Author: Staff Writer

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy has issued a directive to all mining operations to ensure safe start-up procedures as the sector prepares to ramp up to 50% of capacity. “The directive was issued to ensure compliance with Section 5(1) of the Mine Health and Safety Act (Act No. 29 of 1996), as amended, which requires that every employer must as far as reasonably practicable, provide and maintain a safe working environment,” the department said. The start-up procedures must also address measures to be taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as well as actions to provide a safe…

South Africa’s parliament returned to work last Thursday with lawmakers to hold virtual meetings in both the National Assembly (NA), the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) and their committees. Presiding Officers have agreed to draft guidelines and rules on how virtual committee meetings and voting must be conducted. Virtual sittings of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces will deal with legislation and other matters needing approval or consideration from the Houses. On Wednesday, parliament published the rules for virtual meetings. The statement said these rules take into account procedures, precedents, practices and conventions developed by the House…

South Africa has 3 635 confirmed COVID-19 cases, the Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, announced on Wednesday. This is an increase of 170 cases from the previous night. In a statement, Mkhize confirmed that seven more COVID-19 related deaths had been recorded, bringing the total number to 65. Five of the deaths occurred in the Western Cape, while two were recorded in KwaZulu-Natal. To date, South Africa has conducted 133 774 COVID-19 tests, with 6 868 of these done in the last 24 hours. The provincial breakdown of infections is as follows: Gauteng: 1 224 Western Cape: 1 079…

Only a unified and coordinated response offers Africa the best possible chance of containing the COVID-19 outbreak. To achieve this, the continent’s leading business people will have to be a catalytic proponent confronting what President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his capacity as African Union chairperson, has called one of Africa’s defining modern-day challenges. President Ramaphosa made the remark while addressing leading African businesspeople and various heads of state during a virtual meeting on Wednesday. “The continent’s private sector is well placed to assist in many of our most pressing challenges. Combining our resources, we can implement the screening, testing and contact…

The Joint Standing Committee on Defence has unanimously supported the employment of additional members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to assist government’s intervention in the fight against COVID-19. On Thursday, the committee considered a number of letters from President Cyril Ramaphosa on the employment of the SANDF. The President is compelled — in terms Section 201 (3) of the Constitution and Section 18 (2) of the Defence Act (No 42 of 2002) — to inform Parliament regarding the reasons, place, number of soldiers, cost involved, as well as the period of employment – to which Parliament must…

Police Minister Bheki Cele has expressed concern at a large number of public officials arrested for violating COVID-19 regulations. Cele, during a visit to KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday to assess adherence to the National State of Disaster regulations, revealed that 131 officials have been arrested since last month. Those arrested include security forces, government officials and councillors. Among them were two Sergeants from Katlehong, Gauteng, who were arrested after allegedly demanding a bribe from a businessman, who had contravened the lockdown regulations on Monday. Cele said the two allegedly promised the businessman that they would destroy the docket in exchange for…

The International Women’s Forum of South Africa (IWFSA) has praised President Cyril Ramaphosa’s R500-billion economic stimulus and recovery plan, saying it will help beleaguered communities, particularly the youth, women and small businesses, as the coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on the world’s people and economies. “We are pleased that this package – the biggest economic rescue package in our nation’s modern history, is a product of input from all partners, including government, business sector, labour and civil society,” said Irene Charnley, President of IWFSA. “It is especially important to note that the package is focussed on addressing the pressing needs…

To save small businesses and support government funding for Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs), a group of South African entrepreneurs, funders and small business experts have banded together to launch Save Your Local. Save Your Local is a non-profit online aggregator that connects small businesses with their communities and customers by giving them access to a variety of voucher and donation platforms. Incepted just 10 days ago, Save Your Local aims to support small businesses by sustaining cash flow and averting business closures due to COVID-19. This is being achieved by providing online income-generating opportunities for businesses currently unable…

Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.com, today announced the opening of the AWS Africa (Cape Town) Region. With this launch, AWS now spans 73 Availability Zones within 23 geographic regions around the world and has announced plans for 12 more Availability Zones across four more AWS Regions in Indonesia, Italy, Japan, and Spain. Starting today, developers, startups, and enterprises, as well as government, education, and non-profit organisations can run their applications and serve end-users in Africa with even lower latency and leverage advanced AWS technologies to drive innovation. “The cloud is positively transforming lives and businesses across Africa and we…

As the country continues to battle the impact of COVID-19, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) applauds President Ramaphosa’s fiscal stimulus to the economy. The JSE believes that the well-timed announcement balances South Africa’s fiscal challenges with the need for stimulation and growth in the economy. The government’s R500 billion stimulus package is a clear indication of government’s commitment to stimulating the economy whilst prioritising the fight against COVID-19. For more read: SA President Ramaphosa Announces R500-bn Stimulus Package The JSE believes that the additional measures mentioned in the stimulus package will be constructive in enhancing both consumer and business confidence…