Day: February 20, 2024

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has welcomed the Presidential Proclamation authorising the Special Investigating Unit to investigate allegations of corruption, malpractice and maladministration within the agency, as well as improper and unlawful conduct by any PRASA employees.

‘PRASA-Proclamation 153 of 2024 empowers the SIU to probe offences that were committed in relation to the award of tenders to Swifambo Rail for the supply of locomotives, and the supply and maintenance of an integrated security access management system to Siyangena Technologies in terms of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities of 2004,’ the agency said on Monday.

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) will also investigate fraudulent liability claims processed and paid by PRASA’s Group Insurance Department, and allegations regarding ghost workers at the organisation.

‘These two issues were already the subject of internal investigations. PRASA’s Board of Control believes that the investigations will furthe
r enhance clean and effective governance within the entity and eradicate corruption within the organisation.

‘The Board believes that a great deal of progress has been made in eradicating corruption within the entity and promoting behaviour that is professional and lawful,’ PRASA said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Old Mutual Foundation, through the ||Kharas Governor’s office, on Monday donated food items to 59 families at Aussenkehr who lost their belongings and houses in a fire last year.

The affected families who received food items worth a total N.dollars 30 000, mostly consist of employees of grape companies. The fire occurred in November and claimed the life of a 27-year-old man.

Governor Aletha Frederick while thanking the foundation for the gesture, urged the employers and owners of the grape companies, as well as the regional council, to come together and urgently address the pressing housing needs of Aussenkehr residents.

‘It is essential that we work together to ensure that these families have a safe and secure place to call home as they rebuild their lives after this devastating tragedy. It is through collective efforts and acts of kindness that we can truly make a difference and build a stronger, more resilient society,’ she said.

Frederick also encouraged the victims to remain strong and resilient
during this difficult time.

‘Please know that you are not alone. Many within our community are there to support you and use the donation for its intended purpose, feed your families and alleviate some of the burdens you are facing.’

Meanwhile, the Namibia Grape Company (NGC) constructed 24 shacks for their employees affected by the fire and provided beds, mattresses, and gas stoves all to the tune of N.dollars 300 000 funded through the NGC trust.

In an interview with Nampa recently, NGC managing director Gideon Nuunyango said the donation to the employees formed part of the company’s corporate social responsibility.

‘These people are our employees, some have been working here for many years and we decided to help them in this time of need,’ he said.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture has urged pig farmers to heighten biosecurity measures following laboratory results confirming African Swine Fever (ASF) in pigs of small farmers on the outskirts of Groeneweide Park, George.

ASF is a virus that affects pigs and there is no vaccination or treatment currently available for the prevention of the disease.

The department said the new outbreak confirmed recently is the fourth outbreak of disease in the Garden Route area since 2022.

‘Previously, there had been outbreaks in KwaNonqaba and Mossel Bay in 2022 and 2023, which were both resolved; and an outbreak in Thembalethu in 2022, which remains a concern. It is estimated that about 45 pigs have died thus far, with about 250 pigs remaining in the area,’ department spokesperson Daniel Johnson said.

Johnson said the area has been placed under quarantine, and community members have been urged to not remove any pigs or pig products from the area to prevent the further spread of the disease.

Johnson has als
o emphasised that ASF virus is specific to pigs and does not affect humans or other species of animals.

‘The public needs to know that pigs slaughtered at abattoirs have undergone meat inspection. Pork products found in supermarkets are safe for human consumption,’ Johnson said.

Critical measures to minimise the spread of ASF

All carcasses should be disposed of safely.

Pigs should be confined to prevent roaming and potentially picking up and spreading the disease.

Hands, shoes, clothing and equipment should be sanitised before and after being in contact with a pig.

Any meat products should be thoroughly cooked before being fed to pigs.

Farmers should confirm that any purchased pigs are bought from known ASF-free herds.

Usually, the first signs of an ASF outbreak are the sudden death of pigs, and in some cases, other symptoms can include breathing difficulties, redness of the skin, especially underneath the pig and on the ears, hind leg weakness and loss of appetite.

‘Occasionally, the pig may al
so have blood in their faeces and their vomit. Should these signs be seen, please contact your closest State Veterinary Office at https://www.elsenburg.com/veterinary-services/animal-health-and-disease,’ Johnson said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture has urged pig farmers to heighten biosecurity measures following laboratory results confirming African Swine Fever (ASF) in pigs of small farmers on the outskirts of Groeneweide Park, George.

ASF is a virus that affects pigs and there is no vaccination or treatment currently available for the prevention of the disease.

The department said the new outbreak confirmed recently is the fourth outbreak of disease in the Garden Route area since 2022.

‘Previously, there had been outbreaks in KwaNonqaba and Mossel Bay in 2022 and 2023, which were both resolved; and an outbreak in Thembalethu in 2022, which remains a concern. It is estimated that about 45 pigs have died thus far, with about 250 pigs remaining in the area,’ department spokesperson Daniel Johnson said.

Johnson said the area has been placed under quarantine, and community members have been urged to not remove any pigs or pig products from the area to prevent the further spread of the disease.

Johnson has als
o emphasised that ASF virus is specific to pigs and does not affect humans or other species of animals.

‘The public needs to know that pigs slaughtered at abattoirs have undergone meat inspection. Pork products found in supermarkets are safe for human consumption,’ Johnson said.

Critical measures to minimise the spread of ASF

All carcasses should be disposed of safely.

Pigs should be confined to prevent roaming and potentially picking up and spreading the disease.

Hands, shoes, clothing and equipment should be sanitised before and after being in contact with a pig.

Any meat products should be thoroughly cooked before being fed to pigs.

Farmers should confirm that any purchased pigs are bought from known ASF-free herds.

Usually, the first signs of an ASF outbreak are the sudden death of pigs, and in some cases, other symptoms can include breathing difficulties, redness of the skin, especially underneath the pig and on the ears, hind leg weakness and loss of appetite.

‘Occasionally, the pig may al
so have blood in their faeces and their vomit. Should these signs be seen, please contact your closest State Veterinary Office at https://www.elsenburg.com/veterinary-services/animal-health-and-disease,’ Johnson said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

WINDHOEK: The death of former President Hage Geingob represents a great loss to Namibia’s education and training sector, Higher Education, Training and Innovation Minister, Dr Itah Kandjii-Murangi, has said.

Geingob, who passed away in Windhoek on 04 February, appointed Kandjii-Murangi to the higher education portfolio in March 2015.

The former University of Namibia dean of students said Geingob advocated for innovation and training in the higher education sector.

At the onset, when he assumed the presidency in 2015, she said President Geingob told her of his vision of transforming tertiary education and the need to prepare Namibia for the fourth industrial revolution.

‘He informed me that what he expects of me is to ensure that I take off where the previous ministers left off. He also indicated that we are in a different era and that we need to see a visible integration of technology and innovation in our higher education and training systems.

One of the things he mentioned was that the aspect of resear
ch is critical, particularly in our economy, as well as developing local researchers,’ Kandjii-Murangi said, recalling what her former principal initially tasked her to do.

The minister in an exclusive interview described President Geingob as a highly professional person, an educator and a scholar of note.

‘In the cabinet he chaired, that’s where we saw him showing his political prowess and vast knowledge in terms of different complex situations within the country, regionally as well as globally.’

The minister further recalled that the former head of state was easy to work with.

‘At first, when you meet him, you will probably think he is hard and authoritarian. But when you get to know him, you realise that this person is eager to share his knowledge with all those who work with him. And one thing is that he was gifted in was identifying and developing talent,’ she said.

According to Kandjii-Murangi, when Geingob put together his first cabinet, he took a bold decision to address technical and vocational
education and training (TVET) in Namibia. He directed that TVET be transformed so that it could become visible and a career path of choice for school learners.

‘He directed that access should be expanded by building technical and vocational institutions in regions where they did not exist then,’ she said.

Since then, a lot of work has been done to realise President Geingob’s vision for TVET, but more is still to be done.

‘In terms of what we have achieved, we have amended the TVET policy to focus specifically on trades needed to drive the economy. These are trades that speak to the issue of agriculture in terms of ensuring that there is food security in our country. We rolled out agricultural trades in several of our TVET centres where they were not in existence,’ the minister said.

To ensure the quality of technical and vocational education, Kandjii-Murangi now has a fully-fledged faculty of instructor education at NUST that only looks at TVET instructors.

She noted that former President Geingob, when h
e launched his first Harambee Prosperity Plan (HHP), directed that each region has a TVET centre.

In the HPP, he also directed that Namibia adopt TVET technical and vocational education and training as the standardised international training convention.

Kandjii-Murangi added that four regions have already been identified for the establishment of new TVET colleges.

‘This year we will launch new TVET centres in Kunene, including the one in the Hardap Region we have already launched. And another one in Keetmanshoop. There is one coming up in Nkurenkuru. The idea of these TVET centres is to ensure that each will focus on different technical trades,’ she said.

She went on to say that in July 2021, Geingob appointed an eight-member presidential task force on the Fourth Industrial Revolution mandated to look specifically at the preparedness of Namibia in terms of the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

‘That led our two public universities to begin looking at their academic programmes and making sure t
hat they are aligned to the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution,’ Kandjii-Murangi said.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), General Fannie Masemola, has ordered the maximum mobilisation of resources along Gauteng highways and other strategic locations during peak hour traffic.

This is after a video and voice note emerged on various platforms depicting suspects allegedly robbing motorists.

‘The SAPS has also bolstered the deployment of the Highway Patrol, SAPS Airwing and Gauteng Flying Squad units to monitor and conduct regular patrols along the identified routes,’ said the SAPS in a statement on Tuesday.

By Tuesday afternoon, no cases had been reported yet and the SAPS encouraged anyone that has fallen victim to this alleged crime to call the Johannesburg Central Police Station Commander on 0823325016 for better coordination and prompt dispatching of resources.

‘Engagements with the JMPD [ Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department] and other law enforcement agencies are ongoing in an effort to curb further incidents.

‘SAPS tracking teams are on the groun
d searching for these suspects,’ said the police.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Economic growth in the North West remains slow despite the province’s abundant mineral resources, according to Acting Premier Nono Maloyi.

‘While our province is endowed with vast mineral deposits, we continue to be inundated by high levels of poverty and unemployment.

‘Economic growth remains sluggish, and this has had an adverse impact on our efforts to

create jobs for our people,’ Maloyi said on Tuesday, delivering his State of the Province Address (SOPA).

However, the Acting Premier, announced that there are encouraging signs of recovery.

During his speech to the provincial legislature, he highlighted that the North West was one of only three provinces that experienced significant employment growth in the third quarter of 2023, resulting in the creation of over 61 000 jobs.

‘The unemployment rate in the North West gives us sleepless nights, particularly because it affects mainly women and the youth.’

According to Maloyi, two investment promotion events were held with major investors.

These include
the North West BRICS Investment Conference held during the BRICS Summit last year and the Premier’s Dinner with investors in September 2023 at Sun City, of which both events have yielded positive outcomes.

Both initiatives yielded 34 investment pledges with a total value of over R104.1 billion.

To date, Maloyi told the members, 14 have confirmed investment projects to the tune of R13.5 billion, which are in the pipeline for the Bojanala Special Economic Zone.

These investments will create an additional 10 000 jobs.

Tourism

Meanwhile, he said the province’s Tourism Recovery Plan has begun to realise growth in the number of both domestic and international visitors.

‘Between 2022 and 2023 our industry has risen from the ashes of the COVID-19 pandemic, and this has generated R6.9 billion in revenue for the province thereby creating and preserving 24 000 jobs.’

He said this government has already started the process of revitalising the Pilanesberg and George Dick Montshiwa Airports.

‘Both these airports wi
ll add capacity to the province to grow tourism and open new economic frontiers in cargo hauling, hanger, and airline services. We have sent Request for Proposals for running these two airports and lure investments,’ he explained, adding that the preferred bidders will commence work by May this year.

In addition, the Acting Premier announced that the agricultural sector is yet to reach its full potential through the meaningful participation of emerging farmers in this growing sector.

Economic policy

‘Honourable Speaker, economic development challenges require coherent policy responses backed-up by long-term planning.’

In addition, the province has now finalised the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy (PGDS) with a primary aim to provide a broad economic policy-planning guide and anchor interventions to meet the goals as set out in the National Development Plan 2030.

This, he said, has now enabled the provincial government to complete the resuscitation of the Premier’s Economic Advisory Council.

T
he council will provide strategic support and coordination in the implementation of the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy, and promote integrated economic planning and sector contributions.

Internships

During this financial year, close to 900 internships and learnerships benefitted young people in various departments, municipalities, State-owned entities (SOEs) and the Sector Education and Training Authority (SETAs).

He announced that the North West would prioritise young people in various infrastructure projects that will be rolled out in the 2024/25 financial year.

‘Women are the backbone of our provincial economy. Eight women-led cooperatives and individuals will benefit from R1.4 million, which has been set aside for their upskilling and business growth.’

Source: South African Government News Agency