Author: Agency

The South African Medical Association (SAMA) says there is a need for intensive campaigning for more people to vaccinate against COVID-19, despite the lifting of the National State of Disaster (NSD). SAMA welcomed the lifting of the National State of Disaster by President Cyril Ramaphosa, describing it as a positive step for South Africa and the correct move forward for the country’s beleaguered economy. “Considering the decreasing number of COVID-19 cases in the country, ending the National State of Disaster is the appropriate step in government’s response to the pandemic. “SAMA supports the decision in the same way that it…

Operating hours at Home Affairs offices will extend to 18:30 this evening, after the department’s systems went offline nationwide on Friday. “The Department of Home Affairs wishes to inform members of the public that services at the department have been restored. The department and the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) have been able to fix the cable breakage that impacted service delivery on Friday,” said the department in a statement. Home Affairs Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, instructed the department to extend Monday’s operating hours in order to ensure that all clients that visited the offices on Friday are served. According…

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the turnaround of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) – from an inefficient revenue collector to hitting its highest margins in years – is proof that efficient and well-run state institutions can bolster trust between government and citizens. The President was addressing the nation through his weekly newsletter. Last week, SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter announced that the revenue collector had recorded a 25% increase in collections – reaching at least R1.5 trillion in revenue collection between April 2021 and March this year. “As we forge ahead with efforts to strengthen the capacity of the state and…

The government has noted and welcomed Moody’s decision to affirm South Africa’s long term foreign and local currency debt ratings at ‘Ba2’ and revise the outlook to stable from negative. The National Treasury on Friday said according to Moody’s, the key driver behind the decision to change the outlook to stable is the improved fiscal outlook that raises the likelihood of government’s debt burden stabilising over the medium term. “In addition, over the last two fiscal years, government has shown it was able to reprioritise its spending while staying committed to fiscal consolidation, which Moody’s expects will remain the case…

The Department of Transport has again extended the grace period for renewing expired driving licences to 15 April 2021. This comes as the deadline for the renewal of expired driving licences ended on 31 March 2022. In August 2021, Transport Minister, Fikile Mbalula, announced the extension of learner’s licences, driving licence cards, temporary driving licences, and professional driving permits for a grace period ending on 31 March 2022. This was part of government measures in response to the lockdown in the management of COVID-19. Updating the media on the deadline for the extension of licence validity in Midrand on Friday,…

At least 27 people alleged to be involved in a fraudulent passport syndicate have appeared in the Krugersdorp Magistrate’s Court on charges of corruption. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Gauteng regional spokesperson, Phindi Mjonondwane, explained that the alleged syndicate relied on South Africans selling their identities to them in exchange for a sum of money. “Law enforcement authorities received a tip-off about the alleged passport making syndicate that works with Home Affairs officials, to identify South Africans that are willing to sell their identities for R500. The SA citizen’s details would then be used to produce a passport for foreign nationals…

President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa is ripe with opportunities for among others, trade, investment and tourism. The President was addressing the South Africa Day celebrations at Expo 2020 Dubai in the United Arab Emirates where Team South Africa is presenting all of its goods and services to prospective consumers and investors. The visit to the country comes fresh after the SA Investment Conference nabbed at least R332 billion in investment pledges. “The benefits of doing business in South Africa are immense indeed. We have a strong and well-regulated financial, banking and taxation system, world-class IT infrastructure, and a range…

The national Department of Transport is well on track with the production of outstanding driving licence cards. In a statement on Thursday, the department said the bottleneck experienced between November 2021 and January 2022 will be cleared off by April 2022. The renewal backlog that was experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic grace period will be cleared off by September 2022. The following regulation will apply in due course: motorists who apply to renew their driving licence cards before 31 March 2022 will have their driving licences valid for a further three months on condition that they are in possession…

Investors have once again affirmed South Africa as an attractive investment destination, as they have committed to investing in the country’s economy at the fourth South Africa Investment Conference (SAIC). With the many companies that made new investment commitments at this year’s morning session of the conference, which is currently underway on Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said they do so because they see opportunity in the country. “Despite the impact of the [COVID] pandemic, by the time of the third South Africa Investment Conference in 2020, we had raised a total of R774 billion in investment commitments,” President Ramaphosa said.…

As South Africa continues along the path of reconstruction and recovery, President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on investors, entrepreneurs and business people to be a part of the journey. President Ramaphosa said that investors need to know that their investments are secure, that the operating environment is stable, and that they are supported by policy certainty and regulatory safeguards. The President said this when he addressed the fourth South African Investment Conference (SAIC) on Thursday at the Sandton Convention Centre, in Johannesburg. The President initiated the SAIC annual event in 2018 in an effort to secure domestic and inbound investment…

Breakdowns and shut downs at Eskom’s power stations has led to the implementation of Stage 2 load shedding. According to the power utility, at least seven units were affected – putting the power grid under severe pressure. “Medupi Unit 3 broke down, necessitating load shedding to be [implemented]…continuously until 5am on Wednesday. This adds to the multiple generating unit failures that occurred over the past 24 hours and has severely reduced available generating capacity. “Since [Monday] morning, a unit each at Matla, Kendal, Matimba, Kusile and Grootvlei power stations tripped, while a unit each at Arnot and Hendrina power stations…

Higher Education and Training Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, has called on all employers to open their workplaces for the placement of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college students. In the same vein, the Minister urged employers to give workplace exposure to TVET college lecturers, so that they can train students in what is currently needed by industry. “The primary aim of these placements is to assist the transition of our young people from learning to working,” Nzimande said on Friday at a  briefing on learning and training opportunities provided through Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs). He reaffirmed the…

The National Skills Fund (NSF), in partnership with the Presidency, has allocated R100 million towards the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative, which will benefit 4 500 learners in the digital learning space. Briefing the media on learning and training opportunities provided through the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) on Friday, Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, said the NSF has committed R200 million to the employment creation initiative between the Department of Higher Education and Training and the Department of Employment and Labour, through the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF). Nzimande said the project will benefit more than…

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana says government will introduce a new tax of R2.90 on vaping products from January next year. The Minister also announced on Wednesday that excise duties on alcohol and tobacco will increase by between 4.5% and 6.5%. Godongwana tabled his maiden Budget Speech before a sitting of Parliament on Wednesday. “Government also proposes to introduce a new tax on vaping products of at least R2.90 per millilitre from 1 January 2023. A new tax will also be introduced on beer powders,” he said. In its Budget Review document, National Treasury said following public consultations, government proposes to…

The National Treasury has proposed that from April 2022, the special COVID-19 social relief grant be extended by another 12 months. In its Budget Review document, the National Treasury said while remaining on course to stabilise debt, government proposes raising spending in the areas of greatest need. “The 2022 Budget provides for a 12‐month extension of the R350 per month special COVID‐19 social relief of distress grant. This will ensure the continuation of public support for poor households as the pandemic recedes,” the National Treasury said. The National Treasury said South Africa’s comprehensive social wage has been significantly augmented in the…

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has announced that general public services will, over the next three years, reprioritise R2.4 billion to modernise information and communication technology, as well as fund the shortfall in the allocation for the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS). A portion of the funds, said Treasury, will also facilitate the population census in 2022, and support membership contributions to multilateral development banks. The pronouncements are contained in the 2022 Budget Review accompanying the Budget Speech the Minister delivered in Parliament on Wednesday. In total, the general public services function is allocated R209 billion over the Medium Term Expenditure…

When Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana tables his maiden Budget Speech today, all the focus will be on his proposals to bolster the health of the public purse, and what that will mean to the taxpayer’s pocket. This after Godongwana said during the Medium-Term Budget in November that gross tax revenues are expected to exceed the estimates presented at the time of the 2021 Budget by R120.3 billion in 2021/22. What this means is that after forecasting total tax revenues of R1.365 trillion in the 2021 Budget, National Treasury made a significant upward revision to this figure in the MTBPS 2021…

The South African Post Office (SAPO) has announced that approved recipients of the R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant can now collect their benefit from Pick n Pay and Boxer stores nationwide from Wednesday, 22 September. However, according to the national postal service, this is only open to grant recipients who have received an SMS from the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) confirming their collection payout point as either Pick n Pay or Boxer. “Pick n Pay and Boxer are proud to assist grant beneficiaries access their funds more conveniently and safely, ensuring they receive much-needed relief quicker…

Gauteng Premier David Makhura says the creation of jobs and growing the economy are the top two priorities for the Gauteng Provincial Government. Makhura was delivering the State of the Province Address during a sitting of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature on Monday. The Premier said the economy of the province – much like the rest of the country – is reeling because of the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Makhura said this has spurred the provincial government into action to change the lives of those living in the province. “[We] are boldly shifting our main focus and energies to…

Public Service and Administration Minister, Ayanda Dlodlo, says work is underway to “cautiously withdraw” the National State of Disaster in line with the risk adjusted strategy. Dlodo said this when Ministers in the Governance, State Capacity and Institutional Development (GSCID) cluster briefed the media to outline progress made in areas that the President mentioned in the State of the Nation Address. “Work is afoot to cautiously withdraw the National State of Disaster in line with our risk adjusted strategy. “We cannot let our guard down yet,. We need to improve our vaccination uptake to attain population immunity and continue to…

With government taking bold steps to modernise its systems, the era of long queues that forced motorists to take time off work in order to access traffic services will soon become a thing of the past. This is according to Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula who together with the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) launched an online payment gateway for the renewal of driver and vehicle licences among other services on Thursday in Johannesburg. “These services, we are rolling out today will undoubtedly improve efficiencies and minimise the time the end-user spends in a queue. Motorists will be able to…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has welcomed the oversight visit by the World Health Organisation as an opportunity to profile the depth of intellectual and technological capacity on the African continent, and the integrity with which, intellectual property is being leveraged to enable vaccine production on the continent. The President met with World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus,in Cape Town on Friday, to discuss progress in making Africa self-sufficient in the production of COVID-19 vaccines and related treatments. Dr Ghebreyesus and the Belgian Minister of Development Cooperation Meryame Kitir visited the country on a two-day visit to various vaccine-related sites…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced pipelined projects that will cut across several sectors like energy and social services worth over R100 billion. Delivering the State of the Nation Address at the Cape Town City Hall on Thursday evening, the President said the construction for some of the projects will resume this year. “The infrastructure fund is at the centre of this effort with a R100 billion allocation from the fiscus. “The Infrastructure Fund is now working with State entities to prepare pipelined projects with an investment value of approximately R96 billion in student accommodation, student housing, telecommunications, water and sanitation…

Millions of South Africans who benefited from the R350 COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress Grant can breathe a sigh of relief as government has extended it for a further year until March 2023. Delivering his State of the Nation Address on Thursday evening, the President highlighted that since the onset of COVID-19, the Social Relief of Distress Grant has provided support to more than 10 million unemployed people who were most vulnerable to the impact of the pandemic. “Mindful of the proven benefits of the grant, we will extend the R350 SRD Grant for one further year, to the end…

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the eVisa system has been launched in 14 countries, including China, India, Kenya and Nigeria, according to government’s commitment. President Ramaphosa said government is also streamlining and modernising the visa application process to make it easier to travel to South Africa for tourism, business and work. In his State of the Nation Address delivered in Cape Town this evening, President Ramaphosa said the revised Critical Skills List has been published for the first time since 2014, following detailed technical work and extensive consultations with business and labour. “The updated list reflects the skills that are in…