Day: August 19, 2024

On Monday, 19 August, the Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, will officiate at the opening ceremony of the 40th Association for Educational Assessment in Africa at the Century City Conference and Hotel, Cape Town.

Also on Monday, the Phelophepa train will be at Tembisa (Oakmoor station) and Sedibeng (Vereeniging station) from 19-23 August.

Tuesday, 20 August, the Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille together with the Deputy Minister, Makhotso Sotyu, will launch Tourism Month in the Northern Cape.

On Wednesday, 21 August, Employment and Labour to engage employers and opportunity providers on public employment services at the Worcester Labour Centre, Western Cape.

On Thursday, 22 August, President Cyril Ramaphosa will preside over the signing of the second Presidential Health Compact at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

Friday, 23 August, Gauteng Province Presidential Imbizo at Tsakane Stadium, Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.

Source: South African Government News Agency

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli says the introduction of tugboats is not only a boost for the provincial port, but a significant advancement for the province’s economy, particularly within the logistics and maritime sectors.

Ntuli was speaking at the recent christening and naming ceremony of five new tugboats at the Port of Durban, hosted by the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) Eastern Region.

The ceremony marked a major milestone in the TNPA Marine Fleet Renewal Programme, a key component of Transnet’s broader Recovery Plan aimed at enhancing shipping efficiencies across South African ports.

The five newly acquired tugboats are set to be injected into the port’s operations, reinforcing the Marine Fleet Renewal Programme’s objectives of increasing marine craft availability and ensuring smoother, more efficient port operations.

This strategic initiative aligns with Transnet’s mission to revitalise its infrastructure and strengthen the country’s logistics network.

Ntuli congratulated the TNP
A on this critical acquisition, emphasising the importance of modernising port infrastructure to meet the evolving needs of the maritime industry.

‘The introduction of the tugboats is not only a boost for the port, but a significant advancement for the province’s economy, particularly within the logistics and maritime sectors. This initiative positions KwaZulu-Natal as the preferred logistics and transport hub in South Africa.

‘Strategic investments, such as the R1 billion allocated to enhancing the Durban Port, are vital to driving economic growth and creating much-needed employment opportunities in our province,” Ntuli said.

Ntuli said both the Durban and Richards Bay ports are primed to become preferred gateways for cargo exports, bolstering KwaZulu-Natal’s economic competitiveness, and supporting South Africa’s global trade ambitions.

Journey toward economic recovery on course

Transnet Board Chairperson Andile Sangqu underscored the importance of the TNPA Marine Fleet Renewal Programme, noting that T
ransnet’s journey towards economic recovery is firmly on course.

With the advancements in operations and strategic initiatives, particularly through the Marine Fleet Renewal Programme, Sangqu said Transnet is witnessing significant progress in restoring and enhancing the efficiency of South Africa’s port infrastructure.

He said the successful implementation of these initiatives reflects Transnet’s commitment to fulfilling the objectives of the Transnet Recovery Plan.

‘This plan is crucial to maintaining South Africa’s competitive edge in the global maritime industry and ensuring the country’s ports operate at world-class standards. The christening of these five tugboats marks a new chapter for the Port of Durban and sets the foundation for further advancements in the province’s maritime capabilities.

‘With KwaZulu-Natal’s strategic location and ongoing investments in port infrastructure, the province is well-positioned to become a leader in logistics and transportation, driving economic growth and fosteri
ng international trade,’ Sangqu said

Source: South African Government News Agency

President Cyril Ramaphosa says government remains committed to collaborating with business, labour unions, and other social partners to advance the structural reforms necessary for fostering inclusive economic growth and creating jobs.

The President said this in his weekly newsletter to the nation on Monday.

‘We cannot rebuild our country unless all South Africans work together. We will continue to work with business, labour and other social partners to drive the structural reform process that will boost inclusive economic growth and jobs.

‘There is indeed an air of optimism in our country. Let us harness this confidence and goodwill to increase the momentum of our shared efforts to build and strengthen our economy,’ the President said.

President Ramaphosa highlighted that over the last few months, the country has seen a growing confidence among investors, business and citizens over the prospects of the economy.

The latest Business Confidence Index published by the South African Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (SACCI) points to an increase in business confidence since the elections in May.

The President noted that this sentiment is evident in the Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s All-Share Price Index, which increased by about 8% from the end of May to the end of July 2024.

‘This is welcome news, particularly in light of the most recent employment figures released by Statistics South Africa, which show that unemployment remains extremely high at 33.5%.

‘Business confidence is so important to our efforts to create jobs because it signals an improved business environment and encourages new investment. Greater investment in the economy enables faster growth and more job opportunities,’ he said.

For several years, the country has experienced low levels of business confidence, having been negatively affected by the prolonged electricity crisis, State capture, concerns about corruption, the decline of State-owned enterprises and the manner in which law enforcement agencies had been compromised.

President Ramaph
osa further reflected that investors have also been concerned about obstacles to growth, such as delays in the release of broadband spectrum, inefficiencies in ports and rail operations, and regulations that have slowed down licensing processes.

The President lauded the successful holding of the national and provincial elections in May and the formation of the Government of National Unity, both of which have had a positive effect on business confidence.

He said the progress that has been recorded in the reform process thus far has also contributed to the improved sentiment.

Rooting out corruption

To create a conducive environment, the President said government has shown its determination to tackle corruption.

Bodies like the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the Hawks have brought several high-profile cases to trial. The permanent establishment of the NPA’s Investigating Directorate has also given further impetus to the fight against corruption.

Crime is also bei
ng tackled. Across the country, the President said, initiatives such as Operation Shanela have upped the war on crime.

‘We are clamping down on illicit mining operations. Criminal syndicates involved in cable theft and extortion at construction sites are being dealt with.

‘Through a concerted effort from all stakeholders, we have confronted the electricity crisis. We have now had more than 140 consecutive days without load shedding. There has been a huge increase in new power generation capacity.

‘Investors have seen the growth opportunities in the far-reaching energy reforms we are undertaking. Just last week, I signed into law the Electricity Regulation Amendment Act, which will enable the establishment of a competitive electricity market,’ the President said.

The progress made in electricity provision, he said, gives confidence that the country can overcome the problems on the freight rail lines and ports.

Transnet’s recovery plan is showing progress, with the private sector providing significant tech
nical support and resources to Transnet Freight Rail and Port Terminals.

In Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, newly launched state-of-the-art passenger trains are now operating along refurbished and reopened rail corridors, offering commuters faster and more affordable transportation options.

This development is expected to significantly reduce commuting times and costs for users.

Reforms and investment

Additionally, government has implemented changes to immigration regulations to attract skilled professionals, investment and tourists to South Africa.

Approval processes for water use licences and energy projects have been expedited, and the release of broadband spectrum aims to unlock the full potential of the telecommunications sector.

These reforms are set to drive economic growth and enhance the country’s global competitiveness.

The country is also making progress on infrastructure investment. According to Nedbank’s Capital Expenditure Project Listing, the value of fixed investment projec
t announcements in the first half of this year rose to approximately R800 billion.

This was up sharply from just over R190 billion in 2023.

The public sector accounts for most of these projects in areas such as energy, transportation, health facility upgrades, roads and housing.

‘As government, we held a meeting with business leaders last week. Business expressed optimism about the recovery and growth of our economy. They committed themselves to a new era of partnership with government. We agreed on key actions we must now take to build on the progress that has already been made,’ the President said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

State institutions have been challenged to continue to provide mentorship and support programs for women and challenge gender stereotypes by promoting a culture of inclusion across the various sectors.

Speaking at the Young Women’s Professionals Network, hosted by the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) in Johannesburg on Monday, Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Deputy Minister, Steve Letsike, emphasised that empowering women is directly linked with the emancipation of society as a whole.

Letsike said the economy covers a wide range of economic activities, including amongst others, fisheries which currently contributes around R30 billion to the economy and supports over 127 000 jobs. She said the tourism ocean economy contributes around R40 billion alone to the tourism sector each year while the mining and minerals; financial services; agriculture; and offshore oil and gas contributes around R10 billion to the economy.

‘These are, but some of the sectors that the South African
women are entitled to be a part of, particularly as the country continues to prioritise the participation of women in the economy. According to a 2021 report by the World Bank, women in South Africa make up only 44% of the workforce, and they hold only 27% of managerial positions,’ Letsike said.

The Deputy Minister emphasised the importance of continuing to work towards greater gender diversity in the workforce and encouraged more women to enter the workforce and pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

‘We must ensure that we promote women’s economic rights and independence, including access to employment, appropriate working conditions and control over economic resources; facilitate women’s equal access to resources, employment, markets and trade; provide business services, training and access to markets, information and technology, particularly to low-income women.

‘[We must also ensure that we] strengthen women’s economic capacity and commercial networks; elimin
ate occupational segregation and all forms of employment discrimination; [and] promote harmonisation of work and family responsibilities for women and men,’ Letsike said.

Letsike reiterated the call to the country to join in support and implementation of meaningful programmes, plans, policies, strategies and interventions geared towards unlocking barriers of entry for women, young women, and the largely unemployed population.

‘We reiterate the call to all of society to grow the prospects of new entrants; develop tailored financial solutions that are inclusive; accelerate market access opportunities; and support sustainable enterprises to scale.

‘Despite all these challenges faced by South African women, the 2022 Census data by Statistics South Africa demonstrates the impact that government programmes have had in alleviating poverty, reducing unemployment, and lessening inequality over the last 30 years,’ Letsike said.

READ | Census 2022 results show SA’s development since 1994

Source: South African Gove
rnment News Agency

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) says the fourth dam – upstream of Riverlands in the Swartlands Local Municipality – has been cleared through a side channel spillway created to prevent a more catastrophic collapse of the dam wall.

The department said during an inspection on 12 August 2024, it was established that there is a progressing piping failure (on the downstream slope) at the highest section of the dam wall.

‘The integrity of the dam was compromised and hence the possibility of failure was detected.

“Subsequently, the decision was taken to empty the dam to protect the lives of the community members living downstream.

‘The emptying of the dam through the spillway was planned to drain the dam during daytime (from 10am to 4pm), to ensure that the increased outflow from the dam would occur during day light, to enabled it to be managed more easily,’ the department said in a statement.

The department said, should Dam 4 failed late in the evening or early morning hours while the public downs
tream was asleep, the consequences could have been far worse.

The department noted that the fourth dam emptied faster than anticipated, however, the public was precautionarily evacuated, hence no injuries and loss of life were reported.

‘The members of the public, who were evacuated, have returned to their homes and the dam wall of Dam 4 has not failed. Very little additional damage was caused by the release of water from Dam 4.

‘The damage to infrastructure was caused by the floods of the dam breaks of the previous three dams during the early hours of last week,’ the department said.

The department reiterated its commitment to safeguard the lives of the public during emergency conditions, although this sometimes results in difficult decisions having to be taken, including the precautionary evacuation of people if deemed necessary,’ the department said.

Investigation into dams failure extended

Meanwhile, Water and Sanitation Minister, Pemmy Majodina, has granted the departmental engineers an extra week
to conduct diligent and adequate investigation into the reason behind the failure of three farm dams located in Riverlands.

This follows the failure of three farm dams located in Riverlands that breached, resulting in flooding that caused severe property and infrastructure damage to the affected area, leading to hundreds of people being provided with humanitarian assistance.

Majodina visited the area on 11 August 2024 to get a first-hand information of the disastrous occurrence and was briefed by the team of engineers dispatched by the department to normalise the situation in the area.

The Minister then instituted an investigation on the breach of the three dams and whether the owners of the dams have proper authorisation from the department.

A report was expected in seven days from the day of Majodina’s visit.

Whilst the team on the ground has been working around the clock to expedite the compilation of the report requested by the Minister, the department emphasised that it has to balance the investigat
ion work with its intervention )to mitigate the risk of the failure of the fourth dam, which was at a risk of severe damage as well.

‘The department mobilised the construction team currently working at Clanwilliam Dam project for additional capacity to lower the risk of failure of the fourth dam. Furthermore, the department assessed the likelihood of failure of other dams in the area due to persistent rains and a saturated catchment which could have led to other dams reaching their maximum storage capacity,’ the department said.

The Department of Water and Sanitation is committed in conducting its regulatory function diligently and depending on the outcomes of the investigation, those responsible for the failure of the three dams will be held accountable.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The National Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Shamila Batohi, says Thuthuzela Care Centres (TCC) are crucial to the fight against gender-based violence (GBV).

Batohi was delivering an address at the launch of a TCC at Mitchell’s Plain in the Western Cape, on Monday.

TCCs are a one stop-facility for survivors of gender-based violence (GBV), where they are able to receive psycho-social support, medical treatment and legal services.

‘By providing better quality of services, we do find that there is improved reporting. In 2020/21, when we had 60 TCCs, there were just short of 30 000 cases that were reported. In 22/23, there were 36 800 cases or there about, and this figure represents an increase of 24.3% in a two-year period. In the past eight years combined, the TCCs have dealt with 266 593 matters at all of its sites. These are only reported cases.

‘We’ve noted improvements in the conviction rates. Since 2010, the conviction rate has improved from 60% to the current 77.5% as at the end of December
2023… and it’s all about the services that are being rendered that help victims to be able to go through the court processes.

‘We’ve also noted an increase in long term sentences that are imposed by the courts. For the past two years, up to December 2023, the courts imposed 337 life imprisonment sentences, 236 sentences of between 20 to 25 years and 624 sentences of 10 to 15 years imprisonment,’ she said.

Despite the upward progress, Batohi emphasised that the courts merely deal with crimes that have been committed and that dealing with the roots of GBV is crucial.

‘When victims come into these facilities, the offences are already committed and we try to help them on their journey towards healing but it’s not going to solve the problem. That is why the importance of our councillors, community based persons, civil society in really trying to deal with the scourge.

‘That is why we all need to help to instill the right values particularly in men. Unless we actually deal with [GBV] in a wholistic way, we are
not going to be able to deal with the scourge. Notwithstanding that, we continue to try to make sure that…we help the victims on their journey towards becoming survivors,’ Batohi said.

Source: South African Government News Agency