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Efforts to suppress raging wildfires in the Coldstream and Koomansbos areas of Tsitsikamma, Eastern Cape where just over 2 400 hectares of commercial plantations and natural veld have been destroyed, are in full swing.

More than 150 firefighters from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment’s Working on Fire teams, together with teams from governmental and non-governmental organisations have been battling the fires that reportedly started earlier this week.

In addition, two Working on Fire Huey helicopters and one fixed wing spotter plane have flown 31 hours, providing aerial firefighting services in support of ground crews at these fires.

Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy has expressed gratitude to the firefighter and different stakeholders participating in the battle.

“A big thank you to all firefighters and local communities for the continued support. A special word of appreciation to businesses, particularly those retailers in Humansdorp which donated food parcels to the hero and heroines battling the fire,” she said.

Minister Creecy emphasised the importance of cooperation and teamwork amongst all stakeholders participating in the firefighting efforts, which are coordinated under the Eastern Cape Umbrella Fire Protection Association and the Southern Cape Fire Protection.

The Eastern Cape has two fire seasons, a winter fire season, which affects the eastern part of the province from June to October, and a summer fire season, which affects the western part of the province from December to April.

In preparation for the winter fire season, close to 400 firefighters in the Eastern region underwent their annual yellow card training camps, which ensured that they are fully fit, and ready for the fire season.

However, Minister Creecy has urged communities and landowners to be extra vigilant during these cold winter months and not to start any unnecessary fires, which could lead to a disaster runaway fire.

“Ensure that your properties do not have any waste material with a high fuel load and make sure that you do not have overhanging trees close to your properties,” she said.

Property owners are also encouraged to clean their gutters and to have the telephone numbers of their local fire services at hand.

Police Minister Bheki Cele is today expected to receive a briefing from the Western Cape SAPS management following Wednesday’s shooting,which claimed eight lives in Gugulethu.

Accompanied by the province’s Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Thembisile Patekile, the Minister is also anticipated to visit the scene of the brutal attack.

The shooting is the latest in a series of fatal gun attacks that have claimed dozens of lives in the province in recent weeks.

Western Cape police have instituted the 72-hour Activation Plan for the mobilisation of resources in search of the gunmen, who shot and killed eight people in the township’s NY 79 section.

According to provincial SAPS spokesperson, Brigadier Novela Potelwa, the victims were accosted while attending a traditional ceremony in the area.

Five of the victims died at the scene, while another two succumbed to their injuries at a local hospital.

On Thursday morning, police confirmed that another person had passed on overnight.

Potelwa in a statement urged any member of the public with information, which could assist the investigation, to contact the police on 08600 10111.

“The identities and ages of the deceased persons will be released once their next of kin are informed,” she said, adding that the motive for the shooting incident is yet to be determined.

Patekile in the statement said police teams are pursuing several leads.

“The teams will work through the night conducting tracing operations,” he said.

Last month, 13 people were shot dead in one day during two allegedly linked attacks in Khayelitsha. Eight people were subsequently arrested in relation to the shootings.

A total of 46 893 COVID-19 tests were conducted on Tuesday, with 11 093 new cases detected.

According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), this represents a 23.7% positivity rate, pushing the number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 1 843 572.

Of the latest infections, the majority are from Gauteng (67%), followed by the Western Cape (8%).

Meanwhile, a further 297 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing the death toll to 59 092.

The NICD reported an increase of 575 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours.

This means there are currently 10 114 people who are receiving COVID-19 treatment in hospitals.

Global view

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are now 178 503 429 confirmed global cases, 3 872 457 deaths and 2 414 347 324 administered vaccine doses.

The WHO said the global numbers of cases and deaths continued to decrease over the past week, with over 2.5 million new weekly infections and over 64 000 deaths.

This represents a 6% and a 12% decrease respectively, compared to the previous week.

“While the number of cases reported globally now exceeds 177 million, last week saw the lowest weekly case incidence since February 2021.”

The organisation said this week, the Americas and Western Pacific regions logged numbers of new weekly cases similar to the previous week.

Meanwhile, South-East Asia and the European regions reported a decline in the number of new infections.

In addition, Africa recorded a marked peak in the number of weekly cases as compared to the previous week.

“Globally, mortality remains high with more than 9 000 deaths reported each day over the past week,” said the WHO.

However, the number of new deaths reported in the past week decreased across all regions except for the Eastern Mediterranean and the African regions.

The highest numbers of new cases were reported from Brazil (505 344 new cases, 11% increase), India (441 976 new cases, 30% decrease), Colombia (193 907 new cases, 10% increase), Argentina (149 673 new cases, 16% decrease), and Russia (108 139 new cases, 31% increase).

Meanwhile, variant Alpha has been reported in 170 countries, territories or areas, Beta in 119 countries, Gamma in 71 countries and Delta in 85 countries.

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala says the time has come for the province to produce goods in the townships and villages of the province for itself, and the rest of the world.

The Premier was speaking at the launch of a massive rollout of R300 million Operation Vula Fund disbursements, held in Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday.

The programme forms part of the province’s efforts to create jobs and grow the economy.

During the launch, Zikalala handed over various equipment and business instruments worth over R300 million to successful beneficiaries of Operation Vula Fund.

These included catering equipment, vehicles, computers, and farming implements.

Over the next few weeks, the Premier and members of the provincial executive council (MECs) will visit various districts to handover equipment and business instruments to enterprises who had successfully applied for Operation Vula Fund support.

Zikalala said equipment with a combined value of R300 million will be disbursed to over 1 000 small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) who have been selected as successful applicants.

“To date we have approved a total 1 021 applications with a value of R299 157 million. Of these successful applications, 923 were in Tier One which disbursed equipment and instruments not exceeding R200 000.

“In Tier Two there were 11 successful applications where equipment disbursed ranges between R200 000 and R500 000. There were 87 successful applicants in Tier 3 which disbursed instruments whose value ranges from R500 000 up to R2 million,” Zikalala said.

The Premier added that the disbursements of Operation Vula Fund equipment will serve as a major boost to the province’s job creation and economic recovery efforts.

Zikalala said the projection was that the Operation Vula Fund disbursements will help create and sustain no less than 10 816 jobs.

He noted that, of the successful applicants, at least 42% are businesses owned by young people under the age or 35, while 49.5% are women-owned.

The Premier also warned that beneficiaries are not allowed to sell the equipment, noting that in the event that a business collapses, the equipment will have to be returned to the government.

SMMEs play critical role in job creation

Sharing the Premier’s sentiments, Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC Ravi Pillay said SMMEs have a critical role to play in the creation of jobs.

“In developed countries, up to 80% of the jobs are created by SMMES. This task that the beneficiaries have, is a critical one for the future of our province and our country,” Pillay said.

Pillay also stressed that his department will monitor progress and offer support to the beneficiaries.

“As a department we want to come and visit you to see how you are doing. Firstly, we will want to see that the machinery is there and is being used for the purpose for which it was requested.

“Secondly we want to see how you are developing to become a successful enterprise. We will look at the operational side, the financial management side and also access to markets,” Pillay said.

Zikalala and Pillay said that unsuccessful applicants will be contacted, and will be assisted with improving on areas that led to their applications being unsuccessful.

An intelligence driven operation on Tuesday morning saw police successfully slam the brakes on a R243 million drugs consignment in an Isipingo depot, in Durban.

In a statement, Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI/Hawks) spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Philani Nkwalase said the operation was conducted in the early hours of yesterday morning at a container depot on Avenue East in Isipingo.

Police pounced on the depot after information of smuggling of drugs into the country was received.

“The Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team with the members from Durban Harbour, as well as Crime Intelligence Border Security, proceeded to the depot where the container which supposedly had animal food was identified and a search was conducted,” said Nkwalase.

“Twenty-six canvas bags with Tik Tok and Jaguar brands were found with bricks of cocaine. The drugs weighing 541 kilograms with an estimated value of more than R243 million were confiscated.

“An investigation to apprehend the perpetrators and prevent contraband drugs into our country is continuing, he said.

National Hawks head Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya heaped praise on the team for the operation.

“We are closing in on the drug cartels. This drug bust shows that there are organised criminal groupings that are involved in organising the movement of these dangerous dependent producing substances from one country to the other. While fighting the supply of these substances, we appeal to the community not to demand the supply which will ultimately help in closing the market.”

The discovery of this consignment is the latest in a series of recent successful operations amounting to millions of rand.

The South African Revenue Service’s (SARS) efforts to rid the country of illicit cigarette trade was on Tuesday patently demonstrated when the revenue collector destroyed over 2000 master boxes of the product, valued at R17.4 million.

In a statement, SARS director for customs border operations, ports of entry and customs compliance, Beyers Theron, said the cigarettes were either illicitly imported or illicitly manufactured in the country. This was in contravention of Customs and Excise legislation.

He said the seizure and destruction of illicit goods was an achievement based on the “whole of government approach” that was embedded in the inter-agency working group set up to deal with illicit trade in an integrated and co-ordinated manner.

Other sectors severely impacted by illicit trade, and that forms part of the SARS focus, include clothing and textiles, leather and footwear, fuel, poultry, second-hand vehicles, gold and scrap metal.

Another thorn in the flesh of the revenue collector was the unregistered medicaments meant to treat various health ailments, but had not been scientifically tested.

SARS statistics indicate that there were 1 150 seizures, equating to 181 million sticks, in the 2020/2021 financial year. These had an estimated value of R219 million, while 92 182 of seized tobacco amounting to a potential prejudice in duties and VAT estimated at over R163-million.

This, the revenue collector said, was a more than 100% increase against the previous financial year (2019/20) that yielded 445 seizures with a value of R103.5 million. Seizure trends per port of entry for the 2020/2021 financial year shows that most cigarette seizures occurred at Beit Bridge, Groblers Bridge, Kopfontein, Lebombo and Skilpadshek border posts.

Theron warned the public that illicit cigarette trade negatively impacts the country’s revenue collection, saying this was much-needed money meant to provide basic services to all South Africans, including the poor and vulnerable.

“It destroys local industries, leading to factory closures, job losses and further erosion of the tax base. Some of these goods present a public health hazard, putting a strain on the health care system.

“It contributes to higher levels of criminality, including bribery and corruption, as well as drawing the country into various syndicates of organised crime drug-smuggling, gun-running and human trafficking,” he said.

SARS Customs recently established the National Rapid Response Team (NRRT) in an effort to compliment front-line operations and to provide agile and flexible deployment operations to major areas of risk.

The NRRT is also responsible for rapid deployments at checkpoints at identified hotspots in all major provinces and ports of entry. Many of the cigarettes seizures being destroyed can be attributed to the efforts of the Customs front-line supported by the National Rapid Response team.

Earlier this month, Customs officials at Beitbridge, supported by SAPS and the South African National Defence Force, began to destroy illicit cigarettes from previous seizures valued at over R30-million.

In an effort to boost access to employment and labour services in KwaZulu-Natal’s Newcastle, Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi has opened a Youth Employment Centre while also launching mobile buses.

Speaking at Tuesday’s launch, Nxesi said the centre would play a significant role in connecting work seekers to potential employment opportunities in the Amajuba District Municipality, especially the youth.

He added that the centre would also assist jobseekers in developing strategies to search and find jobs and preparing for an interview.

“The youth, as the future of this country, are so important and as a department, we are committed to helping them to access employment opportunities. We are, therefore, urging employers to place their vacancies for free on our Employment Services South Africa (ESSA) online system on www.essa.labour.gov.za so clients can access them,” said Minister Nxesi.

In an effort to reach most clients of the department, especially those in rural areas, the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) has also procured eight mobile buses worth R84 million which were unveiled by the Minister.

“The two buses that were launched today have already hit the road, servicing clients in Amajuba District from 19 June 2021 while the remaining six will be delivered before the end of august 2021,” said acting UIF Commissioner, Teboho Thejane.

The buses, which are user-friendly to people living with disabilities, will be used for the provision of essential services of the department, particularly in areas without labour centres. They are equipped with technology, audio, a kitchenette, work stations, generators, LED screens, air-conditioning, staff and public toilets, fire extinguisher, Wi-Fi, and a server that will enable the rendering of all departmental services on wheels.

Nxesi and Thejane revealed that the Fund’s Labour Activation Programme (LAP), which is aimed at re-integrating the unemployed into the labour market, would continue conducting training programmes to create jobs.

They reiterated that training providers who submit proposals to the department must commit to securing job opportunities for learners before the training programme commences.

The Minister who was accompanied by the Mayor of Amajuba District Municipality, Dr Musa Ngubane also visited eMadadeni Community Hall to assess progress made in the COVID-19 vaccination process around Amajuba District Municipality.

South Africa has reported 9 160 new COVID-19 cases, said the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).

This as there were 36 858 COVID-19 tests conducted on Monday. This translated to a 24.9% positivity rate, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 1 832 479.

Of the latest infections, the majority were found in Gauteng (6 292), followed by the Western Cape (647).

New data shows that 93 more people succumbed to the respiratory disease, pushing the death toll to 58 795.

Meanwhile, the public health institute said 341 more patients were admitted to hospitals in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 9 503.

According to the NICD’s data, 6 267 ill patients are receiving treatment in private hospitals, while 3 236 are in public health institutions.

The institution has advised people to adhere to preventative measures to limit the risk of contracting and spread of COVID-19.

So far, 2 144 204 people have been vaccinated in South Africa, while 3 656 516 citizens have registered on the Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS) to receive their jab.

According to the World Health Organisation, since the outbreak, 178 202 610 cases and 3 865 738 deaths have been confirmed.

In addition, the global community has administered 2 412 226 768 vaccine doses as of 20 June 2021.

There will be no deadline for registration of Information officers and Deputy Information Officers; meaning that no responsible party will be held liable for not registering by 30 June 2021.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Information Regulator said this decision follows technical glitches with the registration portal and numerous concerns raised by responsible parties regarding the registration process.

“The regulator is currently looking into alternative registration processes and will communicate this in due course. We understand that our portal malfunctioning has caused a lot of anxiety and panic and for that we really do apologise,” Chairperson of the Information Regulator, Advocate Pansy Tlakula said.

The registration of a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) as an Information Officer for multiple legal entities has been taken into consideration and it will be permissible.

The registration portal is currently being configured to accommodate these changes. When the registration portal has been updated, it will be announced.

“The Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) enforcement powers as promulgated by the President of South Africa in June 2020 will still be coming into effect as of the 1 July 2021. The Information Regulator had thus afforded responsible parties a one-year grace period to be compliant with POPIA.

“For responsible parties to be compliant with POPIA, they are required amongst many actions, to appoint and register their Information Officers with the Information Regulator and apply for Prior Authorisation before processing personal information,” the regulator said.

There has been an exponential increase for engagement from responsible parties with the regulator. This as the POPIA enforcement powers draw closer and are less than 10 days away.

Furthermore, the regulator has extended the applications for Prior Authorisation in terms section 57 (1) subject to section 58 (2) to 01 February 2022.

Responsible Parties must obtain prior authorisation from the regulator prior to any processing of personal information where that responsible party plans to:

• Process any unique identifiers of a data subject.
• Process information on criminal Behaviour or on unlawful or objectionable conduct on behalf of third parties.
• Process information for purposes of credit reporting.
• Transfer special personal information or personal information of children to foreign countries that do not provide an adequate level of protection for processing of personal information.

The Information Regulator as of 30 June will also be taking over the function of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) from the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).

Should the public require lodging a complaint, they may approach the Regulator to adjudicate, or they may approach the court directly.

A Northern Cape politician and former Nama Khoi municipality senior official, Nevie Aubrey Baartman and two company directors have appeared in the Springbok Magistrate Court facing charges of fraud amounting to R79.9 million.

This came after Baartman, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters in the Northern Cape, and his co-accused were on 2 June served with summons by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team compelling them to appear before court.

In a statement, provincial Hawks spokesperson Nomthandazo Mnisi said: “It is alleged that Maralise Lunnette Cloete (38) and Zihaadt Ismial Cloete (41) were the directors of a construction company that was selected as a successful bidder by the Nama Khoi Municipality in Springbok in 2013”.

This followed an advertised tender to render a paving stones and curbs service for a period of three years.

Furthermore, she said it was alleged that the company did not meet the necessary requirements and the procurement process was allegedly flouted. Subsequently the municipality suffered a loss of approximately R79.9 million.

The matter was reported to the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team which culminated in them facing a charge of fraud along with a juristic person (an entity).

The trio are expected to appear again in the same court on Monday, 20 September 2021, she said.