Day: June 13, 2022

WESTERN CAPE - In their pursuit to tackle crime in the West Coast, members of the local K9 Unit teamed up with Provincial Traffic and conducted a road block on the R27 this morning, which proved to be a fruitful one. The members pulled over a minibus taxi and conducted a routine search which led to the discovery of a consignment of drugs comprising tik and mandrax tablets with a combined value of around R467 000-00. The passenger who claimed responsibility for the drugs, a 32-year-old male was arrested and detained and is expected to make his court appearance in Hopefield once he has been charged. The suspect was en route from Cape Town where he resides to Vredenburg to trade with his illegal contraband.

Meanwhile in an unrelated intelligence operation police seized 12 cellular tower batteries with an estimated value of R700 000-00 last night in Bellville when a long distance bus was searched. It is suspected that the batteries were destined for Zimbabwe. The circumstances surrounding the discovery and seizure are under investigation and arrests are yet to be made.

Source: South African Police Service

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) says payments for the new cycle of the special COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress Grants (SRD) R350 grant – from April 2022 – will be paid as from mid-June 2022.

On Monday, SASSA said it will continue clearing outstanding payments from the previous cycle as and when the bank details are confirmed.

“The payments will not be done together, but will be done month by month. More than one payment may be made in a month, but no one will receive double payments in amount,” the agency said.

SASSA said it will do these multiple payments in a month until the backlog has been finalised, where after monthly payments will resume.

Briefing media after Cabinet's meeting last week, Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, reiterated government’s commitment to pay out the R350 SRD grant to beneficiaries.

This came after media reported that some grant beneficiaries had not received payments for up to three months.

“This government will always fulfil whatever undertaking it has [with regards to the SRD]. If there was a period of non-payment… on behalf of this government, we will make that apology.

“But as along as those SRDs are due, in line with the President’s commitment, they will be paid,” Gungubele said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Firefighters battled valiantly for days to get the fires under control, dealing with multiple flare ups, with the arrival of a cold front providing some much needed relief.

The City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Service has scaled back its firefighting efforts in Somerset West and Tableview.

A fire broke out just after 11:00 at Rietvlei on Wednesday, 8 June 2022. Five hours later, another fire broke out at Lourensford in Somerset West.

On average, the City’s Fire and Rescue Service had 24 firefighting appliances and 90 staff members in Somerset West per day, assisted by various other agencies.

Fire and Rescue Service resources at Rietvlei were on average 10 appliances and 40 to 50 staff members.

The Lourensford incident command centre is being closed this morning, while a final assessment will be conducted at Rietvlei today.

Damage assessments are ongoing, as part of the final reports into the incidents.

‘We commend the efforts of our firefighters who have battled for days, under very trying circumstances, to bring the fires in Somerset West and Tableview under control. The wet weather that has set in has been a massive boost, and brought welcome relief. However, now our Disaster Risk Management Teams and other related City services are on standby to manage any adverse impacts from the series of cold fronts. Thus far no major incidents have been reported, but we remind the public to always have the City’s public emergency communication number on speed-dial. That number is 021 480 7700 from a cellphone and 107 from a landline,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.

The Public Emergency Communication Centre (PECC) logged 1 681 incidents over the weekend, including 709 for medical assistance, of which 95 were physical assault cases. There were also 49 motor vehicle accidents logged and 14 pedestrian vehicle accidents.

ENFORCEMENT SERVICES

The City’s enforcement agencies made 349 arrests in the past week, and issued 83 075 fines for various transgressions.

Law Enforcement officers made 133 arrests and issued 4 606 notices.

On Friday, 10 June 2022, LEAP officers were conducting a joint vehicle checkpoint operation with Nyanga SAPS along Govan Mbeki Road, when they noticed a Toyota Avanza turning away from the checkpoint. Officers pulled over the vehicle, and the three backseat passengers alighted from the vehicle. While officers conducted a search, they found an imitation firearm behind the driver’s seat.

At this point, the driver sped off, leaving the three passengers behind. Officers managed to obtain his driver’s licence, and while searching the passengers, they recovered two sets of car keys and five cellphones. Officers were soon able to link one set of keys and a cellphone to a hijacking that was reported earlier in the day in Milnerton.

The suspects were detained at Nyanga SAPS on charges of possession of an imitation firearm and suspected stolen property.

Cape Town Traffic Services recorded 41 351 speeding offences and issued 32 625 fines for various other traffic violations.

Officers impounded 169 public transport vehicles and executed 1 563 warrants of arrest.

A total of 54 arrests were made – 40 for driving under the influence of alcohol and 14 for reckless and negligent driving.

Metro Police officers made 162 arrests and issued 4 493 fines for traffic and by-law transgressions.

Source: City Of Cape Town

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 to lead lives of dignity and in pursuit of a better life. Though we have made substantial progress in broadening opportunities for young people in basic and higher education, millions of young people remain unemployed,” he said.

The President highlighted that the Presidential Employment Stimulus, through the revitalised National Youth Service (NYS) and Social Employment Fund (SEF), is geared at assisting these youth to face some of these challenges.

“The SEF will create 50 000 new work opportunities in the first phase before scaling up further in subsequent phases. This work is in areas like community safety, food kitchens, urban agriculture, early childhood development and the fight against gender-based violence.

“The NYS… will create a further 50 000 jobs for unemployed young people performing acts of service across the country, while providing much-needed work experience and reinforcing the value of active citizenship,” he said.

President Ramaphosa emphasised that the two programmes offer hope while “improving communities and creating public goods that will last beyond the work itself”.

Youth are already being recruited for both these programmes.

“The unique feature of social employment is that it recognises that unemployed people in communities are a powerful resource for development, not a ‘problem’ to be solved. We have many real problems to address – from improving waste collection to creating safe and beautiful public spaces – that require work, and many people who are eager to do it.

“Not only does social employment provide an income for participants by supporting locally-driven initiatives to fulfil local needs; social employment can also unlock creativity and agency, build local participation and strengthen mutual support systems in communities.

“What these programmes show is that public employment can achieve multiple objectives at once. These include addressing unemployment, building skills and experience, providing public goods and services, and, perhaps most important of all, contributing to a massive national effort to improve the state of our country,” President Ramaphosa said.

He called on the private sector to join government and contribute its share in creating jobs.

“Despite the great setback caused by COVID-19, our economy is slowly returning to pre-pandemic levels. As government, we will continue to champion programmes and initiatives that limit the impact of unemployment on young people until the private sector starts creating more jobs at scale.

“I once again call on business to be part of this effort by employing more young people, by making use of the Employee Tax Incentive and other measures, and by supporting and buying from businesses owned and run by young people,” President Ramaphosa said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The City of Cape Town is working to add over 550 shelter beds this winter to help people off the streets. Four new dormitories are complete at City-run Safe Spaces in the CBD, while grant-in-aid funds are adding more beds at NGO-run shelters.

Over 430 beds are progressively being added to NGO-run shelters supported by the City’s Winter Readiness campaign budget (150) and grant-in-aid funding (280).

Increased capacity at the City’s Safe Space at Culemborg in the CBD brings the total new beds to 550 this winter across the metro.

The Safe Space model includes dignified shelter, comfort and ablutions, two meals per day, access to a social worker on-site, personal development planning, ID Book and social grant assistance, access to substance and alcohol abuse treatment, skills training, help finding a job, and access to EPWP work placement.

Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has inspected completed dormitory units at the City’s Culemborg Safe Space. The Mayor also conducted site visits for a potential new Safe Space in the Muizenberg area last week together with Mayco Member for Community Services and Health, Cllr Patricia van der Ross.

‘Plans are gaining momentum to expand the City’s Care Programme to help more people off the streets. Our first step was to direct an extra R10 million to more shelter beds this winter, more than tripling the grant-funding for NGOs. We’ve now also upped the Care Programme budget to R77 million for 2022/23. Over the next three years, R142 million will go to expanding and operating City-run Safe Spaces beyond the CBD and Bellville.

‘We are calling on Capetonians to help us Give Dignity by donating to recognised shelters and NGOs this winter. We can do more together to help people off the streets,’ said Mayor Hill-Lewis.

Care Programme

In the last year alone, from May 2021 – April 2022, the direct efforts of City officials have resulted in:

• 860+ people helped off the streets, through shelter placements, reunifying families, and other forms of reintegration.

• 1150+ people participating in development programmes at City-run Safe Spaces

• 730+ EPWP work placements to help those staying at our Safe Spaces get back on their feet

• 720+ referrals for social grants, identity documents, specialised care facilities, and substance abuse treatment – with an 80% Matrix programme success rate to address addiction as a key driver of why people end up on the streets.

This is aside from what civil society is achieving, and the City is planning to do much more together with NGO partners and the national and provincial governments, who together hold the constitutional mandate for welfare and homeless shelters.

With its R77m Care Programme in 2022/23, Cape Town is the only metro going above its municipal mandate to dedicate a social development budget to helping people off the streets sustainably.

Post-disaster approach to helping people off the streets

The two-year national state of disaster and related economic impact has led to unmatched levels of homelessness in the city, with many people sleeping in public places, including pavements, parks, road reserves, and under bridges.

Given this situation, only a unique and unprecedented response will help people off the streets and ensure that public places are available for wider public use.

The City of Cape Town is proactively dealing with this situation by:

- Expanding City-run Safe Spaces beyond the CBD and Bellville

- Stepping up efforts to assess the circumstances of those on the streets, and offer shelter or social assistance: City Social Development & ECD staff are currently busy with a city-wide process of conducting social assessments of those living on the streets. This includes the reasons for homelessness, physical and mental health, living conditions, sources of income. This will result in a referral for social assistance, which can include accommodation at a shelter or City-run safe space.

- Obtaining court orders regarding the unlawful occupation of public places:

Where the PIE Act is applicable, the City will acquire the necessary court order, and ensure alternative accommodation at shelters or safe spaces has been offered, where this is just and equitable.

Contact the PECC for help with shelter placement

Any enquiries and/or complaints relating to persons on the street can be directed to the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre by dialing 021 480 7700 from a cellphone or 107 from a landline. This channel is also available for after-hours enquiries about shelter space. The PECC will activate standby teams to help determine where shelter space is available and related admissions criteria.

Source: City Of Cape Town

The Department of Home Affairs has deported Lithuanian actress Ieva Andrejevaite after she sought to abuse South Africa’s refugee management regime.

The department on Sunday said Andrejevaite fabricated a story of wanting to apply for asylum because of the “war in Ukraine” on 28 April 2022.

In a statement, Home Affairs said the actress arrived at the Cape Town International Airport in a private jet without a visa.

Ministry spokesperson, Siya Qoza, said: “Immigration officers rightly refused her entry. After that refusal of entry, she then lied to immigration officials, making up a story of wanting to apply for asylum.

“As a result of our asylum seeker laws, immigration officials’ hands were tied and they were required to let her into the country so that she could apply for asylum within five days. She was duly issued with an asylum seeker visa in terms of the Immigration Act 13 of 2002.”

Qoza said at no stage, during her stay in the country, did Andrejevaite attempt to apply for asylum.

As such, she became an illegal foreigner, as defined in the Immigration Act, as the five-day period had lapsed.

“Instead, images of her attending a party in Cape Town, hosted by Mr Rob Hersov, surfaced on numerous publications and social media platforms.

“Andrejevaite subsequently launched ill-advised legal proceedings in the Western Cape High Court under case number 5268/2022, wherein she made further disparaging comments about South Africa, the Department of Home Affairs and its immigration officials. She also lied under oath as parts of her founding affidavit were clearly fabricated,” said Qoza.

The department opposed the application and set out clearly the factual position of the department, exposing the lies in her affidavit and the fact that she was now an illegal foreigner.

Qoza said after being served with the department’s opposing papers, Andrejevaite realised that she had lied to the immigration officials and then to the High Court and would face the possibility of criminal charges over and above the consequences and embarrassment stemming from her High Court application.

On 2 June 2022, the Western Cape High Court ordered Andrejevaite to apologise to South Africans, the Home Affairs Minister and the Department of Home Affairs officials.

“She made a formal apology to all the listed parties on the same day, a copy of which is attached to this statement.

“Andrejevaite has also formally withdrawn her ill-fated application after accepting that she had lied in it and agreed to pay the costs incurred by the department, which opposed the farcical application,” said the department.

Home Affairs Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, has instructed the department to expeditiously recover all monies due to the State as a result of Andrejevaite’s bogus application.

“I am extremely happy that our immigration officers implement the laws of the country without fear or favour. As a country, we won’t tolerate the abuse of our immigration laws by anyone nor will we allow the integrity of our borders to be abused. This kind of abuse lends more urgency to the work we are doing in revising our immigration laws,” said Minister Motsoaledi.

Andrejevaite was formally processed for deportation on 05 June 2022 and declared an undesirable person by immigration officials. She is now prohibited from visiting the Republic of South Africa for a period of five years.

Persons declared as undesirable in terms of the Immigration Act can only sojourn the country again after submitting a representation, for consideration, to the Department for the upliftment of their undesirable status.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate, as part of its routine maintenance programme, will be doing repairs and replacing plumbing infrastructure at the Newlands Spring in Main Road, Newlands on Friday, 17 June 2022. As a result, this facility will be temporarily inaccessible to the public from 09:00 until 16:00 as the Spring water flow will be diverted during this period to enable the maintenance work to be done safely and unhindered.

The Newlands Spring in Main Road is one of the most frequently visited springs in Cape Town with people coming from all over the city to collect their supply of spring water.

The facility is open daily from as early 05:00 in the morning until 23:00 at night to provide sufficient access to consumers of this water source.

‘The Newlands Spring water facility will, however, be closed temporarily to the public from 09:00 until 16:00 on Friday, 17 June 2022 to enable the maintenance crew to do the necessary repairs and replace the plumbing infrastructure. We know that people love to frequent the facility to stock up on their favourite spring water and we sincerely apologise for the temporary disruption in the supply. The repairs, however, are necessary to sustain the spring water supply for the consumers,’ said Councillor Zahid Badroodien, Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation.

The City sincerely regrets any inconvenience caused.

Source: City Of Cape Town