Day: January 19, 2023

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Community tip-off leads to the recovery of a consignment of illicit cigarettes in Palm Ridge by police in Gauteng

PARKTOWN - The trade in and possession of illicit cigarettes (both duty-not-paid and counterfeit) are prohibited in South Africa and punishable by law. Police in Gauteng continue to apprehend individuals and syndicates who contravene the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Act 63 of 2008.

On Tuesday, 17 January 2023 detectives of Organised Crime Investigation (OCI) Project Team together with members of SAPS Eden Park and Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) arrested a man in Palm Ridge for possession of illicit cigarettes.

The members reportedly operationalised a community tip-off they obtained on suspicious activity at a local shopping complex in Palm Ridge. The team proceeded to the identified address and conducted a search.

Over 1300 cartons of illicit cigarettes were recovered and the suspect was arrested.

Further investigation will confirm the suspect's residency status while he is expected to appear before the Palm Ridge Magistrates' court.

Source: South African Police Service

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Continue to liaise with universities, Nzimande urges matrics

Higher Education and Training Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, has wished the 2022 matric class well as learners await the announcement of their examination results.

Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga, is expected to make the announcement later this afternoon in Johannesburg.

Nzimande assured current and prospective students that the release of the results will not affect the state of readiness for the Post School Education and Training (PSET) 2023 academic year.

This as registration for the academic year 2023 at universities commenced on 16 January and is anticipated to close on 20 February 2023.

There are also several universities that will allow late registrations.

Nzimande advised prospective students to continue to liaise with the universities of their choice through their communication channels.

“Most Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges have commenced with their teaching and learning, including practicals, following the successful online registration process.

“Some of the colleges are still accepting students in areas where the enrolment targets are not met and the department’s TVET branch is monitoring the developments at each college,” Nzimande said.

Community colleges opened on 11 January 2023 for inland provinces and 18 January 2023 for coastal provinces.

The Minister advised prospective students to go to their colleges of choice for registration for the academic year 2023.

NSFAS application results

Nzimande reminded students that National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) application results will be communicated to all applicants once the scheme received confirmation from the institution that an academic offer has been made.

This will be communicated to all students via SMS, email and through students’ myNSFAS account. For further information on the NSFAS application processes, applicants are advised to visit the NSFAS website at www.nsfas.org.za.

CACH services to open next week

Meanwhile, in order to assist prospective students, the department has activated the services of the Central Application Clearing House (CACH) to assist individuals access university, college and skills development opportunities.

“The system will open on the 24th January to the 31st March 2023,” the Minister said.

As part of the department’s normal process to work with the sector to prepare for the academic year’s registration process, consultation meetings are being held with various stakeholders including Universities South Africa (Usaf), South Africa College Principals Organisation (SACPO), South African Union of Students (SAUS) and South African Technical and Vocation Student Association (SATVESA).

Nzimande wished the 2022 matriculation class well as they are awaiting the announcement of their results.

The Minister is expected to announce further details on the department’s state of readiness before the end of January 2023.

Source: South African Government News Agency

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Class of 2022 defies odds to score 80.1% pass rate

The Matric Class of 2022 has scored a remarkable 80.1% pass rate, despite being the group that was mostly hit by the “devastating” effects of COVID-19 and load shedding.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga’s announcement of an overall improved pass rate at the Mosaïek Church in Fairlands, Gauteng, on Thursday, was met with applause.

The National Senior Certificate (NSC) pass rate is slightly higher than the 76.4% recorded in 2021, an increase of 3.7% compared to the previous year.

Motshekga noted that this cohort was exposed to the pandemic for two consecutive years when they were in Grade 10 in 2020 and Grade 11 in 2021.

“The Class of 2022 is the first cohort to write the NSC exams, post the pandemic. Exacerbating the devastation caused by the pandemic, this class was subjected to the challenges of enervating load shedding and sporadic service delivery protests.”

However, she noted that despite the challenges, the learners managed to bag high-quality passes and distinctions.

Motshekga said of the 922 034 candidates who registered for the 2022 Matric exams (with 725 146 full-time candidates) across the country, 278 814 achieved Bachelor passes, an improvement of 8.9% from 2021.

In addition, 193 357 learners qualified to study towards a Diploma, 108 159 achieved higher certificate passes and 117 achieved plain NSC passes.

“By the way, the 2022 Bachelor passes in number are the highest attained in the entire history of the NSC examinations; but the second highest to that attained in 2021 when expressed as a percentage,” the Minister said.

Provincial results

The Minister singled out KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, the two provinces that contributed the most Bachelor passes, with 69 849 (an increase of 12.9% from 2021) and 58 119 (an increase of 4.1% from 2021), respectively.

In addition, Free State was once again named the best-performing province, with an 88.5% pass rate, when the Minister announced the much-awaited Matric results.

“We should state that none of the provinces performed below the 70% pass rate; and none had a decline when their 2022 results are compared with those of the previous year,” Motshekga said.

In addition, she said five provinces performed above the 70% pass rate, while four achieved over 80%.

The provinces with the highest improvements in their performances are KwaZulu-Natal with a 6.2% improvement, Limpopo with 5.3%, and the Eastern Cape with 4.2%.

More female candidates

According to the Minister, there were 89 334 girls – an improvement of 20.3% from 2021, who wrote the 2022 NSC examinations.

Of these, 161 235 female candidates obtained Bachelor passes – an increase of 10.3% from 2021; while 117 579 male candidates obtained Bachelor passes, up by 7% from 2021.

No fee schools

In addition, Motshekga said quintiles 1 to 3 schools, also known as “no fee” schools combined, stand at 387 401 – an upturn of 9.2% from 2021.

Bachelor passes achieved by learners in “no fee” schools were 169 903 – an increase of 13.4% from 2021.

“The significance of this enormous and unequalled achievement is that the gap between the Bachelor passes produced by ‘no fee’ schools, versus those produced by fee-paying schools, has significantly and progressively increased from 2% in 2015 to 16% in 2020, to 24% in 2021 and 25% in 2022,” the Minister said.

She acknowledged that the dropout rate was a concern, and vowed to address the matter and the repetition rates.

However, according to Motshekga, the number of learners reaching Grade 12 has been increasing progressively in recent years.

“It is therefore, not coincidental that 775 000 of the cohort of learners from the Class of 2022 reached Grade 12, from about 1.18 million learners who entered formal schooling in 2011,” she said, adding that 96% of these learners wrote last year’s NSC examinations.

The Minister has paid tribute to a “happy, young” cohort of teachers, principals, support staff and parents.

“What you do at the school level is what matters the most. The future of our learners and the prosperity of our nation, is in your hands.”

Source: South African Government News Agency

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Free State matrics lead the pack once more

The Free State has clinched the highest number of learners who passed their 2022 National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams for four years in a row, scoring a pass rate of 88.5%, an increase of 2.8% from 2021.

The province is followed by Gauteng, which achieved 84.4%, an increase of 1.6% from 2021, while KwaZulu-Natal, the most improved province, attained 83.0%, an increase of 6.2% from 2021.

Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga, revealed this during the much-awaited 2022 Matric results announcement at the Mosaïek Church in Fairlands, Gauteng, on Thursday evening.

While COVID-19, load shedding and service delivery protests may have impacted the academic programme, the Minister said the Class of 2022 managed to bag an overall pass rate of 80.1% – an increase of 3.7% compared to the previous year.

The results show that none of the provinces performed below the 70% pass rate and none had a decline when compared with the previous year.

In addition, Motshekga announced that five provinces performed above the 70% pass rate, while four achieved over 80%.

The provinces with the highest improvements in their performances are KwaZulu-Natal with 6.2%, Limpopo with 5.3%, and the Eastern Cape with 4.2%.

This information is based on the 922 034 candidates who registered for the 2022 Matric exams (with 725 146 full-time candidates).

Meanwhile, the Minister said the National Development Plan (NDP) recognises districts as a crucial interface of the Basic Education sector in identifying best practices, sharing information, and providing support to schools.

“The continued growth in the performance of districts is closely monitored and evaluated by both the provincial and national Basic Education departments. From the monitoring oversight, analyses of the performance of all schools… will be done and made available to districts. This will assist and enable districts to reprioritise their support and intervention programmes.”

According to the Minister, none of the 75 districts attained pass rates lower than 60%, while four districts performed at 60% and 69.9%.

In addition, 29 districts – nine in the Eastern Cape, one in KwaZulu-Natal, seven in Limpopo, four in Mpumalanga, two in the North West, two in the Northern Cape, and four in the Western Cape, performed between 70% and 79%.

Meanwhile, 42 districts – three in the Eastern Cape, five in the Free State, 15 in Gauteng, 11 in KwaZulu-Natal, two in the North West, two in the Northern Cape, and four in the Western Cape, performed at 80% and above.

Provincial-level performance:

The Free State is the leading province at 88.5%, an increase of 2.8% from 2021.

Gauteng achieved 84.4%, an increase of 1.6% from 2021.

KwaZulu-Natal, the best-improved province, achieved 83.0%, an increase of 6.2% from 2021.

Western Cape achieved 81.4%, an increase of 0.2% from 2021.

North West achieved 79.8%, an increase of 1.6% from 2021.

The third best-improved province, is the Eastern Cape, with an achievement of 77.3%, an increase of 4.2% from 2021.

Mpumalanga achieved 76.8%, a 2.9% increase from 2021.

Northern Cape achieved 74.2%, a 2.7% increase from 2021.

The second best-improved province is Limpopo, with an achievement of 72.1%, a 5.3% increase from 2021.

The top 10 district-level performances in the country in descending order:

Motheo in the Free State, with 90.8%.

Fezile Dabi in the Free State, with 90.4%.

Johannesburg West in Gauteng, with 89.7%.

Tshwane South in Gauteng, with 89.0.

Gauteng North in Gauteng, with 87.7%.

Xhariep in the Free State, with 87.5%.

Thabo Mafutsanyana in the Free State, with 87.3%.

Ugu in KwaZulu-Natal, with 87.2%.

Umkhanyakude in KwaZulu-Natal, with 86.3%.

Johannesburg North in Gauteng, with 86.2%.

Source: South African Government News Agency

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Police crack business owner kidnapping syndicate

National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola has commended a multi-disciplinary team for the arrest of six men believed to be part of a syndicate that has been terrorising business owners in Gauteng.

SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the team - consisting of various units, led by Crime Intelligence Officers and Organised Crime members - have been conducting surveillance on the syndicate and have already linked them to more than 16 cases.

These include kidnappings where ransom demands were being made in the province.

“In a takedown operation on Thursday morning, the team led by the Special Task Force (STF) and hostage negotiators conducted operations at various identified addresses in Gauteng including Jeppe, Helderwyk, Brackenhurst and Daveyton,” said Mathe.

She said during the operation, a businessman who was kidnapped on 7 January 2023 was successfully rescued from one of the premises and reunited with his family.

“At these premises, police also seized five high performance powered vehicle’s including two BMW’s, two Mercedes Benz sedans and one Toyota Urban Cruiser.

“Twenty cellphones and 30 portable GPS tracking devices are also among the items seized by the team,” she said.

Masemola in the statement said police continue to infiltrate and apprehend those behind the spate of kidnappings in the country.

“Our message is clear: the SAPS is coming for all criminals, either they make our lives easy by handing themselves in or we fetch them ourselves”.

In another unrelated incident, Sandton police arrested a Tanzanian national for possession and dealing in drugs on Wednesday afternoon.

“Police were acting on intelligence driven information when they found the suspect in possession of 500g of crystal meth and 1 kg of Heroine at an upmarket hotel in Sandton,” reads the statement.

Source: South African Government News Agency

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Police probe attempted murder following suspected attack on Fort Hare University employee

ALICE - Police opened a case of attempted murder this comes after a 32-year-old University of Fort Hare employee was found in his flat with his hands tied and mouth covered yesterday.

According to reports, the victim was only noticed by his colleagues after he did not report at work. They then went to investigate in his flat, where they eventually found him. He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital for medical care after they noticed that he was not well.

The circumstances surrounding the incident are currently under investigation. No injuries were reported. A case of attempted murder has been registered for investigation. No arrest made at this stage. It must be noted that the SAPS does not relate or associate this incident with previous incidents which were reported and associated with Fort Hare University employees.

Anyone with information that can lead police investigation into the arrest of the suspects is kindly requested to please make contact with Alice Police Station or call the Crime Stop number 08600 10111. The My SAPS App can also be used to submit any information.

Source: South African Police Service

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Cape Town receives clean audit for 2021/22

The City of Cape Town has received a clean audit from the Auditor General (AG) for the 2021/22 financial year. The City’s Annual Report served before the Mayoral Committee today, 19 January 2023, and will be on the Council agenda for 26 January 2023. Read more below:

‘Capetonians can feel confident that every cent of public money has gone towards service delivery, and that good governance is a non-negotiable in this city. My thanks go to every official who takes pride in delivery to residents, and does so with integrity and determination. Our work is about so much more than just clean audits – we must achieve actual outcomes for residents, and cut red tape where necessary to get it done.

‘Rest assured that we’ll keep working for you as we deliver on our key priorities. That includes ending load-shedding over time; making Cape Town safer; cleaning up our waterways and public places; releasing more land for affordable housing; improving public transport; and most importantly, working every day for meaningful economic growth that helps more people into jobs and out of poverty over time,’ said Cape Town Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis.

Cape Town has received unqualified audits every year since 2006. The City has also consistently been voted the most trusted metro in the country according to the Consulta Citizen Satisfaction Index.

As per the AG’s 21/22 report: ‘The audit report is unqualified and contains no issues for which management comments and corrective actions are required. In my opinion, the consolidated and separate financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the City of Cape Town.’

‘The City’s strong financial position is underscored by several indicators, including an unmatched almost 97% collection rate on municipal payments; the ability to pay all suppliers within 30 days; and a competitive credit rating relative to the negative sovereign and municipal outlook.

‘Our Finance Directorate worked extremely hard to achieve this outcome, in the face of increasingly complex regulatory and environmental challenges. Its impact is felt throughout the organisation, and I would like to congratulate the Chief Financial Officer and his team for their efforts,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Finance, Councillor Siseko Mbandezi.

Source: City Of Cape Town