Category: News

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has acknowledged the outstanding performance by the Momentum Proteas during the finals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

“With the curtain coming down at the end of the World Cup, we look back at the excellent manner in which the event was hosted and the outstanding Protea team performance with great fondness,” the department said.

Playing against Australia on Sunday in Cape Town, South Africa lost the match by 19 runs.

Their victory means Australia have now won six Women’s T20 World Cup titles, and they have completed a ‘three-peat’ under the captaincy of Meg Lanning, winning in 2018, 2020 and now 2023.

“Whilst a lot of lessons will have been learnt through the Proteas team’s participation, there is no doubt that the future looks bright for our women cricketers.

“Whilst Australia was never going to do them any favours, the heroic manner our women cricketers fought in reaching the World Cup final for the first time is something to be proud of. We are also thankful to the Newlands spectators for their unwavering support to the national team,” the department said.

The Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation says it is hopeful that the reconfiguration of water boards will ensure efficiency and the achievement of targets, which will translate into the delivery of water to people.

“We are hopeful that the reconfiguration will assist in better economies of scale for water boards, enable better cross subsidisation and increased financial sustainability as well as enhance market capitalisation for infrastructure projects,” Committee Chairperson Robert Mashego said.

While commending the progress reported on the reconfiguration of water boards, the committee said it remains concerned that there are still challenges that deny people access to water, and called for solutions to challenges across water value chain.

“We must caution against cosmetic changes that don’t bring about tangible results and access to water for the people,” Mashego said.

The committee called for impoved relationships with municipalities to promote the payment of services essentially because the financial sustainability of the water boards remains critical for their existence.

The committee was concerned that the water boards are owed R16.1 billion as of 31 December 2022 due to non-payment by municipalities’ clients and that negatively impacts the board’s ability to raise funds for capital projects.

“The committee remains concerned that five water boards, including Amatola, Bloem, Lepelle, Mhlathuze and Rand Water, are performing below the 80% of planned targets which also directly impacts on their ability to deliver services.

“The committee has urged the water boards to find solutions to the challenges they face to ensure that they have the required capacity to meet their mandate of the delivery of water to the people,” Mashego said.

The realignment, which is at various stages, is expected to be completed by March 2023.

The committee has also called for close collaboration between the water boards and municipalities to improve the operations of the municipalities’ Waste Water Treatment plants to ensure improved quality of discharged water.

 The South African Police Service (SAPS) has congratulated the Special Task Force (STF) Unit for ranking ninth at the recent UAE SWAT Challenge.

This was after the SAPS STF took part in the annual five-day UAE SWAT Challenge that featured 55 law enforcement agency teams from around the world.

SAPS spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, said: “The challenge assesses the tactical acumen, mental focus and physical endurance of law enforcement agencies from across the world and has been designed to promote the exchange of knowledge, expertise and to strengthen partnerships to make communities safe.”

After five days of intense and rigorous challenges, the STF obtained ninth place with 183 points.

She said this was a vast improvement from 13th place last year in which the team collected 82 points.

The teams overall commander, the Component Head responsible for Specialised Operations, Major General Nonhlanhla Zulu who formed part of the team in Dubai said the SAPS is proud of the team.

“The members’ performance is commendable, in the world we are number nine but on the African continent we are number one, so this is a big achievement. We beat Kenya and Libya. So yes, we are satisfied with the results, we hope to do better next time. We are happy to be back to continue to deal decisively with serious and violent crime in our country” said Zulu.

The Special Task Force is a highly specialised unit in the SAPS whose members are responsible for only responding to high-risk incidents, which include hostage-taking cases, search and rescue missions, as well as providing specialised operational support to other units within the SAPS.

National Hawks Head, Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya, has commended the Directorate’s Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team for seizing R30 million worth of suspected illicit cigarettes in Limpopo.

In a multi-disciplinary sting operation with the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Limpopo, the Hawks, the South African National Defence Force and South African Revenue Services pounced on the contraband after receiving a tip-off.

Hawks spokesperson Captain Matimba Maluleke said after the team received a tip off about illicit cigarettes that were kept at a farm waiting to be transported to different destinations in the country.

“The Directorate in Limpopo is extremely determined to fight the smuggling of illicit cigarettes in the country by dismantling and paralysing the syndicate operations. This follows a successful discovery of suspected illicit cigarettes at a farm between Musina and Beitbridge port of entry on 25 February 2023,” said Maluleke in a statement on Saturday.

He said when the team arrived at the identified farm, they found a truck and a tractor with trailer loaded with suspected illicit cigarettes that were covered with brick pallets.

“A preliminary investigation led to the discovery of a bakkie and another truck in the vicinity that were also fully loaded with suspected illicit cigarettes. The value of the seized suspected illicit cigarettes is over R30 million. The team worked throughout the night trying to safeguard the exhibit and locate the suspects,” he said.

Five suspects, aged between 26 and 44, were arrested for contravening the Customs and Excise Act and are expected to appear in the Musina Magistrate’s court on Monday, 27 February.

Lebeya has commended the team for a good work.

“The work of the team is commendable. The DPCI [Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigations] shall continue to dismantle organised criminal groups that decide to operate anywhere in our jurisdiction,” the Lieutenant General said.

Load shedding is expected to be reduced to Stage 3 from 5am Tuesday morning following the return to service of several power generating units over the course of the weekend.

The country experienced Stage 6 and Stage 5 load shedding last week.

“Load shedding will then be reduced to Stage 3 at 5am to 4pm on both Tuesday and Wednesday, while Stage 4 will be implemented during 4pm to 5am on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Eskom will publish another update as soon as any significant changes occur,” the power utility said.

By Sunday evening, Eskom was battling some breakdowns amounting to 16 870MW with a further 4757MW offline due to maintenance.

“Over the past 24 hours, a generating unit each at the Arnot, Grootvlei, Kendal, Medupi and Tutuka power stations were returned to service. Breakdowns at a unit each at Camden, Majuba and Matimba power stations caused units to be taken offline for repairs.

“The delay in returning a unit each to service at Arnot, Hendrina, Kendal, Medupi and Tutuka power stations are contributing to the current capacity constraints,” Eskom said.

Added to that, the power utility said it is also battling unavailability from its energy sources in Mozambique and the open cycle gas turbines.

“Electricity imports from the Cahora Bassa Hydro Scheme in Mozambique have been halved to 600MW due to a tower failure on one of the lines from that country.

“Four open cycle gas turbines at Ankerlig peaking station are out of service until 15 March 2023 for planned maintenance,” said the power utility.

Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Thembi Nkadimeng, says the department is preparing for any eventuality ahead of the announcement that Cyclone Freddy is expected to bring heavy rains and strong winds in the north eastern part of South Africa from early Saturday morning.

Speaking to SAnews, the Minister called on communities, who may be affected by Cyclone Freddy, to heed warnings and evacuate if necessary.

“Listen more to the notices of evacuations, stay safe and don’t try to cross any streams. One of the cases in Nkomazi [Local Municipality] was a learner who was trying to cross a stream out of school and he’s still missing as of [Tuesday].

“We have had six fatalities in that area alone, and 11 in the entirety of Mpumalanga [as a result of the current flooding]. One life is one too many, so we need to stay clear of streams. Our teams are on the ground, humanitarian relief as well, readying ourselves for Friday and Saturday in any eventuality that we may need to evacuate more people,” Nkadimeng said.

She said Cyclone Freddy is expected to bring added pressure on infrastructure and homes that are already flood battered and will set back ongoing relief efforts.

“It is anticipated that it will continue pouring in Mpumalanga. We are already sitting at about 1 929 houses that must be [provided] for human settlement relief, only in Mpumalanga.

“So you can see that if we are going to combine a budget for human settlement relief and development for all the seven [affected] provinces, we are going to be ranging into serious billions of rands in terms of what we need to repair,” she said.

Turning to current relief efforts, Nkadimeng told SAnews Cogta has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa requesting the assistance of the South African army to assist in disaster relief in the flood-hit Eastern Cape.

Heavy rains have battered several provinces over the past two weeks, leading President Ramaphosa to declare a National State of Disaster to ensure an accelerated response from government to assist affected communities.

“I visited Nkomazi, which is the hardest hit in Mpumalanga. We are assessing about six municipalities there. We are estimating damages going to almost R1 billion. The Eastern Cape has already rounded up and estimated billions as well.

“We are discussing and asking for authority from the President and the Minister of Defence to dispense the army in the Eastern Cape because some of the roads are actually totally destroyed,” Nkadimeng said.

She reflected on the immense damage that ongoing flooding has caused in communities all over the country.

“Water infrastructure has been damaged and villages have not been receiving water. Roads have been damaged. Farmers have lost livestock. Just in Nkomazi alone, 5 650 cattle and goats have been lost, 119 farming equipment has been lost… and on estimation, that will cost around R200 million for the farmers to repair.

“So it’s quite [a lot] of damage that has happened and will cost us a great deal to repair,” she said.

Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) Minister, Patricia de Lille, says she welcomes the increase in investment for much needed infrastructure projects especially the Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs) which were gazetted in July 2020 in line with the Infrastructure Development Act of 2014.

Minister Godongwana in his Budget Speech on Wednesday said infrastructure investments lay the foundation for inclusive and sustainable growth and that they address supply-side constraints and expand access to basic services.

The Minister said the public sector is projected to spend R903 billion on infrastructure over the medium-term.

In a statement, De Lille said a number of the projects have been completed such as various road projects in KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and Limpopo. Housing projects in Gauteng and many other projects are in construction and procurement phases.

“I gazetted the 62 projects as Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs) in July 2020 as these projects hold significant value in terms of growing our economy and our country’s development needs,” De Lille said.

De Lille said in June 2020, Cabinet approved the Infrastructure Investment Plan, a credible pipeline of 62 projects from all three spheres of government, state-owned entities and the private sector.

“We welcome the support and investment into these important projects as the Infrastructure Investment Plan is an integral part of the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan (ERRP) announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in October 2020 in which infrastructure development was identified as the flywheel to economic growth,” De Lille said.

De Lille said she will continue visiting more strategic projects in the coming weeks and months, starting with handing over the latest Welisizwe Rural Bridge which has been completed in Esigodini in KwaZulu Natal.

According to De Lille, a number of bridges have been installed for communities in need since last year.

“I remain more committed than ever in this important portfolio to continue driving infrastructure delivery and investment as infrastructure investment ensures that our communities have the basic services they need and plays an important role in our economic growth and job creation,” De Lille said.

Minister Godongwana highlighted some of the SIPs such as:

• Phase 2 of the Welisizwe Rural Bridges programme breaks ground in April this year. It plans to install 96 bridges annually to enable rural communities in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Free State, and North West to safely access schools and workplaces. R3.8 billion is allocated for the programme over the medium term.

• The construction of enabling bulk infrastructure, such as roads and water components for the Lufhereng Mixed-Use Development in Gauteng, begins in June 2023. It will support the development of 31 000 mixed housing units.

• Access roads for the Mzimvubu Water Project are nearing completion. The construction of the Ntabelanga Dam will begin later this year. Additional funding during the next financial year may be required to ramp up implementation.

• Site establishment for the Clanwilliam Dam project is completed. All surface works and 15% of all concrete works will be completed by the end of this year.

 KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Education, Mbali Frazer, has established a Transversal Team to probe an alleged assault of an educator and the ambushing of the principal by a gunman at Sarasvati Primary School in Tongaat, North of Durban.

In a statement on Wednesday, the KZN Education Department said that the MEC’s Rapid Response Team is at work at the school to investigate the alleged incidences on school premises and will report its findings within 24 hours.

It is alleged that an educator was assaulted last Friday by her colleagues and the principal was allegedly ambushed and threatened by a gunmen.

“We as a Department of Education will not condone such violent behaviour on school premises and condemn such coward acts of crime.

“Schools are sacred places of teaching and learning and I call to order peace and discipline that should prevail in our centres of learning,” Frazer said.

As part of implementing the 2017 Anti-Gangsterism Strategy, the Department of Social Development will on Thursday and Friday host an interactive dialogue with children and parents in Polokwane, Limpopo.

The campaign will be held under the theme, ‘Know the early signs and take steps to prevent gangsterism’.

This initiative is part of the 365 Days Child Protection campaign, which is aimed at promoting children’s rights by protecting them from physical, emotional and psychological abuse.

Through the Anti-Gangsterism Strategy, the Department of Social Development collaborates with various stakeholders, including teachers, members of the South African Police Service (SAPS), parents and children, to address gangsterism in communities.

This strategy also seeks, amongst other things, to provide direct ways of dealing with children who are affected by gangs, as well as threats and risk factors that cut across children and youth in child and youth care centres and communities at large.

“It is in this context that the Department of Social Development is taking a stand against gangsterism in Limpopo, one of the provinces affected by  gangsterism, which impacts negatively on the overall societal wellbeing and safety of children.

“It is unfortunate that children and young adults are not only witnessing gangsterism as a criminal activity, but are also forced to be a part of it,” the department said.

The department is guided by the Constitution and the Children’s Act 38 of 2005 to promote the welfare and safety of children, including those who are vulnerable and affected by social ills.

Both the Constitution and the Children’s Act promote the safety and welfare of children affected by many social ills.

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana will this afternoon present the 2023 Budget Speech.

“President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his State of the Nation Address on 9 February, announced government’s plans to address South Africa’s energy crisis and prevailing socio-economic challenges.

“In this regard, Minister Godongwana will provide details of spending and revenue collection proposals to implement these plans. He will also outline the funds to be allocated to different spheres of government, departments and entities,” said Parliament in a statement.

Minister Godongwana will, as part of the 2023 Budget Speech, also introduce the Appropriation Bill and table the Division of Revenue Bill to Parliament.

Godongwana is scheduled to deliver the 2023 Budget Speech at a sitting of the National Assembly (NA) to be held at the Cape Town City Hall at 2pm.

The speech is expected to be broadcast live on various news and radio channels, as well as the parliamentary channel.

You can also watch the live stream of the 2023 Budget Speech on the SAnews Twitter @SAgovnews feed.