Day: July 21, 2024

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has called for law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned in finding the culprits responsible for the murder of Sello Machitje.

The department said it has learnt with shock and sadness of the tragic passing of Machitje, who went missing after an alleged hijacking and abduction on 8 July 2024.

Machitje’s vehicle was later recovered on the same day in Alexandra township, Johannesburg.

The department was informed that Machitje’s lifeless body was discovered in an open field in Bekkersdal, Westonaria, on Thursday, 18, July 2024.

According to the department, on the day of his disappearance, Machitje, who a Deputy Director responsible for management accounting in the Water Trading Entity of the DWS, was traveling to the Eastern Cape on a work assignment.

‘The department currently does not have further details, as the matter is being handled by the law enforcement authorities,’ the department said in a statement.

The department conveys its condolences to Ma
chitje’s family and loved ones, and the colleagues in the department.

The department has urged law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned in finding those responsible for this heinous deed.

‘Out of respect for the family and to allow authorities to investigate this highly sensitive and tragic incident, DWS will not comment any further on the matter at this moment,’ the department said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Government of South Africa has welcomed the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Israel practices, detailing the legal consequences arising from Israeli policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.

In its Advisory Opinion, which emanated from a request by the United Nations General Assembly on 30 December 2022, the court unanimously reaffirmed its jurisdiction on the matter, and that the State of Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful under international law.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said the court was of the view that the effects of Israel’s policies and practices, and its exercise of sovereignty over certain parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, constitute an obstruction to the exercise by the Palestinian people of their right to self-determination.

‘This includes Israel’s annexation of parts of the Occupied Pales
tinian Territory, the fragmentation of this territory, undermining its integrity, the deprivation of the Palestinian people of the enjoyment of the natural resources of the territory and its impairment of the Palestinian people’s right to pursue its economic, social and cultural development,’ the department said.

South Africa was amongst 49 Member States of the United Nations, which delivered a statement to the ICJ in February 2024 on the matter.

In summary, the ICJ concluded that:

The State of Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful;

The State of Israel is under an obligation to bring to an end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible;

The State of Israel is under an obligation to cease immediately all new settlement activities, and to evacuate all settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territory; the State of Israel has the obligation to make reparation for the damage caused to all the natural or legal persons concerned
in the Occupied Palestinian Territory;

All States are under an obligation not to recognise as legal the situation arising from the unlawful presence of the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by the continued presence of the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory;

International organisations, including the United Nations, are under an obligation not to recognize as legal the situation arising from the unlawful presence of the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory; and

The United Nations, and especially the General Assembly, which requested the opinion, and the Security Council, should consider the precise modalities and further action required to bring to an end as rapidly as possible the unlawful presence of the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Responding to the Court’s Advisory Opinion, International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Ronald Lamola, said the
ICJ ruling affirms South Africa’s long-standing position that the occupation by Israel of Palestinian territory remains unlawful under international law.

‘The international community must act to bring an immediate end to the occupation and the gross violations of international humanitarian and human rights law being perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinian people. There is now an additional legal obligation for all States to end complicity in Israel’s illegal actions and to act to ensure respect for international law,’ Lamola said.

Lamola said South Africa attaches particular importance to the Court’s finding that Israel is in violation of Article 3 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), which provides that ‘States Parties particularly condemn racial segregation and apartheid and undertake to prevent, prohibit and eradicate all practices of this nature in territories under their jurisdiction’.

He said the court’s finding reaffirms that the Isra
eli Government is guilty of practicing the crime of Apartheid.

‘As the court put it: The Court observes that Israel’s legislation and measures impose and serve to maintain a near-complete separation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem between the settler and Palestinian communities. For this reason, the Court considers that Israel’s legislation and measures constitute a breach of Article 3 of CERD,’ Lamola said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The City of Cape Town has urged residents to be aware of scammers pretending to work for the city to gain access to the residents’ homes.

The city’s Electricity Generation and Distribution Department said its teams have been made aware of scammers in Sanddrift, where a resident recently reported to the city that two scammers visited her home claiming to work for the city’s Electricity Department to check on electricity prepaid meters in the area.

‘Once the resident allows the scammers access to their home, they proceeded to steal items while the resident is not looking. These incidents happen far too often, and we ask residents to always be alert, especially our elderly residents,’ sait the city’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Xanthea Limberg.

While the city’s electricity staff and contractors are in neighbourhoods to do legitimate meter readings and other work, Limberg urged residents to always be alert and to verify the official’s identity with the city before allowing officials access to their pr
operty.

‘Residents are urged to verify the official’s identity and work order number with the city before giving them access to their homes. All legitimate city staff and contractors will identify themselves before asking for access for legitimate city related electricity work.

‘The identification card must display the city logo, the name and surname of the staff member or mandated contractor and must contain an embedded photo of the staff member or mandated contractor. If unsure, please contact the city’s call centre,’ Limberg said.

Limberg also urged the residents refrain from any type of aggressive action, including threats or intimidation of legitimate city staff and contractors doing meter reading or other critical electricity infrastructure work in their neighbourhoods.

To verify the work order, contact the city’s call centre on 0860 103 089. To report suspicious behaviour, contact 0800 1100 77.

Tips for residents:

Always verify the work order number when an official visits your home.

Check the
official’s city-issued identification card.

The ID card must display the city logo, the name and surname of the staff member or mandated contractor and must contain an embedded photo of the staff member or mandated contractor.

If unsure, call the city’s call centre on 0860 103 089.

Report suspicious behaviour to the city’s law enforcement agencies or to the SAPS.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen says the department is working with all stakeholders to ensure that biosecurity measures are implemented to manage the current Foot and Mouth (FMD) outbreak in the Eastern Cape.

Steenhuisen emphasised that biosecurity remains a priority for the department, noting that the disease poses a risk for local production and trade, both national and international.

The Minister said the department is also in constant engagement with the Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Agrarian Reform to ensure that FMD control measures are implemented, and that the disease does not spread within the province.

Noting the shared responsibilities for biosecurity implementation, the Minster said the department is also in ongoing engagement with the Western Cape Department of Agriculture to ensure that the disease does not spread to that province.

He said the investigation into the origin and extent of the FMD outbreak in the Eastern Cape continues.

‘Twenty-three farm
s in the Humansdorp area and one farm in the East London have been confirmed as positive for FMD. Locations confirmed to be positive for FMD were placed under quarantine by the Eastern Cape Provincial Veterinary Services.

‘Full epidemiological investigations are continuing. Immediate neighbours and all linked locations have been placed under precautionary quarantine, pending clinical and serological investigation to determine their FMD status,’ Steenhuisen said.

The Minister said a total of 46 applications to vaccinate non-infected farms were received, and of these, 30 farms were permitted to vaccinate, while 17 applications for voluntary vaccination have not yet been approved.

The Minister explained that applications are considered for vaccination if the farms are within the 10km radius of a positive farm.

‘The applications are prioritised to ensure that the farms at highest risk are vaccinated first. It was agreed during the Joint Operations Committee on FMD that the available personnel resources will b
e used in a manner that allows for the maximum number of farms to be vaccinated in the shortest time possible,’ Steenhuisen explained.

The department reiterated the call to farmers to observe biosecurity on their farms and to protect their own herds from becoming infected.

Section 11 of the Animal Diseases Act, 1984 (Act No. 35 of 1984) imposes a legal duty on any owner or manager of animals to take all reasonable steps to prevent their animals from becoming infected with any disease and to prevent the spread of any disease from their animals or land to other animals or other properties.

In line with this, a regulation was prescribed in October 2022 by the Minister of Agriculture, stipulating that cloven hoofed livestock may only be moved if accompanied by a health declaration from the owner of the animals, attesting to their health at the time of moving.

In addition, all cattle, sheep, and goats newly brought onto a farm must be kept separated from the resident herds for at least 28 days.

FMD is a contr
olled animal disease in terms of the Animal Diseases Act, 1984 (Act No 35 of 1984) and the Act prescribes certain control measures, like isolation and movement control, that are being enforced by veterinary services.

‘Should any suspicious clinical symptoms (salivation, blisters in the mouth, limping or hoof lesions) be seen, it should be reported to the local State Veterinarian immediately and such animals must not be moved under any circumstances,’ the department said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Residents of Kromdraai in the West Rand, Gauteng, will now be able to participate in the digital world, thanks to the Gauteng Provincial Network (GPN) free WIFI launched at Matla Combined School.

The GPN WIFI, which was unveiled on Sunday, is offered by the Gauteng Department of e-Government (e-Gov), a department established to modernise government services in Gauteng.

The department’s main role is to roll out broadband connectivity, which seeks to connect all public facilities, including schools and hospitals. It also provides free public WIFI for Gauteng communities.

Unveiling the sites, Gauteng Department of e-Government MEC, Bonginkosi Dhlamini, said the WIFI will ensure that Gauteng residents have free access to the internet, enabling them to participate in digital activities that can further their education, skills, and career prospects.

Dhlamini said the provincial government wants to ensure that Gauteng residents are able to access services through digital means.

‘Nowadays, we do not expect peopl
e to wait in long queues to access certain services that can easily be accessed online. This can only be achieved through the power of technology and connectivity,’ Dhlamini said.

Mogale City Mayor, who also attended the event, Danny Thupane, said the community of Kromdraai has been struggling with connectivity because the area is situated on the outskirts of the West Rand.

‘We are very excited for this opportunity. It is not only the network that is an issue in these parts, but our people struggle with the ever-increasing prices of data.

‘This project will go a long way in allowing our people to access the internet and participate in the digital world,’ Thupane said.

The GPN also enhances the efficiency of service delivery and eliminates unnecessary duplication of Information and Communication Technology in the Gauteng provincial government while ensuring that information systems remain secure.

In April this year, the Communications and Digital Technologies announced that government plans to connect 5.5
million households in rural and township areas to Wi-Fi hotspots in the next three to four years.

Source: South African Government News Agency

President Cyril Ramaphosa has approved the Pension Funds Amendment Bill, which amends pension-related legislation to enable the implementation of the recently legislated two-pot retirement system geared towards bolstering retirement savings.

The new Pension Funds Amendment Act amends the Pension Funds Act of 1956, the Post and Telecommunications-Related Matters Act of 1958, the Transnet Pension Fund Act of 1990, and the Government Employees Pension Law of 1996.

The law provides for the introduction of the savings withdrawal benefit; the appropriate account of a member’s interest in the savings; retirement and vested components, and the deductions that may be made.

The Act requires pension funds to amend their rules, adjust their investment portfolios and prepare administrative systems for pension fund members to apply to access portions of their pension funds from 1 September 2024.

This law complements the Revenues Laws Amendment Act, 2024 (Act No. 12 of 2024), which was signed by the President on 11 June
2024.

Government has proposed a reform to the retirement saving regime, which will see the introduction of the ‘two-pot’ retirement system.

The Presidency said from the proposed date of 1 September 2024, one-third of retirement contributions will be split into a savings component, and two-thirds into a retirement component.

‘What is in the savings component will be available for withdrawal at any time before retirement. The ability to unconditionally access amounts from the savings component will be provided without the member having to cease employment or having to resign.

‘A member will be allowed to make a single withdrawal within a year of assessment and the minimum withdrawal amount is R2 000. The ability to withdraw from the savings component will be applicable on a per fund or per contract basis,’ the Presidency said.

Withdrawals from the savings component will be added to the individual’s taxable income and will be taxed at their marginal tax rates.

The Presidency also explained that retirement
funds will on or soon after 1 September 2024 be required to create another component known as the retirement component, which will be housed within the current retirement fund.

Individuals will be required to contribute an amount of two-thirds of the total individual retirement fund contributions to the retirement component.

‘The assets in the retirement component will be required to be preserved until retirement (i.e. withdrawals from this component can only be accessed by the member upon retirement, as per the fund rules).

‘Once a member has reached retirement age and retires, the retirement component is to be paid in the form of an annuity, including a living annuity. This dispensation gives members of retirement funds access to retirement savings without having to resign or cash out entire pension funds,’ the Presidency said.

Source: South African Government News Agency