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Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has hinted that the department has decided to overhaul its immigration system and that details of this will soon be announced.

Motsoaledi said this when he tabled the department’s Budget Vote priorities during a mini plenary of the National Assembly on Tuesday.

“…Another elephant in the room is the problem of immigration. I don’t have to outline what is taking place in our country about this problem. It is a crisis we are all well aware of,” he said.

This following a recent rise in tensions between South African citizens and foreign nationals in several communities, with the main issue being unhappiness with undocumented immigrants taking up economic activities, while others have been fingered to be contributing to crime.

“For today, it will suffice to say we have decided on a complete overhaul of the immigration system of the country.

“Complete overhaul means exactly that. Work in this regard is well underway and we will soon unveil it.”

Border Management Authority being capacitated

Motsoaledi said, meanwhile, that the much-anticipated Border Management Authority was being implemented.

“We have long conceded to the problem of porous borders in our country. You are aware that the implementation of the newly-established Border Management Authority is well underway,” he said.

He said the Commissioner and his two Deputies are hard at work to establish the structure.

“Recruitment of first cohort of Border Guards has been completed and they will be brought in next week for onboarding, which includes an orientation programme and deployment to the selected areas of the borderline which are known to be problematic.”

He said it is hoped that this cohort will be officially launched in the first days of the next quarter.

Tackling corruption

Motsoaledi said a Counter Corruption Unit, established just under a year ago, has in a short period of time made headway in tackling corruption.

The number of arrests of kingpins and syndicates speaks for itself, said the Minister.

About 60% of the cases Counter Corruption is dealing with have to do with immigration issues, especially matters of permitting, which is a further testimony on why there is a need to completely overhaul the immigration system of the country.

“Let me inform you that in the coming weeks we will continue to arrest more and more people, both foreign nationals and South Africans involved in passports fraud and other forms of identity theft as well as corruption.

“Since the arrest of the Pakistani kingpin of passports fraud on 24 March this year, the Counter Corruption unit cannot find time to rest.

South Africans from all walks of life, including members of Parliament are reporting to them acts of fraud and corruption on a daily basis.

“This is heart-warming and indicates that our people are tired of corruption.  We shall root it out without fear, favour or prejudice and we promise never to be intimidated or derailed by anybody.”

Motsoaledi said the department was adding 12 new staff members to the Counter Corruption unit. These will include analysts, researchers and investigators.

Employment and Labour Minister, Thulas Nxesi, says ever since its inception, the National Minimum Wage (NMW) has not, contrary to assertions, had any negative impact on employment.

Nxesi said this when he tabled the department’s budget vote during a mini plenary of the National Assembly on Tuesday.

“Contrary to the opposition’s belief that the introduction of the minimum wage would have a negative impact on employment levels, the research findings indicate that there is no major negative impact on employment as a result of the National Minimum Wage,” he said.

The National Minimum Wage Act was assented to in November 2018, setting a historic precedent in the protection of low-earning, vulnerable workers in South Africa. This also provided a platform for reducing inequality and the huge disparities in income in the labour market.

Nxesi said, meanwhile, that the recent 6.9% adjustment of the National Minimum Wage, which increased rates from R21.69 to R23.19 per hour effective 1 March, 2022, would benefit tens of thousands of domestic workers.

This is, he said, applicable to all sectors, including the farming and domestic work sectors.

“This increase will benefit about 892 000 domestic workers who are overwhelmingly women, and 800 000 farmworkers.”

Support for desperate job seekers

The Minister said, meanwhile, that the department’s Public Employment Services branch — which drives the implementation of labour market policies, including the provision of free career counselling, job placement, retraining and up-skilling — strives to create an enabling environment for employment.

“At an operational level, the Department of Employment and Labour continues to provide support to many desperate work seekers. For the period April 2021 to 28 February 2022, 839 000 work seekers were enrolled by the department on its Employment Services of South Africa system, and 257 000 work seekers were provided with employment counselling services by the department’s employment counsellors.”

Nxesi said 124 000 job opportunities were canvassed with employers, and 59 000 unemployed work seekers were placed in employment opportunities.

“It is important that this service is utilised across the economy and across the public sector.”

South Africa has reported 4 227 new COVID-19 cases bringing the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 3 935 761.

This increase represents a 15.7% positivity rate.

In a statement on Tuesday, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said there might be a backlog of COVID-19 mortality cases reported due to the ongoing audit exercise by the National Department of Health (NDoH).

“Today, the NDoH reports 50 deaths, and of these, 14 occurred in the past 24 – 48 hours. This brings the total fatalities to 101 002 to date,” the NICD said.

The majority of new cases are from Gauteng (31%) followed by Western Cape (22%).

KwaZulu-Natal accounted for 16%; Eastern Cape accounted for 11%; Free State accounted for 6%; Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and North West each accounted for 4% respectively; and Limpopo accounted for 1% of the cases.

“The proportion of positive new cases/total new tested today is (15.7%), and is higher than yesterday (13.7%). The seven-day average is (19.1%) today, and is lower than yesterday (19.8%). The seven- day moving average daily number of cases has decreased,” the NICD said.

There has been an increase of 139 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours.

South Africa has to date conducted 25 108 084 COVID-19 tests in both public and private sectors.

eThekwini Municipality Mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, has called upon residents to be patient as the municipality works speedily to restore key services, following heavy rains over the weekend.

Kaunda conducted a tour of Umdloti to assess the extent of the damage following heavy rains that have damaged homes, roads and other infrastructure in the north coast community, particularly in Umdloti.

“We had to prioritise visiting uMdloti given the severity of the damage in this area. Our water treatment plant has been damaged and this will affect our ability to provide water to residents in this area,” Kaunda said.

He said municipal emergency services remain on high alert, even though the intensity of the rain in most areas of eThekwini has now subsided.

“Various municipal teams are working round the clock to assist communities and to restore key services,” Kaunda said.

About 190 people evacuated

The Mayor reported that teams had to evacuate some residents overnight, as the rain continued to damage the city.

“Rain gauge and river level analysis were undertaken continuously to identify vulnerable and high-risk areas. Most rainfall was experienced over north and central areas of eThekwini with Bluff and Umdloti receiving high levels of rainfall.

“A family in ward 40 was evacuated to Kwa-Nozaza temporary mass care centre after their house collapsed. About 190 people were relocated from Tehuis to SJ Smith Hall. Mattresses and blankets were provided as a temporary relief,” Kaunda said.

Elderly residents in two retirement homes in Tongaat and Westbrook were also relocated to safety on Saturday night after their homes were affected. However, Kaunda said many of them have since returned to their homes.

Kaunda also noted that various roads have been damaged with some affected by mudslides.

He said that teams were dispatched to remove rubble, trees and mudslides.

“The amount of rain was extensive and as such the drainage systems were severely affected. Despite this, some roads have re-opened for traffic,” the Mayor said.

Over 80 care centres accommodating displaced people

Kaunda said the relief interventions are ongoing to ensure that all community halls with displaced people are receiving adequate relief assistance, social support services and medical assistance.

Currently, he said, there are 82 care centres accommodating displaced people across the city.

“Our health teams continue to provide health services to care centres, including the newly established centre at SJ Smith. Food, non-perishable items, clothing, blankets and matrasses are available to assist those in need.”

Electricity infrastructure still vulnerable

Kaunda said that there has been several outages throughout the city caused by the heavy rains; however, many of them have since been attended.

“Electricity infrastructure is still vulnerable since the April floods and any amount of rain can cause further damage to it. Electricity teams are prioritising fault repairs across the city, especially those faults that affect large areas.

“The Water Treatment Works in Umdloti was flooded. Areas such as Mosely Park, Gillits and KwaNdengezi are also affected by water outages. We are still assessing whether these heavy rains had an impact on the work we had already started in oThongathi,” the Mayor said.

Durban transport operating at full capacity

Meanwhile, Kaunda assured that Durban Transport is operating at full capacity, even though some areas are affected by road closures.

“In such cases there will be detours. The People Mover service is operating normally,” Kaunda said.

The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport has committed to using its R8.75 billion to catalyse its contribution to the province’s economic recovery post the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the allocated funds, the department will spend R2.5 billion towards transport Infrastructure projects, which include Planning, Design, Construction and Maintenance; R2.9 billion towards transport operations, while R2.45 billion will be allocated to the Gautrain for operational expenses and subsidies.

“As part of safeguarding these funds and ensuring that the people of our province get value for money, we have appointed an independent reputable legal firm with extensive experience in contract law to help us manage time, cost, and quality as the critical components of transport infrastructure delivery,” MEC for Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure, Jacob Mamabolo, said on Monday.

The Compliance Office is located within the department’s Transport Infrastructure House (TIH), a platform that was created to solve, troubleshoot, and unblock the project delivery pipeline.

Through the TIH, the department has a bird’s eye view of all processes that take place in the Roads and Transport branches, but also has a view of other units that play a critical role in supporting the mandate of the department.

Using smart tools such as drones, project management dashboards and service level agreements, the Compliance Office forms an integral part of contract management and will enhance performance management of all our service providers throughout the delivery pipeline.

“This office is already helping us fast-track delivery through accountability and real-time monitoring,” the MEC said.

As part of unlocking investments in the property development sector, the department is partnering with the private sector to build roads that will help improve mobility and support developers.

“In this financial year, the department will enter into a partnership to redesign the Graystone Drive /M1 interchange to improve traffic flow. The department will also design and construct the Craddlestone interchange, the K14 Rainbow Junction Bridge over the Apies River and the Vaal River Interchange,” Mamabolo said.

Road Construction projects that commenced during the last financial year and will continue in this financial year are:

• Vaal River City: Construction of new interchange and access roads on the R42 (Barrage Road) in Vereeniging.
• K101 Phase 1: Upgrading (Doubling) road P1/2 (K101) old Pretoria /Johannesburg Road) From N1 Rooihuskraal interchange to road D795.
• K14: Single carriageway of K14 from P2-5 (R513) Cullinan Road to Rayton road D483 (R516) to bypass Cullinan.
• K46 Phase 2 -William Nicol between PWV5 (Juskei River) and Diepsloot.
• 15 Phase 3: Upgrading of K15 Adcock Road between K102 Main Street Dobsonville to Wild Chestnut Street, Protea Glen.
• K56 Upgrade between K46 (William Nicol Drive) and P79/1 (Main RD) as well as the extension of Erling Road.
• K73: Upgrading of road K73 between Woodmead Drive and Allandale Road (D58).
• P39/1 Heavy Rehabilitation from km30 Diepsloot to km43 Muldersdrift approximately 14.35km.
• P175/1: Rehabilitation of Road P175/1 from Vanderbijlpark to Potchefstroom Phase 2.

As part of improving security and stability in the public transport system, the department is at an advanced stage in establishing the Public Transport Arbitration Office.

“The Gauteng Provincial Legislature has already passed regulations to support the establishment of the office which will deal with public transport related disputes and conflicts,” the MEC said.

The department seeks to reaffirm the position of the provincial government calling for the scrapping of E-tolls that continue to add to the high cost of travel for the people of our province.

“We await a decision from national government and that decision should be that of scrapping this ill-fated system,” Mamabolo said.

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

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.

This 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.

The President 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.

Athough racism can be directed against anyone, he said it is black people who bear the brunt, both in the past and in the present.

“As the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement has so strongly asserted, we need to systematically dismantle and eradicate attitudes of white superiority,” he said.

The statesman said that it was encouraging and exhilarating to see young South Africans taking the lead in the effort to systematically eradicate racism.

He said that the thousands of students who have joined protests at Stellenbosch and elsewhere were not responding to just one incident but were responding to a deep and pervasive problem in society, which they themselves have to confront daily.

Ending racism

“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,” he said.

President Ramaphosa said that it is government’s wish and expectation that the student population and the broader Stellenbosch university community, both black and white, find each other and rally together to confront racism honestly with courage and truthfulness.

“They must roundly reject what has happened and express their determination to achieve a learning environment free of bigotry, racism and chauvinism and embrace a non-racial future for Stellenbosch University. By so doing they will set the standard for us all,” he said.

The President further referenced a 2016 judgment on a case involving an employee of the South African Revenue Service who was fired for using the k-word at work, where Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng wrote: “There are many bridges yet to be crossed in our journey from crude and legalised racism to a new order where social cohesion, equality and the effortless observance of the right to dignity is a practical reality”.

“If we are going to cross these bridges, we need to understand what is causing racist attitudes to flourish in our schools and places of higher learning. We need to understand what kind of institutional cultures contribute to racism in the workplace, in social organisations and in communities,” President Ramaphosa said.

Frank and honest dialogue needed

He said that the country needs frank and honest dialogue between people of different races on the experiences of black people in South Africa 28 years into democracy.

“These discussions should be part of the life orientation curriculum in our schools. The arts and culture community should produce content and programming that fully reflects the diversity of the country and the lived experiences of people of all races.”

The President said that greater emphasis should be placed on inculcating tolerance and respect for diversity in the classroom from a young age.

He added that parents should be part of this effort because the reality is that racist, chauvinistic and sexist attitudes among the younger generation are often a reflection of what they observe and learn from their parents and older relatives at home.

“As many student leaders who took part in protests over the past week said, when it comes to transformation the time for half-measures is over.

“This doesn’t only apply to overt racism in schools, workplaces and places of higher learning, but to all of society. Just as racists must be held accountable for their actions, all sectors of society, including business, must advance transformation,” he said.

Rights to equality and human dignity

President Ramaphosa also touched on the rights to equality and human dignity which are the cornerstones of our Constitution. He said that building a non-racial and non-sexist society is everyone’s shared fundamental responsibility.

“In complying with employment equity legislation, in advancing broad-based black economic empowerment, in taking practical steps towards redress and undoing the legacy of our discriminatory past, we are not just obeying the law.

“We are redressing a grave injustice and building a new country in which race, class and gender no longer determine the circumstances of one’s birth or one’s prospects in life,” the President said.

Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Chairperson, Nonhlanhla Ncube-Ndaba, has called on law enforcement agencies to act with speed on available evidence to ensure the arrest and successful prosecution of Namhla Mtwa’s killer.

Ncube-Ndaba noted that the availability of evidence, which is trending on social media platforms, could lead to the arrest and successful prosecution of the perpetrator who killed Mtwa.

Mtwa, who worked at OR Tambo District Municipality’s Budget and Treasury Office, was recently gunned down on her driveway in Mthatha.

According to the media reports, a hitman allegedly shot her several times, as she arrived home from work.

Ncube-Ndaba called on law enforcement agencies to act with speed on the available evidence to ensure that the perpetrator of this heinous and gruesome killing of Mtwa faces the might of the law.

Ncube-Ndaba also appealed to the people of OR Tambo and whoever has any information leading to the arrest of the perpetrator to come forward.

“We thank those South Africans who have provided the evidence which is on social platforms and which has enough potential to lead to the arrest and prosecution. We are also calling on the people of OR Tambo District and Mthatha to continue with their moral support to the family as the family is still mourning the death of their daughter,” Ncube-Ndaba said.

State power utility Eskom has announced a further week of stage two load shedding following the continued shortage of generation capacity at its power stations.

The electricity supplier has been battling breakdowns and the slow return to service of some of its generation units for the past two weeks leading to load shedding from about 5pm to 10pm daily.

“While there may be instances where load shedding might need to be implemented outside of these hours, as far as possible, Eskom will endeavour to limit the implementation of load shedding to the evening peak in order to limit the impact of the capacity shortages on the public,” Eskom said in a statement.

On Sunday, the power utility said it has at least 18 000MW of capacity unavailable due to planned and unplanned outages.

“Eskom will continue to closely monitor the system, adjust and communicate any changes as may be necessary. We appeal to all South Africans to help limit the impact of load shedding by reducing the usage of electricity and to switch off all non-essential items,” the statement read.

The electricity supplier urged consumers to continue to use electricity sparingly as it continues to battle power station breakdowns.

“Eskom would like to remind the public that load shedding is implemented only as a last resort to protect the national grid. We therefore urge all South Africans to continue using electricity sparingly especially between 5am to 9am in the mornings and 4pm to 10pm in the evenings,” Eskom said.

The Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) is calling on community and small commercial media to apply for this year’s grant funding.

The application period has already commenced and will close on 1 July 2022.

In a statement, the agency said the grant funding is available for media projects in radio, television, print and digital publications, as well as small commercial print projects.

“Funding is one of the central factors towards ensuring successful empowerment, sustainability, and transformation of the community media sector. To this end, the application process will be effected through compliant, cost-effective, and transparent selection procedures, in-line with corporate governance principles and compliance with the Agency’s legislative framework,” the statement read.

Acting MDDA Chief Executive Officer Mzuvukile Kashe said the funding is aimed at putting community media control in the hands of those who previously could not access it.

“These grant funding applications aim to encourage media ownership, access and control particularly by historically disadvantaged communities and diminished indigenous language and cultural groups,” Kashe said.

Some of the criteria required for the grant funding include:

• The extent to which the project promotes media development and diversity.
• The likely impact of the project on historically disadvantaged communities and persons not adequately served by the media.
• The likely impact of the project on historically diminished indigenous language and cultural groups.
• The extent to which the project encourages ownership, control, participation and access to media by historically disadvantaged communities and persons.
• The extent to which the project develops human resources, training and capacity building within the media industry, especially among HDI’s.
• The quality and innovation of the project.
• Whether the project is likely to promote literacy and a culture of reading.
• Compliance with media laws.
• The existing or potential financial sustainability of the project.
• The independence of the project from any commercial media entity; any political party or the Government.

Further information on the criteria and application process of the grant funding can be accessed at www.mdda.org.za.

Government has welcomed rating agency Standard &Poor’s (S&P) decision to revise South Africa’s credit rating outlook to positive from stable, while affirming the long term foreign and local currency debt ratings at ‘BB-’ and ‘BB’, respectively.

According to S&P, recent favourable terms of trade in South Africa have improved the external and fiscal trajectory, while the country’s reasonably large net external asset position, flexible currency and deep domestic capital markets provide strong buffers against shifts in external financing.

In addition, the agency expects South Africa to post a current account surplus in 2022 for the third consecutive year, as prices for key metals and mining exports have risen significantly since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

S&P also noted some improvement on the implementation of key reform targets under Operation Vulindlela – established in October 2020 as a joint initiative of the Presidency and National Treasury to accelerate the implementation of structural reforms – as well as higher than-expected tax revenue.

The National Treasury in a statement said: “As stated in the 2021 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement and 2022 Budget, government is using a portion of the additional revenue to accelerate debt stabilisation, with the majority targeted to address urgent social needs, promote job creation through the presidential employment initiative, and support the public health sector.”

The department said faster implementation of economic reforms, accompanied by fiscal consolidation to provide a stable foundation for growth, would support a faster recovery and higher levels of economic growth over the long term.