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The Gqeberha Labour Centre in the Eastern Cape has been temporarily closed due to a water supply stoppage in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality.

The Department of Employment and Labour said the water stoppage has affected the area where the labour centre is situated.

The municipality is working on the water supply system in the area and clients will be informed once the labour centre reopens.

Meanwhile the department has expressed concern about the disruption of the services.

“Occupational Health and Safety remains the core business of the Department and in protecting both the employees and clients, the Labour Centre will remain closed until the matter is resolved,” said Chief Director for Provincial Operations, Nomfundo Douw-Jack on Tuesday.

Clients are encouraged to use the department’s online services found on www.labour.gov.za  or visit the nearby office of Kariega Labour Centre.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has made significant progress in dissecting the causes and effects of the recent wanton destruction of infrastructure and business lootings in KwaZulu-Natal, says Police Minister Bheki Cele.

The Minister revealed this while briefing the media on the law enforcement and social cohesion interventions in Phoenix following the chaotic scenes of two weeks ago.

Cele on Tuesday said the SAPS was making strides in bringing to book those who instigated the events that resulted in the death of 342 people in KZN and Gauteng.

He said the calamity in Phoenix was precipitated by “racist vigilantism, as communities sought to protect themselves and their properties from looters”.

During the unrest, Cele said Phoenix and surrounding areas “became the epicentre of heinous criminal and racist incidents, which resulted in brutal killings and injuries, horrendous damage to property and untold pain and trauma”.

“We want to assure the nation that the crimes committed in Phoenix or anywhere else in the country will not go unpunished,” the Minister said.

The wheels of the catastrophe were set in motion on 12 July when the Phoenix community set up blockades and patrolled the neighbourhood streets after the start of mass looting and unrest in Durban.

While initially armed checkpoints were set up at strategic access points, the situation rapidly deteriorated and soon, the streets became scenes of crime.

Cele said the problem was aggravated when some people operating the checkpoints turned to vigilantism, and started to racially profile people, denying them entry into the area.

“This amounted to unlawful discrimination and a restriction of movement for mainly African people.

“According to police reports, a vehicle (bakkie) with no registration plates, carrying looted items, was stopped and searched at one of the checkpoints.”

Cele said four male occupants of the bakkie fired shots at community members.

While four suspects fled into the bushes, four African males sustained gunshot wounds, with one of them dying on the scene.

Their vehicle was set alight.

The Minister said police believe this incident sparked a chain of stoning and burning of vehicles, as well as shootings, stabbings and assaults.

It is alleged that at the road closures in the area, some motorists were robbed and their cars ransacked.

“Irrespective of gender or age, some motorists were allegedly forcefully taken out of their motor vehicles and then assaulted with baseball bats, bricks and sticks.

“Some people were even butchered with bush knives and other sharp instruments. It is alleged that some people were shot and killed, and their vehicles were set alight,” Cele said.

Harrowing accounts of targets narrowly escaping death while trying to enter Phoenix to access clinics and the local pharmacy have been widely shared.

“I have also met with Phoenix community members, who have condemned these savage acts and many are coming forward with information that is assisting police investigations,” Cele said.

The reign of terror claimed the lives of 36 people, revealed the Minister. Of these, investigations show that 30 people died of gunshot wounds. Two were burnt to death; one was stabbed and another run over by a car. Two others died from the brutal injuries they sustained after being assaulted.

Cele said they were investigating 52 cases of attempted murder, and probing nine cases of common assault and 16 cases of assault GBH.

Cele said what happened in Phoenix were “criminal acts of the worst kind, which also took a racial turn”.

“These acts have no place in our society and the perpetrators will be arrested and prosecuted,” he said.

A team of 31 experienced detectives from national and provincial KZN were deployed to investigate, make arrests and attend court cases “to ensure justice prevails”.

To date, 22 suspects have been arrested.

The Minister said some of the suspects were allegedly connected to several murder, attempted murder, malicious damage to property, and defeating the ends of justice cases.

Investigations are also underway to determine the role of private security firms in the violence. The Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA) has seized 152 firearms from four private security companies working in the area. A further 112 illegal firearms have also been seized during police operations in Phoenix.

Investigating the authorities

Also under scrutiny will be the local SAPS response, said Cele.

The South African National Defence Force is providing support to the SAPS and its specialised units, such as Public Order Police, Tactical Response Teams (TRT) and Metro Police daily in the areas of Phoenix, Bhambayi, Zwelitsha and aMaoti.

Cele said: “I want to assure these families that the police will continue their relentless pursuit of the killers and their accomplices. We are committed to upholding the law and seeking justice”.

Statistics South Africa has warned the public of imposters pretending to be fieldworkers from Stats SA.

“The scammers are going door-to-door claiming to be profiling households. They request members of the public to provide their banking details and also to confirm if they have mobile banking apps,” said Stats SA of the scammers targeting communities in Giyani, Limpopo.

It is alleged that some members of the community have been robbed of money by these scammers.

In a statement on Tuesday, Stats SA said it does not ask respondents to provide their banking details or to confirm if they are using mobile banking apps.

“Members of the public are urged to be vigilant and not fall victim to the scam. The organisation has communicated its temporary suspension of all face-to-face data collection due to the latest COVID-19 restrictions,” it said.

This includes the frame update project, in which fieldworkers go door-to-door collecting contact details from households so that Stats SA can use alternative interviewing modes, including computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) and computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI), to ensure the continued provision of much-needed economic and social statistics.

“We are currently conducting a risk assessment to determine when we can resume face-to-face data collection. The public will be informed once this decision has been finalised,” Stats SA said.

Stats SA fieldworkers can easily be identified through Stats SA-branded bibs, Stats SA ID cards and introduction letters.

To verify that the person at your door is a legitimate Stats SA staff member, you can check online (http://www.statssa.gov.za/Fieldworkerverification/FWVerification.php ), contact the call centre on 0800 110 248, or your nearest provincial or district office.

South Africa administered 187 855 COVID-19 vaccines on Monday, with 7 769 799 jabs distributed to date.

The latest data show that 1 580 735 people have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, while 6 189 064 Pfizer jabs have been distributed.

In addition, the Department of Health said 100 148 people have been completed inoculated in the last 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the country recorded 5 575 new COVID-19 cases, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2 461 758.

According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), this increase represents a 21.9% positivity rate.

The majority of new cases are from Western Cape (32%), followed by Gauteng (19%), while KwaZulu-Natal accounted for 18%.

In addition, 246 succumbed to the respiratory disease, pushing the tally to 72 437.

“There has been an increase of 415 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours,” the NICD said.

This means there are currently 15 710 patients who are admitted for COVID-19 out of 150 933 active known cases, while the recovery rate remains at 90.9%.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are now 198 234 951 confirmed global cases of COVID-19, including 4 227 359 deaths.

In addition, the WHO reported that as of 29 July 2021, 3 839 816 037 vaccine doses have been administered.

While calm has returned to KwaZulu-Natal following last month’s civil unrest, concerted efforts are underway to resort peace and stability, says KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala.

In the wake of last month’s violent scenes, which claimed over 330 lives, the province and national government’s security cluster marshalled in resources to restore stability.

“It is our priority to bring peace and stability,” said Zikalala, while updating the public on the law enforcement and social cohesion interventions in Phoenix following the chaotic scenes of two weeks ago. Thirty-six people were killed in the township.

The second priority, he said, was to provide relief and support to the process of rebuilding with “immediate but lasting effect”.

“We are assessing the impact of civil unrest and compiling our comprehensive report to the National Disaster Management Centre,” he said, adding that this would assist and support the provincial government submission for the declaration of the state of disaster.

While figures were not final, Zikalala said costs incurred in various provincial departments was about R2 billion and R34 million for municipalities.

“These figures are not final and are expected to grow as we consolidate our report. In line with what the minister said, ours in his regard is to ensure stability. That must be a program that is sustainable,” he said on Tuesday.

He emphasized the need to build harmony and coexistence among citizens, especially in the area of Phoenix and surroundings.

In 2017, the provincial government hosted the Social Cohesion and Moral Regeneration summit. Since then, a Social Cohesion and Moral Regeneration Council, which includes prominent members of society, had been formed.

The key objectives of this  is to develop a comprehensive provincial strategy. The strategy, said Zikalala, would address feelings of marginalisation and exclusion based on race. It would also address the perception that foreign and other African nationals, are benefiting more than local citizens from the economy.

He said that sustainable solutions are needed “to bring about radical socio economic transformation to address socio economic inequalities that prevail”.

Restoring trust

Also speaking at the briefing, Police Minister Bheki Cele said while much ground had been covered on the security front in Phoenix, “crucial work” to rebuild trust between communities is underway.

He extended his appreciation to the work of the Peace Committee that was set up in the wake of the crimes.

The forum consists of members of Bhambayi, Zwelisha, Umaoti, Inanda and Phoenix areas.

He said: “It is these determined and committed women and men who raised their hands to be part of the solution, in the face of adversity.

“They stand together against the divisions sowed among the people of this area.”

The forum worked with the South African Police Service in facilitating the reporting of cases of missing persons.

The Minister said the forum has been at the forefront of assisting bereaved families to identify the remains of their loved ones at the Phoenix government mortuary.

“This Peace Committee is playing a vital role in ensuring that the communities they represent are kept abreast with information at all times. This Peace Committee saw the light at a time when there was only darkness, despair and hopelessness.

Together, they put aside their differences and worked towards the same goal. They have shown us the way forward,” said the Minister.

The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs says it is satisfied with civic service operations at the Eshowe Home Affairs office following the damage caused by recent riots.

The committee conducted an inspection at the Eshowe office on Monday, as part of its oversight visit to KwaZulu-Natal to assess the extent of damage caused by riots to three Home Affairs offices in Eshowe, Impendle and Vulamehlo.

The committee wanted to assess the impact on delivery of civic services, as at one stage during the riots, 58 Home Affairs offices in KwaZulu-Natal were closed. The offices have since reopened.

Home Affairs Deputy Minister Njabulo Nzuza told the committee that during the looting of shops, Home Affairs offices, which are situated in shopping malls, were affected the most, as staff could not go to work.

The riots also affected some services at immigration points, including the airport, border control points and the harbour, as some staff could not get to their offices. However, these stations remained open.

While the offices were closed, communities were notified to register births and deaths at their nearest Department of Health facility.

The Eshowe office, which caters to more than 350 000 people from Eshowe, Nkandla and Melmoth, was damaged to the extent that the main entrance doors, windows and security gates were broken. Computers, scanners and other equipment were also stolen, bringing services to a halt.

The office has a modernised system which delivers services such as Smart Identity Cards. The machine for identity cards was also stolen.

Acting committee chairperson, Mosa Chabane, commended the speed with which the department officials got offices fully functional again.

“The staff was able to source equipment and machines from other offices, and today whilst the committee was there, they were setting up the Smart Card machine.

“The staff, led by the Deputy Minister, were involved in the cleaning up of the offices. We are optimistic that the department is committed to render their civic services fully operational, and commend them for their dedication and commitment to the affected communities,” Chabane said on Monday.

The committee will on Tuesday continue with its oversight visit to the Impendle office in Umgungundlovu District.

Committee visits small businesses and informal traders

Meanwhile, the Portfolio Committee on Small Business Development, together with the Select Committee on Trade and Industry, Economic Development, Small Business Development, Tourism, Employment and Labour will from Tuesday undertake a two-day fact-finding visit in KwaZulu-Natal.

The purpose of the visit is to assess damage; understand the needs of entrepreneurs and organisations, and find means of intervention tailored for their needs going forward.

On Tuesday, the committees will be at King Cetshwayo District Municipality, where they will visit affected small businesses, cooperatives and informal traders at eNseleni, Empangeni and eSikhaleni in uMhlathuze Local Municipality. They will later proceed to KwaDukuza Local Municipality.

Members of the committee will on Wednesday be at eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, where they will visit several areas affected by the destruction and looting, including Camperdown, Pinetown, Inanda, KwaMashu and Ntuzuma.

Thirteen suspects have appeared before the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on charges of fraud, forgery, uttering, money laundering and corruption.

The accused were arrested for, among others, defrauding the Free State Department of Health.

Some of the accused were arrested on Friday, while others were arrested in the early hours of Tuesday by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation in Bloemfontein.

Those arrested on Friday include Motsumi Krisjan Polori (46) and Sarah Kenosi Legobate (44), both employees at the Department of Health.

Five company directors, including John Tsietsi Polori (50), Thabo Moeti (39), Mavuso Victor Kwababa (49), Simon Njonga (40) and Lebohang Beqezi (37) were also arrested.

Those arrested today include government employees David Motau (54), Mietje Johns (61), Limakatso Catharine Mabitle (62), Hillary Colleen Kala (56) and John Motsemme Chakane (65), and company director Mmalefa Charity Moloi (39).

It is alleged that during the course of a regulatory audit in the Department of Health, the audit team from the Auditor-General requested information on certain payments to service providers and subsequently queried the procurement processes that were followed.

As a result, an internal investigation followed, whereby it was discovered that false or forged “requests for payment advices” were submitted during the period of January 2011 until December 2015 for payments with regards to the service providers.

It is further alleged that no evidence could be found whether the actual services were rendered by the service providers.

A total amount of more than R8 million was paid to the service providers.

As a result, the Department of Health suffered a total loss of more than R8 million.

The matter was then reported to the police and a case was handed over to the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation in Bloemfontein for further investigation, which led to the arrest of the accused.

The case against the accused has been postponed to Wednesday, 22 September 2021.

David Motau, Motsumi Krisjan Polori and John Tsietsi Polori were released on R5 000 bail each, while the other accused were released on R2 000 bail each.

Parties involved in the conflict by the taxi industry in Cape Town have agreed to arbitration after the initial mediation process collapsed.

In recent months, there has been ongoing violence on route B97 that has resulted in fatalities on the part of operators, drivers and commuters, with concomitant property damaged.

The root cause of the conflict in the Western Cape stems from disagreement between the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA) and the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Associations (CODETA).

In an effort to resolve the matter, government has engaged both CATA and CODETA, as well as the provincial leadership of the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) to find a sustainable long-term solution.

In a joint statement on Monday, the Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula, and Western Cape MEC for Transport and Public Works, Daylin Mitchell, outlined the following measures that will be implemented:

–        All legal operating licence holders for routes to and from Mbekweni, except for route B97,  must  commence services,  as  authorised  by  their  operating  licences  or  face  the legal consequences.

–        All  associations  must  instruct  their  members  to  return  to  service  in  line  with  the  authorities issued with their operating licences and must do so in a manner that is safe for the  public.   The  Registrar’s  Office  will  send  out  a  letter  to  all  associations  communicating  this  instruction.   All  routes  will  be  monitored  and  action  will  be  taken  against  associations and individual operating licence holders who are in breach of this instruction.

–        When  route  B97  is  opened,  only  legal  operating  licence  holders  will  be  allowed  to operate and will serve the full route from the authorised ranks and terminals.

–        Affected  municipalities  will  be  requested  to  place  a  moratorium  on  the  issuance  of new  operating  licences  and  applications  for  additional  authorities  on  all  affected  routes whilst also rationalising these services.

–        If  the  affected  municipalities  indicate  the  need  for  additional  services  on  route  B97, operating licences will be apportioned in accordance with the arbitration award.

–        The  Department of Transport will  meet  with  the  appointed  arbitrator  to  expedite  the  arbitration process and to issue an award within the shortest possible timeframe.

–        The Registrar’s Office will continue with the section 7(A)(20) inquiry to deal with the possible violations of the Code of Conduct and Standard Constitution and to deal with the issue of floor crossing, as well as to determine if the affected associations are still properly constituted  in  terms  of  applicable  legal  prescripts. The  Registrar’s  Office  will  make recommendations  to  the  Provincial Regulatory Entity (PRE)  in  respect  of  actions  against  affected  operating  licence holders;

–        Should  there  be  further  acts  of  violence,  all  affected  routes  operated  by  the  two associations  will  be  closed  for  all  minibus-taxi  operations  for  a  period  determined  by  the MEC and affected operating licences will be suspended.  In addition, both associations will be suspended or deregistered by following the prescribed process.  This will be done in the interest  of  public  safety  and  other  operators  will  be  authorised  to  provide  replacement services.

–        Any other associations found to be involved in or promoting violence will similarly be suspended or deregistered by following the prescribed processes.

–        Any  association  that  henceforth  affiliates  to  a  region  or  so-called  ‘mother  body’ outside of its geographical area will be suspended by the Registrar’s Office.

–        Government will request the South African Police Service (SAPS) to open an inquiry in terms of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act to investigate the on-going violence and to prioritise reported cases.

–        Law enforcement capacity and deployment will be reviewed and strengthened in the affected areas.

–        Any  allegations  of  corrupt  activities  or  clear  acts  of  favouritism  on  the  part  of  law enforcement  or  regulatory  officials  will  be  investigated  based  on  evidence  submitted  by complainants.

As the Department of Water and Sanitation continues with its mission to bring relief to drought-stricken areas in the Eastern Cape, an amount of R71.8 million has been allocated to address water challenges in Graaff-Reinet.

The fund allocation, through the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG), will assist the Graaff-Reinet Emergency Bulk Supply Scheme in the Dr Beyers Naude Local Municipality.

The project consists of the upgrading of the ground water supply to the town of Graaff Reinet.

Departmental spokesperson Sputnik Ratau, said the funding allocation for the project was split over several financial years, starting in 2016 when the supply scheme project commenced.

Ratau said that Phase 1 of the Graaff Reinet Emergency Water Supply Scheme, which included the refurbishing and equipping of old boreholes, as well as the drilling of new boreholes, was completed in August 2020.

Phase 2 which is currently underway, consists of the construction of a new Umasizakhe pipeline (gravity and rising main) and bulk meter installation.

“Contractors also installed new collector pipelines between the boreholes and reservoir and constructed a 1.5Mℓ balancing reservoir in Northern Well Field, and a 315mm rising main from the Northern Borehole Well Field to the Water Treatment Works,” Ratau said.

Ratau called on the community of Graff-Reinet to protect the infrastructure and report any acts of vandalism to local authorities, as “further delays of the project means inadequate water supply for the community.”

“Infrastructure vandalism is a major setback in the second phase of the project,” he said.

He added that the development of an Integrated Water Use License Application (IWULA) is yet to be completed, while further equipping of new boreholes drilled in Camdeboo Park and cleaning of all sites continues.

Consumers will have to fork out an additional 91 cents for a litre of fuel as of Wednesday.

This as the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) announced that both grades of 95 (ULP and LRP) and 93 (ULP and LRP) will increase by 91 cents.

This means that a litre of 95 ULP in Gauteng, which currently costs to R17.39 a litre will increase to R18.30.

Meanwhile, diesel (0.05% Sulphur) will increase by 55.58 cents a litre, while the price of diesel (0.005% Sulphur) is set to increase by 54.58 cents a litre.

The price of illuminating paraffin (wholesale) will increase by 50 cents.

The price of illuminating paraffin (SMNRP) will increase by 67 cents, while the Maximum Retail Price for LPGAS will increase by 226 cents per kilogram.

In a statement, the DMRE said the average international product prices for petrol, diesel and illuminating paraffin increased during the period under review.

“The Rand depreciated against the US Dollar during the period under review, on average, when compared to the previous period,” it said.