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South Africa recorded 3 614 new COVID-19 cases, which brings the total number of detected infections to 1 669 231.

Meanwhile, 95 deaths were logged on Tuesday, pushing the death toll to 56 601.

According to Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, 44 fatalities were recorded in Gauteng, 27 in Free State, nine in the Western Cape, seven in the Northern Cape, five in KwaZulu-Natal, three in the Eastern Cape, while the rest of the provinces reported zero deaths.

“Provinces are continuing with their mortality audits and some dates have been back-captured from previous months,” Mkhize explained.

The Minister has conveyed his condolences and thanked the healthcare workers who treated the deceased.

According to Mkhize, there are 1 563 719 people who beat COVID-19, while the active cases have now increased to 48 911.

The information is based on the 11 667 916 tests of which 36 677 were recorded since the last report.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are now 170 426 245 confirmed global cases of COVID-19, including 3 548 628 deaths.

Global view

According to the WHO’s weekly epidemiological update, the number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths continues to decrease.

The WHO said over 3.5 million new infections and 78 000 new deaths were reported in the past week, a 15% and 7% decrease respectively, compared to the previous week.

In addition, the European and South-East Asia regions logged the largest drop in new cases and deaths in the past week, while case incidence increased in the African and Western Pacific regions.

“The numbers of cases reported by the Americas and Eastern Mediterranean regions were similar to those reported in the previous week,” the organisation said, adding that Africa recorded a peak.

Meanwhile, Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean regions reported a decline, while Western Pacific and the Americas regions recorded similar death incidence compared to the previous week.

“Although the number of global cases and deaths continued to decrease for a fifth and fourth consecutive week respectively, case and death incidences remain at high levels and significant increases have been reported in many countries in all regions.”

The highest numbers of new cases were reported from India (1 364 668 new cases, 26% decrease), Brazil (420 981 new cases, 7% decrease), Argentina (219 910 new cases, 3% increase), the United States (153 587 new cases, 18% decrease), and Colombia (150 517 new cases, 40% increase).

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has called for proposals for key Mzansi Golden Economy (MGE) work streams.

MGE is a strategy to reposition the cultural industries in South Africa.

The strategy opens up the arts; culture and heritage sector to contribute to economic growth and job creation comprehensively.

“The application period for this financial year runs from 1 June to 25 June 2021 for projects/programmes that will be executed between September 2021 and March 2022,” the department said on Tuesday.

Projects that the department has implemented and initiated as part of the MGE include cultural events, sourcing enterprise, public art, touring ventures, Art Bank, the National Cultural Industries Skills Academy (NACISA) and cultural observatory.

These involve:

• The cultural events initiative funds big cultural events in different cities and towns of the country. These events provide platforms for performing artists to display their arts and earn a living. It also provides secondary and supportive jobs.
• The sourcing enterprise sources goods and services for events, shows, conferences and exhibitions.
• The public art project looks at proposals from artists who can do a public art Performance like the Cape Carnival and the Infecting the City project, which does ‘impromptu’ multi-media arts. Street theatre and dance are also part of this programme. The public art project consists of outdoor murals and sculpture.  The department has been funding such projects, which offer job opportunities to visual artists, especially among the youth and beautifies public spaces.
• The touring venture project deals with art exhibitions, Plays and public art performances that need to be taken to various cities to provide opportunities for audiences elsewhere to experience the art.
• The Art Bank Project is envisaged as a national rental agency for contemporary and traditional South African Art. Its function will be to procure and curate artworks in all public buildings, including government departments and its institutions and South African Embassies around the world to ensure that good quality contemporary artworks are displayed.
• The National Cultural Industries Skills Academy is a proposed centre of excellence that is being developed in collaboration with Departments of Basic and Higher Education, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Labour.
• The cultural observatory aims to provide the industry and government with the data that will help develop appropriate strategies for facilitating development of the sector and to enhance its contribution to the Gross domestic product (GDP). In assessing the economic impact of the projects, the cultural observatory will provide economic indicators for the size of the industry; number of jobs created percentage contribution to the GDP and the value of the industry across the value chain.

Applications can only be done online and can be accessed through www.eservices.gov.za.

The department said the move from manual to electronic portal is to create a track and trace management system for all MGE open call applications.

“In the past, applicants have raised concerns regarding MGE open call application process that include loss and/or misplacement of applications; lack of communication; long turnaround time and lack of traceability and monitoring of proposal in their life-cycle.

“By automating the application, process for funding the department will be able to track, trace and monitor turnaround times thus speeding up the process. In addition, holdups can be identified earlier and all applicants’ identity numbers can be verified through e-services portal web service,” the department said.

The e-system enables Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) capabilities and will send updates notifications to applicants through emails and/or SMS.

Applicants must register on the e-services portal. Once registered, the applicant will receive a one-time pin (OTP) to their cellphone number in order to verify the user.

If the applicant has an existing profile, the applicant must log into the portal with his/her existing credentials. Once logged in, the applicant can access the department’s MGE Grant Management system, which is listed under e-services menu.

Applicants that require accessible free internet and Wi-Fi have been encouraged to visit their nearest community libraries.

The South African government remains unwaveringly committed to the development and transformation of the country’s financial services sector.

This was reiterated by Finance Deputy Minister David Masondo during a cocktail dinner of newly launched mutual bank, Young Women In Business Network, on Tuesday.

Masondo said government was committed to continuously introduce reforms that would assist the broader financial services sector to be able to grow and contribute positively and sustainably towards the inclusive growth of the economy.

In his speech, the Deputy Minister stressed the importance of regulated institutions at all times ensuring that they avoid the pitfalls that have led to the failure of some banking institutions in South Africa.

Masondo said regulated institutions “must also adhere to the directives of their regulators”. The regulators are mainly the Prudential Authority, the FSCA, the South African Reserve Bank, the Financial Intelligence Centre and the National Credit Regulator.

“It is vital that banks are managed prudently at all times to ensure that member deposits are protected. When Saambou Bank was placed under curatorship by the Minister of Finance in September 2002, it was against the backdrop of it having been managed in a reckless manner,” he said.

In August 2014, the then Finance Minister placed the African Bank under curatorship after the “reckless conduct of the bank’s affairs,” said the Deputy Minister.

Most recently, the VBS Mutual Bank was placed under curatorship in March 2018, on the backdrop of a severe liquidity crisis.

“Information in the public domain states that the audited financial statements of the Bank were fraudulently mis-stated, and it made it difficult for the then Registrar of Banks to ascertain VBS Mutual Bank’s correct financial position,” Masondo told guests.

He said it was important to highlight failures of these institution, saying it was his duty to remind the YWBN leadership, a new mutual bank, that running a bank is a huge responsibility which must never be taken lightly.

Turning his attention to the importance of ethical leadership in the banking and financial services sector, he said it was important to consider that financial institutions did not operate like ordinary companies but carry specific responsibilities towards the communities that they serve.

“The way people save and invest and how banks allocate capital between alternative uses brings critical economic and social consequences that cannot be ignored in favour of short-term profit goals.

“No doubt the 2008 global financial crises put focus on the issue of ethical leadership in banking and the financial services sector more broadly and increasingly advocates of ethical banking are getting increasing attention from policymakers.”

This, he said, was therefore a reminder that ethical and value-based leadership would be key to the success of this mutual bank.

The Deputy Minister said the country had made progress towards the development of South Africa’s Financial Inclusion Policy, with the publication of a draft policy paper titled “An Inclusive Financial Sector for All”.

“The draft policy paper cites extending access to financial services for Small Business as one of the three key pillars of financial inclusion and I believe that this mutual bank is going to play a very critical role in this regard,” he said.

While SMMEs and co-operatives were at the centre of accelerated economic growth and development of South Africa, he said it was critical to ensure that barriers to entry were broken to ensure that their growth potential was realised.

“These barriers to entry include skills, finance, technology and the market. We are certain that the Mutual Bank will be the hammer to break the finance barrier to enable the businesses to grow our economy.

“But I also wanted to remind you of the huge responsibility you are taking on with regards to the establishment of this bank, as well as the critical role it will play in our economy by supporting the growth and development of SMMEs. Furthermore, let us not discount the critical need for value-based leadership,” said Masondo.

South Africa on Monday recorded 2 383 new COVID-19 cases, with a positivity rate of 10.2%.

The country now has 1 637 848 cumulative cases since the outbreak, amid concerns of the looming third wave.

Furthermore, 72 more people succumbed to the respiratory disease on Monday, pushing the death toll to 55 874.

Of the new deaths, 21 occurred in the Free State, 13 each in Limpopo and the Western Cape, seven in Gauteng, and six each in Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape.

“We convey our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the healthcare workers who treated the deceased patients,” said Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize.

According to Mkhize, 1 541 250 patients have recovered since the outbreak, while the country has 40 724 active cases.

“The number of tests conducted to date is 11 378 282. Of these, 23 352 tests were conducted since the last report.”

The total number of those vaccinated under the Sisonke Study now stands at 479 768, up from 480 665 that was previously reported.

“As we indicated, the teams undertook data verification processes over the weekend in preparation for the finalisation of a public-facing live dashboard. The number reflected today is a result of this process, which removed duplications and vaccinations assigned incorrectly to Sisonke,” the Minister explained.

In addition, 171 860 people have already received their Pfizer vaccine under phase two of the country’s vaccination rollout programme.

As of 24 May 2021, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said there are 166 860 081 confirmed global COVID-19 cases, 3 459 996 deaths and 1 489 727 128 administered vaccine doses.

North West Premier Professor Job Mokgoro has noted with grave concern the sporadic disruptions in some parts of Mahikeng which caused traffic delays and undue inconveniences to residents on Monday.

Mokgoro said he recognises that citizens have a right to protest but this has to be done within the confines of the law without infringing on the rights of the rest of the citizens.

The Premier said police are currently on the ground and are monitoring the situation on the R503 road (Mahikeng to Lichtenburg) in Dihatshwane village and N18 road (Mahikeng – Vryburg) near Kedirile Inn and Makhubung village, where protesters barricaded the roads with various objects.

“The police have since managed to disperse protestors at Dihatshwane village and opened the road where traffic is now flowing. In the Mahikeng / Vryburg road near Kedirile Inn, the road has also been opened, including at Makhubung village.

“Barricades are still visible on the road and motorists are urged to exercise caution and to cooperate with the law enforcement officials who are controlling traffic,” Mokgoro said.

Mokgoro urged members of the community not to panic, and to ignore messages doing the rounds on social media platforms inciting and encourage them to embark on what is termed “Total Shutdown of Mahikeng”.

The Premier has also called on protestors to utilise existing non-violent platforms to raise their concerns and refrain from barricading roads.

As South Africa joins the continent in commemorating Africa Day, Parliament has paid homage to all founding forebears of the African Union (AU), who sacrificed lives and livelihoods to attain liberation and freedom across the continent.

“As we celebrate this day, we are acutely conscious of the ideals our forebears struggled for, which included the battle against poverty, inequality, wars and conflicts, and limited share of resources,” Parliament’s Presiding Officers said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Presiding Officers, Speaker Thandi Modise of the National Assembly, and Chairperson Amos Masondo of the National Council of Provinces, also expressed appreciation towards the efforts to mainstream Africa in the world fight against COVID-19, with efforts to break barriers to access to life-saving interventions and vaccines.

“We expect the vaccination programme to gain the requisite momentum towards the necessary herd immunity that will break the back of the pandemic,” the Presiding Officers said on Tuesday.

The Presiding Officers noted that with just over 24 million COVID-19 doses administered on the continent, they hope that AU member States’ heightening of their collaboration efforts will be able to place the vaccination programme on a higher trajectory, “as Africa overcomes this and other related challenges”.

They further encouraged Africans to heed the call and get vaccinated as rollouts are steadily gaining momentum across the continent.

Parliament has adopted the theme, ‘The Year of Arts, Culture and Heritage – Building a better Africa and a better world in the midst of COVID 19’, which aptly articulates the current challenges facing the continent. It also provides a good framework for interventions and mobilisation of international support.

The officers said these efforts include strengthening the execution of the African Continental Free Trade agreement, mobilising world nations to remove patent barriers to the production of sufficient vaccines to fight the Coronavirus pandemic, and financing African economies to enable their remodelling and recalibration.

“We noted with appreciation the resolutions of the summit of the Heads of State that met earlier this month in France to finance African economies, using global financial firepower to replenish depleted coffers of the African economies and ramp up a slow vaccine rollout in the continent.

“We strongly believe in human solidarity across the world, driven by an understanding that we can only be safe from the pandemic when all of us are safe, and when Africa and other developing nations are enabled to access and produce requisite quantities of vaccines to protect their people.”

The Presiding Officers also affirmed their confidence that “other major priorities of the continent, as part of striving to reach the 2063 development goals, will receive critical attention”.

Africa Day

Africa Day is intended to celebrate the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) on 25 May 1963.

The OAU’s main objectives were, amongst others, to rid the continent of the remaining vestiges of colonisation and apartheid, to promote unity and solidarity amongst the African States and to promote international cooperation.

The AU was launched in 2002. It followed a decision by the OAU to create a new continental organisation as there was a need to refocus attention from the fight for decolonisation, and ridding the continent of apartheid towards increased cooperation and integration to drive Africa’s growth and economic development.

The Western Cape Education Department has urged parents, who have applied online for admission into public schools in 2022, to start checking whether their applications have been successful or not, and to confirm their final choice of school.

The department said the provincial admissions website recorded 408 672 applications from 149 633 registered users during its admissions process in February and March this year.

“The process ended on 31 March 2021, and school governing bodies have since been applying their admission policies to determine placements for next year,” department spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said in a statement.

Hammond said that on Monday, the website started to display the outcome of the process to inform parents as to whether their application has been successful or not.

Hammond noted that some schools may indicate “pending”, which means they have yet to upload their final outcome, and this should be finalised this week.

“Parents can log onto https://admissions.westerncape.gov.za/admissions/login, they can then go to ‘Track Application Status’, select name of learner and then under ‘Application Status’, it will inform the parent as to whether their application was a) successful, b) unsuccessful or c) has been placed on the waiting list. The parent must then either ‘Withdraw’ or ‘Confirm’ their application,” Hammond said.

Once they have confirmed acceptance at a school, parents must print and submit a copy of the application, as well as certified copies of the supporting documents, to the school within seven days of confirming on the system with the school or district office, if they have not already submitted hard copies to the school.

“Parents must please note that [they] only have until 25 June 2021 to confirm their final choice of school for 2022.

“Parents are reminded that if they do not confirm a place at a school by 25 June 2021, then the system will automatically accept the first successful offer from a school on the system for them.

“If a parent has been unsuccessful at all the schools they have applied to and are notified of a successful placement after 25 June 2021, then they have three days to accept the place offered. If parents require support getting access to their profiles on the website, [like] forgotten passwords, then they can contact any of the officials listed on the website or their nearest district office,” Hammond said.

They website link is https://wcedonline.westerncape.gov.za/admissions-202122.

If a learner has not been accepted at a school, Hammond advised parents to first engage the school governing body to establish the reasons why the application was unsuccessful, get clarity on the admission process followed, and to motivate for the application to be reconsidered.

“Parents are advised to stay in touch with the school and request that the learner be placed on a waiting list as some places could still open as parents confirm.”

The department has also appealed to parents who have yet to apply for 2022, to do so immediately.

“They must please contact their nearest schools or the district office urgently. We need to ensure that as many learners as possible register this year so that we can plan appropriately to place all learners for 2022,” Hammond said.

Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) chief executive officer, Zolani Matthews has committed to addressing  vandalism and the general state of neglect and maintenance at the agency through various interventions.

These includes the appointment of dedicated bid committees to process the capital programme, appointment of panel of contractors who will be on call to ensure quick turnaround and recovery, whilst also strengthening the agency’s programme management unit to provide monitoring and oversight.

“The 2019 annual station condition assessment report showed that a total of 66 commuter stations across the country were in a poor condition, whilst the 2021 report reflects an increase of up to 250 stations that are now in a poor state due to escalated levels of theft and vandalism.

“Ninety-five of these stations are in the Gauteng south region, which includes the Soweto corridor. I mentioned the 2019 statistics precisely to highlight the great impact of COVID-19 which contributed immensely towards vandalism and theft of our assets,” Matthews said on Monday.

He made these remarks during the oversight visit attended by Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula at some of the vandalised PRASA stations in and around Johannesburg.

PRASA recovery plan

The chief executive said the work on the recovery plan as announced by the Minister during the Department of Transport’s 2021 budget vote has commenced.

“The contractors are on-site now to recover the vandalised substations on the Mabopane corridor. Importantly, these workers will also contribute towards job creation as we will be involving the communities,” he said.

In the short term, PRASA CRES (Corporate Real Estate Solutions) will also be sourcing alternative building technologies such as containers to open the stations and service commuters.

“Essentially, we cannot re-introduce our rail service if our stations are not fully operational to enable PRASA to collect the much needed revenue. We are planning in the next month, to re-introduce more rail services in line with the pronouncement made during the budget speech,” said the chief executive officer.

In addition to the current services on the operational lines in Gauteng, the agency will add the Daveyton – Germiston line.

Matthews said the agency has challenges around overhead traction energy, which has severely affected its services as it currently relies on locomotives, which are not ideal.

Infrastructure programme

PRASA has commenced with the infrastructure programme to rehabilitate what has been damaged and vandalised.

“Whilst the production of the new trains at Gibela is progressing well, the current rolling stock will still be in use and to this end, we have recently awarded an ad-hoc maintenance contract to ensure [that] in the short term, we recover trains that have been damaged and vandalised,” he said.

The chief executive officer has also established the “Isitimelasabantu” project office to oversee a focused programme on recovery and capex rollout plan to align to the needs of commuters and business.

“We have adopted a corridor-based approach targeting seven lines in Gauteng where we will offer services using electricity power instead of the current diesel service. PRASA’s capital programme will be implemented to ensure we address the challenges facing the business,” Matthews said.

He said the destruction of assets during the COVID-19 lockdown, which exposed the vulnerability of the network, has brought to the fore new risks that PRASA should manage.

“One of this risk is around security, and I am glad to update the Minister that whilst the challenges remain, we are making strides in reducing the security challenges through a number of measures implemented following the integrated security plan launched last year,” Matthews said.

PRASA has recruited an additional 3100 permanent security officials to supplement the current deployment in the security personnel.

PRASA is further working closely with Transnet, Eskom and Telkom on plans to push back the security challenges facing the businesses.

“We will soon be going to the market to invite contractors to build walls as part of protecting our network and also install with this the CCTV and vandal proof technologies.

“PRASA’s business intelligence, with the help of other law enforcement agencies and the South African Police Services, continue to work around the clock to curb this escalating criminal activity through random and continuous surveillance and monitoring of the scrap dealerships alongside Metrorail operational areas,” he said.

According to Matthews, these efforts are bearing positive results as a number of scrap metal dealership premises have been found in possession of PRASA stolen material.

PRASA continues to make gains in the fight against vandalism with a recent major bust of an illicit ring trading in the agency’s cables.

“We have successfully made arrests with the help of “tip-offs” from community members,” he said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Tuesday participate in a webinar marking the celebration of Africa Day.

The President’s participation in the webinar, titled “A Conversation with Africa” under the theme “A Destiny of Peace, Prosperity, Strength and Unity” is at the invitation of Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

The Presidency in an advisory said the event is part of a series of webinars that started earlier this year, aimed at enhancing the relationship between Africa and the Caribbean.

“They are hosted by a collaboration between the South African High Commission in Kingston and the Jamaican Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports.

“The initiative aims to strengthen and boost SA-Jamaica Bilateral relations and further revive the broader Africa-Caribbean Partnership, and as a result, forge even stronger strategic, economic, cultural and political cooperation between the two countries,” the advisory reads.

The two countries enjoy a special relationship and share a tradition of pursuing racial equality.

The Presidency said Africa Day is a very important day for the people of the continent and those in the Diaspora, as it commemorates the establishment of the then Organisation of African Unity (OAU). The OAU in 2002 became the African Union (AU), especially for its role in decolonisation and African independence.

President Ramaphosa and Prime Minister Holness will be joined by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith; Minister of Culture Gender Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange and South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor in the webinar.

The webinar is scheduled for 5pm (South African Standard Time) and will be broadcast live on https://pbcjamaica.org/live-stream and also live streamed on all PresidencyZA digital platforms.

National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise, has called for unity and the rotation of the Presidency at the Pan African Parliament (PAP).

Speaking at the opening of the 4th Ordinary Session of the fifth Pan African Parliament, Modise said PAP is a fundamental instrument for the African continent and it must continue to be the home of African democracy, and continue to represent the peoples of Africa.

“We must remember that the PAP was set up to ensure the full participation of African peoples in the economic development and integration of the continent. We must all live up to it. Our potential will only be harnessed through unity,” Modise said.

The meeting was held in Midrand, Johannesburg on Monday under the African Union’s theme for 2021 “Year of the Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want.’’

In calling for the rotation of PAP presidency, Modise urged all to consider the bigger picture of why PAP was formed, which is the “integration and working together of the Members of Parliament as the representatives of the people of the continent.”

“It is time that we recognise that unity is not how we show might, unity will not come about on how we show wealth, unity is about slowing the pace to enable the slowest amongst us to keep up,” Modise said.

The speaker also emphasised the “need to lobby for the outstanding counties to ratify the Malabo Protocol to enable the continental Parliament to deliver on its mandate more effectively.”

International Relations and Cooperation minister, Dr Naledi Pandor, reiterated the purpose of PAP.

“PAP is a platform for people from all African states to be involved in discussions and decision making on the problems and challenges facing the continent. It is therefore my hope that among others, PAP will exchange views on COVID-19 pandemic,” Pandor said.

Modise is a former member of PAP and was specially invited to deliver opening remarks, together with Dr Pandor, on behalf of South Africa, as a host country.

National Council of Provinces Chairperson, Amos Masondo led the South African Parliament delegation to the meeting.

Among issues up for discussion at the meeting included the report by the Permanent Committees on the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa; activity report of PAP; report of the Ad hoc Committee on the election of the President of the Pan-African Parliament; committee meetings and meeting of the Network of Women Parliamentarians.