Archives

Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister, Lindiwe Sisulu, is expected to meet with the City of Cape Town Executive Mayor, Dan Plato, today to consolidate a plan aimed at addressing the housing challenges currently facing the city.

The meeting follows a meeting held on Monday, where Sisulu met with Police Minister Bheki Cele, Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Thoko Didiza, and Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille, to devise a plan to address the challenges facing people in the city.

The meeting also comes just few days after the Minister’s meeting with community leaders in Khayelitsha and surrounding areas to understand the causes of the recent unrest in the City of Cape Town.

Since this meeting, Sisulu has been consulting with various stakeholders in order to address the causes of invasions and evictions.

In a statement on Tuesday, Sisulu emphasised that they will, together, have to find the lasting solutions to the problems.

“We have a responsibility to address lawlessness and restore order in the City of Cape Town. Violence will never be an answer to any unfortunate situation we find ourselves in presently. We equally have a responsibility to be proactive in addressing landlessness,” Sisulu said.

Public Service and Administration Minister Senzo Mchunu, in his capacity as the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Focal Point for South Africa, is expected to brief media on the Charter of the South African APRM National Governing Council.

The Minister will speak on this at a media briefing scheduled for 11.30am this morning.

At the briefing, which will be held at the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) head office in Pretoria, the Minister will also announce the appointment of the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the South African Peer Review Mechanism National Governing Council (NGC).

“Minister Mchunu will brief members of the media on the Charter of the South African APRM National Governing Council as well as what is to follow in terms of the NGC’s activities,” said the Ministry of Public Service and Administration ahead of Tuesday’s briefing.

Cabinet approved the formation of the NGC which comprises key stakeholder groups from government, civil society and the private sector, in line with the APRM principle of broad-based participation.

Through a virtual meeting which was held on 22 July 2020, the NGC elected its Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson, and also adopted the Charter of the South African APRM National Governing Council.

Thulani Tshefuta was appointed as Chairperson while Magdalene Moonsamy was appointed as Deputy Chairperson.

“The formation of the NGC paved the way for the preparation of the country’s 2nd Generation Review that the country is expected to undertake. The structure will be expected to lead this process of country self-assessment, ensures its credibility; and ultimately produces the Country Self- Assessment Report (CSAR) that will later be submitted to the continental body, APRM.”

The NGC structure is at the core of the functioning and success of the country’s APRM, as its key role is to mobilise and ensure participation of all stakeholders and citizens in general to the APRM processes.

Minister Mchunu will brief the media on what is to follow in terms of the NGC’s activities.

The APRM is a mutually agreed instrument voluntarily acceded to by African Union (AU) Member States as an African self-monitoring mechanism to foster good governance in the continent through a systematic peer learning and self-assessment mechanism.

South Africa is currently the Chairperson of the Committee of Focal Points of the APRM programme, a continental ministerial platform for all 40 APRM participating member states, which it took over early this year from the Republic of Chad.

There are now 452 529 confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa after 7 120 new infections were recorded on Monday.

Unfortunately, 298 people succumbed to the deadly virus, which brings the death toll to 7 067.

Of the additional fatalities, 91 are from the Free State, 77 from the Eastern Cape, 61 from Gauteng, 36 from Western Cape, 13 from Mpumalanga, 11 from the North West and nine from KwaZulu-Natal.

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

Gauteng remains the epicentre with 162 319 recorded infections since the outbreak, followed by the Western Cape (92 600), Eastern Cape (74 231) and KwaZulu-Natal (65 982).

The North West has 17 604 cases, Free State (17 222), Mpumalanga (11 386), Limpopo (7 260) and Northern Cape (3 875).

The number of those who have been cured is 274 925, which translates to a recovery rate of 61%.

Meanwhile, 2 802 211 test have been conducted, 28 433 of which were done since the last report.

According to the World Health Organisation, there are 16 114 449 cases and 646 641 deaths worldwide.

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the advent of the Coronavirus pandemic has placed more impetus on South Africa’s plans to pursue new sources of growth within a fundamentally different context.

“Many of the areas we had identified before remain relevant and urgent, such as a growing small and medium enterprise sector, and an agricultural sector that delivers food security.

“Some sectors have taken on a new significance. We should, for example, use this opportunity to build a greener economy, with our entrepreneurs entering new fields such as hybrid cars, fuel cells, battery storage and waste beneficiation,” said the President in his weekly newsletter to the nation.

With an unemployment rate of 30%, which the President said will soon increase, South Africa must collectively work towards building an inclusive economy, based on a level playing field.

President Ramaphosa said he was confident that plans put in place prior to the pandemic, and those introduced to keep business buoyant in these turbulent times, will enable the reconstruction of the economy. However, this will require buy-in outside of government, and an undeterred commitment to action.

“In all the proposals put forward in recent weeks, there is a substantial emphasis on improving execution.

“The [proposals] all say that we should seek out pockets of excellence in the State, and support and deepen them. But they also say that we must look outside the State. We need to bring together the best available local skills, whether in business, academia or civil society to support our common programme,” the President said.

As far back as the State of the Nation Address in February, President Ramaphosa said South Africa would need to focus on three things to begin to turn the country’s fortunes around.

“First, we were going to fix the fundamentals. Second, we would pursue new sources of growth. Third, we would ensure that our actions are underpinned by a capable State.

“Many of the plans under discussion raise these fundamentals, such as reliable energy, access to broadband spectrum, competitive ports and efficient transport. Working with our social partners, we must speed up the pace of implementation so that we can rebuild the base of our economy,” President Ramaphosa said.

One of the pillars that the success of these recovery plans hinges upon is a strong commitment to a social compact – and the institutions necessary to support it – so that the reconstruction of the economy can be “a shared responsibility and a shared undertaking,” the President said. This is one way of ensuring that there are no forgotten sectors of society as the country forges a path to economic recovery.

A continental effort

In the year of South Africa’s chairship of the African Union, member States are planning vigorously for the activation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, which has been delayed by the pandemic.

President Ramaphosa said all social partners see the value of expanding trade in an integrated Africa, with concrete proposals on how to overcome the barriers that impede the ability of Africans to trade with one another.

He said South Africa’s strategies to promote local production, which is a common theme across the various recovery plans, should support efforts to create regional value chains on the continent.

“When we launched the economic stimulus and recovery plan nearly two years ago, we announced the establishment of an Infrastructure Fund that could blend different forms of finance to drive infrastructure development. This, we identified as the flywheel of economic growth.

“There is now general consensus that our recovery should be led by infrastructure development and maintenance.

“At the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium organised by the Presidency a few weeks ago, business and government were of one mind on a new methodology to develop an infrastructure pipeline and deliver on it.

“Investors from the multilateral development banks, development finance institutions and the private sector all showed a strong appetite to make the necessary investments to meet South Africa’s extensive and diverse infrastructure needs,” President Ramaphosa said.

Saving jobs

In the coming weeks, the President said government will work with its social partners to finalise an economic recovery programme, which brings together the best of all the various proposals.

President Ramaphosa emphasised that the most important part of the programme must be the protection and the creation of jobs.

He noted that analysts have estimated the pandemic will cost the country millions of jobs.

The President said job preservation efforts, such as those through the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and tax measures, aim to prevent job losses in the private sector.

However, he said, if South Africa is going to recover from the worst effects of the pandemic, well-crafted, public employment schemes must be set up.

“Creating jobs for people that add value to their communities through maintenance, care work and other services, keeps people engaged in productive activity. It helps them to retain and develop skills.

“It gives many young people a chance to climb the first rung in the job market ladder. Such jobs complement employment created by businesses, as they start to recover and private investment returns.”

The President is optimistic that as recovery takes hold and the world gradually adjusts to a global economy marked by COVID-19, economic activity is expected to pick up.

“By then, our initiatives to reform and improve the business environment will establish a firm platform for industries with high potential to flourish,” President Ramaphosa said.

Since the onset of the pandemic in South Africa, President Ramaphosa said government’s strategy has been to provide whatever support it can, within the country’s constrained resources, to protect businesses and preserve jobs.

The President said now is the time to move quickly towards a robust programme of reconstruction and recovery, “and we must do so together”.

“Building on the vast areas of common ground among the proposals from social partners, we now have to put in place a clear, focused and ambitious set of measures to not only restore our economy, but to set it on a new path of inclusive and sustainable growth.

“We are faced with a health, social and economic crisis of massive proportions. But we are not daunted, nor discouraged. We will do what we must to build an economy that is resilient and dynamic, that creates work and opportunity, and that meets the needs of all our people.

“We have all the ingredients for an economic recovery; now let us work together to make it happen,” the President said.

South Africa like many countries around the world, dipped its toes into uncharted waters with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 and the imposition of lockdowns worldwide have become the norm in efforts to stop the spread of the virus.

The initial stage of South Africa’s lockdown brought to halt life, as we know it, temporarily closing schools, places of worship and slowing down machinery at some places of work.

No doubt some secretly welcomed the break from the hustle and bustle of getting the children to school on time and the sometimes sleep inducing back-to-back meetings at work.

The lockdown has allowed many to spend quality time with their households.

However, on the other side of the coin, the lockdown, which is aimed at saving lives, has awakened the terror of being in the presence of one’s abuser on a 24-hour basis.

With many confined to their homes, essential services needed in daily life continued to operate.

Johannesburg’s Frida Hartley Shelter is among those who kept their doors open, offering refuge to victims of Gender Based Violence (GBV).

One cannot argue that deciding to leave an abusive relationship is a daunting move, all the more so in a time of lockdown.

“We empower women by assisting them get an education and job skills training. It’s very important for women to sustain themselves because we don’t want them to find themselves in those situations again, “says the shelter’s manager Cheryl Hlabane.

Taking note of increased calls to the GBV National Command Centre for help during the course of the lockdown, which began in March, President Cyril Ramaphosa has lamented increased reports of violence against women and children.

At a time when South Africa commemorates the annual Mandela Month, the shelter is an example of how emulating former President Nelson Mandela’s qualities of humility, compassion and dedication to the service of humanity can change lives even in bleak times.

Throughout the various levels of the lockdown, the shelter has continued its work of supporting women in their endeavours to heal and attain independence, helping them in turn to support themselves and their children.

It is no secret that South Africa’s first democratically elected President Nelson Mandela loved children.

The late Tata Madiba as he was affectionately known also spoke out against violence meted out at women describing it as “serious and escalating evil” in society.

In its own way, the shelter is taking forward Madiba’s call for all to make a difference in the lives of others.

The shelter takes in homeless women, and their children who have endured neglect, abuse, and trauma and homelessness.

The non-profit organisation (NPO) not only provides accommodation, care as well as support, but also empowers women with economic, educational and skills training opportunities.

In an interview with SAnews, Hlabane emphasised the importance of ensuring that women leave the shelter in a better position than when they came in.

The shelter also provides three meals a day, monthly toiletries, entrepreneurial skills training, psychosocial support and referrals for work placement.

“We encourage women to find a side hustle, something that they are passion about so they can get an income. We have an 89% success rate in assisting women to get skills, education and jobs,” she said in a telephonic interview.

With South Africa having passed over 100 days of lockdown, the number of women who have reached out to the shelter through phone calls, emails and messages on social media has increased.

“A lot of shelters had to shut down because they didn’t understand the pandemic, they didn’t have the resources and they were scared to accommodate people and have them die at their facilities,” she explained.

The NPO is currently full to capacity.

Hlabane, was also formed part of the #TotalShutdown march back in August 2018, has called on government to impose stringent measures to address GBV.

The #TotalShutdown movement started on social media and mobilised women and members of the LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian Gay Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual) to take a stand against all forms of violence.

In response to the march, government convened the first national summit against Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) in November 2018.

Last year in September at a joint sitting of Parliament, President Ramaphosa announced an Emergency Response Plan to combat GBVF and R1.6 billion in government funding that would be reprioritised to support the plan.

Addressing the nation last month, the President reaffirmed government commitment to fight the scourge of GBVF.

While government works to address GBVF, Hlabane stressed the need to change the narrative when conversations about abuse take place.

“We talk about abuse but we protect abusers within our work space, homes, government, Parliament and individuals who occupy top positions in companies. Those ones are given immunity because of their social status that is why it’s easier to sweep abuse under the carpet,” she said.

She has suggests that GBV conversations should be incorporated into the school curriculum.

“We need to address gender roles specifying that women are the ones who are supposed to be cleaning and cooking. That is giving men authority thinking that if you don’t clean you deserve to be beaten up.”

Conversations around gender roles need to be held with young boys from an early age she said.

She also spoke of the need not to place victims of abuse under secondary victimisation, calling for adequate training for police when handling cases of GBV.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about uncertainty in the world and while it remains human nature to tend to want to look out for oneself only, there is a need for collective effort to look after the vulnerable in society.

Organisations like Frida Hartley often rely on donations like clothing, blankets and sanitary products to provide services to victims of GBV.

The shelter also accepts corporate support in the form of of job training programmes, internships and employment opportunities.

In the spirit of Mandela Month, South Africans can also play their part in the fight against GBV by supporting organisations such as the Frida Hartley Shelter.

The shelter can be contacted on 011 648 6005 and information about the work of the organisation is available on: https://www.fridahartley.org/.

While South Africa continues to be under lockdown, your support can be the difference between life and death, choose to help.

Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel has tested positive for COVID-19.

The Minister received his results on Saturday, 25 July 2020. This was the Minister’s second test since the outbreak of this virus.

“Minister Patel is in good spirits and is in self-quarantine, and will continue to work from home. Those that have been in contact with the Minister are also in self-isolation and have been encouraged to get tested,” said Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu.

On Friday, Minister Patel participated in the virtual parliamentary budget vote debate on the revised budget for the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC).

As part of his budget debate speech on Friday, the Minister announced that every directorate of the DTIC and every agency within its mandate will prioritise saving firms and jobs during this period.

“As we wish the Minister a speedy recovery, we extend the same well wishes to the thousands of South Africans and their families who are also battling Coronavirus.”

“To defeat this virus, we must all continue playing our part in observing all health protocols of washing our hands regularly, properly wearing a mask when in public and practicing physical distancing. Together, we can beat the coronavirus,” said Mthembu.

Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula says the department, which has deployed most of its forces and operations to the frontlines of the Coronavirus pandemic, has allocated R3 billion to COVID-19 operational costs.

The Minister said this when she presented the department’s spending priorities during a virtual sitting of the National Assembly.

On 24 June 2020, the Minister of Finance announced that the Defence Special Budget Allocation for the fight against COVID-19 was an amount of R3 billion. These funds will be for the operational costs associated with the fight against the pandemic, as well as the procurement of personal protective equipment.

“For our purposes, this will go through costs already incurred and others still underway, including repatriation flights, quarantine costs, deployment of reserve forces, air support operations, quarantine clinics, medical equipment and ambulances,” she said.

Providing the last defence at the eye of the storm

Addressing MPs, Mapisa-Nqakula said the department’s role has been to ensure support for the fight against the pandemic through the Department of Health by providing the required expertise inherent in our South African Military Health Services (SAMHS).

The military health services have provided health professionals across the spectrum in all the provinces, drawn from the regulars, reserve forces and volunteers.

“The health care professionals provide services to our own members and the National Health Department – through primary health care teams for screening, testing and tracing purposes across the country; mass quarantine sites in KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, Gauteng and Limpopo respectively; decontamination teams, to mention but a few.

“As I speak on this debate, a team of our military health professionals have been deployed to the Eastern Cape at the request of the Premier and provincial government.

“That is just one part of a range of deployments we have been involved in,” she said.

The deployment of forces was an integral part of the enforcement of the national state of disaster.

“In addition to the military health elements, there are a range of capabilities that have been deployed,” she said.

This includes engineers for bridge building and water purification in various communities; air defence and maritime capabilities; landward capabilities for security and direct support to the police services and other entities of government.

“We have since the beginning of the declaration of national disaster, by means of lockdown, run all these operations related to the COVID-19 under the rubric of Operation Notlela, Lockdown!”

COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus has killed 114 more people on Sunday, pushing the death toll to 6 769.

Of the additional deaths, 34 were reported in Limpopo, 30 in the Western Cape, 29 in Gauteng, 12 in KwaZulu-Natal, seven in the Eastern Cape and two in the Northern Cape.

Meanwhile, there are now 445 433 confirmed cases of which 11 233 were reported in the last 24 hours, Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize said.

The hardest-hit province is Gauteng with 160 154 confirmed infections, followed by the Western Cape (92 079), Eastern Cape (73 585) and KwaZulu-Natal (64 061).

Free State has 16 482 confirmed cases, North West (17 338), Mpumalanga (11 008), Limpopo (7 076) and 50 are unknown.

The recovery rate stands at 59.5% after 265 077 have been cured since the outbreak in March, while 2 773 778 tests have been conducted to date.

Mkhize said government was still concerned about the possible spike of infections in August.

“The pattern varies according to provinces. The Western Cape numbers are now reducing. KZN is the one that is now on the rise.”

The Minister has once against called on South Africans to wear masks, practice physical distancing, sanitise and wash their hands.

According to the World Health Organisation, there are 15 785 641 cases worldwide and 640 016 deaths.

Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, says the 64-dish MeerKAT, the pre-cursor to the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), will be expanded by 20 dishes at a cost of R800 million.

The Minister said this when he outlined the department’s spending priorities during a virtual sitting of the National Assembly on Friday.

Nzimande said that astronomy in South Africa remains important to its socio-economic landscape and that the heritage will further be strengthened through the MeerKAT, which has already been able to give the world a glimpse into the star-formation history of the universe.

“To extend its research area reach, the MeerKAT is to be expanded by 20 dishes at a cost of R800 million. The expansion will be a partnership between South Africa, Germany and China.

“The MeerKAT will further be integrated into SKA Phase one (2019-2024) with an additional 133 antennas in the Karoo up to 80km baseline from the core to make it a 197-dish array mid-frequency telescope.”

The Minister said the MeerKAT, located in the Karoo, continues to perform great science and has contributed to several discoveries.

The benefits of hosting these telescopes include a 75% local content component, direct investment of more than R300 million in the Northern Cape alone, the development of technical skills and big data capabilities, strengthening of university research programmes, opportunities for SMMEs and industry, community upliftment programmes, and investment in the youth.

“South Africa also participates in the African Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network (AVN) project that aims to establish self-sufficient radio telescopes in Africa through the conversion of redundant telecommunications antennae into radio telescopes, “new-build” telescopes or training facilities with training telescopes.

“Our countries who participates in this initiative are Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zambia,” he said.

Government mulls over new SKA exploratorium

The Minister said, meanwhile, that government is also collaborating with the Department of Tourism, the Northern Cape Department of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, and the Kareeberg Municipality to establish the SKA Exploratorium in Carnarvon.

“This envisaged R60 million multi-purpose science tourism visitor centre will create jobs and boost tourism in the area, and also serve as an outreach hub.

“A funding agreement is now being finalised for signature by the relevant parties in order to kick-start the project,” he said.