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Community Safety Oversight Committee Chairperson, Alderman David Berg, has donated 6 100 masks to the fight against COVID-19 in the City of Ekurhuleni.

Received by the Speaker of Council, Alderwoman Patricia Kumalo during a brief handover, the masks will provide an essential layer of protection to vulnerable communities.

Kumalo expressed gratitude on behalf of the Council for Berg’s valuable contribution.

“Though the country has moved into a new level with eased restrictions, we are still operating in a National State of Disaster, the fight against this pandemic is far from over. Masks have become an indispensable component in our daily attire and these will assist many families and communities alike to be better prepared and safe,” said Kumalo.

Berg, who consistently donates to schools and old age homes in his personal capacity, said the donation will make a difference in the identified communities.

“I would give even more if I could but I’d like to believe that every bit counts. I know that this donation will serve its purpose in making a difference,” said Berg.

The donation of masks aims to assist ward 21, which has many informal settlements such as Makause.

The public participation office in the legislature, which works closely with communities through provincial ward based war room programmes, will distribute the masks.

The elderly, child headed households and those with chronic conditions are among the beneficiaries that will receive priority.

As the country’s dam levels continue to drop week-on-week, the Department of Water and Sanitation, through its National Command Centre (NCC) is distributing health and hygiene materials for residents to substitute water use, as a means to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Water and Sanitation spokesperson Sputnik Ratau said the department has in the previous week delivered close to 5 000 hand sanitisers, including 1 100 face masks and 2 300 germ protection bar soaps to various municipalities for further distribution to members of the community.

“We acknowledge that the spread of COVID-19 has increased water use in many households. The distribution of hygiene material is our way of assisting those in need and to increase efforts to use water prudently,” Ratau said.

KZN dam levels on steady decline

A weekly dam levels report issued by the KwaZulu-Natal Water and Sanitation department has showed a marginal decline of the province’s water levels from last week’s 58.5% to 58% this week.

According to the report, dam levels in the previous year were also above average at 59.5% when compared to a similar period this year.

The Albert Falls dam, one of the biggest dams in the province is at a low 37.0% capacity from 37.8% last week. This time last year, the dam recorded 42.4%.

The Hazelmere Dam on the Mdloti River is at 47.9% this week, from 49.1% in the previous week, while the Pongolapoort Dam in Northern KwaZulu-Natal has this week recorded 41.6% from last week’s 41.9%. In a similar period last year, the Dam recorded 44.3%.

However, the report noted that some dams in the province have recorded an above average capacity, this includes the Midmar Dam which is at 95.3% from 95.8% last week.

The Inanda and Nagle Dams are at 82.5% and 77.9% respectively. When compared to the previous week, they stood at 83.3% and 77.1%

Justice and Constitutional Development Minister, Ronald Lamola, says there is a need for the nation to resolve class and race challenges that continue to haunt the country.

Lamola said this when he participated in a debate on Black Lives in Parliament on Tuesday.

“When we speak of #BlackLivesMatter, we must understand that it is part of our historical legacy. We live in a world where colonialism, the legacy of racist capitalism and its pervasive racial inequality still persist.

“These are also the experiences of black professionals in South African boardrooms and in all the commanding heights of the economy. These are the class and race contradictions we must resolve as a nation. Generations after us should not be debating this matter; they should be counting the progress we’ve made,” he said.

Lamola’s remarks come not long after former Proteas fast bowler Makhaya Ntini stunned the nation by revealing how isolated he used to be from his white teammates when on tour with them, including an incident where he opted to jog to a game to avoid feeling lonely in a team bus.

Shortly after being named SA Men’s ODI and T20 Cricketer of the Year at Cricket SA’s awards last month, Proteas fast bowler Lungi Ngidi made headlines when he called on his teammates to discuss issues of racism in sport.

Other sportsmen, who have since joined Ngidi in his #BlackLivesMatter stance include, Boks captain Siya Kolisi, who in a touching video on Instagram revealed that he also felt isolated long before he joined rugby.

During the debate in Parliament on Tuesday, Lamola said Ngidi reminds the nation that the road to total transformation is incomplete, “moreover when some amongst us are committed to the status quo”.

“Who can, with a clean conscious, disagree with Ngidi when he says, ‘As a nation, we have a past which [is steeped] in racial discrimination’. We need to take this very seriously and like the rest of the world is doing, take a stand.”

“Faf Du Plesis, our former Proteas national captain, could not have said it better when he said, ‘We cannot assert that all lives matter unless black lives matter’.

“The black lives protests in cricket yearns for our solutions. The cries of retired world renowned cricketers, such as Makhaya Ntini, call for close scrutiny of the underlining systematic racism in sports and society in general,” Lamola said.

South Africa’s High Commissioner to Ghana, Ambassador Lulu Xingwana, has called on business to help in developing economic strategies for a post-COVID-19 world.

“This therefore requires all of us to focus our energies on developing economic recovery strategies post-Covid-19. We have noticed that our countries have commenced a trajectory of gradually easing down some restrictive measures to achieve a balance between saving lives and the economy.

“I strongly urge all business to heed the clarion call by our leaders to collaborate in developing a wider economic recovery and reconstruction plan,” said Xingwana.

Speaking during a South Africa-Ghana Trade and Investment webinar on Tuesday, Xingwana encouraged business to invest in infrastructure.

“This should embrace inclusion of investment in infrastructure-driven growth, through building of bridges, roads, clinics, and renewable energy plants, and bring more young people into jobs; as well as greater use of locally made inputs of steel, cement and machinery,” she said.

The two-day webinar, which got underway on Tuesday, is hosted by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC).

She said the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted global economic activity.

“Today’s seminar takes place in very different circumstances as the one we held earlier this year in February just before the virus was declared a pandemic. The pandemic has disrupted global economic activity, created uncertainty, and weakened global growth conditions.”

The Ambassador said both the Ghanaian and South African economies have not been spared with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) projected to fall.

“The scale of this COVID-19 pandemic has deepened the need for strategic partnership between state and non-state actors, especially the private sector,” said Xingwana.

The Ambassador said the revival of the South African and Ghanaian economies is in the hands of the private sectors and governments of the two countries as they prepare for the stimulation of the inter-continental trade through the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), scheduled to start early 2021.

“I wish to encourage the business community to seize the unimaginable opportunities to be facilitated by the AfCFTA implementation. I strongly urge all business to heed the clarion call by our leaders to collaborate in developing a wider economic recovery and reconstruction,” she said.

To date there are over 100 South African companies that are operating in Ghana.

“There are over 132 South African Companies registered in Ghana employing more than 19 000 Ghanaians and 510 expatriates. Over the past ten years, South African companies have undertaken over 167 projects in Ghana valued in excess of $1 billion in capital investments. The shared growth between the two countries should focus on industrialisation driven by value-addition of the productive sectors of the economy as well as skills development for the economies,” said Xingwana.

The webinar which will conclude on Wednesday, is being held under the theme “Developing Afrocentric Solutions and Forging Partnership in Response to COVID-19”.

The Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) will today unveil seven hydrogen fuel cell systems that are being used as the primary power source for a field facility at 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria.

The department said the project is a public-private partnership between the DSI, the Departments of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI), and Defence (DoD), local companies Bambili Energy and HyPlat, and international companies PowerCell Sweden, Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies (Singapore) and Element 1 Corporation (United States).

“Further contributions, in the form of methanol and hydrogen fuel for the fuel cell units, were also received from Air Products South Africa, Protea Chemicals and Sasol,” said the department in a statement.

Bambili Energy focuses on the hydrogen economy, providing solutions to complement various forms of alternative energy, and is committed to commercialising intellectual property developed through the Hydrogen South Africa (HySA) programme.

The department said the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to respond with speed and flexibility, particularly in providing high care facilities for those who need them most.

“Containerised hydrogen fuel cells can be deployed at short notice to provide a clean source of energy, even when the need is only temporary,” the department said.

The support provided to 1 Military Hospital will be complemented by hands-on training to ensure that the skills required to operate and manage the fuel cell systems are institutionalised within government.

The DSI said the first two phases of training will focus on officials from the DoD and DPWI, while the third phase will involve unemployed technical and vocational education and training (TVET) college graduates, with N4 electrical and light, and heavy current qualifications.

Hydrogen fuel cell technology is globally recognised for its potential to decarbonise the energy and transport sectors. Hydrogen fuel cells produce electricity by means of a chemical reaction, using hydrogen as the basic fuel, together with platinum-based catalysts. They are efficient, reliable, safe and quiet, ensuring a non-intrusive standby and primary power solution. Being modular in nature, they can be deployed rapidly and scaled up easily as the need arises, and their maintenance cost is relatively low.

Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel has briefed Parliament on matters related to the Copyright and Performers’ Protection Amendment Bills.

This as Parliament on Tuesday began the process of considering certain constitutional concerns relating to the two bills, which were previously passed by the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces.

The Bills seek to amend the Copyright Act of 1978 and the Performers’ Protection Act of 1967.

Minister Patel set out the key objectives of the review of copyright, the provisions of the bills and the reservations raised by President Cyril Ramaphosa on specified areas of the bills, which may not pass constitutional muster.

This includes retrospective application of the sharing of royalties for musicians and other originators of creative works such as visual artistic works.

Other matters included whether the Bills went through the correct parliamentary process, the delegation of certain legislative powers to the Minister and whether the bills’ exceptions on the rights of copyright holders constituted arbitrary deprivation of property.

In his remarks Patel recommended that the Trade and Industry Committee reconsiders the retrospectivity provisions and that it removes the powers assigned in the Bills to the Minister.

The President’s reservation regarding retrospective and arbitrary deprivation of property, relates to the introduction of a new section 6A in the Copyright Amendment Bill.

This entitles the author of a musical or literary work, who has assigned the copyright in the work to someone else in the past, to continue sharing in the profits derived from the exploitation of the work in the form of payment of royalties.

The bill also introduces new sections 7A and 8A, which confer comparable rights on the authors of visual artistic works and on the performers of audiovisual works. It applies to all past contracts and do not distinguish based on the fairness or otherwise of past contracts.

Concerns raised

“Whilst the objectives of providing redress to artists who have been unfairly treated in contracts in the past is valid and legitimate, the bills have provisions that as currently worded, could be regarded as arbitrary by the courts.

“I have taken note that various legal opinions hold that the Ministerial powers in the bills are sufficiently qualified as to address concerns about impermissible delegation, but as they were an attempt to cure potential constitutional breaches on the formulation of retrospectivity, they would be redundant if those clauses are changed and should therefore be removed,” Patel  said.

Amendments

He said amendments could be made without losing the key thrust of the draft legislation.

Alternative mechanisms to address the challenges of redress and to support those creators who are victims of past exploitation, may need to be considered.

“The bills seek to regulate the exercise of certain intellectual property rights. Copyright creates a monopoly for a given period and the intention of the law was to strike a balance between the various interests of the originators of certain types of works, the owners of the copyright and users of the works,” said Patel.

The Minister said all countries permit some exceptions to enable the public to use copyrighted material in specific circumstances where the public interest warrants it.

“Parliament is being asked to review the processes followed and whether the public had sufficient opportunity to consider the specific language used in the new fair-use regime that the draft legislation introduces,” he said.

Parliament’s legal advisor and Minister Patel noted that in terms of parliamentary rules, the Committee is required to confine itself to the specific reservations that the President has raised.

Deliberations

The Committee will now deliberate on the matters raised by the President. This covers six areas including the classification of the Bills (which affects the processes of involvement by the NCOP) and provisions that introduce retrospective remedies, which may be regarded as arbitrary deprivations of property.

It also covers the delegation of legislative power to the Minister; the extent of public participation in the process of formulating the fair-use clause; the list of copyright exceptions; and International Treaty implications.

The original legislation was developed over a ten-year period, and parts of the bills submitted by the department were amended during the parliamentary process based on public comments made at the time.

Patel said the bills provide for a number of significant measures relating to intellectual property rights and cover key products (which the Bills refer to as ‘works’) that are used in society and the economy, such as, books, music, movies, photographs, sculptures and architectural designs; and their digital equivalents.

“The bills seeks to clarify the commercial rights of parties and also address a challenge relating to the potential imbalance in power between parties in the contractual relationships that arise between originators of creative works and owners of the copyright to those works, and the negative developmental outcomes that arise from this,” said Patel.

The Minister’s briefing to the Committee was followed by a briefing by parliament’s legal advisor, Advocate Charmaine van der Merwe on the same matters. It is expected that the Committee’s deliberations will continue next week.

Gauteng MEC for Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure, Jacob Mamabolo, says the recently upgraded roads in Emfuleni Local Municipality will go a long way in facilitating the smoother running of commerce in the district.

The Department of Roads and Transport undertook a five-month road rehabilitation project, valued at R9 million, as part of the drive to improve the state of road infrastructure in Emfuleni, which is located in the Sedibeng District.

Mamabolo said the rehabilitation of the roads is part of his department’s Smart Mobility strategy, which prioritises the delivery of quality infrastructure and contributes to growing the economy of Gauteng.

“Road infrastructure forms the core of the sixth administration’s efforts to reignite the economy of our province. If we are to reposition Gauteng as the inland hub for freight and logistics, we need to be smart in the upkeep and maintenance of our roads,” Mamabolo said on Tuesday.

Roadworks on the projects included the rehabilitation of the pavement structure along Adams Road, Moshoeshoe and Vilakazi Streets, improving pedestrian safety by installing sidewalks, as well as improving functionality of drainage structures.

“These roads are major arteries in Emfuleni and their state posed a huge challenge in the economic activities in the Vaal area,” Mamabolo said.

A total of 30 workers were employed on monthly basis for the entire period of construction.

Benefits to residents, motorists, business and communities include improved roadway capacity, reduced travel times, enhanced driving experience, easy access to business, residential and agricultural estates, as well as improved general road safety.

Mamabolo, who was in Emfuleni to officially unveil the upgraded roads, visited Evaton taxi rank and the local mall’s taxi rank to inspect compliance measures in place to curb the spread of Coronavirus.

“Taxi rank visits form part of our site visits to check on the work done by the taxi rank support committees, who have been tasked with enforcing social distancing, cleaning and disinfecting of loading bays and taxis, sanitisation of all commuters and ensuring that no one gets into a taxi without a mask,” Mamabolo said.

The number of COVID-19 infections has risen to 589 886 after 2 541 new infections were identified on Monday.

Meanwhile, Gauteng is now the only province in the country that has surpassed the 200 000 mark after 584 additional cases were reported.

The country’s economic hub now has 200 237 cases, KwaZulu-Natal 106 037, Western Cape 102 609 and Eastern Cape 84 092.

The Free State has 32 304 cases, North West 23 305, Mpumalanga 21 474, Limpopo 11 757 and Northern Cape 8 021.

Fifty remain unallocated.

The country’s death rate now stands at 11 982 after 143 people succumbed to COVID-19 related illnesses.

Of the new deaths, 50 are in the Eastern Cape, 32 in the Western Cape, 25 in Mpumalanga and 14 each in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

Free State and the Northern Cape registered single-digit deaths from COVID-19, five and three, respectively.

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

The number of tests conducted to date is 3 415 670, with 22 609 done since the last report.

The recovery rate is sitting at 80%.

Globally, there have been 21 549 706 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 767 158 deaths, reported to the World Health Organisation.

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has refuted allegations that Minister Lindiwe Sisulu and Director-General Mbulelo Tshangana are at odds with one another.

The allegation that the two are at odds stems from a recent weekend newspaper report pertaining to the appointment of Dr Les Konar to carry out inspective work at Lepelle Northern Water Board in Limpopo and Mr Piet Pieterse at Amatola Water Board in the Eastern Cape.

In a statement on Tuesday, the department said Sisulu appointed Konar’s company, Outsourced Risk and Compliance Assessment (ORCA), to do investigations into Lepelle Northern Water.

“Factually, the Minister did appoint Dr Konar as an individual and not ORCA. ORCA was appointed by Lepelle Northern Water, as per its own supply chain management mechanisms,” said the DWS.

The appointment of Koner was as stipulated in Section 45 of Water Services Act.

“It should further be reiterated that Minister Sisulu and Director-General Tshangana are well aware that the appointment of companies is regulated by the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and it is done through a bidding process,” the department said.

The newspaper article also alleged that Konar has done work for the department at Amatola Water Board in the Eastern Cape.

This, said the DWS, is incorrect, as Konar was contracted to only work at Lepelle Northern Water.

“The Department of Water and Sanitation noted with regret these allegations, which are misleading. The department, as led by Director-General Tshangana, is disturbed by this unfortunate turn of events, which have led to a blight on the Minister’s name, which is causing an embarrassment for the Minister.

“The department unreservedly apologises to the Minister for the embarrassment caused,” said the department.

The DWS said Sisulu is determined to root out corruption within the department.

“It should also be noted that since taking office, Minister Sisulu is determined to root out corruption in the Department of Water and Sanitation and she is still on this mission, working closely and in collaboration with DG Tshangana as the Accounting Officer,” it said.

The 40th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of SADC has condemned terrorism and violent attacks in Mozambique, while pledging support for the southern African country.

“The summit expressed SADC solidarity and commitment to support Mozambique in addressing the terrorism and violent attacks, and condemned all acts of terrorism and armed attacks,” said the Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in a communique.

The summit, which was held virtually, welcomed the decision by Mozambique to bring to the attention of SADC the violent attacks in that country, and commended Mozambique for its continued efforts towards combating terrorism and violent attacks.

Violence has plagued the the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado.

The summit also received an assessment report on emerging security threats in the region.

It directed the Secretariat to prepare an action plan for its implementation that will, among others, prioritise measures to combat terrorism, violent attacks and cybercrime, and address the adverse effects of climate change.

Monday’s virtual summit was attended by President Cyril Ramaphosa, Lesotho’s Prime Minister Dr. Moeketsi Majoro, Mozambican President  Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, as well as Zimbabwean President  Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, among others.

At the summit, President Nyusi was elected as Chairperson of SADC, while the President of the Republic of Malawi, Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, was elected as incoming Chairperson of SADC.

The summit also elected the President of the Republic of Botswana, Dr. Mokgweetsi E.K. Masisi, as Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, while President Ramaphosa  was elected as incoming Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.

Vision 2050

The summit approved SADC Vision 2050, which is based on a firm foundation of peace, security and democratic governance. It is premised on three interrelated pillars, namely: industrial development and market integration; infrastructure development in support of regional integration; and social and human capital development.

The three pillars also recognise gender, youth, environment and climate change, and disaster risk management as important cross-cutting components.

The summit also approved the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2020-2030 to operationalise Vision 2050.

Mauritius

Leaders at the summit expressed solidarity with Mauritius after the MV Wakashio ship run aground and leaked oil off the coast of the island nation.

“The summit expressed solidarity with the government and people of Mauritius for the environmental disaster in its waters caused by a grounded ship, and called upon SADC Member States and the international community to support Mauritius in containing the disaster,” said the leaders in the communique.

Impact of COVID-19

Amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the summit also received a report on the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on SADC economies, while also noting its effects across sectors. The summit approved the proposed measures to address the sectoral effects.

Leaders noted that a face-to-face summit will take place in Maputo, Mozambique, in March 2021, if the COVID-19 pandemic situation is contained.

Prior to Monday’s summit, the Council of Ministers of the SADC met virtually last week in preparation for the summit.