Month: July 2023

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Minister Blade Nzimande launches National Civic Education and Health Skills Programme, 20 Jul

Minister Nzimande to launch the National Civic Education and Health Skills Programme

The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande will be launching the National Civic Education and Health Skills Programme. This programme will prepare students for the job market by exposing them to the top 10 soft skills or Graduate Attributes most sought after by employers.

The National Higher Health Civic and Health Skills Programme, accredited at NQF Level 5, makes it the first civic education programme to achieve this level of recognition throughout Africa.

The National Civic Education and Health Skills Programme is developed by HIGHER HEALTH, an agency of the National Department of Education and Training, in collaboration with the Quality Council on Trades and Occupations (QCTO) and the Health and Welfare (HW) SETA.

The programme’s co-curriculum, will run across all PSET institutions in the country, and is designed to address the many personal and social challenges facing the youth today. Modules cover issues related to civic education; gender- based violence, gender diversity and equality; mental health; disability; Comprehensive Sexuality Education; alcohol, substance abuse and addiction, and building resilience in young people; and Climate Change.

The co-curriculum is expected to make a big impact on nation building through its civic education modules that build resilience to the main social and health challenges facing youth today.

HIGHER HEALTH has placed all the content for the Skills qualification, on an online platform that uses artificial intelligence and digital technology, to provide easy access to anyone who has a smartphone or a device, and is built on a Participatory Pedagogy. The content is available in all 11 languages and in sign language. The Co-Curriculum will require the students to do community service through the peer-to-peer approach.

The launch of the Co-Curriculum will be supported by the launch of HIGHER HEALTH’s “Each One Teach Ten” campaign to spread knowledge and skills among youth using 10 000 peer educators located on all university, TVET and CET College campuses.

Minister Nzimande invites members of the media to the launch of the first accredited civic education and health skills programme in Africa, pegged at NQF Level 5.

The event will take place as follows:

Date: 20 July 2023

Time: 10h00 – 12h00

Venue: Tshwane North TVET College, Mamelodi Campus

Enquiries: Ishmael Mnisi 0660378859

Source: Government of South Africa

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Major Shake-Up in World’s Passport Power Ranking

LONDON, July 18, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Japan has been knocked off the top spot on the Henley Passport Index for the first time in five years and bumped into 3rd place, according to the latest ranking, which is based on exclusive and official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Singapore is now officially the most powerful passport in the world, with its citizens able to visit 192 destinations out of 227 around the world visa-free. Germany, Italy, and Spain all move up into 2nd place with visa-free access to 190 destinations, and Japanese passport holders join those of six other nations — Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, South Korea, and Sweden — in 3rd place with access to 189 destinations without a prior visa.

The UK appears to have finally turned the corner after a six-year decline, jumping up two places on the latest ranking to 4th place — a position it last held in 2017. The US, on the other hand, continues its now decade-long slide down the index, plummeting a further two places to 8th spot with access to just 184 destinations visa-free. Both the UK and the US jointly held 1st place on the index nearly 10 years ago in 2014, but have been on a downward trajectory ever since. Afghanistan remains entrenched at the bottom of the Henley Passport Index, with a visa-free access score of just 27, followed by Iraq (score of 29), and Syria (score of 30) — the three weakest passports in the world.

The general trend over the history of the 18-year-old ranking has been towards greater travel freedom, with the average number of destinations travelers are able to access visa-free nearly doubling from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2023. However, the global mobility gap between those at the top and bottom of the index is now wider than it has ever been, with top-ranked Singapore able to access 165 more destinations visa-free than Afghanistan.

Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners, says only eight countries worldwide have less visa-free access today than they did a decade ago, while others have been more successful in securing greater travel freedom for their citizens. “The UAE has added an impressive 107 destinations to its visa-free score since 2013, resulting in a massive leap of 44 places in the ranking over the past 10 years from 56th to 12th position. Of the countries sitting in the Top 10, the US has seen the smallest increase in its score, securing just 12 additional destinations. Singapore, by comparison, has increased its score by 25, pushing it up five places over the past 10 years to number one.”

Commenting in the Henley Global Mobility Report 2023 Q3, released today alongside the latest index, Greg Lindsay from Cornell Tech’s Jacobs Institute, says that from a purely mechanical perspective, “the story is a simple one — by more or less standing still, the US has fallen behind. While its absolute score has in fact risen over the last decade, the US has been steadily overtaken by rivals such as South Korea, Japan, and Singapore. America’s relentless slide down the rankings is a warning to its neighbor Canada and the rest of the Anglosphere as well.”

The links between visa-free access and openness

Henley & Partners has conducted exclusive new research into the relationship between a country’s openness to foreigners — how many nations it allows to cross its borders visa-free — and its own citizens’ travel freedom. The new Henley Openness Index ranks all 199 countries worldwide according to the number of nationalities they permit entry to without a prior visa.

The Top 20 ‘most open’ countries are all small island nations or African states, except for Cambodia. There are 12 countries that are completely open to all passports and four that don’t allow anyone in visa-free. While the correlation between a high openness score and high visa-free access score is not straightforward, it is notable that Singapore and South Korea — high climbers on the Henley Passport Index Top 10 over last decade, moving up from 6th and 7th respectively in 2013 to 1st and 3rd today — boast relatively high degrees of openness compared to the 5 countries with the biggest disparity between the travel freedom they enjoy, versus the visa-free access they provide to other nationalities. US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan have all either slid down the ranking or remained in the same place as their openness stagnates.

Prof. Peter J. Spiro, who holds the Charles Weiner Chair in international law at Temple University, says America’s extension of visa-free access is low, even by the standard of developed economies. “EU states grant visa-free privileges to more than twice the number of states than does the US. Processing delays, high refusal rates, and a reputation for disagreeable customer service are tarnishing the attractiveness of the US as a destination. Add to that the growing reputation of the US as ridden with gun violence and one can project a long-term trajectory in which US global standing further erodes.”

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Changement majeur dans le classement mondial de la puissance des passeports

LONDRES, 18 juill. 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Pour la première fois en cinq ans, le Japon a été détrôné de la première place du Henley Passport Index pour passer à la 3e place, selon le dernier classement réalisé sur la base des données exclusives et officielles de l’Assocation internationale du transport aérien (IATA). Désormais, c’est Singapour qui délivre officiellement le passeport le plus puissant au monde, permettant à ses citoyens de visiter 192 destinations sur 227 dans le monde sans visa. L’Allemagne, l’Italie et l’Espagne se hissent toutes à la 2e place avec un accès sans visa à 190 destinations, et les détenteurs d’un passeport japonais rejoignent la position de six autres pays : l’Autriche, la Finlande, la France, le Luxembourg, la Corée du Sud et la Suède — en 3e place avec accès à 189 destinations sans visa préalable.

Le Royaume-Uni semble avoir finalement inversé la tendance après une baisse de six années consécutives en regagnant deux places dans le dernier classement pour passer à la 4e place, une position que le pays a occupé pour la dernière fois en 2017. Les États-Unis, en revanche, poursuivent depuis maintenant une décennie leur dégringolade dans le classement de l’indice, chutant de deux places supplémentaires à la 8e place avec un accès sans visa à seulement 184 destinations. Il y a près de dix ans, en 2014, le Royaume-Uni et les États-Unis occupaient conjointement la 1ère place de l’indice, mais ont suivi depuis une trajectoire descendante. L’Afghanistan reste bien ancrée au bas du Henley Passport Index, avec un score d’accès sans visa de seulement 27, suivi de l’Irak (29) et de la Syrie (30), ces trois pays délivrant les passeports les plus faibles au monde.

Au cours des 18 années de l’histoire du classement, la tendance générale a été vers une plus grande liberté de voyager, le nombre moyen de destinations auxquelles les voyageurs peuvent accéder sans visa ayant presque doublé, passant ainsi de 58 en 2006 à 109 en 2023. Cependant, l’écart de mobilité mondiale entre ceux qui se trouvent au sommet de l’indice et ceux qui se trouvent en bas de celui-ci est à présent plus large qu’il ne l’a jamais été, avec Singapour en tête du classement, ce pays pouvant accéder sans visa à 165 destinations de plus que l’Afghanistan.

Christian H. Kaelin, président de Henley & Partners, déclare que seuls huit pays dans le monde disposent d’un accès sans visa plus limité aujourd’hui qu’il y a dix ans, tandis que d’autres pays ont mieux réussi à obtenir une plus grande liberté de déplacement pour leurs citoyens. « Les Émirats arabes unis ont ajouté le nombre impressionnant de 107 destinations supplémentaires à leur accès sans visa depuis 2013, ce qui a entraîné un bond massif de 44 places dans le classement au cours des 10 dernières années, passant de la 56e à la 12e position. Parmi les pays figurant dans le Top 10, les États-Unis ont enregistré la plus faible augmentation de leur score, n’obtenant que douze destinations supplémentaires. Singapour, en comparaison, a augmenté son score de 25 destinations supplémentaires, faisant grimper ce pays de cinq places au cours des dix dernières années pour devenir numéro un du classement. »

Greg Lindsay de l’Institut Jacobs de Cornell Tech, commentant le Henley Global Mobility Report 2023 Q3, publié aujourd’hui en même temps que le dernier indice, déclare que d’un point de vue purement mécanique, « l’explication est toute simple : en restant plus ou moins dans l’immobilisme, les États-Unis ont pris du retard. Alors que leur score absolu a en réalité augmenté au cours de la dernière décennie, les États-Unis ont été régulièrement dépassés par des rivaux tels que la Corée du Sud, le Japon et Singapour. La chute incessante de l’Amérique dans le classement est un avertissement pour son voisin, le Canada, ainsi que pour le reste de l’anglosphère. »

Les liens entre accès sans visa et ouverture

Henley & Partners a mené de nouvelles recherches exclusives sur la relation qui existe entre l’ouverture d’un pays aux étrangers – à combien de nations il permet de traverser ses frontières sans visa – et la liberté de voyager de ses propres citoyens. Le nouveau Henley Openness Index classe les 199 pays du monde en fonction du nombre de nationalités auxquelles ils autorisent l’entrée sans visa préalable sur leur territoire.

Le Top 20 des pays « les plus ouverts » sont tous des petits États insulaires ou des États africains, à l’exception du Cambodge. On dénombre ainsi douze pays complètement ouverts à tous les passeports, et quatre autres qui n’autorisent personne à entrer sur leur territoire sans visa. Bien que la corrélation entre un score d’ouverture élevé et un score d’accès sans visa élevé ne soit pas toujours simple, il est à noter que Singapour et la Corée du Sud – qui enregistrent les meilleures progressions du Top 10 du Henley Passport Index au cours de la dernière décennie en passant de la 6e et de la 7e place respectivement en 2013 à la 1e et à la 3e place aujourd’hui – affichent des degrés d’ouverture relativement élevés par rapport aux cinq pays présentant la plus grande disparité entre la liberté de voyager dont ils bénéficient et l’accès sans visa qu’ils offrent aux autres nationalités. Les États-Unis, le Canada, l’Australie, la Nouvelle-Zélande et le Japon ont tous reculé dans le classement ou sont restés à la même position parce que leur degré d’ouverture a stagné.

Le professeur Peter J. Spiro, titulaire de la chaire Charles Weiner de droit international à l’université Temple, affirme que l’extension de l’accès sans visa proposée par les États-Unis est faible, même par rapport à la norme des économies développées. « Les États de l’UE accordent des privilèges sans visa à plus de deux fois plus d’États que ne le font les États-Unis. Les retards de traitement, les taux de refus élevés et la réputation d’un service client désagréable ternissent l’attrait des États-Unis en tant que destination. Si l’on ajoute à cela la réputation croissante des États-Unis en tant que pays en proie à la violence armée, on peut envisager une trajectoire à long terme dans laquelle la position mondiale des États-Unis s’érode davantage encore. »

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Grande Mudança na Classificação Mundial de Passaportes

LONDRES, July 18, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — O Japão foi destituído do primeiro lugar no Henley Passport Index pela primeira vez em cinco anos e esbarrou no 3º lugar, de acordo com a última classificação, que é baseada em dados exclusivos e oficiais da Associação Internacional de Transporte Aéreo (IATA). Agora, Cingapura possui oficialmente o passaporte mais poderoso do mundo, com seus cidadãos podendo visitar 192 destinos de um total de 227 ao redor do mundo, sem a necessidade de visto. Alemanha, Itália e Espanha sobem para o 2º lugar, com acesso sem visto a 190 destinos, e os portadores de passaporte japonês se juntam aos de outras seis nações — Áustria, Finlândia, França, Luxemburgo, Coreia do Sul e Suécia — em 3ºlugar, com acesso a 189 destinos sem visto prévio.

O Reino Unido parece ter finalmente dado a volta por cima depois de um declínio de seis anos, saltando duas posições na última classificação para o 4º lugar — uma posição que ocupou pela última vez em 2017. Os EUA, por outro lado, continuam sua queda de uma década no índice, despencando mais duas posições para o 8º lugar, com acesso a apenas 184 destinos sem visto. Tanto o Reino Unido quanto os EUA ocupavam juntos o 1º lugar no índice há quase 10 anos, em 2014, mas estão em uma trajetória de queda desde então. O Afeganistão continua entrincheirado na parte inferior do Henley Passport Index, com uma pontuação de acesso sem visto de apenas 27, seguido pelo Iraque (pontuação de 29) e Síria (pontuação de 30) — os três passaportes mais fracos do mundo.

A tendência geral ao longo da história da classificação de 18 anos tem sido no sentido de uma maior liberdade de viagens, com o número médio de destinos que os viajantes conseguem acessar sem visto quase duplicando, de 58 em 2006 para 109 em 2023. No entanto, a diferença de mobilidade global entre aqueles que estão no topo e na base do índice é agora maior do que nunca, com Cingapura no primeiro lugar capaz de acessar 165 destinos a mais, sem visto, do que o Afeganistão.

O Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, presidente da Henley & Partners, diz que apenas oito países em todo o mundo têm menos acesso sem visto hoje do que há uma década, enquanto outros foram mais bem-sucedidos em garantir maior liberdade de viagem para seus cidadãos. “Os Emirados Árabes Unidos adicionaram impressionantes 107 destinos à sua pontuação sem visto desde 2013, resultando em um salto maciço de 44 posições na classificação nos últimos 10 anos, da 56ª para a 12ª posição. Dos países que estão no Top 10, os EUA tiveram o menor aumento em sua pontuação, garantindo apenas 12 destinos adicionais. Cingapura, em comparação, aumentou sua pontuação em 25, empurrando-a cinco posições nos últimos 10 anos para o número um.”

Comentando no Henley Global Mobility Report 2023 Q3, divulgado hoje junto com o último índice, Greg Lindsay do Jacobs Institute da Cornell Tech, diz que, de uma perspectiva puramente mecânica, “a história é simples: ao ficarem mais ou menos parados, os EUA ficaram para trás. Embora sua pontuação absoluta tenha de fato aumentado na última década, os EUA têm sido constantemente ultrapassados por rivais como Coreia do Sul, Japão e Cingapura. A queda implacável dos Estados Unidos na classificação é um alerta para seu vizinho Canadá e para o resto da Anglosfera também.”

As ligações entre a isenção de vistos e a abertura

A Henley & Partners realizou uma nova pesquisa exclusiva sobre a relação entre a abertura de um país a estrangeiros — quantas nações ele permite cruzar suas fronteiras sem visto — e a liberdade de viagem de seus próprios cidadãos. O novo Henley Openness Index classifica todos os 199 países em todo o mundo de acordo com o número de nacionalidades que permitem a entrada sem visto prévio.

Os 20 países “mais abertos” são todas as pequenas nações insulares ou estados africanos, exceto o Camboja. Há 12 países que estão completamente abertos a todos os passaportes e quatro que não permitem que ninguém fique sem visto. Embora a correlação entre uma alta pontuação de abertura e alta pontuação de acesso sem visto não seja direta, é notável que Cingapura e Coreia do Sul — os que mais subiram no Henley Passport Index Top 10 na última década, passando de 6º e 7º respectivamente em 2013 para 1º e 3º hoje — ostentam graus relativamente altos de abertura em comparação com os 5 países com a maior disparidade entre a liberdade de viagem de que desfrutam, versus o acesso sem visto que proporcionam a outras nacionalidades. EUA, Canadá, Austrália, Nova Zelândia e Japão caíram na classificação ou permaneceram no mesmo lugar com a estagnação de sua abertura.

O Prof. Peter J. Spiro, que ocupa a Cátedra Charles Weiner de Direito Internacional na Temple University, diz que a extensão do acesso americano à isenção de vistos é baixa, mesmo para o padrão das economias desenvolvidas. “Os países da UE concedem privilégios de isenção de visto a mais do dobro do número de países do que os EUA. Atrasos no processamento, altas taxas de recusa e uma reputação de atendimento ao cliente desagradável estão manchando a atratividade dos EUA como destino. Acrescente-se a isso a crescente reputação dos EUA como dominados pela violência armada e pode-se projetar uma trajetória de longo prazo em que a posição global dos EUA se desgasta ainda mais.”

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Surgical marathons for Mandela Day

In response to the call to action, health workers, including doctors and medical specialists from Gauteng hospitals are doing the only thing they know, as they join the globe in commemorating International Mandela Day.

The health workers from 32 Gauteng health facilities are currently participating in a massive surgical marathon, where over 700 elective surgeries will be conducted on patients who have been on the waiting list.

Gauteng Health Department spokesperson, Motalatale Modiba, said the surgical marathons aim to reduce the backlogs currently facing the province, when it comes to surgeries.

“At the beginning of the year, we had 32 000 awaiting surgical procedures, and as we speak, we’ve managed to reduce the backlog to about 18 000 patients awaiting surgical procedures [and today] we are going to be doing 700 surgeries across our service platforms.

“These patients have been chosen according to surgical backlog lists at every hospital, and incorporates waiting time and prioritisation according to clinical needs. The aim is to see how far we can push this so that even beyond the Mandela Day, we are able to continue running these surgical marathons,” Modiba said.

He said as part of the marathons, a number of surgical procedures, including arthroplasty, hernia repair, maxillofacial, hysterectomy, cataract excision, prostate biopsy, colostomy closures, caesarean section and circumcision, amongst others, are being conducted today.

Modiba emphasised that the surgical marathons are more than just reducing the backlogs, but most importantly, “they are about restoring dignity to hundreds of patients whose lives have been impacted by their medical condition.”

“The clinicians who will be performing these surgeries are specialists in the various disciplines and their teams consist of registrars, medical officers, scrub nurses and other support staff, including porters and cleaners who are all vital in the success of the surgical marathons,” Modiba said.

Modiba said the major drive to reduce surgery backlogs follows major surgical breakthroughs such as the first heart surgery for Bheki Mlangeni District Hospital; brain surgical procedures at Sebokeng Regional Hospital and the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy for Bertha Gxowa District Hospital.

“There has been a concerted effort to also use this opportunity to expand the capacity to perform surgical procedures across various facilities, including attending to infrastructural issues and the beatification of the general environment at hospitals,” he said.

In preparation for the surgical marathons, he said, the department has ensured functional theatres in participating 32 hospitals, and provincial laundry services have also been working around the clock to ensure that there is adequate supply of clean linen at surgical wards on the day.

Steve Biko performs critical surgeries for children with tonsillitis

Professor Mashudu Tshifularo, from Steve Biko Academic Hospital, said through the marathon, the hospital will be able to reduce the backlog of critical surgeries of children with tonsillitis.

He said the hospital is planning to do 10 surgeries at level 6 theatre.

Professor Tshifularo said there is a big backlog of critical children with a problem of tonsils, which cannot be done in other regional hospitals, as it needs speciality treatment, leaving the hospital with a lot of complicated cases.

“This Mandela Day, we are going to do at least 10 patients for a start, and then we will continue in other days to relieve the backlog because our backlog is very big, seating to almost 200. The backlog is due to the [available] theatre days and sometimes we don’t have the available space to do the compression,” Tshifularo said.

He added that Mandela Day is critical for the hospital, and “we are excited to participate in the idea of making the impact and making a difference in somebody else’s life.”

“We are looking forward and we are encouraging you to get involved in which area where you are because, unless we can do it ourselves no else can do it for us. Let’s go there and do it in whatever field you are,” Tshifularo said.

International Nelson Mandela Day is commemorated annually on 18 July and calls for people to devote 67 minutes of their time to positively impact communities and the lives of people.

This year marks 10 years since the death of Nelson Mandela.

To commemorate the former statesman’s life, the Nelson Mandela Foundation has themed the 10 year remembrance call to action “The Legacy Lives on Through You”.

Gauteng Health and Wellness MEC, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko is visiting numerous hospitals to provide support to the various teams preforming the surgical procedures.

Source: South African Government News Agency

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GCIS cleans lawns at Union Buildings for Mandela Day

The Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) celebrated the 2023 Nelson Mandela International Day by embarking on a clean-up activity at the southern lawns of the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

“This year we have decided to raise public awareness about climate change and promote zero tolerance on littering. Government further urges South Africans to help end hunger and mitigate climate change by planting trees and food in their gardens and communities,” GCIS Acting Director-General, Nomonde Mnukwa, said on Tuesday.

Mandela Day is an annual global celebration that takes place on 18 July to honour the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela. This day is a call to action for individuals, communities and organisations to take time to reflect on the former statesman’s values and principles and to make a positive impact in their own communities.

This year, Mandela Day takes place under the theme Climate, Food and Solidarity, with the call to action being, “It is in your hands” to take action against climate change.

Nelson Mandela International Day has enjoyed 13 years of global support and solidarity since it was launched in 2009.

Source: South African Government News Agency