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4 000 families to receive houses in the Northern Cape

Location: News

4 000 families to receive houses in the Northern Cape

Government is set to build over 4 000 houses in municipalities across the Northern Cape over the course of the next 12 to 18 months, in a programme valued at R1 billion.

“Through this project, thousands of families will now have a home they can call their own, an asset that can be used to improve their lives and access financing for their needs, and a home that can be passed on to future generations,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday.

Addressing the launch in Kimberley, President Ramaphosa described the mega-housing project as the biggest in the history of the Northern Cape.

“This project is going to help reduce the housing backlog in the Northern Cape, as more people have access to housing in urban and rural areas. The most vulnerable in our society will be prioritised as beneficiaries of this mega-housing project.

“We will strive to ensure that the elderly, child-headed households, military veterans and persons with disabilities get priority in the allocation of these houses. What is significant about this project is that it will also address the housing needs of the so-called ‘missing middle’, people who have a form of income but do not qualify for either subsidised housing or home loans with commercial banks,” President Ramaphosa said.

The project will also be allocating funds to eradicate informal settlements and unsuitable housing structures like mud homes.

“This project is going to create work and business opportunities in the Northern Cape across its lifespan. These opportunities will be in the construction itself, in the sourcing and production of building materials, in the laying down of bulk infrastructure, in the supply of professional services and other economic activities associated with the project.

“We will be prioritising women and youth-owned businesses. We are determined that it will be Northern Cape residents and Northern Cape businesses that will benefit from the opportunities that will be created,” the President said.

He assured residents that the province has put measures in place to ensure these housing projects are delivered within the projected timeframes, according to budget and without any wastage or corruption.

“We know that right here in Roodepan and in other parts of the municipality there are social housing structures that were not built according to quality standards, or are facing challenges with wastewater drainage and groundwater seepage.

“This will not be allowed to happen again. We are going to ensure that the contractors appointed to this project observe the highest construction standards,” the President said.

He said the launch of the project is a further demonstration that government is making good on its commitment to fulfil the human rights of all South Africans.

“Providing houses for the poor and vulnerable who are dependent on government support requires innovative funding mechanisms. We have to mobilise resources in partnership with financial institutions, especially development finance institutions.

“By leveraging the Human Settlements Development Grant, the Northern Cape has secured funding through a loan facility of National Treasury and the Development Bank of Southern Africa to build these top structures and housing units.

“This loan will further be augmented by funding from the fiscus and the provincial government to achieve the total project value. This will significantly shorten the time it takes to build these houses,” the President said.

Thirty years of democracy

Despite the current challenges in the country, the President said government has made progress in expanding access to housing since the advent of democracy.

“This year, we celebrate 30 years since achieving our democracy. Last year, Statistics South Africa released the results of Census 2022, which give an indication of the strides we have made in improving the lives of the South African people.

“When the census was conducted in 2022, nearly 9 out of every 10 households were living in formal dwellings. When the first census in a democratic South Africa was held in 1996, only 6 out of every 10 households lived in a formal dwelling.

“In South Africa today, 8 out of every 10 households have access to piped water either inside their home or in the yard. These are achievements we must celebrate,” President Ramaphosa said.

He said over 4.7 million housing opportunities have been provided since the advent of democracy.

This includes stand-alone houses, multiple storey and multi-unit buildings and serviced stands.

“Security of tenure has been granted to the many households who live in pre-1994 government rental houses. We have given subsidies and transferred title deeds to approximately 376 000 qualifying beneficiaries of these homes.

“We have been working to eradicate spatial inequality by building socially and economically sustainable human settlements close to places of work, study and recreation,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za

nosihle
Thu, 01/18/2024 - 13:17

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Presidential Economic Advisory Council discusses measures to support economic growth, job creation

Location: News

Presidential Economic Advisory Council discusses measures to support economic growth, job creation

Despite the progress made in putting in place fiscally, socially and environmentally sound economic policies, the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) has noted that significant challenges remain.

“In its assessment of the current economic environment, the PEAC highlighted fiscal risks, the poor performance of state-owned enterprises, ongoing load shedding, historical underinvestment in infrastructure, and rising levels of crime as the most urgent obstacles to growth,” the Presidency said on Wednesday.

In its meeting, chaired by President Cyril Ramaphosa, the PEAC welcomed the actions currently underway to address these challenges, and discussed proposals to strengthen state capacity, professionalise the public service, and improve the governance of state-owned enterprises.

Further proposals included a proactive green industrial strategy to harness South Africa’s significant renewable energy resources, support for small businesses and the informal sector, and measures to accelerate implementation of the Energy Action Plan and end load shedding.

The President chaired the meeting of the PEAC to discuss current economic developments and measures to support economic growth and job creation.

“Members of PEAC commended the progress made in advancing economic reform, including in the energy, transport, and telecommunications sectors, as well as in rebuilding state institutions that were weakened by state capture.

“The recently released results of Census 2022 show that the quality of life has improved for millions of South Africans since the previous census, including through expanded access to education, water, electricity, housing, and other basic services,” the Presidency said.

Finally, the PEAC discussed South Africa’s role in advocating for the reform of the international financial architecture.

The PEAC further supported the call for appropriate financing mechanisms to support the climate transition in developing countries.

The Presidency said the analysis and recommendations provided by PEAC continue to play a key role in informing government policymaking. – SAnews.gov.za

 

nosihle
Thu, 01/18/2024 - 09:21

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LG Unveils A Spectrum Of Cutting-Edge Solutions Showcasing Its Creative Essence

Location: MyPR

Dedicating a Special Exhibition Zone to Experimental yet Innovative Products, LG Presents Creative Ideas Tailored to Various Lifestyles LG Electronics (LG) geared up to showcase its latest lineup of innovative and pioneering products at CES 2024, the world’s largest consumer electronics and IT exhibition. LG dedicated a special exhibition space to LG Labs, its marketing …

Read moreLG Unveils A Spectrum Of Cutting-Edge Solutions Showcasing Its Creative Essence

Mchunu to guide Water Services Authority Summit

Location: News

Mchunu to lead Water Services Authority Summit

Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu will lead a two-day Water Services Authority (WSA) Summit in response to the outcomes of the Blue and No Drop Reports and Green Drop Progress Assessment Report released in December 2023.

The summit will be held at Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, from 18 - 19 January 2024.

Mchunu is expected to be joined by the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Water and Sanitation Deputy Ministers, David Mahlobo and Judith Tshabalala, as well as representatives from provincial and local governments.

The summit will be attended by representatives from the 144 Water Services Authorities across the country, and will deliberate and review the reports released by the Minister in December 2023.

The gathering will enable the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and Cogta, together with the Water Services Authorities, to agree on what should be done to address the findings of the drop reports.

Action plans will be developed in various groups that will converge and look into critical performing municipalities, poor performing municipalities, average performing municipalities and excellent performing municipalities.

The summit will further discuss the following:

•            The implication of the 2023 No Drop, Blue Drop, and Green Drop results.

•            Identify the main causes of good and poor performance.

•            Identify the most important issues to be included in action plans to be developed by Water Services Authorities with poor and critical performing water supply and wastewater systems.

•            Exchange best practices, share lessons learned and identify areas of collaboration.

•            Identify various support mechanisms to assist the poor and critical performing entities.

•            Raise the profile of the quality of water and sanitation services by engaging and encouraging mayors to be ambassadors of change.

This comes at the backdrop of the release of the reports on water quality (Blue Drop), non-revenue water (No Drop), as well as a report on the state of waste water (Green Drop) in all Water Services Authorities in the country.

The Blue and No Drop Reports indicate that there has been a decline in drinking water quality and an increase in non-revenue water since the last reports were issued in 2014.

The Green Drop Progress Assessment Report also indicates an increased risk in the performance of municipal wastewater treatment systems.

The Blue, Green and No Drop Certification programmes are aimed at improving municipal drinking water quality, wastewater management as well as water conservation and demand management.

The programme is a transparency and accountability mechanism by government on the state of water and sanitation to ensure that all role players in the water sector are held accountable and the citizens are informed about the state of their drinking water quality, provision and how waste water is managed to ensure that their health and the environment are protected.

The regulating mechanism provides for the DWS to initiate corrective measures to address deficiencies identified during each assessment. – SAnews.gov.za

Edwin
Wed, 01/17/2024 - 11:24

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South Africa: Travellers urged to be vigilant following detection of cholera in Limpopo

Location: News

Republic of South Africa: Department of Government Communication and Information System
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Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, has urged citizens to be vigilant and maintain personal hygiene as the country has recorded two laboratory-confirmed cases of cholera in Limpopo.

According to the Department of Health, both cases are imported from Zimbabwe. 

The first case was confirmed in the Musina sub-district in the Vhembe District after a 43-year-old male patient tested positive and has since been discharged from Musina Hospital.

“The second case is a 27-year-old man, also from Zimbabwe, who presented at Helene Franz Hospital under Capricorn District Municipality, with a history of abdominal cramps, watery diarrhoea and vomiting that started on 11 January 2024,” the department explained. 

The department said this particular patient travelled to Zimbabwe on 9 December 2023 and returned to South Africa on 10 January 2024. 

According to the statement, the patient's health condition is stable and they are currently in isolation at the hospital.

“His contacts were identified, and the local outbreak response team has been activated to conduct further investigations and provide health education to contacts.”

The department said the country remains on high alert for possible imported cholera cases from Zimbabwe, which is currently battling the outbreak of the disease, which so far claimed over 200 lives. 

The department, in collaboration with the Border Management Authority (BMA), has since intensified health screening at the Beitbridge border post to mitigate the imported cholera cases from Zimbabwe. 

The Deputy Minister has since thanked suspected cholera patients for being honest with their travel history and fully cooperating with health officials.

He appealed to all those with a travel history to cholera outbreak areas to do the same to save lives and prevent further transmission to other people.

“We say to all travellers along N1 from Musina and other parts of the country, please avoid using known or suspected contaminated surfaces, especially in public places and wash hands thoroughly with soap before handling food or after using the bathroom to prevent possible infection,” said Dhlomo. 

All people who experience cholera-like symptoms, with or without travel history to cholera endemic countries and areas, are also encouraged to present themselves to the nearest health facilities without delay.

The symptoms to look out for include stomach cramps, diarrhoea, dehydration and vomiting. 

The department has advised people to never drink water from unsafe sources such as rivers, dams or streams unless boiled or disinfected first. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: Department of Government Communication and Information System.

Read moreSouth Africa: Travellers urged to be vigilant following detection of cholera in Limpopo

Structural reforms remain key for SA economy

Location: News

Structural reforms remain key for SA economy

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has reaffirmed South Africa’s commitment to engaging in structural reforms that will foster an environment fertile to economic growth and competitiveness.

The Minister was speaking during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting held in Davos, Switzerland.

Godongwana is leading the South African delegation to the critical meeting.

Structural reforms in South Africa are targeted at – among other things – electricity, infrastructure, water and logistics, and are driven by Operation Vulindlela.

Operation Vulindlela is a joint initiative of the Presidency and National Treasury to accelerate the implementation of structural reforms and support economic recovery. It aims to modernise and transform network industries, including electricity, water, transport and digital communications.

The objectives of the reforms are aimed at:

  • Stabilising the electricity supply.
  • Reducing the cost and increasing the quality of digital communications.
  • Providing sustainable water supply to meet demand.
  • Providing competitive and efficient freight transport.
  • Fostering a visa regime that attracts skills and grows tourism.

“There are a number of things we are doing to deal with structural reforms. One of the perennial problems we’ve had has been on the energy front. Massive structural reforms… are dealing with that question.

“A new challenge has been the logistics sector, where we are investing a lot in it. We have been trying to change the skills composition to the extent that we don’t have and we have provided an environment where we can import skills with ease.

“So there are lot of structural reforms that we have engaged in in order to make sure that we can grow the economy and be competitive,” Godongwana told the panel.

Historical commitment

During the pre-WEF media breakfast briefing held last week, Godongwana emphasised that structural reforms remain crucial.

“Structural reforms remain crucial to revive medium-term growth prospects amid a constrained policy space. We remain steadfast in carrying out structural reforms to support and accelerate economic recovery.

“As government, we remain resolved to deal with the energy and logistics challenges that are adversely impacting our economy,” he said.

In his Medium Term Budget Policy Statement delivered in November last year, Godongwana presented the reforms specifically targeted at Eskom and Transnet.

On Transnet, he said: “Rail underperformance is estimated to have cost up to 5% of GDP in 2022, with losses in the region of R50 billion in the minerals sector alone.

“Given the scale of the challenges, the National Logistics Crisis Committee was instituted to broaden reforms in the sector and prioritise reforms aimed at resolving the immediate crisis, while also addressing the structural aspects hampering the sector.”

On electricity, Godongwana said: “[We] recognise the potential loss of revenue due to private electricity generation, and the fact that traditional revenue models relied on by public entities like Eskom, face serious disruption.

“It is for these reasons that our electricity reforms are holistic, evidenced-based, and geared to find a balanced solution to our electricity supply challenges. They take into account not just a particular entity but the transformation of the sector as a whole.” – SAnews.gov.za

NeoB
Tue, 01/16/2024 - 12:18

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Deputy Minister Sibongiseni Dhlomo urges citizens to be vigilant following detection of cholera cases in Limpopo

Location: News

Republic of South Africa: Department of Health
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The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo urges members of the public to be vigilant and maintain personal hygiene as country records two laboratory-confirmed cases of cholera in Limpopo.

Both cases are imported from Zimbabwe. 

The first case was confirmed in the Musina sub-district in Vhembe District. The 43-year-old male patient tested positive and has since been discharged from Musina hospital.

The second case is a 27-year-old man, also from Zimbabwe who presented at Hellen Franz hospital under Capricorn District Municipality, with history of abdominal cramps, watery diarrhoea and vomiting that started on 11 January 2024.

The patient travelled to Zimbabwe on 9 December 2023 and returned to South Africa on 10 January 2024. His health condition is stable and still in isolation at the hospital.  His contacts were identified, and the local outbreak response team has been activated to conduct further investigations and provide health education to contacts. 

The country remains on high alert of possible imported cholera cases from the neighbouring Zimbabwe which is currently battling the outbreak of the disease which has so far claimed over 200 lives. 

The department in collaboration with the Border Management Authority, has intensified health screening at Beitbridge border post to mitigate against the imported cholera cases from Zimbabwe. 

Deputy Minister Dhlomo thanks these suspected cholera patients for being honest with their travel history and full cooperation with health officials and appeals to all those with travel history to cholera outbreak areas to do the same in order save lives and prevent further transmission to other people.

“We say to all travellers along N1 from Musina and other parts of the country, please avoid using known or suspected contaminated surfaces especially in public places and wash hands thoroughly with soap before handling food or after using the bathroom to prevent possible infection”, said Deputy Minister Dlhomo.

All people who experience cholera-like symptoms (stomach cramps, diarrhoea, and dehydration and vomiting), with or without travel history to cholera endemic countries and areas, are also urged to present themselves to the nearest health facilities without delays. Never drink water from unsafe sources such as rivers, dams, streams, unless boiled or disinfected first.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: Department of Health.

Read moreDeputy Minister Sibongiseni Dhlomo urges citizens to be vigilant following detection of cholera cases in Limpopo

Travellers urged to be vigilant following detection of cholera in Limpopo

Location: News

Travellers urged to be vigilant following detection of cholera in Limpopo

Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, has urged citizens to be vigilant and maintain personal hygiene as the country has recorded two laboratory-confirmed cases of cholera in Limpopo.

According to the Department of Health, both cases are imported from Zimbabwe. 

The first case was confirmed in the Musina sub-district in the Vhembe District after a 43-year-old male patient tested positive and has since been discharged from Musina Hospital.

“The second case is a 27-year-old man, also from Zimbabwe, who presented at Helene Franz Hospital under Capricorn District Municipality, with a history of abdominal cramps, watery diarrhoea and vomiting that started on 11 January 2024,” the department explained. 

The department said this particular patient travelled to Zimbabwe on 9 December 2023 and returned to South Africa on 10 January 2024. 

According to the statement, the patient’s health condition is stable and they are currently in isolation at the hospital.

“His contacts were identified, and the local outbreak response team has been activated to conduct further investigations and provide health education to contacts.”

The department said the country remains on high alert for possible imported cholera cases from Zimbabwe, which is currently battling the outbreak of the disease, which so far claimed over 200 lives. 

The department, in collaboration with the Border Management Authority (BMA), has since intensified health screening at the Beitbridge border post to mitigate the imported cholera cases from Zimbabwe. 

The Deputy Minister has since thanked suspected cholera patients for being honest with their travel history and fully cooperating with health officials.

He appealed to all those with a travel history to cholera outbreak areas to do the same to save lives and prevent further transmission to other people.

“We say to all travellers along N1 from Musina and other parts of the country, please avoid using known or suspected contaminated surfaces, especially in public places and wash hands thoroughly with soap before handling food or after using the bathroom to prevent possible infection,” said Dhlomo. 

All people who experience cholera-like symptoms, with or without travel history to cholera endemic countries and areas, are also encouraged to present themselves to the nearest health facilities without delay.

The symptoms to look out for include stomach cramps, diarrhoea, dehydration and vomiting. 

The department has advised people to never drink water from unsafe sources such as rivers, dams or streams unless boiled or disinfected first. – SAnews.gov.za

Gabisile
Tue, 01/16/2024 - 10:34

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Read moreTravellers urged to be vigilant following detection of cholera in Limpopo

Democracy has paved the way for access to education for every

Location: News

Democracy has paved the way for access to education for all

President Cyril Ramaphosa says that as the nation commemorates 30 years of democracy, South Africa has made strides in “advancing access to education” for previously marginalised groups.

He made this assertion in his weekly newsletter to the nation on Monday.

South Africa will celebrate 30 years of democracy this year as the country’s first democratic election was held in April 1994 – marking an end to the racist apartheid regime.

“We must consider just how far we have come from an era where the educational prospects of young black men and women were greatly diminished, and where the inferior education they received was deliberately designed to prepare them to be “hewers of wood and drawers of water”.

“Much has changed. From the results of Census 2022, we can glean insight into the gains we have made as a country in advancing access to education, the most critical area of any nation’s development,” the President said.

Census 2022, according to the Presidency, was the fourth population and housing count in post-apartheid South Africa, with the first conducted in 1996, with subsequent censuses being conducted in 2001 and 2011.

Pressing further on the results of Census 2022, the President added that at least three quarters of youth aged between five and 24 are attending school with the “percentage of people aged 20 and older who have completed secondary education” doubling since the first democratic Census in 1996.

“The first census showed that some 62% of white South Africans had a matric or higher qualification compared to 18% of blacks. Today, 38% of all South Africans have completed secondary education.

“At the time Census 1996 was conducted, 1.5 million South Africans had post-school qualifications. In 2022, this figure stood at approximately 4.6 million. Much of this progress has been made possible by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, which continues to play an invaluable role in supporting access to higher education,” President Ramaphosa said.

Expanding access to education

He acknowledged that the education sector is facing challenges “as it works to meet the needs of our growing population [and] we are working to overcome them”.

“However, given our country’s history of marginalisation and exclusion, that we have made such substantial progress in expanding access to education over the past three decades is significant.

“In South Africa today, basic and higher education is accessible to the children and grandchildren of farmworkers, mineworkers and domestic workers, many of whom were denied such opportunities in the not-too-distant apartheid past. We will continue to build on our gains in our quest to leave no-one behind.”

Matric results

President Ramaphosa highlighted that matric results over the past few years has recorded the strides that young females are now making.

“In 2022, the matric cohort achieved an 80.1% pass rate, and last year more than a million candidates sat for the exam. More than half of the successful matriculants were female. There are also more women studying at tertiary institutions in South Africa, including in the once male-dominated science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.

“While the task of ensuring that our economy grows at a scale and pace to absorb graduates and those seeking formal employment is a daunting one, let us not lose sight of how far we have come in this critical developmental indicator.

“We wish the matriculants eagerly awaiting their results later this week good luck. We have no doubt they will make us proud, making it an auspicious start to an auspicious year,” President Ramaphosa concluded. – SAnews.gov.za

 

NeoB
Mon, 01/15/2024 - 10:13

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Read moreDemocracy has paved the way for access to education for every

SA appeals to top UN court in Israel-Palestine matter

Location: News

SA appeals to top UN court in Israel-Palestine matter

Justice and Correctional Services Minister, Ronald Lamola, fears that without the intervention of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Palestinians will be destroyed. 

This was as South Africa approached the ICJ, under the Genocide Convention, for acts committed by Israel in the context of its attacks on Gaza. 

He said the Israeli actions were reminiscent of the Rwandan genocide 30 years ago. 

“We are here, on behalf of South Africa and the global community, to seek justice for the victims, particularly children, women, and the elderly. We believe that without the intervention of this court, of the international community, we will see the total destruction of the Palestinian people.

“Remaining silent in the efface of this, in and of itself, would be a gross violation of international law,” he pleaded.

The Minister was addressing the media on Thursday outside the ICJ. South Africa presented its genocide case against Israel at the ICJ in The Hague, Netherlands.

“We are asking the court to intervene and stop the ongoing massacre in Gaza. Today, it is a common cause that the Rwandan genocide could have been prevented.

“Former United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, expressed this regret when he said, ‘The international community failed Rwanda, and that must leave us always with a sense of bitter regret and abiding sorrow’.

“Let us not have to live with the same regret when it comes to Palestine.” 

Israel, which South Africa is accusing of genocide, was on Friday on the floor in a legal battle to defend itself at the top United Nations (UN) court. 

“The government of the Republic of South Africa, led by His Excellency President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, entrusted me with representing its commitment to the rule of just law, a universal respect for human rights, and specifically the right of the Palestinian people to sovereignty, to peace, to life.”

Finding a solution

South Africa, added the Minister, has supported various resolutions of the UN and other international solutions to support a just and lasting solution that will bring peace to Palestinians and Israelis.

This is in addition to President Ramaphosa calling for a ceasefire and humanitarian interventions on numerous occasions. 

“The world has watched in horror as Palestinian men, women and children were slaughtered, blown up, buried alive under the rubble of their homes, left to die painful deaths in un-resourced hospitals, resulting in over 23 000 deaths,” he added. 

This, according to the Minister, was done through the destruction of homes, schools, hospitals, water treatment plants and other public infrastructure. 

“Sadly, the world has not succeeded in stopping the genocide that is currently unfolding in Gaza.

“The international community has largely remained passive in response to these atrocities.”

He also cited Secretary-General António Guterres who last year called on the world to “press to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and unite in a call for a full humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants”.

“This plea for ubuntu, a plea for the humanity of the international community to prevail was simply ignored. Israel’s institutional impunity was reinforced.” 

Measures

Lamola also explained that South Africa has also asked the ICJ for provisional measures which include an immediate suspension of Israeli military operations in and against Gaza.

“The philosophy of ubuntu means ‘humanity’ and is reflected in the idea that we affirm our humanity when we affirm the humanity of others.

“It has played a major role in the forging of a South African national consciousness and the process of its democratic transformation and nation building.” 

He also reflected on the country’s history of repression and violence, human rights abuses, apartheid as a crime against humanity, discrimination and distrust between people born on the same soil. 

“This history enjoins us to stand in principle in solidarity with the people of Palestine.”

He is of the view that the esteemed institution has the opportunity to not only reaffirm but also strengthen humanity's commitment to justice.

“This can be achieved by infusing the Genocide Convention with vibrancy and bringing it to life with action and meaning.

“We trust that, after hearing us presenting the facts, the legal arguments, the truth, the court will grant them the protection they seek.” – SAnews.gov.za

 

Gabisile
Fri, 01/12/2024 - 11:44

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Read moreSA appeals to top UN court in Israel-Palestine matter

SA speaks at ICJ case

Location: News

SA speaks at ICJ case

Israel’s response to the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023 has crossed the line and breaches the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide also referred to as “the Convention”. 

This is according to Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, who delivered his opening remarks at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands, on Thursday. 

“Madam President, ‘in extending our hands across the miles to the people of Palestine, we do so in the full knowledge that we are part of a humanity that is at one’. These were the words of President Nelson Mandela. This is the spirit in which South Africa acceded to the Convention,” Lamola told the packed court on Thursday.

South Africa is currently on the floor in the ICJ in a legal battle against Israel, which is accused of genocide in Gaza.  

South Africa approached the ICJ, under the Convention, for acts committed by Israel in its continued attack on Gaza that has claimed thousands of lives and injured many. 

The Convention defines genocide as acts such as killings “committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group”.

The Minister believes that the violence and destruction in Palestine and Israel did not begin on 7 October 2023. 

“The Palestinians have experienced systemic oppression and violence for the last 76 years, on 6 October 2023 and every day since October 7.” 

Meanwhile, he said that since 2005, Israel has continued to exercise control over the airspace, territorial waters, land crossings, water, electricity, civilian infrastructure and other key governmental functions. 

“Given that continuing effective control by Israel over the territory, Gaza is still considered by the international community to be under belligerent occupation by Israel.”

In the same breath, he took the stand to condemn the targeting of civilians by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups and the taking of hostages in October last year.  

“That said, no armed attack on a State’s territory no matter how serious — even an attack involving atrocity crimes — can provide any justification for, or defence to, breaches of the Convention, whether as a matter of law or morality.  

“Israel’s response to the 7 October 2023 attack has crossed this line and gives rise to breaches of the Convention.”

It is for this reason that he believes South Africa has a responsibility to prevent genocide as contained in Article 1 of the Convention. 

He also welcomed Israel’s involvement with the case, to have the matter resolved by the court. 

Legal counsel

South Africa’s case is presented by a team of six legal counsels, including Dr Adila Hassim, Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, Professor John Dugard, Blinne ni Ghrálaigh, Max du Plessis, and Professor Vaughan Lowe.

Hassim accused Israel is committing “acts of genocide” during its war against the Hamas terror group in Gaza.

The advocate also showed the map of Gaza, describing it as one of the most densely populated places in the world and home to about 2.3 million Palestinians, almost half of them children.

She said Palestinians in Gaza are being killed by Israeli weaponry and bombs from the air, land and sea. 

“Israel deployed 6 000 bombs per week. At least 200 times, it has deployed 2 000-pound (907kg) bombs in southern Gaza, which it designated safe.”

According to Hassim, more than 1 800 Palestinian families in Gaza have lost multiple family members. 

“Hundreds of multi-generational families have been wiped out with no remaining survivors – mothers, fathers, children, siblings, grandparents, aunts, cousins, often all killed together. This killing is nothing short of the destruction of Palestinian life. 

“It is inflicted deliberately, no one is spared, not even newborn babies. UN [United Nations] chiefs have described it as a graveyard for children.” 

Ngcukaitobi, who was the second lawyer to take the floor, said South Africa is not alone in drawing attention to Israel’s genocidal rhetoric against Palestinians in Gaza. 

However, he said 15 UN special rapporteurs and 21 members of the UN working groups have warned that what is happening in Gaza reflects a genocide in the making.

Both South Africa and Israel are expected to lay bare their arguments during the two-day public hearing at the ICJ.

The arguments continue. – SAnews.gov.za

 

Gabisile
Thu, 01/11/2024 - 13:11

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Read moreSA speaks at ICJ case

World Court to hear Genocide Case Against Israel

Location: News

Human Rights Watch (HRW)
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The International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearings on January 11 and 12, 2024, on genocide in Gaza will include the first formal response by Israel before an independent and impartial court to allegations of atrocities against the Palestinian people since October 7, 2023, Human Rights Watch said today. On December 29, South Africa filed a case with the court alleging that Israel is violating the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

On January 2, Israeli officials confirmed that Israel would be represented at the ICJ to oppose the South African government's application. South Africa contends that Israel has violated the Genocide Convention by committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, and by failing to prevent it, including by not holding senior Israeli officials and others accountable for their direct and public incitement to genocide. The case is not a criminal proceeding against individuals but seeks a legal determination of state responsibility for genocide.

“South Africa's case is about Israel's obligations under the Genocide Convention and puts its conduct in Gaza in sharp focus before the United Nations' highest judicial body,” said Balkees Jarrah, associate international justice director at Human Rights Watch. “South Africa has asked the World Court to issue urgent measures to protect Palestinians in Gaza who face catastrophic living conditions as a result of war crimes carried out by Israeli authorities.”

While the case may take several years to reach a final ruling, South Africa has asked the court to order provisional measures to protect the Palestinian people in Gaza from further harm, ensure Israel's compliance with the Genocide Convention, and safeguard South Africa's ability to have the case fairly adjudicated. South Africa has asked the ICJ to issue these measures “as a matter of extreme urgency,” saying that Palestinians in Gaza are in “urgent and severe need of the Court's protection.” Arguments on the request for provisional measures are the subject of the January 11 and 12 hearings.

Among the provisional measures sought are for Israel to immediately suspend its military operations in Gaza and abide by its obligations under the Genocide Convention. South Africa also seeks measures to prevent the destruction and ensure the preservation of any evidence related to the underlying case – including by giving fact-finding missions, international mandates, and other bodies access to Gaza.

South Africa also asked the court to require Israel to report to it on steps taken to carry out a provisional measures order within a week of its issuance and then at regular intervals until the court issues its final ruling. In its oral arguments on January 11, South Africa could specifically ask the court to make Israel's reports public.

In its application to the ICJ, South Africa says that Israel is killing Palestinians in Gaza in large numbers, causing them serious bodily and mental harm, imposing measures intended to prevent Palestinian births, and inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of Palestinians as a group. South Africa cited expulsions and mass displacement; deprivation of access to adequate food and water, medical care, shelter, clothes, hygiene, and sanitation; and the destruction of the fabric of Palestinian life in Gaza.

South Africa further contends that the “acts of genocide” should be placed in “the broader context of Israel's conduct towards Palestinians during its 75-year-long apartheid, its 56-year-long belligerent occupation of Palestinian territory and its 16-year-long blockade of Gaza.”

South Africa contends that numerous statements by Israeli political and military officials amount to evidence of a clear intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a group. It says that the “clear inference from the acts of the Israeli army on the ground…is that those genocidal statements and directives are being implemented against the Palestinian people.” South Africa's application refers to several statements by UN experts who have warned of a risk of genocide.

The court will hear Israel's formal response on January 12. Israel's Foreign Affairs Ministry, in a published statement on December 29, 2023, described South Africa's application as “blood libel” and that the claim “lacks both a factual and a legal basis and constitutes despicable and contemptuous exploitation of the Court.” One media report said that the Israeli Foreign Ministry instructed its diplomats to press officials in their host countries to issue statements against South Africa's case. The Israeli foreign minister has also specifically urged the United Kingdom to oppose South Africa's application. The media reported on January 9 that UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said that he did not think the ICJ case was helpful. 

The United States National Security Council spokesman described South Africa's application as “meritless, counterproductive, and completely without any basis in fact whatsoever.” The US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said separately that Washington had not “at this point seen acts that constitute genocide” and that the ICJ case was “not a productive step at this time.”

A number of parties to the Genocide Convention have welcomed South Africa's application including Bangladesh, Bolivia, Jordan, Malaysia, the Maldives, Pakistan, Palestine, Turkey, Nambia, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation also issued a statement in support of the case. France's UN ambassador in New York said France is a strong supporter of the ICJ and would back the court's decisions. Governments should speak out in support of ICJ proceedings and publicly commit to supporting compliance with the court's decisions, Human Rights Watch said.

Israeli authorities and Palestinian armed groups have committed serious abuses during the current hostilities. Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups deliberately killed hundreds of civilians in Israel on October 7 and took more than 200 hostages. The Israeli government then cut electricity, fuel, food and water to Gaza's population and severely curtailed life-saving humanitarian aid, all acts of collective punishment, a war crime. Israeli authorities are also using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare in Gaza, which is also a war crime, Human Rights Watch said.

Past ICJ practice suggests that a decision on provisional measures could be delivered within weeks. Though such an order would be legally binding on Israel, it would not prejudge the merits of the allegations that Israel has violated the Genocide Convention. A provisional measures order is automatically sent to the UN Security Council pending a final decision in the case.

The ICJ is composed of 15 judges elected by the UN General Assembly and Security Council for nine-year terms. When two countries have a dispute and the court does not include their nationals on the bench, the governments can appoint ad-hoc judges to hear that specific matter. In this case, South Africa has appointed Dikgang Moseneke, former deputy chief justice of South Africa, and Israel has appointed Aharon Barak, a retired Israeli Supreme Court president, as ad-hoc judges.

South Africa, which ratified the Genocide Convention in 1998, brought its case under article 9 of the convention, which allows for disputes between parties to be submitted to the ICJ. The court previously confirmed that all member states of the convention have a duty to prevent and to punish genocide. Israel has been a party to the Genocide Convention since 1951.

South Africa together with Bangladesh, Bolivia, the Comoros, and Djibouti also referred the Palestine situation to the International Criminal Court prosecutor in November 2023. South Africa asked the prosecutor, Karim Khan, to investigate the crime of genocide among other grave abuses in Palestine with a view to charging the individuals responsible. Khan confirmed that his office has been conducting, since March 2021, an investigation into alleged atrocity crimes committed in Gaza and the West Bank since 2014, and that he has jurisdiction over crimes in the current hostilities between Israel and Palestinian armed groups that covers unlawful conduct by all parties. He visited Israel and Palestine in December.

In a related matter, in December 2022 the UN General Assembly requested an advisory opinion from the ICJ on the legal consequences of Israel's prolonged occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. The General Assembly first asked the ICJ for an advisory opinion related to the Occupied Palestinian Territory 20 years ago. In 2004, the ICJ's advisory opinion found that the route of Israel's separation barrier violated international law and that it should be dismantled. The December 2022 request is wider in scope. South Africa, among other countries, filed a written statement in the proceeding. The ICJ will convene public hearings on the request starting on February 19.

“How many more alarm bells have to ring and how many more civilians must unlawfully suffer or be killed before governments take action,” Jarrah said. “South Africa's genocide case unlocks a legal process at the world's highest court to credibly examine Israel's conduct in Gaza in the hopes of curtailing further suffering.” 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Read moreWorld Court to hear Genocide Case Against Israel

Festive cheer for Ocean View Child and Youth Care Centre

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Engen, in collaboration with the Community-Engen Joint Committee, has spread some heart-warming holiday cheer to 30 children residing at the Ocean View Child and Youth Care Centre on the Bluff. Engen’s generous donation of Santa Boxes, brimming with delightful treats and toys, brightened the faces of these vulnerable children aged 6 to 18. The Engen …

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