Month: June 2024

President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed the Minister of Water Affairs and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, as Acting Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development.

‘The appointment, which takes effect immediately, follows the election by the National Assembly of Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza as Speaker of the National Assembly,’ the Presidency statement read.

On Friday, the newly elected Speaker of the seventh administration committed to ensure that Parliamentary debates are conducted within the rule of law, and in a fair manner.

Didiza took the seat of the Speaker during the first sitting of Parliament, held at Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).

Didiza, who is an African National Congress member, received 284 votes against Economic Freedom Fighters’ Veronica Mente, who received 49.

‘I also commit that I will work with all the parties, led by their whips and representatives, to make sure that we conduct the business of this Parliament in a
manner that indeed reflects the will of the people of South Africa,’ Didiza said.

The Democratic Alliance’s Annelie Lotriet was elected Deputy Speaker after securing 273 votes.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) has announced that several roads will be closed near the Union Buildings in Pretoria ahead of the Presidential inauguration on Wednesday, 19 June 2024.

Government announced on Saturday that all is set for the Presidential inauguration after Cyril Ramaphosa was re-elected as the President of South Africa at the first sitting of the National Assembly of the seventh democratic administration on Friday.

READ | All set for President Ramaphosa’s inauguration on Wednesday

The Presidential inauguration is expected to be attended by the President-elect, Members of Parliament, dignitaries, foreign Heads of State, other guests and members of the public.

According to the TMPD, the Heads of State or Governments and the delegates are expected to arrive at a different point of entry.

Road closures around the Union Buildings will be implemented from 3am on Wednesday, until 6am on Thursday, 20 June 2024, as follows:

Gordon Road and Stanza Bopape Street

Jan Shoba and Stanza Bopap
e Street

Grosvenor and Stanza Bopape Street

Hilda and Stanza Bopape Street

Festival and Stanza Bopape Street

Athlone and Stanza Bopape Street

Hill and Stanza Bopape Street

Orient and Stanza Bopape Street

Balmoral Avenue and Stanza Bopape Street

Lisdogan Avenue and Stanza Bopape Street

Farenden and Stanza Bopape Street

East Avenue and Stanza Bopape Street

Beckett and Stanza Bopape Street

Pine and Stanza Bopape Street

Blackwood and Stanza Bopape Street

Johan and Stanza Bopape Street

Wessels and Stanza Bopape Street

Madiba and Stanza Bopape Street

Leyds/Zeederberg and Stanza Bopape Street

Hamilton and Stanza Bopape Street

Steve Biko and Stanza Bopape Street

Dumbarton Road and Stanza Bopape Street

Dumbarton Road and Harcourt Street

Dumbarton Road and Nassau Street

Madiba Street and Government Avenue

Edmond Street and Government Avenue

Balmoral and Government Avenue

Tom Jenkins Drive and Soutpansberg Road

Tom Jenkins Drive and Russell Street

Tom Jenkins Drive
next to Government House

East and Government Avenue

Beckett Street and Government Avenue

Pine Street and Government Avenue

Blackwood Street and Government Avenue

North Street

Soutpansberg Road

Van Der Merwe Street

Nuffield Street

Meanwhile, TMPD said the trial run of the street closures for the Presidential inauguration is scheduled to take place on 16 and 17 June 2024 from 2am, until it is completed.

‘The Tshwane Metro Police Department, together with other law enforcement agencies, will be deployed to monitor the street closures.’

Alternative routes

Motorists are advised to avoid the affected streets and to use alternative routes, such as the following:

Pretorius Street

Park Street

Du Toit Street

Greef Street

Frederika Street

Justice Mahomed Street

Park and ride

Rietondale Park will be open for guests and members of the public to park their cars and ride the bus to the Union Buildings.

The shuttles will commence operations from 3am until 6:30am.

There will be no private v
ehicle access to the Union Buildings or the area surrounding the venue except for residents with permits.

Residents in streets affected by the closures around the Union Buildings and Rietondale are urged to collect permits from Pieter Delport Centre at 770 Government Avenue, Eastcliff in Pretoria.

The residents will have to present proof of residence when collecting the permits.

The public walking in will have access to the Union Buildings South Lawns through a security checkpoint.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Deputy President Paul Mashatile has thrown his weight behind President-elect Cyril Ramaphosa, saying he is confident that under his leadership in the government of national unity, South Africa will continue to address the challenges facing the youth.

‘In this regard, we will in the next five years, focus on creating jobs and building an inclusive and growing economy. We will equally focus on implementing a programme focused on skilling youth with the skills of the future,’ he said on Sunday.

Mashatile was speaking at the 48th anniversary of Youth Day at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, Limpopo.

The annual event recollects the sacrifices of South Africa’s youth in the fight for democracy, an event immortalised by the Soweto Uprising of 16 June 1976.

‘Our young people must have work opportunities,’ Mashatile told the gathering.

The Deputy President believes that the recent General Elections have once again demonstrated the country’s dedication to the values and principles of democracy through fair, f
ree fair elections.

He told the people who had filled the marquee that through their vote, they had spoken and given political parties a clear message after no party won an outright majority.

‘You want us as political leaders to put our differences aside and work together to build our country and address the challenges affecting our people. We are determined to put our differences aside and use our collective strength, skills and experience to create the South Africa that the fallen heroes of the 1976 uprising fought for.’

He stated that young people make up more than two-thirds of the population, making them the biggest community in South Africa. ‘Therefore, we cannot move forward without them, without the youth of our country.’

He cited the National Development Plan (NDP), which places youth at the heart of the country’s development. He said their participation was critical to meeting growth targets.

The Deputy President also highlighted the importance of involving young people in South Africa’s develo
pmental initiatives to address challenges such as poverty, social inequality, poor mental health and high levels of unemployment.

Youth programmes

He acknowledged the challenges facing the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and assured youngsters that they will ensure the scheme is administered efficiently.

He believes that NSFAS remains a critical vehicle that supports students from poor and working-class families, with over 70% of university and more than 90% of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college students benefiting from the scheme.

‘We must work together, the private sector, government and civil society must work together to address these challenges.’

The Deputy President also emphasised the need for a whole-of-society approach to provide young people with better access to quality education, basic skills, and employment opportunities, especially those who live in rural areas.

Despite the country’s challenging financial circumstances, he said the State continues to i
nvest in youth human capital development, with more than R31. 8 billion pumped into basic education in 2023 and R130.1 billion for post-secondary education training in 2022.

He touched on government’s efforts to create opportunities for youth through programmes such as the National Youth Development Agency and Enterprise Development Programme.

‘As the government, we want to see more young people actively involved in the economy and participating in decisions that affect their lives.

‘This time around, young people have a government that cares for, prioritises their needs, and wants to see them succeed, unlike the government of 1976.’

Government’s comprehensive approach to reducing youth unemployment, he said, includes formal education, internships, and assistance for youth entrepreneurship through the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention.

‘Without the employment of young people, growth cannot occur. I am confident that the seventh administration will continue with efforts to position young people a
s essential drivers and beneficiaries of economic transformation.’

The Deputy also took the time to pay tribute to the fallen heroes and saluted the brave youth who fought for liberation.

‘As we traverse the economic challenges, we urge the youth to adopt the same attitude as Hector Peterson, Mbuyisa Makhubo, Tsietsi Mashinini, and all the youth of 1976, whose sacrifices gave birth to our political freedom. Their efforts have set us on the right path towards a South Africa that is non-racial, non-sexist and democratic.’

Newly elected Limpopo Premier, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, has urged the youth to tackle the social ills that they are facing and grab every opportunity that comes their way.

She highlighted the need for innovative approaches, such as technology integration and equal access to quality education for all.

Ramathuba stressed the importance of addressing the current education system’s inequalities and limitations to ensure a brighter future for South Africa.

Source: South African Government News A
gency

A Non-Governmental Advocacy Group, Feminism Lab, has called for social justice and political advancement of women to ensure gender development in Nigeria’s politics.

The group, in conjunction with Friedrich-Ebert-Stitung Nigeria, made the call during an inter-generational dialogue to promote political gender progress and social justice on Friday in Abuja.

Leonard Oestergaard, Resident Representative, Friedrich-Ebert-Stitung Nigeria, encouraged women to demand for favourable gender principles that would promote social justice and create access to gender justice.

Oestergaard urged leaders in the feminist struggle to articulate compelling vision of inclusive governance and gender parity.

According to him, this will give women opportunities to occupy key policy-making positions, as well as access to essential service.

‘Gender justice is both a question of representation in government and political spheres. It is not only about number or percentage of women in parliament, it is more than that.

‘Over the year
s we realised that it is not necessarily skills that are lacking in the struggle for gender development but more of the political economy that is not correct.

‘For us to make impact on this journey is to create alliances, not only to work with similar people but to form an alliance or create an alliance that fights for gender and social justice,’ he said.

Austin Aigbe of West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network, during the panel session, affirmed the need for equal representation and opportunity for gender equality.

Aigbe called for reforms that would address the issue of feminism appropriately.

See also Nigeria records 57% violence, harassment at workplaces – Solidarity Centre

According to him, each time women are empowered without creating a place for the man, it creates disaster for the future.

‘This will create a situation where men will have no knowledge about the conversation on feminism,’ he said.

Aigbe said there was need for affirmative action, adding that ‘if there is no law in place, it will
be extremely difficult to address the issue of gender equality in politics.

‘But by passing a single gender and equal opportunity law, this will increase participation of women in governance and that is the way to go,’ he said.

Earlier, Vina Adams of Feminism Lab, said the dialogue brought together diverse and dynamic coalition of feminists and community leaders to discuss, understand and promote progressive feminist discourse.

Adam said the dialogue was a deliberate effort to pass down feminist skills and knowledge to the younger generation in confronting and overcoming discrimination, building resilience, and engaging in protests and activism for emancipation.

‘One of the most significant aspects of this initiative is its emphasis on bridging the generational gap by bringing together feminists of all ages and backgrounds, to foster a rich environment of mutual learning and support.

‘We decided to host this intergenerational dialogue to interrogate the misconception and misunderstanding of feminism, and
to connect the theory and practice of feminism especially in Nigeria.

‘The dialogue will lay emphasis on the importance of feminism, the history of different feminist movements, and some of the most famous types of feminism.

‘Also, it will help us to understand how continued engagement with feminist theory and practice will mitigate the challenges of misconception and misunderstanding of feminism in Nigeria, ‘ he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has trained 500 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members to promote digital learning in schools across 21 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Adamawa.

UNICEF Education Specialist, Mr Abdurahman Ibrahim, said this on Saturday during a two-day training session for the corps members on the Nigerian Learning Passport (NLP) in Yola.

Ibrahim explained that the NLP, a digital learning platform, was developed to enhance digital learning for both in-school and out-of-school children.

‘The NLP platform offers over 15,000 learning materials. Our goal is to ensure that every child enrolls, registers for courses, and completes them.

‘During COVID-19, educational activities were halted, prompting us to create an alternative learning program.’

He noted that engaging 500 corps members, who serve as teachers in schools throughout the state, aims to address the shortage of teachers on the NLP platform.

‘We are leveraging the one-year service experience of corps members, particularly those
in schools, to enhance learning among children,’ Ibrahim said.

‘Each corps member will be introduced to the NLP, enabling them to register more learners and guide them through their courses.’

He added that this initiative will increase the number of teachers and improve learning outcomes for children in the state.

The NLP includes various components that address the educational needs of schoolchildren, including non-formal education and integrated Quranic education, targeting both primary and secondary levels.

‘We have begun implementing the program in some schools, distributing tablets, routers for internet access, and projectors to support the NLP platform in classrooms,’ Ibrahim said.

See also 16 million COVID-19 vaccines to arrive in Nigeria soon – UNICEF

‘We encourage parents to engage their children with the learning platform and reduce their time spent playing games.’

Addressing the distribution of tablets and internet access in rural schools, Ibrahim mentioned that various partners are supporti
ng the programme.

‘We have partners in Adamawa providing essential items like tablets, routers, and projectors to schools to bridge the educational gap in the state,’ he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Hajiya Ireti Kingibe, has urged leaders in all spheres of life to sacrifice for the good of the country.

Kingibe made the call on Sunday in Abuja, in a statement issued by Mr Kennedy Mbele, her Senior Special Assistant on Media, while felicitating Muslim faithfuls on the occasion of Eid-el Kabir celebration.

She called on leaders to emulate the virtues and sacrifices of holy Prophet Ibrahim, noting that for progress to be made in life, leaders must give up some valuables for the sake of others.

Kingibe recalled the way holy Prophet Mohammed wanted to sacrifice his only son, Issah, without hesitation and the manner in which Allah later blessed him exceedingly by making him the father of all nations.

The senator frowned at what she described as the ‘inexplicable gap between the rich and the poor in the country’, saying the rich must make some meaningful sacrifices to reduce the vast gap.

Kingibe commended her constituents, the FCT residents, for
their accommodating nature.

She noted that being one another’s keeper was imperative in achieving peace anywhere, especially in a heterogeneous setting like the nation’s capital, Abuja.

She prayed for Muslim faithful on pilgrimage in Mecca and wished everyone a peaceful and unifying Eid-el-Kabir celebration,’ she said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria