More than 920 people applied for and received their Temporary Identification Certificates on the spot.
There were 148 people who were referred by the Independent Electoral Commission to Home Affairs to update their status on the Voters’ Roll. People who came to collect their passports were also assisted.
“We continue to encourage first-time applicants to come and collect their documents. Home Affairs takes up to 13 working days to deliver an ID from the day of application. Therefore, if it has been more than two weeks since you applied, please come back and collect your ID,” Nzuza said.
The department has further set up dedicated queues for collection in offices that have space for such, to make the collection process faster. – SAnews.gov.za
DikelediM
Sun, 02/04/2024 - 13:39
The Runified City 50km is set to take place on 25 February along the scenic beachfront of Gqeberha and local athletes will be looking to shine in a race which will be broadcast live through SuperSport on the day. “I am thrilled that our Runified City 50km is ranked by the International Ultrarunners Association as …
Mashatile engages business leaders
Deputy President Paul Mashatile has held an interactive session with more than 50 business leaders at a Sandton event organised by The European House – Ambrosetti, a leading global think tank.
According to the Deputy President’s Office, Wednesday’s event was convened to strengthen the strategic relationships between industry and governments and promote growth through a multi-stakeholder approach.
Discussions touched on various topics, including economic priorities and reforms, tackling unemployment and poverty, building investor confidence in South Africa, and driving foreign direct investment into the country.
“The closed session provided a platform for business leaders to engage with the Deputy President, who has been instrumental in courting investment to boost SA's economy, as part of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s ongoing investment drive,” the statement read.
Despite the challenges facing the country, the Deputy President expressed his optimism about the government's willingness to change its fortunes for the better.
He emphasised the need for public-private partnerships, such as those facilitated by the Southern Africa CEO Community – African Chapter, to help address the country’s challenges and provide support for businesses, and rural and township communities.
The forum also offered an opportunity for the Deputy President to listen to and collaborate with business leaders on key areas that the government defines as critical for the future of the country and the community.
“It also served as a means to strengthen ties between the government and private sectors based on principles of mutual respect and shared interests and values.”
The Deputy President agreed with business leaders that there is a need to accelerate the resolution of challenges impacting key economic enablers, namely energy, transport and logistics, crime, and corruption.
“We should work together to solve our economic difficulties while promoting greater social inclusion and sustainability. Through collaboration, we will be able to make South Africa a better and more prosperous nation,” the Deputy President said. – SAnews.gov.za
Gabisile
Thu, 02/01/2024 - 13:04
Port Shepstone Civic Centre under Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality was a hive of activity on Tuesday, 30 January 2024 as local SMEs attended the Investor Workshop on the new Ugu District One Stop Shop. Hosted by South Coast Tourism & Investment Enterprise (SCTIE) in partnership with Trade & Investment KwaZulu-Natal (TIKZN), the workshop showcased investment …
New houses for Ekurhuleni senior citizens
The Minister of Human Settlements, Mmamoloko Kubayi, along with Ekurhuleni Executive Mayor Sivuyile Ngodwana and Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements, Lebohang Maile, have distributed houses to first time homeowners in Clayville in Tembisa.
In a statement released by the office of the Executive Mayor of the City of Ekurhuleni on Wednesday, the project in Clayville will see just under 500 houses handed over to new owners in the future.
According to the statement, five houses were handed over to senior citizens with the oldest recipient being 91 years old.
“This is the best day of my life. At my age I was even beginning to think that I would die without having had to own a proper house,” said one of the beneficiaries, Christina Ndou.
The leadership later moved to Palm Ridge in Katlehong where 100 title deeds were handed over giving first time homeowners security of tenure.
Minister Kubayi expressed delight at the rate at which the government was delivering houses around the country.
“We have been crisscrossing the country inspecting and handing out houses, and yes the progress is quite impressive,” the Minister said.
Meanwhile, Mayor Ngodwana said that it was ‘very progressive’ that all three spheres of government work together to provide a better life for the people of the Republic. – SAnews.gov.za
DikelediM
Thu, 02/01/2024 - 15:11
In today’s fast-paced and largely online business landscape, effective financial management is crucial for sustainable business growth and success. Xero Accounting software offers a number of business-specific features and tools designed to simplify accounting processes, streamline and automate repetitive tasks, and provide valuable insights into your business’s financial health. Whether you’re a small business owner, …
The recent storm and flood damage in KwaZulu-Natal is estimated to be R2.5 billion and with more heavy weather warnings on the way, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Thembi Nkadimeng is calling for a state of disaster in the province. While major infrastructure like roads, bridges, railways, and schools has sustained massive damage, …
He was a tireless worker for the rights of the vulnerable
Councillor Messie Makuwa says she is ready to fight in court
Have your say on National Small Enterprise Amendment Bill
The Select Committee on Trade and Industry, Economic Development, Small Business Development, Tourism, Employment and Labour has invited stakeholders and interested parties to make written submissions on the National Small Enterprise Amendment Bill [B16B – 2023] (sec 76).
The Bill seeks to amend the National Small Enterprise Act, 1996, in order to amend, delete, insert and to substitute certain definitions.
It also aims to provide for the report of the Advisory Body; provide for the establishment of the Small Enterprise Development Finance Agency and provide for the functions of the Agency; to ensure the provision of financial and non-financial support services to small enterprises, and promote the development of sustainable and responsible co-operative banking.
The Bill further seeks to provide for the establishment of the Office of the Small Enterprise Ombud Service; enable an equitable trading environment for small enterprises through the provision of affordable and effective access to justice; empower the Minister to declare certain practices in relation to small enterprises to be prohibited as unfair trading practices, and to provide for the transitional arrangements necessitated by the establishment of the Agency.
The Bill also seeks to effect consequential or necessary amendments to the Co-operative Banks Act, 2007, and to the Co-operatives Act, 2005 and provide for matters connected therewith.
“Interested individuals and stakeholders wishing to comment are kindly requested to forward written submissions to the Committee by no later than 12:00pm on Friday, 16 February 2024.
"Those who want to make submissions at public hearings should specifically request this, but it should be noted that the granting of such requests for oral submission resides with the Committee,” Parliament said.
Copies of the Bill are available at www.parliament.gov.za and all correspondence can be addressed to Mr M Rayi, Chairperson: SC on Trade and Industry, Economic Development, Small Business Development, Tourism, Employment and Labour.
Submissions should be forwarded to the following email addresses: mkoff@parliament.gov.za and ndinizulu@parliament.gov.za. - SAnews.gov.za
DikelediM
Tue, 01/30/2024 - 10:45
Winde thanks roleplayers battling wildfires around the Cape Winelands
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde visited a mobile disaster management incident command centre near Wolseley on Monday after wildfires erupted in the Cape Winelands district and surrounding areas.
The fires have been raging for over a week, with high temperatures and strong winds fuelling the flames.
Affected areas include Hangklip, Buffeljags Bay, Karwyderskraal and Grabouw.
According to the Premier’s Office, fire teams in the Breede Valley and Witzenberg areas were given a slight reprieve on Sunday evening as temperatures dipped and winds subsided.
“But that was unfortunately short-lived. Winds picked up again compounding the already difficult situation.”
Despite the thousands of hectares of land that have burned, the Premier said he was relieved there has been no loss of life.
However, he said he remained very concerned about the situation generally.
“Fires are volatile and unpredictable. Coupled with the hot, windy weather, these fires have stretched our emergency teams to their limit. But I have all the confidence in our entire disaster management network to eventually bring the blaze under control, with officials in the public and private sectors working together around the clock to protect lives and infrastructure.
“Our disaster management staff have gone from floods to fires and I know the significant toll that it takes on our dedicated staff and all the volunteers who always step up,” Winde said.
Winde has described as "heroes" a group of firefighters who had come off the line for a break, having worked throughout Sunday evening.
“You make us all very proud,” he told the firefighters.
According to the Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PDMC), there have been more than 4 000 fires across the Western Cape this summer, of which the vast majority have been recorded in Cape Town.
The Premier urged the public in fire-affected regions to heed the advice of officials and be vigilant.
“There can be no doubt that climate change is a major factor. That is why the Western Cape government is taking this crisis extremely seriously by planning accordingly for the future and by building up the resilience of our province. We are doing all we can to enable the private sector to pivot to renewable energy to help mitigate the climate crisis,” he stressed.
City of Cape Town's Mayco Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, announced this morning that the fire line in Hangklip was completely extinguished.
“All our firefighters are safe and accounted for. There are no injuries and no damages to any of our vehicles or equipment,” Smith explained. – SAnews.gov.za
Gabisile
Tue, 01/30/2024 - 12:00
DMRE to host public engagements on draft IRP 2023
The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) is expected host a series of public engagement sessions to unpack the draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP2023) that has been published for public comment.
The engagement sessions will kick off at 1pm on Wednesday (January 31) online at https://gcis.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SduV84_aS8SCQnlABRftFQ.
In its earlier call for public comments on the IRP 2023, the DMRE said the plan seeks to “ensure security of electricity supply by balancing supply with demand, while taking into account the environment and total cost of supply”.
“The draft IRP 2023 is based on a scientific process that considers several scenarios and latest developments in the country’s electricity industry. It considers two-time horizons, the first being the period up to 2030 focusing on addressing prevailing generation capacity constraints and system requirements to close the supply gap.
“Horizon two covers the period from 2031 to 2050 and focuses on long-term electricity generation planning with pathways to achieve a resilient Net Zero electricity sector by 2050,” the DMRE said.
A copy of the draft IRP 2023 can be accessed on the DMRE website and the deadline for comments is 23 February 2024.
Comments can be submitted online at https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=bDWXlV5Askqncn7nJnEGjdSCoIqfOslGi6lIYefKLn5UMjg2TjQ1WElTVURZTDhCN0szU0lUSjg2Wi4u or email IRP.Queries@dmre.gov.za. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Mon, 01/29/2024 - 10:55
Judiciary watchdog “surprised” by blanket ban