Month: April 2024

Cape Town’s Abdullah Ibrahim is set to perform at a sold-out concert at the City Hall tonight, 12 April 2024, after a five-year hiatus.

The German-based music maestro was born and raised in District Six and belongs to a golden generation of truly global jazz giants.

The City Hall concert forms part of Ibrahim’s international tour titled ‘The Water from an Ancient Well’.

The limited events will include a highlight in Cape Town, where he first professionally performed aged just 16 at the iconic City Hall and includes Gauteng.

The tour coincides with an international feature film to commemorate Ibrahim’s 90th birthday in October 2024.

‘It is a great honour to have Abdullah Ibrahim stage this special performance at City Hall, the venue where he made his professional debut as a 16-year-old.

‘To enable this iconic homecoming performance by a local legend and globally revered musician, Cape Town has availed City Hall free of charge to Mr Ibrahim’s organisers and made a cash contribution of R250 000,’ said Cap
e Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.

The limited events will include a highlight in Cape Town where he first professionally performed aged just 16 at the iconic City Hall.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Government has officially switched off the gantries of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP), popularly known as e- tolls.

‘From this moment forth, road users will no longer be charged for using the GFIP network. This decision is a testament to our government’s commitment to listen to and serve the needs of its citizens,’ Minister of Transport, Sindisiwe Chikunga, said in Centurion during a ceremonial switch-off.

The gantries were switched off on Thursday at midnight at the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) Central Operations Centre.

Although, the system of e-tolling was implemented after some consultation had taken place, it aggravated a lot of the public and concerned Cabinet.

‘When e-tolls were first introduced, the intention was to provide the critical road infrastructure necessary to support Gauteng’s thriving economy, one of the largest in our nation and on our continent. However, we have heard the pleas of Gauteng motorists, and after careful deliberation, we have responded.

‘
A three-member Cabinet committee, tasked by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2019, has diligently explored alternative funding solutions for the GFIP debt repayment and the backlog of maintenance and rehabilitation costs.

‘The result is a Memorandum of Agreement that formalises these solutions and outlines the financial contributions from the Gauteng Province and the national government,’ the Minister said.

She said government is committed to continually engaging with all stakeholders to explore adequate and sustainable funding solutions for road construction, maintenance, and upgrades, supporting economic development across our nation,’ the Minister said.

‘As government, we are still in discussion regarding the historical debt owed by motorists. For SANRAL, this significant milestone unlocks the ability to approach the private sector for funding, enabling the agency to execute its pipeline of capital expenditure projects. As we bid farewell to e-tolls, it is important to note that the benefits of improved roa
ds remain,’ Chikunga said.

The Minister reiterated that as of Friday, road users will no longer be charged for the use of the Gauteng e-toll routes

‘Road-users will not be required to do anything when e-tolling is cancelled. Importantly, ‘current valid accounts’ can still be used for payments at toll plazas and other Value-Added Services (i.e. parking). This is critical for the ongoing, long-term benefit of inter-operability.

‘The tag beeps will stop after [Thursday] midnight. The gantry lights and cameras will remain on for road safety purposes. The e-toll website will be updated with respect to the cancellation, including Mobility/Tag account functionality for services, i.e. interoperability and parking, etc.

‘The e-toll stores will remain open as the tag can still be used for interoperability, account queries and other potential transport related services that will be determined in due course. The e-toll branding will be removed in phases,’ Chikunga said.

E-toll invoices will be rolled up until the la
st day and issued up until this period.

Due to potential delays in the postal system, invoices will still be received some time after 12 April 2024. However, no transactions post-midnight tonight will appear on the invoice or statement.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has granted a short extension of the Nearshore West Coast Rock Lobster fishing season.

‘I received a number of urgent verbal and written requests from the small-scale fishing cooperatives that were particularly hard hit by the extreme weather conditions, preventing them from catching their full allocations,’ Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creecy said on Friday.

The Minister, in consultation with the relevant officials, requested the Deputy Director-General responsible for Fisheries Management, Sue Middelton, to grant a short extension of the Nearshore West Coast Rock Lobster fishing season from 15 – 19 April 2024.

This extension is in recognition of the extreme adverse weather conditions experienced in the Western Cape over the past week.

The Public Notice, granting the extension, will be issued by the Department on Friday 12 April 2024 and will be communicated to the Chairpersons of the Western Cape Small-scale cooper
atives and the Nearshore Commercial right holders.

‘It should also be noted that the DDG: Fisheries Management has already granted an exemption to allow for fishing over this coming weekend of 13 and 14 April 2024,’ Creecy said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Professor Blade Nzimande, has dissolved the board of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and placed it under administration.

The announcement followed a meeting held on Thursday between Nzimande and the NSFAS Board to communicate the Minister’s decision to dissolve the NSFAS Board, with immediate effect.

In a statement issued on Thursday evening, the department said the legal effect of the decision will be communicated on Friday, through the Government Gazette.

‘On Sunday, 14 April 2024, at 2pm, the Minister will convene a special media briefing to explain the rationale for dissolving the NSFAS Board and the further steps arising from this decision,’ the department said in a statement.

Prior to the meeting, the department issued a statement raising Nzimande’s concerns over the recurring problem of non- payment of student allowances by NSFAS.

‘Given the magnitude of this problem and its negative impact on the well-being of students and the
continued functioning of our post school education and training system, in the next few days, the Minister will be taking a series of additional and decisive steps, all of which are intended to have the problem of non-payment of allowances resolved as a matter of priority,’ the department said.

As part of the series of decisive steps, Nzimande, supported by the department, has instructed NSFAS to immediately establish a dedicated task team that will visit all the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges and universities, where students are experiencing serious NSFAS related problems.

Regarding the 2024 academic cycle, the department said against valid registration records received on 15 March 2024, NSFAS has paid the disbursements for university and TVET college students.

‘For the latest payment cycle, NSFAS has paid TVET college student allowances and tuition to the value of R511 106 120 in total,’ the department said.

The allowance included R147 115 846 in college tuition; R34 831 311
in allowances via TVET colleges; and R298 971 220 in NSFAS card allowances; and R30 187 743 towards student accommodation via solution providers.

‘For universities, NSFAS has paid allowances and tuition to the value of R2 306 583 222 in total,’ the department said.

The universities allowance included R1 258 865 972 tuition to universities; R653 954 716 allowances via universities and R393 762 534 direct payment to students.

However, the department said not all TVET colleges and universities have complied with the NSFAS deadline of 15 March 2024 for the submission of student registration data to facilitate the payment of allowances.

The department said failure to comply by some TVET colleges and universities has contributed to the latest sporadic student protests.

‘To address this, the Minister dispatched the Director-General to have an urgent meeting with the NSFAS management, which was intended to ensure that working with institutions, all outstanding allowances are paid as soon as it is practicable.

‘
In addition, NSFAS has sent its servicing administrators to work with the non-compliant TVET colleges and universities to finalise the submission of student registration data and ensure that the outstanding student allowances and tuition is paid in the next payment cycle,’ the department said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Department of Home Affairs offices are now open on Saturdays from 8am to 1pm until 25 May 2024.

The department will provide several services, including the collection of identity documents (IDs), processing of new applications, and issuing temporary identity certificates.

The offices will also be resolving challenges pertaining to duplicates, amendments, rectifications and dead-alive cases with the required supporting documents.

In addition, mobile offices are also scheduled to return to deliver IDs in the remote areas where they took applications.

Local offices working with stakeholders such as councillors will communicate the dates, times and venues of those visits.

The department has also introduced a Branch Appointment Booking System (BABS), which allows clients to book appointments to collect their smart ID cards and green barcoded ID books before visiting offices.

BABS can be accessed on the department’s website, www.dha.gov.za.

However, clients have the option to visit the offices without p
rior booking.

‘We invite people who have applied for their IDs, particularly young people who are first-time applicants, to come to our offices to collect their documents. This initiative gives people more options to collect their enabling documents,’ said Deputy Minister Njabulo Nzuza.

He also encouraged clients who have applied for IDs and have received their SMS notifications to seize this opportunity by visiting their Home Affairs office to collect their documents.

Doors will be closed on 27 April 2024, as it will be a public holiday.

Source: South African Government News Agency

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the quick and compassionate local response to the bus crash which claimed the lives of 45 Botswana nationals is a testament of the warm and compassionate relations between the two countries.

The only survivor of the crash was an eight-year-old child.

The President was speaking at the site of the tragic accident at the Mmamatlakala Bridge along the R518 in Limpopo where he was joined by his Botswana counterpart, President Mokgweetsi Masisi.

A bus travelling from Molepolole in Botswana to Moria in Limpopo, to celebrate Easter, plunged off the bridge along the Mmamatlakala Pass on 28 March 2024.

‘We have a horrible accident that has occurred involving Batswana. But no sooner than it occurred, I called President Masisi to inform him that our team consisting of our provincial officials from government from the Premier down to the…police and the immediate responders were immediately on the scene, and we were able to beam information not only to the world but also to the governmen
t of Botswana to inform them what was happening.

‘That speaks volumes about the relationship between the two countries which is underpinned by compassion, humanness, cooperation and transparency,’ he said on Thursday.

At the scene, President Masisi said he was ‘well received’ by South Africa upon his arrival.

‘I was thoroughly briefed and impressed by the immaculateness of competence, thoroughness of detail and I visited the site. I go back home completely gratified that the very best was done and I give thanks to South Africa,’ said President Masisi.

Source: South African Government News Agency