Category: Industry

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille will on Monday officially handover a recently completed bridge in the Ndwedwe Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal.

The Minister will be accompanied by KZN Transport Community Safety and Liaison MEC Peggy Nkonyeni and other local leaders.

The Welisizwe Rural Bridges Programme was gazetted as a Strategic Integrated Project in July 2020 as part of government’s Infrastructure Investment Plan approved by Cabinet in May 2020.

The department in an advisory said the programme was aimed at providing safe access to social amenities and further respond to potential disaster areas and emergency disaster situations.

“It ensures that community members especially school children can have safe passage to amenities such as schools and clinics and prevents devastating drownings which often take place in rural areas without proper infrastructure,” it said.

The intervention was done through the construction of Modular Steel Bridges.

The Department and its Defence & Military Veterans counterparts (DOD) entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on the implementation of the Welisizwe Programme. Subsequently, the DPWI and the KZN Department of Transport entered into a MOA on the implementation of the Welisizwe Programme within the KwaZulu-Natal province.

The province was identified as a key area for this intervention following inclement weather conditions caused by severe thunderstorm which resulted in adverse effects on both human life and property.

DPWI and SANDF undertook technical assessments in the identified potential disaster sites in KwaZulu Natal and the KwaZulu Natal Department of Transport committed funds for the installation of the fourteen (14) bridges in KZN. Teams from SANDF were deployed in 2020 with DPWI assisting in a coordinating role to install the bridges in the province.

Since April 2020, 11 of the 14 bridges have been completed in KZN at a cost of R103 million.

The project also forms part of government’s Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan (ERRP) to provide much needed financial relief and provide jobs and opportunities to community members and local companies.

To date the project has created 420 jobs in the various areas in the province thus far.

A number of local companies have also benefitted from the project through sub-contracting of goods and services during the installation of the bridges.

The programme is also contributing towards the skills development initiative as 23 graduates were appointed as part of the bridge assessment, project management team and maintenance team. These positions included engineers and candidate construction project managers.

Source: South African Government News Agency

As part of the country’s economic diplomacy efforts, President Cyril Ramaphosa will this week undertake visits to four West African countries – Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal.

In his weekly newsletter, the President said government is giving renewed attention to promoting trade and investment with countries on the African continent.

“These are countries with which we have strategic partnerships and are markets in which a number of South African businesses operate,” President Ramaphosa said.

In addition to government Ministers and officials, the President will be accompanied by a delegation of business people representing sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, construction, consumer goods, renewable energy, healthcare and pharmaceuticals.

The visit comes after the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) early this year and a successful Intra-African Trade Fair earlier this month.

The United Nations estimates that the market created under the AfCFTA is around 1.3 billion people with a combined gross domestic product of $3.4 trillion.

“The successful hosting of the Intra-African Trade Fair in Durban earlier this month was part of the effort to promote greater trade between our country and others on the continent and to help realise the promise of the AfCFTA. It is estimated that around $36 billion in deals were concluded at the Intra-African Trade Fair, in which more than 80 South African companies participated,” President Ramaphosa said.

In his inauguration address, which he delivered on Africa Day two years ago, he said: “South Africa is determined to work with all the countries on our continent towards a future of growth, opportunity and shared prosperity.”

The President said that the country’s fortunes are inextricably tied to those of our neighbouring countries.

“During my visits to Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal over the next week, we will look at how to leverage the opportunities presented by the AfCFTA to expand the footprint of South African companies into the continent and how we can better support those businesses already operating in other African countries,” he said.

The statesman will meet with the leaders of the four countries and look at how companies from those countries can find trade and investment opportunities here in South Africa.

The state visit to Nigeria will coincide with the 10th Session of the Bi-National Commission and will reflect on the progress made in advancing trade and investment between the two countries.

President Ramaphosa said that they will be looking in particular at how to support business expansion and job creation in both countries.

Ghana is another key strategic partner for South Africa and there are currently over 200 South African companies doing business in that country.

“Over the past decade these companies have engaged in large scale projects in Ghana representing over $1 billion in capital investment. Two South African banks, Investec and Rand Merchant Bank, have been involved in financing mass infrastructure projects such as road rehabilitation and construction, health infrastructure upgrades and railway line construction,” he said.

South African businesses also have a strong presence in Côte d’Ivoire. MTN, Standard Bank, Multichoice, Sanlam, Investec and the Development Bank of Southern Africa are some of the companies with significant investments in the country.

“I will be participating in an Economic Forum with South African and Ivorian business representatives, where we will be discussing opportunities in existing and emerging sectors such as renewable energy,” the President said.

In Senegal, the President said they will discuss how to facilitate greater trade and investment between the two countries.

“Currently, there are South African companies operating in the energy and wildlife tourism sectors among others, and a number of South African companies have expressed interest in entering the infrastructure construction space,” he said.

In all these visits, South Africa will be looking to build trade and investment relationships that benefit growth, development and employment in each country.

“For far too long, we African countries have trained our gaze on trade and investment opportunities in markets beyond the continent such as Europe, Asia and North America. If the AfCFTA is to be a success, we have to both strengthen the existing trade relationships with countries closer to home and forge new ones.

“Restoring and rebuilding our respective economies is as important as the fight against the health effects of COVID-19,” the president said.

The President hopes that these upcoming visits will not only strengthen fraternal ties with fellow countries on the continent, but that this will translate into new opportunities for South African businesses, new markets for South African products and the creation of employment for people.

“Equally, it is our hope that companies from the countries we are visiting will forge partnerships with South African companies and will find opportunities to invest and trade in South Africa,” the president said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, has assured stakeholders of government’s commitment to resolve challenges related to the Clanwilliam Dam project.

During the stakeholders’ engagement on Sunday with local business leaders, Water and Sanitation Forums as well as the farmers of West Coast, an impassioned plea to the Minister to unblock challenges relating to the raising of the dam wall was raised.

“The raising of the Clanwilliam Dam wall is the second biggest infrastructure project being undertaken in the Western Cape and is part of the Olifants River Water Resources Project, valued at about R4-billion,” the Department of Water and Sanitation said.

The project entails raising the dam wall by 13 metres. The accrued benefits of the project include:

Creation of much-needed jobs for residents, especially during the construction phase.

Increased water yields for West Coast resource-poor farmers.

Developing skills that will enhance the abilities of locals beyond the project.

The Minister said the project team will also look for ways to reduce project time without compromising project integrity.

“The department is acutely aware of the inconvenience caused by delays in this project and will work hard to speed up construction.”

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, Dikeledi Magadzi, engaged the traditional chiefs and the communities at the two villages of Maswanganyi and Homu, in Giyani Limpopo.

She led a series of community engagements as part of government’s continued effort in mobilizing community involvement and support in the implementation of the Giyani Bulk Water Supply Project.

The water pipe projects will bring bulk water to the Mopani District Municipality and Greater Giyani Local Municipality.

Water will be sourced from Nandoni Water Treatment Works to Nsami. The R971 million project is expected to be finished by end of June 2022.

The Deputy Minister called on Lepelle Northern Water and the department’s Construction North unit, as the implementing agents who will be responsible for the construction of the pipeline to engage with the community continually and update them of the progress of the projects.

“It is our responsibility as the Department of Water and Sanitation to ensure that bulk water supply is provided to Municipalities who will in turn ensure that there is reticulation of water to the communities they serve. Let us all work together as three spheres of government to ensure that there is water to our communities of Giyani. The Giyani Bulk Water Supply Project is now in full swing and will ensure that there is water in the area,” Magadzi said.

Hosi Khayizeni Maswanganyi of Maswanganyi Villages acknowledged the Deputy Minister’s swift handling of water challenges in their area.

“Deputy Minister Magadzi has promised to come back to us and she is here. This shows her Ministry’s commitment to resolve water challenges that have been going on in Giyani for a very long time. We really would like to thank Deputy Minister Magadzi, both local and district municipalities, including all the relevant stakeholders to ensure that the Giyani Bulk Water Supply Project is completed to address our water problems,” Hosi Maswanganyi said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

South African Airways has cancelled all of its flights to and from Mauritius following the imposition of a travel ban on South Africa by the Mauritian government.

Restrictions were also placed on at least five other Southern African countries after the Omicron variant was identified by South African scientists last week.

SAA interim CEO Thomas Kgokolo said despite efforts to help passengers – who were still allowed to travel to the island by Sunday – the airline was forced to cancel the inbound flight.

“After long planning with the team in ensuring that we dispatch a bigger aircraft to and from Mauritius to ensure that we serve as many customers as possible…we’ve received notification from the Mauritian government imposing further restrictions prohibiting all incoming travellers from South Africa.

“The SAA team remains committed in fulfilling travel plans. We have made flexible changes to accommodate all our customers who have been affected by all these unforeseen travel restrictions,” Kgokolo said.

The CEO added that customers who were scheduled to travel to the island country will be assisted by the airline.

“Our customers are allowed one free change on their alternate future travel date. We regret the inconvenience caused to you and your loved ones. We hope to be able to revert to normal operations.

“It has been a long two days in the airline industry and it’s been no different for South African Airways,” he said.

The airline assured customers travelling to other countries that it will offer vouchers and refund to customers should any new travel restrictions be implemented on the country.

“We are mindful that change is our new normal, and we need to be as agile as possible to meet our customer needs and keep travellers informed of changes in regulations pertaining to travel restrictions as and when imposed by countries that SAA flies to,” Kgokolo said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa’s Health Ministry on Friday attacked a global rush to impose travel bans to slow the spread of a new Covid variant as “draconian,” unscientific and contrary to WHO advice. The strain, renamed Omicron, has been blamed for a surge in fresh cases in South Africa, but has already cropped up in Hong Kong, Belgium, Israel and Botswana. “We believe that some of the reactions have been unjustified,” Health Minister Joe Phaahla told a news conference, accusing some leaders whom he did not name of seeking a “scapegoat.” Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands … Continue reading “South Africa calls travel bans ‘draconian, unjustified’”