Day: February 29, 2024

While unemployment figures may cause despair, KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, says the rate of investment into the province is a sign that tomorrow will be better than today.

‘As KwaZulu-Natal, we faced an uphill battle in ensuring that investor confidence is unwavering, despite challenges with load shedding, the civil unrest, ageing utilities’ infrastructure, some of which could not withstand the recent floods. Yet we remain determined to continue in our quest to ensure that investors know that KwaZulu-Natal is and remains the most favoured investment destination in Southern Africa,’ Dube-Ncube said.

The Premier made the remarks when delivering the State of the Province Address (SOPA) at the Oval Cricket Stadium in Pietermaritzburg on Wednesday.

Dube-Ncube said during the South African Investment Conference (SAIC) held last year, where President Ramaphosa’s target was exceeded by some R306 billion, KwaZulu-Natal’s share included 55 companies in the province, which invested over R300 billion.

Du
be-Ncube said some of the investments are located in the province’s Special Economic Zones (SEZs), Richards Bay and Dube Trade Port, and around the province.

‘Targeted business expansion and retention support activities amounted to over R23 billion, resulting in 37 201 jobs being created. Added to this are investments attracted by Trade and Investment KwaZulu-Natal (TIKZN) over the last two decades, amounting to over R60 billion and creating over 95 000 jobs,’ Dube-Ncube said.

The Premier said KwaZulu-Natal is committed to the establishment of new leather and textile Special Economic Zones in the Newcastle and Ladysmith corridor, which are estimated at R600 million.

She said the two new SEZs will add to the two provincial SEZs of Dube Trade Port and Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone (RBIDZ), and will create 4 500 employment opportunities.

According to the Premier, 35 Black Industrialists have been supported by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) and for grant funding, and t
hey will create approximately 4 000 jobs. She said the target is to support 10 new Black Industrialists in the coming financial year.

‘KwaZulu-Natal has 35 small scale fisheries cooperatives comprising 1 000 small scale fishers registered by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. Government has rolled out training to capacitate these fishers in the variety of Ocean Economy and Maritime technical skills,’ the Premier said.

Dube-Ncube also highlighted some government-led projects to create jobs, including the Port of Durban’s R1.34 billion investment programme aimed at upgrading port facilities to mainly increase port capacity. This created 1 328 jobs.

The Passenger Rail Agency South Africa (PRASA) has also spent over R900 million in KwaZulu­-Natal through its capital programme on investment and infrastructure works.

‘This includes projects on rolling stock upgrades, including the Bridge City Development with a new rail network, new access gates and CCTV cameras and stations, and the Dal
bridge turnaround facility and general infrastructure station improvement. These were never there prior to this government.

‘In 2023, the R2 billion Dr Pixley ka lsaka Seme Regional Hospital was officially opened with 500 beds and a full package of regional services provided. This hospital has changed lives, especially in the Phoenix, lnanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu (PINK) area, and created 5 312 jobs during construction,’ Dube-Ncube highlighted.

The Premier acknowledged that government alone cannot address the enormous developmental challenges faced by the province.

‘In order to accelerate development, we have partnered with the private sector to stimulate our economy. The public and private projects, worth over R129 billion, have created over 339 000 jobs,’ the Premier said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Cabinet has commended the South African Police Service for their tireless work which has led to the arrest of seven people in connection with the murder of South African rapper, Kiernan Jarryd Forbes, known as AKA, and his friend Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane.

Forbes was gunned down in Durban’s Florida Road on 10 February 2023 as he was leaving the Wish restaurant. His friend, Motsoane was also murdered.

KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, announced the arrest of the six suspects during a media briefing held at the SA Police Service provincial headquarters in Durban.

A seventh suspect was arrested on Wednesday morning.

At the briefing, which was also attended by Police Minister Bheki Cele and National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola, Mkhwanazi said Forbes was the main target of the shooting, and not Motsoane, who was “at the wrong place at the wrong time”.

The suspects were arrested on Tuesday evening and are facing charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murde
r, attempted murder, unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, among others.

The suspects arrested included a coordinator, shooters, spotter and person who hired the vehicle and firearms.

‘The arrests are as result of months of painstaking police work,’ Minister in The Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said during a media briefing on the outcomes of the Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, five suspects made a brief appearance at Durban Magistrates Court on Thursday morning.

The case was postponed to 6 March 2024 for bail application.

Ntshavheni said two of the suspects, who were arrested in Eswatini, are still to be extradited to the country.

Source: South African Government News Agency

As this year marks the 20th anniversary of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), Cabinet says plans are in place to achieve the remaining 390 973 work opportunities by March 2024.

The year 2024 marks 20 years of the existence of the EPWP, which represents one of South Africa’s success stories of mass public employment programmes and is by far one of the largest poverty alleviation initiatives.

Briefing media on Thursday during a post Cabinet briefing, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said Cabinet received a briefing on the implementation and achievements of the EPWP, a flagship government programme that has provided millions of work opportunities to unemployed South Africans since its inception.

‘Cabinet was informed that 4 609 000 work opportunities were created during the Phase 4 medium-term of the EPWP, which covers the period 2019/2020 – 2022/23.

‘This figure represents a 92% achievement against the target set by the Sixth Administration to create five million work opportunities.
Plans are in place to achieve the remaining 390 973 work opportunities by March 2024,’ the Minister said.

The EPWP has over the past 20 years created over 14 million work opportunities, making it the largest continuous public employment programme in the world.

This milestone was achieved through ongoing partnerships with the private sector and civil society.

‘These work opportunities have contributed to skills development for the participants, as they were created under a range of EPWP projects in the tourism, agriculture, infrastructure, social projects and projects led by women,’ Ntshavheni said.

Of the 4 609 000 work opportunities, the top three provinces where most work opportunities have been created are KwaZulu-Natal, which accounts for 1 064 000 opportunities (23%), followed by the Eastern Cape, with 903 789 (20%) and the Western Cape at 508 954 (11%).

The Minister said while most of these opportunities are short- to medium-term; some have resulted in permanent employment. Figures also indicate th
at more than 20% of participants obtained employment outside the EPWP.

Many past EPWP participants have successfully completed diplomas in fields such as professional cookery and some are permanently employed in the hospitality industry. In addition to work opportunities, the EPWP also contributes much more in terms of service delivery, and improvements of amenities in communities and a better quality of life.

Over R52 billion has been transferred to the EPWP participants as wages for work done in Phase 4. In addition, over 600 businesses were established through the programme.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Cabinet has expressed its unwavering confidence that the allocations as outlined in the National Budget will pave the way for substantial economic growth, contributing to the restoration and enhancement of South Africa’s economic position.

During a post-Cabinet briefing on Thursday, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said Cabinet has welcomed the 2024 National Budget, which demonstrated the resolute commitment by government to consistently manage the country’s economy and take tough decisions necessary to balance the deficit while promoting economic growth.

‘The consolidation and tabling of the 2024 National Budget is an important part of South Africa’s open and accountable system of democracy.

‘Cabinet is confident that the National Budget allocations will translate into economic gains that rebuild our economic standing,’ Ntshavheni said.

The Minister emphasised that the National Budget continues to drive critical priorities and support for the most vulnerable.

‘It provides social assistan
ce to improve the living conditions of poor, vulnerable and underprivileged South Africans. These include unemployed South Africans and orphaned and vulnerable children living in child headed households,’ she said.

Public-Private Partnership

Cabinet has also welcomed the first-of-its-kind public-private partnership agreement between Sasol and Transnet Freight Rail to improve the reliability of rail transport.

Under a five-year agreement, Transnet Freight Rail will use its fleet of 128 ammonia tankers to deliver ammonia from Sasol facilities to customers and in return Sasol will fund the maintenance and repair programme of the fleet.

‘The partnership advances work on the country’s Freight Logistics Roadmap to turn around the sector. This partnership demonstrates how together we can overcome our pressing challenges,’ Cabinet said.

Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS)

On Statistics South Africa’s recent Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS), Minister Ntshavheni said government is motivated to redouble its e
fforts to draw more people into work opportunities.

The Quarterly Labour Force Survey showed a slight rise in the country’s unemployment rate in the fourth quarter of 2023 to 32.1% from 31.9% in the third quarter.

‘While our economy continues to create jobs, it is not at the level that government aims to achieve in order to address the challenge of unemployment. The QLFS showed that the informal sector employment increased by 124 000, finance by 128 000 jobs, transport by 57 000, mining by 37 000 jobs and private households by 18 000 jobs.

‘Cabinet has called on all sectors to support the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan, which is helping to provide work and livelihood opportunities to millions of South Africans,’ the Minister said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

In a bid to further strengthen the fight against crime in KwaZulu-Natal, the provincial government plans to recruit 1000 social crime prevention volunteers who will be deployed throughout the province.

KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, made the announcement when she was delivering the State of the Province Address (SOPA) in Pietermaritzburg on Wednesday.

Highlighting some of the provincial government’s initiatives aimed at fighting crime in communities, Dube-Ncube said police capacity has over the past four years been augmented by new members with a total of over 4 000 new police officers received in the past two years.

Dube-Ncube also announced that the Department of Community Safety and Liaison will in the 2024/25 financial year establish a Community Safety Intervention Unit (CSIU) which will work with other law enforcement agencies as a force multiplier, proactively and reactively fighting crime in communities.

‘The SAPS has also announced significant improvements in the allocation of resources
with more vehicles and trainee Constables being made available in KwaZulu-Natal.

‘The Department of Community Safety and Liaison has bought 60 safety patrol cars that will be used by the Community Safety Committees and Community Police Forums to complement the work of the police,’ Dube-Ncube said.

Specialised team to tackle cross border crime

On cross border crime, Dube-Ncube said the province is pursuing diplomatic channels to ensure that South Africans’ properties that are illegally stuck in sister countries are returned to their rightful owners.

‘In this regard, we met with the Mozambican High Commissioner to South Africa last year to discuss this matter. We have installed jersey barriers at exit points to make it difficult for stolen vehicles to cross into Mozambique,’ Dube-Ncube said.

The provincial government is working closely with the SAPS’ Specialised KZN Stabilising Team to address issues of criminality in and around the Manguzi area.

She said the interventions have resulted in the arrest of s
everal highly sought criminals, and who are currently facing justice.

‘When we visited there late last year with Police Minister Bheki Cele this special team had arrested 103 suspects [and] four had been convicted. Fifty-six dockets were in court, 193 motor vehicles had been identified or which 63 had been handed back to the owners,’ the Premier said, adding that 42 cases were also under investigation,’ the Premier said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Limpopo Premier Stan Mathabatha says much has been done to improve the lives of people in the province.

‘When we achieved our April 1994 democratic breakthrough, less than 30% of rural households had access to electricity,’ Mathabatha said.

Delivering the State of the Province Address in Polokwane on Thursday, Mathabatha said the provincial government has electrified at least 94.% of rural households in the province, marking a significant improvement in access to electricity.

‘People in rural areas overwhelmingly depended on firewood to cook, using three-legged pots. There was deforestation, impacting trees and other plants, an important source of oxygen supply for human life, and a key resource of environmental conservation,’ Mathabatha said.

Mathabatha said forests have risen in various areas that were affected due to the massive household electrification programme.

‘In healthcare, it is pleasing that we currently have 476 clinics in Limpopo and 216 of healthcare centres (45%) operate 24 hours a day,’
Mathabatha said.

Mathabatha said in 2010, the province reached 80% access to water, reaching more communities and improving public health outcomes.

‘However, because of various countervailing factors, we have experienced a decline to 69.1%. We are worried about this, and we are hard at work with authorities in the water provision space to improve the situation.

‘It is important to note that we have improved access to sanitation to 63.1%, up from 26.9% in 2002, and up from a far lower baseline in 1994.’

Mathabatha said the tarred roads network in the province has significantly expanded since April 1994.

‘It is now covering rural areas that were neglected before. Through this progress, we have enhanced connectivity and improved transportation efficiency, facilitating economic development in Limpopo. At present, our target is to surface 13 800 kilometres from gravel to tar,’ he said.

Mathabatha said the provincial government has worked very hard in education.

‘Our efforts are now visible in improved matri
c results. We have improved from a 38% matric pass rate in 1996. At 79.5% in 2024, our matric pass rate now approximates our 80% target.’

Mathabatha said Limpopo’s contribution to the national economic output over the past three decades has improved.

He said in 1996, Limpopo contributed 5.3% to the national gross domestic product.

‘Despite the global economic and pandemic crises, our contribution to national GDP reached 7.3% by 2023. This reflects the strategic efforts undertaken by the province to harness its vast natural resources, develop critical sectors and attract investment.

‘From just over 911 000 households in 1996, we have increased to over 1.8 million households in 2022. This substantial growth in households highlights Limpopo’s growing population. We have now reached over six million people, according to the latest census,’ the Premier said.

Source: South African Government News Agency