Day: February 18, 2024

The Ministers of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy, and Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, have noted public concerns related to the use of chemical, glyphosate, to clear alien invasive plants from the Vaal River by Rand Water.

‘Following the complaints in the public domain, the two Ministers and other relevant parties met and agreed to determine whether the clearing methods followed were in line with the regulatory environment and to devise a future plan that ensures that the clearing of the alien invasive plants is done in a manner that poses no harm to the environment,’ a joint statement by the two departments said on Saturday.

Once that process is concluded, the departments will issue a further statement on the way forward.

Rand Water provides bulk potable water to more than 11 million people in Gauteng, parts of Mpumalanga, the Free State and the North West.

According to media reports, the Vaal River has become overrun with water lettuce, which is a poisonous and highly invasiv
e free-floating freshwater weed that is found in water bodies and slow-moving waterways in warm regions.

The water lettuce reportedly forms dense mats that clog waterways making boating, fishing, and other water activities, impossible.

These mats also degrade water quality by blocking the air-water interface and greatly reducing oxygen levels, which can result in fish die-off and the overall reduction of aquatic fauna and flora diversity.

Source: South African Government News Agency

President Cyril Ramaphosa is attending the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

‘The Assembly is expected to discuss the status of peace and security on the continent and the consideration of the report of the AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC). The discussion will take place against the backdrop of great concern regarding the state of peace and security in some parts of the continent,’ the Presidency said.

The highlight of the 37th Ordinary Session will be the launch of the Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan of the AU’s Agenda 2063: ‘The Africa we want’.

Agenda 2063 serves as a fifty-year blueprint for Africa’s socio-economic development and integration, adopted by the African Union (AU) member states after extensive consultations across the continent.

The President is accompanied by a delegation of Ministers comprising of International Relations and Cooperation, Trade, Industry and Competition, Pla
nning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Public Service and Administration, Basic Education and Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.

The AU Assembly is meeting under the theme, ‘Educate an Africa fit for the 21st Century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa.

The summit started on Saturday and will end on Sunday. The AU Assembly was preceded by the 44th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council, which took place on 14, and 15 February 2024.

‘South Africa has elevated the implementation of Agenda 2063 as one of the foremost priorities in the advancement of the African agenda. A key flagship project of Agenda 2063 in which South Africa is playing a leading role is the operationalisation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (the AfCFTA), that serves as a milestone development in the evolution of the AU,” the Presidency said.

South Africa is expected to attend and participate in several high-level committee meetings
of the Assembly.

These include the meeting of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC), which will be held to reaffirm Africa’s position on Climate Change, Presidential Dialogue on Africa’s Agenda for Reform of the Global Financial Architecture and a Peace and Security Situation in the Eastern Region of the Democratic Republic of Congo Summit.

The President will present a report on the progress made in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa in his capacity as the Champion of the AU’s COVID-19 response.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, has appealed to parents, caregivers and legal guardians who have not yet signed the consent form to vaccinate young girls against cervical cancer with the HPV vaccine to do so.

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), after breast cancer, cervical cancer is the second most common and leading cause of cancer deaths among women in South Africa, particularly among adolescents and women aged 15 to 44.

Over 70% of cervical cancer cases are caused by the infection to the cervix (mouth of the womb) by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which is sexually transmitted.

“In the country, more than 5 000 new cases are reported every year, and most are fatal. In order to ensure that girls are and remain protected against cervical cancer later in life, it is important that they get the HPV vaccine between the ages of 9 and 15, before they are sexually active,” the Gauteng Department of Health said on Sunday.

To effect this life-saving approach, t
he Department is currently running the HPV vaccination first round campaign in all public primary and special schools in Gauteng, which commenced on 05 February and will end on 20 March 2024.

The campaign is mainly targeted at Grade 5 girls aged nine and above and are vaccinated with a single dose of the Cervarix HPV Vaccine, which is very safe and effective in preventing the HPV infection caused by type 16 and 18 HPV strains.

‘We wish to appeal to those who had not signed the consent to think about the long-term implications of not having their children immunised. By giving consent, you are taking a responsible step to ensure that we save the future of our girls, a single dose at a time,’ the MEC said.

During the previous vaccination drive in September to October 2023, a total of 74 359 out of 87 910 (84.6%) Grade 5 girls were fully vaccinated with the HPV second dose vaccine.

The department said those girls who were not yet nine-years-old or were absent during the campaign will be given their catchup si
ngle doses.

Unlike in the previous years, the vaccine is now administered in a single dose instead of two.

A mother of an eligible nine-year-old girl, Matshidiso Luta (39) from Vereeniging, who is also a cervical cancer survivor said that she was pleased that she received the consent form and gave permission for the school health team to administer the HPV vaccine on her daughter.

‘I feel very blessed and relieved knowing that my daughter will get the HPV vaccine to protect her against cervical cancer. I do not want to see her go through the same stressful, difficult, and painful time I went through during my battle with the disease,’ Luta said.

A consent form that is signed and ticked on all the boxes at the beginning of the year is used for routine comprehensive Integrated School Health Programme (ISHP) and is valid for the whole year.

ISHP includes school health screening (eye health, hearing, oral assessment, nutritional assessments, deworming) and onsite health services.

Source: South African Gove
rnment News Agency

Gauteng MEC for Social Development, Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment, Mbali Hlophe has expressed deep grief at the passing of a worker that was fatally shot while on duty at Jabulani Hostel in Johannesburg.

Mduduzi Mbense (38) was a member of the department’s Green Army – an Expanded Public Works Programme established to deal with waste management and greening through clean-ups of illegal dumping and litter-picking in communities, main roads, and open spaces.

Mbense was shot on Friday as he was leading a team of the Green Army at the hostel where he worked and resided.

The MEC has called on the police to leave no stone unturned in order to bring to book the perpetrator of the crime.

‘We are gravely devastated for this untimely loss. I wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and colleagues. May you all find strength and comfort during this difficult time,’ she said.

Source: South African Government News Agency