Month: April 2024

The Electoral Commission (IEC) has published the list of addresses of the 23 292 voting stations that will be used in the 2024 National and Provincial Elections (NPE2024).

Addressing a media briefing on Tuesday, IEC Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sy Mamabolo said the route for mobile voting stations has also been published.

“The highest number of voting stations will be in Kwazulu-Natal (4 974), Eastern Cape (4 868) and Limpopo (3 216). All voting stations are now contracted, with lease agreements concluded with landlords or owners,’ Mamabolo said on Tuesday in Centurion.

A list of the voting stations can be found on the Electoral Commission’s website at https://www.elections.org.za/pw/Documents/VotingStations_Final_20240412_National.pdf

Over 95% percent of logistical supplies for Election Day are already at hand.

The IEC is in the process of distributing 1 873 tonnes of material between the different warehousing and storage facilities across the country.

Special votes

Applications for special votes, f
or the purposes of home visits and voting station visits, opened on 15 April 2024 and will close on 3 May 2024.

‘Home visits are intended for those voters who are unable to travel to voting stations, whilst special votes at voting stations are for everyone who is unable to be at the voting station on Election Day. Special voting will be conducted on the two days preceding Election Day, on 27 and 28 May 2024,’ the CEO said.

Special votes may be accessed using one of the following modalities:

Using our secured online application form found at www.elections.org.za

By SMSing your identity number to 32249 (R1.00 per SMS) for voting station visit only.

By visiting your local IEC office and submitting an Appendix 1B form for a voting station special vote.

By visiting your local IEC office and submitting an Appendix 1A form for a home visit special vote. Forms can also be hand-delivered, but someone else can deliver a form on behalf of a voter.

Special votes will also be administered at South Africa’s diplomat
ic missions abroad to service 58 000 registered voters.

‘These voters will be provided for at the diplomatic missions of the republic. The Electoral Commission invites South Africans, who are registered on the local segments of the voters’ roll but who may be temporarily absent from the country, to notify it of the intended absence and the mission where they intend to vote.

‘Such notifications must be lodged with the Chief Electoral Officer by 22 April 2024. As of today 9 100, such notifications have been approved. Special votes at the diplomatic missions will take place 10 days ahead of general voting in the country on 17 May or 18 May 2024 depending on the weekend configuration of the country,’ Mamabolo said.

Those travelling out of country and between countries must take note that the period to notify the Electoral Commission at which mission outside the country they will be voting closes on 22 April 2024.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Cabinet has approved the Final White Paper On Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection.

This is according to Home Affairs Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, who briefed the media on Wednesday.

‘The Department of Home Affairs carefully and duly considered all the oral and written submissions. This final White Paper is the product of robust engagements.

‘The Cabinet of the Republic of South Africa approved this final White Paper on Wednesday, 10 April…and it has been published in the Government Gazette…today,’ the Minister said.

Motsoaledi explained that the department had received an ‘overwhelming’ response to the call for public comments.

‘The responses have been overwhelming. Individuals, that is citizens, asylum seekers and refugees as well as public interest groups, companies, national and local government departments, premiers, research institutes, political parties, [international bodies]…and many others made their voices heard and made constructive comments.

‘The [department’s] team and I cond
ucted public hearings in all nine provinces. The outcome of the engagements and public comments is that the policy position adopted in the White Paper enjoys wide support.

‘Only a handful of public interest groups are opposed to selected policy positions such as the withdrawal of the 1951 Refugee Convention, the 1967 Protocol and re-acceding to them with reservations, proposed repeal of Section 4 (3) of the South African Citizenship Act and the First Safe Country principle,’ he said.

International Agreements

Turning to international agreements that South Africa is party to, Motsoaledi explained that the White Paper seeks to open a path for government to exercise its right to make reservations on some elements of the agreements.

‘In 1996, two years after the first democratic elections, South Africa acceded to various international agreements such as the 1951 Convention, the 1967 Protocol, the 1969 OAU [Organization of African Unity] Convention and other international instruments. This was done without the
government having developed a clear policy on migration, including refugee protection.

‘The government did not make reservations and exceptions permitted in terms of international law. The white paper proposes that the government of the Republic of South Africa must review and/or withdraw from the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol with a view to accede to them with reservations like many countries did.

‘All the South African government intends achieving is to exercise its right granted in Article 42 of the 1951 Convention and Article 7 of the 1967 Protocol and make reservations accordingly,’ he said.

Motsoaledi emphasised that South Africa ‘does not have the resources’ to fulfil all of the requirements of the 1951 Convention.

‘The Refugee Protection and Immigration legislation must provide for reservations and exceptions as contained in the 1951 Convention and the 1969 OAU Convention. Particularly in that South Africa does not have the resources to grant the socio-economic rights envisaged in the 1951
Convention,’ he said.

The final White Paper can be accessed on the Government Gazette at http://www.gpwonline.co.za/GPWGazettes.htm#:~:text=50530%2017%2D04%20HomeAffairs .

Source: South African Government News Agency

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to officiate over the celebration of 20 years of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) in the Eastern Cape, on Wednesday next week.

The President will also launch Phase V of the programme.

‘The EPWP is a nationwide government programme to create work opportunities and income support to poor and unemployed people through the delivery of public and community assets and services, thereby contributing towards development.

‘The programme is one of government’s flagship Public Employment Programmes and has been implemented for the past 20 years since April 2004,’ the Presidency said in a statement.

The programme is implemented in the following sectors:

Infrastructure sector and the non-state sector coordinated by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure

Social sector coordinated by the Department of Social Development

Environment and culture sector coordinated by Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment

According to the Presidency, since the
EPWP’s inception, some 14 million working opportunities have been created through ‘more than 300 public bodies and non-profit organisations (NPO) implementing the EPWP’.

‘The work opportunities were created in sectors such as road construction, road maintenance, construction of schools and clinics, provision of early childhood development services, environmental greening and clean-up projects, fire projects and removal of alien vegetation projects.

‘These also include training and skilling in construction skills in painting, brick laying, carpentry; home community care skills and firefighting.

‘The launch of the Phase V implemented from 01 April 2024 to 31 March 2029 will be used to unveil millions of more work opportunities to benefit women, youth and poor households for inclusive growth, sustainable development, and community empowerment in the country,’ the Presidency said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The North West provincial government has urged residents of Mahikeng and surrounding areas to remain calm and not panic following rumours of a shutdown taking place today, 17 April 2024.

Protest organisers have vowed to close roads leading to the Mahikeng central business district (CBD) due to the decay and lack of services, according to the SABC.

Meanwhile, the provincial government said no application to march has been made by organisers of the purported shutdown.

‘While the provincial government respects the rights of any person to march and protest about any grievance, it maintains this should be done within the confines of the law.’

The North West government has since assured residents that measures have been put in place to ensure that the rule of law is enforced and that the safety of residents is prioritised.

In addition, the provincial government urged public servants to treat today as a normal working day, as security in all state buildings in Mahikeng will be intensified to ensure that govern
ment properties and employees are protected.

‘The provincial government has also received assurance from the South African Police Services that no lawlessness will be tolerated, and action will be taken against those who impede on the rights of others, including threats to human life and property damage,’ the statement read.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Thusong Service Centre Managers and Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) provincial teams from all corners of the country gathered on Tuesday in the Matjhabeng Local Municipality to learn best practices from the Thabong Service Centre.

The benchmarking programme was hosted by the National Inter-Sectoral Steering Committee (NISSC) which is the national coordination structure of the Thusong Service Centre Programme, chaired by the GCIS at national level.

The vibrant intergovernmental programme took place in the heart of the township at the Boitumelo Junction Mall.

During the event, the Thabong Service Centre was acknowledged as one of the most optimally and efficiently performing Thusong Service Centres in the country. It is also the second urban Thusong Centre to be located within a mall like the centre located at Maponya Mall in Gauteng.

The one-stop-shop provides information and integrated government services from various departments, including the Office of the Premier, South African
Social Security Agency (SASSA), Social Development, Labour and Employment, GCIS and the local Councilor.

Lejweleputswa District Municipality Executive Mayor, Veronica Ntakumbana, attended the event and spoke about the importance of bringing services closer to the people.

According to Boitumelo Junction Mall marketing manager, Mampoi Mahasa, the centre services a low-income community that cannot afford to frequently travel to town to access government services.

‘The availability of SASSA and the clinic in the centre has been of great help to the community,’ said Mampoi.

The Thusong Service Centre programme was first launched in 1999. The Free State province currently has five operational Thusong Service Centers.

The NISSC: Thusong Service Centre programme will run over three days.

On Wednesday, the structure will host a meeting at Mangaung Municipality to provide feedback from the last meeting held in April 2023 and further outline new projects.

On 18 April 2024, the NISSC will host another integrated s
ervices outreach at Hoffman Square, in Bloemfontein Central which will be followed by the Annual Thusong Service Centre Awards.

The Awards will take place at the Floreat Hall, Bram Fischer Building, Mangaung Metro, in Bloemfontein. The event will be officiated by the Deputy Ministers in the Presidency and the Premier of the Free State, Mxolisi Dukwana.

Source: South African Government News Agency