Day: March 10, 2023

MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, Nono has urged municipalities in the province to spend their infrastructure grants allocation to curb poor service delivery which is mainly as a result of poorly maintained infrastructure.

Malolyi who was addressing Mayors, Municipal Managers, water and energy utilities on Tuesday in Mahikeng said most of the recent service delivery protests are as a result of lack of provision of basic services by municipalities. He said the grants are meant to eradicate municipal infrastructure backlogs and ensure the provision of basic services such as water, sanitation, roads and street lights.

He called on municipalities to develop a recovery plan detailing how they intend spending their allocations before the end of the local government financial year in June. He said a team of officials from both the department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and Provincial Treasury will be dispatched to municipalities to assist them to develop and implement the financial recovery plans and to monitor progress.

He said whilst municipalities are failing to pay Eskom and water utilities, they are also owed large amounts of money by some departments. He added that the department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and Provincial Treasury will work on a strategy to assist municipalities to recoup monies owed to them by other departments.

“Municipalities must consider investing in pre-paid meters where possible. Consumers will have no option but to pay for what they use. In that way, municipalities will be able to generate revenue and meet their financial obligations.

He has appealed to members of the public to report to the police any person who destroys the infrastructure. “These people are known and they do not only destroy the infrastructure but they are also denying other people access to services. They must be apprehended and face the full might of the law”, warned Maloyi.

He advised that the department has developed a turn-around strategy in consultation with the North West University which identifies the challenges in municipalities and how they can be addressed. He said the strategy will address a number of aspects ranging from skills shortages, municipal audit outcomes and financial management, amongst others.

“Municipalities in the province are in serious trouble and this call for a differentiated approach to supporting municipalities based on capacity of municipalities”, he said.

Source: Government of South Africa

The South African government, in conjunction with the Eswatini government, has concluded public consultations to review a treaty between the two countries on the development and utilisation of the water resources of the Komati River Basin.

The treaty is being reviewed through the Joint Water Commission (JWC) between the Republic of South Africa and the Kingdom of Eswatini in order to broaden the scope of work of the Komati Basin Water Authority (KOBWA). This will enable the authority to complement and enhance efforts towards the provision of water management related services by the two countries.

The first public consultation took place on 2 March 2023 in Malelane, Mpumalanga, and the second was held in the Kingdom of Eswatini on 9 March 2023.

KOBWA is an international organisation formed by South Africa and Eswatini to manage operations and maintenance of the Driekoppies Dam (in SA) and Maguga Dam (in Eswatini).

The organisation has been responsible for designing, constructing, operating and maintaining the Maguga and Driekoppies Dams, as well as associated infrastructure, which was constructed mainly to provide assurance of water supply for irrigation purposes in both member States.

Addressing delegates and stakeholders during public consultations, the Department of Water and Sanitation's Chief Director for International Water and Sanitation Corporation, Duduzile Mthembu, called for concerted collaborations to foster transboundary relations.

“The Komati River Basin Treaty was signed in 1992, with a focus on design, construction, operation and maintenance of the Maguga Dam, in Eswatini and the Driekoppies Dam in Schoemansdal, South Africa.

“It is through the treaty that we have seen the successful completion of the construction of the two dams. We now have to consider other avenues to look into broadening the scope of the treaty and thus ensure water security in both countries,” Mthembu said.

Echoing Mthembu’s sentiments, KOBWA Chief Executive Officer, Trevor Shongwe, affirmed that the effects of climate change - which often result in drought and severe flooding - require innovative thinking and adaptation measures.

“We have seen how floods have wrecked people’s livelihoods and the damage caused to the environment. The review of this treaty should enable all of us to proactively curb or prevent the dire effects of climate change,” Shongwe said.

Stakeholders who attended the public consultations in the two countries included small-scale farmers, irrigation boards, and catchment agencies, amongst others.

The treaty under review can be found on the KOBWA website www.kobwa.co.za and inputs can be sent through email on treatyreview@kobwa.co.za until 31 March 2023.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Government welcomes the call by the PSCBC for all parties involved in the public service wage negotiations to return to the bargaining council to continue with negotiations.

While we welcome the return to the bargaining council by unions that had initially opted to stay out of the ongoing negotiations, the government is concerned about protests that are currently ongoing in the Country and are taking on a nature that is not reflective of defending democracy and human rights.

Whilst the right to protest is guaranteed in the Constitution, it has to be done so within the confines of the law. Any deviation from the law, such as illegal protests, destruction of property, infringement of the rights of others, intimidation, violence, and damage to infrastructure, amongst others are viewed as criminal activities.

The government condemned the disruptive actions displayed yesterday and continuing today by some members of trade unions at some health and other government facilities around the country, which affected access to urgently required health care by citizens whose right to life and health is constitutional.

Government reiterates that no one has the authority to block anyone from accessing healthcare and other government facilities in the country. The right to have access to healthcare services is a basic human right guaranteed by the Constitution. The government acknowledges the right of labour to raise their concerns, however, the infringement on the basic human right goes against the law and will not be tolerated.

Government calls upon all parties to remain committed to the process of the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council Collective Agreement to arrive at a solution that serves the best interests of the country.

It is well known that if protests remain non-violent, they can extend democracy. The government acknowledges that protests are at the core of democratic consciousness; however, they must be within the confines of the law. Government is alive of the challenges affecting society; however, we cannot use violence to make our voices heard. Our democracy offers many avenues for people or communities to address any grievance. All stakeholders involved are urged to engage in discussion and resolve issues peacefully.

The principle of no work no pay will apply to public servants taking part in the strike during working hours.

Source: Government of South Africa

The Electoral Commission (Commission) mourns the loss of Mr Stephanus Sebastiaan van der Merwe, fondly known as “Fanie” or “SS”. Mr van der Merwe served as a founding Commissioner since the establishment of the Commission in 1997. The Commission has learned that he passed away on Monday, 6 March 2023.

With a training and background in law, Mr Van der Merwe rose through the ranks of the Department of Justice, with his public service career culminating in a decade and a half spent as Director-General of the Departments of Internal Affairs (now Home Affairs) and of Justice, as well as Head of the Constitutional Development Service, and Constitutional Adviser in the Department of Constitutional Development.

His role involved him in various activities that supported the transitional process logistically and otherwise in the transition to democratic government in South Africa. He was, among others, intimately involved in the negotiations leading to the signing of the Peace Accord, and the establishment and structuring of CODESA. He served as a government delegate at CODESA and as a member of the two-person CODESA secretariat. He was also a delegate at the Multiparty Negotiation process that followed on CODESA. Mr Van der Merwe went on to serve as a member of the two-person secretariat responsible for the administration and facilitation of the Transitional Executive Council (TEC) in the period leading up to the 1994 elections.

His activities at CODESA, the Multiparty Negotiation Process and the TEC involved him in the genesis of both the Independent Electoral Commission and the Electoral Act that governed the 1994 elections. His association with the Department of Constitutional Development drew him into the Local Government Elections of 1995/6.

Mr Van der Merwe was also part of a task group that drafted the bill for the establishment of the present Electoral Commission, which required research and reporting on a number of electoral systems. He was appointed as a Commissioner of the Electoral Commission in July 1997, with the task of establishing the administration to deliver the 1996 national and provincial elections. He served two terms as a member of the Electoral Commission until his final retirement on 19 October 2011.

Commissioner Van der Merwe was soft-spoken and yet, a master of strategy. He is one of those who selflessly made his mark on the transformation of our democracy, in general, and electoral democracy, in particular. His impressive command of electoral legislation, together with a polite sense of humour, will remain a lasting legacy for us in the Commission.

As we mourn his loss, we celebrate the gentle giant that he was to all of us. We salute him and think of his loved ones at this difficult time. To them we say, thank you for sharing him with all of us.

Source: Government of South Africa

The Minister of Water and Sanitation, Mr Senzo Mchunu, will on Monday, 13 March 2023, hold a meeting with Executive Mayors from the three Metropolitan Municipalities and other municipalities in Gauteng on water sustainability in the province.

The resolutions culminating from the meeting will be outlined during a media briefing to be led by Minister Mchunu and various mayors on Tuesday, 14 March 2023.

This is one of many efforts that Minister Mchunu has embarked upon in various parts of the country, to unlock bottlenecks that hinder uninterrupted provision of water services to communities.

Source: Government of South Africa

Address by the Minister of Tourism, Patricia De Lille, at the Barsa Vulindlela Aviation Summit in Cape Town

Good morning, molweni, goeie more, as-salaam alaikum, shalom,

It is my great pleasure to address you all here today as important stakeholders in the tourism sector and in my first week as the Minister of Tourism.

Tourism is a major sector for our country and we have much more to offer the world. We can do a lot more to reach our full potential and create many more jobs for our people.

Tourism has always been a passion of mine because I am blessed to be born in this beautiful country.

We are blessed with a good climate, beautiful scenery, beautiful beaches, ranges and mountains and diverse cultures and people and some of the best food and restaurants in the world.

I have always said that our best asset is our people and I have heard this from people all over the world, that South Africans are some of the friendliest people.

I have just started in this new portfolio so I am grateful for the opportunity to introduce myself to industry representatives here today.

I understand the importance of this sector that must bring more people into our country.

Ladies and gentlemen we are making a great recovery after the devastating blow that was COVID 19, we now have to work and push even harder to get our numbers to higher heights.

We are seeing great growth in our tourist arrival numbers between January and December 2022 where it reached 5.7million.

This represents an increase of 152.6% from January to December 2021.

It is encouraging to see that the biggest number of arrivals was from Africa with an increase of 126.6% between January and December 2022 compared to 2021.

With the growth we have seen, I am committed to working with BARSA and to find new ways and means to increase air access in and out of our country even more.

I look forward to engaging with you more in detail at a later stage.

South Africa is open for business, it is one of the world’s most picturesque playgrounds, it is a melting pot of cultures and people and it is the place to be.

With that, I thank you for having me here today and I wish you all the best with your gathering and your respective areas of work and let’s do tourism.

Let’s leave here ready to action what we need to and make tourism the crown jewel in our economy that it is meant to be.

Thank you and God bless.

Source: Government of South Africa