The Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services has called on Small Micro and Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) to submit information about their businesses.

“This is part of government’s priority to nurture and support SMMEs as the bedrock of economic development,” the department said in a statement.

The Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services, Siyabonga Cwele, released a gazette requesting for information on SMMEs for the ICT sector.

“The information required includes, the nature of business, years of operation, partnerships (local and/or global), number of employees, annual turnover and the specific challenges they face,” the department said.

The information that will be gathered would assist in re-engineering ICT SMMEs development so as to enable them to participate across the entire ICT value chain.

“It would also create specific support mechanisms in the way that is impactful for their long-term sustainability.”

To ensure alignment, the department will be working with the newly established Department of Small Business Development to ensure a common approach to SMMEs development as envisaged by the government.

The closing date for the submission was 29 August. The gazette number is 37878 and would be available on the department’s website: doc.gov.za – SAnews.gov.za

President Jacob Zuma, who is on a week-long working visit to Russia, met counterpart Vladimir Putin, on Thursday, to discuss among others the repatriation of South African fallen heroes who are buried there.

These include former South African Communist Party leaders Moses Kotane and Ivor David Jones and J.B. Marks.

Kotane went to the Soviet Union to study at the Lenin School in Moscow. He later suffered a stroke and died in 1978.

In a statement issued after the meeting, which was held at the Novo-Ogarevo Presidential Residence, the Presidency indicated that there are discussions and arrangements that are ongoing between the two countries about how the repatriation process should be handled.

He thanked the government of Russia for taking care of the heroes.

SA, Russia strengthen bilateral relations

Presidents Zuma and Putin then committed themselves to working together in strengthening bilateral relations of both countries and further cementing the existing relations between the two countries for the economic and social development of their peoples.

“President Putin welcomed the visit by President Zuma to Russia…. he further encouraged both countries to work together in implementing the decisions that were taken last year during the state visit of South Africa to Russia. He emphasised the need for Russian and South African Ministers to work together in taking forward the bilateral agreements,” Presidency spokesperson Mac Maharaj said.

President Zuma also used the meeting to seek support from Russia on the implementation of the new government's priorities around the delivery of basic services like water, sanitation, energy, education, agriculture and tourism.

The two sides also touched on the trade relations between them. Through the joint Russia-South Africa Business Council, trade between South Africa and Russia grew by 13 percent in 2013 which represents a significant growth in trade between the two countries.

President Putin commended this growth, saying that investment from Russia to South Africa now stands at over a billion US dollars a year.

According to Maharaj, President Putin reaffirmed his commitment to work together with South Africa on a number of issues that face the globe, including participation in peace-making and peace-keeping efforts spearheaded by South Africa in the continent.

Ukraine issue

He briefed President Zuma on the situation in the Ukraine and underlined his commitment to finding a peaceful solution to the crisis.

Russia has come under fire recently after tensions in Ukraine were heightened after Ukrainian military leaders claimed that Russia launched an incursion into Ukraine's eastern region, where violent confrontation between government troops and independence-seeking insurgents is under way. Russia denied sending weapons and soldiers to help the rebels.

Middle East

The two Presidents also discussed issues around the developments in the Middle East, in particular around the resolution of the Israeli-Palestine conflict through peaceful means. Both countries committed themselves to finding a lasting peaceful solution.

Africa

On Africa, they discussed assistance sought on peaceful missions that South Africa is involved in, including request for support of the African Capacity to Respond to Immediate Crisis (ACIRIC) process.

With Russia taking over the leadership of BRICS group next year, President Putin also used the meeting to sought the assistance and support of South Africa. Both the countries are members of the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa group of developing countries.

The two sides further committed to strengthening of tourism, cultural exchanges, education and people to people relationships. – SAnews.gov.za

South African Airways (SAA) has introduced new procedures for travel to and from Ebola virus high risk areas with passengers required to seek permission to travel from the national Department of Health.

“All travellers between South Africa and the Ebola high-risk areas in West Africa must follow the new procedures introduced for the airlines aimed at ensuring compliance with a recent cabinet decision.

“The measures are effective as we speak,” SAA spokesperson Tlali Tlali said on Friday.

Government has previously advised South Africans to avoid all non-essential travel to Liberia, Guinea or Sierra Leone but in cases where travel is absolutely essential, permission must be obtained from the relevant authorities.

The new procedures state that all intending travellers must request permission to travel from South Africa to the high risk areas or from the high risk areas to South Africa.

Permission to travel must be sought from the national Department of Health. All requests from travellers must be addressed to the Director-General: Health, for the attention of Dr Frew Benson and sent to the following address: Nathoc1 @ health.gov.za and Nathoc2 @health.gov.za ;Tel: (012) 395-9367 or (012) 395-9366.

The following information must be provided when requesting permission to travel:

· Full personal details, including residential addresses of South African citizens or in the case of non-South Africans, the address of residence while in South Africa (ie, hotel, etc.);

· Next of kin details in the case of South African citizens;

· Full details of the reasons for travel to or from South Africa;

· The traveller must complete a Traveller Health Questionnaire and submit it with the request to travel;

· A written response from the national Department of Health will be provided informing the applicant of the outcome of their request to travel.

However, travel restrictions do not apply to all five destinations namely Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Senegal that SAA flies to in West Africa.

“None of them fall under high-risk category. Our schedule to those destinations remains unaffected,” explained Tlali.

SAA remains committed to ensuring the enforcement of national and international health protocols associated with air transport in the interests of its passengers and the destinations it flies to.

Last week, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi announced that South Africa has taken the decision to impose a total travel ban for all non-citizens traveling from identified high risk countries to limit the spread of Ebola to the country, unless the travel is considered absolutely essential.

Addressing media at a briefing in Pretoria, Minister Motsoaledi said in addition, citizens of South Africa who wish to travel to these countries will be requested to delay their travel unless it is also absolutely essential for them to travel.

The Minister was briefing media following a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, where he presented an update on the Ebola outbreak.

Over 1 000 people have died from the virus in West Africa, according to the World Health Organisation. Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone have each declared the outbreak a national disaster. - SAnews.gov.za

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KwaZulu-Natal Premier Senzo Mchunu says mayors and councillors should be at the forefront of the fight against water leakages.

Premier Mchunu on Tuesday visited KwaMashu Township in northern Durban as part of the War on Water Leaks Campaign.

He said: “We will continue with this campaign across the province, and mayors and councillors must demonstrate leadership and be at the forefront of this campaign”.

The Premier encouraged communities to report water leaks and illegal connections to authorities such as municipal offices and law enforcement agencies.

“Through the War on Water Leaks Campaign, we are educating the people of this province about the importance of fixing leaking taps in their homes,” the Premier said.

He said one drop per second from a leaking tap wasted up to 30 litres of water an hour, meaning that one household wasted 10 000 litres of water per year through leaking taps.

“… This excludes water leaks in schools, hospitals, clinics, government offices, public buildings and other recreational facilities in various municipalities,” Premier Mchunu added.

He added that water leaks and illegal connections did not only occur in residential areas but also in various industrial areas.

“… In this regard, government is committed to working with captains of industry, business chambers, small and commercial farmers in order to ensure that we comply with the water laws in the country,” said Premier Mchunu.

Meanwhile, the Premier announced that R2.4 million has been allocated to eThekwini Municipality by the Water and Sanitation Department, to take care of water leaks in Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu (INK) area.

“In the INK Area (Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu) about 533 leaks have been identified and fixed. About 375 illegal connections have been removed. 950 cases have been investigated,” said the Premier.

“At the end of second quarter in December 2012, eThekwini Municipality was losing more than 237 million litres a day - an increase of 3.467 million litres every day when compared to the whole of the 2011/12 financial year period. In 2011/12 the eThekwini Municipality a total of 85.6 billion litres – more than 234 million of litres a day - was lost,” the Premier said.

He encouraged municipalities to use the Municipal Water Infrastructure Grant (MWIG) to implement water conservation programme.

In order to strengthen the War on Water Leaks Campaign, municipalities must develop a concrete Programme of Action in partnerships with Water Service Authorities, Water Boards and other bodies such as the Water Research Commission, Strategic Water Partners Network, the KwaZulu-Natal Water Conservation Forum and tertiary institutions. - SAnews.gov.za

The Department of Arts and Culture will launch a Venture Capital Fund to invest in the growth of artists.

“This is an area where private capital feels there is too much risk, so the government must play a role in decreasing this risk, which ultimately benefits the artist to be more sustainable,” Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa said.

Speaking at the annual Business Day BASA Awards in Newtown, Johannesburg, on Tuesday, Minister Mthethwa said his department was looking at establishing creative arts incubators.

“We shall also be engaging the Davis Tax Committee to give input on the tax incentives that would allow business to continue contributing to the arts, while seeing tangible economic benefits trickling down to artists.

“We must remember that without artists we would have no art to appreciate, to inspire us or to invest in,” he said.

Minister Mthethwa said arts had a pivotal role to play in the radical economic transformation of the country as creative activities created jobs, small business opportunities and provided security.

“As the Department of Arts and Culture, we believe the arts play a role to support the economy, tourism, social capital, nation building and social cohesion,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za

Government has dismissed media reports that the State Security Agency has become an employment department for the children of Ministers and other high-profile officials.

These claims, according to government, are speculative, subjective and far from the truth.

“It is unfair to suggest that the appointments of these children were based on their relations and others, like them, also often fall prey to unfair discrimination by virtue of their relationships with political principals,” Acting Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) CEO, Phumla Williams, said on Tuesday.

These claims, Williams said, create an impression that the children of Ministers and other officials should be exempt from pursuing a career in the public service.

“All citizens have the constitutional right to apply for any employment, as long as they meet the requirements - even if it is within the public service.”

Williams said the intelligence academy has stringent and rigorous recruitment and screening processes that are in place in order to fulfil its mandate of producing quality intelligence training to the members of the intelligence community.

It has the challenging role of producing intelligence officers, who not only understand South Africa's national security paradigm but can also carry out their duties within the values and ethical principles.

Williams said the State Security Agency aims to ensure that all people in South Africa are and feel safe, while “creating a better South Africa and contributing to a better and safer Africa in a better world”.

“As indicated in the department’s budget vote on 23 July, the department has prioritised making intelligence a career of choice for many young South Africans, enhance the output of the academy, and strengthen synergies with other institutions with common interests,” said Williams.

She said the reports are misleading the public and create the impression that most of the students attending the academy are the children of politicians.

“In fact, this faceless report is far from the truth,” said Williams. – SAnews.gov.za

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