By OBAKENG MAJE  

North West Premier, Busy Maape said the province has many semiarid areas but they will ensure that communities receive indispensable services including provision of water. Maape along with the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu embarked on an oversight visit to Brits Water treatment plant on Friday.   

“The municipality will expedite all processes in bringing about change in this project. This is done in the interests of our communities. I further commit that all relevant authorities will move with speed in adhering to the set-out the deadlines.

“This is part of a broader plan which encapsulates expediting provision of services to communities. The municipalities are strategically positioned to accelerate provision of services to the people of the province and this will top the agenda of my administration,” he said.

Maape further said they are duty-bound to respond to challenges of service delivery in the province. He added that as per the dictates of the constitution municipalities are legally obligated to carry this constitutional imperative.

“We are confident that the completion of the project will bring much-needed relief to our people. We will be monitoring progress from the province to make sure that actions agreed upon are implemented.  

“We made an oversight visit to assess its status and develop a remedial action plan to respond to challenges bedeviling provision of water services in this municipality. In the recent past, several concerns have been raised by residents with regards to the poor quality of water provision by the municipality,” said Maape.

Meanwhile, Mchunu who was accused of using this activity for ‘electioneering’ said: “It is a coincidence that the ministry’s appointment and subsequent assumption of duty in relation to the provision of water and sanitation services and intervening in the problems which persist, is being perceived by some as electioneering on behalf of the governing party and not viewed as part of us actually carrying out the constitutional and legislative mandates of the department.

“Having read the views expressed on various platforms, including print and social media, what was interesting to note was that these lofty comments emanated from individuals who have full and unrestricted access to clean water, rather than those without any or restricted access to water.”

He said it has also been opined by some individuals, that the non-delivery of water is not as a result of water shortages, but rather as a result of serious mismanagement that plague municipalities.

Mchunu said they acknowledge and confirm that there are challenges in municipalities, for example, the City of Tshwane in relation to the water issues in Hammanskraal, in which they are currently intervening.

“In respect of these management challenges and the non-delivery of water and sanitation services, we have intervened, interacted with municipalities outside of and as part of our provincial visits and have reached consensus on a way forward in most respects.

“What we do emphasise during our engagements is that, whilst we acknowledge the role played by the municipalities as water services authorities, we will not allow their inefficiencies to impede on the delivery of water and sanitation services to the citizens of South Africa,” said Mchunu.

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By STAFF REPORTER

The South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO) has urged people to continue to adhere to COVID-19 regulations. This comes after the South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa put the country on the adjusted Lockdown level 2 on Sunday evening.  

SANCO national spokesperson, Simon Skhosana said in a statement that they welcome the lowering of COVID-19 restrictions, however, they caution against irresponsible behaviour particularly in the run-up towards the 2021 Local Government Elections on 1 November 2021.      

“Vaccine hesitancy remains a major obstacle towards herd immunity which will guarantee economic recovery and a return to some form of normalcy. Public education and mobilization to ramp up vaccination rollout must therefore be intensified to counter myths and conspiracy theories particularly among men.

“We implore various political parties not to run ahead of themselves in their quest to speedily mobilise voters through mass gatherings while compromising the lives of the targeted voters. Those who do so would not be deserving of anyone’s vote,” he said.

Skhosana highlighted that non-surgical intervention such as wearing of masks, observing social distancing, and regular washing of hands or sanitizing must be religiously followed to curb infections.

He also urged unregistered and first-time voters to make use of the 18-19 September 2021 final weekend voter registration to register for participation in the crucial elections.

“None should miss the opportunity to exercise their hard-won democratic right to vote for candidates of their own choice who will advance their wishes and aspirations. All of us must go out there and ensure that our addresses are correctly captured on the voters’ roll.

“Communities must not be intimidated by those who are desperate enough to resort to political killings and public violence when they are not nominated as councillors. Barbaric acts of violence such as the drive-by shooting that claimed the lives of three women in KwaZulu-Natal have no place in democratic processes,” said Skhosana.

He further calls on communities to reject such heinous and ghastly acts with the contempt that they deserve as well as assist law enforcement agencies to unmask the heartless perpetrators responsibly.

Meanwhile, Ramaphosa said: “South Africa is fast becoming a vaccination site. Over a quarter of all adult South Africans have received at least one vaccine dose and more than 7

million people are fully vaccinated.

“In the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, and the Western Cape, more than 1 in 5 adults are now fully vaccinated. The total number of vaccine doses administered in the country now stands at 14.6 million doses.”

He said they are now administering a million doses every 4 to 5 days. Ramaphosa added that the government has secured sufficient vaccines to vaccinate the entire adult population, and the supply of vaccines is no longer a constraint.

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By CYRIL RAMAPHOSA

Dear Fellow South African,
 
A year before the first democratic elections, President Nelson Mandela wrote an article in Foreign Policy magazine on the new South Africa’s future foreign policy.
 
Reflecting on the shifts in global alliances brought about by the end of the Cold War, he wrote that countries would have to “recast their nets” if they were to reap any benefit from international affairs.
 
Since the tectonic shift of 1994 when we made a decisive break with not just apartheid but the international relations outlook of its architects, South Africa’s foreign policy continues to be characterised by this “recasting the net”.
 
Our foreign policy priorities are regional political and economic integration, pursing African development, multilateral engagement and the promotion of democracy, peace and human rights.
 
To this end we have forged strategic alliances with both the countries of the Global South and mutually beneficial cooperation with the countries of the North.
 
Joining the BRICS group of countries in 2010 was a milestone in our quest to advance our own national development priorities by forging stronger ties with the important emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China.
 
Put into context, BRICS countries comprise roughly 41% of the world’s population and account for around 24% of global GDP and some 16% of global trade.
 
We have reaped the benefits of membership of this important bloc, most notably in the area of economic cooperation.
 
Bilateral trade has grown, particularly with China and India, with commodity exports and manufactured goods imports featuring strongly.
 
The BRICS countries continue to be important sources of foreign direct investment in key such as mining, automotive, transportation, clean energy, financial services and IT.
 
A 2018 review of our BRICS membership by professional services firm Deloitte noted that BRICS partners “invested three times more capital in the country compared to the seven years prior to 2011”. These investments and projects have in turn led to significant job creation.
 
Since the formation of the New Development Bank, whose regional office is located in Johannesburg, South Africa has been a beneficiary of financing and technical support for projects in transportation, clean energy, environmental protection, water infrastructure and greenhouse gas emissions reduction.
 
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, South Africa has received $2 billion in funding from the New Development Bank under the COVID-19 Emergency Loan Programme to fight the pandemic and to support our economic recovery.
 
There has also been substantial cooperation with our BRICS partners in securing personal protective equipment and cooperation around vaccine access and distribution.
 
Last week we participated in the 13^th BRICS Summit, where BRICS countries agreed to deepen cooperation to fight COVID-19 and mobilise the political support and financial resources needed to respond to future pandemic preparedness.
 
This includes the establishment of a virtual BRICS Vaccine Research and Development Centre and a BRICS Integrated Early Warning System to forecast future outbreaks of infectious diseases.
 
Another important area of agreement was on mutual recognition of national documents of vaccination and systems of COVID-19 testing – something that will be vital to cross-border travel in the future.
 
The concept of mutually beneficial cooperation will be particularly important in the global economic recovery, where unequal development means that some countries will bounce back quickly, while others will lag behind.
 
In support of economic recovery, BRICS partners agreed to strengthen collaboration in catalytic sectors such as energy, IT, science, technology and innovation, agriculture and the green economy. These are all important sectors identified in our Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan announced last year.
 
Cooperation with other BRICS countries, particularly in the field of innovation research, will help to accelerate our country’s industrialisation and help us meet our Fourth Industrial Revolution aspirations. In this regard, discussions were held around the creation of formal BRICS platforms to share best practice, knowledge and expertise, including the use of open source technology platforms.
 
The BRICS partners agreed that developing countries need assistance to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and that donor countries should honour their commitments in this regard.
 
This is particularly important within the context of climate action. Like most countries, South Africa seeks to move towards a low-carbon development path that is inclusive, sustainable and that takes into account our status as a developing country. The BRICS Energy Research Cooperation Platform will be valuable as we move to diversify our energy sources.
 
In the eleven years since we joined BRICS, our membership has substantially advanced our national interest. Being a member of BRICS has enhanced our position as an important emerging economy. It has given us access to policy and technical expertise of larger and established economies, as well as access to the support of the National Development Bank. It has strengthened our activism on the global stage, particularly around reform of multilateral institutions.
 
We have benefitted from being part of a collective voice striving to advance a world order based on mutual respect and the equal sovereignty of nations.
 
BRICS is of immense strategic importance to our country, and will continue to be so for some time to come.

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By OBAKENG MAJE

The Modise family in Khudutlou village near Taung said they will not rest until the person who killed their daughter, Gosego Modise (19) is behind bars. It was a sombre moment on Saturday as Gosego was laid to rest.  

Seabo High School learner’s body was discovered in an unused pat latrine on 5 September 2021 morning after being strangled to death. It is alleged that Gosego went on a drinking spree with a close family friend who is known to Taung DailyNews before meeting her untimely death.

The suspect allegedly assaulted her after she refused to go and sleep with him. The deceased’s aunt, Gadifele Modise said they are not happy with how the police have handled this matter.   

“The police kept us in the dark regarding the murder investigations. We just saw in the media that the suspect has been released. We had to go to the police to get more details on what has transpired.

“Now, the police told us that they have released the suspect because all witnesses in this matter were drunk. Gosego’s death has affected us as a family and we will not leave any stone unturned in the quest to find justice for her. What is also surprising is that the police have released her body without autopsy results,” she said.

Gadifele alleged that the family of the suspect ‘might have bribed the police to conceal evidence.’ She said the police also squashed allegations that Gosego was raped before being murdered but they do not believe it.

“They say the suspect does not deny that Gosego has bitten him on his hand after a commotion ensued between the two. The suspect insists that he left Gosego behind when going home. But some of the witnesses refute his version and say he was the last person seen with Gosego.  

“It is also alleged that the suspect elbowed Gosego in her face and she developed a swollen eye. The police have released the deceased’s body without postmortem outcomes and we believe the is something sinister they are hiding,” Modise said.

North West police spokesperson, Lieutenant Col Amanda Funani said the police have opened a murder case and investigations are underway. Funani said no arrests have been made thus far.  

Meanwhile, Monantsi Kgatwe (21) who was a friend to the deceased described her as a bubbly and loving person. Kgatwe said she was with Gosego at a tavern during that fateful night but left her behind after the tavern was closed.

“Gosego liked finer things and she was larger than life. She was always bubbly and liked to joke around. We met after school on that day and I met her in a tavern later on while in the company of the suspect.

“Her death has affected us all and we hope the police find her killer. We are living in different times where Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is rife and we urge our law enforcement agencies to arrest the perpetrator/s so that my friend can get justice,” Kgatwe said.

Community Development Worker (CDW) in the area, Tebogo Motshebe said: “We call on all men to take a stand in a fight against GBV. We have lost a young life that has a brighter future ahead of her. As men, we must be ashamed of ourselves, but we have a responsibility in identifying and treating the underlying causes of GBV.  

“So, I urge all men to be steadfast and fight this cause. We urge the police to speedily arrest the suspect and all those witnesses to come forward so that Gosego can receive justice,” Motshebe said.

Meanwhile, the Forum 4 Service Delivery (F4SD) president, Dr Mbahare Kekana visited the family on 10 September 2021. ANC Women’s League in the area was also part of the proceedings.

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