Category: Key Issues

Health Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla, announced on Tuesday that South Africa recorded another imported laboratory-confirmed case of cholera from a 24-year-old South African man with a travel history from Karachi, Pakistan.

According to the statement released last night, the patient arrived in the country on 16 July from Pakistan, known to be cholera endemic, where he experienced abdominal cramps, vomiting and diarrhoea symptoms after a meal two days before.

“He reported that he had diarrhoea, but did not immediately seek medical attention while in Pakistan, and he only rehydrated himself using bottled water because he didn’t suspect any foodborne illness.”

However, upon arriving at King Shaka International Airport in Durban, he felt dehydrated and was taken to a private hospital to seek medical help.

According to the department, he was then admitted on 18 July while his specimen was sent to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) for laboratory testing.

“The results came back positive with cholera toxin on Monday, 24 July 2023. He has been discharged and recovering well at home.”

The outbreak response team, according to the department, has effected contact tracing and identified four family members and one friend he stayed with while in Pakistan.

“None of the contacts identified are presenting with cholera symptoms and are on continuous close monitoring. On the other hand, water samples were collected from the patient’s place of residence and taken for laboratory testing at the National Health Laboratory Service.”

According to the latest data, the total number of imported cholera cases now stands at three, following two infections detected in two people who travelled from Malawi early this year.

Meanwhile, the country has recorded a total cumulative number of 199 laboratory-confirmed cases since February this year.

The last positive case was recorded on 19 June in Hammanskraal under Tshwane District.

While the situation is under control from the recent cholera outbreak in some parts of the country, Phaahla has urged the public to stay alert and maintain a high level of personal hygiene to prevent possible transmission of waterborne and foodborne diseases.

Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi and Members of the Executive Council (MINMEC) have agreed to allocate more resources for the prevention of disasters in informal settlements across the country.

The decision was taken during a meeting between the MINMEC of Human Settlements, Members of the Mayoral Councils (MMCs) of Human Settlements and Executive Mayors.

The meeting was held in Ermelo, Mpumalanga.

The MINMEC has agreed to reprioritise 5% of the Informal Settlements Upgrading Partnership Grant to specifically go towards a community-led process of repositioning densely built informal settlement into clusters, instead of the current improvised order of these ever-growing settlements.

“These resources will help open pathways and roads for emergency vehicles and other services, including the provision of water, electricity and sewerage,” Kubayi said.

On emergency and disaster interventions in informal settlements, the meeting agreed that reblocking (reconfiguration) will help to proactively deal with disastrous fire emergencies in provinces and municipalities, which often lead to loss of lives and the complete destruction of property.

The meeting also expressed a need for more stringent measures to deal with land invasion across the provinces, as it impacts on development efforts by all three spheres of government.

“The meeting recommitted to finding ways to speed up more land acquisition to relocate people, including those affected by disasters, amidst government’s decision against the use of Temporary Residential Units for emergency interventions in favour of more permanent solutions, like Alternative Building Technology (ABT).

“In addition to informal settlements upgrading as one of the priorities for the Human Settlements sector, the meeting reemphasised the rapid rollout of the title deeds programme as a priority to ensure that South Africans become the rightful owners of their own homes – as part of reforms by government to significantly unlock economic benefits,” Kubayi said.

The MINMEC also reflected on other sector priorities, including the expansion of First Home Finance; the provision of service sites, elimination of mud houses or informal dwellings in rural areas, as well as the removal of asbestos from homes.

It further undertook to find urgent solutions to address housing needs of communities, collaborating with other sister departments, like Co-Operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), to provide support packages for metros to resolve challenges related to bulk infrastructure and procurement delays affecting service delivery and delays in the proclamation of township.

The MINMEC received input from the COGTA Minister, Thembi Nkadimeng, and her team on the work done on secondary cities and metros.

“A joint submission is expected to be made to Treasury with a view of initiating a process to address funding needs of secondary cities, which often act as catalysts for development in their regions, alleviating demographic pressure from a country’s metropolitan areas,” Kubayi said.

The alignment and improvement of business plans of Metros came into sharp focus to resolve existing housing delivery, as well as delays in proclamation of townships.

The MINMEC recommitment to combine efforts to strengthen internal controls, project planning, management, and implementation – which are key elements to ensure that projects are completed timeously, with achievable set targets and improved performance on the Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MTSF).

Challenges in grants performance 

Meanwhile, Kubayi said an analysis of the Human Settlements Grants Performance, for the period ending 30 June 2023, has flagged challenges in procurement, skills capacity and contract management.

The Minister said due to this, a team from the department will at the end of this month embark on consultations with various provinces and municipalities to discuss noncompliance and performance improvement strategies to ensure that funds are utilised for the intended purposes.

She said the team will conduct assessments of projects to close gaps early and avoid under-expenditure, which leads to loss of money from the sector.

“In that regard, MINMEC resolved there must be transparency before any considerations to withhold or reallocate unspent funds for noncompliant provinces found to have substantially underspent during the end of the second quarter, in accordance with the Division of Revenue Act. In instances of overspending, a process will be undertaken to determine value for money,” the Minister said.

At least one person has died and 48 others injured following an explosion on Wednesday evening at Bree Street in the Johannesburg CBD.

Some 12 people still remain hospitalised.

Briefing the media on Thursday morning, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said although there is a suspicion that the explosion was caused by gas, all relevant stakeholders who provide services in the area have been brought in to determine the cause.

“We have now formally brought all institutions that deal with gas. We now have EGoli Gas; we have brought Sasol and we are bringing anyone that has either underground pipes or caballing. Telkom, water and any institution that will assist us just to determine the cause of the impact and also give us the necessary advice.

“City Power…have since taken a decision to switch off the Bree Street substation so that the team can go in there and identify the cause and also assist us to identify areas that need our immediate intervention,” he said.

Lesufi added that government agencies, including law enforcement, have moved quickly to secure the scene and keep residents safe.

“There are 10 teams representing both the SAPS [South African Police Service], JMPD [Johannesburg Metro Police Department] and POPs [Public Order Policing] and more members are being mobilised so that we can protect the scene and ensure that everything is fine.

“The Department of Human Settlements was assigned the big task of identifying the homeless and also those that have been asked to leave the area. We identified 3 Kotze Street…to be the area where we’ll house everyone that needed housing.

“The provincial government and local government have started to set up a disaster process of identifying how quick can we rehabilitate the affected areas, especially those that will have a severe impact on the economic activity of the city,” he said.

Investigating cause

Egoli Gas has denied culpability in the explosion, however Lesufi said “it is common knowledge that there is a high smell of gas in the entire area”.

“Egoli Gas remains the centre of our focus because all of us agree that the cause of this explosion or impact is gas. So that we can isolate all institutions that have the legal mandate to deal with gas. We now know that Egoli has a blueline…that cuts across Eloff and Lillian Ngoyi [Bree] Street but we are told it’s a low pressure facility.

“We have asked them to identify all their pipes…and they’ve given us this information and then we’ll handover to those that are experts and they’ll advise us on how to take this process forward,” he said.

Traffic diversion

Lesufi said because Bree Street is one of the busiest in the city, diverting and directing traffic away from the scene has become “a headache”.

“The teams are trying extremely hard because we have closed major roads. Bree Street is one of the busiest roads in the CBD…there are lots of taxi ranks, there are lots of drop offs and there are lots of people that indicated their frustrations about the signage and the movement of areas where taxis are now stationed.

“But we are assured…that as soon as we get the cause of the explosion, they will move with speed to release some of the roads. But because we have to be cautious, majority of the roads remain closed.

“They will keep the area sterile until it is rehabilitated. Road closures and diversions will remain in place until further notice,” he said.

Meanwhile, government has urged citizens to exercise caution when near the area.

“Government notes with sadness the explosion in the Johannesburg CBD and sympathises with everyone who was affected by the explosion.

“While the cause of the explosion is being investigated, we urge members of the public to use alternative routes, allowing space for the relevant authorities to complete their work on the scene,” government said in a tweet this morning.

The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport has called on public transport operators in possession of expired Operating Licenses to take advantage of the Department’s window of opportunity to renew their operating licenses by the end of the month.

“To date, the Department has identified over 6000 operating licenses that need to be renewed however less than 500 applications have been received and processed,”’ the Department said on Wednesday.

Sections 25 of the National Land Transport Regulations requires that an Operating License that was issued for more than 30 days must be renewed not later than 30 days before expiry.

The regulations further state that if the Provincial Regulatory Entity (PRE) has not issued an Operating License by the expiry date, the Operating License will remain valid until a renewed license has been issued on condition that the operator keeps in the vehicle the receipt issued by the PRE as proof that such an application was made.

“The Department, therefore, is making a plea to the industry leaders to impress upon affected members to respond to the call by submitting applications by 31 July. The receipt and the expired Operating License must always remain attached.”

Requirements for renewal of Operating License are as follows:

• Completed application form
• Certified ID copy/ Company Registration Certificate (CC)
• (Letter of appointment for persons submitting applications for companies)
• Renewed Contract (Contracted Services)
• Letter from Association (Minibus Taxi mode)
• Original Tax Clearance Certificate (SARS)
• Original Operating license/ permit or certified copy + Affidavit
• Certified Vehicle certificate of fitness & Roadworthy Certificate
• Certified copies of Vehicle certificate of Registration (COR)
• Fee of R300.00 per vehicle (cash or bank guaranteed cheque)

Applicants should also submit a list with the operator’s and their expired licenses details through their respective associations by 31 July 2023.

Operators can visit TOLAB offices.

Tshwane Office:

Cnr. Eskia Mphahlele and Johannes Ramokhoase Streets. (opp. Marabastad Home Affairs), Pretoria

Tel: (012) 327 3611/3738

Manager: Ms Sarah Malele – 082 615 5556 /(011) 344 2686

Email: Sarah.malele@gauteng.gov.za

Operating times: Monday – Friday 8am -4pm.

Johannesburg Office:

45 Commissioner Street, Life Centre Building, Marshalltown –

Johannesburg

Tel: (011) 227 8341/45/46 or (011) 355 7332

Manager: Mr Sechaba Tumelo – 063 697 2568 / (011) 227 833

Email: Sechaba.tumelo@gauteng.gov.za

Operating times: Monday – Friday 8am -4pm.

West Rand Office:

(Relocated to Kagiso DLTC -Umdeni & Kagiso Avenue, Kagiso)

Manager: Ms Eunice Maphanga – 079 877 7726/ (010) 345 0761/5

Email: Eunice.maphanga@gauteng.gov.za

Operating times: Monday – Friday 8am -4pm.

Ekurhuleni Offices:

No. 1 Hardach Street (opp Germiston Magistrate’s Offices),

Germiston

Tel: (011) 437 5932 / (011) 876 3800

Manager: Ms Wona Mosala – 082 324 7777/ (011) 876 3820

Email: Wona.mosala@gauteng.gov.za

Operating times: Monday – Friday 8am -4pm.

State power utility Eskom has urged Gauteng residents to use electricity efficiently as a cold front moves into the province.

This after the South African Weather Service (SAWS) warned of a “dramatic drop in temperature” with daytime temperatures expected to barely reach 20°C in parts of the province.

“Gauteng is experiencing severe cold weather conditions. Customers are urged to use electricity wisely. Use alternative methods to keep warm, such as wearing more layers of clothing, using a throw or a hot water bottle instead of a heater,” the power utility said.

Meanwhile, Eskom has announced that load shedding has been ramped up due to breakdowns at eight generating units on Tuesday evening.

“The breakdowns … have put a severe strain on the power generation system. The delay in returning to service a generating unit each at Kendal, Kriel, Matla [power stations] and two generating units at Tutuka power station is contributing to the current capacity constraints. Eskom teams are working tirelessly to return these generating units to service,” the power utility said.

From 5am today (Thursday), Stage 3 load shedding will be implemented with Stage 4 kicking in from 4pm, lasting until 5am on Friday morning.

Load shedding will then drop to Stage 2 until 4pm and will be tailed by Stage 4 also until 5am. This pattern will repeat until further notice.

Breakdowns at power stations have rendered some 19 127MW of generation capacity offline, coupled with a further 2 313MW out of service due to maintenance.

“Demand of electricity is expected to increase towards the weekend. Therefore, we appeal to the members of the public to assist in reducing demand by switching off non-essential appliances.

“We would like to thank those who do heed the call to use electricity sparingly and efficiently, including switching off geysers and pool pumps from 5pm to 9pm as this lowers demand and helps in alleviating the pressure on the power system and contributes to lower stages of load shedding,” Eskom said.

Following the recent severe floods, the Western Cape Department of Agriculture (WCDoA) on Thursday released an updated assessment of the estimated financial cost of the damage.

A rapid assessment conducted during the period 26 to 30 June 2023 confirmed extensive damage to riverbanks, irrigation equipment, private roads and sediment over vineyards and fruit orchards.

According to WCDoA, the assessment considered damage to primary agriculture sites on the West Coast, Cape Winelands and the Overberg.

The heavy rains last month caused huge damage to roads and infrastructure in the province, also claiming two lives.

The provincial department said the damage is estimated to be R7.7 million for irrigation, R1.4 million for fencing, R1.4 million, R278 million for crop losses and R18.7 million for seasonal workers’ loss of income.

Meanwhile, the WCDoA said it will cost a tune of R748 million to rehabilitate rivers, riparian zones, vineyards and orchards due to large volumes of sediment removed upstream and deposited downstream in rivers, riverbanks, vineyards and orchards.

In addition, the department is expected to spend about R120 000 for the cost of clearing a weir to provide drinking water to 400 people.

The department said the estimates do not consider potential losses experienced along the agriculture value chain nor provide insight into the impact on future exports.

“Armed with a more credible, albeit conservative estimate, officials will, together with the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, approach the National Disaster Management Centre with the aim of having the flood-damaged areas declared a disaster and unlocking the relevant funding and support that could be provided.”

In the interim, the WCDoA will ensure that affected producers can access the best technical information through its extension and advisory services.

In addition, the department will also extend its current river protection works programme to flood-affected river systems as this will mitigate the impact of future flooding.

“The WCDoA will also reprioritise existing allocations, as well as approach its national sector department and the National Disaster Management Centre, via the Provincial Disaster Management Centre, to cover the costs of river protection works.”

Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille says government is committed to enhancing tourism investment and safety to attract more visitors to South Africa.

“We will work to find and action solutions to anything that stands in the way of that objective to grow tourism’s contribution to the country’s economy as espoused in the country’s Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan (ERRP),” she stressed.

As part of her oversight duties, De Lille on Wednesday visited various sites within the Kruger National Park (KNP) to inspect investment projects by her Ministry and the private sector.

“With our vast natural beauty and wildlife, the KNP is a must-see attraction on the bucket lists of travellers from all over the world and the country.

“As with all tourist attractions, it is vital that this attraction is maintained to provide tourists with a world-class and authentically South African experience.”

The visit aimed to chart a way forward on how the KNP and all government spheres can unite to enhance tourism’s performance to achieve progress on the key priorities outlined by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The priorities, De Lille said, include tour operator licenses, e-visas, tourism safety, the Tourism Equity Fund, infrastructure development, increasing the volume and value of domestic and international tourism, and the Tourism Sector Master Plan.

These, according to the Minister, are all aimed at increasing demand for tourism and boosting the number of domestic and international tourists visiting South Africa.

“It is well known that unfortunately there have been many crime incidents in and around the Kruger with criminals attacking tourists and this is a matter that we take very seriously, not only because we want to safeguard tourists.

“But we cannot have criminality stand in the way of our tourist attractions thriving because that is how we can ultimately create more jobs for our people and bring prosperity for all.”

The Minister labelled tourism as an important sector in the country’s economy due to South Africa’s attractiveness to travellers and the thousands of jobs created.

She said she also received a briefing from the South African National Parks (SANParks) management on general tourism activities and safety matters.

The Minister has since committed to work with the national, provincial and local government, private sector and communities to enhance safety in and around the KNP.

In May this year, she held a National Tourism Safety Forum meeting with all MECs for Tourism and the private sector on plans to enhance safety and how to communicate these security measures worldwide.

Meanwhile, she said the department is finalising a training curriculum which is set to deploy more than 2 200 tourism safety monitors to key tourist attractions and hotspot areas across the country in the coming months.

De Lille also announced that her department has set aside R174 million for this programme to improve safety around the 59 tourism hotspots identified by the National Tourism Safety Forum.

Of these, 350 will be stationed at SANParks establishments, with 100 to be deployed to the KNP.

Green Tourism Incentive Programme

She also gave an update on the department’s Green Tourism Incentive Programme (GTIP), a key project to address climate change and water and electricity constraints in the country.

The GTIP, she said, will see the department co-funding energy and water retrofitting projects at privately owned tourism establishments to facilitate more sustainable operations and uninterrupted visitor experiences.

She announced that they opened eight GTIP application windows to date, with the most recent application window closing on 30 June 2023.

“While applications received during the eight application window are currently being processed, the previous seven application windows of the GTIP already yielded 130 approved applications with a total grant value of R76.1 million disbursed by the department for the installation of energy and water saving measures at tourism establishments across the country,” she explained.

Meanwhile, before the rolling out of the GTIP programme, the department provided eight state-owned tourist attractions with solar photovoltaic (PV) installations.

These sites included Robben Island, three National Botanical Gardens in the Western Cape, Free State and Northern Cape as well as four sites in KNP in Mpumalanga at the tune of R98.5 million for a combined total of 2.7 megawatts (MW) of installed renewable energy generating capacity.

eThekwini Municipality Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda says a permanent solution to fix a water pump station, which was destroyed by a fire in Ntuzuma, north of Durban, is on the cards.

The Ntuzuma Reservoir 2 Pump station was destroyed by a fire two months ago and resulted in additional strain on the already challenged infrastructure.

Kaunda, joined by City’s Water and Sanitation senior management, and ward councillors from Ntuzuma, Inanda, and KwaMashu (INK) areas, attended a meeting to track the progress made by eThekwini Water and Sanitation Unit in implementing the decisions taken at an initial meeting two months ago.

During a follow-up meeting, Kaunda reported that temporary work has started to reinstate the duty pumps to the various areas.

“Parallel to this temporary work, the pump station will undergo a functional upgrade which will improve its reliability and ensure a stable supply of water,” Kaunda said.

While technicians are busy upgrading infrastructure at the pump station, Kaunda said plumbers will be deployed to every ward, to ensure that there are no technical challenges.

“They will be dealing with water leaks and internal maintenance to improve water supply and prevent water loss,” he said.

Earl Haig road repairs underway

Meanwhile, the municipality reported that the repairs to Earl Haig Road in Morningside, Durban, are currently underway with the work expected to be completed by the end of the month.

Earl Haig Road, which serves as a link between Peter Mokaba Road and Valley View Road, was damaged in May, after a water pipe burst beneath the road due to heavy rains.

Western Region Senior Technologist Nhlanhla Ndaba said the reinstatement of Earl Haig Road involves the earthworks for the collapsed section, layer works, stabilisation of the base course, and milling of the existing asphalt surface layer.

“After completion of the stabilised base, the road will be surfaced with asphalt as a final layer. The total surfaced length will be 250 metres and the width will be kept at an existing 5.5 metres. This will assist in free traffic flow.

“Minor challenges on the project have been encountered including the temporary water main pipeline that will affect progress as the Water Department has to relay the permanent pipeline before the final surface layer. Business forums and other affected stakeholders were addressed before the start of the project,” Ndaba explained.

Regarding progress of repairs, Ndaba said the earthwork on the collapsed section has been completed with the stabilisation of the base course.

“The milling process has been completed as well. The road has been opened for traffic with precautionary signs where there is still outstanding works for the water department to finalise.”

The contractor in charge of this project is Raubex KZN under the supervision of the West Regional Office.

Department of Sport, Arts and Culture Minister, Zizi Kodwa, has commended the decision by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which vindicates Caster Semenya’s fight for her dignity and reinforces the call for the protection of women’s rights in sport.

The European Court of Human Rights has affirmed that Semenya was denied recourse by the Switzerland Supreme Court and the Court of Arbitration for Sport in her appeals against the World Athletics track and field organisation’s new regulations.

The regulations have ruled Semenya out of several international athletic competitions unless she underwent treatment to lower her testosterone levels.

The Court has affirmed that Semenya had not been afforded sufficient institutional and procedural safeguards in Switzerland to allow her to have her complaints examined effectively.

Kodwa said, as a two-time Olympic champion and three-time World champion, Semenya has repeatedly displayed excellence and dignity on and off the athletics track.

He said Semenya has done so throughout her career whilst being subjected to offensive treatment, which has led to her being prevented from competing in her favoured events.

“While the fight to have Caster racing in her favoured athletics events continues, the ruling by the European Court of Human Rights is a clear statement at how Caster has faced discrimination in her fight against the offensive regulations she has been subjected to.

“I have repeatedly stated that women’s rights are human rights. As the South African Government, we will continue to support Caster and Athletics South Africa (ASA) in the fight for the dignity of women athletes, and for Caster’s right to race again in her favoured events,” Kodwa said.

Restrictions amounted to Semenya’s violation of rights

The Commission for Gender Equality has also welcomed the European Court of Human Rights’ ruling, noting that it has long maintained that World Athletics’ restrictions and modification of its regulations in 2018 amounted to severe violation of Semenya’s right to bodily integrity, human dignity, and privacy.

“The Commission’s decision to support Caster Semenya as intervener in this matter is a direct message that the institution will continue without fail to uphold its constitutional and legislative mandate by protecting the rights of those that are discriminated against based on their sexual orientation and gender,” said Commission spokesperson, Java Baloyi.

The Commission has called upon the South African Government, as a signatory to a range of international instruments on the rights of women, to use its influence and diplomatic channels to bring pressure on the World Athletics.

This is to ensure that the European Court of Human Rights’ ruling is respected, and allow Semenya and other affected female athletes to compete free of unethical restrictions and unfair discrimination that impact negatively on the right to bodily integrity.

Communications and Digital Technologies Acting Minister, Enoch Godongwana, has welcomed a high court decision to place the South African Post Office (SAPO) under supervision and in business rescue.

The Gauteng Division of the High Court of South Africa, in its ruling on Monday, said the business rescue proceedings are to commence with immediate effect.

Godongwana further noted the appointment of Anooshkumar Rooplal and Juanito Martin Damons as joint interim business rescue practitioners in respect of the business rescue proceedings subject to approval by the Registrar of Financial Services and ratification by the majority of SAPO’s creditors.

According to the Ministry of Communications and Digital Technologies, the decision of the court in support of the application brought by Minister Mondli Gungubele confirms that indeed SAPO is a strategic government asset that provides vital services throughout the country. This is especially in remote areas where SAPO is often the main link between residents and the outside world.

It added that it further uses its countrywide footprint to render such services as the distribution of social grants at its branches, distribution of medication to those in need and various national and international postal services etc.

The decision will give SAPO the much needed time and space to restructure its affairs under supervision and implement the turnaround plan to fundamentally change its business model into a solvent and viable business with broad revenue streams that leads on modern services.

“The challenge is on SAPO, the department and all stakeholders to live up to the commitments made in the application,” said the acting Minister Godongwana.