Day: January 12, 2022

Transport Minister, Fikile Mbalula, says the department will present a new driver’s licence card machine for approval at the first Cabinet meeting of the year.

“The machine (from Germany) that produces driver’s licenses is… old… No other country in the world is still using that machine… It’s going to be a new… machine that is going to be on par with the developed world.

“Over and above that, [we] are introducing a new card [machine] that doesn’t need to go to Germany to be fixed. Once cabinet approves that, new machines are going to come,” he said.

Mbalula clarified that the breakdown of the current machine came before plans could be finalised to replace it – causing a backlog in the issuing of driver’s licence cards.

“… Whilst we were doing away with that machine, it had an accident and… the machine had to be taken away to be repaired in Germany. It is being fixed as we speak. We have already taken it to Germany but in the interim, we will introduce new measures on what will happen (sic).”

Furthermore on social media, the Minister said an online payment service for motor vehicle licence renewal, driving licence card renewals, learner’s licence tests and driving licence tests are on the cards.

“The interface of live enrolment units with Home Affairs has been completed. This will enable the immediate validation of fingerprints and address. We are working with the HPCSA [Health Professions Council of South Africa] to enable optometrist to upload eye tests on our systems,” he said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Tourism Minister, Lindiwe Sisulu, has welcomed the lifting of travel bans to Southern Africa by the European Union (EU).

On Monday, EU states agreed to lift the travel bans, which were imposed following the onset of the COIVD-19 Omicron variant.

The variant was announced by the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) in November 2020 and led to several countries around the world – including some in Africa – closing their borders to the region.

“While these moves are welcomed, it comes after the peak of the tourist season and in the wake of over R1 billion lost in cancelled bookings following the re-imposition of travel bans in late November. We welcome EU visitors to our country and are assured that their safety is guaranteed,” Sisulu said.

The Minister explained that a multi-stakeholder approach was taken by the industry to fight for the lifting of the travel bans.

“This is the culmination of sustained advocacy efforts and dedication of all tourism stakeholders. The war room which we put together is yielding results. Let us continue to work hand in hand to revive our industry,” Sisulu said.

The lifting of the ban comes at least two weeks after US President Joe Biden announced that travel bans to Southern Africa are “no longer necessary” as scientists in that country had made strides in understanding the Omicron variant.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister, Barbara Creecy, has commended some 300 firefighters, who have been battling the blaze in the Overberg region of the Western Cape since Saturday.

The fire, which is reported to have started in the department’s Pine Plantation in the Kleinmond area, has destroyed more than 4 000ha of vegetation.

Creecy said the Fire Protection Association in Overberg is expected to compile a fire report regarding the facts pertaining to the source or origins of the fire.

“In the interest of public accountability, the Director-General of the department has asked the Acting CEO of SANParks to undertake an assessment of the Kleinmond fire. The services of SANParks have been enlisted since they have internal capabilities to undertake an assessment of this nature.

“The scope of the assessment will include the origins and causes of the fire, whether fire breaks and other preventative measures were in place and any other factor that may have exacerbated the fire,” the Minister said.

Creecy said once the assessment has been received and processed by the department, the findings and recommendations will be made public.

The department’s Working on Fire is still on the ground and aerial resources continue to assist with suppression efforts at the fire.

Working on Fire has deployed 169 firefighters and management, inclusive of pilots and helicopter support staff, five fire trucks, two transport buses, as well as three bakkies to assist fire authorities in Overberg, with continuous fire suppression efforts since Saturday, 8 January 2022. A total of 116 additional firefighters from local municipalities have been deployed.

“Three spotter planes, two Huey and one Black Hawk Helicopters have been deployed since Saturday to provide additional aerial firefighting capacity. Additional aerial resources remain on standby at Stellenbosch airfield and at Newlands fire base. The helicopters and planes have already made 284 water drops during 65 hours in the air,” the department said.

The department said the team has assisted in fighting and suppressing 22 fires across the province since the summer fire season officially began in the Western Cape on 1 December 2021.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Employers have until Saturday, 15 January 2022, to submit their annual 2021 employment equity (EE) reports, as prescribed in accordance with the Employment Equity Act.

The reporting window opened on 1 September 2021 for both manual and online reporting. The manual reporting season closed on 1 October 2021.

The Department of Employment and Labour Director for EE, Ntsoaki Mamashela, advised employers to submit their reports on time and not wait until the last minute.

Mamashela warned that if the system is jammed with many people logging in at the same time, it runs the risk of crashing.

“The 2021 report submission was preceded by a national series of advocacy workshops. The EE workshops focused on presenting respective provincial EE status, updating on EE Amendments and EE Sector targets, how to access copies of the EEA2 Online by completing EEA11 form, including 2021 EE reporting, and EE inspections and enforcement in the labour market,” Mamashela said.

The aim of the Employment Equity Act, which came into being in 1998, is to promote equal opportunity and fair treatment in employment through the elimination of unfair discrimination, implementing affirmative action measures to redress the disadvantages in employment experienced by designated groups, and to ensure their equitable representation in all occupational levels in the workforce.

“Failure to abide with the provisions of the EE Act may result in imposition of fines,” Mamashela said.

She commended Employment and Labour Minister, Thulas Nxesi, for submitting South Africa’s ratification instruments to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on Convention (C190) that deals with violence and harassment in the workplace.

“The signing would provide an ideal framework on the interpretation and implementation of the Employment Equity Act pertaining to violence and harassment, including gender-based violence in world of work,” she said.

Mamashela said in order to give more protection to workers, the National Economic Development and Labour Council is on course to finalise a code of conduct and guidelines on enforcement of mechanisms to deal with violence and harassment in the workplace by March 2022.

Source: South African Government News Agency