Day: September 15, 2022

Police Minister Bheki Cele has decried the harrowing levels of crime plaguing the Western Cape.

The Minister expressed his concerns during a media briefing on Thursday.

Despite the province having recorded the lowest murder percentage increase in the crime statistics released in August, extreme violence and brutality “stalks the province”, he said.

The Western Cape recorded an increase in contact crimes cases, between April and June 2022.

He said: “So it is clear that there are glimmers of hope in this province and equally pockets of concern that are receiving immediate intervention”.

In the past week, 83 people were killed Western Cape between 5 and 11 September.

Cele said the majority of the murders took place in and around the Cape Town Metropole and Cape flats.

Arguments, robberies and gang violence remain the top causative factors for these deaths.

“As the Police Ministry we are encouraged that the South African Police Service [SAPS] in the Western Cape under the leadership of Lt General [Thembisile] Patekile, continues to respond to crimes and make arrests and recover stolen goods,” he said.

From the 1 April to 11 September 2022, courts in the region handed down 21 life sentences to perpetrators of murder and rape.

During this period, the 118 people were convicted for serious crimes. Among these were 27 people convicted of murder, 84 for rape, two for attempted rape and another two for robbery with aggravating circumstances.

“The remainder were convicted on charges of kidnapping, attempted murder and assault GBH [grievous bodily harm]. These individuals are collectively serving 1 401 years’ imprisonment,” he said.

Firearms

In a majority of murder cases, Cele said firearms were three times likely the weapon of choice in all reported murders in the country.

As per the last released national crime statistics, the Western Cape has the third highest gun related murders.

“The removal of 33 firearms and 538 rounds of ammunition in a week, from the streets of the Cape flats by the police is welcomed. This includes three homemade firearms, 29 revolvers/ pistol and one rifle. We are clear that removing these guns from communities, goes a long way in saving lives.”

Keeping in line with the SAPS’s mandate of protecting and securing the inhabitants of this province and their property, police in the province have Vhutu Hawe operations.

“The Anti-Economical Task Teams are in place and focusing on tracking and tracing undocumented foreigners [and] non-ferrous metals. This is over and above the Anti Gang Unit (AGU) members and additional 200 SAPS officers deployed from other provinces, saturating the identified high crime hot-spots,” he said.

The Minister said cumulative deployment of thousands of officers of the SAPS, supported by other forces from the city, metro and province each week conduct crime combating and prevention operations.

He said such operations include community awareness operations, roadblocks, vehicle control points, stop and searches, tracing wanted suspects as well as foot patrols.

Maximum deployment of officers is seen on weekends and is guided by threat analysis and crime prevention patterns, he said.

The SAPS’s Operation Restore – which consists of integrated operations to the Top 10 police stations – also continues to obstruct extortion rackets and related crimes.

Khayelitsha and Gugulethu shootings

A total of 16 people were arrested for their alleged roles in the multiple shootings in Khayelitsha and Gugulethu that claimed 58 lives.

Cele said this includes three suspects arrested in July for the multiple murder case of eight people shot and killed in Gugulethu during a traditional cleansing ceremony in June 2021.

Police investigations have resulted in three suspects from Phillipi East and Gugulethu namely, Thabo Dyasi, Sivuyile Matoti and Lundi Zweni, answering to the courts. They remain in custody.

Kidnapping

The Western Cape police are investigating 32 cases of kidnapping since 1 March to September 2022.

“It remains encouraging that the SAPS in the province continue to make inroads regarding kidnapping cases. A total of 15 kidnapping suspects have been arrested,” he said.

This includes the court appearance of five suspects who appeared at the Wynberg Magistrates Court on Monday, 12 September 2022.

The five-member gang appeared on charges of conspiracy to commit a kidnapping and other charges related to the failed kidnapping of a businesswoman.

Trucks and cars

Police in the Western Cape, he said, had pounced on carjacking syndicates responsible for the theft of vehicles worth millions of rand which have been recovered.

Police operations have also resulted in the recovery of 16 trucks that were also highjacked in the past five months.  These trucks seized by the police are believed to be worth over R40 million.

Drugs

Cele said local police continue to remove illicit goods such as alcohol and illegal drugs off the streets of the Western Cape.

“Police have intercepted and seized crystal meth, cocaine and heroin including R33 million rand worth of mandrax in recent months,” he said.

In this regard, the Hawks had intercepted over R400 million worth of cocaine en route to Cape Town from Gauteng. Four people have been arrested and are before the courts.

Source: South African Government News Agency

EThekwini Municipality says the upgrade of the M7 Solomon Mahlangu Drive is progressing well, with Phase 1 of construction underway.

The project forms part of the freight network from the Durban Harbour to the N2 and N3, and is aimed at alleviating congestion, and accommodating trucks and other transport networks.

Project Manager for the Roads Provision Department, Viren Beeharilal, said the through the project, the municipality hopes to alleviate any congestion or problems associated with the widening the harbour and expansion of the network going forward.

“Phase one is in construction at the moment and basically it’s an additional lane in each direction from Bellair Road intersection, going up to the N2 and in the opposite direction, as well from the N2 up to Bellair Road,” Beeharilal said.

Beeharilal explained that the eThekwini Transport Authority is the client department, while the construction, including supervision and the design of the project, is undertaken by Roads Provision, which is the implementing agent, on behalf of eThekwini Transport Authority.

Beeharilal said the project is expected to be completed by 2024.

Sewer trunk main repairs completed 

The municipality, meanwhile, said repairs to a 600-diameter sewer trunk main at Mega City in uMlazi have been completed.

The sewer line was among many water and sanitation infrastructure components damaged during the floods earlier this year.

The municipality said the completion of the sewer line will reduce the contamination of the local river, which the sewer was flowing into, causing an impact on the environment.

Consultant at the Sanitation Department, Dave Wilson, said residents will also be relieved of the stench emanating from the sewerage.

“These repairs will remove the stench, which was quite strong over the past months, due to the results of the flooding. Nearby beaches may be in a good state to open up to the public soon because of the repairs,” Wilson said.

He said the contractor will be installing another 100-meter pipe along the uMlazi canal.

Investment into Agribusiness Master Plan yields positive results 

Meanwhile, eThekwini Municipality Mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, said the municipality’s R55 million investment into the Agribusiness Master Plan is beginning to yield positive results.

Kaunda made the remarks during the Executive Committee’s oversight visit to various agri-parks supported by the city.

The delegation visited the sites this week to assess progress since the municipality implemented the eThekwini Agribusiness Master Plan in February 2020.

“It is encouraging to see that the municipality’s investment into five key commodities has unlocked over 1 300 new jobs, with a total of 49 small, medium, and micro enterprises benefiting from the Agribusiness Programme,” Kaunda said. 

Source: South African Government News Agency

A total of 24 police officers have been arrested in the Western Cape for breaking the law in the past six months.

This was revealed by Police Minister Bheki Cele during a media briefing on Thursday.

Cele said the ministry and South African Police Service (SAPS) management are “alive to the fact that there are some police officers who are breaking the law while hiding behind the blue uniform”.

Between 1 April and September 2022 (to date), 24 police officers were arrested for various crimes in the Western Cape.

This includes 11 officials arrested for corruption, four for fraud, another four for extortion and another four for defeating the ends of justice.

During this period, one officer was arrested and charged after he was found in possession of drugs.

Said Cele: “We have agreed that restoring the trust deficit between communities and the SAPS will need the police service [to have a] clean house.

“I believe these arrests, while painful, send a strong message that police inaptness, and police corruption will never be tolerated and won’t go unpunished.

“While SAPS is arresting its own, the judiciary is also intensifying the fight against corruption within its ranks, including magistrates courts that have turned into bail ‘wholesales’ in some court precincts in the country.”

Furthermore, he said The Correctional Services Department has also made strides in the fight against alleged corruption at its correctional facilities. This includes allegations of prison warders, who are colluding with criminals while behind bars.

Stabilising transport sector 

With the Western Cape transport sector having been marred by violence, intimidation and acts of sabotage placing commuters and drivers’ lives at risk, 38 cases were registered in this regard.

This included attacks on Intercape, Golden Arrow, Mavumisa buses, as well as taxis in August.

As a result, 16 people were arrested and charged with public violence and malicious damage to property.

“Interventions to stop the attacks and violence in this sector have included investigative task teams reliant on early warnings from Crime Intelligence to make arrests and prevent further attacks.

“The transport priority committee has been meeting with affected stakeholders, including the bilateral task team consisting of officials from the Eastern and Western Cape,” Cele said.

Increased police deployment on bus routes has also yielded encouraging results, said the Minister.

He said the ministry is comfortable with the measures in place to curtail violence, intimidation, threats and disruptions in the transport sector.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The department of Employment and Labour in Limpopo has cautioned work seekers to refrain from sending acquaintances to submit job applications on their behalf.

The Department’s Public Employment Service Unit hosted a work seekers registration drive outside Jane Furse, in Ga-Mashabela on Wednesday.

The purpose of the drive was to help correct errors that most work seekers make when drafting CVs as well as registering them on the Employment Service of South Africa.

Speaking to the work seekers, Career Counsellor Thabo Kgoale said that there is a lot of mistakes that work seekers make that hinder them from getting employment.

Kgoale said the mistakes include typing errors, untidy CVs, asking advice pertaining CV writing from unknowledgeable individuals, poor interview skills and not putting required skills and knowledge on the CVs. 

Kgoale informed work seekers to compile CVs that are fully detailed and updated according to the post they are applying for.

“On the referencing part, applicants should put their former employers as they know their work ethics, qualities and skills rather than family members.

“Young people have devices that can be used to look for employment but rather spend time on sites that are not self-empowering. Visit online newspapers to check for job opportunities, check billboards and notice boards,” Kgoale said.

Work seekers were encouraged to prepare before going for interviews, look presentable and also research about the job, consult with Career Counsellors about the nature and background of the job as well as have self-confidence during interviews. 

Kgoale further cautioned work seekers to stop sending people to submit applications on their behalf but rather make an effort to look for employment on their own.

Work seekers were also urged to be cautious of scammers and apply for opportunities that are known by everyone and do not require cash in return.

“Even though you have no qualifications, there are jobs that do not require qualifications and matric such as hair plating, selling items, and artwork and therefore yo should never undermine your ability while waiting for permanent employment. Through ESSA we will make a difference in the communities,” Kgoale said. 

The drive is set to continue on today at Phaahla Community Hall, and on Friday at Marishane Moshate.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Public Service and Administration Deputy Minister Dr Chana Pilane-Majake will on Friday host an Indaba to unveil the revised Batho Pele Revitalisation Strategy as part of activities for the Integrated Public Service Month.

The revised Batho Pele Strategy is a service delivery framework that seeks to reignite the culture of servitude within the public service and inspire public servants to uphold the principles of Batho Pele.

This year’s IPSM focuses on bringing the strategy to life, to reignite and re-inforce the Batho Pele principles and the Public Service Charter to public servants to be service-oriented, strive for excellence in service delivery and commit to continuous service delivery improvement.

The revised framework is adopted in an endeavor to bring a re-engineered Batho Pele Programme back to the public domain to secure maximum benefits for the citizens in line with its original goal.

Commonly known as the Batho Pele policy, the White Paper on Transforming Public Service Delivery (WPTPSD) of 1997, requires public institutions to ensure that citizens’ needs become the main focus of public service delivery and that all citizens have equal access to public services of the same high quality.

The revised strategy is centred on developing, implementing and reporting on the Batho Pele standards in the public service, build social compact with society in order to rebuild public trust, enhance the Batho Pele learning and institutional development and improve redress to citizens.

These include self-introspection, open and transparent response to critical issues like professionalism, ethical conduct, commitment and patriotism and corporate ethos and values of Batho Pele by Putting People First.

The month-long programme is being held under the theme: “Batho Pele Revitalisation – walking the talk.” 

Source: South African Government News Agency

Mineral Resource and Energy Deputy Minister, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, says energy security is critical for economic reconstruction and recovery, particularly for a developing economy.

“We are implementing the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2019 and driving required policy reforms to increase investment and ascertain energy security of supply,” Nkabane said.

Addressing a media briefing in Cape Town on the forthcoming Southern Africa Oil and Gas Conference to be held on Friday and Saturday, Nkabane said hydrocarbons, including oil and gas, will remain part of the global energy mix, including South Africa’s energy mix, into the foreseeable future.

“We are implementing the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2019 and driving required policy reforms to increase investment and ascertain energy security of supply,” Nkabane said.

Nkabane said in retrospection within the energy space, the department has been placing emphasis on the development of indigenous oil and gas resources to reduce major dependencies on the imports of petroleum products, which contributes towards worsening South Africa’s economic status on the balance of payment.   

“The IRP 2019 provides for gas as a transition fuel to support large penetration of renewable energy into the grid.

“Although combustion of gas as a fossil emits relatively less greenhouse gas emission, it is comforting to realise that there is now growing global consensus on the role of gas in the energy transition,” Nkabane said.

She said the Africa Energy Outlook 2022 by the International Energy Agency supports the argument of gas as a transition fuel.

“There is growing consensus supported by technical studies that for South Africa to achieve its targets to reduce emissions in the electricity sector through the deployment of renewable energy, gas is part of the options necessary to support the network and ensure security of supply.

“We are following closely on developments that are happening globally and in our continent on oil and gas discoveries,” Nkabane said.

Nkabane said multinational gas companies have been placing their focus on Southern Africa as a geological exploration hot spot for oil and gas resources.

“There are several gas discoveries in the country that are either in development or near development, offshore and onshore.

“These discoveries include Brulpadda/Luiperd, Renergen Virginia Gas, Eco (Atlantic) Oil & Gas and Lephalale Coal Bed Methane. Gas is one of the significant milestones in the country’s drive to reduce carbon footprint,” Nkabane said.

Nkabane said there is ongoing Gas Commissions between South Africa and Mozambique, as well as Namibia. It will be of paramount importance to expand the Gas Commissions between South Africa and either Tanzania or Angola to increase energy coordination, cooperation and trading patterns within SADC, she said.

“The Gas Commission serves as a platform for collaboration to exchange knowledge and experience regarding the provision, access, use and management of natural gas resources in an environmentally responsible manner as well as for social and economic development,” Nkabane said. 

Source: South African Government News Agency

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana says the country’s economyfaces an urgent need to rebuild infrastructure, finance the just energy transition and improve growth prospects.

This comes as the Russia-Ukraine conflict has escalated inflationary pressures through higher energy and food prices, leading to a rapid tightening of monetary policy, while adding to fiscal pressures.

“Between February and June, the petrol price nearly doubled, putting immense pressure on the already stretched incomes of South Africans.

“Inflation has jumped to a 13-year high. Headline consumer inflation rose significantly in July 2022 to 7.8%. This compares to an average of 6.2% in the first half of 2022,” Godongwana said.

The Minister was delivering a keynote address at the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) Annual Thought Leadership Conference 2022 at the Cape Town International Conference Centre on Thursday.

Looking at the global economic outlook, Godongwana said that the war between Russia and Ukraine has increased geopolitical risks.

“This is happening at a time when the world economy was beginning to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The war is set to deepen geopolitical fragmentation and is likely to impede global trade and cooperation,” he said.  

The Minister said the war is set to deepen geopolitical fragmentation and is likely to impede global trade and cooperation, in addition to the tragic loss of life and the destruction of livelihoods.

He explained that the Russia-Ukraine conflict is manifesting through a threefold crisis: access to food, energy and finance.

Speaking on the domestic economic outlook and the impact of the geopolitical landscape on South Africa’s economy, he said the conflict is a powerful example of how economies are integrated.

“The consequence of this escalation, including the sanctions imposed on Russia, gravely impacted our assumptions on the domestic outlook.

“The conflict has created a new set of multi-dimensional risks to our economic outlook and to fiscal and monetary policy,” the Minister said, adding that it has also exacerbated the supply chain bottlenecks that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, the Minister said increasing inflationary pressures and rising interest rates have hurt disposable income and disrupted efforts to lower poverty, negatively impacting consumer spending, economic growth, employment creation, and food security.

“We have already seen the impact of these developments on the latest GDP numbers.

“Following a more positive real GDP outcome in the first quarter of 2022, second quarter growth shrunk by 0.7%. Notably, household spending also slowed.” 

Since February, the rand has been among the worst performing currencies against the dollar, sliding from around 14 rands to 18 rands to the US dollar.

“This has had a major impact on the cost of our debt, as well as that of our imports. Just last week, our external account turned negative for the first time in a long while.

“While commodity prices have begun to fall, the price of coal, one of our largest exports, continues to rise,” Godongwana said.

The Minister told the conference that the past two years have shown that change is happening at an increasing rate.

“We have also learnt that this rapid change comes with a number of risks, but it also comes with opportunities; opportunities to improve how we do things, as well as opportunities to prepare ourselves better for the changes that lie ahead,” he said.

Godongwana further urged the conference to consider and propose ways the GEPF and government can work more closely to respond to these challenges.

“Given that our fates are intertwined, we have a better chance of success if we work together,” he said.

Source: South African Government News Agency