Day: June 2, 2022

The Public Service Commission (PSC) says it is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Mandlenkosi Makhanya, Zukiswa Mqolomba and Nancy Ngwenya as Commissioners at the PSC for a five-year term.

Professor Makhanya’s appointment is with effect from 01 June 2022 while Commissioners Mqolomba and Ngwenya’s appointments are with effect from 14 June 2022 and 01 July 2022 respectively.

The newly appointed Commissioners bring a wealth of experience from both public administration and academia.

“They will without a doubt make a meaningful contribution in the execution of the Constitutional mandate of the PSC, including the repositioning of the Commission to deliver on high catalytic projects,” says Acting Chairperson of the PSC, Professor Somadoda Fikeni.

The PSC Commissioners are appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa in terms of Section 196 (7) (a), read with Section 196 (10) of the Constitution.

The PSC is mandated to, among other things, investigate, monitor and evaluate the organisation and administration, and the personnel practices, of the public service and to also promote the constitutionally prescribed values and principles governing public administration in the public service.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Department of Employment and Labour’s Labour Activation Programme (LAP) has enrolled 200 young people from the Rustenburg Local Municipality in different training projects within the hospitality sector.

LAP is a programme within the department and is funded by the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF).

The purpose of the programme is to skill and upskill the unemployed youth and unemployed UIF beneficiaries in order to gain access into the labour market, and establish their own businesses.

According to the department, during the project leaners will be trained to become assistant chefs, baristas, fast foods cooks, convenience food cooks and table attendant.

These trainings are offered through theoretical training and practical work.

According to the Deputy Director: LAP in North West, Jeffrey Zitha, it is envisaged that at the end of these projects, participants will be able to be integrated into the world of work, and also be able to open their own businesses, thus reducing unemployment and also empowering those around them.

“The aim of these trainings is to ensure that youth and work seekers are equipped with the necessary skills that are needed to close the skills gap and to enable the unemployed youth and unemployed UIF beneficiaries to meet the requirements of the labour market,” Zitha said.

He said as much as they will assist in making sure that they are placed in work places at the end of the programme they encourage youth to also look into starting their own usinesses.

“With the current economic meltdown, the department seeks to encourage the youth and work seekers to look into other opportunities that can create employment for themselves and those around them,” he said.

The training initiatives commenced on Tuesday and are expected to run over a period of three months for baristas, fast food and convenient food cooks, while the chef assistant and table attendant training will run for 10 months.

Upon completion, baristas, fast food and convenient food cooks will receive a NQF level 2 certificate, while chef assistants and table attendant will receive NQF level 4 certificates from an accredited service provider.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Presidency has quashed allegations of criminal conduct on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s behalf following a burglary at his Limpopo farm during 2020.

This after former Correctional Services Commissioner, Arthur Fraser, released a media statement on Wednesday, alleging that during the 2020 incident, at least $4 million had been stolen from the President’s farm, and that President Ramaphosa had “concealed the crime” from police and the SA Revenue Service and “thereafter paid the culprits for their silence”.

In a statement, the Presidency rubbished those claims.

“President Ramaphosa is clear that there is no basis for the claims of criminal conduct that have been made against him in Mr Fraser’s statement. The Presidency can confirm that a robbery took place at the President’s farm in Limpopo on or around 9 February 2020, in which proceeds from the sale of game were stolen.

“The President was attending an African Union Summit in Addis Ababa at the time the incident occurred. On being advised of the robbery, President Ramaphosa reported the incident to the head of the Presidential Protection Unit of the South African Police Service for investigation,” the statement said.

The Presidency said President Ramaphosa is “ready to cooperate with any law enforcement investigation of these matters” after Fraser laid charges against the President based on the allegations.

“President Ramaphosa remains resolute in leading the fight against corruption, restoring the integrity and capability of public institutions and overcoming the legacy of State capture, and will not be deterred by disinformation campaigns,” the statement read.

Source: South African Government News Agency

U.S. Government, NDoH celebrate COVID-19 Vaccine Partnership

Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, and U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Heather Merritt will this week announce a surge of support to South Africa through Global VAX in Pietermaritzburg, in the district of UMgungundlovu, KwaZulu-Natal on Friday June 3, 2022.

Global VAX is a U.S. Government effort to contribute to the global goal to vaccinate 70 percent of the population of every country against COVID-19 in 2022. This approach builds on the extraordinary commitment President Biden has made to donate more than 1.2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses by the end of 2022 and intensifies United States’ efforts to get shots in arms.

Through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Government is planning to donate nearly 800 million rand (over $49 million) to support the Government of South Africa’s efforts to vaccinate South Africans in every corner of the country.

As part of ongoing efforts to increase access to COVID-19 vaccine, the Department of Health and Right-to-Care, supported by USAID, have developed a web-based app called FindMyJab.co.za to make it easy for South Africans to locate vaccination site closer to their places of work or residence.

The app is accessible from any device and includes the name of vaccination site, address, contact information and operating hours of sites across the country. Once you enter your location, you will see a list of sites closest to you, including the pop-up sites

The event serves to celebrate the partnership between the governments and people of South Africa and the United States of America.

The U.S. Government supports a diverse array of activities, including providing quick, safe, and equitable access to vaccines.

The launch will be in the form of a community event, including door-to-door community engagement, led by a delegation consisting of the Minister of Health and leadership of the U.S. Government in South Africa.

This will be followed by dialogues with the community, and their leadership to discuss structural barriers to vaccination uptake and how to overcome vaccine hesitancy.

Source: Government of South Africa