Daily Archives: May 2, 2024

Africa’s Travel Indaba reaches aground-breaking achievements 

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Picture: The Minister for Tourism, Patricia De Lille/Google

By OBAKENG MAJE 

Minister for Tourism, Patricia De Lille said with a fully sold-out floor space, Africa’s Travel Indaba has reached a ground-breaking achievement as it will see an unprecedented participation of 26 African countries exhibiting this year. De Lille said this is testament to the pivotal role the trade show plays in advancing the continent’s growth.

She further said this year’s Africa’s Travel Indaba, will take place from 14 to 16 May 2024 and will be preceded by Business Opportunity Networking Day (BONday) on 13 May 2024. De Lille added that this is an important gathering of the global tourism sector and other related industry stakeholders.

“Over 26 countries will be exhibiting this year, including Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia and Rwanda. 

“Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zanzibar and Zimbabwe, will also form part. These countries represent a total of 344 products that will be showcased, an increase of 14 % compared to last year’s 301 products,” she said.

De Lille said Burkina Faso, Eritrea, and Guinea, are the three new entrants. She said overall, a total of 55 countries are participating in this year’s event, including all newcomers.

“In total, this year’s event will see more than 1 030 exhibitors showcasing their products and tourism offerings and more than 890 buyers attending the event from all over the world. The buyers include inbound tour operators, foreign travel agents, destination marketing companies, online booking agents and airlines.

“As usual, the department will be funding the participation of 120 South Africans’ small to medium enterprises to exhibit their tourism offerings at this year’s Africa Travel indaba. This will help them gain exposure to a wide-ranging network of tourism trade industry players from all over Africa and the world,” said De Lille.

She said this is Africa Travel Indaba’s ongoing mission and commitment to driving the continent’s economic development and fostering collaboration and growth is clear. De Lille said she is pleased to welcome the new countries that are joining them in exhibiting at the trade show for the first time. 

“We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial partnership. The increase in the number of countries can be attributed to several key factors, including the fact that in the past few years, tourism has also emerged as a cornerstone of sustainable development strategies across the continent.

“Africa’s Travel Indaba provides a platform for African tourism product owners to meet with global buyers. With a record number of participating countries this year, buyers will have a wide variety of products and experiences to engage with,” she said. 

According to De Lille, she is confident that Africa’s Travel Indaba will continue to be a fertile environment for closing business deals that nurture partnership and drive growth. 

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Action SA calls on government to address unemployment among graduates 

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Picture: Action SA calls on government to create more jobs for graduates  

By OBAKENG MAJE 

Action SA has called on the government to reflect on perpetuating the prevalence of unemployed university graduates in South Africa. This comes after an outcry as the unemployment rate, especially amongst the youth, reaches an all-time high. 

Action SA Team Fix SA member for Higher Education, Dr Tutu Faleni said, the government should reflect on issues that perpetuate the prevalence of unemployed graduates in South Africa. Faleni said the celebration of Workers Day came at a time when the country is at an all-time high regarding the unemployment rate, including graduates from Higher Learning Institutions. 

“The 2024 National Elections serve as a time of reflection on what has been achieved by the government regarding the creation of an economy that allows graduates produced annually by the higher institutions of learning to get employed and use the skills gained. 

“These are young people, the majority of whom made huge personal sacrifices to obtain a higher education training and qualification, with hopes that their country will award them employment opportunities,” he said. 

Faleni further said it is disheartening to see these university graduates join the continuously expanding pool of unemployment, to an extent of taking their plight to the streets in protest. He added that, this country cannot continue awarding unemployed graduates with a R350 social distress grant, instead of fixing the economy to enable employment opportunities. 

“We also believe that the state’s ultimate goal should be to provide services and foster the environment necessary for socio-economic prosperity and upward mobility, rather than being directly involved in job or income creation. 

“Action SA believes that drastic steps should be taken to provide employment to the many unemployed university graduates who have not in their lifetime enjoyed the benefits of full time employment,” said Faleni. 

He said they believe that increased access to education should be accompanied with an increase in economic opportunities to achieve prosperity and upward mobility for unemployed graduates.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Employment and Labour, Thulas Nxesi said: “As department, May Day serves dual purposes – a celebration of workers’ rights and a poignant reminder of the pivotal role that trade unions, the communist party and other labour organisations played in the struggle against apartheid.

“Workers’ Day in South Africa carries its unique cultural significance. The public holiday has come to symbolise not only the sacrifices made in an arduous journey towards fair employment standards but also the fierce battle against apartheid, where trade and labour played a crucial role.” 

Nxesi said given that South Africa’s working classes were the most oppressed under apartheid, the fight for improved working conditions and the battle to dismantle systematic segregation became inextricably linked. 

He said prior to the 1994 elections, labour and trade groups frequently used Workers’ Day as a rallying symbol against segregation and oppression of the apartheid regime, organising demonstrations and fostering widespread resistance. 

“This day serves as a testament to their resilience and determination,” the department said,” said Nxesi.

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The department aims to bridge the gap between commercial and emerging farmers  

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Picture: The North West MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Desbo Mohono, together with Head of Department, Thupi Mokhatla, handing over tractor to Daniel Soya at Goedgevonden village/Supplied

By OBAKENG MAJE 

The North West MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Desbo Mohono said in an effort to bridge the gap between the commercial, emerging and subsistence farmers, her department handed over agricultural mechanization to Daniel Soya in Goedgevonden village, who is a soybeans producer. 

Mohono said this was part of the Accelerated Service Delivery Programme, Thuntsa Lerole.

“The mechanization, which includes a tractor, planter and harvester amongst others, is one way of addressing food insecurity in the province. The use of agricultural mechanization is significant for smallholder farmers because it advances production efficiency, reassures large-scale production, and increases the quality of farm produce.

“We are committed to ensuring that farmers have access to contemporary agriculture mechanization that would enhance their productivity in this competitive environment,” she said. 

Mohono further said they want to maximize and increase the potential net worth of the agriculture sector and improve its contribution to the agricultural sector. She added that, to contribute towards achieving provincial priorities, mechanization encourages large-scale production and enhances the quality of farm produce from smallholders.

“Without proper mechanization, the development of the sector with smallholder black farmers as meaningful participants in the economy will be greatly affected, thus farmers will be compelled to change land use from agriculture to other lucrative non-agricultural uses. 

“The implements were one way to address food insecurity and the mechanization would increase household food production,” said Mohono. 

She said agricultural mechanization has significantly aided, which is an enhancement of the farming community in the overall economic upliftment. Mohono said the usage of agricultural mechanization by smallholder farmers has produced an increase in farm returns than those with no agricultural mechanization usage.

Meanwhile, Soya said: “I am very grateful to the department as the cost of mechanization was not affordable. They contributed with mechanization so that I can grow my own produce and maximize food security. 

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Police are searching for a missing girl

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Picture: The missing girl, Maletlhogonolo Hlongwane/Supplied 

By OBAKENG MAJE 

The police in Ventersdorp are searching for a missing girl, Maletlhogonolo Hlongwane (5), who allegedly went missing on 28 April 2024 at around 6am. The North West police spokesperson, Col Adele Myburgh said, Hlongwane and her sibling (3), were left alone at home in Goedgevonden village by a parent, who allegedly went to a local tavern. 

“When a parent arrived back home, Hlongwane was nowhere to be found. An intensive search was conducted around Goedgevonden, but that did not yield positive results. Hlongwane, who is dark in complexion, was last seen wearing a red tracksuit top, peach trousers and no shoes. 

“The police request anyone who may have information that can assist to locate her to contact Sergeant Cecilia Batantse or Capt Willem Smit on 060 967 3966 / 082 772 6453 or the South African Police Service (SAPS) Crime Stop number on 08600 10111,” she said.

Myburgh further said alternatively, information can be shared via MySAPS App from your smartphone. She added that a case of child neglect is also under investigation against the parent.

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Former Meat Brothers Pub owner, Tshwaro Mangwegape back in court 

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Picture: Former Meat Brothers Pub owner, Tshwaro Mangwegape/Facebook 

By OBAKENG MAJE

The former Meat Brothers Pub owner, Tshwaro Mangwegape (41), who is out on R5000 bail, is accused of shooting and killing the NWU Soccer Institute player, Undivile “Vilo” Mdi (28) and injuring his friend, Aobakwe Ernest Kokwe (33) is back in court today. 

On 17 December 2023, Mdi and Kokwe were amongst patrons who visited the establishment that was full to capacity. It is alleged that the security guards refused entry to patrons who did not have Identification Documents (IDs) and that led to a stampede.

Mdi and Kokowe allegedly tried to gain entry forcefully, but Mangwegape allegedly pulled out a gun and shot at them. Mdi was fatally shot, while his friend was rushed to the hospital with terrible gunshot wounds.

Mangwegape’s case was postponed to 2 May 2024, while the state is still waiting for ballistic test results.

Meanwhile, one of the community leaders, Kgakololo Koji said: “We are very disappointed by the North West High Court decision. But what I promise you that, we will be here again in numbers on 2 May 2024.

“We want the magistrate to see that the accused is not even safe and the masses are aggravated by the North West High Court decision.”

The ANCYL spokesperson in North West, Molebang Mohlomi said in a statement that, they condemn violence meted against patrons at the Meat Brothers. Mohlomi said it is alleged that security guards and bouncers unleashed live ammunition towards unarmed civilians, who were trying to gain access to the establishment.

“This barbaric behaviour bothers public safety. This shows how business owners lack respect for their clients. A clinical approach to review licences of public places must be applied to ensure those who are bestowed with the responsibility to protect patrons are PSIRA compliant. 

“We have sent our heartfelt condolences to the families that have lost their loved ones. Equally so, we call upon law enforcement agencies to speedily resolve this brutish crime,” he said.

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