Author: Agency
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has reaffirmed South Africa’s commitment to engaging in structural reforms that will foster an environment fertile to economic growth and competitiveness. The Minister was speaking during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting held in Davos, Switzerland. Godongwana is leading the South African delegation to the critical meeting. Structural reforms in South Africa are targeted at – among other things – electricity, infrastructure, water and logistics, and are driven by Operation Vulindlela. Operation Vulindlela is a joint initiative of the Presidency and National Treasury to accelerate the implementation of structural reforms and…
Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Professor Blade Nzimande, has revealed that government has set aside a R3.8 billion initial capitalisation fund to support “missing middle” students. The new Comprehensive Student Funding Model aims to support students including those currently not supported by the National Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) bursary and funding policy. This category of students is those who come from families who have a total income of more than R350 000, but not more than R600 000 per annum. Nzimande, who was addressing the media on Sunday, revealed that the funding model is divided into two phases. Phase…
Citizens in the country can look forward to the airing of a brand new show on their tele’s – set to educate, inspire and connect with South Africans about issues that affect their daily lives. The Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) is set to launch a 13 episode Advertiser Funded Programme (AFP) called ‘Citizens Connect’, to be broadcast on SABC 2, starting Thursday, 18 January 2024 at 8:30 pm. “This collaboration with SABC 2 is a testament to government’s commitment to reach a diverse audience and deliver impactful content,” said the GCIS in a statement on Friday. Citizens Connect…
Israel’s response to the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023 has crossed the line and breaches the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide also referred to as “the Convention”. This is according to Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, who delivered his opening remarks at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands, on Thursday. “Madam President, ‘in extending our hands across the miles to the people of Palestine, we do so in the full knowledge that we are part of a humanity that is at one’. These were the words of President…
The City of Ekurhuleni is urging the youth, and unemployed residents to take advantage of a series of free online courses tailored to expand one’s knowledge on entrepreneurship and business ventures. In a statement on Thursday, the city said the courses are presented by computer information systems company CISCO, an international technology company, in partnership with the City of Ekurhuleni, the National Library of South Africa and the Gauteng Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts, and Culture. Interested candidates can apply online at https://tinyurl.com/ApplyForCiscoCourses. Applications to free online course closes on Friday, 26 January 2024. The course will be offered as a…
The Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, through its Youth and After School Programme, is calling for unemployed youth, aged between 18 and 25, to apply to be part of the Year Beyond Youth Service Programme for 2024. Applications for the education programmes are now open for youth living in the Western and Eastern Cape who meet the criteria. All the education programmes require a matric certificate and some require minimum marks for language or maths. The Year Beyond platform offers young people the opportunity to get a year of hands on working experience and build their work…
Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has reiterated that while Eskom is working hard on improving its generation system, citizens can still expect load shedding. Providing an outlook on Eskom’s generation capabilities during a media briefing on Tuesday in Pretoria, the Minister explained that the majority of units remain unreliable and this is being addressed through the planned maintenance that Eskom is conducting routinely. Due to legacy issues including under investment at Eskom and the entity not having sufficiently planned for maintenance, South Africa’s grid is unreliable. “We will have periods of days of no load shedding and there will be…
The Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) has cautioned members of the public and stakeholders of a fake TikTok account impersonating Deputy Minister Pinky Kekana. The TikTok account “Pinky_Kekana3” has been fraudulently using the Deputy Minister’s name and photos while disseminating untrue promises of teaching clients to trade and quickly make amounts ranging from R56 000 to R67 000. The department said this is false and “intended to swindle and scam innocent citizens”. “For the record, Deputy Minister Kekana does not have a TikTok account and the Ministry and DPME do not offer any educational trading programmes about making…
The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) says a decision taken by the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board (CSPB) on 24 November 2023 to place inmate Oscar Pistorius on parole remains valid and is to be enforced. Pistorius’s parole will be effective from 5 January 2024. “… Pistorius shall be admitted into the system of Community Corrections and will be monitored until the expiry date of his sentence in 2029,” said the department in a statement. Pistorius was convicted of killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in 2013. In 2017, the Supreme Court of Appeal sentenced the former Paralympian…
The Ministry of Small Business Development has warned members of the public about a number of fake Facebook accounts, which purport to belong to the Minister of Small Business Development, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams. The ministry has strongly condemned the fraudulent use of the Minister’s name, profile and pictures to create fake accounts, whose sole intention is to defraud and scam innocent citizens, especially small business owners. “We would like to remind and advise all law-abiding citizens that neither the Minister nor the department will ever request ‘upfront fees’ from members of the public in exchange for accessing funding or business opportunities.…