Public Relations

Former SABC Group Executive for Legal Governance and Regulatory, Advocate Ntuthuzelo Vanara, has been appointed as the Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU) Chief Legal Counsel.

The unit said Vanara’s appointment is in line with strengthening its “implementing business process improvements that are result driven”.

“The strategy places emphasis on the positive impact of the SIU work, improving turnaround time of investigations, reaching expected legal outcomes, and ensuring the implementation of SIU investigation outcomes and consequence management,” the SIU said.

Vanara has legal expertise spanning over two decades, including his work at the public broadcaster.

“He has also worked at the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa as Acting Registrar of Members’ Interest, Chief Director: Legal Advisor and has occupied other legal positions. He holds a B. Proc through Vista University, LLB and LLM through the University of the Free State.

“The SIU looks forward to Advocate Vanara leading our legal team and strengthening our Civil Litigation Division to achieve even greater milestones,” the unit said. – SAnews.gov.za

 

ABB's Longmeadow campus in Modderfontein, Johannesburg, has invested just over R10 million to complete its additional technology transfer and strengthen the local manufacturing of its UniGear ZS1 medium voltage switchgear facility.

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future.

The product was previously fully imported from the Czech Republic, or other countries when needed. This investment will now mean that 60-70% of the technology will now be manufactured locally.

“South Africa Switchgear Market size is projected to register growth. The increasing number of investments for sustainable power generation coupled with growing population is expected to drive the growth of the market,” said Yunus Hoosen, Head Invest SA of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition.   

“This illustrates both the importance of the domestic sector to multinationals and the strategic location of South Africa to a rapidly growing African consumer market,” he said.

The Distribution Solutions factory now employs around 120 people, ten of whom employed due to this investment.

There is also a plan to increase these numbers by employing additional permanent engineers, contractors, and graduates through its graduate programme in which over 70 graduates currently participate. 

ABB has further started the process of increasing the localization of its Compact Secondary Substations (CSS), which is due for completion by October 2023. 

“Utilities are increasingly looking to implement smart solutions to solve complex energy challenges. The creation of job opportunities for local engineers and contractors demonstrates our long term commitment as a partner of Government,” said Egon Worthmann, MV Primary AIS Switchgear Manager for ABB Electrification’s Distribution Solutions division.  

Built in 2009, ABB South Africa headquarters demonstrates the company’s early adoption of more sustainable manufacturing approaches, with the site boasting a 760kWp array of rooftop solar panels, which generate enough solar energy to cover around 30% of the site’s annual energy consumption of 2400MwH.  

The Distribution Solutions factory serves customers in South Africa and other sub-Saharan countries.   

"The ABB investment further signifies that South Africa remains an attractive investment destination across all sectors including the Advanced Manufacturing sector," Hoosen said.

"InvestSA remains ready and committed to assist foreign and domestic investors in realizing their investment in South Africa with localisation being a key component of economic reconstruction and recovery," he said. – SAnews.gov.za

An investigation has found that methane gas was the cause of the deadly Lillian Ngoyi Street (formerly known as Bree Street) explosion that rocked the Johannesburg city centre last month.

This was revealed by City of Johannesburg City Manager, Floyd Brink, during a media briefing on Wednesday.

The explosion killed one person, injured several others, caused infrastructure damage and disrupted services in the area.

“Methane is lighter than air so usually methane…will go up. It travelled up all along the service tunnel from an unknown source to the crest of the tunnel near the Von Brandis Street. There were always questions around why did we not see any fire…if you look at the low explosive level, there’s a threshold of between 5 and 15%. If it’s between 5 to 15% it will be an explosion, anything above 15% will then create a fire.

“This one was between the threshold of between 5 to 15%, therefore it was an explosion. As we flew…our drones into those tunnels, we could not pick up any indication of black scorch from a fire,” he said.

Brink added that the investigation ruled out several other suspected causes – including that the explosion was caused by a gas leakage, illegal mining underground or negligence.

The city manager said repair work to rehabilitate and reconstruct the area is currently estimated to stand at more than R100 million.

“Our rough estimate at this point currently sits around R178 million and that is based on work that has been done but it’s based on preliminary designs. We will indicate…as we are moving closer with detailed designs. That amount may increase based on the designs that we will have.

“That is preliminary to look at what it will cost us for the road, what it will cost us for any other infrastructure damages and also to reconstruct that particular tunnel,” Brink said.

He revealed that following the explosion, the City of Johannesburg spent close to R4 million on “professional experts, services, the cordoning off of the site, technology that we’ve used and the provision of temporary relief”.

Brink said the city has learnt several lessons following the explosion with plans coming to avoid future reoccurrence.

“The tunnel designs will be upgraded based on current international codes for tunnels to reduce the risk of severity for these types of explosions. We will also introduce continuous gas detection, alarms, sensors and monitors for all staff working in the tunnels.

“As we move forward to reconstruct and to upgrade these particular areas, we would need to upgrade to ensure that we use technology. Our tunnels designs will be based on international relevant standards… that focusses specifically on tunnels and explosion prevention with accidental combustible gas release in tunnels and/or cavities,” he said.

Brink emphasised that the work to secure the tunnel will not only be concentrated on Lillian Ngoyi Street but other projects will also commence at other streets in the area to “look at gas detection and any other issues”. – SAnews.gov.za

The chairperson of the Commission for Employment Equity (CEE), Tabea Kabinde, has lamented the slow pace of transformation in the workplace for designated groups, especially for people with disabilities. 

Kabinde was addressing the Employment Equity roadshow in Pretoria on Wednesday.  

Conducted under the theme, ‘Real transformation makes business sense’, the Employment Equity roadshows by the Department of Employment and Labour, in collaboration with the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), create awareness on the recently promulgated EE amendments, sector targets and regulations.

The workshops further aim to deal with the impact of EE in the labour market by sharing the results of the 23rd CEE Annual Report. 

“Out of 27 532 reports received, covering a total of 7 215 960 employees, only 1.2% are persons with disabilities. We are now stretching it to only 2% as a proposed target. Please do not overlook people with disabilities,” Kabinde said.
 
The chairperson told the gathering that while there are employers who are transforming their workplaces in terms of hiring people with disabilities, very few go beyond the 1.2%. She said there must be a demonstrable commitment to employ those with disabilities. 

Kabinde said anyone can have disabilities due to an accident or illness and “this does not mean the end”.

On the issue of sector targets, the CEE chairperson told the meeting that a lot of noise in the media is created by misunderstandings. 

“When we start fighting, we forget that we are talking about the Economically Active Population (EAP). The EAP focuses only on people who are working, looking for work and are employable,” she said.
 
She told the workshop that it cannot be that a group with a small EAP continues to occupy top management level posts, whereas racial groups with a higher percentage of the EAP occupy a small fraction of top management posts.

Part of the session was also spent on a demonstration of the online EE system with the incorporated amendments to reporting on the system and how certificates of compliance will be generated.
 
There was also a presentation of the CCMA’s case law related to EE, professionally done by a Commissioner from the CCMA. 

The national series workshops/roadshows started on 18 July and will conclude on 29 August 2023. The remaining August workshops are as follows: 

Gauteng 
• Johannesburg (2 August 2023) 

 Mpumalanga 
• Witbank (Emalahleni) - (15 August 2023) 
• Nelspruit (Mbombela) – (16 August 2023) 

Western Cape 
• George (15 August 2023) 
• Cape Town (16 August 2023) 

Eastern Cape
• Gqeberha (22 August 2023) 
• East London (23 August 2023) 
• Mthatha (24 August 2023) 

Free State
 • Welkom (22 August 2023) 
• Bloemfontein (23 August 2023) 

KwaZulu-Natal 
• Durban (29 August 2023) 

The EE workshops are targeted at employers or heads of organisations, academics, senior managers, consultative forum members, human resource practitioners, trade unions, employees and other interested stakeholders. – SAnews.gov.za

The Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Act is expected to play a role in changing the behaviour of South Africa’s road users for the better.

“More than 12 000 road users perish on our roads annually. AARTO will play a critical role in changing the behaviour of road users for the better. We all need to strive towards zero fatalities in our roads. One road death is one too many,” says Monde Mkalipi.

Mkalipi is the spokesperson of the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) which has been given the mandate to continue with the implementation of the AARTO Act.

This comes after the Constitutional Court confirmed the legality and validity of the Act and the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Amendment Act 4 of 2019.

Government has welcomed the July judgement on the constitutionality challenge brought by civil action group, OUTA (Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse). The OUTA brought an application calling on the highest court in the land to confirm the Pretoria High Court’s 2022 judgement which found the AARTO legislation to be unconstitutional and invalid.

According to OUTA, the legislation “unlawfully intrudes upon the exclusive executive and legislative competence of the local and provincial governments envisaged in the Constitution, preventing local and provincial governments from regulating their own affairs.”

However, in its judgement, the Constitutional Court disagreed. In welcoming the court’s July judgement, Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga said the ruling affirms government’s long-held view that this is a necessary law to advance the state’s efforts in arresting the carnage on the country’s roads.

The Minister said the implementation of this law across the country has been pending for 25 years, with pilots in place in the Cities of Johannesburg and Tshwane.

The Amendment Act intends to establish and administer rehabilitation programmes; to provide for the apportionment of penalties; to provide for the establishment of the Appeals Tribunal and add to the functions of the RTIA among others.

Speaking to SAnews, Mkalipi added that it is government’s long held view that AARTO is a necessary road safety intervention to curb fatalities.

How it will work

The ruling paves the way to penalise drivers and operators of motor vehicles who are guilty of traffic or road infringements through a system of demerit points, which may result in the suspension or cancellation of driving licences.

Chikunga said government would move with speed with the implementation of the demerit system which is an important cornerstone of the AARTO Act.  The system will involve demerit points being allocated according to the severity of infringements committed.

The AARTO Act provides for a system whereby a person, operator or juristic person who is not an operator, pays the penalty and incurs points when a traffic infringement is committed.

Under the demerit system, vehicles are not punished by the system, but the operator /juristic person is held responsible for the use of the vehicle.

Upon implementation of the demerit system, everyone will commence with zero points.

A 2020 government gazette details the Schedule 3 demerit points and penalties and according to the document, an offender will receive a penalty, and in addition to the penalty, the offender also receives demerit points to the specific infringement or offence.

If the demerit points exceed the maximum 15 points, a person, operator or juristic person who is not an operator will be disqualified from driving or using the vehicle for three months for every point surpassing the 15 points.

According to the gazette’s Explanatory Memorandum on Schedule 3 demerit points and penalties, points for offences and infringements range between one and six.

If demerit points are allocated to a person or vehicle and no further demerit points are accrued in three months after receiving the previous demerit point, a reduction of one point on the total number of demerit points will be recorded on the system.

A person's driving licence card and the operator card of a motor vehicle must be handed in for the disqualification period. Upon a third disqualification, the licence will be cancelled.

This then means that an individual must apply for a new learner's licence and driving licence once the disqualification period ends.

Clarity on function

The judgement provides clarity on Schedule 4 matters of concurrent function between the national and provincial sphere as well as on Schedule 5.

Schedule 4 of the Constitution lists the functional areas in which Parliament and the provincial legislatures jointly have the right to make laws. Schedule 5 of the Constitution lists the functional areas in which only the provincial legislatures may make laws.

Mkalipi clarifies that the AARTO Act will by no means displace national and provincial laws and municipal bylaws.

“But [it] will rather encourage compliance with these laws. Voluntary compliance with traffic laws is the new culture AARTO seeks to instil among our road users.”

Compliance

As an entity of the Department of Transport which is mandated with assisting motorists in managing and resolving AARTO fines, the RTIA says the AARTO seeks to encourage compliance with road traffic laws.

“It is our hope that [the] reduction in traffic violations will automatically also result in reduction of road crashes, injuries and fatalities,” he said.

The agency offers road users the various legislated AARTO elective options ranging from a 50% discount, nomination of driver in charge of vehicle, submission of representations to dispute an infringement and the request to pay in instalments.

Implementation

In addition, the agency is reviewing its AARTO Master Implementation Plan to determine the shape and form of the AARTO national rollout. Previously, the department had said implementation would follow a phased-in approach.

“Currently consultations are underway with members of the AARTO National Steering Committee who are representing various issuing authorities (national road traffic agencies, provinces and municipalities) to determine the most feasible way to kick-start the AARTO national rollout,” said Mkalipi.

At a recent media briefing, Chikunga said motorists can expect the nationwide full implementation of the AARTO Act in July 2024.

The agency said the testing of the implementation of the AARTO Act in Gauteng’s Tshwane and Johannesburg in 2008, has provided a firm commitment that the agency is ready to rollout AARTO throughout the country.

While the agency continues to engage with stakeholders to ensure that they have a thorough understanding of how the act and its amendment will work, it will also continue educating road users on the legislation and its implications for those who do not comply.

While there has been some sentiment that the AARTO will be hard to implement, the RTIA is of a different view.

“With the eagerness to rollout AARTO by various partners, the RTIA strongly believes the AARTO rollout will be a great success. As we speak, we have the NaTIS [National Administration Traffic Information System] that is active in all municipalities across the country. Since AARTO is a highly automated system, the RTIA should be able to rollout AARTO with existing network on the NaTIS.

“We have prepared so well for the implementation of AARTO which includes the Points Demerit System and the Rehabilitation programme. All these elements of AARTO are being packaged for automation and loading into the NaTIS,” Mkalipi explained.

The rehabilitation programme will see habitual infringers who have their licenses cancelled, attending rehabilitation programmes to be allowed back into the driving fold. –SAnews.gov.za

The Special Investigating Unit will probe allegations of maladministration in the Office of the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal related to the appointment of a consultant to support the province’s six priority programmes.

The unit was authorised to investigate the office by a proclamation signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

“The investigation will also look to see if there was any unauthorised, irregular, or fruitless and wasteful expenditure incurred by the Office of the Premier in KZN, or losses suffered by the Provincial Office or the State.

“Furthermore, the SIU will seek to establish whether there was any irregular, improper or unlawful conduct by the contractors, employees, or officials of the Office of the Premier and the suppliers, service providers, or any other person or entity,” the unit said.

The SIU said the investigation will cover the period between April 2007 and 29 July 2023.

“In addition to investigating maladministration and malpractice, the SIU will also identify failures, and will also make systematic recommendations to improve measures to prevent future losses.

“The SIU is empowered to institute civil action in the High Court or a Special Tribunal in its name, to correct any wrongdoing uncovered during its investigations caused by acts of corruption, fraud, or maladministration. In line with the Special Investigating Units and Special Tribunals Act 74 of 1996, the SIU will refer any evidence pointing to criminal conduct it uncovers to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for further action,” the SIU said. – SAnews.gov.za

President Cyril Ramaphosa has welcomed the review report of the National Development Plan (NDP) presented by the National Planning Commission (NPC) on Tuesday, at the Union Buildings, in Tshwane. 

The NPC briefed the President about their findings having reviewed the country’s progress against the objectives and targets of the National Development Plan: Vision 2030 (NDP) in the past decade. 

President Ramaphosa said that the 10 Year Review of the NDP will help in identifying the underlying challenges that hinder the state and its social partners from achieving greater progress effectively.

“The 10 Year Review of the NDP will assist us in identifying the systemic issues that limit the effectiveness of the state and its social partners in making greater progress. We need to be able to plan better, to integrate and coordinate the work of different departments and institutions, and to ensure that we are using our limited resources most effectively.

“It is important that the State has the capacity to meet its developmental responsibilities, that it is appropriately structured that has the right people in the right places with the appropriate skills and ethos,” President Ramaphosa said.

President Ramaphosa committed his administration’s support to the commission and to ensure that the proposals presented are incorporated into government across all departments and spheres. 

The President further underscored the importance of strong leadership and partnership with labour, civil society, communities and business in effecting the envisaged change. 

The NDP, which was drafted by the first Commission in the 2010-2012 period and adopted by all parties represented in Parliament in 2012, is the long-term plan for national development. It provides guidance for all Government policy formulation and implementation. 

In this regard, government uses the Medium-Term Strategic Framework in order to implement the NDP in a structured manner, across Government departments and spheres. It is also used to mobilise all South Africans to take ownership of the country’s long-term plan, its objectives, and targets.

One of the main findings made in the Ten-Year Review of the NPC was that the economy was not only failing to grow at the rate required for the objectives of NDP to materialise, but the economy was also not structured to serve the interests of all South Africans, resulting in poverty and inequality remaining extremely high and persistent. 

The report further stated that the economic, social, and spatial legacies of apartheid, inappropriate economic policies that prevent redistribution, and the hollowing out of state capacity during the state capture years continue to undermine both South Africa’s competitiveness and the potential of its people. 

The review recommended that planning be institutionalised and made a cross-cutting imperative across the state and government sector to enable the country to make the necessary progress towards the attainment of the NDP goals and targets.

“We need to embark on a course of action to get the country back on the developmental path envisaged by the Plan and place more focus on resolving key issues related to the provision of energy, addressing infrastructure backlogs including transport and freight, building state capacity, and addressing the apartheid spatial legacies,” Prof Tinyiko Maluleke, Deputy Chairperson of the Commission said. 

Minister in The Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation and Chairperson of the Commission, Maropene Ramokgopa, said that although the country has faced various difficulties, it is crucial that the primary focus remains on achieving the goals of the NDP. 

“Despite the challenges experienced, the objectives of eliminating poverty, and reducing unemployment and inequality, which are the overarching goals of the NDP, should and must remain the country’s priority if it is to uplift the conditions of its people,” Ramokgopa said. 

The NPC is an independent planning body, comprising a diverse group of experts in various fields, appointed by the President to advise government on the country’s long-term development as contained in the National Development Plan. - SAnews.gov.za
 

The deadline for submission of public comments on the draft South African Renewable Energy Masterplan (SAREM) has been extended to 18 August 2023.

According to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), the SAREM is aimed at driving the industrialisation of the renewable energy value chain.

“Over the past 18 months, the DMRE, working with industry stakeholders, experts, labour, and other government departments, produced the SAREM which articulates a vision, objectives, and an action plan for South Africa to tap into opportunities linked to the booming market for renewable energy and battery storage technologies, both domestically and globally.

“SAREM aims to leverage the rising demand to unlock the industrial and inclusive development of associated renewable energy and battery storage value chains in South Africa,” the department said.

The department published the draft masterplan for comments on Monday, 17 July. The extension follows the deadline of 31 July 2023.

Comments and inputs on the SAREM can be emailed to Mthunzi.Mangqalaza@dmre.gov.za.

Virtual townhall sessions on the SAREM are scheduled for 14 and 15 August 2023. Stakeholders must register on the links below:

• Registration link for 14 August: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcrduyqrzkqEteN6DWb85z13yEHcUy2xEmb
• Registration link for 15 August: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMud-uorTIvEtI0wmF1nszjR6baKXshohBJ

“The DMRE invites and encourages stakeholders to review and provide comments on the draft masterplan document to ensure that the contribution of the renewable energy and battery storage value chains is maximised in support of South Africa’s National Development Plan (NDP) objectives,” the department said. – SAnews.gov.za

 

South Africa intends to bring the African agenda to the fore at the upcoming 15th BRICS Summit, which will take place in Johannesburg from 22 – 24 August.

The Deputy Director-General of Exports at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic), Lerato Mataboge, said at the BRICS [Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa] Business Editors’ Breakfast, which was held in Johannesburg on Monday, that the summit is an opportune platform to have a robust conversation on “issues of diversifying exports towards value added trade, increasing productive capacities, increasing entrepreneurial opportunities and the skills dividend”.

All these are areas that bear relevance to the theme of the highly-anticipated summit, which is ‘BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Inclusive Multilateralism’.

Mataboge said in addition to infrastructure and industrial development and market integration, attention must be given to accelerating growth and accruing value on the African continent; increasing investment flows to Africa, technology transfer, employment opportunities, and improved incomes and economic inclusion and transformation.

South Africa, as the current chair of BRICS, will be chairing the summit soon after its fruitful participation in the 2nd Russia-Africa Summit, which was held in St. Petersburg last week. The summit came after South Africa successfully held a Friends of BRICS National Security Advisors' Meeting and the BRICS Urbanisation Forum in Durban last week.

The business editors’ session formed part of activities in the road leading to the 15th BRICS Summit. The session was a high-level engagement with the editorial heads of agenda-setting media titles, with the objective of outlining the trade and investment posture of the BRICS Business Council, programme of work of the economic work stream of BRICS in South Africa, as well as the tangible economic opportunities that emerge for South Africa and the African continent.

AfCFTA

In outlining South Africa’s stance on driving the continent’s agenda at the BRICS Summit, Mataboge outlined the benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), saying it creates a legal framework that aims to remove barriers and unlock opportunities for trade and investment for local and global businesses, especially in the creation of regional value chains in Africa.

Notably, she said women and youth-owned businesses are poised to benefit from the AfCFTA, with the necessary financial and non-financial support.

“The AfCFTA creates a single market projected to grow to 1.7 billion people and $6.7 trillion in consumer and business spending by 2030. By 2050, the population would have grown to 2.5 billion people, with combined business and consumer spending reaching $16.12 trillion,” Mataboge said.

Highlighting the AfCFTA’s industrialisation opportunities, Mataboge said the AfCFTA Private Sector Engagement Strategy is set to capture value into the continent. She pointed out four sectors including automotive, agriculture and agro-processing, pharmaceuticals and transport and logistics as having high potential for investment, with “potential to meet African demand through local production and potential value as exports to the rest of the world”.

Mataboge said together, these four sectors represent R2.6 billion in goods and services’ imports per annum. 

South Africa became a member of BRICS in 2010 and attended its first Summit in 2011. BRICS was established as a forum of like-minded, progressive emerging market and developing countries committed to the need to restructure the global political, economic and financial architecture to be more equitable, balanced and resting on the important pillars of multilateralism and international law. 

Over time, BRICS extended its cooperation to three pillars: political and security, economic and financial, and social/people-to-people.

At the initiative of South Africa, BRICS also expanded its reach beyond the BRICS members through the BRICS Outreach and BRICS Plus initiatives. – SAnews.gov.za

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has announced that the price of all grades of petrol and diesel will increase from Wednesday this week.

The price of illuminating paraffin is also expected to rise with the only decrease to be implemented on the price of LP gas.

Adjustments to the prices will be as follows:

• Petrol (both 93 and 95 Octane): 37c increase.
• Diesel (0.05% sulphur): 72c increase.
• Diesel (0.005% sulphur): 71c increase.
• Wholesale illuminating paraffin: 71c increase.
• Single Maximum National Retail Price for illuminating paraffin: 95c increase.
• Maximum Retail Price of LPGas: R1.61 decrease.

The department explained the reasons for the price adjustments.

“The average Brent Crude oil price increased from $75.10 US Dollars [USD] to $79.75 USD during the period under review. The average international product prices of petrol, diesel and Illuminating paraffin followed the increasing trend of crude oil prices during the period under review. These led to higher contributions to the Basic Fuel Prices of petrol, diesel and illuminating paraffin by 63.59 c/l, 99.09. c/l and 98.71c/l, respectively. However, LP Gas decreased due to lower prices of Propane and Butane.

“The Rand appreciated on average, against the US Dollar [from R18.68 to R18.26 per USD] during the period under review when compared to the previous one. This led to lower contributions to the Basic Fuel Prices of petrol, diesel and illuminating paraffin by 27.64 c/l, 27.36 c/l and 27.10 c/l, respectively.

“The cumulative slate balance on petrol and Diesel as at the end of June 2023 had a positive balance of is R2.69 million. Therefore, there is no slate levy applicable in the petrol and diesel price structure for August 2023,” the DMRE said. - SAnews.gov.za