Category: Key Issues

International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Dr Naledi Pandor, on Tuesday warned that the crime of genocide “sadly” looms large in the current situation in Gaza, as the conflict between Israel and Palestine continues.

“We recall that in 1994, a genocide occurred on the African continent, with much of the whole world watching as innocent people were massacred,” she said.

Pandor, who delivered a statement in the National Assembly explaining the country’s standpoint on the war, called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the opening of humanitarian corridors and basic services to allow much-needed aid to reach those that are injured.

“The actions that we are witnessing daily by Israel are a violation of international law, including the United Nations Charter, the Geneva Convention and all its protocols, and its attacks on and kidnapping of innocent civilians.”

While she did not mince her words when talking about Israel, she told the Members of Parliament that Hamas has also violated international law.

“While we express horror at the violence, it is critical that we acknowledge that the illegal occupation of Palestine by Israel for several decades has led to bitter hatred and increased violence, and this violence is not the first violence the people of Palestine have experienced.”

The violation, she said, has been going on for decades.

“The murder of children of women… is an act that should have resulted in the International Criminal Court issuing an immediate arrest warrant for key decision makers, including Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, who is responsible for violations of international criminal law.”

According to Al Jazeera, at least 10 328 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7. Meanwhile, the news channel said the death toll in Israel over the same period stands at more than 1 400.

Pandor has once again stressed that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can only be solved through the establishment of two States, Palestine and Israel, living side by side in peace.

“The Palestinian State should be created along the lines of the 1967 border with East Jerusalem as its capital, and in line with standing multiple UN resolutions.”

Pandor believes that for this two-State solution to materialise, a peace process initiated by the United Nations (UN) needs to commence urgently.

“We are aware that increasing settlements and illegal occupation have been used to make the creation of a Palestinian State almost impossible.”

Pandor has since outlined concrete actions to end the suffering, including an immediate comprehensive ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors.

She called on all parties to exercise restraint and to desist from fueling unjust war and human suffering, including by seizing the supplying of weapons to the various parties and for the release of all civilian hostages.

“Africa seeks the resumption of a comprehensive dialogue led and owned by Palestinians and Israelis themselves and facilitated by the United Nations,” she said.

In addition, she called for the deployment of a UN Rapid Deployment Force in Palestine mandated to monitor the implementation of a ceasefire, cessation of hostilities and most importantly, to protect civilians.

“Our common humanity dictates that all human lives matter. The time for the international community to stand together and act is now. We, who enjoy freedom from apartheid, can never ever be the ones who agree to any apartheid form of oppression.

“This brutality should not be accepted. We must call for a ceasefire.”

The Western Cape Provincial Government has welcomed the decision to declare the floods that took place in September as a national disaster.

In a notice published in the Government Gazette on Tuesday, the National Disaster Management Centre declared the floods as a National Disaster for the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces.

“We are pleased with this declaration, as it now enables all three spheres of government to work together to fund and repair the damage left in the wake of the unprecedented rains experienced over the Heritage Day long weekend in September,” Western Cape Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC, Anton Bredell, said.

Bredell said the disaster classification makes it possible for the provincial government to approach the National Disaster Management Centre for relief funds to support the work needed to recover and repair damages suffered to public infrastructure, including buildings, roads, bridges, and water networks.

The MEC said the damage assessments for the September floods are estimated at R441 million for provincial infrastructure, and a further R154 million for municipal damages.

“We will now request the National Disaster Management Centre to approach National Treasury with these numbers [but] there is no certainty on how much or when we will receive any support from the national government. The provincial government will reprioritise existing budgets and continue with our own recovery efforts as best we can,” Bredell said.

According to the latest figures from provincial Infrastructure Department, 22 roads remain closed as repairs are prioritised for roads that connect communities and vital for economic activity.

In the aftermath of the floods, both the N1 and N2 highway, including more than 150 other roads, were closed.

The Environmental Affairs and Development Planning Department has so far received 238 applications to do emergency repairs in rivers and streams that under normal conditions would require lengthy environmental approvals.

“The department has already finalised 196 of these applications making use of Section 30A of the National Environmental Management Act, which allows for verbal approval in an emergency to carry out listed or specified activities to prevent or contain further damages to affected areas,” Bredell said.

While government has made progress in tackling plastic pollution, it has committed to address the problem of plastic pollution in consultation with the plastic industry and organized labour as the sector sustains approximately 60 000 jobs.

Over the past two years, five registered extended producer schemes that support plastic waste collection and recycling have been registered in the country, resulting in the removal of 368 600 tons of plastic waste from the environment.

“It has supported between 60 000 and 90 000 waste reclaimers and it has promoted hundreds of public clean up and public education initiatives,” Minister of Forestry and Fisheries and Environmental Affairs Barbara Creecy said on Tuesday.

The Minister was addressing the National Stakeholder Consultation Session on the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee third session (INC-3) on the development of the international legally binding instrument on curbing plastic pollution taking place in Nairobi, Kenya.

“South Africa has a significant plastics industry that sustains approximately 60 000 formal jobs. Because of this we will ensure that as we approach the problem of plastic pollution and the measures necessary, we work in consultation with the plastics industry and organized labour.

“In the retail and fast-food space many outlets have substituted single use plastics with bio-degradable products. We now have regulatory requirements for re-cyclate content in plastic and black bags,” the Minister said.

Government’s initiatives to tackle plastic pollution have been done as part of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) initiatives, which is a key policy instrument to address the increasing volumes of plastic pollution.

The Minister said negotiations with the plastic sector must be guided by the following principles:

• The first is that all decisions must be based on the best available science and what this science is telling us about the impact of certain products on the environment.
• The second is there needs to be open and transparent sharing of information about the chemicals used in plastic production, given the various applications of plastics in food contact applications;
• The third is that this new international legally binding instrument will likely result in the need for new regulatory controls on a domestic level;
• The fourth issue is finance: should the international instrument lead to obligatory measures to curb plastic pollution, there will be a need for these measures to be supported by equally ambitious means of implementation. So developing countries will argue for a financial mechanism that would ensure predictable and adequate financial resources to assist in curbing plastic pollution in developing countries.

Last year, South Africa supported the development of an internationally legally binding instrument to combat plastic pollution at the Fifth Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly in the first quarter of 2022.

“At that time we recognised the threat plastic pollution poses to human health, ecosystem functioning, and the marine environment. In signing up for this process, we recognised our constitutionally imposed obligation to protect our environment and human health.

“Consequently, on the domestic front we understand that this requires a holistic approach that understands the full life-cycle of plastic manufacture, use, and disposal in the context of the National Waste Management Strategy, 2020,” the Minister said.

Accordingly, South Africa has focused on three aspects:

• Supporting and strengthening municipal waste management services to prevent plastic leaking into the environment;
• Developing extended producer responsibility schemes to collect, reuse and recycle plastic waste with the aim of promoting a circular economy in the plastic industry;
• Promoting public awareness and clean up campaigns to remove plastic waste from rivers, wetlands, and beaches.

Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, says it is important for Eskom to up the reliability of generating units in order to maintain the credibility of efforts to lessen the intensity of load shedding.

The Minister was speaking at Arnot Power Station in Mpumalanga on Monday, where he kicked off a series of follow-up visits to power stations.

“We are on track to reducing significantly the intensity of load shedding. Of course, we had a period of eight days with no load shedding, then we hit a snag where 11 units were out as a result of boiler tube leaks. Those units are coming back.

“It’s important that we maintain the reliability of these units so that we are able to restore and maintain the credibility of our efforts and the ability of Eskom to resolve this challenge,” he said.

Ramokgopa said over the next two months, more generating units are expected to return to service – further boosting generation capacity for the grid.

“We are expecting Kusile [Power Station] Unit 2 to come on stream by the third week of November, and Unit 5 by the third week of December.

“But that’s not sufficient. We need additional generation capacity, especially renewable energy sources, because the Eskom fleet alone won’t resolve load shedding and secure energy security. That’s why we are investing a lot of effort and resources to ensure that we find a solution for the financing and rollout of transmission,” he said.

The Minister said financing for the rollout will cost “upward of R390 billon”.

“We are at an advanced stage, and taking a proposal to Cabinet to say this is how we think we can be able to tap into the liquidity that exists in the private sector so that we don’t just over-rely on these units that are ageing.

“We need additional generation sources and those principally have to be renewables. But renewables need transmission capacity… renewables also thrive on the existence of baseloads [like] coal, nuclear and hydro, [which] are some of those that are important to the resolution of this problem,” Ramokgopa said.

Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creecy has issued her decisions on appeals that were submitted against the decisions of the Delegated Authority in the Hake Longline (HLL) Sector, in terms of the Fishing Rights Allocation Process 2020/2021 (FRAP 2021).

The Minister’s General Published Reasons for her Appeal Decisions in the Hake Longline Sector: 2021/2022 will be published on the department’s website.

The department will provide appellants with the outcome of their individual appeals in due course.

In addition, rightsholders will be able to access the FRAP Online Portal for their grant of rights letters, which will be uploaded shortly.

“In my consideration of these appeals, I balanced a wide range of factors, including the principles and objectives of the Marine Living Resources Act 18 of 1998 (MLRA), the 2021 General Policy on the Allocation of Commercial Fishing Rights and the sector specific policy on the allocation of commercial fishing rights in the Hake Longline sector: 2021.

“I was cognisant of the need to introduce new entrants into the sector to broaden access to the fishing industry and to promote transformation of industry,” Creecy said on Tuesday.

On appeal, an additional eight Category A, 2 Category B and 6 Category C applicants were awarded rights.

To facilitate the admission of the successful appellants into the sector, it was necessary to reduce the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) allocated to category A applicants and to redistribute the TAC in an equitable manner, whilst ensuring that no rightsholder’s TAC falls below the minimum allocation.

“In my determination on the reduction of the TAC and the redistribution thereof, I was mindful of the need to ensure stability in the sector, so as to minimise any negative impact on existing participation in job creation, and to avoid any job losses.

“In addition, the limited availability of TAC required that I exercise my discretion on the distribution of the resource in a manner that ensures sustainable development of the natural resource, whilst ensuring that rightholders are able to sustain themselves.

“I am satisfied that based on a careful consideration of the appeals, I have arrived at the correct decision on each appeal and for the sector as a whole,” the Minister said.

The department is endeavouring to finalise the Sardine appeals (169 appeals) by 25 November 2023 and the Anchovy appeals (230 appeals) by 30 November 2023, so that the process is finalised before the commencement of the next fishing season for each of these sectors on 15 January 2023.

Link to the General Published Reasons (GPR): https://www.dffe.gov.za/sites/default/files/legislations/appeals/04nov2023gpr_hakelongline.pdf.

South Africa has recorded over 7 400 malaria cases between January and October this year, with only 17% of these having been locally acquired.

This means that more people got infected while out of the country, while the country logged at least 66 deaths during the same period.

The Department of Health has since urged all people travelling to and from malaria-endemic or high-risk areas to take the appropriate precautionary measures to prevent possible infection, as the country enters malaria season.

“Summer season marks the start of the malaria period in South Africa due to higher temperatures and increased rainfall in the malaria transmission areas,” the department explained.

Cases are starting to rise in some parts of the country, especially in high-risk areas.

Malaria symptoms include headache, fever, chills, and muscle and joint pain. The department advised citizens, who experience these signs, to visit their local health facility without delay for effective treatment.

“Late presentation to a health facility with symptoms is one of the contributing factors to increasing malaria morbidity and mortality rates,” the department said.

Malaria is defined as a life-threatening, but preventable and curable disease.

“Early detection saves lives,” the department stressed.

The department has since intensified its malaria response plan through screening and testing around borders in high-risk provinces such as KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo throughout the year for early detection of imported cases.

The department is also embarking on public education campaigns and indoor residual spraying in high-risk areas every year from September until the beginning of the following year.

The department warned pregnant women and children under five years to avoid visiting malaria-endemic areas, unless they take extra caution.

As the Southern African Development Community (SADC) observed Malaria Day on Monday, the Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) said it continues to target public transport nodes, such as taxi ranks and bus stations, to heighten education among the public on prevention measures.

This comes as Gauteng hospitals reported 1 105 malaria cases and 10 deaths from January to September 2023, as a result of the life-threatening disease spread to humans by mosquitoes in endemic areas.

“The majority of people who were admitted and those who have demised as a result of the disease had travelled to Mozambique, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Angola,” the GDoH said, adding that these countries are known to be malaria-endemic regions.

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has once again called on Israel to adhere to its obligations under international law and protect civilians as required under the Geneva Conventions and under International Humanitarian Law.

This comes after reports from Al Jazeera suggested that Israel may delay the repatriation of nationals from countries such as South Africa, Brazil and Ireland due to these countries having called for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“According to reports from the ground in Gaza, Israel is reportedly choosing countries that it considers ‘friendly’ to allow their nationals to leave first.

“Those countries such as South Africa, which Israel considers ‘unfriendly’ and which have taken a strong stance on the ongoing onslaught are being pushed to the bottom of the list. At the current slow pace at which the Israelis are approving foreign nationals, the turn for South Africans could be after 20 days,” DIRCO said in a statement.

The department said it believes that it is not only foreign nationals who must be allowed to freely exit the Gaza Strip in a timely manner.

According to the latest data, the department said at least 9 227 Palestinian civilians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since 7 October.

Meanwhile, more than 1 400 Israelis, including settlers and soldiers, have been killed in Israel.

“Over the past few days, a school, a hospital, an ambulance, and civilians on roads travelling South have been bombed.

“The bombing of the ambulance at the gate of Al-Shifa Hospital on Friday killed 15 people, injuring 16 others,” the department said.

It said the targeted air strikes on civilians fleeing South killed 14 Palestinian civilians, among them children.

“These are serious breaches of international humanitarian law and are war crimes. These actions again illustrate the need for an immediate ceasefire, as overwhelmingly voted for by members of the United Nations General Assembly.”

Meanwhile, the department said ongoing threats by Israel to bomb the Al-Shifa and Al-Quds hospitals, where thousands of displaced civilians are sheltering, must be condemned by the international community.

“South Africa invested resources, together with its IBSA partners, India and Brazil, to build a state-of-the-art cardiothoracic unit at Al-Quds Hospital over six years ago, as Israel at the time was preventing Gazans from leaving to get medical treatment in the West Bank. Threats to bomb the hospital put this investment at risk, but more importantly, countless human lives,” DIRCO said.

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has reiterated that measures are in place to ensure the safety of commuters following the dismissal with costs of an application brought by a commuter suing the agency for delictual damages arising from injuries sustained while on board a Metrorail train.

In a statement on Wednesday, PRASA said the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria dismissed the application saving the organisation R2.9 million in claims.

“The High Court found that the plaintiff’s testimony was insufficient, lacked credibility and was unreliable. It did not support her version of events and, as a result, failed to establish PRASA’s liability or wrongful conduct,” PRASA said.

The incident dates back to 10 September 2019, when the plaintiff took a train to Park Ryne in Durban.

“She testified that she fell off the moving Metrorail train through open doors at the Park Ryne station. PRASA’s legal Counsel argued that the plaintiff was the sole cause of the incident due to her own negligence.

“A Metrorail guard who was on duty when the incident took place testified that she had been sleeping when the train arrived at her destination and subsequently jumped off the train as it departed from Park Ryne station,” the agency said.

The High Court granted PRASA absolution from the instance on 26 October 2023.

Furthermore, the court could not find that she was a lawful commuter at the time of the incident.

“According to the Legal Succession to the South African Transport Services Act 9 of 1989 it is a criminal offence to board a train without purchasing and producing a ticket or producing proof of purchasing a ticket.

“While any injury or accident involving a commuter in our rail environment is unfortunate and regrettable, PRASA welcomes the judgment handed down by the High Court and the R2.9 million saving. From a governance perspective, the judgment represents a positive step toward our ongoing efforts to reduce passenger related liabilities,” PRASA said.

PRASA said the organisation has taken a zero-tolerance approach to negligence and passenger injuries through the recent launch of the “Asiphephe – Let us be safe” safety campaign.

“The high-tech X’trapolis Mega Trains that we are rolling out on the recovered corridors/and or routes are designed with commuter safety in mind.

“They feature automated doors that cannot be forcefully opened by commuters, and the trains do not move when the doors are open or when an obstruction is detected.

“Recently, the Railway Safety Regulator issued the agency with an Annual Safety Improvement Plan Notice of Compliance, indicating its satisfaction with the safety measures put in place by the organization,” PRASA said.

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has put on hold the SMSs that were sent out earlier this week, referring to possible prosecution of taxpayers for their failure to file their returns, as they are legally obligated to do.

“The SMS that was sent out earlier this week, in relation to outstanding returns fell short of the high professional standard we seek to uphold. SARS therefore sincerely apologises for the manner in which this matter was handled, the frustration it may have caused honest taxpayers, and any inconvenience caused,” SARS said on Thursday.

SARS said the intended message was meant as a genuine and helpful reminder to taxpayers to file tax returns due and fulfil their legal filing obligation.

“While SARS is empowered by law to remind all taxpayers that are still registered with SARS of their legal obligation to file their relevant returns by the due date, SARS does not commence legal action before engaging with taxpayers.”

SARS said that a company is expected to file a return if it meets the following conditions:

• Derived gross income of more than R1 000;
• Held assets with a cost of more than R1 000 or had liabilities of more than R1 000, at any time;
• Derived any capital gain or capital loss of more than R1 000 from the disposal of an asset to which the Eighth Schedule of the Income Tax Act applies; and/or
• Had taxable income, taxable turnover, an assessed loss or an assessed capital loss.

Taxpayers who meet the above conditions must file their returns.

“Unfortunately, SARS’ reminders are ignored by some taxpayers, which means that their situation escalates to levels where legal action may be required. Even then, they are reminded about their obligation to file the outstanding returns,” SARS said.

SARS has reminded taxpayers that it remains their legal obligation to ensure that their tax affairs are regularised, where these are not in order.

“SARS will engage with taxpayers with respect to outstanding returns at the appropriate time. We need to be clear that taxpayers who continue to ignore reminders and fail to regularise their tax matters, in accordance with the law, will eventually have to answer for their continued non-compliance.

“Lastly, SARS appreciates the effort of honest taxpayers who diligently comply and fulfil their obligations. We value your valuable contribution to the important work incumbent on us.”

World Rugby has determined that there is insufficient evidence at this time to proceed with charges against South African rugby player Mbongeni Mbonambi.

Mbonambi was accused by England’s Tom Curry of using discriminatory language during the England versus South Africa Rugby World Cup 2023 semi-final last Saturday.

In addition, a further allegation was brought forward in recent days about a previous match in the Autumn Nations Series 2022.

“Any allegation of discrimination is taken extremely seriously by World Rugby, warranting a thorough investigation. Having considered all the available evidence, including match footage, audio and evidence from both teams, the governing body has determined that there is insufficient evidence at this time to proceed with charges.

“Therefore, the matter is deemed closed unless additional evidence comes to light,” World Rugby said in a statement on Thursday.

The body said it accepts that Curry made the allegations in good faith, and that there is no suggestion that the allegation was deliberately false or malicious.

“World Rugby is also concerned by the social media abuse that both players have been subjected to this week. There is no place in rugby or society for discrimination, abuse or hate speech, and World Rugby urges fans to embrace the sport’s values of respect, integrity and solidarity,” it said.

This news comes ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup final where South Africa will take on New Zealand, also known as the All Blacks, at Stade de France in Paris, on Saturday.

The Rugby World Cup final kicks off at 9pm and will be broadcast live on SuperSport and SABC.

Excitement is mounting in the country, with supporters looking forward to watching the historic World Cup final game, which will also be screened at various fan parks.

The City of Cape Town has announced three public viewing areas and the Free State province will have a fan park at the SaamTrek Fan Park – Phakisa Raceway.

“The World Cup this year has been one of the most exciting and unifying sporting events in our nation’s history. For the final, the City is pleased to announce three public viewing sites in the CBD, Langa and Mitchells Plain where residents can get together and hopefully watch the Springboks make history by winning the title for a fourth time,” Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said.

Free State MEC for Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Thabo Meeko, called on citizens to back the national rugby team at the SaamTrek Fan Park – Phakisa Raceway.

Entrance will be free. Additional activities and entertainment include a kiddie’s village, biker stunts show, car drifting, music performances, food stalls, and tourism products exhibitions.