Month: July 2023

South Africa’s ambassador to Russia has hailed the ties between the two nations as he attended a joint event in honor of Mandela Day at a Moscow library.

Nelson Mandela International Day was observed last Tuesday, as it is every year on July 18, to honor the South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the country’s first black president from 1994 to 1999. The UN first designated July 18 as Mandela Day in 2009, coinciding with his birthday.

This year the occasion was commemorated around the world, including in South Africa, where locals dedicated 67 minutes of their time to community service, emulating the former leader’s 67-year legacy.

In Russia, Pretoria’s embassy co-hosted a memorial event for Mandela, who died in 2013, with diplomats and representatives from public educational and scientific organizations in attendance.

In an interview with RT on the sidelines of the gathering, South Africa’s ambassador to Russia, Mzuvukile Maqetuka, described Mandela, also known by his clan name Madiba, as a “revolutionary” whose memory lives on.

He said celebrating the event at the All-Russian State Library for Foreign Literature further demonstrated the embassy’s close relationship with the institution and Moscow.

Maqetuka added it would be impossible to “reinvent” the former leader, who endured 27 years in prison in his fight against racist white minority rule.

“It’s too big a boot to wear to resemble Madiba. But I think we can learn from his teachings. We can learn from what he did to humanity,” Maqetuka said.

Responding to a question on the causes of neocolonialism, the diplomat stated that there are still countries in Africa that are subject to oppression, citing the Sahrawi Republic in Western Sahara as an example.

“For us to begin to rush to talk about neocolonialism as if we have eradicated the vestiges of colonialism, I think to me that is a misnomer,” Maqetuka told RT.

“The world needs to understand colonialism,” he insisted, arguing that many people are still suffering from imperialist horrors.

Source: Russia Today

South Africa’s National Space Agency (SANSA) intends to send two female astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), its executive director, Humbulani Mudau, said in an interview published on Sunday.

The women’s space mission is scheduled to take place in the “next few years,” Mudau told the head of Russia’s space corporation Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, the news agency RIA Novosti reported.

Sara Sabry became the first person from Egypt and first African woman to travel into space in 2022. Mark Richard Shuttleworth, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, became the first South African man to travel to space as a tourist aboard the Russian spacecraft Soyuz TM-34 in April 2002.

Roscosmos has engaged in joint space missions with various governments, including the United Arab Emirates, allowing the first Emirati astronaut, Hazza Ali Almansoori, to journey to the ISS in 2019. The flight took place aboard a Soviet Soyuz rocket with a Russian cosmonaut and a NASA astronaut.

A female Belarusian cosmonaut is also scheduled to fly aboard the Russian spacecraft Soyuz MS-25 in March 2024.

Roscosmos announced plans last month to expand its space partnerships with African countries. According to its director, an agreement will be signed with a number of the continent’s nations at the Russia-Africa summit this week in St. Petersburg.

In June, a Moscow delegation visited Cairo and met with Sherif Sedky, the head of the Egyptian Space Agency, to discuss ideas for space cooperation, including satellite production and launches, manned program development, and surface space infrastructure.

Russia and South Africa have had a space development program to facilitate collaboration for the launch of locally manufactured satellites in Pretoria since President Vladimir Putin and his former counterpart Thabo Mbeki signed an agreement in 2006.

SANSA disclosed a bilateral agreement with Roscosmos in 2021 to construct a PanEOS antenna facility, a Russian project designed for the automatic detection of space debris in near-Earth orbits.

Source: Russia Today

Department of Employment and Labour is on a transformational journey to modernise its information and communication technology landscape

The Department is on a transformational journey to modernise its Information and Communication Technology landscape. The Department aims at One Department of Employment and Labour, One client database, One registration process and an overall integrated business blueprint. As part of this journey, the Department took a phased approach focusing on programmes and Entities under its ambit. The first phase of the journey focuses on Public Employment Services (PES) and Inspections and Enforcement Services (IES).

PES Services are now integrated into one solution covering.

Work Seeker Registration

Opportunity Registration

Employment Counselling

Psychometric Assessment

Public/Private Employment Agency Registration and Cancellation

International Cross Border Labour Migration and

PES Advocacy

The following IES Services are fully automated and integrated into a solution.

Enquiry

Complaints

Exemptions

Approvals

Incident Investigations

Inspections

Prosecutions

Occupational Entity Registrations

Advocacy and Blitz

The new solution that the Department is deploying for the Branches aims at improving internal operational efficiencies while at the same time making services easily accessible to all stakeholders. The new solution will be available via multiple channels, the walk-in channels are through the Labour Centre network countrywide and online through the deployed self-service offerings.

The Department envisages the following benefits will be realised by the clients.

Improved service delivery across all the service centres

Faster tracking and follow-up of client interactions through referenced case files and statuses

Availing of online service channels thereby increasing the Department’s service reach.

Elimination of the need for clients to queue for services across service centres due to self-service channels online.

The diversified service channels enable more clients to access services.

One source of information, a single entry of information and multiple usages.

Improved service delivery and ease of doing business for service partners.

The launch of the new system on 01 July 2023 marked the beginning of a new service delivery model. The Department is all excited about this as it looks forward to its clients’ accessing services through the new channels. Online services will be accessible via the Department of Employment and Labour website: www.labour.gov.za

For more information, contact:

Teboho Thejane

Departmental Spokesperson

Cell: 082 697 0694

E-mail: [email protected]

Source: Government of South Africa

The efforts of police members through Operation Restore to fight crime, yielded positive results when they arrested several suspects for charges related to dealing in drugs, possession of prohibited firearms and ammunition as well as the possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

On Saturday, at about 21:00, the members of Operation Restore in Gugulethu embarked on an intelligence driven operation which led them to a premises in Ntogwana Street, New Crossroads, Gugulethu.

Upon searching the premises, a consignment of drugs consisting of mandrax tablets, ecstasy and crystal meth were found and confiscated.

On further investigation, an undisclosed amount of cash was also found and confiscated as the proceeds of the lucrative drug trade. A 35-year-old male was arrested for possession and dealing in drugs.

Further information led the members to another address in Bengnia Street, suspected to be linked to the first one, where the members found mandrax, ecstasy and crystal meth which were also confiscated. A 34-year-old male was arrested for possession of drugs. Both suspects are due to appear in the Athlone Magistrates court today on the mentioned charges.

On Saturday, members of Operation Restore deployed in Mitchells Plain followed up on information of a firearm being kept at a complex in Dassenberg Street, Tafelsig.

The members accosted the address and found a 49-year-old male with whose consent they gained access to premises and ensued with a search. During the search they found a wooden replica firearm with two iron pipes and one round of ammunition.

They proceeded to another premises in Arsenal Road, Freedom Park where a 26-year-old male was found at the premises. Another replica firearm, black in colour, and one round of ammunition was found.

Both suspects were arrested for being in possession of prohibited firearms and ammunitions. Once charged they will make their court appearance in the Mitchells Plain Magistrates’ Court.

The members also followed up on information of a firearm being kept at a complex at Somerset Place, Derrick Drive, Somerset West.

The members then went to the address and found a male at the premises. During the search that ensued they found a black Taurus pistol with two rounds.

The male person could not provide nor produce the licence of the firearm and told the members that he does not possess a licence for any firearm.

The 30-year-old male was subsequently arrested for being in possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. Once charged he will make his court appearance in the Somerset West Magistrates’ court.

Source: South African Government News Agency

One hundred and sixty-one suspects have been arrested in the Northern Cape under the South African Police Service’s Operation Shanela.

The arrests were executed between last Monday and Sunday, 23 July.

The arrests were made during stop and searches, vehicle checkpoints, cordon and searches, high visibility patrols, compliance inspections at liquor outlets, tracing operations by detectives, visits to businesses and second-hand goods dealers.

Teams across the Northern Cape conducted numerous operations, which included 11 roadblocks and 36 vehicle control Points (VCPs), during which 1 981 vehicles and 4 365 persons were searched, with fines being issued for contravention of the law.

These actions were also enhanced by 1 206 high visibility blue light and 1 972 foot patrols throughout the Northern Cape.

In total, 3 109 compliance inspections were conducted at second-hand dealers, scrapyards, shebeens, taverns, liquor outlets, firearm dealers, farms and informal businesses.

On Monday, 17 July, the police followed up on information and found a substantial amount of copper cable stashed next to a power station in Peter Mokaba Street in Kagisho in Galeshewe, while another male was also arrested with copper worth R1 000 in the Kimberley CBD.

Colesburg SAPS members confiscated a large amount of diesel concealed in containers in a Toyota bakkie and the vehicle owner could not account for the goods.

Police in Hopetown also confiscated a substantial amount of tik, mandrax and dagga, while another team seized a large amount of dagga in Galeshewe.

SAPS all over the province made routine visits at ATMs, business premises, national key points, post offices and tuckshops.

Provincial Commissioner, Lt Gen Koliswa Otola, said SAPS members and external stakeholders will continue with the high density crime prevention operations.

Source: South African Government News Agency