Category: Government Opinion Pieces

Cabinet has approved the implementation of the Revised Game Meat Strategy for South Africa, which seeks to formalise and transform the game meat industry.

Briefing the media in Pretoria on the outcomes of Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said the strategy is also designed to contribute towards food security for the country.

“It aims to strengthen the game meat sector as both provider of food security and an economic growth sector that can help create job opportunities,” Ntshavheni said.

South Africa is ranked number one on the African continent for game meat production and therefore, said the Minister, needs to take full advantage of the economic opportunities that the sector provides.

“Ultimately, the strategy seeks to ensure the creation of 202 666 sustainable jobs in the game meat industry by 2030.”

The strategy will be published on the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment website at www.dffe.gov.za.

Tourism Master Plan 

Cabinet has also given the go ahead for the Department of Tourism to align the Tourism Sector Recovery Plan to a new Tourism Master Plan.

An important component of the Master Plan is to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism sector and provides a road map for full recovery of tourism in the country.

The Tourism Sector Recovery Plan was developed to facilitate the recovery of the sector, preserve jobs and protect livelihoods.

Ntshavheni said the Master Plan will take this work to another level and facilitate new opportunities in the sector.

“The plan proposes seven intervention strategies to ensure the tourism sector returns to its glory days and that the sector becomes the centre of job creation and entrepreneurship. These interventions include stimulating demand through rigorous campaigns, promoting South Africa internationally and cutting red tape in the processing of visas and tour operator licences.

“The tourism industry is a vital contributor to the economy and supported 725 000 jobs before COVID 19. Cabinet believes that the interventions will go a long way in restoring the role of tourism in the economy and job creation,” Ntshavheni said.

Competition Commission’s work commended 

Meanwhile, Cabinet commended the work of the Competition Commission in addressing monopoly concerns in digital intermediation platforms, including ecommerce, online travel agencies, food delivery, app stores, classifieds providers and search engines.

This comes after Cabinet received a report from the Commission outlining the findings and remedial actions on the Online Intermediation Platform Market Inquiry.

Ntshavheni said Cabinet has directed Ministers of the Economic Cluster to interrogate the policy implications and recommend required policy reforms.

“Cabinet encouraged the Commission to continue its good work in enabling SME’s and previously disadvantaged people, especially Black people to actively participate in the economy of their country,” the Minister said.

Cabinet has assured South Africans that control measures to manage the spread of the Bird Flu outbreaks are in place and farmers are encouraged to observe prescribed biosecurity measures.

This comes after Cabinet noted the current outbreaks of highly pathogenic influenza (HPAI) H5 and H7 in the poultry industry in South Africa.

The Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal have experienced outbreaks of HPAI H5, while HPAI H7 has been reported in the provinces of Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West.

“Control measures to manage the spread of the outbreaks are in place and farmers are encouraged to observe prescribed biosecurity measures.

“The outbreaks pose food security risks and trade measures in the form of imports to manage availability of fertile eggs, table eggs, and poultry meat may be implemented,” Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said during a Post Cabinet media briefing on Thursday.

Ntshavheni said that the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, South African Health Products Regulatory Authority and the industry are exploring applications for the registration of possible vaccines, with compliance measures relating to safety, efficacy and quality being paramount for registration of such vaccines.

On Tuesday, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) reported that as of 21 September 2023, a total of 50 HPAI H7 outbreaks and 10 HPAI H5 outbreaks have been reported.

Gauteng province is the hardest hit by HPAI H7, with 37 confirmed cases. Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West have confirmed two cases, respectively, while the Free State has recorded one case.

The department said the reported number of chickens that have died is 107 705, while the reported number of chickens that were culled is 1 318 521. Based on these reported figures, there has been a total loss of 1 426 226 chickens.

The Western Cape province is the hardest hit with regards to the HPAI H5 outbreak, having a total of seven reported outbreaks. The other 3 HPAI H5 outbreaks are within the KwaZulu-Natal province, the department said in a statement.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has joined the call to address the deep rooted challenges that continue to beset the development agenda across the world.

“South Africa joins the call to address the fundamental development challenges that have long characterised our unequal world. This requires targeted investment, technology transfer and capacity building support, especially in key areas such as industrialisation, infrastructure, agriculture, water, energy, education and health.

“It will also require predictable and sustained financial support, including supportive trade policies, from the international community,” he said.

The President was delivering remarks at the Sustainable Development Goals Summit, UN General Assembly, in New York, on Monday.

President Ramaphosa is on a working visit to the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA78) convening under the umbrella of ‘Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all’.

He emphasised that the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals depends on the fundamental reform of global social, economic and political relations.

President Ramaphosa told world leaders that the summit is vital and must therefore revive and accelerate progress towards the fulfilment of the promises that were made to the peoples of the world in 2015.

“The world’s poorest and most vulnerable people are carrying the cost of our collective inability to significantly advance the Sustainable Development Goals.

“We therefore need urgent action to reverse the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on development,” the President said.

President Ramaphosa stressed the need to step up actions against climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. At the same time, he said, they must recognise that every country has the right to pursue its own development pathway towards shared global objectives.

He emphasised that national efforts to eradicate poverty require a conducive international environment.

“There is an urgent need to transform the global financial architecture. In the face of growing protectionism, we need to ensure a fair, rules-based and multilateral global trade system that gives developing economies equal access to world markets,” he said.

South Africa has welcomed the important steps taken to address the impact of the current global economic crises on low- and middle-income countries through the mobilisation of additional financial resources for the 2030 Agenda, debt restructuring and concessional and grant financing to reduce poverty and hunger.

South Africa is looking forward to broadening existing bilateral trade with Vietnam, says Deputy President Paul Mashatile.

“As South Africa we’d like to increase our exports to Vietnam because we believe there is big potential for growth,” said the Deputy President on Friday.

He was speaking at the President Guesthouse in Pretoria where he was hosting his Vietnamese counterpart, Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan on an Official Visit to South Africa.

He told the delegates that South Africa is looking into providing the Southeast Asian country with agricultural agro-processing products.

“Vietnam is also interested in acquiring coal from South Africa and we’ll be able to provide that.”

While bilateral relations have been characterised by “good progress”, the country’s second in charge is of the view that there is room for improvement in some areas.

“There will be areas, Vice President, where we will continue to ask for your support. But we want in particular to work with Vietnam on a number of peace initiatives that we’re engaged with.

“We’re aware that Vietnam supports our peace initiatives on the African continent,” he said.

The two nations are celebrating 30 years of diplomatic relations and the Official Visit aims to reinvigorate and strengthen friendship ties and solidarity as well as to consolidate the multifaceted partnership further.

“I would like to take this opportunity to extend my utmost gratitude and sincere appreciation to you for graciously accepting and honouring my humble invitation for an Official Visit.”

He also thanked Vietnam for supporting South Africa to be part of the sectoral dialogue partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ESEA), which was approved recently.

Vietnam is South Africa’s fifth-largest trading partner in the ASEAN region.

Meanwhile, the total bilateral trade between South Africa and Vietnam in 2022 was valued at R23.8 billion, with imports from Vietnam valued at R18.5 billion and exports to Vietnam valued at R5.2 billion.

The Deputy President told the Vice President that South Africa places great significance on their “enduring” and “robust” relationship with Vietnam.

“Our relations are based on strong historical ties, solidarity and the integral role Vietnam played in the fight against colonialism and racial discrimination.”

He also reflected on the bilateral relationship that has evolved and strengthened over the years, resulting in a diverse and multifaceted partnership characterised by enhanced collaboration in several domains.

He said this includes rapid progress in people-to-people links and strong government-to-government relations.

“As we move forward, it is our sincere hope that these networks, which have already demonstrated their immense potential, will not only maintain their current level of strength and stature but also experience significant and continuous growth in the years to come.”

Deputy President Mashatile said he was pleased that some of the leaders in government have also further consolidated their relations in the energy, mineral resources and higher education sectors.

“South Africa has prioritised new investments as a source of economic growth stimulation with a view to create jobs and reduce poverty and inequality by promoting investment, improving our competitiveness, and leveraging technology and innovation.

“Your presence here highlights the importance that both our countries attach to deepening and broadening our existing bilateral relations, especially in growing our trade and economic ties.”

The Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and Germany’s KfW Development Bank have concluded a financing agreement for the production of vaccines.

Under the agreement the German government, through KfW, will provide South Africa with €20 million for vaccine production over a period of five years.

The grant is exclusively for financing equipment for the development, production and certification of active pharmaceutical ingredients for vaccine production in South Africa.

Announcing the signing of the agreement, Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister Dr Blade Nzimande said the grant will be used, among other things, to support the mRNA technology transfer hub that South Africa is hosting for the World Health Organisation (WHO), to build vaccine manufacturing capacity in low and middle-income countries, “although it will go beyond this in providing support”.

“The objective of the technology transfer hub is to establish or enhance sustainable mRNA vaccine manufacturing capacity in regions with no or limited capacity, introduce new technologies in low and middle-income countries, promote regional research and development, strengthen regional bio manufacturing know-how and workforce development, and develop regulatory capabilities to support and accelerate regional approval and distribution of mRNA vaccines,” Nzimande said.

In response to the WHO decision made during the COVID-19 pandemic, Nzimande said the German government indicated its commitment to supporting vaccine production in South Africa.

The agreement, signed on 25 July 2023, makes the DSI the recipient of the KfW financial support on behalf of the South African government, and recognises the DSI and its Director-General, Dr Phil Mjwara, as the custodian and leader of the South African vaccine manufacturing strategy.

The Minister said the German decision to work with the department could be seen as a vote of confidence in its leadership’s management of international funds.

“The German investment will build on the strategic investments by DSI and other partners, and KfW has agreed to work in alignment with the South African vaccine manufacturing strategy,” Nzimande said, adding that the funding could support catalytic initiatives under this strategy.

The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) will be the project executing agency and will report to the DSI through a steering committee.

SAMRC President and CEO, Professor Glenda Gray said, the Council is delighted to be part of the program, which will provide critical support to establishing a vaccine manufacturing industry in Sub-Saharan Africa.

“In addition to complementing the activities of the mRNA hub program, this partnership will seek to provide critical support in filing gaps in the pre-clinical research domain,” Professor Gray said.

KfW will appoint an implementation consultant to support the KfW and to assist the SAMRC.

The consultant will be responsible for providing sector-specific support for project planning, management, monitoring and evaluation, among others.

Ambassador Andreas Peschke, from the German Embassy in Pretoria, reiterated the important role played by South Africa in strengthening continental vaccine manufacturing capacities, indicating that “the country is at the very forefront of continental efforts for local pharmaceutical and vaccine research and production.”

“[South Africa’s] world-class research institutions and a solid industry meet the prerequisites for independent vaccine research, development, and production,” Peschke said.

Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, says Cabinet has been updated on Eskom’s current planned maintenance plan which has resulted in higher stages of load shedding.

The increased maintenance is aimed at ensuring the sustainability of Eskom’s plants.

“The concerted implementation of the planned fleet maintenance programme has resulted in increased stages of load shedding in recent days.

“The implementation of Stage 6 load shedding in the last week was a regress from the trends that prevailed in the previous weeks of lower stages of load shedding,” she remarked.

The Minister was briefing the media following this week’s Cabinet meeting.

She said “the current implementation of increased stages of load shedding is a short-term phase as Eskom prepares for more sustained and lessened stages of load shedding in the not-so-distant future”.

“The Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, will continue to update the nation on the progress being made to address the current electricity challenges and the steps being taken to ultimately end load shedding,” she said.

The City of Tshwane has advised residents that it has regrettably withdrawn, with immediate affect, its bus service and A Re Yeng operations.

The decision follows several incidents of organised violence and destruction of property in the city on Wednesday.

“A Tshwane bakkie, water tanker, three trucks from Water and Sanitation and an A Re Yeng bus were damaged in various violent attacks in the Pretoria CBD. Therefore, in the interest of the safety of both our communities and employees, we took the decision to suspend operations.

“Furthermore, it is important that we protect city infrastructure from these criminal acts. It is now clear that the city is no longer dealing with an illegal strike action, we are now dealing with a well-coordinated criminal attack on our infrastructure,” the city said.

The city has apologised to communities for the inconvenienced caused.

The city said it will work to ensure that all efforts are intensified to get the bus service back on track when it is safer to do so.

The Department of Employment and Labour’s Public Employment Service (PES) unit in Limpopo is today launching a series of community outreach programmes targeted at work seekers in the Capricorn District Municipality.

The outreach sessions begin today at Maikhutsong Crèche in Paledi Ga-Thoka.

According to the department, the sessions are aimed at enriching youth in the Capricorn District Municipality with valuable information for job hunting, making informed career decisions, and pursuing training and development opportunities.

Career Guidance Coordinator, Emmanuel Ravhudzulo, said the primary objective of these sessions is to assist job seekers with information that will enhance their career insights and bolster their employability through a range of job hunting skills programmes covering aspects such as CV writing, interview preparation and work ethics.

During these sessions, unemployed job seekers will receive comprehensive support and guidance on various strategies to secure employment or access skills development opportunities, and will also be registered on the Employment Services of South Africa (ESSA) database for possible future employment.

“We are dedicated to helping individuals who find themselves at a career crossroad and are unsure about their next steps, whether it involves embarking on their initial career journey, advancing in their current profession, or exploring new career paths,” Ravhudzulo said.

Work seekers are encouraged to bring along their CVs to the sessions.

The outreach will take place according to the schedule below:

President Cyril Ramaphosa has removed Public Protector, Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, from office on grounds of misconduct and incompetence following a National Assembly debate and vote on the Section 194 committee report.

The committee was established in March 2022 to conduct an enquiry into Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office.

The subsequent report recommended that she be removed from office and this was adopted by a majority in the National Assembly on Monday.

“The National Assembly resolved with the requisite two-thirds majority that Advocate Mkhwebane be removed from the Office of the Public Protector for misconduct and incompetence.

“Section 194(3)(b) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa stipulates that when the National Assembly adopts a resolution for the removal of the Public Protector, the President “must” remove the Public Protector from the office.

“Accordingly, President Ramaphosa has informed Advocate Mkhwebane of the action to remove her from the Office of the Public Protector,” the Presidency said in a statement.

The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DJCOD) is expected to officially launch the Masters’ Deceased Estates Online Registration System in October.

In a webinar to inform the public about the new online service, Advocate Kanyane Mathibe, Chief Director for Strategy and Policy in the Office of the Chief Master said the system seeks to enable the Masters’ offices to serve clients in a quicker manner and reduce queues.

“We then embarked on a journey to develop an online deceased estates registration system that cuts the time in half that you can now register or report estates in the comfort of your home or in your office without having to interact with the Masters’ Office except in the lodgement of an original will where you would still need to lodge the original will after which the letter of authority would be granted.

“Further to that, we then allowed other features to be developed including an online appointment booking system where you would be able to book an appointment with the master in your jurisdiction at a specific time and you will be attended to either by an estate controller, a legally trained professional or an assistant master…depending on the complexity of the matter,” Mathibe said.

She explained that the office had received a number of complaints about services at the Master’s Office and this, coupled with other factors, prompted the move towards an online service.

“We have had challenges. Some…would have submitted complaints about the challenges that you’re experiencing with the Masters’ Office. We’ve got long queues. We’ve got more clients than we have the capacity to handle in our offices. We’ve seen increased customer complaints over the year, two years or so with the slow response of our systems, the high likelihood of fraud where letters of authority are being manipulated through fraudulent activities.

“Repeat walk ins where you come into the Master’s Office, you do not have the right documents, we send you back and you still have to come back. In some instances, misplacing or losing client documents where then duplicate files would have to be created. And we’ve been plagued by load shedding…that interrupts our services in offices where back up power has not been installed,” she said.

Mathibe added that a new letter of authority will be put in place in order to cut out incidents where letters of authority or executorship were fraudulently obtained through falsifying signatures.

“We now have a QR Code…that is embedded in a letter of authority. So the new letter of authority…it’s got an embedded QR code where you can then verify the authenticity of the letter of authority or the letter of executorship by a master,” she said.