Month: April 2024

The KwaZulu-Natal Gaming and Betting Board has collected a revenue of more than R724 million for service delivery, with more than 11 600 jobs being created for the citizens in the province.

KwaZulu-Natal Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) MEC, Siboniso Duma, revealed this during the 15th Gambling Regulators African Forum (GRAF) Conference, currently underway at Sibaya Casino in Durban.

The annual conference, which is attended by over 500 international and national delegates, offers a unique opportunity for regulators to exchange knowledge, collaborate on regulatory challenges, and shape the future of the African gambling industry.

Hosted by the department’s entity, KwaZulu-Natal Gaming and Betting Board, this year’s conference taking place from 2 – 5 April 2024, is held under the theme, ‘Fostering Unity Towards a Coordinated Gaming Regulatory Framework for Africa’.

In his opening address on Wednesday, Duma emphasised the importance of the gaming sector in the province’s econom
y, noting that the industry invests more than R2 billion in the province.

Duma said the money has been allocated for various service delivery programmes, including roads construction; houses; and ensuring the provision of quality education, health, welfare services, water, and electricity.

‘Companies that are involved in the gaming and betting sector have invested more than R2 billion towards the development of their facilities here in KZN. This has helped create jobs and stimulate other sectors of the economy such as tourism and construction.

‘Importantly, through our entity, we regulate horseracing events such as the Durban July which is now called Hollywood Bet [which] has always been the country’s biggest race for years with more than R4.5 million in prize money and turnover of R140 million,’ Duma said.

He added that various sectors of the economy have been benefiting for years with thousands of temporal and permanent jobs created.

Duma noted that due to COVID-19, jockeys have lost approximately R6.5
million monthly, including riding fees and winning stakes. The trainers have also lost approximately R3 million a month with their business reduced by 20%.

The MEC commended the stakeholders for working together to ensure the turnaround of the situation.

‘The horse racing industry in general contributes around R3 billion to the country’s GDP and about R800 million in taxes every year. The contribution of the industry to the local economy is R905 million [and] we want this contribution to increase year-on-year.

‘We are also moving with speed to unleash talent in deep rural areas through traditional racing events, such as Dundee July and Umtelebhelo. These have become major events in the annual calendar which have attracted more than 70 000 tourists,’ Duma said.

Duma said government is also working jointly with licenses to transform the horse racing industry.

‘Hollywood Sportsbook Group and Gold Circle have collaborated with government in supporting grooms within the horseracing industry. We want to see yo
ung people becoming horse owners, horse trainers, horse breeders, jockeys, veterinarians and grooms.

‘We wish to acknowledge this contribution not only here in KZN but in other provinces and neighbouring countries. It is my view that this investment is an indication that gaming and betting Industry was a mature and well-established industry before COVID-19,’ Duma said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Correctional Services Amendment Act, National Veld and Forest Fire Amendment Bill and the Agricultural Product Standards Amendment Bill, 2023 have been signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Correctional Services Amendment Act

According to the Presidency, the Correctional Services Amendment Act ‘complies with the 2020 Sonke judgment of the Constitutional Court, in providing for an adequate level of independence of the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS)’.

‘The amendments include changes to section 30(7) to provide for an inmate that is subjected to solitary confinement, to be informed of their right to appeal.

‘The amended section further provides that the Head of the Correctional or Remand Detention Facility must, upon request, provide all relevant information relating to an appeal to the Inspecting Judge within 24 hours of receiving such information,’ the Presidency said.

The amended act further provides for:

The appointment of the Chief Executive Officer of the JICS by t
he Minister of Justice and Correctional Services instead of the National Commissioner of Correctional Services.

The expenses incurred by the Judicial Inspectorate will be covered from budgets appropriated by Parliament. These costs were previously covered from the Department of Justice and Correctional Services budget.

Mandatory reporting obligations by the Department to the Inspecting Judge.

National Veldfire Act

The amended act provides for provisions, including:

The facilitation of the formation of fire protection associations by a municipality and a traditional council.

Compel a municipality, state-owned enterprise, public entity or other organ of State which owns land to join the fire protection associations.

Extend the powers of entry, search, seizure and arrest to peace officers and traditional leaders.

Amend the title of the Act to the National Veldfire Act.

Agricultural Product Standards Amendment Act

‘The Agricultural Product Standards Amendment Act, will, amongst other provisions, empower
the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development to designate a person, an entity, undertaking, body, institution, association or board, who or which, as the case may be, has particular knowledge of the product concerned, or particular knowledge of the relevant management control systems, with no direct or indirect personal or financial interest, as an assignee to inspect the commodity for quality control and audit management control system,’ the Presidency said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

President Cyril Ramaphosa has assented to the Judicial Matters Amendment Act of 2023.

According to the Presidency, the amendment bill aims to ‘amend numerous Acts which are administered by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and are intended to address mostly practical and technical changes in various pieces of legislation’.

Some of the notable amendments to the act include:

Amendments which provide for the powers, duties and functions of the Chief Master, some of which were not part of the legislation before. These changes will allow the Chief Master to play a greater supervisory role over the Masters of the High Court and will lead to improved service delivery to the public and to legal practitioners.

A provision that allows the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, after due consultation, to determine certain categories of offences which, if the accused pays or has paid an admission of guilt fine, would not result in the accused receiving a criminal record.

The Presidency
explained that following the Minister’s determination, ‘persons who already have received a criminal record for the identified categories of offences will have their offences expunged’.

Other areas that the Amendment Act speak to include:

A provision for the expungement of the criminal record of a person who paid an admission of guilt fine for violating the State of Disaster Regulations which were imposed during the COVID pandemic;

A new mechanism to fight corruption, by creating an additional offence to be included in the Prevention and Combatting of Corrupt Activities Act, 2004 (Act No. 12 of 2004) regarding the failure of members of the private sector or state-owned entities to prevent corrupt activities. This is in line with recommendations made by the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector, including Organs of State (Zondo Commission).

A provision that relates to when a person willfully makes a false declaration in support of an app
lication for a protection order in terms of the Domestic Violence Act, 1998 (Act No. 116 of 1998). The new provision penalises the making of such a false declaration and such a person will have committed an offence. The amendment also enables applications for a protection order to be made without an affidavit.

A repeals of common law relating to the crime of defamation. Various international and local stakeholders and interested parties have expressed concerns about the alarming effect of such offences on journalists and have advocated for their abolition. The crime of crimen injuria and civil remedies for defamation however continue to be applicable.

‘Whilst the amendments may appear to be minor and technical in nature, they will significantly improve service delivery and the efficiency and responsiveness of the justice system in the related matters,’ the Presidency said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has successfully restored five crucial Metrorail services across Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.

The services were restored as of the end of March 2024. They include Cape Town to Stellenbosch (Western Cape); Merebank to Chatsglen (KwaZulu-Natal); Johannesburg to Florida (Gauteng); Johannesburg to Nancefield (Gauteng) and Germiston to Elsburg (Gauteng).

‘We have successfully brought 31 of our 40 lines back into partial operation and are focused on achieving full operational status for these corridors, with work to extend the abovementioned lines continuing. This milestone demonstrates our commitment to revitalising passenger rail services, providing an efficient and cost-effective public transport option for South Africans.

“Significant progress is being made on the Central Line, with ongoing efforts to rehabilitate rail infrastructure from Phillippi to Nolungile and onwards to Chris Hani. This work has been facilitated by the temporary relocati
on of 891 households from the Phillippi station area, enabling us to proceed with necessary recovery work,’ PRASA said on Wednesday.

This work builds on the recovery of the Cape Town to Nyanga services, which marked an important milestone on what is one of the most important passenger rail routes in the country.

‘Recognizing the growing demand for our services, we are actively working to repair vandalised signalling equipment. These repairs are essential not only for the safe operation of our trains but also to increase the frequency of our services to meet our commuters’ needs.

‘The recovery of these lines has been made possible by dedicated staff across various regions, who have spared no effort and commitment in reaching these achievements, despite facing considerable challenges. We remain steadfast in our mission to restore passenger rail as the backbone of public transport in South Africa,’ the agency said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Industry associations in the captive lion industry have called for better enforcement by government to ensure that the industry conducts its business in an ethical manner and is compliant with regulations for conservation.

‘The industry is large and complex, with a long history that is not aligned with both current international trends and domestic policy changes on conservation,’ chairperson of the Ministerial Task Team (MTT) on voluntary exit options and pathways from the captive lion industry, Kam Chetty, said on Wednesday in Cape Town.

Chetty said levels of compliance are low and can be expected to remain as such, with high profile reports of incidents of animal abuse that are affecting the reputation of the country as a premier wild-life destination.

He was outlining the key findings and recommendations of a report by the Ministerial Task Team (MTT) on voluntary exit options and pathways from the captive lion industry.

The task team was appointed by the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environ
ment, Barbara Creecy, in December 2022, following a recommendation by the High Level Panel on matters relating to the management, breeding, hunting, trade and handling of elephant, lion, leopard and rhinoceros.

The panel recommended the closure of the captive breeding sector, including the keeping of lions in captivity, or the use of captive lions or their derivatives commercially.

According to the report, South Africa has the largest captive lion population in the world, with increasing diversification into other carnivore species.

The report identified 7 838 lions, 626 tigers and at least 2 315 other captive carnivores, including tigers, cheetahs and servals.

Industry associations are also calling for the government to reintroduce the lion bone export quota.

‘Conservation and animal welfare non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have argued strongly that the industry should be shut down, as recommended by the High Level Panel (HPL) and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE). They,
however, concede that it is a complex process and that voluntary exit should be the first steps in the process, while ensuring that the industry’s growth is halted through sterilisation of lions,’ Chetty said.

Facility owners across six provinces, representing a diverse range of facility sizes and types, expressed their interest to consider voluntarily exit from the industry, pending government’s approval of the exit options.

‘Some facilities are experiencing financial constraints raising concerns about their ability to comply with the well-being of lions. Most employees are not exclusively focused on tasks related to captive lions; they are also engaged in other agricultural or related activities on behalf of the facility owner,’ he said

In general, stakeholders in the report back sessions supported the voluntary exit pathways. With preference being expressed for a ‘phase out’ option, rehoming of lions in lion safe havens, and transition to more sustainable businesses.

‘Conservation and animal welfare NG
Os have committed to provide financial and non-financial support for Phases 1 and 2. Lion safe havens have expressed willingness to increase their capacity where possible – based on land availability and financial resources. They have also agreed to train existing facilities that want to repurpose into lion safe havens,’ Chetty said.

Cabinet has approved the release of the report and its recommendations for implementation.

‘South Africa is a country, with diverse cultures, remarkable geological wealth, and exceptional biodiversity, much of which is unique, and with high levels of endemism. With this rich endowment comes the responsibility and challenge of ensuring our species and ecosystems are conserved and used sustainably for the benefit of all South Africans and future generations.

‘Section 24 of the Constitution requires reasonable legislative and other measures be put in place to ensure that the environment is protected, for the benefit of present and future generations, including through promoting c
onservation and securing ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources,’ Creecy said.

The Minister said the report should be understood in the broader policy context of the White Paper on Conservation and Sustainable use and the Policy Position on the conservation and sustainable use of elephant, lion, leopard and rhinoceros that was approved last week by Cabinet for implementation.

In summary, the Key Recommendations of the Task Team were that Government approve:

Phase 1: Engage voluntary exit candidates to finalise the pathways and exit terms.

Phase 2: Acquisition and incineration of lion bone stockpiles contingent upon sterilisation of lions and compliance with the voluntary exit principles.

Issue a short-term directive to ensure consistent application of animal well-being is assured through issuing of permits and conducting oversights.

Prohibit captive lion breeding in the medium term to safeguard benefits of voluntary exit.

To access the report, click on the link below:

https:
//www.dffe.gov.za/sites/default/files/reports/ministerialtaskteamMTTreport_captivelionindustry.pdf. –

Source: South African Government News Agency

North West Acting Premier Nono Maloyi will today open and hand over the newly constructed Saruchera Primary School in Huhudi, Vryburg, in the Naledi Local Municipality.

The Acting Premier will be accompanied by the MEC for Education, Ntsetsao Viola Motsumi, the department’s senior managers and executives from the local and district municipalities.

The school will enroll approximately 1 380 students from Grades R to 6 when it opens for the second term on Wednesday, 3 April 2024.

‘These learners were previously attending various schools around Huhudi township, and the official opening of this new school is set to bring the much-needed relief to the releasing schools as they were already overcrowded,’ the Office of the Acting Premier said.

This state-of-the-art primary school comprises, amongst others, 24 classrooms, a library, computer centre, Grade R facilities, a multipurpose hall, toilets and changing rooms.

The learning institution will also employ 33 educators, including a principal and two deputies,
the majority of whom are from the surrounding releasing schools.

According to the statement, the construction of Saruchera Primary School was necessitated by the establishment of a new settlement and the building of government-subsidised houses in extensions 25 and 28 in Huhudi, which resulted in overcrowding in the already existing schools around the township.

Source: South African Government News Agency