Month: February 2024

Police in Limpopo, together with other law enforcement agencies, have arrested 1 651 suspects and recovered seven stolen or hijacked motor vehicles during Operation Kukula (Shanela).

The operation was held across the five districts from Monday until Sunday.

The Department of Home Affairs and private security companies also formed part of the operation.

The suspects were arrested for charges such as murder, attempted murder, robberies, rape, sexual offenses, assaults, burglaries, fraud, theft, malicious damage to property, public drinking, drug-related cases and contravention of the Immigration Act.

The operations were conducted through roadblocks, stop and searches, blue light patrols, compliance inspections at liquor premises and second-hand dealers, among other duties.

During the operation, 20 suspects were nabbed for transgression of the Domestic Violence Act, 393 suspects for contravention of the Immigration Act and 117 suspects for drug-related crimes.

The drugs confiscated were 1552.174 grams of d
agga, 1 dagga plant, 4.601 grams of crystal meth and 34 grams of nyaope.

Police said they recovered nine firearms, 28 knives, 32 dangerous weapons, 604 162 counterfeit cigarette sticks and 569627.5ml of liquor.

Police attended to 549 reports of domestic violence and 281 protection orders were served.

Limpopo Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe has commended the teams for working relentlessly and ensuring that the citizens in the province are safe and secured.

The suspects have started to appear before various magistrate’s courts across the province.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Government has procured and connected more 7 000MW of generating capacity onto the grid through its Renewable Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP).

This is according to Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe.

The Minister was speaking during the debate on the State of the Nation Address (SONA) held in Cape Town on Tuesday.

The government-driven REIPPP aims to bring much needed additional megawatts onto the grid through private sector investment in renewable energy such as wind, biomass and small hydro.

Mantashe said that since the programme’s launch in 2011, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has procured some 13 266MW from 140 Independent Power Producers (IPPs) whose technologies are based on renewable energy, diesel and battery energy storage.

‘From these capacities, 7 362MW was from 95 IPPs, who are currently connected to the grid and supplying the much needed electricity. A combination of [renewables and base load] is required to deal with the challenges faci
ng us. The remaining 45 IPPs, with a combined capacity of 5 904MW, are either in construction or preparing to reach commercial close.

‘NERSA [National Energy Regulator of South Africa] has concurred with the Minister of Electricity [Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa] that 2500MW of nuclear capacity has to be connected,’ he said.

Under the current administration, some 5 939MW has been procured from 46 IPPs, with some 150MW already connected to the grid and a further 1 587MW expected to supply electricity from September this year.

The Minister said South Africa has the potential to lead the way in the global energy transition.

‘We firmly believe that South Africa holds significant quantities of minerals needed for the transition from high carbon emissions to low carbon emissions, which informs the view that our mining industry is a sunrise industry,’ he said.

Delving deeper into mining, Mantashe said over the past 30 years of democracy, government has done much work in transforming the industry.

‘When we did resea
rch two years ago… we discovered that at the nine major mining companies that we studied, each one of them didn’t have less than 50% of the management structure being black. We did see that in procurement initiatives created, a lot of business people who are not necessarily seen as part of the mining sector but who have developed on the back of mining.

‘If you talk coal, only one major company is white, the majority of them are black. In the manganese sector… black ownership in mining companies is a long list. In gold…ARM is dominant, Harmony is dominant. In the PGMs [platinum group metals] …[there is] black ownership. If you look at all these companies, you can see that there is practical progress being made,’ Mantashe said.

He said for the sector to continue growing, exploration is needed.

‘Cognisant of the fact that mines are born out of exploration, we have just launched an exploration fund. It is important that we invest in exploration so that the future of this very important sector continues to be b
right,’ Mantashe said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Department of Higher Education, Science and Innovation says it is pressing ahead with the completion of the establishment of the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) campus in Giyani and opening the facility’s doors in 2025.

‘The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Prof Blade Nzimande, has become aware of the circulation of information on various social media platforms that is designed to create the false impression that the Minister is blocking or deliberately delaying the finalisation of the establishment of the Tshwane University of Technology Giyani campus,’ the statement read on Tuesday.

This impression, according to the department, has created a false impression and is ‘designed to create confusion, ferment chaos and disrupt the finalisation of this important project’.

‘In the interest of transparency and out of concern for the future of the young people of Giyani and surrounding areas, the Minister wishes to provide the necessary clarification.’

The department has since clar
ified the decision to establish the Giyani campus under Nzimande’s leadership.

‘This decision was informed by a number of strategic considerations, including the need to extend access to higher education for the young people of Giyani and surrounding areas. It then becomes utterly ridiculous and mischievous to suggest that the Minister is delaying or frustrating his very own initiative,’ the statement read.

According to the department, the team commenced a feasibility study for the establishment of the TUT Giyani campus in May last year when it hit delays of more than five months from the Limpopo Department of Education.

However, according to the department, it is now working with the Limpopo MEC for Education, Lerule Ramakhanya, to address these obstacles.

The department announced that an agreement was reached in October 2023 after the Minister allocated R31.916 million to the project the previous month.

The department said it will carry out renovations and address deferred maintenance once the feasibil
ity study is completed, within the allocated budget.

‘TUT will now commence with the refurbishment and deferred maintenance in February this year, which will enable the first intake of students during the 2025 academic year.’

Meanwhile, the department said more funding will be allocated from 2024/25 onwards and over an anticipated six-year period.

‘The funding to be allocated during 2024/25 will enable TUT to start with the planning of the major projects during the 2024 calendar year.

‘As this work was unfolding, the departmental project team that was appointed by the Minister and is responsible for the implementation of this project has been engaging the relevant community, government and private sector stakeholders in Giyani, regularly.’

In addition, stakeholders have since been provided with regular feedback and together with the departmental project team agreed on a mechanism to resolve any concerns that may arise in the process of the implementation of this project.

‘It is also in the public intere
st that we should also state that there was a group of individuals who actively prevented the appointed technical team from carrying out its work. As stated, all this seems to be calculated to create confusion, ferment chaos and block the finalisation of this important project.

‘Furthermore, it is the experience of the department that this project has regrettably attracted many interest groups some of which seek to hijack the legitimate concerns of the community of Giyani and use these for their narrow and malicious ends.’

The department said it had also noted a malicious attempt to exploit the legitimate concerns of the community of Giyani to further what seems to be an established campaign to tarnish the name and reputation of the Minister, through lies and misinformation.

The department said it continues to enjoy the full support of TUT, the Limpopo provincial government and Ramakhanya. ‘As the Department of Higher Education and Training we remain committed to completing the establishment of the Tshwane
University of Technology campus in Giyani.’

Source: South African Government News Agency

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) has called on experienced filmmakers as well as those with limited experience to apply for funding for the 2024/2025 financial year.

Applications were opened on Monday for submissions for the categories of development Tiers 1 and 2, production, post-production and archive.

Funding exclusions include development – Tier 3 – across fiction and non-fiction applications and production of web series across all tiers. Submissions will close on 8 March 2024 at 5pm.

‘Individuals, companies and organisations may submit funding applications to the NFVF for any of the open funding categories stated above. Specific conditions are applicable for each funding category, and it is important for applicants to take careful note of these conditions before submitting an application,’ the NFVF said.

The tier breakdown is as follows:

Tier 1: Experienced filmmakers who have a proven track record for developing and producing 3 – 5 theatrically released feature films.,

Tier 2: Filmma
kers with limited experience but who have developed and produced 1 – 2 theatrical feature films, television fiction, documentaries, 2 – 3 short films and/or commercials seeking to venture into feature film development and production.

Tier 3: New entrants into the industry, particularly recent film school graduates from historically disadvantaged backgrounds. This intervention is geared towards first time filmmakers having a ‘calling card’ in the film industry. This tier is only eligible for short film funding.

The NFVF Funding Policy may be downloaded here: https://www.nfvf.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/NFVF-FUNDING-POLICY-FINAL.pdf.

‘Applications submitted before the 23rd of February 2024 will receive a priority compliance assessment. This means if your application is non-compliant, you will be timeously informed and have an opportunity to make corrections before the official closing date,’ the NFVF said.

Applicants need to register and complete the online application form using the following link: ht
tps://nfvf.praxisgms.co.za/

Applicants have been advised to note the following disclaimers:

Tier yourself accordingly.

Carefully read the definitions of the sub-categories before selecting.

It is advisable that the main applicant applies instead of using a 3rd party to apply on their behalf.

Only recently certified documents will be accepted (With a dated stamp not older than six months from date of application.)

Only valid documents will be allowed (documents that have not expired.)

Applications which do not meet compliance will be disqualified.

No late applications will be accepted.

For any queries regarding applications, please contact:

Nadine Cloete

Non-Fiction Manager

Email: [email protected]

OR

Refiloe Hlabioa

Fiction Manager

Email: [email protected]

For any queries regarding technical issues with submissions, please contact:

Thandekile Hlatshwayo

Applications Officer

Email: [email protected]

OR

Manti Sekwakwa

Applications Officer

Email: [email protected]

NFVF Telephone:
011 484 0880

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Namibian Police Force (NamPol) are investigating a case of concealment of birth, following the discovery of a new-born baby boy’s lifeless body wrapped in women’s clothing material in the bushes behind Extension 9 at Outapi in the Omusati Region.

NamPol’s Omusati Crime Investigations Coordinator, Moses Simaho, said the discovery was made around 17h50 on Monday.

‘It is alleged that the suspect used an unknown method to cause the death of an infant and the lifeless body of the boy was eventually found wrapped in women’s clothes material,’ he said.

He added that the unknown male infant is estimated to be one-day-old.

Simaho stated that the suspect is unknown at this stage.

The deceased’s body is kept at the Outapi State Mortuary and will be transported to Okahao Police Mortuary for a post-mortem.

Police investigations into the matter continue.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The South African Government has urgently appealed to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to assess Israel’s recent declaration to expand its military presence in Rafah, which is the last refuge for surviving people in Gaza.

Government is urging the ICJ to determine if it should intervene to prevent any imminent violation of the rights of Palestinians in Gaza.

‘The South African Government has made an urgent request to the International Court of Justice to consider whether the decision announced by Israel to extend its military operations in Rafah, which is the last refuge for surviving people in Gaza, requires that the court uses its power to prevent further imminent breach of the rights of Palestinians in Gaza,” the Presidency said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Presidency said that under Article 75(1) of the Rules of Court, “The Court may at any time decide to examine proprio motu whether the circumstances of the case require the indication of provisional measures, which ought to be taken or compli
ed with by any or all of the parties”.

‘In a request submitted to the court yesterday (12 February 2024), the South African Government said it was gravely concerned that the unprecedented military offensive against Rafah, as announced by the State of Israel, has already led to and will result in further large scale killing, harm and destruction. This would be in serious and irreparable breach both of the Genocide Convention and of the Court’s Order of 26 January 2024.

‘South Africa trusts this matter will receive the necessary urgency in light of the daily death toll in Gaza,’ the Presidency said.

Last month, the United Nations (UN) top court ordered Israel to, among others, take all measures within its power ‘to prevent and punish the direct and public incitement to commit genocide’ and to immediately ensure that Palestinians have access to basic services and humanitarian assistance.

In a landmark judgment, the ICJ determined that it was ‘plausible’ that Israel has committed acts that violate the Genocid
e Convention.

Source: South African Government News Agency