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Sandton City celebrates 50 years with retail festival
Sandton City (www.SandtonCity.com), Africa's premium shopping destination, is thrilled to announce its upcoming 50th-anniversary that will be celebrated with an exquisite retail festival. The unique one-day event, taking place on Tuesday 12 September 2023, promises a day filled with an extraordinary shopping experience, outstanding exclusive offers, and a jubilant atmosphere, as the iconic mall marks five decades of exceptional service and superior retail.
Since its inception in 1973, Sandton City, in Johannesburg, has commanded a unique position of high-end retail, drawing shoppers from across the world to experience its diverse array of over 300 premium retailers, that reflect the most beloved brands from both within South Africa and internationally. As the mall reaches this remarkable milestone, the 50th-anniversary retail festival is a tribute to its commitment to offering unparalleled shopping experiences.
Visitors to the centre on the day can expect an array of delights, including:
Irresistible retailer offers, complimentary gifts and added value: Shoppers will be treated to an array of exclusive offers, at over 90 stores in the centre, ensuring that purchases are accompanied by unbeatable value at participating retailers. For example, Alpha Industries is offering a free t-shirt with any jacket purchased; at Fabiani, the first 50 customers will get 50% off anything in store, at Karl Lagerfeld, an exclusive KARL gift will accompany every in-store purchase over R 5 000; and uniQbrows will offer free Iconic Intense brown brow tints, to name a few. These offers are valid on Tuesday 12 September at Sandton City only, terms & conditions apply.
Extended Trading Hours: Sandton City recognizes that celebrations should know no time constraints. To accommodate the festivity, the mall will extend its trading hours, granting guests ample time to explore and enjoy, with most stores in the centre staying open till 9:00 PM on the day.
Live entertainment: From 12 noon, shoppers can enjoy complimentary live musical performances by, some of South Africa's top artists, DJ Zinhle, Goodluck, Holly Rey and Kings of Weekend in the centre court outside Checkers.
Spend and win competition: Shoppers who spend R 500 or more between 1 – 12 September at any of their favourite stores in Sandton City, may enter a competition to win a R 50 000 Sandton City gift card, with the entry box conveniently placed in the centre court.
Additionally, Sandton City will unveil a captivating History Wall installation, on the fourth level, in close proximity to Clicks, Woolworths, Toy Kingdom and Loads of Living, providing visitors with an opportunity to journey through time. This installation showcases the centre's evolution from its inception to the present day, offering a glimpse into the rich history and transformative journey since its development, and how the remarkable centre has stayed at the forefront of African retail.
Dimitri Kokinos, Asset Manager of Sandton City, expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming 50th-anniversary retail festival, stating, “We are immensely proud to celebrate five decades of excellence in retail. Sandton City has been an iconic symbol of luxury, innovation, style and community for fifty years. As we embark on this milestone, we are excited to offer shoppers a day filled with exuberant experiences and unforgettable retail moments, while paying tribute to the centre's legacy as a retail haven, offering an unparalleled mix of luxury brands, fashion, lifestyle, and dining experiences.”
For more information and regular updates go to www.SandtonCity.com or follow the centre on social media @SandtonCitymall.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Sandton City.
Notes to Editors:
Entertainment line-up:
12 – 2pm: DJ Soosh
2pm – 2:45pm: Holly Rey
2:45pm – 4pm: DJ Soosh
4pm – 5pm: Kings of The Weekend
5pm – 6pm: DJ Soosh
6pm – 6:45pm: Goodluck
6:45pm – 7pm: DJ Soosh
7pm – 7:45pm: DJ Zinhle
7:45pm – 10pm: DJ Soosh
- Artist line-up and performance times are subject to change.
About Sandton City:
Sandton City Shopping Centre is renowned amongst both local and international visitors as one of Africa's leading retail destinations. With an impressive retail, office and leisure space ranking as South Africa's top performing retail destination in terms of trading density, Sandton City has an effective tenant leasing strategy and a low vacancy level. The shopping centre is home to over 300 of the most exciting local and international brands and presents you with a world of luxury in the exclusive Diamond Walk.
Sandton City is six-star green-star rated by the Green Building Council of South Africa. This is the first super-regional shopping centre on the African continent to achieve such a prestigious rating, representing world leadership in environmentally sustainable operational efficiencies. In accordance with the SHORE accreditation standards by international certification body SAFE Asset Group, Sandton City is certified COVID-19 compliant and has also achieved gold level status as a safe retail destination for its ability to prevent, adapt, respond to, recover and learn from operational disruptions. Adjacent to world-class hotels and mega corporate headquarters, winning multiple Best Shopping Mall awards each year, Sandton City continues to be a leader in mixed-use properties.
Sandton City is co-owned by Liberty Two Degrees, Liberty Group and Pareto Limited, and managed by JHI Retail Proprietary Limited.
For more information, please visit either www.SandtonCity.com, www.Liberty2Degrees.co.za, www.Pareto.co.za.
A Guide to Wendy Houses: What Every Homeowner Needs to Know
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Awards to honour accomplished, inspiring South Africans under 40
Awards to honour accomplished, inspiring South Africans under 40
Deputy President Paul Mashatile will on Saturday, 9 September 2023, attend and deliver the keynote address at the Forty under 40 SA Awards, taking place at Houghton Hotel, Gauteng.
The Forty under 40 SA Awards celebrate and honour the nation’s most influential, accomplished, and inspiring South Africans under 40, across various sectors.
This year more than 350 nominations were received and the final 40 of these will be hailed as the most influential for their achievements in their respective areas.
The awards are hosted by the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, together with the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), in partnership with Xodus Communications.
The awards will be preceded by the Champion Summit, which is an interactive gathering that aims to empower and equip young leaders with the necessary skills, knowledge, and networks to drive positive change in their communities.
“The summit promises to bring inspiring interactions, engaging workshops, and panel discussions, which will foster an environment for the exchange of ideas and personal development,” the Deputy President’s Office said.
During his address, Deputy President Mashatile will highlight how government has placed the education and training of young people at the top of its agenda as one of the most crucial enabling factors for economic emancipation. – SAnews.gov.za
Gabisile
Fri, 09/08/2023 - 10:22
109 views
Makhanda without a post office since July
People from the town and surrounding areas are having to travel to Port Alfred
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Master Offices services to recede digital
Master Offices services to go digital
The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DJCOD) is expected to officially launch the Masters’ Deceased Estates Online Registration System in October.
In a webinar to inform the public about the new online service, Advocate Kanyane Mathibe, Chief Director for Strategy and Policy in the Office of the Chief Master said the system seeks to enable the Masters’ offices to serve clients in a quicker manner and reduce queues.
“We then embarked on a journey to develop an online deceased estates registration system that cuts the time in half that you can now register or report estates in the comfort of your home or in your office without having to interact with the Masters’ Office except in the lodgement of an original will where you would still need to lodge the original will after which the letter of authority would be granted.
“Further to that, we then allowed other features to be developed including an online appointment booking system where you would be able to book an appointment with the master in your jurisdiction at a specific time and you will be attended to either by an estate controller, a legally trained professional or an assistant master…depending on the complexity of the matter,” Mathibe said.
She explained that the office had received a number of complaints about services at the Master’s Office and this, coupled with other factors, prompted the move towards an online service.
“We have had challenges. Some…would have submitted complaints about the challenges that you’re experiencing with the Masters’ Office. We’ve got long queues. We’ve got more clients than we have the capacity to handle in our offices. We’ve seen increased customer complaints over the year, two years or so with the slow response of our systems, the high likelihood of fraud where letters of authority are being manipulated through fraudulent activities.
“Repeat walk ins where you come into the Master’s Office, you do not have the right documents, we send you back and you still have to come back. In some instances, misplacing or losing client documents where then duplicate files would have to be created. And we’ve been plagued by load shedding…that interrupts our services in offices where back up power has not been installed,” she said.
Mathibe added that a new letter of authority will be put in place in order to cut out incidents where letters of authority or executorship were fraudulently obtained through falsifying signatures.
“We now have a QR Code…that is embedded in a letter of authority. So the new letter of authority…it’s got an embedded QR code where you can then verify the authenticity of the letter of authority or the letter of executorship by a master,” she said. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Thu, 09/07/2023 - 09:34
534 views
Mireille Wenger on critical skills shortages to boost business and job formation
The Department of Higher Education and Training's (DHET) Labour Market Intelligence unit has recently released a survey to identify occupations in high demand, occupational shortages, and skills gaps in South Africa, and at a provincial level.
Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger, said: “in almost every interaction I have with business, big and small, the topic of the broken visa regime in the country comes up as a factor holding back their growth. The fact is that the current visa regime is a significant deterrent to investment and the expansion of existing businesses, costing jobs and economic growth right at a time when we can ill-afford to lose either.” said Minister Wenger.
To facilitate foreign investment, companies need to be able to easily access South Africa. Individuals who apply for critical skills visas typically help develop new sectors or to expand existing ones, contribute to increasing the complexity of the economy by bringing in skills that are not currently available, and help new industries through skills development in South Africa. This is why the investment and critical skills visas are key enablers of economic growth and job creation.
Responding to the release of this survey, provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger said: “I very much welcome the release of this vital survey. I strongly encourage businesses across the province, in all sectors, to participate so that we can gain a much better understanding of where the gaps are and therefore, what we can do it address them. Importantly, this will help us attract individuals with the right critical skills, so that they can contribute to our economic growth project.”
The DHET's survey on occupations in high demand, hard-to-fill vacancies and skills gaps can be found here(link is external).
To go even further, and in conjunction with the DHET survey, the Western Cape Government's Tech and Innovation team within the Department of Economic Development and Tourism has compiled a companion survey for businesses to gather information on their experience with, awareness of, and intention to use the Scarce Skills Work Visa.
“The insights gathered from this survey will be instrumental in crafting a provincial list of high-demand occupations which will play a significant role in shaping the post-school education and training sector, and subsequently the critical skills list. This will go a long way to assist the Western Cape Government to ramp up our lobbying efforts to address this key constraint on the growth of the private sector. Again, I encourage our Western Cape businesses to participate in our survey, which can be accessed here - https://forms.office.com/r/vN4JVMJy3e(link is external)” continued Minister Wenger
The fact is that we must urgently address the significant inefficiencies in the visa regime because they are holding back economic growth and job creation in the Western Cape and South Africa. We stand ready to assist in any way possible to keep and expand the businesses we have and attract the investment we need to create more jobs for the residents of the province. By participating in both the surveys, you can make a positive contribution to helping us unblock this significant constraint on the growth of both our economy and job creation” concluded Minister Wenger.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Western Cape Finance and Economic Opportunities, South Africa.
Amplifin Launches Heavyweight Solution For Small To Medium Businesses – Innovative web-based scheme empowers businesses for growth and success
7 September, 2023 – In the dynamic business landscape, growing enterprises encounter an escalating array of challenges that demand innovative solutions. Amplifin recognises that as businesses expand, their concerns multiply – from financial intricacies to operational complexities. The organisation understands that these enterprises require access to cutting-edge technologies, akin to those embraced by larger corporations, …
Police committee vote to continue with process to consider Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) amendment bill
The Portfolio Committee on Police today voted to adopt a Motion of Desirability on the Independent Police Investigative Directorate Amendment Bill [B21-2023] and will continue with processes to consider the Bill. The majority view was that there is an urgent need to strengthen, through legislation, IPID's institutional and operational independence and give effect to the Constitutional Court judgement in the case of McBride v Minister of Police and another.
While there were concerns about the Bill's lack of certification by the Office of the State Law Advisor as it relates to apprehension on the constitutionality of clause 4 of the Bill, the committee emphasised that the Bill's principles are accepted. The committee's adoption of the motion of desirability is in line with National Assembly Rule 286 (6). The committee reiterates that it has taken due regard of the legal advice provided and will ensure that its processes comply with the Constitution, South Africa's laws and regulations and National Assembly rules.
“This decision is necessary as Parliament is the only body that has the mandate to legislate the structural and operational independence of IPID in accordance with section 206 (6) of the Constitution. We must also emphasise that the decision was taken with full consideration of the legal advice provided and that every step of the process will be guided by legal considerations,” said Mr Nocks Seabi, the Chairperson of the committee.
Meanwhile, the committee received a progress report and implementation plan emanating from the recommendations made by the Presidential Expert Panel report on the July 2021 unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. The committee welcomed the detailed plan and progress in implementing the recommendations directed to SAPS.
In line with this, the committee welcomed the implementation of the Increased Crime Prevention and Combating Action Plan, which will result in the countrywide mobilisation of SAPS resources to address violent crime through high-density operations, intelligence-led roadblocks and suspect tracking operations. The committee also welcomed the work to enhance relationships with the community through community police forums. Financial support of R70 million to these forums will provide them with the necessary support to procure the tools of trade they need to function efficiently.
Meanwhile, the committee raised its concerns about the slow prosecution of criminal cases linked to the unrest. While the committee acknowledges that criminal justice processes are sometimes protracted, it emphasised the need to ensure successful prosecution as a deterrent against a recurrence of such events.
The committee welcomes the progress in filling critical vacancies at the Division: Crime Intelligence. SAPS management informed the committee that a Divisional Commissioner was appointed in December 2022 and processes are underway to fill another 15 posts. A further 268 vacancies were filled in the 2022/23 financial year. The committee remains of the view that Crime Intelligence is critical to ensure proactive policing. The filling of posts is a major step towards enhancing this environment.
The committee also welcomed the plans to capacitate SAPS members with crowd control techniques and the assurance that more than 10 000 SAPS members were trained as first responders in crowd management. A further 4 900 Public Order Police members received training in the principles and techniques of basic crowd management, which the committee also welcomed.
Meanwhile, the committee has decided to give Members of Parliament time to consider whether it will be ideal for the committee to conduct a full enquiry on the unrest or to defer it to the seventh Parliament. The committee will draft a process plan setting out timeframes to see if the committee will have adequate time to process the matter. The committee previously deferred the matter to give time to the Presidential Expert Panel and the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) investigations to avoid duplication. The SAHRC has said it is in the process of concluding its investigation.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.
Postbank experiencing technical glitch
Postbank experiencing technical glitch
The Postbank has advised South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) grant beneficiaries that it is experiencing intermittent technical issues which are affecting some beneficiaries’ ability to withdraw their funds from ATMs and retailers.
The technical challenges also affect some SASSA Social Relief of Distress (SRD) R350 withdrawals within the retailers.
SASSA grants beneficiaries are assured that Postbank’s technical teams are working around the clock to resolve the issue.
“Postbank deeply understands the inconvenience and challenges that this technical issue poses to our valued SASSA grants customers. We apologise unreservedly to all our customers. Postbank will advise as soon as the technical issue is resolved,” Postbank said in a statement.
Postbank said social grants payments transactions via SASSA Gold Cards within the Post Office branches are processing normally and not affected by the issue. – SAnews.gov.za
Edwin
Wed, 09/06/2023 - 09:46
775 views
Cele briefs on KZN political killings
Cele briefs on KZN political killings
The Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Political Killings in KwaZulu-Natal has urged political parties to strengthen their internal mechanisms in order to defuse inter- and intra-tensions and instability, which may escalate and lead to political attacks and killings.
Addressing media on Wednesday following the committee’s meeting in Durban, Police Minister and IMC chairperson, Bheki Cele, said as the country gets closer to the National General Elections next year, efforts are being solidified to boost the work of the IMC, as well as investigations.
“In enhancing the work of the task team, the IMC has resolved that there will be dedicated courts to speedily prosecute these matters,” Cele said.
The IMC -- which consists of the Ministers of State Security Agency, Defence, Justice and Correctional Services and Police -- remains committed to encouraging political tolerance by individuals and parties, whether before, during or after the election period.
Cele said through the integrated work of the task team, the IMC is committed to arresting those who use violence to settle political scores.
The task team includes the South African Police Service (SAPS), National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) - supported by the State Security Agency and Correctional Services, the KwaZulu-Natal Premier, and KZN Community Safety and Liaison MEC.
Progress on cases
Giving the latest developments around the investigation of politically linked violence in KZN, Cele said since 4 July 2018, a total of 321 cases have been investigated.
Cele said the cases under scrutiny by the team include 155 cases of murder; 51 attempted murder, 77 intimidation, 12 cases of conspiracy to commit murder and 26 other ad hoc cases.
“So far, the work of the task team has resulted in the arrest of 348 suspects, who have already been charged on 233 cases. Sixty-two suspects have been convicted, while 155 are going through the court processes. Seventeen arrested suspects have since died during the court processes,” Cele said.
Cele noted that firearms are the most used weapon in the majority of the attacks on councillors, office bearers and municipal officials.
He said the team has recovered 46 firearms from suspects, which are linked through ballistics to multiple political murder cases before the task team.
In a continuous effort to reduce political killings and at same time, reduce the proliferation of firearms within the province of KwaZulu-Natal and country at large, Cele said the task team is also investigating parallel cases that are not related to the task team’s mandate but are linked with politically related cases with similar suspects and ballistic analysis.
He said 85 such cases have so far been registered, and efforts to rid the streets of illegal firearms do not end here.
Over and above these parallel cases, Cele said the team continues to conduct intelligence driven operations, targeting unlicensed firearms, which has resulted in 86 cases being registered in this regard.
“The task team is conducting intelligence driven operations targeting the possession of unlicensed firearms, which has resulted in 172 cases. Over 250 unlicensed firearms have been taken off the streets through police operations,” the Minister said.
Region stabilisation
Cele said since the implementation of an integrated multi-disciplinary investigation approach, eight of the province's 11 regions have since stabilised.
However, he said, the eThekwini Metropolitan remains an area of concern, and the focus is now on the region to bring much needed stability.
“The IMC is encouraged that interventions are in place to deal with all forms of politically related crimes, proactively and reactively in the eThekwini and in the Zululand District.”
Political killings
The investigations of the political killings revealed that the most affected political parties are the African National Congress (ANC), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and National Freedom Party (NFP), with 52 murder cases of councillors, including 31 councillors from the ANC, 14 from the IFP, and four from the NFP.
“While 52 councillors have been gunned down since 2011 to date, alarmingly 103 officials working within municipalities as political office bearers and officials in political offices were killed.
“Causative factors for these crimes are linked to intra-political conflicts, with a few cases linked to other motives, such as taxi violence, domestic related issues, business competition and traditional leadership competition, as well as family feuds.
“Murder cases that were reported before the 2016 and 2021 Local Government Elections were mainly as a result of fighting over councillors’ positions; where candidate councillors were eliminated.
“The majority of the murder cases reported after the 2016 and 2021 Local Government Elections were associated with infighting within structures and municipalities over positions,” Cele said.
High profile cases
Sentences handed down in high-profile cases include:
• Mfanafuthi Zulu (notorious hitman): found guilty and sentenced to a total 10 years imprisonment for the murder of ANC Member Bongani Mhlongo.
• Kingdom Phoswa (hitman): found guilty and sentenced to a total of 18 years imprisonment for the murder of ANC Ward Councillor Njabulo Dlamini.
• Bongekile Ngcwaba and Thuthukani Mzolo: found guilty and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment each for the murder of ANC Ward Councillor Kheyelethu Mngcwaba.
• Ntsazane Mthetiswa, Gutshana Zwelandile, Mcobhoti Aphelile and Ntsethe Bonasile (ANC members): found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment (25 years each) for the murder of EFF member Sbusiso Mbhobo.
• Mxolisi Mzokhona Gcabashe (hitman): found guilty and sentenced to a total of 28 years for the murder of ANC Councillor Minenhle Mkhize.
• Nkosinathi Mantengu (land grabber): found guilty and sentenced to a total of 36 years imprisonment for the murder of IFP member Philangenkosi Nkundlane and his son Bongani (on three counts).
• Thanda Chamane (hitman): found guilty and sentenced to a total of 42 years imprisonment for the murder of IFP Councillor Mfazo Nzuza (on three counts).
– SAnews.gov.za
GabiK
Wed, 09/06/2023 - 14:51
83 views
KZN youth-owned businesses to benefit from R90m fund
KZN youth-owned businesses to benefit from R90m fund
Fifty-nine youth-owned businesses are set to benefit from the R90 million KwaZulu-Natal Youth Empowerment Fund.
Announcing the youth businesses approved for funding during a ceremony held in Durban on Tuesday, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube said the event marks an important milestone in government’s quest to push back the frontiers of the stubbornly high rate of youth unemployment in the province.
She said moment marks the fulfilment of a pledge made during the State of the Province Address earlier this year, which was delivered under the theme, ‘Taking Decisive Action in the time of Renewal and Hope as we Rebuild a Better, Prosperous, and Resilient KwaZulu-Natal’.
The Youth Fund was established by the Office of the Premier in 2018 as part of government’s concerted efforts to crank up youth development and empowerment in the province.
According to the fund structure, 90% of the fund received by each beneficiary is channelled to buy equipment in order to lower their cost of business, while 10% is for working capital.
Dube-Ncube said during the first phase, R60 million was disbursed to 51 youth-owned businesses. In the current phase, which was opened in July 2021, a total of 4 016 applications were received for funding.
“Of those applications, 2 854 were disqualified for various compliance and other reasons while 1 162 were processed by the KwaZulu-Natal Growth Fund, an entity of government that is responsible for the disbursement process and management of the Youth Fund.
“A further rigorous evaluation process was undertaken, and 352 applications were shortlisted for the due diligence stage. Ultimately, site visits were conducted, which resulted in the 59 [businesses] that are today the recipients of the funding. The funding ranges from R200 000 to R2 million,” Dube-Ncube explained.
The Premier said youth-owned businesses that benefited from the current window operate in various strategic sectors, including water security, transport and logistics, farming technology, the digital economy, automotive and maritime industries.
“We could not have asked for a better present to mark the close of Women’s Month, as evidenced by the fact that 42% of the approved applicants are women. This is a significant improvement, if we consider that only 15% women applicants had benefitted previously.
“Our goal, moving forward, is to ensure at least a 50-50 access between men-owned and women-owned businesses,” the Premier said.
The Premier said they are encouraged by the fact that there is adequate geographic spread in terms of the distribution of beneficiaries as they come from across all the districts in the province.
She said the provincial government is decisively addressing the divide between urban and rural, the poor and affluent. They believe that all people must benefit equally from government’s interventions.
The Premier noted that the fund also approved businesses that are owned and managed by unemployed graduates and youths from professional sectors, including medical, engineering and accounting disciplines.
The Premier also announced that the new window (for R100 million funding) will be opened soon. – SAnews.gov.za
GabiK
Wed, 09/06/2023 - 13:04
51 views
“System glitch” stalls social grant payments to pensioners
Postbank says problem has mostly been resolved
Cops cautioned over arresting people for cannabis use and possession
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Retired KZN judge reported to Judicial Conduct Committee for late judgments
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Over 11 000 public servants undergo lifestyle audits
Over 11 000 public servants undergo lifestyle audits
President Cyril Ramaphosa says over 11 000 public servants in national government have undergone lifestyle audits, as at March 2023.
The President announced this when he appeared before Members of the National Assembly to reply to questions during a hybrid plenary sitting held this afternoon.
Responding to a question by Democratic Alliance leader, John Steenhuisen, who had asked whether the lifestyle audits on Members of the Executive have been concluded yet, President Ramaphosa said lifestyle audits of public servants have been compulsory since 2021.
He said the lifestyle audit process for Members of the Executive is spearheaded by the Office of the Director-General in the Presidency and the Secretary of Cabinet.
“The process was institutionally initiated towards the end of 2022. Earlier this year, I sent letters to the Deputy President, Ministers and Deputy Ministers requesting their written consent to the process to ensure that the information is obtained in a legitimate and legal manner.
“I received the same letter signed by the Director-General and Secretary of Cabinet. The Members of the Executive, including myself, have submitted consent forms for the nationally-driven process of lifestyle audits,” President Ramaphosa said.
President Ramaphosa noted the implementation of the lifestyle audits has been delayed by the change of the service provider. He said the implementation of the project is anticipated to be concluded by the end of this financial year.
While welcoming the decision of the lifestyle audit, Member of the National Assembly for the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Mkhuleko Hlengwa, said the issue with the lifestyle audit is with capacity and that it should be run parallel with the 2014 Cabinet decision that all executives in SOEs [State-owned enterprises] and SCM [Supply Chain Management] practitioners must be vetted.
The President acknowledged that the process of vetting is lengthy, with some people leaving the public service without being vetted.
He said different ways of speeding it up are being looked into.
“I am one of those who sees the delays in vetting people being quite detrimental to our public service because we need to know much earlier the standing of those that we employ, whether they are able to execute their task with the integrity that we require of them,” the President said.
The President said that the Minister in the Presidency responsible for State Security Agency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, is attending to the matter.
The President dispelled the notion that only public servants are being subjected to lifestyle audits, reiterating that Members of Executive are also being subjected to lifestyle audit.
“When we subject them to lifestyle audits, we have to go through a process and they are quite intrusive and get into private details of the members’ lives… We have to implement proper processes so that we arrive at the type of conclusion that we would like to see.” – SAnews.gov.za
GabiK
Tue, 09/05/2023 - 15:29
149 views
Public Protector urged to respect constitutional process on suspension
Public Protector urged to respect constitutional process on suspension
President Cyril Ramaphosa has outlined to suspended Public Protector Adv. Busisiwe Mkhwebane the constitutional processes that pertain to her suspension or potential removal from office, which therefore prevent her from reporting for duty.
In a letter on Monday, the President set out the conditions preventing Mkhwebane’s return to the office.
“The President was responding to a letter he received from Adv. Mkhwebane earlier on the same day in which she expressed her intention to report for duty today, Tuesday, 5 September 2023, until the expiry of her term of office on 14 October 2023 or any lawful removal in terms of Section 194 of the Constitution, whichever happens first,” the Presidency said.
The President has pointed out to Adv. Mkhwebane that her intention to return to work is misconceived.
This is due to the fact that the proceedings initiated by a Committee of the National Assembly, which has inquired into Adv. Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office have yet to be completed.
The Presidency said that since the Committee has adopted its report, the proceedings, which it initiated, will be finalised either when the National Assembly does not adopt a resolution calling for the removal from office of Adv. Mkhwebane, or if the National Assembly does adopt such a resolution.
In his letter, the President said: “It is therefore patently clear that the process initiated by the Committee is not completed, (as your letter suggests) when the enquiry by the Committee has been finalised.
“In the circumstances, you have no right or entitlement in law to return to office pending the decisions to which I refer above.
“In the circumstances, while I thank you for your courtesy in informing me of your intention, your interpretation of the Presidential Minute and my letter is wrong, and your intention to return to office is misconceived.
“Your letter states that you were advised on 24 August 2023 that the Committee had completed its part of the process, and that its report would be tabled in the National Assembly. You waited until today to inform me of your intention to return to office tomorrow. Such precipitate action is unjustified on any basis”. – SAnews.gov.za
nosihle
Tue, 09/05/2023 - 11:36
302 views
President urges suspended Public Protector to respect constitutional processes relating to suspension or removal from office
President Cyril Ramaphosa has outlined to suspended Public Protector Adv. Busisiwe Mkhwebane the constitutional processes that pertain to her suspension or potential removal from office and which therefore prevent her from reporting for duty.
President Ramaphosa set out the conditions preventing the suspended Public Protector's return to office in a letter to Adv. Mkhwebane dated 04 September 2023.
The President was responding to a letter he received from Adv. Mkhwebane earlier on the same day and in which she expressed her intention to report for duty today, Tuesday, 05 September 2023, until the expiry of her term of office on 14 October 2023 or any lawful removal in terms of Section 194 of the Constitution, whichever happens first.
The President has pointed to Adv. Mkhwebane that her intention to return to work is misconceived.
This is due to the fact that the proceedings initiated by a Committee of the National Assembly which has inquired into Adv. Mkhwebane's fitness to hold office have yet to be completed.
Now that the Committee has adopted its report, the proceedings which were initiated by the Committee will be finalised either when the National Assembly does not adopt a resolution calling for the removal from office of Adv. Mkhwebane, or if the National Assembly does adopt such a resolution.
In his letter, the President said: “It is therefore patently clear that the process initiated by the Committee is not completed, (as your letter suggests) when the enquiry by the Committee has been finalised."
“In the circumstances, you have no right or entitlement in law to return to office pending the decisions to which I refer above."
“In the circumstances, while I thank you for your courtesy in informing me of your intention, your interpretation of the Presidential Minute and my letter is wrong, and your intention to return to office is misconceived."
“Your letter states that you were advised on 24 August 2023 that the Committee had completed its part of the process, and that its report would be tabled in the National Assembly. You waited until today to inform me of your intention to return to office tomorrow. Such precipitate action is unjustified on any basis.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency: Republic of South Africa.
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