Day: June 2, 2023

East Africa’s leaders have agreed to extend until September the mandate of a regional military force deployed to quell violence in the strife-torn east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The seven-nation East African Community (EAC) began the deployment last November with Kenyan soldiers arriving in the volatile region, followed this year by Burundian, Ugandan and South Sudanese contingents.

Its future had been in question, with DR Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi this month accusing troops of “cohabitation” with rebels and hinting the regional force could leave by the end of June. But at a summit in Burundi on Wednesday, the EAC agreed to keep their troops on the ground until September 8 to consolidate “gains” made.

“The summit reiterated its call to all parties to de-escalate tensions and to use established regional, continental, international mechanisms to resolve any disputes in the implementation of peace in eastern DRC,” said a statement.

The EAC Regional Force (EACRF) has taken over some areas previously occupied by the M23, but has so far failed to thwart the insurgency. Kinshasa wants the force to have an “offensive” mandate to push back M23 fighters, and many residents have expressed disappointment that M23 continues to operate with impunity.

Earlier this month, southern African nations agreed to deploy their own troops to eastern DR Congo to restore peace and security. The DR Congo has repeatedly accused its neighbour Rwanda, an EAC member, of backing the rebels, a charge Kigali denies.

The United States and several other Western countries, as well as independent UN experts, have also concluded that Rwanda is backing the rebels

Source: Nam News Network

Corruption threatens our security. It drives organized crime. It corrodes our economy. It crushes opportunities for development. And it traps people in cycles of inequality and poverty,” said UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly in her message on Anti-Corruption Day last year.

Corruption touches every region of the globe, including countries* belonging to the Southern African Development Community (SADC). By hindering sustainable development and diverting resources meant for the most vulnerable, corruption poses a significant threat to the stability and security of the SADC region.

The UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) can be a powerful tool in fighting back against corruption. As the only legally binding, universal anti-corruption instrument, UNCAC bolsters international cooperation in tracking, investigating, and prosecuting corruption.

Against this backdrop, around 100 high-level officials, experts, and civil society representatives from members of SADC gathered this week in Angola to develop and agree on a regional roadmap for tangible anti-corruption action in two priority areas.

Priority One: Cross-regional cooperation

Corruption often transcends national boundaries, and coordinated efforts are needed to overcome shared challenges in detecting, investigating and prosecuting corruption cases. Resource constraints, lack of skilled personnel, and misalignment between UNCAC and national laws on corruption, for instance, can hinder abilities to address corruption.

Enhancing information sharing and mutual legal assistance, building capacities by training law enforcement agencies, and increasing financial and human resources and strong political will are key to improve national and regional anti-corruption coordination.

Opening the high-level event, Marcy Lopes, Minister of Justice and Human Rights of Angola, called corruption an evil that must be combated by all. He also highlighted that it is an ongoing battle to ensure development and efficient public services.

Priority Two: Public Procurement

Public procurement, or the purchase of goods, services, and works by governments or state-owned enterprises, is a process particularly vulnerable to corruption. Through public procurement corruption, public authorities can siphon away funds meant for public services, harming especially the vulnerable. Every dollar lost to corruption in public procurement is a dollar that could have been invested in schools, hospitals, or infrastructure.

Strong oversight bodies, stringent anti-corruption laws, accountability and enhanced private sector compliance can ensure resources reach qualified beneficiaries.

Zahira Virani, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Angola emphasized that fighting corruption is essential to ensure investment into services and infrastructure for the benefit of the whole of society. The goal must be equal and sustainable development efforts without leaving anyone behind.

Strengthening the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption at regional levels

The conference is following the regional approach to fast-track the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). This approach has been successfully implemented by UNODC across the world since 2017 and was recognized by States Parties to the Convention through the adoption of the resolution 9/4 in December 2021.

The conference on combating corruption in Southern Africa concluded with the agreement on a common roadmap of anti-corruption activities to guide collective anti-corruption activities of SADC countries in the years to come.

Source: EMM/ UN

In concerted efforts to curb the spread of cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal, the Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, Ms Judith Tshabalala will join a team of bikers led by South African Female Riders Forum to hand over bottled water and water purification tablets (Aqua Tablets) at Jubilee Mall on Saturday, 03 June 2023.

The team of bikers will be coming from biking clubs in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and North West in the wake of the deadly cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal. A total of 500 000 litres of water and water purification tablets that can purify up to 7.2 million litres of water will be handed over to community members.

Members of the media are invited as follows:

Date: 3 June 2023

Venue: Jubilee Mall, Hammanskraal

Time: 11h00

Source: Government of South Africa

Social Development Deputy Minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu along with Free State MEC of Social Development Motshidise Koloi in partnership with USAID will today launch ChommY- a social and behavioural change programme, in Ficksburg, Free State.

In a statement on Friday, the department said the launch forms part of the Child Protection Week campaign which is commemorated under the theme: “Let us Protect Children during COVID-19 and Beyond”.

Observed under the theme; “Invest in my Future…Protect me Today”, ChommY aims to generate knowledge, develop skills, and empower young people to make informed choices and contribute to reducing the high prevalence of HIV infections, substance abuse and prevention of teenage pregnancy.

In 2020, the Department of Social development estimated that there were 642 000 migrant children in South Africa, making it the country with the largest child migrant population on the continent.

The Child Protection Week (CPW) campaign is commemorated in the country annually to raise awareness of the rights of children as articulated in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and Children’s Act (Act No. 38 of 2005).

“ChommY in Setsoto Local Municipality is being launched in the context of the Department’s You Only Live Once (YOLO) programme which was launched in 2015 to educate young people between the ages of 15 and 24 years about HIV/Aids, substance abuse, teenage pregnancy and being agents of social change. YOLO was established as part of the Department’s Comprehensive Strategy on HIV and Aids,” the department said.

According to Statistics South Africa’s 2018 HIV Prevalence Report, HIV prevalence among the youth aged 15 – 24 declined over time from 6.7% in 2002 to 5.5% in 2018.

According to the department, despite the decline, to date, HIV infections amongst the youth remain relatively high. This is hugely attributed to the behavioural, social, and structural drivers of HIV, which contribute to youth being vulnerable to the HIV and AIDS pandemic.

“Upon assessment of the YOLO programme, one of the findings was the distinct omission of children aged between 10 and 14, while reports have shown that some of them were already involved in risky sexual and social behaviour.

“Setsoto Local Municipality borders the Kingdom of Lesotho resulting in high numbers of undocumented children. South Africa as signatory to different international conventions, including the United Nations Convention on the rights of the child, and the African Charter on the Rights and welfare of the Child, is obligated to accord every child who lives within the borders of the country to receive all basic services including healthcare, education, food and shelter,” the department said.

ChommY, a colloquial term for “friend” seeks to build a positive friendship among children of between 10 and 14 years and to encourage young boys and girls to motivate one another to minimise risky behaviour and social ills, including, bullying.

The programme gives children the opportunity to develop a personal plan for their lives and emphasises the importance of support from parents and communities to enable young people to make informed decisions.

The programme forms part of a basket of Social Behavioural Change (SBC) programmes offered by the Department of Social Development.

Children from Setsoto Local Municipality will form part of the launch and participate in indigenous games, share their social experiences and solutions and interact with the programme’s mascot Bokamoso. –SAnews.gov.za

Source: South African Government News Agency

The commemoration of Youth Day this year marks the 47th anniversary of the 16 June Soweto uprising. Youth Day — June 16 — commemorates a day where thousands of courageous students stood together to march against oppressive apartheid education policies.

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Source: South African Government News Agency

Gauteng MEC for Transport and Logistics Kedibone Diale-Tlabela has strongly condemned the attacks on e-hailing drivers and burning of cars at Maponya Mall in Soweto.

“We would like to strongly condemn these senseless attacks on individuals and damage to vehicles. These acts are unacceptable and must be dealt with harshly,” the MEC said on Friday.

This comes after an alleged confrontation that took place on Thursday between minibus taxi drivers and e-hailing drivers. It is alleged that minibus taxi drivers attacked e-hailing operators’ drivers and burnt three vehicles and damaged four others at Maponya Mall parking area.

Two of the burned vehicles are said to have belonged to an e-hailing operator while one belonged to a private person.

Three people were rushed to hospital following the incident with one of them having sustained injuries following a shooting incident, allegedly by minibus taxi drivers.

“We will not be deterred from building an integrated and modernised public transport system by individuals who use intimidation and violence to put their message across.

“We wish those injured a speedy recovery and call on law enforcement officials to work around the clock to apprehend those who were involved in this barbaric attack. They should face the full might of the law,” Diale-Tlabela said.

The MEC said the Department of Roads and Transport has made significant strides to root out violence in the public transport sector following the 2019 Gauteng Taxi Summit and in line with the recommendations of the Taxi Violence Commission.

“Following the recommendations of the Taxi Violence Commission, amendments were made to the Gauteng Public Transport Regulations Entity 2011, to introduce Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanism within the public transport service industry, putting government at the forefront in resolving taxi disputes and promote stability in the province.

“We call on all public transport operators to make use of the Arbitration Office to resolve their disputes,” the MEC said. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: South African Government News Agency