Runners wanting to experience the stunning new routes for the Cape Town Marathon and Cape Town 10km, which include parts of the popular Fan Walk, have just 5 days left to enter before the 5pm deadline on Monday 9 September. The events on Sunday 22 September 2013 will follow new routes after the Race Organisers [...]New course for Cape Town Marathon is a post from: Time-to-Run South Africa


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Â*The European Triathlon Union are delighted to announce the European Cups and Junior European Cups which will take place all over Europe in 2014. With 21 European Cups in total, covering the many different race formats and disciplines, 2014 is already shaping up to be one of the most diverse triathlon calendars with new countries [...]ETU 2014 Race Calendar is a post from: Time-to-Tri


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Manila - The Philippines faced the gigantic task of bringing relief to the struggling survivors of deadly Typhoon Haiyan, which wrought untold...

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Unit 1 of Koeberg’s nuclear power station will be shut down from today onwards for a rescheduled refuelling, inspection and maintenance outage, says Eskom.

“As a result, the system is expected to be particularly tight for the next two weeks until two coal-fired generators return to service from maintenance, alleviating the constraint,” said Eskom on Sunday.

Unit 1 is expected to return to service in the fourth week of December 2013, while Unit 2 at Koeberg -- which is located in the Western Cape -- continues to operate at full power.

Every 16 to 18 months, each of the two units at Koeberg is shut down for refuelling, inspection and maintenance. The routine shutdowns are scheduled so as to avoid having both units out of service at the same time and to avoid the winter months in each year.

During these routine planned outages, one third of the used nuclear fuel is replaced with new fuel. Statutory inspections and maintenance are performed, and modifications, that will ensure that international safety standards continue to be met or that improve the plant performance, are implemented.

The scheduled shutdown of Koeberg Unit 1 is part of Eskom’s overall maintenance programme for its fleet of power stations. The shutdown has taken into account Eskom’s plans to keep the lights on and it is not expected to result in a shortage of supply to the Western Cape or the rest of the country.

The power utility undertakes most of the maintenance of power stations during the summer months. There are power station units that are also currently in various stages of their maintenance activities, putting a further strain on the grid.

“The power system remains tight and balancing demand and supply is a daily challenge. We urge all customers to use electricity sparingly and wisely and to switch off, particularly over the evening peak,” said Eskom. – SAnews.gov.za

Paying a fraction of the price for your favourite DVD might seem like a sweet deal, but the Department of Trade and Industry has warned that there is a very bitter side to pirated and illicit goods.

“Counterfeit and illegally imported goods deprive honest workers in the creative industry of jobs and sustainable income. Manufacturing, selling or buying these goods is not only illegal; it literally takes the food out of the mouths of honest businesses, up and coming artists, entrepreneurs and their families.

“Piracy perpetuates poverty,” Trade and Industry Minister Dr Rob Davies said on Sunday.

His message comes as the country gears up for the festive season, where many consumers are bitten by the spending bug. However, many are prepared to take short cuts to save a few rands, and not necessarily the right way.

South Africa is regarded as a top dumping destination for fake and illegally imported goods due to the high demand created by local consumers. Last year alone, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) conducted over 25 000 seizures and confiscated illegal goods valued at R2.6 billion.

Goods are often smuggled into the country from places such as South-East Asia. According to the SARS 2012/13 Annual Report that was presented to Parliament in September, the methods used by illicit traders to circumvent customs and other government agencies include identity theft, falsification of documents and ghost businesses.

This costs the country’s economy billions of rands in lost revenue.

“As Proud South Africans, we cannot allow our creative industries to continue bleeding while criminal scavengers illegally benefit through stealing the work of our artists and creative minds.

“Pirated goods rob the original creators of their future. This also robs the government of tax revenue and ultimately has a negative impact on South Africa’s economy,” Proudly South African chief executive officer Advocate Leslie Sedibe said.

Success in the detection of illicit CDs, DVDs and tobacco products was achieved at ports of entry and mail centres by Customs Operations.

It secured an average of 26 busts a day at ports of entry across the country and detections included illicit cigarettes worth R37.8 million, counterfeit clothing worth R155 million and counterfeit CDs and DVDs worth R671 million.

"However, the success of our enforcement agencies is undermined by the continued demand for these illegal products by us consumers. We must say no to pirated goods and illegal imports.

“By buying pirated goods, consumers are not just saving a few rands – they are effectively supporting a worldwide franchise of criminal activity," said Davies.

Davies said it was important to unite behind efforts to fight piracy and illegal imports in order to prevent job losses, stimulate job creation and ultimately fuel economic growth.

Both the dti and Proudly SA have urged consumers to support local industries by buying original and genuine products from legal and reputable retailers and shops. Consumers are encouraged to support local products and be proudly South African.

The call to boycott pirated goods is supported by the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC), Southern African Federation against Copyright Theft (SAFACT) and the South African Police Service (SAPS). - SAnews.gov.za

South Africa has pledged a package of support to the tune of R100 million to help alleviate the effects of drought in Namibia. This was announced...

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At least seventy five members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) will join their police counterparts to ensure a safe voter registration process this weekend.

“A total of 75 SANDF members will be employed, in cooperation with the SAPS, in the prevention and combating of crime and maintenance and preservation of law and order across the country during these important periods,” the Presidency said in a statement.

This comes as the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has set aside Saturday, 9 November and Sunday, 10 November, for the first major voter registration drive ahead of next year's national election.

The SANDF members' employment, according to the Presidency, is for the period 9 and 10 November 2013 and 8 and 9 February 2014.

The expenditure, according to the Presidency, is expected to be R1 242 000.

The IEC has set a target of getting two million new registrations by the time the voters’ roll closes before next year’s general elections.

All plans are in place for this weekend’s voter registration and the IEC is confident that all will go smoothly in the 22 263 registration stations.

Yesterday, Cabinet called on all eligible South Africans to go out in their numbers and register. It also called on voters to ensure the 2014 elections achieve a large voter turnout, as seen in every election since 1994.

“We call on all South Africans to honour our history and to continue to strengthen the legitimacy of our democracy,” said Minister in the Presidency for Performance Monitoring and Evaluation, Collins Chabane.

Continental duties

The Presidency also announced that the SANDF was employed to assist in the maintenance and preservation of law and order during the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crisis (ACIRC) summits.

The summits were held in Pretoria from 2 - 6 November 2013, and attended by Heads of State, ministers and several diplomats from the Southern African Development Community and the Great Lakes Regions.

The emergency summits of ICGLR and ACIRC were organised by SADC and hosted by the South African government.

A total of 330 SANDF members were employed (at a cost of R335 495) - in cooperation with the South African Police Service - in the prevention and combating of crime, as well as maintenance and preservation of law and order within the country during these summits. – SAnews.gov.za

Countries across Africa need to work together to combat rhino poaching, says the International Police Organization (Interpol).

The body also stressed that it is only through the exchange of information that the scourge can be eradicated.

The United National Environmental Programme (UNEP) and Interpol are assisting member countries in Africa to come up with innovative policing strategies to combat environmental crime which Interpol says is now one of the most profitable forms of organized crime. The illegal ivory trade alone is estimated to be worth up to R100 billion a year. Latest figures from South Africa’s environmental Affairs Department show that more than 825 rhinos had been poached since the beginning of the year. But South Africa is not the only African country battling with the problem.

Kenyan authorities agree that poaching has reached crisis levels. "Kenya stands at a crossroads in as far as environmental criminality is concerned. In the past few months we have seen the wanton destruction of elephants and rhinos. One hundred and ninety elephants were killed this year. For us, this a crisis of unmeasured proportions," says Kenya's Attorney General, Githu Muigai. Kenya also lost 35 rhinos to poachers this year, significantly less than the number killed in South Africa but the country has already taken drastic measures to curb this crime.

The Kenyan authorities have set up a crack paramilitary unit to hunt down poachers and are tightening up legislation to tackle the problem. However, these criminal networks often operate across borders with impunity and that is where Interpol is hoping to assist member countries. The organisation says fighting wildlife crime is a priority as it often occurs hand in hand with other offences like human trafficking and drug smuggling. – NNN-SAnews.gov.za

The European Triathlon Union (ETU) are delighted to announce the continuation of their partnership with the International Powerman Association (IPA) to host the 2014 European Duathlon Championships. The success of this partnership allows hundreds of athletes to compete in a unique weekend of Duathlon, which will see the European Long Distance Duathlon Championships and European [...]Horst continues partnership is a post from: Time-to-Tri


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Cabinet says the establishment of the two new universities in the Northern Cape and Mpumalanga is an achievement which reflects the importance government attaches to education as part of the nation’s development.

The Mpumalanga University will open in January 2014, making it possible for students from the province to study close to home. It will also generate a range of economic activities centred on servicing the university and its population.

“South Africa has made great advances in providing services and new institutions to the marginalised and needy communities…” said Minister in the Presidency for Performance Monitoring and Evaluation, Collins Chabane, during Thursday’s post Cabinet briefing, in Cape Town.

Mpumalanga University is expected to specialise in agriculture and biodiversity linking into food security, natural resource management, nature conservation, plant and animal sciences, forestry and wood sciences, technology as well as wildlife management.

Its three start-up programmes will be delivered at three different sites. The Bachelor of Education will be delivered at the Siyabuswa Campus; the Diploma in Hospitality Management will be delivered at the Mpumalanga Regional Training Trust Hotel Academy in KaNyamazane, just outside of Nelspruit and the Bachelor of Agriculture will be delivered at the Lowveld College of Agriculture.

The Education programme will accommodate 100 students, while Agriculture will accommodate 20 students and Hospitality Management a further 20 students.

Cabinet has also reminded taxpayers, who still have to submit their tax returns, that the 22 November 2013 deadline for the electronic filing of individual tax returns for the 2012/13 tax year is fast approaching.

It commended the more than 3.6 million taxpayers who have filed their tax returns to date, helping government to provide much-needed services to improve the lives of all South Africans.

“South Africa is a much better place today than it was in 1994 due to the growing number of individuals and companies who are willing and able to contribute to the public purse, from which services and amenities are funded,” said Chabane. – SAnews.gov.za