Month: June 2024

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) Administrator, Freeman Nomvalo, says a bulk payment of accommodation allowances was processed by the end of May 2024 and beginning of June 2024, with the next scheduled payment expected by mid-June 2024.

Nomvalo said NSFAS has been consulting with various stakeholders since his appointment as the Administrator, and one of the critical stakeholders consulted are the landlords for private student accommodation who raised concerns regarding the outstanding payment of student accommodation allowances.

Nomvalo has assured the stakeholders that a bulk payment of accommodation allowances has been processed by the end of May 2024.

‘The next scheduled payment will be not later than 18 June 2024 to clear all legitimate claims. These interventions are intended to provide the much-needed relief to private student accommodation landlords,’ Nomvalo said.

The Administrator has urged the landlords, who still have outstanding payments, not to evict students, as NSFAS is co
mmitted to ensuring that all legitimate claims are resolved not later than 18 June 2024.

He encouraged landlords who did not submit their claims for outstanding payments to refer their queries to [email protected].

Nomvalo reiterated his call to all Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college students, who still do not have bank accounts, to open them with banks of their own choice and submit their bank accounts on the NSFAS established portal in order to avoid delays in their payment allowances.

‘The banking details provided must belong to the student to enable NSFAS to verify these against the student’s details on our record and minimise potential risks,’ Nomvalo said.

The Administrator also encouraged members of the public to only rely on official communication from NSFAS, as opposed to deliberate misinformation about the work of the scheme, which often appears in various social media platforms.

The Administrator further reiterated his commitment to constructively engage with
all stakeholders to find workable solutions for the stability of the Post-School Education and Training in South Africa system and success of the students.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Acting Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Maropene Ramokgopa has congratulated all participants and organisers of the 2024 Comrades Marathon on a successful event.

Popularly known as the ‘ultimate human race’, the 103rd edition of this epic endurance race took place in KwaZulu-Natal on Sunday, 9 June 2024.

South Africa’s Gerda Steyn made history when she won her third Comrades Marathon in a row and broke her record to win the women’s race, while Pete Wiersma from the Netherlands won the men’s race.

‘The Comrades Marathon represents the best of South Africa, and the power of sport to foster national unity and social cohesion. A signature event in South African sport, the Comrades Marathon brings together people from all walks of life, and from all parts of the world to tackle one of the world’s most famous running routes.

‘I am pleased to see the Comrades Marathon continuing to draw runners and visitors into the country from all over the world. This is why this marathon is important in boosting sports tou
rism in the country,’ Ramokgopa said on Monday.

As South Africa celebrates 30 years of freedom and democracy, the country’s cultural, creative, and sports sectors continue to raise the country’s flag sky high.

‘Amapiano artist Kabza de Small and orchestral conductor Ofentse Pitse have collaborated for a spectacular show at the Red Bull Symphonic South Africa. DJ Black Coffee showcases the best of South African music in Ibiza, while many of the country’s creatives continue to make their mark locally and abroad.

‘In the sports sector, South African tennis ace Kgothatso Montjane recently competed in the French Open final in the women’s wheelchair doubles draw. The Proteas Men, the national men’s cricket team, is competing in the World T20 World Cup in the United States and West Indies, while Bafana Bafana continues to fight for a place in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers when they face Zimbabwe in Bloemfontein on Tuesday, 11 June 2024,’ the Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture said.

Source: South African Govern
ment News Agency

Johannesburg’s power utility, City Power, is expected to begin implementing load reduction in areas it says have ‘exceedingly high’ electricity usage levels.

The load reduction is expected to be implemented from this morning.

More than 80 areas will be affected and grouped into six blocks for load reduction, which will not exceed 2.5 hours per block.

‘The decision to initiate load reduction follows extensive efforts to encourage customers to use electricity wisely and efficiently in recent weeks.

‘Despite warnings about the constrained electricity network in the city, residents have not reduced their electricity consumption, and energy demand has continued to rise,’ the utility’s spokesperson, Isaac Mangena, said.

Mangena explained that consumption in the metro has reached ‘critical levels, forcing… City Power to embark on stringent measures to protect the grid from total collapse’.

‘City Power has recorded an enormous increase in the average evening peak load in some areas, which went up by 65%, from 2
5MW during the summer months to 33MW between April and May 2024. In some instances, the load reaches 42MW, constituting a 110% increase in consumption levels in comparison with the warmer season.

‘During January and March this year, the average off-peak consumption at some of our substations has been sitting at 20MW. Between April and May, consumption shot up by 50%, increasing the off-peak load to 30MW. With temperatures expected to drop even more between June and July, the consumption levels could have dire consequences on our network infrastructure if load reduction is not urgently implemented,’ he said.

The power utility is also embarking on other measures to work in tandem with load reduction.

‘Part of our measures to lighten the load on the grid through load reduction includes the installation of ripple relays. A ripple receiver is part of a load management system used to control the electricity supply to the geyser during peak hours.

‘Geysers are among the biggest electricity guzzlers, accounting f
or up to 50% of monthly household energy costs. These ripple relay receivers at different households are connected to at least 69 of our substations, and we can monitor customers’ consumption load remotely. City Power will remotely switch off the customer geyser once they reach high consumption levels,’ Mangena said.

Illegal connections

The spokesperson said illegal connections are also contributing to an already ‘severely strained’ electricity network.

‘City Power continues to intensify the removal of illegal connections and revenue collection operations across the City of Johannesburg this winter season. This seeks not only to alleviate pressure on the system but to recover the billions owed to it and send a strong message to non-paying customers to pay for the services they use daily or have their power supply cut off.

‘From our observations, those who are illegally connected or tampered with meters, are amongst the highest consumers of electricity, because they do not experience the financial conseque
nces of keeping high and irresponsible usage,’ he said.

The schedule for load reduction is available on the City Power website.

Source: South African Government News Agency

A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Wonder Woman, has called for increased collaboration by stakeholders to address menstrual hygiene issues among secondary school students in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The group’s Vice President, Anne Dirkling, made the call during sensitisation workshop at the Federal Government Girls’ College Bwari, FCT, on Monday.

She said it is normal to sensitise young girls to understand menstrual health hygiene and to normalise as a natural growth pattern for the female.

She acknowledged the struggles of girls and women in Nigeria who faced period stigma in society, which is why the NGO came up with the sensitisation workshop.

She added that the project in support of the French Embassy in Nigeria provided a platform for girls to learn about puberty and adolescence in a safe, open environment.

‘We have containers across the town for people to drop plastic waste, and in exchange, we distribute reusable sanitary pads and soaps,’ she said.

According to her, plastic is n
ot used to make pads but to gather, sell to bottle recycling companies, and use the funds to purchase menstrual hygiene kits for vulnerable girls and women in society.

‘The Plastic Pads Project is conducted in partnership with other parts and Bwari Area Council by placing containers around town to collect recyclable waste.

‘The proceeds are used to provide sanitary hygiene kits, reusable pads, and soap to girls in the community,’ Dirkling said.

She emphasised the importance of normalising menstruation where girls could openly discuss and understand menstrual health, noting that ‘this would be possible by encouraging conversations and providing necessary products.

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‘The initiative aims to empower girls, reduce school absenteeism, and ensure they remain confident and focused on their education.’

The NGO Programme manager, Mr Kumbet Longdi, said the aim of the workshop is

to inspire girls to take action for a period-friendly environment, thereby encouraging
them to gather plastic waste in exchange for sanitary pads.

One of the students, Blessing Efeoghene, who came overall best in the questions and answers session, commended the NGO for the initiative, saying ‘we will ensure that more plastic waste are gathered

and deposited in the container given to us by the NGO.’

Thr News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that during the programme, a container was launched at the school, and 170 menstrual hygiene kits were distributed to the students.

The group explored various aspects of menstruation, societal perceptions, and the importance of menstrual health and hygiene through educative sessions and games with the students.

NAN reports that menstruation, or period, is normal vaginal bleeding that occurs as part of a woman’s monthly cycle, indicating the absence of pregnancy.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Acting Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Maropene Ramokgopa has called on the nation to rally behind Bafana Bafana as they continue to fight for a place in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Bafana Bafana will face Zimbabwe in Bloemfontein at the Free State Stadium on Tuesday, 11 June 2024.

‘This will be the first time Bafana Bafana plays an international match in Bloemfontein since their victory against France in the 2010 FIFA Men’s World Cup. Football supporters in the Free State are famous for their passionate support during matches.

‘I welcome the return of international football to the Free State and call on South Africans to fill up Free State Stadium and get behind Bafana Bafana, as our national team continues its march to qualify for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup,’ the Minister said on Monday.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Nigeria Hunter and Forest Security Service (NHFSS) has called on President Bola Tinubu to consider the Nigerian Hunters and Forest Security Bill before him for assent to give it legal backing.

The Commander General (CG) of NHFSS, Dr Joshua Osatimehin, made the call during the training of over 375 officers of the service by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), in Abuja.

Osatimehin said the signing of the bill would boost and empower the service to do more and contribute to the fight against criminality in Nigeria.

According to him, in the South-South, men of NHFSS are doing fantastically well in the fight against oil bunkering, oil theft and saving money for the Federal Government.

He called for the financing of the activities of hunters and forest security services, adding that the personnel had been working voluntarily.

‘We are attacking the bandits because nobody knows the forest more than the hunters.

‘We have been saying this over and over, that Nigerian hunters and forest secur
ity is the missing link in Nigeria’s security architecture,” he said.

Osatimehin, said the training workshop was designed to enhance the capacity of its operatives in their quest to actively fight criminals in the forests.

He added that the training would go a long way in enhancing the productivity of NHFSS personnel towards strengthening the security of lives and property in forests across the country.

The CG said that the capacity workshop was also to enable the hunters to contribute to the realisation of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the area of security.

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He thanked the Commandant-General of the NSCDC for giving them the platform to have well trained personnel and to boost their capacity to deliver on their mandates.

‘NSCDC has over the years being rendering necessary security training to NHFSS to enable the service be abreast with current strategies on intelligence gathering, security tips, code of conduct among othe
rs in line with the best international security standard.

‘This is geared towards safeguarding the country from crimes and criminality, especially in the ungoverned space which is the forests nationwide.

‘The training has been impactful and we have learnt a lot in the last couple of days and it is a good effort in the right direction.

‘This is one way to boost the confidence of the citizens that the Nigerian hunters and forest security personnel are well trained and are ready to take up the assignment of protecting the forest,” he said.

The NHFSS CG commended Tinubu for the successes so far recorded in the fight against insecurity in the last one year.

The Deputy Commander General (DCG), Technical Services, Dr John Metchie, said the training was a train the trainer initiative to enable the senior officers passes same down to the local level.

Metchie said the organisation was determined to bring everybody up to standard, to the same level as the NSCDC, Police, Army and other security services.

He said
the organisation had over the years, been collaborating with all the security agencies to get its personnel adequately trained.

‘We have also collaborated with the Police Department of Training and Development on managing security and security challenges within the forested region.

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‘We have also effectively collaborated with the Department of State Security Service on intelligent gathering within forested region.

‘And now with the NSCDC being one of the lead agencies in Nigeria in terms of internal security awareness campaign and the mandate of securing the critical infrastructure.

‘So, part of their job is what we are also doing within the forest because pipelines pass through the forest and mineral resources are also embedded within the forest.

‘So we are here to learn from them being one of the parenting bodies of security,” he said.

Metchie further said that the NHFSS had been clamouring for presidential assent to its bill to be able to pr
ove to the public and the federal government that they were up to the task.

‘We want Mr President to give official assent to empower our officers the command structures to work with the constituted authority to curb crimes and criminality within the forest.

‘You will agree with me that forest is the treasure base of any country, and 80 per cent of our mineral resources are located within the forested region and bandits and other criminal elements have taken over this forest’, he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria