Category: Key Issues

Eight contractors have been appointed to build much-needed Temporary Residential Units (TRUs) to assist communities displaced by the recent floods in KwaZulu-Natal and currently sheltered at mass care centres.

Highlighting government’s interventions to assist displaced communities, Human Settlements Minister, Mmamoloko Kubayi, said the provincial Department of Human Settlements has reprioritised R515.976 million — R367.013 million from the Human Settlements Development Grant (HSDG) and R148.963 million from the Informal Settlements Upgrading Partnership Grant (ISUPG).

“The provincial Department of Human Settlements has been able to appoint eight contractors from its panel to construct much needed TRUs to accommodate affected families in eThekwini Municipality, ILembe, Ugu and uMzinyathi Districts.

“A social facilitator has been attached to each mass care centre to identify affected families who have their own sites available to construct houses. In addition, the department is issuing orders for building material vouchers for residents who are rebuilding their own homes,” Kubayi said.

She said based on the disaster management cycle (mitigation, preparedness, initial response, recovery, and rehabilitation), the funding framework responds accordingly by making funds available for immediate relief, followed by funds for recovery.

“Funding for immediate response for KwaZulu-Natal, following the recent floods, includes own budget reprioritisation, immediate disaster response grants, and the reprioritisation of existing conditional grants,” she said.

Over 30 land parcels identified

Regarding progress on the land assembly, Kubayi announced that 38 land parcels were identified from the National Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, KZN Department of Public Works and eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, totalling 78 hectares.

Furthermore, she said a team of officials is conducting assessments on the 38 recommended properties.

“These sites are being released by the Department of Public Works through Power of Attorney. Of the 64 mass care centres, which have been used to temporarily house affected families, 38 have been linked with possible land parcels.

“All in all, about 3 385 people who were affected by the floods will be accommodated through the identified land parcels,” the Minister said.

During a meeting held on Tuesday night, Kubayi received a progress report on the purchase of land owned by Tongaat Hullet in La Mercy to build houses for the displaced communities.

In order to speed up the process of the construction of the TRUs and homes in acquired land parcels, the meeting agreed that the provincial Department of Human Settlements must be involved in the planning and provision of bulk infrastructure, including water and electricity.

Kubayi assured that the National Department of Human Settlements will continue to provide support with all its agencies.

“We acknowledge the frustration expressed by communities and assure them that all of us are committed to improve performance in addressing the plight of affected households,” Kubayi said.

Almost 200 serviced sites within eThekwini completed

Meanwhile, Kubayi said the physical verification of 199 serviced sites within eThekwini Metro has been completed and 65 sites were found to be suitable for the development of a permanent housing solution.

“Necessary assessments are also to be conducted on privately-owned land with a potential total yield of 1 172 houses,” she said.

The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) says it is aware of unsigned messages and posters circulating on various social media platforms calling for a national shutdown.

In a statement, the NATJOINTS warned those behind these messages and reminded that prohibiting people’s freedom of movement is a criminal offence.

NATJOINTS spokesperson, Colonel Athlenda Mathe, said: “Members of the public are therefore cautioned against spreading such messages that seek to mobilize communities to respond to the shutdown.

“The NATJOINTS is calling on all people in South Africa to work together with law enforcement authorities to uphold and enforce the law. Any action aimed at contravening the law, will be dealt with accordingly within the ambit of the law. To this end, the NATJOINTS is calling for the cooperation of the public”.

Mathe said the NATJOINTS met on Wednesday and were briefed by the Intelligence Coordinating Committee (ICC) on the validity of the call for a National Shutdown.

“The Intelligence community is closely monitoring the situation and the associated risks,” she said.

With this said, Mathe said law enforcement officers have been deployed and are on high alert to prevent and combat any forms of criminality.

“The respective PROVJOINTS have been directed to ensure multidisciplinary deployments and that the necessary contingency plans are in place.

“The NATJOINTS assures members of the public that enforcement of the law will be executed within relevant prescripts to ensure stability in the country,” she said.

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment is investigating the source of the stench over parts of Gauteng in the past two days.

On Thursday, the department noted concerns about the strong smell.

“The … Department is working with environmental and air quality officials in Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Limpopo and North West to determine the cause of the stench, and whether prevailing wind and weather conditions have contributed to the smell travelling over a long distance from another province, as was the case when a similar incident was reported in 2021,” the department said.

The National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (NPA AFU) has been granted an order in the Eastern Cape High Court to recoup at least R35 million in bogus Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) COVID-19 Temporary Employee/Employer Relief Scheme (TERS) applications.

This after an investigation found that during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chief Executive Officer of the Eastern Cape Transport Tertiary Co-Operative Limited (ECTTC), Dr Nokuthula Mbebe, made several bogus applications to the UIF for TERS payments.

The ECTTC is an umbrella organisation that assists co-operatives to comply with the law and ensure that the local transport industry is regulated.

According to NPA regional spokesperson, Luxolo Tyali, the applications made by the ECTTC were riddled with discrepancies.

“The ECTTC made applications on behalf of its own employees, as well as on behalf of the employees of the affiliate taxi co-operatives that belong to the ECTTC. There were a large number of irregularities… including applications for TERS benefits for 22 persons in the employ of government, 22 persons who were deceased and one person who was incarcerated at the time – persons who obviously did not qualify for the benefits.

“After further investigation, it was discovered that the information – with regard to the incarcerated person and at least one of the deceased persons – was incorrect. The AFU relied on information from the UIF investigators who, in turn, relied on information from the Auditor-General — information that was not accurate. The correct information was eventually relayed to the court with regard to the mentioned deceased person and incarcerated individual,” Tyali said.

He said a further 66 applications were made through the ECTTC, which resulted in a payment of some R220 million.

“When the UIF began to audit these payments, the ECTTC and its affiliate taxi co-operatives could not verify the correctness of the applications via documentary evidence or a paper trail. This is in contravention of the directives made in relation to TERS payments, as well as the Memorandum of Agreement that all entities applying for TERS funds must sign.

“The payments, as they stand, remain the proceeds of unlawful activities, as they do not comply with the law,” Tyali said.

The AFU had already been granted three preservation orders freezing 36 different bank accounts “belonging to the ECTTC, as well as its affiliate taxi co-operatives and linked business entities” and R35 million from these accounts will be reimbursed to the UIF.

eThekwini Municipality Deputy Mayor, Philani Mavundla, says the city is in discussions with Human Settlements MEC, Jomo Sibiya, to find a lasting solution to the challenges faced by displaced flood victims.

Mavundla was addressing about 40 people who claim to be displaced flood victims from various temporary shelters in eThekwini.

The victims staged a sit-in at the Durban City Hall on Monday, to raise their concerns.

Mavundla explained to the victims the support provided by the municipality to the shelters, and outlined the challenges and processes to be followed to resettle displaced flood victims in safer homes.

He said since the floods in April, the municipality has been providing a range of support services to those living in temporary shelters. These include hot meals, blankets, mattresses, medical services and hygiene packs.

“Together with the Department of Home Affairs, identity documents have been provided to enable families to access other government support interventions, such as grants and pensions. Importantly, the municipality is in the process of identifying suitable land for building homes. In some areas, this process is at an advanced stage.

“We understand the plight of those living in shelters. We also understand the urgency of resettling them in safe homes. We are already in discussions with the MEC for Human Settlements, Jomo Sibiya, to find a lasting solution to this challenge,” Mavundla said.

He said city officials are currently profiling the protesters to establish if they are indeed flood victims and to determine the type of assistance they require.

Health Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla, has called for calm and vigilance after four cases of measles were detected in Gauteng.

These cases were found during routine surveillance activities aimed at detecting, investigating and responding to every suspected case of this vaccine-preventable disease.

In a statement on Monday, the Department of Health said that over the last two weeks of May, four suspected cases of measles from persons residing in Gauteng had been notified and ultimately confirmed through laboratory testing conducted by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).

Three of these cases are individuals residing in Tshwane, which means that the City of Tshwane is experiencing an outbreak of measles. The fourth case is an individual residing in the West Rand of Gauteng.

The department said that all four individuals are presently isolating and are recovering.

The health authorities in the affected districts and communities are working together to identify and conduct vaccination of contacts.

Minister Phaahla has urged parents and caregivers to ensure that their children are up-to-date with their vaccinations in line with the vaccination schedule against measles and other childhood diseases.

“Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus which mainly spreads through infectious airborne respiratory droplets from infected persons when coughing or sneezing.

“However [the] measles vaccine has been in use for almost 60 years and is the best protection against this life-threatening childhood disease. It is safe, effective and available free of charge at public health facilities,” he said.

Symptoms

Measles symptoms include fever, red eyes, runny nose and cough which typically appear before the onset of the disease’s characteristic maculopapular rash.

Children especially those under one year of age may develop complicated measles, which may include pneumonia, eye complications, and rarely, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).

The department said unvaccinated young children are at highest risk of measles and its complications, including irreversible brain damage and/or death, especially in immunocompromised or malnourished children.

Containing the spread

Citizens have been assured that departmental officials are working closely with the Gauteng Department of Health, the City of Tshwane, the NICD and other stakeholders, including the World Health Organization and UNICEF to investigate and respond to the outbreak.

The response includes increased surveillance and vigilance throughout the province.

According to the South African Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), children are given the measles vaccine at six months and 12 months of age. These vaccines are available free of charge at public health facilities.

Measles is a notifiable medical condition in terms of the National Health Act, and clinicians have been alerted on the symptoms to look for.

“If the clinical picture fits with measles, they are urged to complete a case investigation form and send samples to the National Health Laboratory Service for testing,” said the department.

Samples should include blood for antibody testing and a throat swab for viral culture, both marked “NICD Measles Laboratory – attention CVI”.

Government has offered much-needed short-term reprieve to motorists by extending the temporary reduction in the general fuel levy of R1.50 per litre.

Initially, the Ministers of Finance and Mineral Resources and Energy had on 31 March 2022 jointly announced a temporary reduction in the general fuel levy of R1.50 per litre from 6 April 2022 until 31 May 2022.

This was to provide limited short term relief to households from rising fuel prices following the Russia/Ukraine conflict.

On Tuesday, the two departments said relief was to be funded by a liquidation of a portion of the strategic crude oil reserves.

“Since this announcement, the continuation of the Russia/Ukraine conflict, supply chain bottle-necks and a tightening of global monetary policy have led to further unfavourable changes in the two key drivers of the regulated petrol price, the exchange rate and the global oil price.

“These events have led to even larger increases in fuel prices compared to a few months ago when the temporary fuel levy relief was introduced. The withdrawal of the temporary relief in the general fuel levy on 31 March 2022, as per the original announcement, would contribute to an increase in petrol prices of close to R4 per litre, and push prices of 95 octane unleaded petrol (ULP) to above R25 per litre, an increase of just under 20 percent next month.”

The departments said due to this significant monthly price increase, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana on Tuesday submitted a letter to the Speaker of the National Assembly, requesting the tabling of a two-month proposal for the extension of the reduction in the general fuel levy.

“This will take the form of a continuation of the relief of R1.50 per litre for the first month, from 1 June 2022 to 6 July 2022, and then a downward adjustment to the relief for the second month to 75c per litre from 7 July 2022 to 2 August 2022,” they said.

They added that the temporary relief would be withdrawn from 3 August 2022.

The Chair of the National Council of Provinces was also been informed of this proposal.

The departments said the revenue foregone from the extension of the relief was estimated at R4.5 billion.

“Unlike the previous announcement, this proposal is expected to have an impact on the fiscal framework as it will not be fully funded through a sale of strategic oil stocks.

“Government remains committed to the fiscal framework outlined in the Budget 2022. The proposed temporary reduction in the fuel levy will be accommodated in the current fiscal framework in a manner that is consistent with the fiscal strategy outlined in the Budget. Any changes, if required, will be announced at the time of the 2022 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement.”

The temporary reduction in the general fuel levy was expected to only smoothen the impact of persistently higher fuel prices on consumers and businesses, as the economy would need to adjust to the new reality.

They added: “As announced on 31 March 2022, government will also take further measures to help reduce fuel prices in a more sustainable manner. From 1 June 2022, the DMRE will remove the demand side management levy of 10c per litre that has been applied to inland 95 ULP.”

After a review and consultation by the DMRE, it is proposed that the basic fuel price also be decreased by 3c per litre in the coming months.

Government intends to continue with consultations and proposals to remove the price cap on 93 ULP, which will partially deregulate the market and introduce more competition to lower pump prices.

The departments said a review on the Regulatory Accounting System would be completed by the DMRE to assess the potential to lower margins over the medium term.

The DMRE will publish further details within the next hour on the actual adjustment of fuel prices with effect from 1 June 2022.

The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) is calling on employers, who are dissatisfied with their COVID-19 TERS application or payment process, to lodge a dispute or appeal with the fund in order for cases to be reviewed by a dispute committee.

According to UIF Assistant Director: Provincial Operations in the Western Cape, David Matibidi, some employers could not cope with the quality standard due to many changes and controls that have been implemented on the self-service portal, and that process cannot be compromised as part of the requirement.

Matibidi was addressing employers attending the UIF employer advocacy session in Paarl on Tuesday.

The Department of Employment and Labour introduced the Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) on 27 March 2020 to compensate employees that were adversely affected by the COVID-19 lockdown period, which resulted in many workplaces shutting down operations.

“The kind of disputes employers can appeal relates to failed bank verifications, password reset/access to the TERS platform, payment of unverified foreign nationals, CSV failures, including for periods prior to the closure date, declarations, unprocessed claims where error messages have been provided, but corrective action was not taken by the employer,” Matibidi said.

Disputes and appeals are open for the following lockdown/claim period and sectors:

• 16 October 2020 to 31 December 2020 – hospitality, liquor and tourism
• 01 January 2021 to 15 March 2021 – hospitality, liquor and tourism
• 16 March 2021 to 27 June 2021 – events management/stadiums/golf course
• 28 June 2021 to 25 July 2021 – hospitality, liquor and tourism

Employers can lodge disputes via the call centre on 0800 030 007 and will be required to submit a dispute form, which will be accompanied by the relevant supporting document and motivation for not lodging the claim timeously.

Assistant Director on Compliance, Shaka Dladla, said the fund is now moving from manual processes and is encouraging employers to utilise its online systems to register, declare and make contributions to the fund using the uFiling system.

Dladla said employers can now access the e-Compliance Certificate (eCC) system for free online, which completely replaces the manual application of compliance certificates.

“The UIF has implemented the online eCC system with a view to improve services to our clients and other related matters. Employers, agents or tax practitioners can easily use the eCC system to apply for compliance documents online and validate the authenticity of compliance certificates,” he said.

He urged employers to ensure that monthly contributions are paid either to SARS or the UIF on or before the 7th of each month to avoid incurring interests or penalties.

The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport has launched a new province-wide app that allows road users to report poor road conditions and other road maintenance issues that require attention.

Launched as part of Smart Mobility Weekends Programme, the PotholeFixGP is an easy-to-use app downloadable from the Google Play Store and will soon be available on Huawei and Apple App stores.

Speaking at the launch held in Diepsloot on Saturday, Gauteng MEC for Public Transport and Road Infrastructure, Jacob Mamabolo, said the launch of the app is part of the department’s commitment of leveraging new technologies to assist with monitoring of potholes and other road defects that need urgent attention.

“Once reported, a pothole/road defect appears on the departmental dashboard where it will be allocated to the maintenance team. Upon allocation, the app will provide a status update of the pothole ranging from reported, assigned, to completed.

“The app has a capability allowing it to check and verify whether a reported pothole is on a municipal, provincial or a national South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) road,” Mamabolo said.

Mamabolo said that potholes reported are then referred to responsible road agencies or municipalities for their attention.

“Those belonging to the department will be dealt with by the departmental road maintenance teams,” Mamabolo explained.

He added that the launch of the app also serves to build a relationship with motorists/road users to be the eyes and ears of the department in keeping road infrastructure conditions conducive for a safe and enhanced pleasant driving experience.

“The people of Gauteng are encouraged to download the app and report road maintenance issues that need attention,” the MEC said.

The Gauteng Health Department says at least 18 people and a corpse have been evacuated at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital (SBAH) after a fire broke out in the early hours of Monday morning.

In a statement, the department said the fire broke out at a structure that was not inside the hospital and the patients were moved as a precaution.

“The fire broke out around 1:20am at the Wendy house used as a temporary storage area for COVID-19 medical waste and an in-transit corpse area. It also affected a special temporary isolation unit and a tent used for triage for persons under investigation. The affected areas structures were outside the casualty area of the hospital,” the statement read.

The department said the fire was contained before it could spread.

“The fire which affected temporary structures at the facility was successfully put out by SBAH hospital team using the fire extinguishers on site. Thankfully, there were no patient or staff casualties,” the department said.

Meanwhile, in her department budget vote last week, Gauteng Health MEC, Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi, said that “significant progress” is being made in the remedial work to repair the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH) which itself was engulfed by fire in April last year.

According to Mokgethi, this progress includes:

• Reopening of all areas of the Accident and Emergency Department;
• The reopening of the Psychiatry Acute Care Centre;
• The Paediatric Emergencies unit has also reopened;
• Obstetric and Gynae emergency service units are now open; and
• The CT scan has been fixed and recommissioned which enabled the hospital to bring the remaining Triage, COVID-19 emergency, trauma unit and medical and surgical emergency units back online.

“The multi-phase, multi-year remedial work project is being fast tracked to ensure that the facility is fully functional as quickly as possible. We remain grateful to the healthcare professional at CMJAH and at surrounding facilities for continuing to work hard to meet the needs of those who need care even as work continues at [CMJAH].

“We are equally grateful to the multiple organisations that continue to show interest in getting the facility fully functional including donors who have been…making contributions to that effect,” Mokgethi said.