South Africa Vision

Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Ms Barbara Creecy, will host a national stakeholder consultation on Tuesday, 29 November 2022, ahead of the upcoming international talks on biological diversity next month.
The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity’s 15th Conference of Parties (UNCBD COP15) will be hosted in Montreal, Canada from 7-19 December 2022. This year’s meetings are being held under the theme “Ecological Civilization-Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth”.
The upcoming meetings are set to focus on key agenda items which are of strategic importance for South Africa. These include amongst others: mainstreaming of biodiversity within and across sectors; resources mobilisation and the financial mechanism; climate change as well as socio-economic considerations relating to living modified organisms.
The aim of the stakeholder consultation is to consolidate South Africa’s position for the negotiations at UNCBD COP15 and raise awareness around biodiversity and related response efforts.

Source: Government of South Africa

Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs MEC in the North West Province Nono Maloyi, says he is encouraged by the posture adopted by the business community of Ditsobotla, of working together with the provincial government to deliver services to communities.
MEC Maloyi together with his counterparts, Provincial Treasury MEC Motlalepula Rosho and Community Safety and Transport Management MEC Sello Lehari, met with the Ditsobotla Technical Team which included members of the local business community to get feedback on developments in the municipality following the dissolution of the council in September this year.
Members of the business community who attended the meeting lauded MEC Maloyi for his frank address to the problems facing Ditsobotla and they committed to working together with the provincial government to turn the situation around in the municipality. He committed to working with the business community to find solutions to all the issues raised during the interaction. Some of the business people have already started making their contribution towards addressing service delivery challenges in the area and this include fixing the road between Lichtenburg and Deelpan.
“Ditsobotla municipality has been unstable since after the local government elections in 2021 and it is important to bring stability now, so that the cohorts of new leaders coming after elections can take Ditsobotla back to being the best municipality. There is also a need for swift administrative interventions as most of the employees in the municipality also do not have relevant qualifications for positions that they are in”, he says.
MEC Maloyi maintains that the decision to dissolve the council of Ditsobotla was aimed at ensuring that there is stability. He has encouraged the community to vote for capable leaders who will turn the situation around in the municipality.

Source: Government of South Africa

President Cyril Ramaphosa has encouraged men to engage in open dialogue about their responsibility towards women and toxic masculinity.
“All of society should be mobilised to organise these men’s dialogues. Everyday, various entities devote resources to public engagements, conferences and seminars on various pressing social, economic and political issues of the day. These are fora where this engagement should happen,” President Ramaphosa said in his weekly newsletter penned as South Africa observes the 16 Days of Activism for no Violence against Women and Children campaign.
The President strongly encouraged government, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the private sector to support such dialogues in every workplace, place of worship, school, college and university and in every community.
“[GBV affects] every aspect of our society, including health and well-being, safety and security, and economic growth and productivity.
“In these dialogues, we need to examine our understanding of sexual consent. We must challenge the myth that rape is only considered rape if it involves a stranger, or if the victim responded by screaming for help, fighting back or reporting the matter immediately to the police,” President Ramaphosa said.
By bringing together men of all races, classes and generations to speak frankly about their understanding of masculinity, the President said more light can be shed on assumptions and practices that many people consider “normal”, which are actually harmful to women and children.
“We must change beliefs that men are strong and women are weak, that men have to be in charge, or that men can do as they please with women. Men need to understand that they can and should express their pain and frustrations without inflicting harm on others.
“As President, I stand ready to participate in men’s dialogues. I call on Ministers, Premiers, religious, political and community leaders, sports people, artists, celebrities and business people to do the same.
“The men of South Africa owe it to the women and children of this country to take up the struggle against gender-based violence. These men’s dialogues can be platforms for men to challenge each other to become better men, to be more responsible, more understanding and more caring,” President Ramaphosa said.
President Ramaphosa said the primary focus should be on preventing men and boys from becoming abusers in the first place.
“Men are the perpetrators of gender-based violence and it is therefore men that need to change,” President Ramaphosa said.
President Ramaphosa said it is men, as husbands and partners, fathers, colleagues, peers and classmates, who need to consider their own attitudes towards women and girls.

Source: South African Government News Agency