Category: News

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.

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has advised representative taxpayers of trusts of their duty to register trusts for income tax purposes.

In a statement, SARS on Friday said: “Trusts are included in the definition of a ‘person’ in terms of the Income Tax Act, 1962 (ITA), and as such the trustees or representative taxpayers have a responsibility to register all trusts for income tax purposes”.

The revenue collector said trusts that were required to register include all local trusts, non-resident trusts that are effectively managed in the Republic of South Africa as well as non-resident trusts that derive income from a South African source.

It said: “The representative taxpayers of trusts are the trustees of a trust, but the responsibility to submit the tax return may be conferred on a specific trustee or a tax practitioner.

“SARS wishes to remind trustees of trusts that they are required to ensure that the tax returns of trusts are submitted. Currently a trust, whether active or dormant, must submit an income tax return on an annual basis in line with the requirements issued annually by the Commissioner. For the 2021 year of assessment, the filing season for trusts opened on 1 July 2021.”

SARS reminded representative taxpayers of trusts that the availability of the Voluntary Disclosure Programme (VDP) subject to the requirements thereof, should a trust not be registered for income tax purposes.

SARS warned that delays or no submission of all outstanding income tax returns would result in penalties and interest.

SARS Commissioner, Edward Kieswetter, reaffirmed SARS’ commitment to provide clarity and certainty to taxpayers so that they can effortlessly fulfil their legal obligations, and trusts are one of the vehicles that are used by taxpayers to operate in a number of ways.

Hawks’ National Head, Lieutenant General, Godfrey Lebeya, has expressed disappointment at the alleged involvement of officers from the Directorate in criminal activities.

This comes after two officers from the Hawks national headquarters, a Lieutenant Colonel and a Captain working at Supply Chain Management, were on Friday arrested by the the Hawks’ National Priority for Violent Crimes and Tactical Operations Management Section.

Hawks spokesperson, Brigadier Thandi Mbambo, in a statement said: “Information about a Lieutenant Colonel who intended to supply SAPS ammunition to a traditional healer was received, which culminated to a sting operation being conducted”.

She said the 43-year-old female traditional healer was subsequently arrested at her place of residence in Soshanguve on Friday after an exchange was made.

“She was charged with illegal possession of ammunition and possession of suspected stolen property following the seizure of other items suspected to belong to the state,” said Mbambo.

She said further investigation led to the arrest of a female Lieutenant Colonel who was charged with theft and dealing in ammunition whilst the female Captain was arrested and charged with defeating the ends of justice after it was discovered that she tried to conceal evidence in this matter.

The traditional healer will appear in the Pretoria North Magistrates’ Court whilst the two members will appear in the Pretoria Central Magistrate’s Court today.

“We expect all our members to be beyond reproach and will ensure that the alleged culprits face the full might of the law. We shall continue to act without fear or favour regardless of the status of those who transgress the law,” said Lieutenant General Lebeya.

Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy, has further extended the period for appeals of the 2021 Fishing Rights Allocation Process (FRAP2021) by an additional 60 days.

The process, which commenced on 29 March 2022, will now lapse on 29 July 2022.

According to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, a number of applicants, who are dissatisfied with the outcome of the FRAP 2021, have submitted formal requests for access to information relating to FRAP 2021.

The request was submitted in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, Act No 2 of 2000 (PAIA), on the basis that the information requested is necessary to enable them to finalise their appeals against the FRAP 2021.

“Considering that the information requested is personal and commercial information of other applicants, the department made only certain FRAP 2021 information available in a redacted form.

“This was to ensure that the personal and commercially sensitive information of the affected applicants was not released in a manner that would contravene the provisions of the Protection of Personal Information Act, Act 3 of 2013 (POPIA) and PAIA.

“However, potential appellants have indicated that they are dissatisfied with the release of information in a redacted format and that they seek access to all information relating to FRAP 2021,” the department said on Friday.

The department has thus sought legal advice on the issue and were advised that before the release of personal and commercially sensitive information, the affected applicants must be notified of the release of their information and be given an opportunity to respond thereto.

“Moreover, the department has received requests for additional time from various appellants to enable them to submit their appeals.

“The Minister has accordingly decided to extend the FRAP 2021 appeal period by a further 60 days to allow for the finalisation of the process to obtain consent from the affected applicants to release their personal and commercial information, in compliance with the requirements of PAIA and POPIA, and to give appellants sufficient time to finalise their appeals,” the separtment said.

Appellants are encouraged to lodge a formal appeal online on the prescribed Appeals Form through the FRAP 2021 website https://www.frap2021.co.za/.

“According to The General Policy on the Allocation of Commercial Fishing Rights 2021 and the fisheries sector specific policies, any applicant, interested or affected person may appeal to the Minister against the decisions of the Delegated Authority in any respective fishing sector.

“The appeal may be lodged against an exclusion, a refusal to grant a right or against the decision, process, and/or methodology on quantum or effort.

“The Minister, as the appeal authority, will consider the facts and supporting documents as presented by the appellant, as they were at the closing date for applications and will not consider facts that came into existence thereafter,” the department said.

If applicants experience any challenges in accessing the online system and their outcomes, assistance can be requested by telephone: 021 402 3727 or email to: FRAPenq2020@dffe.gov.za.

Applicants who require IT support must contact 010 500 2323 / 0800 0145304 or email frapitsupport@navayugainfotech.com.

South Africa has recorded 3 801 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 3 944 845.

According to data provided by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), this increase represents a 14.9% positivity rate.

The majority of new cases are from Gauteng Province accounting for 34%, followed by the Western Cape at 24%.

KwaZulu-Natal accounted for 15%; EC accounted for 10%; Free State accounted for 6%; Northern Cape accounted for 4%; Mpumalanga and North West each accounted for 3% respectively; and Limpopo accounted for 1% of today’s cases.

“The proportion of positive new cases/total new tested today is 14.9% and is lower than yesterday at 17.3%. The 7-day average is 16.9% today, and is lower than yesterday at 18.3%. The 7-day moving average daily number of cases has decreased,” the NICD said.

The National Department of Health (NDoH) has reported 49 deaths, and of these, 16 occurred in the past 24 – 48 hours. This brings the total fatalities to 101 092 to date.

In terms of hospital admissions, the NDoH said that there has been an increase of 112 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours.

The cumulative number of recoveries now stand at 3 793 500 with a recovery rate of 96,2%.

A total of 25 164 138 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors.

As at 19:00 on Thursday a total number of 35 959 268 vaccines have been administered.

Cabinet has strongly condemned all acts of racism in the country, including the reported incidents at the Good Hope Seminary High School and the University of Stellenbosch in the Western Cape.

This comes after the Stellenbosch University urinating incident where a white student is seen in a video degrading and humiliating a fellow black student by urinating on his study material.

The incident caused widespread anger that such acts still take place in a country with a bitter past like South Africa, a past which the country fought so hard to overcome.

“These deplorable acts go against the constitutional values on which our democratic country was founded, which include human dignity, non-racialism, non-sexism, social justice, equity and respect,” said Minister in The Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, during a post Cabinet media briefing on Thursday.

“The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996 is our guide towards eradicating the despicable divisions and injustices of the past. Parents are urged to teach children to reject racism and embrace diversity, as part of our concerted drive to promote nation-building and social cohesion.

“Let us work together to expose racism wherever it is treated as the norm and send a clear message that there is no space for it in our democratic country,” he said.

On Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa used his weekly newsletter to the nation to speak against racism which is still part of the daily South African experience.

President Ramaphosa said it is more troubling that such incidents are happening at schools and places of higher learning, adding that a number of the people involved were born after the end of apartheid.

“While the incident at the University of Stellenbosch may seem like an aberration – an appalling act that has been roundly condemned – the truth is that racism is still a feature of everyday life in South Africa. The sooner we recognise that reality, the sooner we can change it,” the President said.

President Ramaphosa said that racism, here and around the world, is driven by feelings of superiority on the part of those who perpetuate it.

“Ending racism is not just about changing attitudes; it is also about changing the material conditions that still today separate black and white South Africans.

“We have come too far and the sacrifices made have been too great for such appalling acts of racism to turn us against each other. Rather, we must use this incident to confront the issue of race and racial inequality in our society,” President Ramaphosa said.

The Department of Water and Sanitation has drafted short and long-term plans to augment water supply in Musina.

This follows recent violent public unrest in Musina due to lack of water supply to the communities, which resulted in discussions on plans to augment water supply to the area.

Water and Sanitation Minister, Senzo Mchunu, along with his Deputy Ministers, David Mahlobo and Dikeledi Magadzi and several senior officials of the department held a community meeting at the Musina Local Municipality in Limpopo on Wednesday.

Mchunu acknowledged that there is a huge water demand in South Africa’s border town due to growing population growth driven by rural to urban migration, and a large transit population passing through the town.

Mchunu said the current water demand is 8 million m3 [cubic meter] per year, and based on population growth alone, water demand projection is for 24 million m3 per year by 2040 if the current rate of population growth is sustained.

He also noted that the current status of water in the town and surrounding areas is critical due to the under-investment in water infrastructure and lack of proper operation and maintenance.

“The town relies primarily on groundwater and it also experiences water rationing imposed by Vhembe District Municipality because the current demand exceeds the supply, and also because of high levels of water leaks due to ageing infrastructure in both the bulk supply lines and internal reticulation networks.

“We need to provide reliable and sustainable water supply to Musina, in doing so, we have to address the growing demand and ensure it matches supply,” Mchunu said.

During a meeting, the department drafted short- and long-term plans to augment water supply in Musina, and these include:

• Developing local water resources including taking groundwater from the Limpopo River and other sources, wastewater reuse, and water from defunct mines;
• Transfer of water from Zimbabwe;
• Construction of a dam on the Mutale River for use in the Luvuvhu-Letaba catchment with transfer of water to Musina, a long term projected to be completed by 2035; and
• Abstracting water from the Limpopo River and storing it in two dams, the Musina Dam and the Sand River Dam, which are still to be constructed, coupled with distribution infrastructure to Musina.

The Minister said the abstracting of water from the Limpopo River is another long-term project to be completed by 2035.

He said the short-term plans must be implemented immediately to meet known demand requirements for Musina and its surrounding areas.

He said it is envisaged that the increasing supply will be approximately 25 million m3 per year.

“Zimbabwe has indicated willingness to share water with South Africa from the newly constructed Phase II Beitbridge Water Treatment Works (WTW) which has excess capacity. I am however concerned about the never-ending discussions that are going on.

“I therefore appeal to officials involved to finalise the agreement. The feasibility and design stages will take approximately 18 months and the construction should start by end 2024 or early 2025 so that water can be delivered by end of 2025,” Mchunu said.

State power utility Eskom says it is concerned with violent attacks on its technicians carrying out critical inspections and repairs in public spaces.

At least three separate incidents of violence and robbery against Eskom technicians have been reported over the past week, with one resulting in a stabbing.

“Two technicians were attacked by three armed perpetrators while they were inspecting meter boxes in Mabopane Block E. The perpetrators demanded their wallets and cell phones, and took off in a vehicle without a registration number. In a separate incident in Mabopane, a technician was also robbed of a cell phone and money at a substation.

“On [Wednesday], another technician was stabbed while he and his colleagues were installing meters in Nomzamo, Soweto. The technician, who was stabbed in the face and chest, was treated at a medical facility and is recovering at home,” Eskom said.

Eskom Gauteng Safety, Health, Environment, Risk and Quality Manager, Kith Maitisa, said the attacks on the power supplier’s technicians cause both physical and mental damage.

“We condemn such acts of violence against our employees in Gauteng, where they are often assaulted, intimidated and placed in extreme situations such as being held hostage by some community members.

“This display of aggression and violence by communities often leads to employees suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety. It also results in delays in repair work and project completion, further extending the period that residents spend without electricity.

“We have reported all these incidents to the [police] and we will co-operate with the police to assist with the investigations,” Maitisa said.

Police Minister, General Bheki Cele, is today expected to visit the Mthatha police station in the Eastern Cape,  following service delivery concerns raised by the public this week.

The management of the South African Police Service (SAPS), led by National Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola, will accompany the Minister.

The visit also comes at a time when Eastern Cape Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nomthetheleli Mene, ordered a manhunt for the murderer of  Namhla Mtwa who was shot and killed inside her car by an unknown suspect while she was arriving in her Sidwadwa based home in Mthatha.

The 35-year-old sustained gunshot wounds to her upper body and was declared dead at the scene.

“The brutal killing of Mtwa has again shone the spotlight on gender-based violence and femicide, a crime that remains a priority for the SAPS,” said Lirandzu Themba, Police Ministry spokesperson.

Mtwa was killed in April.

This week gruesome images and text messages between her and an alleged lover circulated on social media portraying physical and emotional abuse she allegedly endured at the hands of the man.

The details have sparked calls for the murder to be solved. On Wednesday, hundreds of people marched to the Mthatha police station, alleging that the station was lax in dealing with cases of gender-based violence.