Day: June 29, 2022

GQEBERHA – Police have issued a warrant of arrest for a gang member allegedly involved in the attempted murder of two people in Helenvale in May 2022.

It is alleged that on 23 May 2022 at about 08:00, the two male victims were shot in Deveril Road by the suspect who approached one of the victims, a 37-year-old male who was standing in a passageway. The victim started running with the suspect pursuing him. During the incident, an innocent person was also injured.

The suspect is known and has been evading police. Police believe that the suspect could be in the Kamesh or Port Alfred area.

Police are searching for the wanted suspect, Elrico Finnes Boy and anyone who may know his whereabouts, is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Xolani Sokanyile (Gang Investigation) on 082 442 2270 or Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or the nearest police station. All information is confidential and callers may remain anonymous.

Source: South African Police Service

Remarks by the Minister of Small Business Development, Ms. Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams during the SheTradesZa Youth Seminar

Moderator Ms Mavimbela;

NYDA CEO Mr Carrim;

Ms Cherian;

Fellow participants;

Ladies and gentleman

Over the past few months, my department and I have been cress crossing the country, Conducting roadshows and meeting owners of small businesses and aspiring start-ups.

Some of you, including the NYDA have been a part of us on this journey in some of the provinces we have visited. So far, we have conducted roadshows in eight provinces.

KwaZulu-Natal is the last province we are going to visit. In each and every province we have gone to, we have met mostly young people who are eager to contribute to the growth of this country’s economy.

Too often we are given the impression that youth are a lost generation, who are lacking in direction and a drive to contribute meaningfully to society. It is therefore pleasing and immensely exciting to participate in events such as this one, And to see young people and women who are bursting with fresh ideas on how we can take our country forward

In my department, we have several programs, aimed at empowering small businesses, The Department of Small Business Development and SEDA formed a partnership with the International Trade Centre (ITC),

In order to bring the SheTrades programme to South Africa, and create a SheTradesZA hub. The programme aims to empower women-owned enterprises to trade locally, regionally, and internationally.

The hub supports strengthening the business skills and competitiveness of at least 10,000 South African women entrepreneurs over a four year period. Currently, nearly 3000 South African women entrepreneurs are already registered on the SheTradesZA Hub, And receive free e-learning and capacity building.

The SheTradesZA Hub will also improve access to investment for women-owned enterprises and promote business opportunities.

DSBD’s and Seda’s involvement in the She-Trades Hub demonstrates our commitment to developing and ensuring economic empowerment of women in South Africa.

My department, its agencies and our partners International Trade Centre’s (ITC), European Union and the-EDSE programme, seeks to increase and enhance the meaningful participation of youth and women in this economy.

The Township and Rural Entrepreneurship Programme (TREP) is a dedicated programme to transform, and integrate opportunities in townships and rural areas into productive business ventures. The focus is to create platforms that provide the business support infrastructure and regulatory environment that enables entrepreneurs to thrive.

We also have the Youth Challenge Fund (YCF), which is a youth start-up support programme intended to stimulate the establishment and growth of youth-owned businesses, promote digital skills, grow the economy and foster job creation.

A couple of months ago, I presented the department’s budget speech for the financial year 2022/2023. We are confident that there will be an equitable fund flow across provinces. The R2 billion SEFA funding envelope, will see over R200 million disbursed in each province, And slightly more for the poorer rural provinces such as Limpopo, the Free State, the North West, the Eastern Cape, Mpumulanga, and the Northern Cape. We are deliberate about redress. This R2 billion is expected to support 84 831 SMMEs and co-operatives creating 104 968 jobs.

I’m mentioning all the above to illustrate the kind of work we have put in to assist in getting the small business sector to grow and create much needed employment. If small businesses succeed, the country succeed. The National Development has given us a task of creating 11 million jobs by 2030.

9 million of these employment opportunities have to come from small businesses. Often as government, we are accused of throwing money at problems. Without much care and oversight on whether or not the cash we disburse is put into good use and contributes to service delivery. From my department, we are not just disbursing funding, we are taking our processes further.

We are currently in the process of merging SEFA and SEDA, and the Co-operative Banks Development Agency to form one agency so that our funding processes are seamless and user friendly. As many of you noted, during his State of the Nation Address, President Ramaphosa announced the appointment of a red tape Tsar, to assist us to coordinate between stakeholders to make it easier to start and conduct business and to grow our economy. Although misunderstood by some, we support this initiative and we believe that it will go a long way to remove some of the obstacles encountered by small businesses.

President Ramaphosa made another remark that for no apparent reason, was made controversial. He reminded us that government doesn’t create jobs, the private sector does and that the role of government was to make it easier for entrepreneurs to do business. It is therefore incumbent on us, to harness the hunger and the drive of small businesses to succeed the success of small businesses will lead to a significant reduction in unemployment.

Once again, I appreciate your invitation for me to participate in this important event. My door is always open, for us to collaborate in making this country a better place for our youth, women and all of its citizens.

I thank you.

Source: Government of South Africa

Minister of Small Business Development, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, has encouraged small business in townships and rural areas to apply for support through the Township and Rural Entrepreneurship Programme (TREP).

“We are deliberate in addressing unemployment and poverty but we also have a responsibility to grow the economy,” Ndabeni-Abrahams said.

Addressing the SheTradesZA Youth Seminar on Wednesday in Pretoria, the Minister said the maximum value of TREP stands at R1 million, with one component being a grant and the other a loan.

“The TREP is a dedicated programme to transform and integrate opportunities in townships and rural areas into productive business ventures. The focus is to create platforms that provide business support infrastructure and a regulatory environment that enables entrepreneurs to thrive,” Ndabeni-Abrahams said.

Township or rural-based entrepreneurs can apply for support, including funding, through the common application template from the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA), the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (SEFA), National Empowerment Fund (NEF) and the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA).

Owners of the business must be South African nationals.

The following schemes are available for qualifying entrepreneurs:

• Small-Scale Bakeries and confectioneries support programme

• Autobody repairers and mechanics support programme (as well as small and independent auto-spares shops and informal automotive entrepreneurs)

• Butcheries support programme

• Clothing, leather and textiles support programme

• Personal care support programme

• Spaza-shop support programme

• Tshisanyama and cooked food support programme

Registration can be done on https://smmesa.gov.za/ and complete the information required.

In an effort to ensure the funding processes for small business is seamless and user friendly, government is working toward merging entities for small businesses to form one agency.

“We are currently in the process of merging SEFA and SEDA as well as the Co-operative Banks Development Agency.

“As many of you noted, during his State of the Nation Address, President Cyirl Ramaphosa announced the appointment of a red tape Tsar, to assist us to coordinate between stakeholders, to make it easier to start and conduct business and to grow our economy,” the Minister said.

Government continues to prioritise small businesses

Ndabeni-Abrahams said through various initiatives, government has assisted the small business sector to grow and create much needed employment.

“The Department of Small Business Development and SEDA formed a partnership with the International Trade Centre (ITC), in order to bring the SheTrades programme to South Africa, and create a SheTradesZA hub.

“The programme aims to empower women-owned enterprises to trade locally, regionally, and internationally. The hub supports strengthening the business skills and competitiveness of at least 10,000 South African women entrepreneurs over a four-year period,” the Minister said.

Nearly 3000 South African women entrepreneurs are already registered on the SheTradesZA Hub and receive free e-learning and capacity building.

The SheTradesZA Hub will also improve access to investment for women-owned enterprises and promote business opportunities.

“The department and SEDA’s involvement in the She-Trades Hub demonstrates our commitment to developing and ensuring economic empowerment of women in South Africa.

“We also have the Youth Challenge Fund (YCF), which is a youth start-up support programme intended to stimulate the establishment and growth of youth-owned businesses, promote digital skills, grow the economy and foster job creation,” the Minister said.

She said the R2 billion SEFA funding envelope will see over R200 million disbursed in each province and slightly more for the poorer rural provinces such as Limpopo, the Free State, the North West, the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, and the Northern Cape.

“This R2 billion is expected to support 84 831 small, micro and medium enterprises (SMMEs) and co-operatives creating 104 968 jobs,” Ndabeni-Abrahams said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Government update on the enyobeni night club incident

The Eastern Cape Provincial Government wishes to reassure the bereaved families and the rest of South Africa that autopsies have been performed on the 21 deceased young people and samples have been sent to a lab in the Western Cape for investigation. The report will be shared with the affected families as soon as investigations have been concluded.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) remains on the scene and continues to comb the scene for further clues in relation to the tragic incident.

Meanwhile, engagements between government and the families determined that a mass funeral service will be held next week Wednesday, 06 July 2022. Thereafter, families will be assisted with transportation of the remains to be interred at burial sites of their choice.

Government has expressed appreciation for support that has been received from all sectors of society in preparation for the funeral. Amongst those is AVBOB, the funeral palour has pledged burial costs support for each family. The Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM) has waved the grave fees for the burial of the deceased and together with the provincial government will facilitate other logistical needs to ensure a dignified send-off for the deceased.

This morning, food parcels and vouchers have been delivered to assist with immediate needs of the families.

The provincial government together with its partners will continue to provide psycho-social support to the bereaved families and the broader community. This will include community debriefing sessions to

Source: Government of South Africa

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala has assured the community of Ugu District Municipality of improvement of water supply in the area.

The Premier made the commitment on Tuesday during an Imbizo in Port Shepstone.

The Premier’s Imbizo comes after a working session led by Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu, and District Executive Mayor Phumlile Mthiyane last week.

The main purpose of the meeting was to come up with solutions to address water supply challenges in the district.

During the imbizo, Zikalala identified the issues which are the main causes of lack of water supply in the District.

Issues raised include ageing infrastructure which has been neglected by the municipality in both rural and urban areas.

“Infrastructure is strained due to the demands of a growing population in the district. Illegal connections to water infrastructure and vandalism of Infrastructure were also identified as challenges, particularly at the Bhobhoyi Treatment Scheme,” said the Department of Water and Sanitation in a statement.

During his meeting with the Minister, Zikalala presented a turnaround plan to address water challenges in the area.

It was agreed by the Premier and the Minister that the municipality should reprioritise funds and these should be channelled to one crucial thing, which is the provision of water.

The Premier outlined several short-, medium- and long-term water projects. The major Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) projects that will be implemented by Umgeni Water are as follows:

• The Lower uMkhomazi Bulk Water Supply Scheme (LUBWSS) project needs to be fast tracked and prioritised. It includes an off-channel storage dam, namely Ngwadini dam, and Water Treatment Works (WTW). This project is in design phase by Umgeni Water. It will feed the upper and middle coastal regions of Ugu with bulk water.

• The above project is required as the source of raw water required to impact on the further upgrade of the St. Helen’s Rock abstraction system and the uMzimkhulu-Bhobhoyi WTW to meet the future water demands.

• South Coast Pipeline Extension Phase 2b Kelso to Malangeni/Umdoni augmentation via Pennington Sezela Link. The construction of the South Coast Phase 2b pipelines will alleviate the pressure on the Umzinto and the Mtwalume WTWs and supply systems by supplying potable water directly to communities within the Umdoni Municipality.

• South Coast Pipeline Extension Phase 3, Umdoni to Mtwalume/Hibberdene LUBWSS as the main source of supply to replace reliance on run off river abstraction and associated constraints. This project will provide water to both the Umdoni and Umzumbe LMs and is planned to supplement the potable water supply produced by the Mtwalume WTW and provide potable water access in Bazley, Elysium and Ifafa.

The department said the drilling of boreholes, particularly in Umzumbe and Umdoni areas, will assist to augment water supply in those areas because the capacity of the municipality is not enough.

In the meantime, water tankering services are also active within communities to augment water supply.

The Premier assured the community of Ugu District Municipality that the provincial government, together with the Department of Water and Sanitation, is working to bring a change in water supply in the district.

“We are mindful of the water challenges in this area and I would like to assure you that we are not here only to talk but there is work currently underway to address water supply issues. Water is life and a home cannot have dignity if there is no water.

“I am also appealing to the business sector to join us as we tackle the water challenges in Ugu district. Let us all work together to bring solutions to the problem of water supply challenges in the district,” said Zikalala.

Zikalala also appealed to provincial government departments, businesses, and the community to pay for the services rendered by the municipality so that the challenges in the district can be resolved with sufficient revenue collection assisting.

Source: South African Government News Agency

SANRAL Board and Minister Mbalula to detail progress made following cancellation of tenders in May

The Minister of Transport, Mr Fikile Mbalula will join the Board of the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) as it gives an update on progress made following the cancellation of some of SANRAL tenders amounting to R17.473 billion.

In May,the Board indicated that these tenders were cancelled due to non-compliance with a Board resolution and lapses that were identified in the procurement process. The Board also indicated that the cancelled tenders will be re-advertised and another public entity approached to handle the tendering process.

The media briefing will address progress made since the announcement of the disapproval to award as well as measures to be followed to ensure that the process is completed within the projected time lines.

The details of the media briefing are as follows:

Date: Thursday, 30 June 2022

Venue: SANRAL Central Operations Centre (COC), 36 Asseggai Wood Street, Rooihuiskraal Ext 39, Centurion, 0157

Time: 10h00

Members of the media attending the event are requested to confirm their attendance with Mr Esethu Hasane on 071 259 2442 or hasanee@dot.gov.za/ (link sends e-mail)Sam Monareng on 073 491 3382 or monarens@dot.gov.za(link sends e-mail).

Media enquiries: Ministry of Transport Spokesperson Lwazi Khoza +27 (81) 766-2440

Source: Government of South Africa

Eskom workers are expected back at work this morning following violent industrial strike action, which plunged the country into an electricity supply crunch over the past week.

The power utility was forced to implement Stage 6 load shedding on Tuesday when up to 90% of staff could not or did not report for duty because of strike action at power stations across the country.

“Following a productive meeting earlier [on Tuesday] between Eskom and union leadership, Eskom can confirm that it has agreed in principle with the recognised labour unions on the way forward in the wage talks on Friday at the Central Bargaining Forum.

“Following this agreement, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) have urged their members to return to work immediately,” Eskom said in a statement on Tuesday.

The national electricity supplier urged all workers to put their shoulder to the wheel following strike action in order to “relieve pressure” on the ailing power system.

“Eskom also wishes to urge all employees to return to their workstations immediately to relieve the pressure on the system and to deliver the service the people of South Africa expect from Eskom, and to assist in restoring generation performance impacted by the strike.

“Eskom would also like to pay tribute and thank those many employees who keep going beyond the call of duty and continue to help the keep the lights on during this very challenging time,” the power utility said.

Eskom warned that although workers may be returning to work, the power system will not automatically return to some form of stability.

“It is important to note that while the workforce might have returned to work by [Wednesday], the system will still take some time to recover. As a result of the strike, maintenance work has had to be postponed, and this backlog will take time to clear,” the statement read.

In a press briefing on Tuesday evening, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan condemned acts of intimidation and violence, which marred the strike action taken by workers.

“[We need] to ask some very serious questions about the intent. Is it just about wage negotiations or is it something beyond that as well that is at play at this particular point in time?

“We need to have peaceful activities in the labour context if and when that is required. There should be no resort to any form of intimidatory activity at all against staff at Eskom or any other entity that is absolutely crucial to our economy and the wellbeing of our own people,” Gordhan said.

Source: South African Government News Agency