Day: November 4, 2022

Government has launched the Disrupting Harm in South Africa report that presents the national data needed in the country’s quest to protect our children.

Speaking on occasion of the launch of the report on Friday, Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu said she welcomes the Disrupting Harm in South Africa report on behalf of the government of South Africa.

As one of the pathfinding member countries, she said, today South Africa is joining other countries who have already launched their country reports.

Together with UNICEF, the Department of Social Development conducted a nationally-representative study where 2 643 children who were aged between 9 and 17 years, as well as 1 393 parents or caregivers in all the nine provinces of the country participated in the study that explored children’s online behaviours and experiences.

Minister Zulu said that the community-grounded partnership is the basis for the inclusion of South Africa in this international initiative.

In 2020, UNICEF observed that one in three women were experiencing gender based-violence, and that one in five children under the age of 18 years were experiencing sexual abuse.

“The abuse, neglect and exploitation of children — girls and boys alike — are intentional conducts that make this an epidemic that is drowning the mental health, physical well-being and prospects of South Africa’s future: children. The astronomic increase in the number of child pregnancies is the regrettable indicator of the prevalence of this destructive menace,” Minister Zulu said.

The Minister said that the Disrupting Harm in South Africa report provides government with the baseline national data on the extent of online-facilitated child sexual abuse.

“On the grounds that these data will form the basis for the strengthening of the country’s technologically facilitated child sexual abuse research agenda, we are assured that responsive policies and programmes will flow from them.

“The Disrupting Harm in South Africa study is presenting us national data that we need in our quest to protect our children. The report’s findings are as clear, as its recommendations are unambiguous,” Zulu said.

To demonstrate South Africa’s commitment in caring for and protecting the children, the Department of Social Development has developed guidelines that are relevant to the prevention of child exploitation and how its regrettable eventuality must be responded to.

These guidelines specifically address subjects such as child trafficking, child labour and sexual exploitation. Working together with UNICEF South Africa, the Department of Social Development is designing a training manual on the prevention of and response to Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation in South Africa.

“This manual will be particularly useful to frontline officials, including police, social workers, teachers, etc. Moreover, the Department is implementing a myriad of targeted social behavioural change programmes that are enabling young people to make the right choices and decisions which will have a lasting impact on their lives.

“In launching the Disrupting Harm in South Africa report, we do so urging for a targeted people-public-private-civic-academic-multilateral implementation partnership that will carry out the report’s recommendations in line with the mandate of ensuring that South Africa’s children are protected when they are tapping into the benefits of digital technologies,” Zulu said.

South Africa being a member of WeProtect Global Alliance, Minister Zulu said government is continuously and progressively developing its implementation capabilities with respect to the Model National Response to online child sexual exploitation.

She added that this is work-in-progress.

“Moreover, I call upon the Department and its entities to realise the recommendations of the Disrupting Harm in South Africa report by establishing alignments with the She Decides initiative, among others,” Minister Zulu said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

National Treasury and the National Revenue Fund will enter into an agreement with the Gauteng provincial government on the province’s commitment to settle its portion of the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) debt.

The agreement is set to include implementation modalities on the settlement of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP).

This comes after Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana, in the 2022 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (2022 MTBPS) last week announced the roadmap on the SANRAL debt on Phase 1 of the GFIP.

Clarifying its stance, National Treasury in a statement on Friday reiterated that government would take over the existing debt and associated obligations of SANRAL.

These obligations will be shared between national and provincial government.

SANRAL’s total debt, as at 31 March 2022, was R45.936 billion. GFIP Phase 1 was funded as part of the Toll Portfolio and not as a ring-fenced project. The value of debt attributed to GFIP Phase 1 is R43.031 billion.

In the statement, Treasury said the Gauteng government will pay 30% of the debt and interest obligations of GFIP Phase 1, or R14.1 billion, as well as the maintenance costs related to the project’s Phase 1 network. National government will cover 70% of the debt and interest obligations, or R32.9 billion.

“The amount announced by the [Finance] Minister represents the majority of the national government obligation, and will ensure that SANRAL remains a going concern in the medium-term.

“National government will make arrangements for the rest of the funds related to its share of the debt obligation at the appropriate time, in line with the conditions and obligations related to the process, and in a manner that does not negatively affect the overall fiscal trajectory, as outlined in the 2022 MTBPS.”

The agreement, said Treasury, is also expected to set out how the province will pay for these commitments.

One of the conditions of the R23.7 billion proposed in the Special Appropriation Bill is that these modalities must be concluded by 31 December 2022.

It said decisions expected by the province will also include the treatment of legacy matters, such as revenue collected from users who have been paying their toll fees and/or those who have not paid.

The provincial government, reads the statement, must finalise a long-term revenue solution that makes funding available for the maintenance of the road network, with SANRAL continuing to execute the maintenance thereof.

“The option to utilise the existing toll mechanism remains open and would result in the toll network proclamation remaining in place. If the province’s provision for maintenance of the network is financed through other revenue streams within its area of responsibility, the processes on undeclaring the toll network, in terms of section 27 (1) of the South African National Roads Agency Limited and National Roads Act (Act 7 of 1998) will need to be undertaken.

“This notwithstanding, all necessary statutory and regulatory processes that must take place to give effect to the Minister of Finance’s announcement are underway including consultation with relevant stakeholders. Until a notice in the Government Gazette is issued, SANRAL has a statutory obligation to collect any toll fees due to them.”

Treasury said the functional assignment of roads, in terms of the Road Infrastructure Strategic Framework for South Africa, remains in place. As a result, the 201 kilometres of the national roads on the GFIP network will remain as national roads and can only be reassigned to other spheres of government by notice in a Government Gazette, with the concurrence of SANRAL debt holders.

“National government affirms that direct road user charges are the most effective, equitable and efficient way to finance road infrastructure. It is also a mechanism to manage transport demand, impacting on modal choice and spatial inequality,” Treasury said. 

Source: South African Government News Agency

Following the 26 October 2022 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (“2022 MTBPS”) announcement by the Minister of Finance on phase 1 of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP), further clarification is provided by the National Treasury how government will take over the existing debt and associated obligations of SANRAL. These obligations will be shared between national and provincial government. SANRAL’s total debt as at 31 March 2022 was R45.936 billion. GFIP phase 1 was funded as part of the Toll Portfolio and not as a ringfenced project, the value of debt attributed to GFIP Phase 1 is R43.031 billion.

The Gauteng Provincial Government’s commitments to this will be to national government, as follows:

30 per cent of the debt and interest obligations of GFIP phase 1

Paying for the maintenance costs of the GFIP phase 1 network

The amount announced by the Minister represents a majority of the national government obligation, and will ensure that SANRAL remains a going concern in the medium-term. National government will make arrangements for the rest of the funds related to its share of the debt obligation at the

appropriate time, in line with the conditions and obligations related to the process, and in a manner that does not negatively affect the overall fiscal trajectory as outlined in the 2022 MTBPS.

The implementation modalities of the province’s commitments will be set out in an agreement between national government and the provincial government, and the provincial obligations will be to the National Revenue Fund. The agreement is also expected to set out how the province will pay for these commitments. One of the conditions of the R23.7 billion proposed in the Special Appropriation  Bill is that these modalities must be concluded by 31 December 2022. Decisions expected by the province will also include the treatment of legacy matters such as revenue collected from users who have been paying their toll fees and/or those who have not paid.

Gauteng Provincial Government must finalise a long-term revenue solution that makes funding available for the maintenance of the road network, with SANRAL continuing to execute the maintenance thereof.

The option to utilise the existing toll mechanism remains open and would result in the toll network proclamation remaining in place. If the province’s provision for maintenance of the network is financed through other revenue streams within its area of responsibility, the processes on undeclaring the toll network, in terms of section 27 (1) of the South African National Roads Agency Limited and National Roads Act (Act 7 of 1998) will need to be undertaken. This notwithstanding, all necessary statutory and regulatory processes that must take place to give effect to the

Minister of Finance’s announcement are underway including consultation with relevant stakeholders.

Until a notice in the Government Gazette is issued, SANRAL has a statutory obligation to collect any toll fees due to them.

The functional assignment of roads, in terms of the Road Infrastructure Strategic Framework for South Africa remains in place. As a result, the 201 kilometres of the national roads on the GFIP network will remain as national roads and can only be reassigned to other spheres of government by

notice in a Government Gazette, with the concurrence of SANRAL debt holders.

National government affirms that direct road user charges are the most effective, equitable and efficient way to finance road infrastructure. It is also a mechanism to manage transport demand, impacting on modal choice and spatial inequality.

Source: Government of South Africa