Author: Agency

The World Bank has approved a €454.4 million (R7.6 billion) loan to South Africa for the country’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Project. Approved by the Bank’s Group Board of Executive Directors on Monday, the loan comes following a request by the Government of South Africa for assistance in financing vaccine procurement contracts. In a joint statement by the World Bank and the National Treasury, the entities said, specifically, this project will retroactively finance the procurement of 47 million COVID-19 vaccine doses by the GoSA. They said: “South Africa is the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa, with the highest cumulative…

The Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) says it is investigating a R225 million tender that was allegedly riddled with irregularities. This after weekend media reports revealed that three former employees of the OCJ, who were privy to the set-up of the tender, recently resigned from the OCJ in order to allegedly illegally benefit from the tender. “As stated to the Sunday Times, the OCJ is currently in the process of gathering all relevant information relating to the matter and is taking legal advice. At the appropriate time, the OCJ will inform the public on the matter. We can assure…

President Cyril Ramaphosa says government is ramping up efforts to address unemployment, specifically related to the youth. He was addressing the nation through his weekly newsletter. Last week, Statistics South Africa revealed that at least 66.5% of youth are unemployed, despite an increase of some 370 000 new jobs created during the past quarter. The President acknowledged that as the country gears up to commemorate Youth Day honouring the young school children who stood up against the apartheid regime in 1976, the current generation faces challenges of their own. “Today, the youth of South Africa confront new struggles in their quest…

The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport has opened a first of its kind, smart Driving Licensing Testing Centre (DLTC) at the Gautrain Midrand station. The new pilot DLTC, which was built using alternative building materials, is completely off the grid, guaranteeing customers minimal disruptions and a quick, convenient service along the Gautrain line. “This state-of-the-art facility gives us an opportunity to efficiently deliver licences and other related services to the people. Working together with GMA and RTMC, in just over two months we have delivered this facility,” MEC for Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure, Jacob Mamabolo, said on Thursday.…

Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Ronald Lamola says just over 250 people have been prosecuted and convicted of crimes related to tempering with essential infrastructure, like cable theft. He said this when he participated in a debate on the Presidency Budget Vote on Thursday. “This President is focused on building capable institutions. He has appointed the ID head, head of SAPS, the head of the defence force and the head of State Security. “In this sixth administration, prosecutions on matters which relate to the theft or tampering with essential infrastructures, like copper cables, have been prioritised. This crime has often…

Gauteng MEC for Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure, Jacob Mamabolo, has commended the increasing use of the PotholeFixingGP app, which was launched two weeks ago. “Since its launch two weeks ago, we are pleased with the take up, seeing that more people are downloading and using the app. More than 4 000 people have so far downloaded the app and are putting it to use,” Mamabolo said. The Department of Roads and Transport partnered with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to develop the app to improve the condition of the provincial road network. The app offers users…

Government has offered much-needed short-term reprieve to motorists by extending the temporary reduction in the general fuel levy of R1.50 per litre. Initially, the Ministers of Finance and Mineral Resources and Energy had on 31 March 2022 jointly announced a temporary reduction in the general fuel levy of R1.50 per litre from 6 April 2022 until 31 May 2022. This was to provide limited short term relief to households from rising fuel prices following the Russia/Ukraine conflict. On Tuesday, the two departments said relief was to be funded by a liquidation of a portion of the strategic crude oil reserves.…

The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport has launched a new province-wide app that allows road users to report poor road conditions and other road maintenance issues that require attention. Launched as part of Smart Mobility Weekends Programme, the PotholeFixGP is an easy-to-use app downloadable from the Google Play Store and will soon be available on Huawei and Apple App stores. Speaking at the launch held in Diepsloot on Saturday, Gauteng MEC for Public Transport and Road Infrastructure, Jacob Mamabolo, said the launch of the app is part of the department’s commitment of leveraging new technologies to assist with monitoring…

Hawks’ National Head, Lieutenant General, Godfrey Lebeya, has expressed disappointment at the alleged involvement of officers from the Directorate in criminal activities. This comes after two officers from the Hawks national headquarters, a Lieutenant Colonel and a Captain working at Supply Chain Management, were on Friday arrested by the the Hawks’ National Priority for Violent Crimes and Tactical Operations Management Section. Hawks spokesperson, Brigadier Thandi Mbambo, in a statement said: “Information about a Lieutenant Colonel who intended to supply SAPS ammunition to a traditional healer was received, which culminated to a sting operation being conducted”. She said the 43-year-old female…

President Cyril Ramaphosa says Black Economic Empowerment remains a pivotal part of government’s economic reconstruction and recovery plan as the country recovers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Next year will mark the 20th year that the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) Act was passed. “Our commitment to entrench and deepen economic empowerment is unwavering. That is why Black economic empowerment is an integral part of our economic reconstruction and recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. “This is one of the reassurances I articulated to the Black Business Council earlier this month, where we discussed the state…

Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has hinted that the department has decided to overhaul its immigration system and that details of this will soon be announced. Motsoaledi said this when he tabled the department’s Budget Vote priorities during a mini plenary of the National Assembly on Tuesday. “…Another elephant in the room is the problem of immigration. I don’t have to outline what is taking place in our country about this problem. It is a crisis we are all well aware of,” he said. This following a recent rise in tensions between South African citizens and foreign nationals in several communities,…

Revamping government’s internet network, increasing the department’s internet capacity and roping in specialist network engineers from banks are some of the interventions that the Department of Home Affairs is implementing to deal with long queues caused by system downtime. Home Affairs Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, said this when he led the debate on the department’s budget vote on Tuesday. Motsoaledi said while there were various reasons that have led to long, winding queues at Home Affairs offices, “the main one that sticks out like a sore thumb among the rest is the issue of system downtime”. “It is painful and…

Although 15 countries have collectively reported more than 140 monkeypox cases, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has confirmed that there are currently no cases of the virus in South Africa. In a statement on Monday, the NICD reported that on 13 May 2022, the World Health Organisation (WHO) was notified of two laboratory-confirmed cases and one probable case of monkeypox, from the same household, in the United Kingdom. “On 15th May, four additional laboratory-confirmed cases were reported amongst sexual health services attendees presenting with a vesicular rash illness in men practising sex with men. Since then, 15 countries…

Government has welcomed rating agency Standard &Poor’s (S&P) decision to revise South Africa’s credit rating outlook to positive from stable, while affirming the long term foreign and local currency debt ratings at ‘BB-’ and ‘BB’, respectively. According to S&P, recent favourable terms of trade in South Africa have improved the external and fiscal trajectory, while the country’s reasonably large net external asset position, flexible currency and deep domestic capital markets provide strong buffers against shifts in external financing. In addition, the agency expects South Africa to post a current account surplus in 2022 for the third consecutive year, as prices…

The world’s largest airline, Emirates, and South African Tourism have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly promote tourism and boost visitor arrivals and inbound traffic to South Africa from key markets across the airline’s network. The MoU was signed on the side-lines of Arabian Travel Market by Badr Abbas, Emirates’ Senior Vice President Commercial Operations for Africa, and The South Africa Tourism’s Acting CEO, Themba Khumalo. Tourism Minister, Lindiwe Sisulu and Dubai Consul General, David Magabe, were also at the signing. Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer, said the airline, which had more than 25 years invested in…

Eskom Chief Operating Officer, Jan Oberholzer, says Eskom may be forced to increase load shedding from Stage 3 load shedding to Stage 4 if the power utility fails to gather enough generation capacity to feed national peak demand. According to Oberholzer, Eskom suffered at least eight major breakdowns at its power stations – exacerbating strain on the already fragile and constrained power system. Only one of those units has, so far, been returned to service. The expected return of some of those units to service this week may not be enough to suspend load shedding. “If we look at the…

The Higher Education, Science and Innovation Ministry has established entrepreneurship hubs at TVET colleges to support students to move into self-employment after completion of programmes. Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Blade Nzimande, revealed this in Parliament on Thursday while delivering the department’s 2022 Budget Vote. In the current financial year, the Minister said the department projected that the skills levy would increase to R20.6 billion from last year’s R18.9 billion. Nzimande said the department had also taken the decision to prioritise the sector by re-allocating additional funds from the National Skills Fund. “We have begun a process of crafting…

The (NPA) says over the next six months, it will be giving “razor sharp focus” to corruption and state capture related cases. This was revealed by NPA National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Advocate Shamila Batohi. She was briefing the National Assembly Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services on the prosecuting authority’s annual performance plan and budget for the 2022/23 financial year. “Right now, our response to the findings and recommendations of the [State Capture Commission] is what will really be defining for the NPA and for South Africa. The recent release of the Zondo Reports have highlighted how…

Gauteng Hawks’ head, Major General Ebrahim Kadwa, has commended the investigation team for successfully apprehending the additional alleged fraudsters involved in unauthorised debit order transactions where bank clients have lost approximately R18 million, collectively. This as two additional accused, Ravenda Singh (50), and his son Andrew (26), Directors of a Durban based call-centre, Sub User, were nabbed on 4 May 2022, in Johannesburg. In a statement, the Hawks said the duo handed themselves in at the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation in Johannesburg and were subsequently charged with fraud. “On the same day, the pair appeared in the Palm Ridge…

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the achievements by Operation Vulindlela demonstrates the commitment of government to implementing reforms that are necessary to inject growth into the economy and gain investor confidence. The President said this in his weekly newsletter to the country as government is today set to release an update report on the work of Operation Vulindlela for the first quarter of 2022. The report will outline the progress made by Operation Vulindlela and the departments responsible for these reforms. The President encouraged those who continue to raise concerns about the slow pace of reform to read the latest report.…

Eskom says stage two load shedding was implemented due to depleted capacity caused by generator breakdowns, power station trips, the slow return to service of units, as well as higher demand for electricity as the colder weather starts to settle in. As a result of these factors, the power utility was unable to feed the entire demand for electricity on Tuesday. Eskom Chief Executive Andre de Ruyter told a media briefing on Wednesday that the electricity supplier is working to ensure that load shedding is suspended as soon as it is possible to do so. He explained that the power…

The Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) and the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) have signed a new unlisted developmental investment mandate. The GEPF is the largest pension fund in Africa, with assets in excess of R2.1 trillion, which are managed by the PIC. The GEPF first introduced the unlisted developmental investment mandate in 1997 under the name Isibaya Fund and subsequently renewed it over the years. The developmental investment funds are aimed at generating financial and socio-economic benefits by addressing structural imbalances in the economy to facilitate transformation, economic growth, job creation, and environmental and financial returns. The developmental mandates focus…

President Cyril Ramaphosa says government is doing everything in its means to ensure that the current load shedding experienced by the country becomes a thing of the past. In his weekly newsletter to the nation, the President empathised with South Africans experiencing constant blackouts saying government is determined that this should not continue to be a part of their lives into the future. “It is difficult and unacceptable for South Africans to endure load shedding. But we are doing everything in our means to ensure that, like state capture, it soon becomes a thing of the past,” the President said.…

The South African Post Office (Sapo) has warned customers of fraudulent emails that are designed to make the receiver pay money into a scam account. The emails, which appear to originate from the post office, are titled: “Your package could not be delivered” and states that a package can only be released once a clearance fee has been paid and include a link. “Should the receiver click on the link, a page called Bureau de Poste d’Afrique du Sud opens, requesting payment to ‘release’ the fictitious parcel. The official language of communication for the Sapo is English and no communication…