Day: January 17, 2024

President Cyril Ramaphosa has congratulated South African comedian Trevor Noah for his win at the Emmy Awards for the talk show, the Daily Show.

The Emmy Awards – also known as the Emmys – are an annual awards ceremony for International and American television shows.

Noah and the Daily Show crew won the Outstanding Talk Series award at the Emmys.

On social media site X, President Ramaphosa said: ‘Congratulations to Trevor Noah on winning a prestigious Emmy Award for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.

‘Winning Outstanding Talk Series in a very competitive scene is no laughing matter. Trevor’s part of a stellar cast of South Africans globally, whose diverse talents and skills are enjoyed and valued wherever they go.’

Also on X, the President wished learners well as schools re-open for the start of the school academic year.

‘As the doors of learning open to 1.2 million Grade 1 learners today, we welcome these children, learners in other grades, their families and our educators back to school.

‘Education is
the key to personal growth and success and that of our nation. Let’s work together as community members and professional educators to create the conditions for our children to thrive in the classroom, at home and in society more broadly. Welcome and welcome back,’ President Ramaphosa said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Nhlanhla Sizani (24) has appeared briefly before the Pretoria Magistrates Court on charges of fraud, alternative forgery and uttering after he was issued with a summons on 12 December 2023.

It is reported that during the 2021 Local Government Elections (LGE), Sizani submitted a fraudulent letter with the United Nations (UN) insignia, requesting South African Police Service (SAPS) escort to polling stations for the duration of the elections.

Sizani is said to have misrepresented himself as a United Nations (UN) Ambassador/Diplomat and thus was escorted by SAPS Diplomatic Police Unit to various polling stations as an observer.

Through an investigation by the Hawks’ Crime against the State within Serious Organised Crime Investigation, the UN confirmed that Sizani was not an Ambassador/Diplomat (observer) and the request for escort was not requested by them.

SAPS suffered financial loss as a result of the misrepresentation.

The case was postponed to 23 January 2024 for the accused to obtain legal representa
tion.

Source: South African Government News Agency

With learners returning to school today, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has encouraged pupils to focus on their education rather than delay their future by engaging in destructive activities.

‘Growing up is not easy, it has a lot of temptations but it is important to know what to do at the right time. Your time for studying is now. Grade 12, this year is your year,’ Motshekga said on Wednesday.

Addressing pupils at Kgatoentle Secondary School in Ga-Rankuwa in Pretoria, the Minister’s remarks focused on teenage pregnancy, bullying and substance abuse.

‘Government invests a lot of resources in your education because of how important you are. You are our future. This country is going to be run by you, this economy is going to be run by you.

‘We are working hard with Umalusi and the Department of Higher Education and Training to diversify the skills in the country. We encourage you to learn technical and vocational skills so you can contribute towards the economy,’ Motshekga said.

The purpose of t
he visit was for Motshekga and Gauteng MEC for Education Matome Chiloane to oversee the reopening of schools.

While Grade 12 pupils start their last year in school, government is preparing to release the results of the 2023 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations. More than 890 000 full-time and part-time candidates sat for the matric exams administered by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) at the end of 2023.

Earlier this week, national education quality assurance body, Umalusi, announced that it had approved the release of the November 2023 NSC examination results.

‘Having studied all the evidence presented, the EXCO of the Council concluded that the examinations were administered largely in accordance with the regulations pertaining to the conduct, administration and management of the [NSC] examinations.

‘The EXCO of the Council therefore approves the release of the DBE November 2023 [NSC] examination results,’ Umalusi council chairperson Professor Yunus Ballim said.

He added that irregula
rities that were identified during the writing and marking stages of the examinations ‘were not systemic and therefore did not compromise the overall credibility and integrity’ of the NSC exams administered by the DBE.

‘In respect of identified irregularities, the DBE is required to block the results of all candidates implicated in irregularities, including the candidates who are implicated in alleged acts of dishonesty pending the outcome of the DBE investigations and verification by Umalusi.

‘Umalusi is concerned about the recurring instances of printing and packaging errors in question papers and the ongoing practice of group copying.

‘The DBE is required to address the directors for compliance and improvement highlighted in the quality assurance of assessment report and to submit an improvement plan by the 15th of March 2024,’ Ballim said.

The ministerial announcement on the exam results is expected to be made by Motshekga on Thursday, 18 January, with the general result release set for the next day (
Friday).

Source: South African Government News Agency

Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu will lead a two-day Water Services Authority (WSA) Summit in response to the outcomes of the Blue and No Drop Reports and Green Drop Progress Assessment Report released in December 2023.

The summit will be held at Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, from 18 – 19 January 2024.

Mchunu is expected to be joined by the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Water and Sanitation Deputy Ministers, David Mahlobo and Judith Tshabalala, as well as representatives from provincial and local governments.

The summit will be attended by representatives from the 144 Water Services Authorities across the country, and will deliberate and review the reports released by the Minister in December 2023.

The gathering will enable the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and Cogta, together with the Water Services Authorities, to agree on what should be done to address the findings of the drop reports.

Action plans will be developed in various groups that wi
ll converge and look into critical performing municipalities, poor performing municipalities, average performing municipalities and excellent performing municipalities.

The summit will further discuss the following:

The implication of the 2023 No Drop, Blue Drop, and Green Drop results.

Identify the main causes of good and poor performance.

Identify the most important issues to be included in action plans to be developed by Water Services Authorities with poor and critical performing water supply and wastewater systems.

Exchange best practices, share lessons learned and identify areas of collaboration.

Identify various support mechanisms to assist the poor and critical performing entities.

Raise the profile of the quality of water and sanitation services by engaging and encouraging mayors to be ambassadors of change.

This comes at the backdrop of the release of the reports on water quality (Blue Drop), non-revenue water (No Drop), as well as a report on the state of waste water (Green Drop) in a
ll Water Services Authorities in the country.

The Blue and No Drop Reports indicate that there has been a decline in drinking water quality and an increase in non-revenue water since the last reports were issued in 2014.

The Green Drop Progress Assessment Report also indicates an increased risk in the performance of municipal wastewater treatment systems.

The Blue, Green and No Drop Certification programmes are aimed at improving municipal drinking water quality, wastewater management as well as water conservation and demand management.

The programme is a transparency and accountability mechanism by government on the state of water and sanitation to ensure that all role players in the water sector are held accountable and the citizens are informed about the state of their drinking water quality, provision and how waste water is managed to ensure that their health and the environment are protected.

The regulating mechanism provides for the DWS to initiate corrective measures to address deficiencies identi
fied during each assessment.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Gauteng Department of e-Government has urged learners who wrote their matric exams last year to use the Matric Results Online System to access their results.

The matric results for the National Senior Certificate exams are expected to be released on Friday, 19 January, while the ministerial announcement on the results will be made on Thursday, 18 January.

The Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, e-Government, Research and Development, Mzi Khumalo, said the system empowers learners.

‘The Matric Results Online System is a testament to our commitment to harnessing the power of technology to enhance our education system. We believe in this case that technology not only facilitates access to information but also empowers learners to make informed decisions about the success of their education.

‘This initiative aligns with our broader vision of creating a transparent and accessible education system. By providing instant access to matriculation results, we are fostering a culture
of openness and accountability within our education sector,’ Khumalo said.

The department explained that the digital platform provides ‘easy access to matriculation examination results for learners, parents, and educators alike’.

The platform can be accessed at https://results.gauteng.gov.za/.

‘The Matric Results Online System is a user-friendly platform that allows learners to conveniently access their matric results on their smartphones or other digital devices as soon as the results are out.

‘It is a safe platform to use and also offers insightful data analytics, allowing learners to track their performance trends over multiple examinations.

‘Parents and guardians can also utilise the app to access their children’s results, fostering a more collaborative and supportive approach to education. Additionally, educators can use the platform to gain valuable insights into the performance of their learners, enabling them to tailor teaching strategies to address specific needs,’ the department said.

Source:
South African Government News Agency

KEETMANSHOOP: The Keetmanshoop Municipality says it is in the process of acquiring a loan of N.dollars 11.9 million from the Development Bank of Namibia to replace its aging electricity network.

This was revealed by the head of information and communication technology in the municipality’s Electricity Business Unit, Lee Mwemba on Tuesday while presenting the municipality’s budget for the 2023/24 financial year.

He said the loan has been approved by the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development and is awaiting final approval from the Ministry of Finance.

Mwemba said the funds will be used to upgrade the town’s aging electricity system, which means the quality of electricity for residents.

‘Just like water, electricity has to have a certain quality for all the appliances to work, because if that electricity is not up to a certain standard it is likely that some appliances will not work. These are regulations put in place by those that provide electricity to us and we need to adhere to that and in the end, it
benefits our residents,’ he stressed.

He also said the municipality will use the funds to replace old streetlights, install smart substations and install high mast lights between the Noordhoek and Krönlein residential areas to reduce crime.

The municipality will also set up smart kiosks or mobile municipalities in the Krönlein and Westdene residential areas for resident to buy pre-paid electricity from.

‘Currently we use a lot of third parties, these third parties bill the municipality, and that cost is passed on to the residents, so with our smart kiosk we are trying to eliminate those parties and cut costs. That might decrease the electricity tariff with a small margin,’ he added.

Mwemba went on to say that there are also plans to start using automatic meter reading that will detect water and electricity meters that are being bypassed.

‘Those that are bypassing electricity and water networks are actually robbing their fellow residents because whatever we lose from our side, we bill on every resident, s
o other residents are paying. With this reading we detect where the bypass is and just deal with that person individually,’ said Mwemba.

He also revealed that the municipality has managed to decrease its debt to NamWater from N.dollars 34 million to N.dollars 26 million since October last year.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala is to visit two schools under the Umlalazi Local Municipality on Thursday to assess school functionality and engage with communities on the impact of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).

The schools are Isandlwana Technical High School and Umbambiswano High School.

During the visit, the Minister will be accompanied by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC, Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi and Public Works and Human Settlements MEC, Sipho Nkosi.

The visit will be followed by a community engagement session to be held at eSikhawini TVET College in Richards Bay.

‘The session will focus on the impact of the EPWP on job creation, poverty alleviation and community development in the King Cetshwayo District,’ the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure said in a statement.

Source: South African Government News Agency