Day: March 1, 2024

President Cyril Ramaphosa has informed Deputy Minister of Small Business Development, Dipuo Peters, of his decision to suspend her.

In a statement on Friday, the Presidency said the Deputy Minister has been informed of her suspension in writing.

The decision follows a sanction adopted by Parliament’s Joint Committee on Ethics and Members Interests against the Deputy Minister.

The Committee found that Peters had breached the Code of Ethical Conduct in her former portfolio as Minister of Transport.

Consequently, Peters was sanctioned and suspended for one term.

‘The suspension, which will be without pay, became effective on 28 February 2024 and will end on 28 March 2024,’ said the Presidency.

In a statement at the end of January 2024, Parliament noted the Western Cape High Court’s dismissal of Peters’s urgent application to stop Parliament from implementing her suspension from her seat in all parliamentary debates, sittings and committee meeting-related functions for one term of the parliamentary program
me.

In October 2023, after considering a complaint lodged against her, Parliament’s Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests found that the Deputy Minister had breached the Code of Ethical Conduct in her former portfolio as Minister of Transport.

As a result, she was sanctioned and suspended for one term.

In its statement Parliament said #UniteBehind leader and activist, Zackie Achmat, lodged the complaint with several allegations, including that Peters ‘was neglectful in her previous portfolio as Minister of Transport by failing to appoint a Group CEO of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA)’.

It was also alleged that she used PRASA buses for ANC events during 2014 and 2015 without ensuring payment from the ANC, among others.

‘Following deliberations, the ethics committee found that the Member’s failure to appoint a Group CEO breached items 4.1.3 and 4.1.4 of the code, in that the Member failed to act on all occasions in accordance with the public trust placed in her; and discharge h
er obligations, in terms of the Constitution, to Parliament and the public at large, by placing the public interest above her own interests when she failed to appoint a Group CEO after the PRASA Board had commissioned a recruitment process, which resulted in a financial loss of R1 767 000,’ said Parliament in its statement in January.

The committee advised the National Assembly that for each of the three violations identified, Peters should be barred from participating in all parliamentary debates and sessions, as well as from committee meetings and their related activities and operations, for one session of the parliamentary programme.

Additionally, the committee suggested that the suspensions for all three violations occur simultaneously during a single session of the parliamentary programme, as decided by the National Assembly.

In the response to the court matter, Parliament said it appreciated the court’s sentiments regarding the importance of allowing Parliament, as an arm of State, to regulate its bu
siness without interference from other arms of the state.

‘Granting relief to delay the enforcement of this sanction would essentially invalidate a decision taken by a different arm of the State, exercising its constitutional oversight responsibilities, especially given its time-sensitive nature, where there is no legal foundation to do so.

‘Ms Peters will be placed on suspension commencing tomorrow, 30 January, with the suspension expected to last until 28 March,’ said Parliament at the time. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: South African Government News Agency

Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane has officially launched Khutlo-Tharo Performing and Creative Arts School of Specialisation in Sebokeng on Thursday, with a focus on Research and Innovation.

The Schools of Specialisation Programme continues to be a pioneering initiative by the Gauteng Department of Education, with Khutlo-Thato marking the 35th School of Specialisation to be launched in Gauteng.

‘As we reflect on the journey thus far, it is clear that the Schools of Specialisation Programme has become an integral part of Gauteng’s educational legacy. Through collaboration, innovation, and a steadfast commitment to excellence, Gauteng continues to strive for greatness.

‘We take pride in Khutlo-Tharo continuing to be a beacon of hope in this community and beyond, providing underprivileged learners with opportunities to explore and develop their creative talents that might otherwise have remained dormant within the confines of traditional education,’ the Gauteng Education Department said.

In recognising
the integral role of the arts in 21st-century education, the department said that the widely acknowledged STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education yields numerous benefits, including enhanced creativity, academic performance, motor skills, decision-making abilities, visual learning, and overall learning experiences.

By infusing arts into STEAM framework, learners are offered a fresh perspective on traditional subjects, fostering engagement and allowing them to explore diverse fields in a conducive and nurturing environment.

According to the department, this approach not only opens pathways to artistic careers but also prepares learners for success in more conventional professions, including those in Maths, Science and Engineering, further expanding learners’ options and opportunities for their future and emphasising the Schools of Specialisation Programme aim of addressing unemployment.

The school has excelled in the arts, earning multiple accolades in music over the years,
while also demonstrating resilience in achieving excellence in matric results. Since 2018, a steady increased has been witnessed, culminating in a commendable 90.8% pass rate in 2023.

During the launch, learners demonstrated how there is Science in Art. The launch was also filled with amazing theatrical, entertaining and musical acts, which showed an extensive level of dedication from learners. The school also promotes entrepreneurship, with learners selling jewellery, artworks and ornaments – all crafted and made by them.

‘Indeed, we envision a transformative educational journey that nurtures and challenges learners’ technical, creative, and academic talents. We are committed to dispelling stereotypes associated with arts education and demonstrating the boundless possibilities that lie ahead.

‘Our goal is to cultivate well-rounded citizens who will contribute meaningfully to our society and beyond, and it is the learners of Khutlo-Tharo who will be the trailblazers who turn these possibilities into realit
y. We look forward to embarking on this journey of growth, innovation and empowerment alongside our learners, staff and community,’ Chiloane said. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) will be embarking on advocacy programmes as part of National Water Month.

Today, the department kick-starts National Water Month, which is conceptualised along the annual commemoration of World Water Day.

World Water Day is spearheaded by the United Nations (UN) and is observed on 22 March.

The UN uses World Water Day to focus attention on the global water crisis and raise awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water, with the aim of aspiring nations to commit to long-term action.

This is to ensure that everyone in the world has access to safe water by 2030, while not impacting the environment.

World Water Day also brings attention to the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

This year’s Water Day will be observed under the theme, ‘Leveraging Water for Peace’, which encourages communities and countries to use water as a tool for peace, when cooperating over this precious sha
red resource.

The theme also highlights that water can spark and intensify conflict when access is denied and usage unfairly shared.

The department said National Water Month will be used to reflect and deliver the department’s mandate in response to these challenges, with the strategies to avoid the projected deficit.

Water and Sanitation Services Policy on privately-owned land

The ministerial launch of the Water and Sanitation Services Policy on privately owned land, scheduled to take place in KwaZulu-Natal, will be the highlight of this year’s National Water Month.

‘The Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, will launch this holistic policy with the intention of unifying and simplifying the provision and regulation of sustainable and equitable water services to residents living on privately-owned land,’ the department said.

The month-long activities will also see Mchunu visiting Limpopo to assess progress on the Giyani Bulk Water Supply Scheme, which will benefit 24 villages.

This follows hi
s commitment to accelerate the project through, among others, optimisation of the Giyani water treatment works to its original capacity and increase the project scope to ensure 55 villages benefit from the scheme. This is through funds allocated for reticulation and expanding access to yard connections.

To this end, the department said 24 villages are in various stages of construction and some of the villages will soon be receiving water in their taps.

‘Minister Mchunu will also meet with his four counterparts from Botswana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe to sign the amendment of the Limpopo Watercourse Commission (LIMCOM) by the four riparian States which share the Limpopo River Basin and use water from the river to support various socio-economic activities, including agriculture, tourism, energy generation, as well as for domestic use.

‘The agreement signed in 2003, will be amended to formalise the establishment of the LIMCOM Council of Ministers to be the main policy and decision-making body on transboundary,
water resource management issues in the Limpopo River Basin,’ the department said.

The department has reiterated its call to all South Africans to make a difference by changing the way they use, drink and manage water in their respective lives.

‘South Africa is a dry and water-scarce country with an average annual rainfall of 470mm compared to the global annual average of 814mm. Thus, it has limited water availability, which is diminishing compared to other countries,’ the department said. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: South African Government News Agency

Despite the challenges faced by the country, government has made an undeniable mark in changing the lives of people for the better in the 30 years of freedom, says Mpumalanga Premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane.

Delivering the State of the Province Address (SOPA) on Friday, Mtshweni-Tsipane reflected on the gains that government has made since the dawn of democracy.

‘When we were elected to office in 1994, our population was a mere 3.3million people. Today, Mpumalanga is home to 5.1 million people.

‘The gross domestic product (GDP), that is the value of goods and services produced in Mpumalanga, was R46 billion. Today, our economy has grown in leaps and bounds to more than R530 billion, 12 times bigger than what it was, becoming the fourth largest economy in the country,’ the Premier said.

In 1996, there were around 627 000 people employed in the province. The economy now employs more than 1.25 million people.

The percentage of people living below the lower bound poverty line has improved drastically from
64% in 1996 to 49.5% in 2022.

‘This is supplemented by the provision of a wider safety security net that includes the special COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress grant, the Old Age Pension Grant, the Child Support Grant and the Care Dependency Grants, to name but a few examples,” the Premier said.

Education, basic services

Mtshweni-Tsipane said there has been a “phenomenal” growth in access to education in the province, with the Statistics South Africa General Household Survey findings indicating that the percentage of seven to 17-year-olds attending school in Mpumalanga province stands at 98%.

‘The throughput rate has improved from 46% in 2019 to 72% in 2023.

‘Before 1994, thousands of children from poor families attended classes on an empty stomach. They had to endure traveling long distances to attend school. Today one million children in this province from poor backgrounds enjoy free hot meals served at their respective schools,’ the Premier said.

Approximately 75 000 students are transported to scho
ol daily through the scholar transport programme.

Government has built six state-of-the-art boarding schools to restore the dignity and the plight of farm dweller children and improve the quality of education.

‘Prior to 1994, teenage girls from poor background would miss school due to unaffordable sanitary towels. Today, government has restored the dignity of the girl child. A total of 96 077 girl children in quintile one schools are provided with sanitary towels,” the Premier said.

In 1994, the province had no universities. There were only a few technical colleges.

‘Today, Mpumalanga is home to four universities, which are the University of Mpumalanga, the Tshwane University of Technology, the Vaal University of Technology, and the University of South Africa. We are also home to two private universities, which are Eduvos and Regenesys.

‘In 1994, there were 89 public libraries. Today, we have 123 fully equipped public libraries, translating to 34 newly built libraries in townships and rural villages,’ th
e Premier said.

In 1994, only a few households had access to piped clean water and proper sanitation.

“Today, 87% of households in Mpumalanga have access to clean water and more than 93% have access to adequate sanitation. More than 94% of all residents in Mpumalanga have access to electricity,” Mtshweni-Tsipane said.

Health

In 1994, the infant mortality rate in Mpumalanga was 80 per 1 000 live births. That figure stands at 11.2 per 1000 live births.

‘Before the advent of our democracy, the life expectancy of our people in this province was hovering around 50 years and lower. Today, our people are living longer, with women averaging 65.8 years and men 60.7 years. We would like to see these figures rising to an average of 75 and 70 years respectively.

‘One of the reasons our people are living longer and healthier is because our government has an extensive TB and HIV/AIDS treatment programmes, which have assisted in prolonging the lives of those affected,’ the Premier said.

Land

In 1994, more than 85% o
f land in Mpumalanga was in the hands of the minority. Currently, about 1 767 370 hectares of land have been acquired and transferred to the hands of the previously disadvantaged through the land reform programmes of restitution and redistribution.

‘Of this land, over 555 000 hectares of land has been restituted back to our people through communal property associations, benefitting in excess of 110 000 beneficiaries, which include women, youth and persons with disabilities.

‘From our agricultural support programmes, like Masibuyele Esibayeni and Masibuyele eMasimini for emerging farmers, we are supporting farmers with livestock such as cattle, sheep, goats, pig and chickens,’ Mtshweni-Tsipane said.

Housing

The provincial government has built 236 395 low-cost houses for the most vulnerable.

‘We have serviced 65 538 sites for the missing middle category, those who do not qualify for subsidised houses but also not qualifying for bank funded bonds. In total, this translates to 301 833 housing opportunities c
reated.

‘We have also issued 88 551 title deeds to the homeowners, guaranteeing their rights and the rights of their descendants to the ownership of such properties for life,’ the Premier said. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Mpumalanga provincial government has introduced coding and robotics in 128 schools, as part of its pilot programme.

‘That pilot is progressing well and 128 schools, from Grade R to 3 and Grade 7, are currently doing coding and robotics,’ Mpumalanga Premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane said on Friday when delivering the State of the Province Address (SOPA).

Since 2022, in its quest to improve learner performance, the provincial government is providing all Grade 12 learners and teachers in Quantile 1 to 3 schools with tablets and laptops respectively.

These devices, the Premier said, are loaded with e-content and will be provided this year with an offline application to enable access to learning even outside the four walls of the classroom without data or connectivity.

‘This government continues to strengthen e-learning in our schools. This year, the province will introduce the smart schools concept in eight schools where both teachers and learners will utilise technological devices and thus making the sch
ools paperless,” Mtshweni-Tsipane said.

She said the land for the construction of the proposed School for the Deaf and Blind has been secured at Emalahleni Municipality.

‘Once the school is completed, the 250 deaf learners currently studying at Bukhosibetfu Full Service School and the 200 in other special schools will be relocated to the new school.”

Job creation

By the end of January 2024, a total of 63 478 jobs were created through the 21 identified programmes, including the Siyatentela Road Maintenance Programme, Government Nutrition Programme, School Handymen and Tourism Safety Monitors, to name a few.

‘Since 2021 and through the Presidential Employment Stimulus, we have trained and created a total of 65 296 job opportunities for unemployed youth in different schools.

‘Since its inception in 2019, the Premier’s Youth Development Fund has disbursed R258 million to fund 182 youth-owned enterprises. The funded beneficiaries have created more than 630 jobs in agriculture, mining, manufacturing as well a
s film and production,’ Mtshweni-Tsipane said.

Growing tourism

As part of ongoing efforts to attract tourism to Mpumalanga, the provincial government has upgraded tourism facilities in four nature reserves with accommodation facilities.

These include Songimvelo-Kromdraai Camp, Andover, SS Skhosana and Manyeleti.

‘Phase 2 of fence installations is in progress in order to minimise human wildlife conflict in Songimvelo, Mthethomusha and Mdala reserves. It’s important for us to implement these projects efficiently, economically and effectively in order to increase the number visitors to our province.

“We are pleased with the intention to support the provincial efforts in this regard, expressed from the National Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development,’ the Premier said.

As of 1 April 2024, FlySaFair introduced new routes between Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport and Cape Town

‘This adds further impetus to the gains we made when Eurowings, a German airline, chose Mpumalanga as its
destination of choice more than a year ago. This is further supported by the Stats SA Tourism and migration report released in January 2024, which placed Mpumalanga at the second spot in international tourist arrivals.

‘As early as February 2024, we entered into a strategic partnership with Aspinall Foundation to elevate the Loskop Dam Nature Reserve to a Big Five Game Reserve. We have also concluded a collaboration with Greater Kruger Environmental Protection Foundation to fight poaching in Manyeleti. This collaboration includes establishing new pickets, maintenance of fence and the training of field rangers,’ the Premier said.

Transport

The provincial government plans to build a state-of-the-art interchange along the railway line from the city centre leading to Pine Ridge, Klarinet, Siyanqoba and Verena.

‘This interchange will improve safety and ease traffic flow in that area. The planning and design process has been completed. The construction of the interchange will commence in the 2024/25 financial,’
the Premier said.

During the current administration, government will complete projects including the rehabilitation of sections P8/1 (R36) between Mashishing and Bambi Phase 3; D2950 Mananga to River Crossing; Coal Haul P36/1 Delmas to N12 and the upgrading of D481 Mooiplaas and Ekulindeni; D4407 Hluvukani – Orpen Road near Welverdied.

Caring for the vulnerable

Since the beginning of the sixth administration, government has placed 542 children in foster care.

The Premier also touched on social ills.

“Substance abuse has become endemic, negatively impacting on the lives of the substance abusers and their close families. We opened our doors and our hearts to more than 1 942 substance abusers who needed our help.

‘We have completed the construction of the Swartfontein and the Nkangala treatment centres. In the days ahead, we will officially handover the Nkangala treatment centre.

‘In the current administration, 7 409 Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) have been supported to implement programmes that are impa
ct driven and aid our efforts to create a Mpumalanga anchored on morals and social cohesion,’ the Premier said. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: South African Government News Agency