Month: July 2024

The Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) has urged the Federal Government to update National Building Code, stating clear and stiff punishments for culprits of building collapse.

The REDAN President, Mr Akintoye Adeoye, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja

He was speaking against the backdrop of incidences of building collapse and the steps to avert them.

Adeoye observed that the nation’s building codes and other relevant laws are silent on specific punishments to be meted to culprits of building collapse.

‘When a building collapses, there is always a cause, most often related to human error, which must be addressed.

‘There should be clearly advertised punishments for those found responsible. Until measures are put in place to punish offenders, there will be no deterrent.

‘This nation currently shows a lack of value for the lives of its citizens, which contradicts its legal provisions.

‘There is much to be done to also protect people on construct
ion sites, such as ensuring proper insurance coverage,’ he said

The REDAN President cited the Ugandan example, where a twelve-year jail sentence awaits those who contravene building laws, as detailed in Section 45 of the Building Control Act, 2013 of that country.

He added that recent incidents of building collapse in areas like Kampala, Wakiso, Mpigi, and Jinja, attributed to poor workmanship, inadequate design, and use of inferior materials, highlighted the issue.

He said that the Ugandan’s National Building Review Board’s Compliance and Monitoring Task Force had found that negligence, professional incompetence, and regulatory breaches were common causes.

Adeoye said that the Act stipulates that individuals responsible for accidents resulting in injury, death, or property damage due to negligence, risks up to 12 years in prison, a fine, or both.

He added that the Ugandan Building Regulations, 2020, imposed penalties on professionals and developers who fail to adhere to legal and safety standards, ensur
ing accountability across all parties involved in construction.

‘Nigeria should borrow a leaf from countries that have advanced in controlling building collapses.

‘ We must update our National Building Code and necessary laws, publicly penalise offenders, create awareness and establish rigorous inspection regimes.

‘We need to also enforce standards for construction materials and mandate insurance policies for public buildings and buildings under construction,’ he said

Buttressing the lacuna of clear and stiff penalties in the Nigeria Building Code, the REDAN President quoted some sections of the law – Sections 13.1.1.1 and 13.3.5 – which state:

‘There shall be established in all Federal, State, and Local Government, Urban Development Agencies, a Code Enforcement Division/Section/Unit in their Development Control Department.’

‘Any person who violates a provision of this Code, fails to comply with any of its requirements, or erects constructs, alters, or repairs a building or structure in violation of an
approved plan or directive of the Code Enforcement Division/Section/Unit, or of a permit or certificate issued under the provisions of this Code, shall be guilty of an offense punishable under the existing law.’

According to Adeoye, the provisions are vague and susceptible to manipulation by legal practitioners defending culprits of building collapse.

He, therefore, reiterated the need for Nigeria to take cue from Uganda and other countries with clear and stiff penalties for culprits of building collapse, to serve as deterrent.

Adeoye also advocated that the government agencies responsible for supervising building development must ensure adherence to the National Building Code through stringent oversight and enforcement.

He underscored the need to support REDAN in developing robust laws that govern real estate developers and their activities.

According to him, government should also fund research and development in construction technology and materials to improve building safety.

‘If all these measures
are implemented, we will strengthen our laws and create a culture of safety and accountability in the construction sector,” he said.

He, however, noted that the REDAN Code of Conduct, executed under the Members Professional Responsibilities, compelled them to comply with the prevailing building codes in Nigeria as a minimum standard for construction.

The president added that REDAN members also abide by the guidelines and norms of all government agencies relevant to the built industry and conduct business affairs with professionalism, honesty, integrity among others.

‘At REDAN, all our members sign and attest to the Code of Conduct to uphold and enhance the honour and dignity of the business of Real Estate Development in Nigeria.

‘Any violation of the Code of Conduct is dealt with by members of REDAN’s Ethics, and Disciplinary Committee, as laid down in the association’s Constitution.

‘There are sanctions for any member that violates the Association’s Code of Conduct, determined by the REDAN Membership,
Ethics, and Disciplinary Committee.

‘As professionals, we must not compromise at the expense of human lives,’ he said

Adeoye stressed that his association always warn members against embarking on building construction without approvals and insurance licenses.

According to him, investigations into incidences of collapsed buildings in the country have revealed that, majority of the projects were not handled by REDAN members.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Workplace Challenge Programme (WCP) has a huge role to play in enabling government and the private sector to work closely in bringing the performance of South African businesses to world-class standards.

This was said by the acting Chief Executive Officer of Productivity SA, Amelia Naidoo, while addressing a workshop on the WPC in Pretoria, on Wednesday.

The workshop was organised by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), in partnership with the Gauteng Department of Economic Development and Productivity SA.

The theme for the session was: ‘Productivity is Key to Unlocking our Potential, Achieving our Goals, and Living a Fulfilling Life.’

According to Naidoo, the WPC was created to bring business, labour and government together to discuss and reach an agreement on a set of arrangements and measures to improve the competitiveness, growth and sustainability of enterprises and sectors in order to increase levels of employment across all industrial sectors.

She said the primary obje
ctive of the workshop was to tackle the challenges faced by South Africa, including low economic growth.

In the value chain of job creation and economic growth, she said the WCP is key for the growth of the country.

Naidoo pointed out that in one of his weekly online letters to the nation, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that South Africa needs people with skills, experience, foresight and the ability to forge partnerships in order to build an inclusive economy that creates jobs and reduces poverty.

Improving productivity

Against this background, she said the WCP can play a role in building an inclusive economy.

‘The Workplace Challenge Programme aims to improve the productivity and competitiveness of participating enterprises in order to enable them to compete in the global market, while creating employment, as they grow their businesses,’ Naidoo said.

This is done through improved value chain efficiencies, implementation of clusters for industrial competitiveness and collaborative relations, implementi
ng processes for continuous improvement and facilitating skills development, amongst others.

According to Naidoo, 3 127 Gauteng enterprises were supported in the past four years through the programme.

She announced that Productivity SA is currently running a six-month Export Competitiveness Programme (ECP) in collaboration with the Gauteng Department of Economic Development (GGDA).

The programme targets emerging and existing exporters aiming to enhance their operation efficiency. Already 15 companies have been approved for the programme and are undergoing continuous performance improvement training and coaching.

‘According to the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2024, South Africa is now ranked 60th out of 67 countries surveyed. Significantly, South Africa improved its business efficiency by six places, from 58 to 54, infrastructure improved from 62 in 2023 to 60 in 2024,’ she said.

Whereas South Africa improved its performance, Naidoo highlighted that it was not yet translating to discernible economic
growth.

‘With interventions such as the Workplace Challenge Programme, it is possible to improve the country’s competitiveness through creating jobs through government reform, building a more skilled and capable state, and greater partnerships between businesses and government.

‘South Africa needs to focus on sustaining employment growth and expanding training opportunities, addressing sectorial barriers to growth and investment and maintain the infrastructure to grow the economy,’ expressed Naidoo.

While delivering her message of support, the Chief Director of Skills for the Economy at the dtic, Jocelyn Vass, said entrepreneurs are the backbone of the industrialisation programme.

According to her, the productive enterprises can contribute to the development of an export competitive and growing economy.

She encouraged companies to access more of the dtic’s programmes that can give them exposure and access to international markets whilst also helping them to grow, expand and increase their contribution to
the economy.

Source: South African Government News Agency

HIV prevalence in South Africa across all ages decreased from 14% in 2017 to 12.7% in 2022, resulting in a decline from 7.9 million (2017) to 7.8 million (2022) people living with the virus.

This is based on the findings of the sixth South African HIV Prevalence, Incidence, and Behaviour Survey (SABSSM VI), which was released by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) at the 2024 International AIDS Conference on Wednesday.

While HIV prevalence has decreased across all age groups, data shows that females continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV, with a prevalence of 16.4%, compared to males at 8.8% across all age groups.

Prevalence peaks at 34.2% for females aged 35 to 39 years, whereas prevalence peaks at 27.1% for males aged 45 to 49 years.

The survey also found that HIV incidence in individuals aged two years and older in 2022 was 0.44%, resulting in 232 400 new HIV infections in South Africa.

HIV incidence was at 0.60% among adults 15 years and older translating to 227 400, 0.39% among you
th and young adults aged 15 to 24, and 0.72% among adults aged 15 to 49 years.

In addition, the HIV incidence rate in 2022 was consistently higher in females than males in all age categories.

‘In terms of treatment, South Africa recorded an increase in antiretroviral treatment (ART) coverage, from 63.7% in 2017 to 80.9% in 2022,’ the HSRC said.

This means an estimated 5 700 000 people living with HIV receive ART, an increase from 4 500 000 in 2017.

‘A greater proportion of females, 83.2% than males, 76.2% were on ART.’

Data shows that HIV viral load suppression stands at 81.4% for all ages.

Evaluating progress

The SABSSM VI survey, conducted between 2022 and 2023, evaluates the progress of the South African national HIV and AIDS, STI, and TB Strategic Plan.

It also monitors HIV indicators for national and international reporting.

The survey also assessed progress towards the 2030 UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets, HIV drug resistance, and the relationship between social and behavioural factors, intimate partne
r violence, and HIV infection.

In December 2020, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) outlined a set of new targets ensuring that 95% of all individuals living with HIV are aware of their HIV status, 95% of all individuals diagnosed with HIV infection receive continuous treatment, and 95% of all those on treatment achieve viral suppression by 2025.

The HSRC said progress towards the 95-95-95 targets improved, with 89.6% of people living with HIV knowing their status, and of those knowing their status, 90.7% were on treatment, with 93.9% of those who knew their status and being on treatment, being virally suppressed.

‘Improvement across the 95-95-95 indicators was more pronounced in males compared to females.’

Overall, the survey found that 81.4% of all people living with HIV were virally suppressed.

‘However, it is concerning that the survey further reveals that gaps remain in knowledge of HIV status among youth aged 15 to 24 (73.1%). Early sexual debut, age-disparate relationships, mu
ltiple sexual partners, and low condom use persist as key drivers of HIV.’

According to the findings, the awareness and uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) are increasing.

Stigma

Overall principal investigator of the study, Professor Khangelani Zuma, stated that HIV-related stigma persists as a significant issue among individuals aged 15 years and older.

‘Addressing stigma is essential to improving the quality of life and well-being of people living with HIV. However, of the six questions related to HIV-related stigma, the majority yielded results that indicated that most people held positive attitudes toward people living with HIV,’ said Zuma.

Response rate

The survey achieved a household response rate of 80% and an individual interview response rate of 94.1%.

A total of 47 766 participants provided blood specimens for HIV testing, resulting in a testing response rate of 62.7%.

The professor said this indicates that the results suggest advancements in the fight against the HIV epidemic in South
Africa.

‘This is evidenced by a stabilisation of HIV prevalence, ageing epidemic, a reduction in HIV incidence, enhancements in HIV treatment outcomes such as increased rates of ART coverage and viral load suppression (VLS) in line with the 95-95-95 targets,’ he added.

The study has since recommended key actions that can address the HIV epidemic as a public health threat in South Africa by 2030.

These include continuing intensive programmes focusing on reducing new infections among adolescent girls and young women.

It also proposed enhancement of prevention efforts that target groups disproportionately affected by the drivers of HIV infection such as women and young people.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Government has congratulated Nwabisa Makunga who is the current Deputy Chairperson of the South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) on her appointment as Chairperson of the forum.

Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) Acting Director-General, Nomonde Mnukwa, said the appointment of Makunga is a demonstration of her ability and capability.

‘Makunga’s elevation to this important responsibility is an inspiration to many women journalists and proof that the media industry is making great strides in affirming gender equality. It is a further demonstration of the triumph of abilities over obstacles of women in the media sector,’ Mnukwa said on Thursday.

Makunga will lead a team responsible for representing those who are responsible for telling stories and representing the aspirations and wishes of the population.

‘The media landscape is going through challenges, especially with the emergence of digital media and the impact of social media. SANEF is, amongst others, ceased with navigating cha
llenges in the media sector such as declining revenues, shrinking media houses, fake news enabled by artificial Intelligence and other emerging threats to the information platforms,’ Mnukwa said.

It is against this background that the GCIS is looking forward to further fostering its partnership with the forum and it office bearers, and the media as a whole.

‘I want to reiterate that GCIS recognises the significant contributions made by SANEF in upholding press freedom, ethical journalism, and media diversity in South Africa,’ Mnukwa said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Department of Tourism has cautioned stakeholders and the public from accepting emails from the department’s domain, until the widespread information and communication technology (ICT) service outage the department is currently experiencing, has been resolved.

‘The Department of Tourism would like to inform stakeholders and the public of a service outage that is causing wide spread disruptions to telephone lines, emails and website related services. Our ICT team is working diligently to restore all services,’ the department said in a statement on Wednesday.

‘Updates will be communicated once services have been restored,’ the department said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister, Dean Macpherson, believes that urgent reform is needed for the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) to provide a sustainable pathway to permanent employment.

This follows the ongoing protest action by former EPWP employees in Ethekwini, KwaZulu-Natal.

The Minister has condemned any violence or damage to public property during the protests, particularly as it has halted key municipal service delivery such as the removal of waste which creates a health hazard.

‘The EPWP program was always designed to be a short-term program to give recipients work experience and training in order for them to find permanent employment,’ Macpherson said, adding that due to the stubbornly high unemployment rate in South Africa, many have grown dependent on the program, having been employed as an EPWP worker for many years.

‘As mentioned during the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure budget speech last week, it is therefore imperative that the EPWP program be re-imagined to
become skills outcomes-based which leads to South Africans climbing up the opportunity ladder, rather than being stuck in EPWP for years on end,’ he said in a statement on Wednesday.

Macpherson looks forward to working with all stakeholders in the coming months to look at a better outcome for recipients nationwide.

The Expanded Public Works Programme is one of the government’s strategies to alleviate poverty through the creation of work opportunities using labour-intensive methods. The programme is implemented in four sectors namely: infrastructure, social, environment and culture, and non-state.

All spheres of government and state-owned entities are expected to implement the programme.

The EPWP participants (beneficiaries) work on different projects such as the Community Work Programme (CWP), Early Childhood Development Programmes, Home Community Based Care Programmes, Extra School Support Programmes, Working on Fire, Working for Water and roads maintenance projects.

Since its inception on 01 April 2004
to 31 March 2022, more than 13 million work opportunities have been created in the EPWP space across all spheres of government.

Source: South African Government News Agency