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Langalakhe High School in Elandskop, KwaZulu-Natal, will get new ICT equipment, as part of the provincial government’s 67 Minutes of action in honour of Mandela Day.

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala made the announcement during the launch of the Mandela Foundation’s Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) Sanitisation in Schools Programme, held at the school on Thursday.

Launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2018, SAFE is a public-private partnership that aims to provide safe and innovative ablution facilities at nearly 4 000 mostly rural and township schools.

The SAFE initiative is a partnership between government, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the National Education Collaboration Trust, and to which the private sector has been invited to contribute.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation, through its Mandela Day SAFE Sanitisation in Schools Programme and in partnership with Engen Oil, has donated a safe sanitisation structure to Langalakhe High School to bring dignity to teachers and learners.

Announcing the roll out of ICT tools during the launch, Zikalala said the ICT Maths and Science Programme is aimed at benefiting rural schools in the province, which do not have adequate resources.

Zikalala encouraged leaders to follow in the footsteps of Nelson Mandela, who valued education as the most potent weapon.

“Former President Nelson Mandela prioritised education [and] always emphasised that it’s only through education that a child of peasants will become a president. That’s why it’s important that we promote quality education for our leaders in rural and township schools, so that we can build the potential for our learners to be prosperous,” Zikalala said.

The Premier thanked the Nelson Mandela Foundation and Engen Oil for donating the safe sanitisation structure to the school.

“This is a great project. It’s important to provide proper hygiene facilities. Sanitation is important because we must maintain the dignity of our learners and teachers. This will go a long way in alleviating the plight of this school,” he said.

He further conveyed condolences to the Mandela family on the passing of Zindzi Mandela, the youngest daughter of Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

Nelson Mandela Foundation CEO, Sello Hatang, said: “We’re honoured to be here at this school because for us, this has been a long journey, a journey that started when President Cyril Ramaphosa called on all of us to try and restore the dignity of our people.”

The South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) Inter-Ministerial Committee has resolved to increase communication in relation to COVID-19, HIV and TB.

In increasing communication, the SANAC IMC aims to address stigma and discrimination that prevents people from disclosing their status and timeously seeking medical care and treatment.

“We have to leverage on opportunities presented by our focused response to COVID-19. This includes the rollout of COVID-19 contact tracing, screening and testing services as an opportunity for increasing HIV and TB screening and testing.

“In order to ensure that we meet the targets that we have set for ourselves in the fight against HIV and TB, we must move with speed and determination so that no lives are lost unnecessarily to these pandemics,” said Deputy President David Mabuza.

The SANAC IMC took the resolution to elevate and integrate communication to existing government communication in relation to COVID-19, HIV and TB during a virtual meeting convened and chaired by Deputy President Mabuza on Thursday.

The meeting was attended by the Ministers and Deputy Ministers from the ministries of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Health, Presidency, Justice and Constitutional Development, Sports, Arts and Culture.

The Deputy Ministers of Social Development, Public Service and Administration, Basic Education, and Police also attended the meeting.

The SANAC IMC meeting follows the 23rd International Aids Conference, held virtually from 6 – 10 July 2020, where South Africa participated under the theme “Resilience”.

Deliberations at the IMC meeting focused on measures to integrate a collective response to the COVID-19, HIV and TB pandemics.

“The state of the national HIV and TB epidemics during the COVID-19 pandemic response highlights challenges and interventions being made in the implementation of the National Strategic Plan 2017-2022,” said the SANAC IMC.

The IMC also deliberated on challenges experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in terms of ensuring that there is no disruption of access to services for HIV and TB prevention and treatment by key populations.

Additionally, the meeting reiterated government’s determination to forge ahead with the work of responding to HIV and TB in order not to reverse the gains of the past two decades, taking into account the constraints brought about by COVID-19.

The meeting also acknowledged the COVID-19 contributions from the United States government and the Global Fund to fight TB, HIV and Malaria.

Following the return to service of four generation units, no load shedding is expected for the rest of the week, says Eskom.

The return to service of the four units, has helped Eskom to relieve pressure on the system.

“These generation units returned more than 1 500MW capacity to the system. This took total generation capacity returned to the system since 10 July to more than 3 500MW,” said Eskom in a statement on Thursday evening.

This comes as load shedding has been implemented since 10 July.

The utility has also been able to replenish its emergency reserves, which are crucial to protect the national grid from the possibility of multiple generation unit trips.

Load shedding was suspended at 10 pm on Thursday night.

“While we are able to suspend this current period of load shedding, Eskom urges the public to continue reducing the usage of heating appliances, geysers and other appliances as the system remains unpredictable and unreliable.

“Eskom thanks the people of South Africa for their assistance in managing electricity demand in very cold weather over the past week,” it said.

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) is working hard to ensure there is a teacher in every classroom during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the virus continues to spread rapidly.

The DBE is calling on all unemployed teachers to register on the National Recruitment Database (NRD) for temporary employment as substitute educators in a public school.

“The length of the appointment will depend on the needs of the school you’re appointed in,” the department said.

Remuneration will be per the conditions of the State.

The applicant must possess a teaching qualification, have no criminal record and be registered with the South African Council for Educators (SACE) to qualify.

The application form is available on https://www.education.gov.za/resources/forms.aspx and it should be submitted to NRD@dbe.gov.za with the copies of the academic record, qualification certificate and SACE certificate.

“Your information will be made available to all provinces in which you choose to be employed,” the department said.

In June, DBE Minister Angie Motshekga made an undertaking that additional substitute posts would be made available to assist in filling in for staff who are absent due to illness, age and comorbidities.

“Comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes and cardiac disease are the three most commonly associated with serious illness if one contracts COVID-19,” Motshekga said last month.

She said the department received 1 887 applications from teachers who have applied to work from home in the Free State, 237 applications from Mpumalanga, while the Northern Cape has registered 1 495 teachers with comorbidities.

South Africa has recorded 13 172 new COVID-19 cases bringing a cumulative total to 324 221 on Thursday, Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said.

He also reported a further 216 COVID-19-related deaths.

Of the additional fatalities, 86 were from Gauteng, 47 from Western Cape, 25 from Eastern Cape, 41 from KwaZulu-Natal, 10 from the Free State and seven from Mpumalanga, bringing the death toll to 4 669 since the outbreak.

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

Meanwhile, the number of recoveries has climbed to 165 591, which translates to a recovery rate of 51%, while the total number of tests conducted to date is 2 324 923.

Gauteng remains the epicentre with 117 895 cases after 5 181 new infections were reported since the last report.

This is followed by the Western Cape with 82 986 cases, Eastern Cape with 57 186 and KwaZulu-Natal with 35 604. The North West has 11 891 infections, Free State 7 312, Mpumalanga 5 572, Limpopo 3 883 and Northern Cape 1 831.

According to the World Health Organisation, there are 13 378 853 cases worldwide, with 580 045 deaths.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has assured South Africans that saving lives during this pandemic is important as government is set to engage stakeholders in the education sector on the reopening schools.

Interacting with communities across the nation through a virtual Presidential Imbizo on Coronavirus on Wednesday, the President said government will in the next few days engage parents, student organisations, unions as well as other organisations, on the matter of reopening schools.

“Once this had been done, we are going to assess what we have heard and discuss it with the medical advisory committee… in the light of what the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said. I think we will come to a positive and inclusive decision,” the President said.

The WHO recently warned against the reopening of schools while local transmissions of the Coronavirus are on the rise.

The latest COVID-19 statistics show that South Africa has a total of 311 049 positive cases with 160 693 recoveries and 4 453 deaths.

The President said the decision to open schools was an inclusive decision even though some might not agree with it.

Responding to a caller who asked what is government’s threshold in terms of sacrificing the academic year?  The threshold being how many lives must be lost, the President said every life is important.

“We don’t focus on how many people should die first before we take a particular action. We are about saving lives and we are also about preserving livelihoods. Our strategy is not based on the number of lives of people who must die.

“We are going to sit back and listen carefully to all the key role-players about the re-opening of schools. Losing an academic year cannot be weighed up against the lives of the people we must lose. If we have to get to a point of closing schools, that will be the decision,” President Ramaphosa said.

Sale of alcohol
The President also explained the decision to suspend the sale of alcohol.

“Out of the lived evidence that was given to us by our health workers and medical advisory committee, we realised the hospital beds were being utilised more by people who go to hospital with trauma cases that are alcohol induced,” he said.

Job losses
The President also addressed the recent reports stating that approximately three million people in South Africa lost their jobs between February and April as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Economic recovery
“We are committed to focusing our efforts on the economic recovery. We’re working on a very direct economic process and in this we are working together with business, unions and economists in our country.

“Infrastructure is going to unleash a lot economic activities. We’ve got projects that are ready. We’ve also got projects on the public employment side. We will recalibrate the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) to ensure we’ve got a much more robust public employment process,” the President said.

The Gauteng Education Department is pleading for patience with COVID-19 Youth Brigades as it processes their outstanding stipend payments.

According to the GDE, some brigades have been paid already which led to anxiety among those still awaiting their stipends.

“It is important to note that the outstanding payments are currently captured in groups and as such we can confirm that the team is working tirelessly to verify documents, and process them for necessary finalisation of payment,” said the department.

In addition to the verification of documents, the GDE said the temporary closure of some schools and offices due to COVID-19 positive cases affected payments, which made it difficult for submission of necessary documentation for capturing.

“Subsequently, these delayed our payment process. We plead for patience and undertake that as soon as we finalize all the administrative requirements of this program, which are complex in the first month, things will run smoothly in future,” said the department.

To combat the COVID-19 pandemic in schools, the department hired COVID-19 Youth Brigades to assist in limiting community transmission and outbreaks of COVID-19.

The brigades are placed in schools and government buildings to assist the department with screening, sanitising of staff and learners, data capturing and monitoring compliance to social distancing and health protocols.

“Indeed we appreciate and value their contribution in our sector. We sincerely apologize for the delays and assure them that they will be paid their stipends in due course,” assured the department.

National Police Commissioner, General Khehla Sitole, has ordered a manhunt into the ghastly murder of Gauteng Legislature Safety and Security Portfolio Committee chairperson, Mapiti Matsena.

This comes after the provincial legislator was fatally stabbed in the chest in his Doornpoort, Pretoria, home on Wednesday evening.

In a statement, Sitole said he had tasked the Gauteng SAPS management to immediately mobilise the 72 Activation Plan to bring to book the perpetrators.

“It has been determined from preliminary investigations that a lone assailant entered the house and stabbed Matsena while he was in his bedroom,” police said in the statement.

“At this stage it does not appear that anything was taken by the suspect.”

General Sitole in the statement assured the Matsena family that the murder was being thoroughly investigated.

“I have tasked the Acting Provincial Commissioner of Gauteng to ensure that this case be investigated by the Provincial Investigation Unit and that critical resources, including Crime Intelligence and Forensic Services, be mobilised to identify and arrest those responsible for the murder of Matsena,” said General Sitole.

Police have appealed to anyone who may have any information on this case to contact the SAPS via Crime Stop on 086 00 10111. Information may also be provided via the MySAPSApp, an application which can be downloaded on any android or iPhone.

All information will be treated with strictest confidence and callers may remain anonymous.

The Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) says it welcomes the commitment by the National Treasury that it will support and source funding for a business rescue plan for South African Airways (SAA).

The funding, it says, will result in the emergence of a new viable, sustainable and competitive national airline.

In terms of the business rescue plan that was published by the Business Rescue Practitioners (BRPs) for SAA, government, as the sole shareholder of SAA, is required to provide a letter of support for funding the plan “where it results in a viable and sustainable national flag carrier that provides international, regional and domestic services”.

A letter of support that commits government to mobilise funding for the short, medium and long term requirements to create a viable and sustainable national airline was signed by the Ministers of Finance and Public Enterprises on 15 July 2020 and provided for the BRPs.

The funding commitment gives effect to Cabinet’s endorsement of a business rescue plan for SAA and Cabinet’s position that it supports the proposal for a new airline and the concerted effort to mobilise funding from various sources, including from potential equity partners for the uptake of the new airline.

“[It] maintains that a positive vote from creditors to finalise the business rescue process is still the most viable and expeditious option, for the national carrier to restructure its affairs, which include its business, its debt and other liabilities and… believes a restructured airline will pursue the transformational agenda such as the lack of opportunities for the advancement of black pilots after 26 years into our democracy,” Cabinet said.

In the rescue plan, it is projected that an amount of R10.1 billion will be required to fund the rescue plan, clean up and stabilise the balance sheet of SAA, restructure the rest of the Group entities that are not in business rescue, provide working capital for the rest of the group’s entities, and to create a stable and viable platform for a new restructured national airline. Different tranches of money will be required as different aspects of the restructuring takes effect.

The restructuring will include severance packages to about 2 700 SAA employees who will be retrenched, which packages meet the minimum requirements of the Labour Relations Act, and provides incentives to those employees at the lower rung of the remuneration scale to ensure that they are not worse off.

The DPE is cognisant that airlines across the world are in turmoil due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There are possibilities for airline partnerships to improve the scale and scope of the aviation industry and ensure continuity of value creation to the South African economy.

While maintaining a certain level of presence in the ownership of the new carrier, the DPE welcomes the attraction of a mix of local and international investor groups to provide the new airline with technical, financial, and operational expertise to ensure significant South African ownership whilst diversifying the investor base.

Public Service and Administration Minister Senzo Mchunu has set the record straight on the allegations of misconduct labelled against the Public Service Commission’s Director General.

The allegations are with regard to the recruitment process pertaining to the post of Chief Director: Professional Ethics in the Office of the Public Service Commission of the Director General: Office of the Public Service Commission of Dr Dovhani Mamphiswana.

Following the allegations, Minister Mchunu appointed a two-person team to carry out an investigation and to provide a report on the findings of the investigation.

The investigation is at an advanced stage and it is expected that the report will be finalised shortly.

In January 2020, allegations were made against the Director General regarding the recruitment process. The allegations were escalated to the President as the Executive Authority vested with the power to deal with matters pertaining to national Heads of Department.

Due to the serious nature of the allegations, the President delegated the power to investigate the allegations to the Minister for the Public Service and Administration through a President Act No.43 signed 27 February 2020.

“Contrary to unfounded accusations by the Democratic Alliance, the President acted swiftly and within the parameters of the law to ensure that the allegations against Dr Mamphiswana are investigated.

“It is therefore nonsensical for the Member of Parliament of the Democratic Alliance Dr Leon Schreiber, to suggest that the President has failed to take action on the allegations,” Minister Mchunu said.

He said once the investigation authorised by the President is concluded and the report is finalised, the necessary remedial action will be taken by the President with due regard to prevailing prescripts.

“Accordingly, the President and the Minister for the Public Service and Administration remain resolute in their endeavour to ensure an ethical and professional public service and are therefore, committed to ensuring that this matter receives serious attention,” the Minister said.