Day: February 19, 2024

The Office of the Deputy President says it has noted the article published by the Sunday World on Sunday, 18 February 2024.

This is after the Sunday publication claimed that Deputy President Paul Mashatile and his Chief of Staff, Mduduzi Mbada, are protecting the Deputy President’s spokesperson, Vukani Mde, over a sexual harassment complaint against him.

According to the report, a senior female staffer in the office, reporting directly to Mde, complained about unwarranted sexual advances last August that Mashatile’s spokesperson made towards her.

Sunday World reported that Mde allegedly sent the victim ‘messages that are sexual in nature to her work cellphone number’, passed unwelcomed comments about her ‘sex life and her looks’ and proposed love while communicating work instructions.

The Office of the Deputy President has dismissed the false allegation that they were shielding Mde.

‘The Chief of Staff has briefed the Deputy President that a letter of intention to suspend Mr Mde, in light of the allegati
ons against him, was issued and hand-delivered to the spokesperson, Mr Vukani Mde.

‘The Deputy President is aware that there is a process underway in the Presidency to investigate the allegations made against Mde by one of the senior employees in the office, and is of the view that all due processes should be adhered to,’ the statement read.

The Deputy President has since condemned any form of gender-based violence, especially against women, and said he believes that all employees should be protected from any victimisation.

‘The Office of the Deputy President wishes to assure that this matter is given the necessary attention it deserves and will provide an update in due course.’

Source: South African Government News Agency

WINDHOEK: The Windhoek High Court on Monday refused an application by Prosecutor General Martha Imalwa to appoint South African curators as administrators of assets belonging to incarcerated Fishrot suspects.

The Fishrot accused challenged Imalwa’s nomination to appoint South African curators Johan Engelbrecht and Coenraad Stander of Icon Insolvency Practitioners (Pty) Ltd.

Former justice minister Sakeus Shanghala, former fisheries minister Bernhardt Esau, his son-in-law Tamson Hatuikulipi, former Investec Asset Management Managing Director, James Hatuikulipi, Pius Mwatelulo and Ricardo Gustavo who are implicated in the fishing scandal instead want local curators, Harald Hecht and Pierre Knoetze, to be appointed.

Judge Orben Sibeya has ordered that Hecht and Knoetze be appointed as curators, replacing Ian Mclaren and David Brunei, who terminated their services.

‘The Prosecutor-General must pay the costs of the defendants’ counter-application together with the costs of the defendants for opposing her appli
cation. Such costs are to include costs of one instructing and one instructed counsel,’ Sibeya ordered.

In court documents, Imalwa however said that the two nominees, Hecht and Knoetze wrote a proposal to her in September last year, about their unwillingness to wait for years – depending on the criminal trial’s finalisation – before they can be paid for their services.

Shanghala and his co-accused were arrested in 2019 over alleged corruption in the allocation of fishing quotas in exchange for bribes.

Represented by South African lawyer Vas Soni, the suspects argued that Imalwa’s nominees will be based outside the country, causing serious operational and logistical challenges. They also argued that such an appointment has never been made in Namibia and that the fees that will be charged will be increased considerably.

‘The question arises as to why unusually a firm from outside Namibia ought to be appointed,’ Soni argued.

Imalwa indicated in court documents that she has not been able to secure a nominati
on for a Namibian curator, but ‘managed to find two suitable South African curators.’

Sibeya’s full judgment will be made available at a later stage.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

South Africa is enhancing its efforts to address climate change by introducing the Climate Change Response Fund aimed at fostering collaboration between government and the private sector to effectively tackle environmental challenges.

This is according to President Cyril Ramaphosa, who addressed the nation through his weekly newsletter on Monday.

‘For our part, South Africa has established a Climate Change Response Fund that will bring together all spheres of government and the private sector. By coordinating financial mobilisation from both government and the private sector, our country will have collaborative efforts to build resilience and respond to climate change.

‘This includes climate-proofing existing essential infrastructure and facilities, such as water and food systems, roads, rail and ports, human settlements and health care.

‘The fund will also collaborate with a variety of partners to respond to immediate needs in communities following climate change related disasters,’ the President said.

The fund forms an important part of South Africa’s comprehensive response to climate change, which includes both adaptation and measures to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

President Ramaphosa has just returned from the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where the worsening effects of climate change on the continent were raised prominently.

African leaders have been advocating for urgent, practical and stepped up climate action, given the continent’s extreme vulnerability to the effects of global warming.

‘We have seen a rapid increase in climate-related disasters worldwide as extreme weather events become more frequent. In our own country, we have had wildfires in the Western Cape, heatwaves in the Northern Cape, continuing drought conditions in the Eastern Cape and intense storms in Gauteng.

‘Even before we could properly recover and rebuild after the 2022 floods in KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and North West, we were hit again this year with more flooding, further loss of life and damage t
o livelihoods, property and the local economy,’ he said.

President Ramaphosa said the insurance industry is warning about the increasing costs of disaster risk finance, and the prospect of highly vulnerable regions eventually becoming uninsurable.

As noted during the AU Summit, the President explained that the African climate action is constrained by inadequate and unpredictable climate finance.

‘It has long been the continental position that those most responsible for climate change and its impacts, namely developed countries, bear a responsibility to assist developing countries to build climate resilience.

‘We therefore welcomed the historic agreement at the UN Climate Conference in the United Arab Emirates in December last year to operationalise a Loss and Damage Fund to provide financial support for developing countries that are vulnerable to the impact of climate change. South Africa and the African Group were key to securing this agreement,’ the President said.

At the same time, the President said,
African countries are forging ahead with plans to mobilise resources in support of climate action across the continent, and the AU Commission has recently established a Climate Finance Unit to ensure this is done in a coordinated manner.

The President emphasised that as a country, South Africa cannot be complacent about climate change because its impacts are already being felt.

‘We will continue to contribute our fair share to the global climate change effort. Our country will remain vocal in calling for developed countries to meet their obligations for financing and technology transfer support.

‘We will continue to campaign for transformation of the international financial architecture and reform of multilateral development banks and international financial institutions so that developing countries can access the resources needed for climate action and the implementation of the sustainable development goals,’ he said.

The President committed to continue to campaign against the implementation of climate a
nd environment based unilateral actions, policies and taxes and their potential impacts on African exports and trade.

‘Climate change is a global problem and as such, requires collective global action that is sustainable, that takes the differing circumstances and capabilities of countries into account, and that above all, leaves no-one behind,’ President Ramaphosa said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

SWAKOPMUND: The Office of the Erongo Governor on Monday held a tree planting ceremony at Swakopmund in honour of the enduring legacy of the late President Hage Geingob.

The ceremony, according to Governor Neville Andre Itope, is a symbolic gesture and a reminder to current and future generations of the commitment to peace, stability and tranquillity in the Erongo Region.

‘This tree planting ceremony is also a testimony to President Geingob’s visionary leadership, which among others, has culminated into an economic boom and development progress in all shapes and forms,’ Itope noted.

The trees, which consist of palm trees and small succulents, symbolise the late president’s versatile life.

Itope added that as the trees grow, they will represent growth and transformation, renewal and life, a portrayal of how the late Head of State advocated for improved cycle of life through his vigour and determination.

‘Trees provide oxygen, clean the air, conserve energy and provide habitat for wildlife. This is what the
late president advocated for in his participation in the United Nations Climate Change Conferences (COP). Overall, it represents his legacy and lasting impact of what he lived for,’ the governor stated.

The tree planting ceremony is one of a series of activities planned for the region in remembering the late President Geingob’s life and legacy.

A public lecture dedicated has also been lined up for Monday at Walvis Bay, while the region’s main memorial service is scheduled for Thursday.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has dispatched the department’s emergency housing team to establish the extent of damage caused by a storm that hit several houses in Nongoma, KwaZulu-Natal, on Saturday.

According to the department’s preliminary assessments, to date, several households in Ekubuseni, Gomodo and Holinyoka villages were largely affected, leaving four households homeless.

Kubayi said after the completion of the assessments, the Emergency Housing Unit will then intervene based on the four categories of emergency housing interventions provided by the department.

The four categories of emergency housing interventions include restoration, relocation, rebuilding and repairs.

Restoration provides building materials to all households whose structures were destroyed by the storm, while relocation provides Temporary Emergency Accommodation (TEAs) for all homeless families.

Rebuilding involves reconstructing Temporary Residential Units (TRUs) for all destroyed mud houses, while repairs incl
ude fixing all damaged formal houses after the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) has completed the structural assessments.

‘I have directed officials to ensure that affected households are assisted as a matter of urgency. We have roped in one of our agencies, the NHBRC, to help the team assess the integrity of all structures that have been affected,’ Kubayi said.

Established in 2023, the Emergency Housing Unit is tasked with the responsibility of responding to emergencies, including fires and floods.

This is done through collaboration with other spheres of government.

‘Our main objective in emergency housing response is to ensure that we respond swiftly and provide solutions that will enable the affected communities to rebuild their homes,’ the Minister said.

Source: South African Government News Agency