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Government is putting all systems in place to roll out a large scale vaccination programme, once the country receives COVID-19 vaccines from manufacturers.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said this when responding to questions In the National Assembly on Thursday.

“A wide range of vaccination sites has been identified.

“These include, among others, primary health care clinics, community pharmacies, general practitioners, public and private hospitals, and travel clinics.

“Vaccinations will also be done by mobile teams at mass vaccination sites set up at conference centres and other facilities, and in some workplaces such as government departments, mines and factories.

“All vaccination sites must meet certain legislative requirements and go through an accreditation process.

“By the end of April, the Department of Health had enrolled 3 357 accredited vaccination sites.”

The President said a comprehensive logistics and supply chain plan is in place. This includes all supply chain preparations and activities from when the vaccine arrives in the country, until it is made available for vaccination at each site.

A critical part of this is an effective cold chain to maintain the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, match demand with supply, and enable the tracing and tracking of vaccines.

“The Electronic Vaccine Data System (EVDS) is the backbone of the vaccination programme. It provides an end-to-end solution that is used to digitally capture each event in the vaccination process and provides data to monitor all vaccinations administered.

“Every person to be vaccinated will need to register and will receive details of the date and timeslot for vaccination,” President Ramaphosa said.

For many South Africans who do not have access to the internet, both digital and walk-in systems will be used for registration. Callers may also register on a toll free helpline.

The President said provision has been made for alternative capturing of a unique identifier for individuals who do not have an identity document.

“The magnitude of the COVID-19 vaccination programme requires dedicated staff at national, provincial and district levels.

“Based on the experience of Phase 1, staffing requirements and norms for vaccination sites have been estimated to guide planning, budgeting and recruitment.

“These norms may vary, depending on the specifics of particular sites,” he said.

The President said government is committed to ensuring that every person 18 years and older will be able to be vaccinated, free at the point of vaccination.

He said the costs will be covered from public funds for uninsured people and medical aids for those who are insured, as part of prescribed minimum benefits.

“This will be the first time in South Africa’s history that a national vaccination programme aimed at adults will be rolled out.

“It is an enormous undertaking that will require the support and cooperation of all parts of society.

“A comprehensive plan is in place, resources have been mobilised and a steady supply of vaccines has been procured, so that every adult should have the opportunity to be vaccinated.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa has welcomed the support of United States President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris for a temporary and targeted waiver of intellectual property protections that apply to COVID-19 vaccines.

The United States government on Wednesday said that the COVID-19 pandemic is a global health crisis that calls for extraordinary measures.

The United States said it believes strongly in intellectual property protections. However, in service of ending the pandemic, it will at forthcoming negotiations of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) support the waiver of those protections for COVID-19 vaccines.

President Ramaphosa has welcomed the position adopted by the United States as an important reinforcement of a campaign led by South Africa and India on behalf of emerging economies that face vaccine shortages and production challenges.

In a statement on Thursday, President Ramaphosa said the anticipated temporary waiver provides a global response to COVID-19.

President Ramaphosa said the proposal establishes a global solution to enhance manufacturing and boost supply capacity, and enables coordination and access to information currently under patent protection.

“For countries that do not currently have manufacturing capacity on certain medical technologies, the waiver could open up more supply options and avoid countries being reliant on only one or two suppliers.

“Where supply capacity currently exists, it can be repurposed to COVID-vaccine production and in this way, improve the supply available to all nations,” President Ramaphosa said.

The President said the upcoming WTO negotiations provide the global community, especially leading economies, with both an opportunity and a challenge to act in the best interest of all humanity.

“This can be achieved by focusing on the moral, legal and economic benefits of providing urgent, affordable and equitable protection to all people around the world, in the face of a grave and indiscriminate threat to life and economic sustainability,” President Ramaphosa said.

In light of the growing global consensus, President Ramaphosa has called on pharmaceutical companies to facilitate sharing of know-how and technology to enable a rapid increase in supply capacity in order to save lives.

The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education on Wednesday said a multidimensional response is necessary to curb the worrying increase in the incidence of violence in the basic education sector.

The committee also highlighted the need for continuous initiatives to deal with the matter, rather than reactive intervention.

“We are of the firm view that violence and bullying within schools will not be defeated without the contribution of various role players, as well as a concerted societal commitment towards this goal.

“The Department of Basic Education alone is and will be incapable of resolving this societal problem,” said Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba, the chairperson of the committee.

The committee said it recognises that schools, as microcosms of society, are representative of the challenges facing the country.

South Africa is facing unprecedented levels of gender-based violence (GBV) and domestic violence, and the impacts of it are reflective in the violence within schools.

As a result, the committee said that a broader societal recommitment to defeating the scourge of violence is needed.

The committee acknowledged that while the department has good strategies on paper, the implementation thereof is lacking, something that disarms the ability of those strategies to function.

To remedy this, the committee welcomes the intention by the Department of Basic Education to bridge the gap between government and school communities to ensure a collaborative effort to fighting the scourge.

Parental cooperation

The committee has urged for the improvement of parental involvement and participation in school activities.

The committee said it is cognisant of the challenge of the migrant labour system and its impact on many communities, but has emphasised that parental participation will play a critical role in reducing cases of violence.

Linked to this, the committee welcomed the intention by the department to strengthen school safety committees through training and capacitation of the recently elected school governing bodies (SGBs).

The committee has also emphasised the need for constant monitoring and assessment of the functionality of these school safety committees by district and circuit offices.

The contribution of both the Department of Social Development and South African Police Service is critical in resolving this challenge, Mbinqo-Gigaba said.

“Of importance is to offer psycho-social support for all learners within the sector on the dangers of violence and bullying.

“The committee has thus called for the active participation of the Department of Social Development by making available social workers to work with learners on a continuous basis.”

The committee welcomed the intention to incorporate e-safety guidelines within the curriculum to ensure that the dangers of cyber-bullying are deliberated in a classroom situation to conscientise learners about all aspects of bullying.

Meanwhile, the committee welcomed the progress report of SGB elections, and is hopeful that the newly elected cohort will work collaboratively with the department at all levels to ensure good governance of schools.

The committee also appreciated the assurance that continuous training will be provided to the incoming SGBs to ensure capacity and adherence to regulatory frameworks.

The committee noted the progress made on the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill and will await the tabling of the Bill in Parliament where it will be processed.

The committee will make its contribution on the Bill when it has been tabled.

Government needs to urgently address its expenditure patterns if it is to turn the tide against unsustainable debt levels, says the National Treasury.

This was the shared sentiment by Deputy Finance Minister, David Masondo, and Department Director-General, Dondo Mogajane, during the opening session of the two-day Savings@Work: Government Spending Reviews Conference on Thursday.

The inaugural conference is hosted by the National Treasury and its agency, the Government Technical Advisory Centre (GTAC).

Mogajane said government needed to scrutinise its debt, saying it was currently spending R270 billion a year to service its liabilities.

“Our debt is too high and we are burdening future generations with the debt that we currently accumulate,” he said.

The non-performing economy and low tax collection have largely been cited as contributing factors to the accumulation.

“We cannot continue to indefinitely borrow because future generations will be impacted. It is something that we need to focus on,” he said, adding that “something” needed to be done on expenditure to achieve this.

“You have to [do] something on the expenditure side when you have data that you can use. We don’t have credible data, we still can’t understand what we are spending on,” he said.

While the National Treasury had over the years undertaken expenditure review exercises, he said these also needed to inform government as which favourable frameworks were needed.

The tide of debt would not turn into growth and prosperity until it was redirected, he said.

Currently, he added, government expenditure was largely on programmes that may not produce the goods needed to improve or expand the production sectors of the economy.

“We are spending on consumption – we need to change that. We’ve been doing that in the last few years but we need to [change] more,” said the DG.

In turn, this would lead to increases in production sectors of the economy and a reduction in consumption spending.

As it stood, he said, the state was spending “a lot” on its compensation budget. In this regard, government was currently engaging union needs but Mogajane warned that the state may not meet “required standards”.

Government, he said, needed to consider its options on expenditure. These included social spending and decreasing the compensation budget, both of which was no desirable.

“We have to be realistic and ask ourselves questions: what is it that will take us forward?” he said.

Addressing inefficiencies

Mogajane said the country’s economy needed to return to the “seven years of plenty (2000 – 2007), when the country recorded sustainable economic growth and debt-to-GDP was at its lowest.

“Debt of more than 90% is unsustainable in an economy like ours; we can’t get to that,” he emphasised.

“Let’s look at what is possible, let’s build the skills and experience around our ability to look at spending that we currently have. Let’s make sure that whatever we spending money on [is value for money].”

The DG, however, admitted that this process would not be easy, saying it would be painful.

“It is important that we closely look at the spending data that we have. We have to rigorously link spending to the policy choices that we’ve made so that we are able to address the needs of our people,” he said.

Currently, he added, there were areas of inefficiencies that needed to be zoomed in on.

His sentiments were echoed by Masondo.

“This is a problem that emerged before the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has its roots in the large, structural gap that we have between tax revenues… and…government’s spending commitments,” said the Deputy Minister.

These, however, have since been exacerbated by the pandemic, he said.

Over the years, government had employed strategies aimed at closing the gap between spending and revenue, increased taxes, including VAT.

“But this has not really worked because economic growth has continued to fall, [meaning] tax revenues kept coming in lower than we expected. In fact, we now have to worry that raising taxes may even contribute to the growth slowdown, which is why this year’s budget offered some tax relief,” he said.

This was no longer feasible, said Masondo.

Balancing act

Due to the challenges, he said, government would have to spend less than it intended to respond to everyone’s needs.

“We have to spend much better. That is the only way that we will make progress against poverty and inequality and slow economic growth.

“If we as a government are going to spend our scarce resources better, we need a much better understanding of how we spend them now, what we achieve with the money, and whether there are ways to spend more efficiently and effectively. The only way to do that well is not by telling stories and making nice documents, but to crunch a lot of numbers so that we can see where all the money goes,” he said.

Spending reviews, he added, currently being undertaken by the National Treasury and the GTAC have helped government reduce the costs of delivering public services.

“While reviewing (office rental leases), we found that 60% of leases were above the current market rates, and that the average premium being paid on these leases was about 45%.

“Extrapolating to the full lease portfolio, which means of the R3 billion that was being paid to lease office accommodation in 2015, as much as R700 million might have been saved if the rents had been at market rates,” said the Deputy Minister.

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) has announced another outbreak of Avian Influenza (AI), at a commercial chicken farm in Randfontein, Gauteng.

“Preceding this outbreak, four outbreaks were detected on other commercial chicken properties.  A total of five HPAI H5N1 (Asian highly pathogenic avian influenza) outbreaks – four in Gauteng and one outbreak in North West.  All affected farms have been quarantined, with control measures being implemented,” the department said in a statement on Thursday.

The department said that genetic evaluation had confirmed that the outbreak reported in commercial layers on 13 April 2021 in Gauteng, and the one on commercial broiler-breeders in the North West seem to have been caused by non-identical AI strains.

“These two outbreaks were therefore more likely to have been caused by separate introductions.  It is essential for everyone across the country to remain on high alert,” the department said.

The department has reiterated its call for everyone across the country to treat any increase in mortalities of poultry and other bird species as potential avian influenza, until proven otherwise.

All increases in mortality rates must be reported to the state veterinarian responsible for the particular area or the relevant provincial director immediately.

The contact details are available at https://www.dalrrd.gov.za/Branches/Agricultural-Production-Health-Food-Safety/Animal-Health/contacts/provincialveterinary .

“It must be mentioned that no human infection, due to these circulating strains, had been reported in Europe and thus the zoonotic risk to people is very low, the consumer has no reason to be concerned,” the department said.

Following the outbreak of AI on 13 April 2021, all neighbouring countries have lifted the ban on exports of live chicken and unprocessed products, except Lesotho, which has banned exports from Gauteng.

Hong Kong has also notified the department of a temporary suspension of the importation of all poultry (carcass, parts and offal) products, including eggs from the affected municipalities within the Gauteng and North West.

The COVID-19 pandemic provides an opportunity for the continent to re-examine its socio-economic priorities, says Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa.

Addressing the launch of Africa Month on Wednesday, the Minister said the pandemic is imposing heavy human, financial and economic costs to Africa and across the globe.

“The crisis also provides an opportunity to re-examine the continent’s socio-economic priorities; including the role of cultural workers; contributing to building stronger and more resilient health and social sectors towards equality; inclusion; social cohesion and African Renaissance as inspired by the Ubuntu philosophy,” Mthethwa said.

The Africa Month programme will take place under the theme, Year for Arts, Culture and Heritage in the Year of Charlotte Maxeke.

“It is in this current climate in pursuit of commonalities that the current initiative on Africa Month is aimed at pursuing the agenda set out by our predecessors but sharpened by new generations.

“The story of a continent that is transforming itself is one that we need to embrace, project and work together to transmit,” the Minister said.

Africa Month is crafted in response to the African Union (AU) call for ratification of the Charter for African Cultural Renaissance and implementation of the AU Agenda 2063.

“Africa Month promotes Pan Africanism and African Cultural Renaissance, of which both contributes to united efforts for decolonization and regeneration of the African continent. Amongst others,” the Minister said.

It is also aimed at achieving the following:

• To promote the African Agenda and strengthen the African Union institutions and policies.
• To implement and bring to life the AU Agenda 2063 and the Charter for African Cultural Renaissance.
• To promote regional integration by strengthening people to people contact harmonize policies and share skills and expertise;
• To promote Cultural Diplomacy for a Broader Socio-economic agenda
• To stimulate the implementation of existing Cultural Agreements and strengthen relations with identified countries in the continent for mutually beneficial and sustainable relationships.

The Minister said it is further regarded as a platform to promote the AU institution and its programs towards the attainment of its vision – ‘An integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena’.

Police Minister, General Bheki Cele, will today pay homage to the fallen South African Police Service (SAPS) members killed in a car accident on 25 April 2021 outside Engcobo, Eastern Cape.

Constables Lungelo Nogqala, Frank Mkhuseli Lila, Buqaqawuli Nyembezi and Secretary Ntombikayise Priscilla Landu were stationed at the Alfred Nzo and OR Tambo districts respectively.

The four officers and a civilian, who also perished in the accident, were returning from the Chris Hani District, where they had completed crime prevention operations and awareness campaigns.

Cele will join the SAPS management in the province in giving these members a befitting farewell at a mass memorial service to be held at the SAPS Academy in Umtata this morning, at 10am.

Qualifying asylum seekers and refugees have until 30 June 2021 to renew their expired visas and status online.

Home Affairs Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, extended the validity of asylum seeker visas and refugee statuses which expired during the lockdown to 30 June 2021.

The online extension is aimed at providing the extension of the visa service in a manner that contributes to limiting the spread of COVID-19, said the Department of Home Affairs, in a statement on Thursday.

The DHA started to offer the online extension service of asylum seeker visas and refugee statuses on 15 April 2021.

With the online extension, a holder of an asylum seeker visa (section 22) or a refugee status (section 24), is able to request an extension of visa validity through email, without having to physically go to a refugee reception office.

Having sent the email, the client then receives a response outlining the process to follow, a template and list of required documents.

Once all documents are sent and received at Home Affairs, the department will consider the request and communicate its decision by email.

“In cases where a request cannot be processed online and requires that the requester appear in person at a Refugee Reception Office, a letter stating that will be sent. This letter will provide such a person with the office name, date and time of their appointment,” said the DHA.

In cases of families, each member must submit a request for an extension individually.

“Multiple clients are allowed to use one email address. The principal applicant must sign extension requests of minors. The signature on those requests must be the same as the ones on the existing/expired permits.”

To request an online extension for an asylum seeker or refugee visas, a client will need to submit the following documents:

• A signed template that has a permit number, full names and surname, and full contact details (an email address, mobile phone numbers and physical address)
• Proof of physical address in a form of a utility bill or an affidavit confirming address.
• A copy of the current visa. If the visa is lost, the client must submit an affidavit confirming that the permit is lost and indicate the previous permit reference number.

Requests for permit extension can be sent to the refugee reception office where last extension was made. The following are the relevant email addresses where requests must be sent:

Desmond Tutu Refugee Reception Office

• email: Refugee visa extensions: DTRRC.Extension24@dha.gov.za
• Asylum seeker visa extension: DTRRC.Extension22@dha.gov.za

Cape Town Refugee Reception Office

• email: Refugee visa extensions: CTrrc.extension24@dha.gov.za
• Asylum seeker visa extension: CTrrc.Extension22@dha.gov.za

Musina Refugee Reception Office

• email: Refugee visa extensions: MusinaRRC.Extension24@dha.gov.za
• Asylum seeker visa extension: Musinarrc.Extension22@dha.gov.za

Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) Refugee Reception Office

• email: Refugee visa extensions: PERRC.Extension24@dha.gov.za
• Asylum seeker visa extension: PERRC.Extension22@dha.gov.za

Durban Refugee Reception Office

• email: Refugee visa extensions: DurbanRRC.Extension24@dha.gov.za
• Asylum seeker visa extension: DurbanRRC.Extension22@dha.gov.za

Persons or organisations intending to verify the validity of a visa that was issued online may send an email to the following email addresses:

• Desmond Tutu : ASMverifications@dha.gov.za
• Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) PERRO : verification.perro@dha.gov.za
• Durban RRO : verification.durban@dha.gov.za
• Musina  RRO : verification.musina@dha.gov.za
• Cape Town RRO : verification.ctrro@dha.gov.za

A Gauteng-based start-up is busy developing an alternative antenna-based high-speed fixed internet solution for low-income communities.

The Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), an entity of Science and Innovation Department, has funded the company FibrePoynt (Pty) Ltd, which is developing the internet/wireless communication system that can be an alternative or supplementary to fibre to the home (FTTH) underground, or overhead cable technology.

TIA Portfolio Commercialisation Manager Sipho Dikweni said the technology not only puts South Africa on the map, but responds to the socio-economic challenges and the country’s strategic broadband imperatives to make internet accessible to everyone, irrespective of their socio-economic status and geographic location.

Dikweni added that low to middle income peri-urban and township households can now connect to the internet, which was not possible with current technologies.

“The innovation will also solve signal strength problems and costs typically found in existing ‘last mile’ antenna wireless rollouts. The aim is to enable internet network owners to deliver internet to dwellings at a lower cost than currently possible,” Dikweni said.

The FibrePoynt technology uses passive beam forming, beam pattern diversity and beam shaping to get the best possible signal to the home units which then provides Wi-Fi for the end user devices to connect to.

“FibrePoynt enables the rollout of fixed wireless broadband network without trenching underground fibre in the last-mile connection to homes, thus reducing infrastructure costs by more than 50%. The technology promises a cost effective, faster-rollout, and high-speed alternative deployment of broadband infrastructure in areas that were previously deemed unfeasible.

“The technology is not only backed by an innovative and sustainable business model but an inclusive model which gives local entrepreneurs skills and the opportunity to operate and roll out network to their respective communities. Local empowerment is the critical antidote to socio-economic ills. We call upon follow on funders and network operators to support the full-scale commercialisation of this exciting and impactful technology,” Dikweni said.

The company is funded through the commercialisation wing of TIA in the Information Communication and Technology unit (ICT).

The ICT unit supports the development and exploitation of ICT driven innovations with a broad socio-economic impact focusing on Artificial Intelligence (AI), big data and block chain, wireless connectivity and scalable ICT inclusive innovations, thereby addressing the challenges of unemployment, inequality, and poverty.

The ICT Unit further supports the development and commercialisation of highly competitive innovative technologies that will increase South Africa’s competitiveness and participation in the fourth industrial revolution.

TIA has been actively involved throughout the development of the FibrePoynt project, providing both financial and non-financial support ensuring that the project becomes a success.

Tackling digital inequality

FibrePoynt CEO Eduard Walker said that a solution like FibrePoynt could make sure that the neglected obtain real internet in their homes and surrounding neighbourhoods on their smart devices.

“We want to use this innovation to tackle digital inequality,” Walker said.

As part of the advancement of the initial TIA funded technology innovation, Walker said FibrePoynt has launched HomePoynt, a derivative innovation spun out of the core FibrePoynt wireless technology.

Walker highlighted that a solution like HomePoynt is more critical in our society as “the spread of Coronavirus has laid bare the need to get everyone connected to high-speed internet.”

He said this would improve access to critical services like home-schooling to a larger proportion of the population.

“HomePoynt is an innovative last-mile connectivity solution that has the potential to bring down internet costs to as low as R89.00 a month for uncapped Wi-Fi. The technology has been developed with a key focus on townships, peri-urban and small towns, thus closing digital divide in under-served areas.

“HomePoynt connects users to broadband core networks in a peer-to-peer setup and provides wireless internet service for homes and public areas, where there is already backhaul coverage but no end-user access,” Walker said.

In the process of market validation, Walker added that FibrePoynt has developed an innovative internet service provider (ISP) model, termed Kasiwave, transferring the skills to the local communities to build and maintain the network infrastructure.

“The goal is to ensure that 20% of the revenue generation remains in the local communities,” he said.

The inquiry into the fatal Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM) on Wednesday completed its evidence gathering exercise, the Department of Employment and Labour has announced.

In a statement, the department said the inquiry moved faster than expected after one witness declined due to a COVID-19 scare, while another would only be available on Friday.

“The attorneys and presiding officer agreed that they will interview them during the next round, which is set for 5 – 7 July 2021,” the department said.

The inquiry, held at Macassar Civic Centre in the Western Cape, had planned to sit until today.

The department ordered the establishment of a Section 32 inquiry to investigate violations of occupational health and safety (OHS).

The Rheinmetall Denel Munition fatal incident took place in 2018 at Macassar in the Western Cape, where an explosion at the munitions plant led to the deaths of eight workers and injury to one worker.

The mandate of the commission is to hear testimony from all interested parties as to what transpired on that fateful day (3 September 2018).

Once the commission of inquiry has established what happened, it will compile a report and recommendations to the department’s Chief Inspector, who in turn will hand over the report to the National Prosecuting Authority for consideration, in case there was negligence.

During this week’s evidence gathering session, which started on Monday, a total of 13 witnesses testified before the commission chaired by Mphumzi Dyulete.

A total of no less than 27 witnesses are lined-up to testify before the Section 32 inquiry.

The department said interested parties in the inquiry include the employer, employees, organised labour, family members and the Department of Employment and Labour.