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Support people affected by COVID-19 during Mandela Month

In the spirit of Madiba, Cabinet has encouraged South Africans to rise to the challenge and support those in their communities shattered by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We can embrace Madiba’s values and honour his legacy through humanitarian acts and initiatives supporting those hard-pressed by the impact of the virus,” Cabinet said in a statement.

Every year on 18 July, South Africans, together with the global community, honour the former President and international icon, Dr Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, through the celebration of Nelson Mandela International Day.

“In these trying times, we depend on our spirit of national solidarity and selflessness as epitomised by Madiba to see one another through,” Cabinet said.

During Mandela Month, South Africans embrace the chance to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s life for the whole of July.

This gives everyone the opportunity to heed the call to action for people to recognise their individual power to make an imprint and change the world around them.

A global movement for positive change begins with small actions. As each person acts, they fuel momentum toward positive change, raising awareness and expanding the reach of Mandela’s values of fighting injustice, helping people in need and practicing reconciliation.

Source: South African Government News Agency

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2021/22 tax revenue collection outlook positive, says SARS Commissioner

Despite the crippling effects the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have on the country’s economy, South African Revenue Services (SARS) Commissioner Edward Kieswetter says the tax revenue outlook was positive.

This was revealed during the launch of the 2021 Tax Season on Thursday.

SARS collection activities, which are integrally linked to the state of the economy, were severely hampered by the weight of the restrictions.

“It will be felt,” he said. “The economy has already begun to show encouraging signs of recovery after the impact of the pandemic, but we have a long way to go before we return to pre-COVID levels.

“The fiscal year 2021/22 began on a very positive footing, showing encouraging signs, albeit from a low base. The positive start to the financial year 2021/22 is reflective of a continued economic performance in the period of January to March 2021.”

“We remain committed to safeguard the public’s confidence in our tax administration system during these unprecedented times. Collectively we will ensure that the tax administration system of our Republic continuously made accessible to allow taxpayers to fulfil the obligations and to ensure that the tax revenues due are collected.

He said the SARS effort on improving the overall ecosystem towards compliance and a tremendous focus on revenue recovery is also starting to yield promising fruit. This was reflect in revenue for quarter one of its financial year to continue on the positive trend which was reported at the end of the last fiscal year.

“We are particularly encouraged by the shift in voluntary compliance from large businesses on the international segment and we will continue to work with and through our various stakeholders and intermediaries that represent those businesses in the SMME segment so that we can also improve voluntary compliance,” he said.

Turning attention to the impact of high employment rates, Kieswetter said the 32.6% rate in this regard was of great concern. This, combined with company closures, was anticipated to have an “immeasurable impact” on the country tax base.

“While the impact of the third wave of COVID-19 on the economy is not yet fully understood and presents a downside risk, we will continue to observe and modify our outlook.

“However, for now the tax revenue outlook for 2021-2022 remains positive.

The revenue collector vowed he would spare no effort to collect the tax and customs revenue that is due to the government and estimates set by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni in February.

Virtually filing returns

South African taxpayers will for the first time year have to virtually file their returns, Kieswetter announced.

“Branches will be closed for at least the next six weeks for in person visits. This is in large part to the fact that we are smack bang in the middle of our third wave and we obviously want to minimize the risk to taxpayers and our own staff.

“We are therefore launching today and historically for the first time a completely virtual tax filing season. Allow me to share with you how this has been made possible as I share with you important details of this coming tax season.”

Last year, SARS paid out R29.4 billion in returns to 2.38 million individual taxpayers.

“This year will be no different.”

Source: South African Government News Agency

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Kariega K9 members arrest robbery suspects

Gqeberha: Swift collaboration between SAPS Despatch members, Kariega K9 unit, a private security company and the community led to the speedy arrest of three alleged robbery suspects on 1 July 2021 in Despatch.

It is alleged that at about 12:00, a 53-year-old Despatch woman was walking in Bretner Street pushing two children in a pram when she noticed an unknown male walking towards her. At the same time a white Ford vehicle with two occupants (at the time) slowly passed her. As she turned her gaze towards the passing vehicle, the approaching male stood directly in front of her. He grabbed her necklace (estimated value R5000) from her neck and jumped into the white Ford vehicle. A witness to the incident got into his vehicle and chased after the fleeing suspects.

When the suspects’ vehicle stalled at the corners of Botha and Dromedaris Streets, four suspects alighted and started running. The community, K9 members and the private security pursued after the suspects who scaled several boundary walls trying to evade arrest. Three suspects aged 24, 27 and 29 were apprehended by the K9 members. The fourth suspect managed to get away.

On inspecting the vehicle, property suspected to be stolen in a housebreaking committed in the area earlier, was found in the car. The vehicle was impounded and the suspects were detained on a charge of robbery. Detectives will investigate a possible link to the housebreaking.

The suspects are expected to appear in the Uitenhage magistrates’ court soon.

Source: South African Police Service

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Survey Projects Demand for Business School Graduates to Rebound in Post-Pandemic Era

9 in 10 corporate recruiters bullish on MBA hiring and salary premium fueled by technology sector growth

RESTON, Va., June 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Graduate Management Admission Council™ (GMAC™), a global association of leading graduate business schools, today released its annual 2021 Corporate Recruiters Survey. The report found that corporate recruiters project a robust demand for business school graduates, with nine in ten of them expecting it to increase or remain stable in the next five years. In addition, a higher proportion of recruiters in 2021 (37%) expect the demand to increase than that in the previous year (30%), with more than half of the European recruiters (54%) sharing such a view compared to their Asian (32%) and American (34%) counterparts.

“In a little more than a decade, the proportion of surveyed recruiters planning to hire MBA graduates has grown significantly, a trend especially notable in Europe, where the percentage jumped from 44 percent in 2010 to nearly twice as much (86%) in 2021, and in the United States, where it grew from 56 percent to 94 percent, a 68 percent increase,” said Sangeet Chowfla, president and CEO of GMAC. “As corporations recover from the pandemic and rebuild their workforces, it is no surprise that business school graduates ― with their leadership and managerial skills in high demand ― are specially strengthened in their value proposition as an employee and uniquely positioned to meet today’s economic challenges.”

Key Findings

MBA salary and hiring are expected to return to pre-pandemic levels

In 2020, the projected MBA median salary reached an all-time high of $115,000 before COVID-19 severely disrupted the global economy and caused it to drop down to $105,000 three months into the pandemic. However, the median MBA salary for 2021 is projected to recover to its pre-pandemic 2020 level of $115,000. At this rate, the median salary of MBA graduates is 77 percent more than those with a bachelor’s degree ($65,000) and 53 percent higher as compared to those hired directly from industry ($75,000). This salary premium shows that investing in an MBA credential continues to pay off over the time, helping an MBA graduate earn $3 million more in his or her lifetime than someone holding only a bachelor’s degree. GMAC’s own mba.com offers a helpful tool to calculate the return of investment (ROI) for business school graduates.

Before the pandemic, 92 percent of recruiters indicated they were planning to hire MBA graduates in 2020. However, the disruptions caused by COVID-19 adversely affected those plans, and hence the actual hiring of MBA graduates (80%) was lower than 2020 projections. Looking ahead, the proportion of recruiters planning to hire MBAs in 2021 (91%) returns to the same level as pre-pandemic 2020 (92%). The MBA hiring projections exhibit strength across key regions and industries. Specifically, 95 percent of the recruiters in the consulting sector, an industry in most demand by MBA graduates, are projecting to hire them—a reversal from the 2020 actual hiring of 76%.

Technology sector embraces MBA graduates for hiring and promotion

According to survey respondents, demand for MBA graduates by the technology industry is anticipated to increase by 10 percentage points in 2021 compared to pre-pandemic 2020. In fact, with 96 percent of tech recruiters projecting to hire MBA graduates in 2021, the demand for MBA talents tops the previous three years. The data also show that two in three (68%) recruiters in the technology sector agree that leaders in their organizations tend to have a graduate business school education—an increase of 11 percentage points from 2020 (57%).

“Technology companies are placing a high value on leaders who are not just technically skilled, but also have strong strategic, interpersonal, communication and decision-making skills, as well as an understanding of the importance of diversity and inclusion and sustainability in their organizations – these will be critical to driving organizational growth and innovation,” said Peter Johnson, Assistant Dean of UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. “These core skills represent the signature business schools are imbuing in graduates from their MBA and business master’s programs.”

Perceptions of online programs are mixed depending on region, sector

Online programs have been gaining traction in recent years. According to GMAC data, 50 more online MBA programs accepted GMAT scores in the testing year (TY) 2020 as compared to five years earlier in TY 2016. In addition, 84 percent of online MBA programs reported an increase in applications in GMAC’s 2020 Application Trends Survey.

However, when corporate recruiters were asked about their level of agreement with the statement “My organization values graduates of online and in-person programs equally,” only one-third (34%) of them agreed. In terms of industries, recruiters from the finance and accounting industry (41%) are more likely to view graduates of online programs as equal to their on-campus peers, compared to their recruiting counterparts in consulting (25%) or technology (28%). As online programs are clearly a fast-growing area of graduate management education, the sustainability of demand will require a higher level of acceptance by employers, particularly when GMAC’s latest candidate research suggests a similar disparity in terms of perception of online versus in-person programs.

“As business schools continue to evolve modalities and more candidates are able to access MBA and business master’s programs through online delivery, this presents the graduate management education community with an opportunity to align expectations and outcomes for graduates and corporate recruiters,” said Chowfla.

About the Survey

GMAC has been conducting the Corporate Recruiter Survey on behalf of the graduate management education community since 2001. This year’s survey, administered in partnership with the Association of MBAs (AMBA), the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD), MBA Career Services & Employer Alliance (MBA CSEA), and career services offices at participating graduate business schools worldwide, received 529 responses between February 25 – March 31, 2021. More details of the full report, and other research series produced by GMAC, are available on gmac.com.

About GMAC™

The Graduate Management Admission Council™ (GMAC™) is a mission-driven association of leading graduate business schools worldwide. Founded in 1953, GMAC creates solutions and experiences that enable business schools and candidates to better discover, evaluate, and connect with each other.

GMAC provides world-class research, industry conferences, recruiting tools, and assessments for the graduate management education industry, as well as tools, resources, events, and services that help guide candidates through their higher education journey. Owned and administered by GMAC, the Graduate Management Admission Test™ (GMAT™) exam is the most widely used graduate business school assessment.

GMAC also owns and administers the NMAT by GMAC™ (NMAT™) exam and the Executive Assessment (EA). More than 7 million candidates on their business master’s or MBA journey visited GMAC’s mba.com last year to explore business school options, prepare and register for exams, and get advice on the admissions process. BusinessBecause and The MBA Tour are subsidiaries of GMAC, a global organization with offices in China, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

To learn more about our work, please visit www.gmac.com

Media Contact:

Teresa Hsu
Sr. Manager, Media Relations
202-390-4180 (mobile)
[email protected]

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La Fondation Gates s’engage à allouer 2,1 milliards de dollars pour faire avancer l’égalité des sexes dans le monde entier

Les engagements pris lors du Forum Génération Égalité feront progresser l’indépendance économique des femmes, renforceront la santé et le planning familial et accéléreront la présence des femmes aux postes de direction, car les femmes souffrent de manière disproportionnée de la pandémie.

PARIS, 30 juin 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Dans le cadre du Forum Génération Egalité organisé par l’ONU Femmes et co-organisé par les gouvernements du Mexique et de la France, la Fondation Bill & Melinda Gates a annoncé aujourd’hui un engagement de 2,1 milliards de dollars au cours des cinq prochaines années pour faire progresser l’indépendance économique des femmes, renforcer la santé et le planning familial des femmes et des filles et promouvoir les fonctions de leadership des femmes.

Le forum, qui se déroulera à Paris du 30 juin au 2 juillet 2021, rassemblera des gouvernements, le secteur privé et des partenaires de la société civile pour s’engager sur des actions spécifiques et annoncer des engagements financiers, politiques et de programmes qui permettront d’accélérer l’égalité des sexes et feront progresser les droits des femmes. Jamais depuis la quatrième conférence mondiale sur les femmes en 1995, où 47 000 participants et militants s’étaient rendus à Pékin, le monde ne s’est réuni pour prendre des mesures ambitieuses qui auront un impact considérable pour les femmes et les filles.

« Le monde se bat pour l’égalité des sexes depuis des décennies mais les progrès sont lents. C’est maintenant l’occasion de relancer un mouvement et d’apporter un réel changement », a déclaré Melinda French Gates, coprésidente de la Fondation Gates. « La beauté de notre combat pour l’égalité des sexes est que chaque être humain en tirera profit. Nous devons saisir ce moment pour bâtir un avenir meilleur et plus égalitaire. »

Le forum se déroule à un moment critique. Bien que nous ayons constaté des progrès au cours du dernier quart de siècle, nulle part au monde les femmes ne sont sur un pied d’égalité avec les hommes. Des vagues d’opposition aux droits des femmes ont émergé et des obstacles structurels à l’égalité des sexes et à la santé des femmes existent toujours.

L’engagement de 2,1 milliards de dollars de la Fondation au cours des cinq prochaines années fera progresser les activités dans trois domaines : l’indépendance économique, la santé et le planning familial et l’accélération de l’accession des femmes à des postes à responsabilité. Le financement comprend :

  • Indépendance économique : 650 millions de dollars sur cinq ans :  ce financement, qui s’inscrit dans le prolongement des travaux actuels de la Fondation sur l’indépendance économique des femmes, soutiendra les collectifs d’indépendance des femmes, renforcera l’économie des soins, améliorera l’inclusion financière des femmes et réduira les obstacles au travail rémunéré.
  • Planification familiale et santé : 1,4 milliard de dollars sur cinq ans :  cette somme réaffirme et élargit l’engagement de la fondation en faveur du planning familial et de la santé des femmes, en mettant l’accent sur l’augmentation des options et de l’accès aux contraceptifs et le soutien à un réseau de partenaires du planning familial, notamment le Partenariat pour l’approvisionnement en fournitures du FNUAP, le Planning familial 2030, le Mécanisme de financement mondial et la nouvelle initiative Shaping Equitable Market Access for Reproductive Health.
  • Accélération du leadership des femmes :  100 millions de dollars sur cinq ans / 230 millions de dollars sur 10 ans : il s’agit d’un tout nouvel engagement financier visant à accélérer l’inclusion des femmes dans les rôles de direction, principalement dans les domaines de la santé, du droit et de l’économie. Il comprend une contribution à un nouveau fonds mis en place par Co-Impact qui vise à démanteler les obstacles systémiques à l’égalité des sexes et au leadership des femmes et des filles dans le monde.

« L’égalité des sexes doit être au cœur des efforts mondiaux visant à réaliser des progrès vers les Objectifs de développement durable », a déclaré Bill Gates, coprésident de la Fondation Gates. « La priorité accordée à l’égalité des sexes n’est pas seulement la bonne chose à faire, elle est essentielle pour lutter contre la pauvreté et les maladies évitables. Le Forum Génération Égalité est une occasion de tenir les dirigeants responsables afin que nous puissions nous assurer que tout le monde, partout, ait la possibilité de vivre une vie saine et productive. »

Aujourd’hui, la Fondation Gates a également publié de nouvelles données qui montrent que les inégalités causées par la pandémie augmentent à un rythme alarmant, en raison des perturbations des services de santé pour les femmes, des pertes d’emplois dans les secteurs où les femmes sont sur-représentées et une forte augmentation des besoins en matière de soins et d’autres tâches non rémunérées. « Les répercussions de la pandémie ont contribué à priver les femmes et les jeunes filles de leurs chances de réussite », a déclaré French Gates

Selon l’Organisation internationale du Travail :

  • Le chômage des femmes a augmenté de 9 millions en 2020 par rapport à 2019 et devrait encore augmenter de 2 millions en 2021. Cette tendance n’est pas observée chez les hommes, qui devraient voir le chômage revenir à son niveau pré-pandémique en 2021.
  • En 2021, le nombre total d’emplois féminins dans le monde devrait rester de 13 millions inférieur à son niveau de 2019. En revanche, le nombre total d’emplois masculin devrait lui revenir à un niveau proche de celui de 2019, exacerbant ainsi les inégalités existantes au sein de la population active.

De nouvelles données d’Eurasia Group soulignent également que les politiques d’égalité entre les sexes peuvent alimenter la reprise économique mondiale à la suite de la pandémie de COVID-19 :

  • En donnant accès aux services de garde d’enfants aux femmes du monde entier qui en sont actuellement dépourvues, on pourrait générer jusqu’à 3 billions de dollars de PIB supplémentaires chaque année en leur permettant d’intégrer la population active.
  • La mise en place de programmes de transferts monétaires à l’échelle mondiale pourrait sortir jusqu’à 100 millions de femmes de la pauvreté absolue, définie comme le fait de vivre avec moins de 2 dollars par jour.

« Les femmes et les filles étaient déjà confrontées à des obstacles uniques à leur pleine participation à la vie sociale et économique et les dernières données montrent que la pandémie n’a fait qu’accentuer les disparités entre les sexes », a déclaré Mark Suzman, PDG de la Fondation Gates. « Chaque point de ces données représente une femme qui se bat pour un avenir meilleur et ce financement reflète notre engagement de longue date à soutenir toutes les femmes dans leur combat pour un monde plus juste et plus égalitaire. »

La fondation s’est engagée en faveur du planning familial et de la santé des femmes depuis ses débuts, il y a plus de 20 ans. Depuis près d’une décennie, elle soutient des partenaires dans le monde entier pour éliminer les obstacles structurels auxquels les femmes et les filles sont confrontées et pour faire avancer l’indépendance économique des femmes. L’égalité des sexes est au cœur des travaux de la Fondation et la Division de l’égalité des sexes vise à accélérer les progrès vers un monde plus égalitaire.

À propos de la Fondation Bill & Melinda Gates

Guidée par la conviction que chaque vie a une valeur égale, la Fondation Bill & Melinda Gates s’efforce d’aider tous les individus à mener une vie saine et productive. Dans les pays en développement, elle vise à améliorer la santé des populations et à leur donner la possibilité de se sortir de la faim et de l’extrême pauvreté. Aux États-Unis, elle cherche à faire en sorte que tous les individus, en particulier ceux qui ont le moins de ressources, aient accès aux opportunités dont ils ont besoin pour réussir à l’école et dans la vie. Basée à Seattle, Washington, la fondation est dirigée par le PDG Mark Suzman, sous la direction de Bill Gates et Melinda French Gates.

Contact média  :  [email protected]

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Gates Foundation Commits $2.1 Billion to Advance Gender Equality Globally

Commitments at the Generation Equality Forum will advance women’s economic empowerment, strengthen health and family planning, and accelerate women in leadership as women suffer disproportionately from the pandemic  

PARIS, June 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — As part of the Generation Equality Forum convened by UN Women and co-hosted by the governments of Mexico and France, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced a commitment of $2.1 billion over the next five years to advance women’s economic empowerment, strengthen women and girls’ health and family planning, and accelerate women’s leadership.

The forum takes place in Paris from June 30 to July 2, 2021, bringing together governments, the private sector, and civil society partners to commit to specific actions and announce financial, political, and programmatic commitments that will accelerate gender equality and advance women’s rights. Not since the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, when 47,000 participants and activists traveled to Beijing, has the world come together to take ambitious action that will have a transformational impact for women and girls.

“The world has been fighting for gender equality for decades, but progress has been slow. Now is the chance to reignite a movement and deliver real change,” said Melinda French Gates, co-chair of the Gates Foundation. “The beauty of our fight for gender equality is that every human being will gain from it. We must seize this moment to build a better, more equal future.”  

The forum takes place at a critical inflection point. While we have seen progress over the past quarter century, nowhere on Earth are women on equal footing with men. Waves of opposition to women’s rights have emerged, and structural barriers to gender equality and women’s health still exist.

The foundation’s $2.1 billion commitment over the next five years will advance activity in three areas: economic empowerment, health and family planning, and accelerating women in leadership. Funding includes:

  • Economic Empowerment: $650 million over five years: An expansion of the foundation’s existing work on women’s economic empowerment, this funding will support women’s empowerment collectives, strengthen the care economy, improve women’s financial inclusion, and reduce barriers to paid work.
  • Family Planning and Health: $1.4 billion over five years: This reaffirms and expands the foundation’s commitment to family planning and women’s health, with a focus on increasing options and access to contraceptives and support for a network of family planning partners, including UNFPA Supplies Partnership, Family Planning 2030, the Global Financing Facility, and the new Shaping Equitable Market Access for Reproductive Health initiative.
  • Accelerating Women in Leadership: $100 million over five years / $230 million over 10 years: This is an all-new funding commitment to accelerate women’s inclusion in leadership roles, primarily in health, law, and economics. It includes a contribution to a new fund by Co-Impact that aims to dismantle systemic barriers to gender equality and women and girls’ leadership around the world.

“Gender equality must be at the center of the world’s efforts to make progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Gates Foundation. “Prioritizing gender equality is not only the right thing to do, it is essential to fighting poverty and preventable disease. The Generation Equality Forum is an opportunity to hold leaders accountable so that we can ensure that all people, everywhere, have the opportunity to live healthy, productive lives.”

Today, the Gates Foundation also released new data that show pandemic-driven inequality is growing at an alarming pace, driven by disruptions to women’s health services, job losses in sectors where women are overrepresented, and a sharp increase in caregiving needs and other unpaid work. “Ripple effects of the pandemic have conspired to rob women and girls of opportunity,” said French Gates.

According to the International Labour Organization:

  • Unemployment for women rose by 9 million in 2020 compared to 2019 and is projected to increase another 2 million in 2021. This pattern is not true for men, who are projected to see unemployment decrease in 2021.
  • Total global female employment in 2021 is expected to remain 13 million below its 2019 level. By contrast, total male employment is expected to return to close to its 2019 level, exacerbating existing inequalities in the workforce.

New data by Eurasia Group also highlight that gender-equal policies can fuel the global economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic:

  • Providing access to childcare for women around the world who currently lack it could deliver up to $3 trillion of additional GDP each year by enabling them to participate in the labor force.
  • Instituting cash transfer programs globally could lift up to 100 million women out of absolute poverty, which is defined as living on less than $2 per day.

“Women and girls already faced unique barriers to their full participation in social and economic life, and the latest data show that the pandemic has only sharpened gender disparities,” said Mark Suzman, CEO of the Gates Foundation. “Each data point represents a woman fighting for a better future, and this funding reflects our longstanding commitment to support all women in their fight for a fairer and more equal world.”

The foundation has been committed to family planning and women’s health since it began more than 20 years ago. For almost a decade, it has been supporting partners around the world to break down structural barriers that women and girls face and to advance women’s economic empowerment. Gender equality is core to the foundation’s work, and the Gender Equality division is focused on accelerating progress toward a more gender-equal world.

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman, under the direction of Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates.

Media Contact: [email protected]