Day: September 4, 2024

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli has sent condolences to the families of road accident victims, who passed away in separate motor vehicle accidents in the province.

A two-vehicle collision took place on the R622 Mooi Plaza on Greytown Road over the weekend and claimed the lives of 11 people, while a taxi crash on the R74 Kranskop Road left six people dead and 10 critically injured.

‘I would like to extend my profound condolences to the relatives and friends of those who lost their lives due to a fatal head-on collision, which took place on the R622, R74 and N2. It is heartbreaking that we continue to mourn the loss of loved ones as a result of road carnage,’ Ntuli said.

The Premier said the causes of the collisions are not yet known, as crash investigators and law enforcement authorities continue to investigate what happened.

The Premier emphasised the importance of daylight driving, as it enhances alertness and visibility.

‘I advise South African motorists to exercise great caution when driving at
night. Road accident statistics continue to highlight to us that a lot of fatal crashes occur in the nighttime. I would therefore like to continue to echo the importance of daytime driving, especially for long distance travels,’ Ntuli said.

The Premier also called on all road law enforcement agencies to execute all possible measures to reduce road carnage across the province.

He emphasised the importance of ensuring the safety of all road users, especially during peak travel periods.

Ntuli appealed to the public to adhere to traffic rules, drive responsibly and cooperate with law enforcement officials to create safer roads for all.

The Premier further urged law enforcement to be vigilant, enforce traffic regulations, and increase visibility on all major roads to curb reckless driving, speeding and other violations contributing to road accidents.

‘The loss of life due to road accidents is unacceptable, and we must do everything in our power to prevent it. I call upon all law enforcement agencies to streng
then their efforts and work together to ensure that our roads are safe for everyone,’ Ntuli said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Department of Tourism has invited eligible tourism enterprises to apply for support under the Green Tourism Incentive Programme’s (GTIP) 10th application window.

The window opened on 2 September 2024 and will remain open until 28 February 2025.

The GTIP was developed by the Department of Tourism in partnership with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) to enable and encourage tourism enterprises to improve efficiency in the utilisation of energy and water resources in their operations.

In this way, the programme not only promotes compliance with responsible tourism principles, but also offers a mechanism for enterprises to reduce operational costs so they can operate in a sustainable and competitive manner.

The GTIP has enjoyed much success from tourism enterprises who applied for support.

Mokgaetji Flora Phala from Mminanoko Eco Guesthouse in Limpopo said: ‘I was spending R2 500 on electricity costs per month. I now spend R500 a month, saving between R1 500 to R2000 a month following the ins
tallation of energy solutions. The GTIP is a great initiative that helps a lot and can be recommended to other businesses.’

Chris de Vries from Maribelle’s B and B in Pretoria, Gauteng, said the amount spent on electricity was high before the installations, but it has gone down significantly.

‘It is still too early to tell the exact amounts, but I have noticed a significant saving from the installations. I would definitely recommend other business to get access to this programme; it is very beneficial,’ he said.

Meanwhile, Gugulethu Nogaya from Imvomvo Country Lodge in MaXesibeni, Eastern Cape, said energy consumption prior to the installation of energy solutions averaged at 24 000 kWh per month.

‘Since the installation it has reduced our monthly energy consumption by half. We were spending approximately R60 000.00 on diesel during peak load shedding, but that has now dropped to less than R5 000 per month only when there are power outages. I would highly recommend the GTIP programme for all lodges, B and
B’s and other businesses as it significantly improves margins by reducing cost and increases customer satisfactions,’ he said.

The GTIP offers partial grant funding on the cost of retrofitting tourism facilities with energy and water efficiency equipment and systems. The application process to access the GTIP is done through two phases:

Phase 1: The applying Tourism enterprises undergoes a resource efficiency audit during which appropriate efficiency measures and solutions are recommended. The cost of this audit is fully covered under the GTIP programme.

Phase 2: Eligible applicants (who completed phase 1) are able to apply for grant funding support of between 50% and 90% on the cost of installing relevant technologies and equipment recommended during the Phase 1 (capped at a maximum of R1 million per applicant).

The GTIP is administered by the IDC and all applications are received, processed and managed by the IDC on behalf of the Department of Tourism.

Since inception in November 2017 and June 2024,
the GTIP has had nine application windows from which 216 applications were approved at a total grant value of more than R140 million.

Tourism Minister, Patricia de Lille, said initiatives such as the GTIP are contributing immensely to greening the tourism sector and in the process helping to sustain the future of this sector.

‘Conserving our scarce natural resource is crucial to the sustainability of the tourism sector. As we work towards the attainment of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), programmes such as the GTIP become critical in reinforcing and supporting tourism enterprises to adopt responsible tourism practices.

‘Accordingly, the GTIP aims to support tourism enterprises to retrofit their facilities with green technologies such as solar PV panels and water saving measures. I therefore encourage businesses to apply for funding support under the GTIP,’ the Minister said.

Tourism enterprises can visit www.tourism.gov.za or www.idc.co.za to read more on the requirements, eligibility and q
ualifying criteria and the application processes for the GTIP.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Department of Correctional Services has appeared before the Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services to discuss the issues of correctional supervision and parole boards in South Africa.

During the engagement, the department told the committee that currently, the country only has 52 correctional supervision and parole boards (CSPB) to consider offenders who could be placed on parole and correctional supervision.

Furthermore, the department revealed that during the 2022/23 year financial year, at least 85 inmates applied for medical parole. Twenty-two of them died while awaiting finalisation of their applications, four were released on normal parole, 43 were successful in their applications, while 13 were not recommended.

‘We have raised concerns. We noted that vacancies exist in some of these boards, which could be a contributing factor. The department will furnish us with further information we require,’ Committee Chairperson Kgomotso Ramolobeng said.

The committee raised concerns about the medic
al parole of some inmates, who went on to live healthy lives years later.

The department acknowledged that such exceptional cases do occur and committed that it would provide statistics to the committee in that regard.

‘The department will provide us with the statistics of such matters, but they have assured us in the meantime that that figure is generally low. We will engage once we receive the information requested,’ Ramolobeng said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

A KPMG forensic report on the Postbank has been referred to the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), also known as the Hawks, in a bid to ensure that those responsible for the crimes are brought to book.

According to a statement by the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, Minister Solly Malatsi, received the forensic report on governance and financial breaches at the Postbank which compromised the institution and resulted in financial losses to the value of approximately R89.5 million, during the period 2021 – 2022.

The report was presented to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies by a delegation led by Deputy Minister Mondli Gungubele on Wednesday.

The department said the Minister has referred the case to the Hawks.

The KPMG investigation was instituted following the Auditor General of South Africa’s (AGSA) 2021 report which detailed fraudulent activities at the Post Bank. These include multiple incidents of cash theft which hav
e accordingly been reported to the police.

The Ministry has also instructed the Postbank Board to ensure that the recommendations contained in the KPMG report are implemented.

‘What makes this cash theft even more repugnant is that some of this money was stolen from vulnerable social grant beneficiaries and ordinary South Africans who were saving for a better future. We will use the full might of the law to fight anyone who dares rob citizens.

“I expect decisive action to ensure that public entities are run ethically and with integrity, for the benefit of our citizens, and not criminals,’ Minister Malatsi said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Human Settlements Deputy Minister Tandi Mahambehlala is leading a South African delegation to the inaugural Africa Urban Forum, which will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The forum is a continental platform that seeks to promote sustainable development in human settlements on the African continent.

The three-day forum, taking place from 4 – 6 September 2024, will be convened under the theme: ‘Sustainable Urbanisation for Africa’s Transformation: Agenda 2063’.

Established by the African Union Commission in 2022, the Africa Urban Forum is the only high-level continental platform that brings together African countries to collaborate and coordinate their efforts to address rapid urbanisation.

The objectives of the forum include raising the profile of urbanisation as an imperative for sustainable and resilient development in Africa.

It also aims to support inclusive and participatory human settlement development in Africa’s structural transformation and attainment of Agenda 2063 and facilitating dialogues
and buy-in for sustainable urbanisation among Africa’s Heads of State and governments.

The department said South Africa has not been spared in the upward trend of rapid urbanisation, resulting in people emigrating to urban areas in search of economic opportunities.

‘This emigration has put pressure on the government to provide affordable housing,’ the Department of Human Settlements said.

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Deputy Minister, Dr Dickson Masemola, and some members of the National Executive Committee Members of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) will form part of the delegation.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Government has welcomed the country’s positive economic growth, as reflected in the latest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures.

According to data released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), the GDP increased by 0.4% in the second quarter of 2024, following a 0.0% growth in the first quarter.

On expenditure, real GDP rose by 0.5% in the second quarter, an improvement from the 0.1% decrease in the first quarter of 2024. Household consumption emerged as the largest positive contributor to overall growth, demonstrating the renewed confidence and spending power of South African households.

From a production perspective, the finance, real estate, and business services industry played a pivotal role, contributing 0.3% to the overall GDP growth. Other notable contributors include the manufacturing sector, trade, and the electricity, gas, and water supply industry, which saw a remarkable growth of 3.1%, driven by increased electricity generation and water distribution.

Acting Government spokesperson, Nomonde
Mnukwa, said the second quarter’s economic growth was a clear indication that South Africa’s economy is on a solid path to recovery.

‘The positive trajectory also speaks to the effectiveness of the measures that have been implemented to support recovery and growth. The absence of load shedding has played a crucial role in revitalising key sectors, particularly the electricity, gas, and water supply industry.

‘The government remains committed to implementing policies that will sustain and accelerate growth, ensuring that the benefits are felt by all South Africans,’ Mnukwa said.

Government further acknowledges that sectors such as agriculture, mining, and forestry and fishing are experiencing challenges, but work is being done to provide relief that will ultimately restore growth in these sectors.

Mnukwa said government continues to support and foster an environment that encourages sustainable economic development.

Source: South African Government News Agency