Author: Agency
Former SABC Chief Operations Officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng has been ordered to pay back at least R11.5 million “success fee” paid to him by the broadcaster’s Governance and Nominations Committee in 2016. The decision to pay Motsoeneng the fee was reviewed and set aside by the Gauteng Local Division of the High Court sitting in Johannesburg on Wednesday. In the judgement, the court found that Motsoeneng had accepted the fee knowing that no South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) policies allowed for such. “Motsoeneng was not an innocent bystander in all of this, he set out to obtain a benefit that he…
The South African government, through the African Renaissance Fund (ARF), has signed an agreement with the African Vaccination Acquisition Trust (AVAT) to donate 2 030 400 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines, valued at R288.6 million, to African countries. AVAT was formed following the establishment of the African Union’s COVID-19 African Vaccination Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) in November 2020 by President Cyril Ramaphosa, as the then Chairperson of the AU. In a joint statement issued on Friday, the South African government and AVAT said the main purpose of the task team is to secure the necessary vaccines and financing…
The Omicron variant has thrown the spotlight on the COVID-19 vaccine shortfall in Africa, with the continent remaining the worst hit by inequitable access to safe and effective vaccines. Poorer countries continue to scramble to get their hands on the lifesaving jabs, with less than 10% of Africa’s 54 nations projected to reach the year-end target of fully vaccinating 40% of its population. However, this could be a thing of the past, as Africa forges ahead to develop its first vaccine manufacturing capacity, to ensure viable vaccine security. Mid-year, the World Health Organisation (WHO), together with the South African and…
The South African Revenue Service’s (SARS) efforts to increase and expand the use of data to improve the integrity of outcomes and enhance its capability to detect instances of non-compliance is beginning to bear fruit. This much was evident in the agency’s recent notable successes in this regard, the revenue collector said on Thursday. In a statement, it said: “Using the data from various domestic and international sources, as input into machine learning models, risk profiling and case selection, a number of trends have already been observed with positive outcomes in a number of instances, some of which were previously…
South Africa has recorded 22 391 new COVID-19 cases, representing a 29.8% positivity rate. This means there are now 3 093 452 laboratory-confirmed cases since the outbreak, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Thursday. This as there has been19 988 045 tests conducted. Gauteng recorded the highest number of infections after 11 791 people tested positive. The province is followed by 2 756 cases in KwaZulu-Natal, 2 194 in the Western Cape, 1 308 in the North West, 1008 in Free State and 1 055 in Limpopo. The rest of the provinces recorded less than 1 000 additional infections. In…
South Africa’s COVID-19 cases jumped by 19 842 on Wednesday, pushing the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 3 071 064. According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), this increase represents a 26.8% positivity rate, with Gauteng continuing to record the highest daily infections. The latest data shows that Gauteng registered 11 703 additional infections, followed by 1 989 in KwaZulu-Natal, 1 899 in the Western Cape and 1 103 in Mpumalanga. Meanwhile, 36 more people lost their lives to the virus, bringing the death toll to 90 038 since the outbreak. In addition, South Africa recorded 374…
Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola has welcomed the coming into operation of certain sections of the Cybercrimes Act, with effect from 1 December 2021. In a statement, the Minister said it was necessary to align the country’s law with international trends and best practices. He said: “Another consideration is the evolving nature of cybercrime. The methods of committing cybercrimes change rapidly and our laws need to keep pace with the more intrusive and complex investigative measures which are needed to investigate cybercrime. “Various countries, including other countries on our continent have enacted or are in the process of…
Customers of the South African Post Office (Sapo) have one week left to renew their post box rental for 2022 at this year’s rate. In a statement on Thursday, the post office said the early bird special for post box renewals expires on 30 November 2021. “Post boxes can be renewed at any post office nationally or on line 24/7 by clicking on https://www.virtualpostoffice.co.za/. At bigger post offices, we have introduced a separate queue for customers who are collecting their COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress Grant (SRD) grant. “This ensures that customers who visit the post office for a regular transaction…
Gauteng accounted for 605 of the 868 new COVID-19 infections that were recorded on Tuesday. This comes as the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) flagged a peak in the seven-day moving average in new COVID-19 cases in the province. According to the NICD, the second hardest-hit province is the Western Cape with 52 cases, followed by 47 in Mpumalanga and 43 in the North West. The increase represents a 2.1% positivity rate, pushing the total of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2 948 760 since the outbreak. As of Tuesday, the rapid antigen tests have been included in the country’s official…
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has noted an increase in the seven-day moving average in new COVID-19 cases in Gauteng. According to the NICD, the peak has been detected in Tshwane among those who are aged between 10 and 29 over the past week. Also, the NICD said it has recently identified cluster infections amongst the 20 to 44 age group at the Tshwane University of Technology. According to the latest data, the country recorded 312 new COVID-19 infections on Monday, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2 930 174. The highest number of additional…
The Public Investment Corporation (PIC) has welcomed a Responsible Asset Allocator Initiative (RAAI) survey that ranked the corporation amongst the top 30 global sovereign wealth funds and asset managers for their responsible investment practices. The annual survey acknowledges the PIC’s commitment to incorporate ESG principles – Environmental, Social impact and Governance – into all its investment decisions. The PIC, as a signatory of both the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investments (UNPRI) and the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), subscribes to the Code for Responsible Investment in South Africa (CRISA) and applies the King IV codes on good governance. In…
Medical experts say it is beneficial to take the COVID-19 vaccine, as they try to address vaccine hesitancy. According to the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority’s (SAHPRA) Pharmacovigilance Manager, Mafora Matlala, adverse side effects is one of the leading drivers of vaccine hesitancy. The drug watchdog’s data shows that some of the top adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) for COVID-19 include headache, local reaction, fever and dizziness. “We are not surprised they are minor. So, this is just to alleviate that fear that you do not have to be scared of the AEFI,” she said. “However, people should rather…
The Green Hydrogen Export Special Economic Zone to be developed in the Northern Cape, with Sasol as an anchor investor, is expected to economically benefit the previously marginalised sectors in a province that is one of the poorest in terms of demographics. “The intention is to have a dedicated green grid, electrolizer park and green hydrogen related Special Economic Zone to manufacture green hydrogen industry related goods and services in the Northern Cape,” Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creecy said on Monday. Addressing the launch of the Northern Cape Green Hydrogen Strategy at the United Nations Framework…
Energy investments will help overcome the debilitating load shedding that the country is currently experiencing, as new electricity generation capacity comes online, says President Cyril Ramaphosa. In his weekly newsletter to the country, the President said that energy continues to be an area of growth in South Africa as the 25 preferred bidders in the fifth round of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme are together expected to invest around R50 billion into the economy. He said that the increase of the licensing threshold for embedded generation to 100 megawatts is likely to result in substantial private investment…
South Africa has vaccinated 10 930 people on Sunday, of which 2 361 were children between the ages of 12 and 17. According to the Department of Health, this means there is now 23 151 823 distributed doses since the start of the inoculation programme. Data shows that 12 855 692 or 32% adults are now fully vaccinated. In addition, there are 210 149 single Pfizer doses given to teenagers in the country. According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases identified in South Africa now stands at 2 923 956 with 205…
Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, says the Department of Public Enterprises is working closely with the Board of Eskom and management to ensure that it limits the daily duration of load shedding and the period for which this intervention will be required. The Minister announced this on Thursday during a media briefing on the outcomes of the Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday. “Cabinet acknowledges the disruptions and inconvenience of intermittent load shedding experienced by South Africans in recent days.” Meanwhile, according to the Minister, National Treasury has been roped in to grant Eskom appropriate exemptions to acquire the spare…
President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on world leaders to take “bold action” in accelerating decarbonisation of energy systems. The President made the call in a message he delivered vitually at the COP26 Energy Session on Thursday. In his message, the President acknowledged that climate change undoubtedly presented a critical and urgent threat to humanity. “This is so because it will have devastating consequences for our economies and societies if we do not take action now. “There is no longer any doubt that climate change presents a critical and urgent threat to humanity.” Accelerating decarbonisation of energy systems, he said, would…
As more results are finalised in the aftermath of Monday’s 2021 Local Government Elections, a picture of coalition local governments has begun to emerge. Vote counting is progressing at the IEC’s Results Operations Centre on Tuesday and the Electoral Commission anticipates tallying 90% of the votes by this evening. With no outright winner in the seven-seat Kannaland Local Municipality, in the Garden Route District Municipality, a coalition government would have to be formed, results show. A breakdown of the total tallied votes show that while the Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa (ICOSA) secured a majority of the cast ballots,…
Eskom says it plans to add at least 30GW of new generation capacity – mainly from solar and wind energy sources – to the system over the next 10 years. This was revealed in the power utility’s Transmission Development Plan for 2022 to 2031 which was presented to various stakeholders. Eskom said it will be building the required infrastructure to accommodate the envisioned extra capacity. “To provide for an adequate and reliable transmission system, Eskom plans to increase the transmission infrastructure by approximately 8 400 km of extra high-voltage lines and 119 transformers to bring on board 58 970 MVA…
The R350 COVID-19 Grant beneficiaries who opted to use the South African Post Office for the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) grant payment have been encouraged to collect their R350 only after receiving an SMS informing them that their grant is available. The Post Office said beneficiaries can visit their nearest Pick ‘n Pay or Boxer supermarket or post office to collect their grant. “If you chose a bank account or cash send as your payment method, you will receive the money through the bank you chose. You cannot go to one of the supermarkets. Beneficiaries who have received…
By Oupa Makhalemele, Film and Publication Board Research, Policy and Advocacy Officer As the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) continues cementing its presence in our everyday life, keeping abreast of the developments in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) is everyone’s responsibility. There is no better time to start thinking of ways in which technology can be harnessed to improve the lot of women, especially when it comes to their safety in a predominantly misogynistic world. The more things change… The abuse of women and children, our woefully inadequate health system and our failure to bring the multitudes of marginalised people on…
Eskom Chief Operating Officer (COO), Jan Oberholzer, has assured the country that load shedding is not expected to be implemented during the upcoming Local Government Elections. He was speaking during the power utility’s state of the system briefing on Monday. The assurances from the COO come after concerns that the country may face power cuts during this weekend’s elections following two consecutive weekends of load shedding this month. This as special votes are set to be cast on Saturday and Sunday, ahead of Election Day on Monday, 1 November 2021. Oberholzer said he expects that the power utility will have…
As South Africa continues to prepare to migrate to digital broadcasting by 31 March 2022, the South African Post Office has called on qualifying households to apply for their free set-top boxes ahead of the deadline. Homes that apply before 1 November, will receive a decoder before the analogue television signal is switched off. “Those who apply after 1 November 2021 will only receive a decoder later,” the SAPO said in a statement on Thursday. Qualifying households are urged to visit their local Post Office as soon as possible to apply for a free government-subsidised decoder (set-top box). The set-top…
South Africa has now passed the 21 million mark for total COVID-19 jabs administered since the start of the country’s vaccination rollout programme. This comes after 205 253 doses were distributed in the past 24 hours, pushing the total to 21 011 187 doses administered to 14 568 927 people. The Department of Health’s data show that the Western Cape is leading the race so far, with 45.38% of its adults having received at least one dose of the jab, followed by 42.60% in Free State, 42.16% in Limpopo and 41.88% in the Eastern Cape. In addition, the latest statistics indicate…
Eight foreign nationals, aged between 33 and 52, were on Tuesday morning arrested for their links to an alleged R100 million internet scam during a large-scale operation in Cape Town. The group was arrested in a joint operation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), United State Secret Service (USSS) Investigations, Interpol and with assistance from the Hawks Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit. Also assisting in the operation was Crime Intelligence (CI), K9, National Intervention unit, Special Task Force (STF), Tactical Operations Management Section (TOMS), Criminal Record Centre and Cape Town Metro police. The suspects are alleged to have…