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President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday welcomed new Ambassadors and High Commissioners-Designate from nine countries, at a ceremony held at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guesthouse in Tshwane.

The Ambassadors and High Commissioners-Designate were nominated by their respective governments to serve in diplomatic missions in South Africa.

The Ambassadors are to advance diplomatic relations between their home countries and South Africa.

Handing over their letters of credence to President Ramaphosa, the Ambassadors emphasised the need to strengthen the existing relations with the government of South Africa.

Presenting his letter of credence to President Ramaphosa, Hungarian Ambassador Attila Győrgy Horváth, said he will do his best to work towards strengthening the relations between the two countries.

“I will do my best and work towards strengthening the existing relations between the two countries,” he said.

The senior diplomats who are officially taking up the reins in South Africa are from the following countries:

•    Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

•    Republic of Korea

•    Hungary

•    Federative Republic of Brazil

•    Republic of Lithuania

•    Republic of Kenya

•    Republic of Cameroon

•    Republic of Panama

•    Federal Republic of Nepal

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Thursday lead an oversight visit to the Port of Durban to assess progress in enhancing the efficiency and competitiveness of the port.

The President will be accompanied by the Minister of Public Enterprises, Pravin Gordhan; the Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula,; the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Sihle Zikalala, and the Executive Mayor of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, Mxolisi Kaunda.

The President will receive a briefing from the senior management of Transnet on the Port of Durban Masterplan and efforts to improve the performance of the port.

Thereafter, the President will tour the port precinct to assess the status of key infrastructure projects and decongestion initiatives.

The Port of Durban plays an important role as a logistics hub for South Africa and the continent and is responsible for handling the largest freight volumes of any port in the country.

Improving the efficiency of the port and establishing its status as a global shipping hub is a key priority of the President and a focus area of Operation Vulindlela, which is meant to unleash South Africa’s economic growth potential.

Retired Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo will chair the no-fault compensation fund, as the country gears up for the mass COVID-19 vaccine rollout programme.

Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, made the announcement in Parliament on Wednesday.

Mkhize believes that the fund will give the country an opportunity to implement the vaccine adverse events compensation scheme at the same time South Africa is expected to vaccinate its citizens next week.

He said this guarantees that every citizen’s rights are fully protected during the inoculation process and that there is sufficient recourse should those vaccinated experience damages.

In the structure of the fund, Mkhize said there has been no undertaking by any manufacturers to contribute, and this it will mainly be a government-funded exercise.

“Retired Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo has graciously agreed to assist us with the mammoth task of chairing the first of its kind fund,” said Mkhize.

He said Judge Ngcobo’s extensive experience as a jurist, including having headed the highest court in the land – the Constitutional Court – and his recent experience in health-related complexities, such as the Health Market Inquiry chair ,makes him an ideal candidate.

“He will able to oversee all claims and uphold the principles of fairness, transparency, equity and constitutional rights of our citizens,” said Mkhize.

The Minister said the fund is another indication of government’s preparedness that whilst the State has fully indemnified manufacturers against any third party claims, it also has sufficient mechanisms to protect citizens.

According to Mkhize, the Health Department has procured 31 million vaccines from Johnson & Johnson (J&J).

“An initial agreement for 11 million vaccines was signed and the initial purchase price was paid.”

He said the agreement included an option for the department to secure an additional 20 million vaccines.

While the conditions of the first agreement have been met, the multinational corporation put a precondition for no-fault compensation regulations to be published by 30 April 2021 for their second agreement.

“This condition has also been made by Pfizer as well,” Mkhize said.

The Minister said the National Coronavirus Command (NCCC) has since accepted the recommendation for the draft regulations to be published for public comments in relations to the no-fault compensation fund.

“This will take a period of about five days and we recognise that this period is shorter than the usual processes that has been used for public consultation that is followed by Parliament.”

In the meantime, Mkhize said public comments will be processed to formally gazette the final regulations by 22 April 2021.

“We intend for the no-fault compensation fund to be independent, and have the credibility and skill that is required.”

Meanwhile, South Africa has suspended the rollout of the J&J COVID-19 vaccine as a precautionary measure and a final decision is expected soon.

This comes after the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) paused the rollout of the vaccine following reports of a rare clotting condition in six people out of 6.8 million doses administered.

A plan to mitigate the environmental impact of LandCare projects has been published by the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.

The Generic Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) was published for adoption by Minster Barbara Creecy in Government Gazette 44341 (Notice No. 276).

The management and mitigation of environmental impacts resulting from the implementation of LandCare projects has been published for adoption.

The exclusion of LandCare projects from the requirement to obtain environmental authorisation has also been adopted.

The department said the adoption of the Generic EMPr linked to LandCare projects means that the exclusion of the requirement to obtain environmental authorisation for site specific projects will apply only if the project complies with the conditions in the Generic EMPr.

“The developer would still be required to undertake an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, and to commit to implementing the provisions of the Generic EMPr. It will be an offence should they not do so,” the department said in a statement.

The Generic EMPr for the LandCare Programme was developed by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment in October 2020 to avoid, manage and mitigate the environmental impacts and risks associated with the activities of the programme.

These include activities identified by provincial MECs within a specific geographic area for which environmental authorisation is required.

“The EMPr has been developed by a multi-disciplinary team of specialists based on 23 years of experience in implementing the programme.

“Following review, it was found to meet the requirements and principles contained in the [National Environment Management] Act, thus the adoption of the instrument,” the department said.

While the notice states that any activities that meet the requirements of the pre-approved EMPr, and the necessary registration requirements, are excluded from area-specific environmental authorisations, the department said this would only apply if the provincial coordinator registers that LandCare project with the competent authority 30 days prior to commencement.

“The registration must be accompanied by a declaration of compliance. Legal action will be taken if the project is not formally registered, or issued with a registration number by the competent authority,” said the department.

To access the Government Gazette, click on https://www.environment.gov.za/sites/default/files/gazetted_notices/nema_adotpitongenericEMPr_lancareprogramme_g44341gon276.pdf.

The Department of Water and Sanitation has reiterated its commitment to working closely with the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government and various municipalities in the province to ensure water supply in water stressed areas.

According to the department, the provincial water storage remains considerably stable this week at 73.2% from 73.4% recorded last week.

The department is closely monitoring the status of water levels in the province, while continuing to implement measures to augment water in communities affected by inconsistent water supply, including Ugu District Municipality.

This comes as one of the biggest dams in the province, Albert-Falls Dam increased slightly from last week’s 54.7% to 55.1%. This time last year, the dam stood at a below average of 36.8%.

The dams in the Umgeni Water Supply System have also recorded a minimal increase with Nagle Dam at 89.6% from 89.0% and Spring Grove at 96.5% from 95.1%.

However, some dams, including Midmar Dam, have declined form 100.5% last week to 100.4% this week, and Inanda Dam from last week’s 101.0% to 100.4%.

The department’s spokesperson, Sputnik Ratau, said although most of the province’s dams are looking good, the department acknowledged that there are some municipalities which are facing water scarcity challenges.

“One such district is the Ugu District Municipality which has in the past led to public service delivery protests. We continue to work with the provincial and local government to ensure water issues as experienced in Ugu are resolved,” Ratau said.

The department noted and appreciated the work done in the province to bring relief to those in need, under the leadership of Cooperative Government and Traditional Affairs MEC Sipho Hlomuka, and Ugu Mayor Sizwe Ngcobo.

“Some of the immediate interventions include the exploration of groundwater systems to augment the inadequate bulk capacity in the district, together with the supply of water on a rotational basis, and expressed that the municipality will need to maintain consistent communication of schedules to ensure that communities are kept abreast,” Ratau said.

Mearns Dam has decreased from 100.7% to 99.6%. The Spioenkop, Driel Barrage and Woodstock Dams are at 100.2%, 95.0% and 98.2% respectively.

Zaaihoek and Wagendrift Dams remain unchanged at 82.1% and 100.85% respectively. Ntshingwayo is at 81.5% from 81.4% last week, Pongolapoort Dam currently stands at 56.7% from 56.6%, whilst Hluhluwe Dam records 99.6% from 100.1%.

The department has reiterated its call for residents to use water sparingly as it anticipates extreme weather patterns during the upcoming winter season, which may adversely impact on country’s dams significantly.

Limpopo Education MEC Polly Boshielo has expressed concern at the increasing number of reported bullying incidents in schools involving learners.

This comes after a viral video of a Grade 10 learner who was attacked in full view of her peers at Mbilwi Secondary School made rounds on social media.

“In the video, other learners can be heard in the background cheering the perpetrator, who is also a Grade 10 female learner,” the department explained.

According to the statement released by the provincial department, the incident took place on Monday, 12 April 2021.

The bullied learner, who is believed to be 15-years-old, has since passed away after she reportedly took her own life after the incident.

However, the department said it was still awaiting a formal report on the cause from the relevant authorities.

Meanwhile, the department said it was disturbed by another recording of a physical altercation involving Grade 12 female learners from Nthuba High School.

The department has since requested details from the school principal and due disciplinary processes will be undertaken immediately.

“It is quite disturbing to witness this level of violent behaviour among young people. We strongly condemn such conduct that has turned our schools into horrendous havens of those who have no regards for their peers.

“Bullying is wrong and will never be tolerated in our schools,” said the MEC.

The MEC and her department have since sent their condolences to the family and friends of the deceased learner and committed to ensuring that all those involved face the consequences of their actions.

“It is important that we also capacitate our schools to strengthen enforcement of their code of conduct, especially on such incidents. Education is a societal matter, therefore putting the responsibility on all of us to ensure a safe learning and teaching environment,” said MEC Boshielo.

The department has appointed Learner Support Agents who are based in the 10 education districts across the province to offer emotional support to vulnerable learners.

This is done, according to the department, in conjunction with programmes offered by the School Safety, Learner Psychological Services and Lifeskills units.

Meanwhile, processes are underway to intensify their interventions in high burden areas, based on reports received from circuit offices.

The provincial Social Development Department has dispatched a team of social workers to Mbilwi High School and to the family of a child who apparently committed suicide.

Social Development MEC Nkakareng Rakgoale has condemned the incident.

She said bullying is a social ill that needs to be confronted head-on.

“We are very disappointed to learn that there was this bullying incident that ended in tragedy. We want to see these young boys and girls supporting each other at school because they are there to learn,” she added.

She has since urged the community members not to share violent video material on social media and further expose minors to violence and exploitation.

“It is advisable to rather report such incidents to the school, police or social workers for a speedy intervention,” said MEC Rakgoale.

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has called on all NSFAS funded students, who are registered at a public university and Technical and Vocational Education and Training colleges, to order laptops online.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, NSFAS said that the scheme is expecting its first batch of digital learning devices (laptops) for NSFAS funded students on 18 April 2021.

This follows a mandate from Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande.

NSFAS Chief Corporate Services Officer, Sibongile Mncwabe said that since the directive of the Minister, NSFAS has gone into several consultations with stakeholders to ensure the successful rollout of this process.

“Consultations with the university sector have neared completion allowing university NSFAS funded students to commence ordering their devices through our portal. We are speedily continuing with the TVET [ Technical and Vocational Education and Training] consultation to enable college NSFAS funded students to also submit their orders online,” Mncwabe said.

NSFAS has developed a student Digital Learning Device Online Order portal for qualifying NSFAS students to order their devices on the NSFAS website.

All NSFAS funded students who require a device can visit www.nsfas.org.za, click myNSFAS, and click the Online Order portal to place an order.

To complete the order, Mncwabe added that students need to agree to the terms and conditions.

To order, online students are required to provide the following:

• South African ID number;
• Student number, Contact details;
• Name of the institution they are registered at; and
• Campus name and home address.

Mncwabe noted that non-NSFAS funded students who require a device should consult their institutions “as they will remain responsible for the payment of the device and must therefore agree to the payment terms as defined by the institution.”

“Further updates on progress will be communicated in the coming weeks,” Mncwabe said.

The National Traffic Anti-Corruption Unit (NTACU) has slammed the brakes on a traffic and police officers’ syndicate, which has allegedly been hijacking trucks on Gauteng freeways.

In a statement, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) said this came after three men were arrested in Johannesburg on Tuesday, shortly after hijacking a truck.

“The three — a member of the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department’s VIP Protection Unit, a member of the South African Police Flying Squad and a civilian — were spotted driving a vehicle fitted with false number plates in the Johannesburg central business district,” RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane said in a statement.

He said the number plates raised the suspicion of an alert member of the NTACU, a division of the RTMC.

“He kept the vehicle under surveillance while he called for back-up from members of the SAPS Crime Intelligence and the Gauteng Highway Patrol,” said Zwane.

The joint team confronted the suspects and found them in possession of State issued firearms.

Zwane said upon further investigation, it was discovered that the suspects had earlier allegedly dropped off a fully loaded truck at Strydom Park in Randburg.

“It is believed that they are part of a syndicate that has been hijacking trucks on the R59, N3, Kliprivier and other routes in Gauteng,” Zwane said.

The investigation continues and more arrests can be expected. The suspects are expected to appear in court soon.

RTMC chief executive, Advocate Makhosini Msibi, applauded the members for the arrests.

“This is a major breakthrough in the fight against truck hijackings in Gauteng. There have been many complaints and allegations about the involvement of law enforcement officers in this heinous crime and these arrests will have a devastating impact on the syndicate,” he said.

South Africa has suspended the rollout of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine as a precautionary measure.

This comes after the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) paused the rollout of the vaccine following reports of a rare clotting condition in six people out of 6.8 million doses administered.

Announcing the decision, Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said there have been no reports of clots formed since 289 787 healthcare workers have been vaccinated under the Sisonke Study.

“Having said that, after this advisory came to my attention I held urgent consultations with our scientists, who have advised that we cannot take the decision made by the FDA lightly,” the Minister said on Tuesday evening.

Based on their advice, Mkhize said government has decided to voluntarily suspend the rollout until the link between the clots and the J&J vaccine is adequately interrogated.

Meanwhile, he said the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) will collate information from J&J, the FDA and other regulatory bodies to make a thorough assessment.

“I humbly call for calm and patience as we ensure that we continue to be properly guided by science in ensuring the safety of our people as we roll out the vaccine campaign.”

Mkhize believes that the matter will be cleared in a few days and that it will not have any significant impact on the entire rollout programme.

“Given the preliminary literature on hand, our scientists are confident that the FDA’s decision is on a precautionary basis and we expect that this will not result in the complete withdrawal of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine from the vaccination armament.”

Pfizer vaccines

The Minister also announced that the country has successfully negotiated for another 10 million doses from Pfizer, of which two million of these are expected to be delivered in May.

“This, therefore, means we have secured 30 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine for this financial year.”

The Minister has expressed confidence that in an unlikely event that the J&J rollout is completely halted, the country would still be able to proceed with phase two of the vaccination programme.

“We are confident that the rollout of Johnson & Johnson will resume and so, with 30 million doses of Johnson & Johnson and 30 million doses of Pfizer secured, we now have enough doses to exceed the 40 million we were targeting this year.”

According to the Minister, this is in line with government’s commitment to inoculate as many people as possible this year.

“In the ideal scenario, we would vaccinate every single adult found in South Africa.”

He said government makes commitments and works to the best of its ability to honour them, however, science should be respected at all times.

“This sometimes means a disruption in our plans. Although we are operating in a dynamic and ever-changing environment, the government is constantly seeking to secure vaccines that will protect us from the 501Y.V2 variant.”

Risk

SAHPRA Chairperson, Professor Helen Rees, said the regulator will also weigh in on the benefit of vaccines to individuals and society versus the risk that could be “tiny”.

“That’s the discussion that needs to be had and we’ll be very honest with the public because if the risk is tiny and the risk of death and disease from COVID-19 is huge, particularly for certain populations of people, that’s when we make those kinds of decisions,” she said.

However, the Professor said the SAHPRA will have a full discussion once they understood whether there is a causal link with this rare side effect or not.

A total of 26 165 COVID-19 tests were conducted on Tuesday, with 848 new cases, which represents a 3.2% positivity rate.

This means that the country now has 1 559 960 confirmed infections since the outbreak.

Meanwhile, 67 more people succumbed to the respiratory disease, pushing the tally to 53 423 to date.

According to Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, 28 fatalities were recorded in Gauteng, 19 from the North West, nine from the Free State, eight from the Eastern Cape, two from the Northern Cape and one from the Western Cape.

“We convey our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the healthcare workers who treated them,” said Mkhize.

In addition, the Minister announced that the country is now home to 21 222 active cases, while 485 315 beat COVID-19, bringing the recovery rate to 95%.

The information is based on the 10 181 143 tests of which 26 165 were completed in the last reporting cycle.

Mkhize said the number of vaccinated healthcare workers now stands at 292 623.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there have been 136 291 755 confirmed global cases of COVID-19, including 2 941 128 deaths, to date.

Meanwhile, 732 981 684 vaccine doses have been administered as of 13 April 2021, the WHO reported.