South Africa Vision

The Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Narend Singh, has called for the swift prosecution of a motorist found in the illegal possession of 640kg of dry abalone in Makhanda, Eastern Cape.

‘We commend the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Monitoring Control and Surveillance (MCS) Unit, working together with the South African Police Service (SAPS), for their vigilance, and for ensuring that the confiscated abalone was safeguarded until it was weighed, tagged and transported to the departmental storage facilities,’ Singh said on Wednesday.

This follows the arrest of a man found in possession of 27 black plastic bags containing a total of 13 661 dry abalone.

On 5 August 2024, the MCS unit based in Port Alfred was called out to Makhanda following the discovery of the poached abalone during a stop-and-search by the SAPS.

The department said the MCS Unit will continue to work with law enforcement and other stakeholders to curb the illegal trade of marine living resourc
es through Operation Phakisa’s Initiative 5 – Compliance and Enforcement.

Departmental officials will also heighten participation in community awareness programmes by visiting schools to educate the youth on the sustainable utilisation of marine living resources.

‘I urge every South African to be vigilant and report any environmental crimes to the authorities. It is crucial that our communities work hand in hand with law enforcement agencies to protect our marine resources,’ Singh said.

Source : South African Government News Agency

The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure Minister, Dean Macpherson, and the City of Cape Town Executive Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, are expected to embark on a tour to neglected and hijacked departmental-owned buildings in Cape Town.

‘The Minister and the Mayor are committed to working together to find long-term solutions to these buildings to ensure that they are used for the public good and contribute to the overall economic growth and job creation in the city,’ said the department.

The two are set to visit 2 Keizersgracht Street which has fallen into disrepair and has been occupied, the Hout Bay Harbour and Waterloo Green in Wynberg which has slowly been stripped over many years.

Source : South African Government News Agency

Deputy Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Steve Letsike, has called on men from all walks of life to join President Cyril Ramaphosa in signing the pledge to take a decisive stand against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF).

This comes after President Ramaphosa launched the call to action by signing the pledge alongside men from all sectors of society in Pofadder, Northern Cape, during the 2024 Women’s Day celebration on 9 August.

The pledge commits men to be allies and part of the solution by maintaining positive behaviour and attitudes, and to take responsibility for their actions.

The pledge also commits men to never raise a hand against a woman, to treat women as equals, respect the rights of women, and to treat women with dignity.

Letsike commended the President’s commitment to the pledge.

‘We are [calling on] all men, in all… [their] diversity — in townships, in our villages, in our dorpies, and in suburbs, to sign this pledge and play an
active role in our fight against gender-based violence and femicide.

‘We can agree that no woman, no child, no LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender or intersex), no person with disability, including men, deserves to die at the hands of other human beings, particularly men. We must end all kinds of violence in society, and [build] the safe, peaceful and secure communities that we deserve,’ Letsike said.

The Deputy Minister reiterated that together, more can be done to build a society where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

‘Your pledge is invaluable, and your impact will be felt by generations to come,’ Letsike said.

The virtual pledge can be signed at https://www.stateofthenation.gov.za/endGBVF.

Source : South African Government News Agency

Dr Eugenia Ndukwe, Executive Director, Young Global Leadership (YGL) Network, an NGO, says young leaders’ exposure to technopreneurial skills will ensure a stable economy and contribute to the county’s development.

Ndukwe said this at the opening of the 2024 Young Global Leadership Annual Diplomacy, Entrepreneurship and Technopreneurship programme held on Tuesday in Abuja.

She said that YGL in partnership with a consulting firm, XEM Ltd. had designed the programme/bootcamp to empower the next generation of Nigerian leaders and entrepreneurs.

‘The bootcamp is hosting talented young people aged 8-15, offering them a unique opportunity to develop critical diplomacy, entrepreneurship and technology skills,’ she said.

Ndukwe said the bootcamp was necessary in view of the desire of many parents to have their children travel abroad to study and become global citizens, not being mindful of them having a global mindset.

‘Entrepreneurship has come into play because if you look at what is happening especially with
fresh graduates, you will see that everybody wants to work but is working sustainable?.

‘The easier way for you to make it in life today is to commercialise your skill and knowledge; when you commercialise your skill and knowledge, you attain self satisfaction and financial sustainability.

‘We started the leadership and entrepreneurship programme to see how to help the young ones take advantage of the opportunities that are available in the world of technology. Life is not just about socialising.

‘We prepare our young leaders to be the agents of global impact and national development.

‘We have to teach them how to be responsible and also be contributory citizens in their immediate community by first identifying their weaknesses and their strengths, and then harnessing the knowledge into something useful,’ Ndukwe said.

According to her, YGL is determined to ensure that young ones identify their talents and as such decided to build the child’s self esteem and public speaking confidence.

Ndukwe added that
for young leaders to be outstanding, they have to be taught about diplomacy, to understand the culture or the global environment.

‘When they are not intentionally raised to know these things they are faced with emotional challenges, cultural challenges as well as psychological issues.

‘So the bootcamp through interactive sessions and hands-on projects, participants will gain insights into global affairs, leadership, innovation, technopreneurship and the importance of social responsibility.

‘The programme is designed to equip young minds with tools to become proactive citizens and fulfil their potential,’ Ndukwe said.

She therefore called for parents to support the children, noting that most parents only believe in a conventional school environment.

The expert also appealed for government’s support, as reputable resource persons were usually engaged to mentor the children, since the organisation was contributing to social cohesion, societal integration and national development.

On his part, the programme
‘s coordinator, Mr Samuel Chukwu said the children were being mentored to be future leaders.

‘We have realised that what a country needs to be a world power or to survive is leadership and a strong economy.

‘That is why we have classified this bootcamp under leadership and entrepreneurship.

‘We believe in catching them young; we don’t believe anybody is too small, so all we can do is to give them every skill they need to become leaders of tomorrow.

‘So, I encourage parents to embrace this because the world is a global village and your children need all the support they need to get.

‘Bring them to this programme and let us help you nurture Nigeria citizens that are positive contributors,’ Chukwu said.

One of the young leaders, David Chigozirim, a Junior Secondary School (JSS 2) student, and a third time participant, said that he learnt about public speaking and could now speak boldly and confidently in the crowd.

He further said he learnt so much about technopreneurship using the internet to create busi
ness ideas and popularise them worldwide.

On her part Fatima Sagir, a Grade 4 pupil, said she had learnt about diplomacy and international interactions, especially how to relate with other citizens of other countries.

Sagir said she also learnt about emotional intelligence.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the bootcamp tagged ‘Diplomacy and Entrepreneurship Bootcamp’ will end on Aug. 23.

Source : News Agency of Nigeria

The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DJCOD) has refuted claims alleging that the National Prosecuting Authority’s Investigating Directorate has been hampered in doing its work on the State Capture Commission report.

The department said ‘inaccurate media reports’ allege that the NPA ID has not been ‘able to access critical information from the erstwhile State Capture Commission’s (the SCC) Data Centre’.

‘We wish to clarify that the cooperation between the Ministry and Investigating Directorate of the NPA remain cordial and professional. On the 31st of July 2024, the Ministry met with a number of the entities of the department, and it pledged its unwavering commitment to support the work of the NPA and its Investigative Directorate.

‘The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development is the legal custodian of all the assets of the Commission including the data centre, following the expiry of the term of the SCC. The department holds these assets on behalf of the South African State
, government and people. This mandate arises from the custodianship of the Commissions Act, 1947, residing with the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development.’

The department further stated that the data centre has devolved to the DJCOD as envisioned by the founding Memorandum of Agreement between the department and its counterpart, the National Treasury.

Furthermore, the department said it remains committed to ‘transparency, accountability, and the effective use of its data to support justice and governance’.

‘The department established a Residual Mechanism to deal with remaining matters of the Commission.”

The Commission continues to supply and support all law enforcement agencies and other entities with data and information, as and when requested. Further, there is a Secretariat that continues to manage the data centre and support all law enforcement agencies and other entities in accessing the database.

‘To ensure effective utilization of the data, the Commission trained over 20 NPA investig
ators, providing them with direct access to the Commission’s digital forensic platforms. The Commission’s secretariat has consistently supplied the requested data and documents.

‘The Secretariat has positively responded to data requests from various law enforcement agencies, including the NPA’s ID, DPCI [Directorate of Priority Crime Investigations ]- HAWKS, Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU), Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC), South African Revenue Service (SARS), Special Investigating Unit (SIU), and some State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs). The remaining staff that is experienced in data science and programming, continue to support ongoing projects’ the department said.

Source : South African Government News Agency

Amb. Olawale Awe, Head, ECOWAS National Office, Nigeria, has said that the ECOWAS parliament, commision and the Administration and Finance Committee (AFC) must work in synergy to achieve success.

Awe stated this while presenting a paper at a meeting of the ECOWAS Parliament’s Joint Committee on Administration, Finance, Budget, Public Accounts, Macroeconomic Policy and Economic Research, on Tuesday, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Speaking on the theme: ‘The Working Relationship between the ECOWAS Parliament, the ECOWAS Commission and the Administration and Finance Committee (AFC), he stressed that collaboration was crucial to achieving success.

He said: ‘It is fundamental that these three entities work with synergy for effective coordination and collaboration to achieve the successful implementation of the Community’s policies and programmes.

‘It can be argued that despite their distinct functions, they all play complementary roles in the financial management of the organisation, in that there is an interplay of
their respective roles and responsibilities.

‘For synergy, matters relating to the Community’s economic and monetary integration policies, including the Community Budget, should be a co-decision.

‘The decision should be jointly taken by the Council of Ministers and Parliament, just as the relevant acts and regulations outlined,’ the ambassador said.

Awe, who is also the chairman of the AFC, noted that in some instances, the issue of overlapping mandates between the different arms can become a drawback due to ambiguity.

According to him, this can culminate in lack of coordination, which he said impedes the smooth implementation of ECOWAS policies and programmes.

He said that in order to enhance and optimise the working relationship between the trio, certain strategies should be deliberately adopted.

The expert explained that this was because the AFC’s role in budgetary oversight had become a more collaborative venture.

‘It is imperative that the AFC works more closely with both the Parliament’s Committe
e on Administration, Finance and Budget Control and the Commission.

‘This is to ensure that budget allocations are aligned with priorities of the Community.

‘Together, transparency and accountability in the Community’s financial processes and management can be improved.’

Awe said that it was only with a seamless working relationship between the three that the financial, administrative practices and processes of ECOWAS would support its regional integration and development vision.

Source : News Agency of Nigeria