Month: June 2024

The Federal Government has solicited stakeholders’ collective engagement to close the literacy gaps among youths and adults in the country.

The Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, made the appeal at a National Stakeholders’ Engagement on Achieving Youth and Adult Literacy in Abuja.

The event, organised by the National Commission For Mass Literacy, Adult and Non- Formal Education (NMEC) has the theme: ‘Addressing the Challenges of Data Collection, Out-of-School Children/Youths.’

A report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows that Yobe had the lowest literacy level of 7.23 per cent in 2017, Zamfara 19.16 per cent, Katsina 10.36 per cent and Sokoto 15.01 per cent.

The report shows that Southern states were far better with Imo the highest with 96.43 per cent, Lagos 96.3 per cent, Ekiti 95.79 per cent, and Rivers 95.76 per cent.

The minister, however, said that there must be an holistic approach towards improving the quality of knowledge and certificate given to the adults and non-for
mal schools.

‘The stakeholders engagement is to carry everybody along and get the buying in of all Nigerians.

‘The way forward for us is to pay attention to education and this is not only for children but holistic in adults and non-formal education and this education must be backed with certification.

‘We are trying to see how we can improve the quality of knowledge and certificate that can be given to our adults and non-formal schools.

‘We also want to incorporate skills acquisition into it so that they can also have skills,’ he said.

Sununu added that there was the need to begin to create awareness campaign that would help parents appreciate the importance of an educated society.

‘For you to have an educated children, you must have an educated family.

‘There is a direct relationship of the education of the offsprings to that of the parent,’ he said.

The minister said that with President Bola Tinubu’s attention on education advancement, low literacy level would be eradicated in the country.

Accordin
g to him, the president has achieved relative success in this with the return of over 2 million children back to school.

Also, the Executive Secretary of NMEC, Prof. Simon Akpama, said the roadmap for the Nigerian Education Sector had provided a strategic framework to tackle illiteracy challenges head-on.

Akpama urged stakeholders to harness the diverse expertise and resources to create inclusive and effective educative programmes that would enhance unhindered access to quality education.

‘The population increase contributes to increasing number of out-of-school children and once parental illiteracy is high, it will contribute to increasing the number.

‘We must support government in funding adequately youth and adult literacy. Except this commission is properly funded, we will continue to compound the problem of out-of-school children,’ he said.

The Chairman, House Committee on Alternative Education, Mr Ibrahim Mustapha, commended the political will of the President towards changing the literacy narrativ
e of the country.

Mustapha also expressed the commitment and support of the National Assembly in achieving an educated society.

Source: South News Agency of Nigeria

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) announced on Wednesday that two soldiers were killed yesterday when M23 rebels attacked the town of Sake in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), while 20 are injured.

‘Four members who were critically injured have been hospitalised, while the rest who suffered minor injuries are expected to be discharged soon,’ the statement read.

The SANDF said families of the two members who lost their lives have been informed and all procedures to bring their mortal remains are in process.

‘The names of the deceased will be communicated in due course.’

On 30 May 2024, Sergeant Mbulelo David Ngubane passed away following contact between the M23 and Southern African Development Community (SADC) forces.

Ngubane, who was 39 years old, was the operational medical practitioner in the South African Military Health Service (SAMHS).

In February this year, Captain Simon Mkhulu Bobe and Lance Corporal Irven Thabang Semono were also killed and three of their colleagues were inj
ured in the DRC after a mortar bomb landed inside one of the South African contingency military bases.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) has confirmed that it experienced an information technology (IT) security breach this past Saturday — due to a cyber attack — compromising its systems and infrastructure.

A finding from the NHLS preliminary investigation, however, suggests that no patient data has been lost or compromised.

‘All patient data is safe. The investigation indicated that a ransomware virus was utilised to target selected points in the NHLS IT systems, rendering them inaccessible and blocking communication from the laboratory information system and other databases to and from users,’ the NHLS said.

The organisation’s systems remain inaccessible both internally and externally, including to and from healthcare facilities until the integrity of the environment is secured and repaired.

‘All users will be aware that the NHLS networked laboratory system is heavily reliant on these information technology systems that have been disrupted.

‘It has been established that sections of our syst
em have been deleted, including in our backup server and this will require rebuilding the affected parts. Unfortunately, this will take time and investigations thus far have not advanced enough for us to give a timeframe toward the restoration of our systems and full service,’ the NHLS said.

Stakeholders and the public will be informed as soon as more information becomes available.

‘The cyber attacks did continue but we have been able to block these because of the additional layer of security that was built to prevent further damage. We also have had to shut down systems to enable us to repair the damage.’

In response to the breach, the NHLS said it swiftly activated its incident response team, which included both internal experts and external cybersecurity professionals.

‘It must be emphasised that the NHLS’ responsibility is to ensure business continuity and quality service delivery.

However, the institute stated that all of its laboratories are currently fully functional and are receiving and processi
ng clinical samples.

Under normal circumstances, the laboratory reports are automatically generated and sent to clinicians or made available on web view, but the incident has disabled that functionality.

‘However, all urgent results are communicated telephonically to requesting clinicians.’

The organisation has acknowledged the inconvenience that this disruption may have caused, for which they apologised.

‘The NHLS Board under the leadership of Professor Eric Buch and the executive leadership team, led by the CEO, Professor Koleka Mlisana, are working around the clock to address this unfortunate incident and ensure the continuity of our services.’

The NHLS is a government diagnostic pathology service responsible for supporting health departments.

Source: South African Government News Agency

In line with the concept of Smart Cities, the City of Durban has established a number of Human Capital Centres of Excellence (HCCoE) around areas within eThekwini Municipality, which are equipped with computers and free Wi-Fi available for disadvantaged communities.

The City’s Human Capital senior officials recently conducted an oversight visit to the HCCoE situated in communities struggling to access computers and free Wi-Fi.

The site visit started at the flagship centre in Archie Gumede Place, where the team viewed the renovations currently underway, and got a glimpse of how the centre will look like after work completion.

The team also visited the computer labs in KwaDabeka, Claremont Thusong Centre, Nagina, and Hammarsdale, ahead of a tour at Warwick Triangle (SEDA).

Deputy City Manager of Corporate and Human Capital, Kim Makhathini, said the city has stepped in and provided 25 computer labs in disadvantaged communities, in line with the concept of Smart Cities.

‘These facilities are fully functional
and equipped with computers and free Wi-Fi which is available to both internal staff and the public. It is important to take these centres to the next level to ensure more community involvement,’ Makhathini said.

Head of Human Capital, Sihle Mkhize, has committed to prioritise and address the challenges raised during the oversight visit to ensure that the public gets maximum usage of the computer labs.

Mkhize said the city is committed to eradicating unemployment and upskilling residents, especially the youth.

‘This is a much-needed resource and widely used by the public. It saves jobseekers from spending money on transport and data costs for their assignments, applying for jobs, bursaries and searching for work and study options,’ Mkhize said.

While the centre in Archie Gumede Place is temporarily closed due to renovations, job applications can be dropped off at the SEDA Office, 381 King Dinuzulu Road, Berea.

Source: South African Government News Agency

EThekwini Municipality City Manager, Musa Mbhele, says the 2024 reSURGEnce Durban Conference is an opportunity for new markets to be opened up to local businesses.

Mbhele’s remarks come ahead of the biggest global investment conference expected to hit the city’s shores – the reSURGEnce Durban Conference, which is taking place at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre from 17 to 21 July 2024.

The conference, which is hosted by eThekwini Municipality, in collaboration with partners from the United States of America (USA), will see a large number of USA delegates, including captains of industry, businesses, investors, financers, decision makers, and high-profile leaders, who are expected to descend on the city next month.

Held under the theme ‘Moving the needle forward towards economic emancipation’, the event, will present platforms where entrepreneurs will gain access to capital and investment opportunities.

Mbhele said the five-day investment conference will take place in the form of tr
ade shows, empowerment conferences, taking hosted delegations on site visits to local key developments, networking and pitching sessions, youth entrepreneurship, and a music concert to showcase local talent to an international audience.

‘This is part of the city’s efforts and plan of action to boost trade and investment in Durban. This could unlock new markets, clientele base and collaborations which could result in massive business growth,’ Mbhele said.

Mbhele has invited interested local businesses to register and showcase their businesses to an international investment delegation. The exhibitor registration closes on 30 June 2024.

Exhibition registration fees are as follows:

Small, medium, and micro enterprises: R500

Non-profit organisations: R1 000

Non-governmental organisations: R1 000

Tertiary institutions: R2 000

Government departments: R5 000

Government agencies: R5 000

Corporates: R5 000

To register for the reSURGEnce Durban Conference and for more information visit www.resurganceco
nference.org.

Source: South African Government News Agency

As the indelible ink used to register voters in the recent general elections has almost faded from the left thumb; work to move South Africa Inc forward has been moving ahead steadily.

Following the hotly contested 2024 National and Provincial Elections (NPE), which produced no outright winner, South Africa is traversing partially new ground with the possible formation of a government of national unity (GNU).

I say partially new ground because the country adopted a GNU following the historic elections of 1994 which saw everyone who was eligible to, cast their vote for the first time and the African National Congress (ANC) win the polls. The elections ushered in a new democratic dispensation as well as the decision to put in place a three-party GNU under President Nelson Mandela, despite there being an outright winner.

However, following the 29 May 2024 polls, no political party received an outright majority, necessitating consideration of a number of options, including a GNU which President Cyril Ramaphosa
has described as ‘the beginning of a new era.’

President Ramaphosa said the first GNU was established to promote nation building and inclusivity from a racially divided past during a period of political transition.

While many are wondering what the new GNU will entail in detail, what is clear is that our 30-year-old democracy is growing and maturing.

In other parts of the world, an unfavourable elections outcome for a ruling party could very likely be met with violence and a disregard for organisations established under chapter nine of the Constitution, like the Electoral Commission. Additionally, this violence would be closely followed by intolerance and instability as uninvited guests to an already tumultuous party.

However, in South Africa’s case, the will of the people exercised at the ballot box, is being implemented through the GNU. And before we moan and complain about the time it is taking to announce the new Cabinet, we ought to appreciate the fact that lives have not been lost or disrupted becau
se of the Constitution-provided right for adult citizens to vote in elections and to do so in secret. Dialogue and engagement have been the first port of call – a clear indication that our 30-year-old democracy is dependable, resilient and respected.

To date, we’ve seen the swearing in of Members of Parliament, the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly; the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces as well as the election and inauguration of President Ramaphosa.

The President affirmed this in his first address to the nation as President of the seventh administration. In his address following his inauguration at the Union Buildings, the President said: ‘In their multitude, in voices that are many and diverse, the people of South Africa have voted and made known their wishes, their concerns and their expectations. They did not give any single party the full mandate to govern our country alone.’

While the election results were not fully favourable for all parties, the resu
lts have been largely accepted and this is evidenced through the 10 of 18 parties with seats in Parliament having signed the GNU’s Statement of Intent.

According to President Ramaphosa’s recent weekly newsletter, the Statement of Intent commits signatories to a set of foundational principles that include respect for constitutionalism, accountability, transparency and community participation in government, evidence-based policy and decision-making, professionalisation of the public service, integrity and good governance.

In addition, the election results are proof that voting is not a futile exercise. The act of making one’s X on a ballot goes a long way. It has the potential of changing the trajectory of the country.

While that stubborn indelible ink may have faded off the left thumb, its impact has not only been an eyesore for those with beautifully manicured fingernails, but has also produced a new valuable chapter in South Africa’s autobiography that we can learn from.

While this autobiography displays
all the good, such as increasing enrolment in public universities from 494 356 in 1994 to over a million students in 2023, steadily edging closer to the National Development Plan’s target of 1.6 million enrolments by the year 2030, as well as the provision of social grants to the most vulnerable – the story also lays bare some ugly truths, such as the ongoing battle against inequality, gender-based violence and unemployment that continues to plague society.

Citizens should be proud of how far the country has come. Our Constitution has been stretched and tested. Yet, it is still standing. Our country has not descended into chaos.

Democratic South Africa’s manuscript may have its fair share of stains across its pages in history. What is clear however, is that it has not found itself under the thumb of undemocratic practises. As in 1994, when South Africa showed the rest of the continent and globe that a peaceful transition, together with an inclusive government is possible – again, 30 years later, we are shin
ing the same light of hope for the rest of the world, as we begin our new era.

Source: South African Government News Agency