A delegation of South African companies has arrived in Maputo, Mozambique, where they will showcase their products and services at the 50th Jubilee...

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Steenbokfontein Art Celebration 2014 — 20th exhibition. The first exhibition was held Spring 1995 with the idea to make the public and passing tourist aware of the art studio and exhibition on the farm, as well as artists in the area. This exhibition consisted of 4 artists and was held in the studio – an... Read MoreSteenbokfontein Art Celebration 2014 here is a post from: ArtnSpire


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For the first time in his life, 15 year-old Mbongeni Ngomani will be able to log on to a computer when he gets to his school on Monday.Mbongeni is one of 678 learners at Phatfwa Secondary School in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga who will benefit from 15 computers donated to the school by the Department of...

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South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd (Sanral) says it will continue to increase safety measures for road users on the N2 in the Western Cape, by repairing fencing, broken street lights and vandalised cables.

Sanral on Sunday said it will continue to work closely with all law enforcement authorities to help address criminal activity along the route.

Sanral communications manager, Vusi Mona, said the occurrence of criminal activities on the freeways in Cape Town was a serious concern and that law enforcement authorities had to respond effectively.

“We operate more than 240 CCTV cameras from the Transport Management Centre (TMC) in Goodwood on a 24/7 basis, primarily on the lookout for traffic related incidents,” Mona said.

He added that over the last six months, Sanral detected at least 150 criminal related activities and immediately reported them to SAPS, Metro Police or Traffic services.

“At night, it is difficult to detect specific incidents. However, we have already invested in the use of thermal cameras that help detect incidents when lighting conditions are poor,” he said.

He added that Sanral and its stakeholders will investigate how the use of technology could assist law enforcement authorities to deal with crime incidents.

Sanral, as the implementing agent for the Cape Town Freeway Management System (FMS), covers 155 km of the busiest freeways that fall under the jurisdiction of the City of Cape Town, the Western Cape Government and Sanral.

“Unfortunately this is an ongoing problem that we continue to address. All Sanral pedestrian bridges on the N1, N2 and R300 near Cape Town already have caged enclosures,” said Mona.

“We have experimented with vandal proof fencing on top of the median concrete barrier on the R300, to deter pedestrians crossing this high speed road and we believe this will also deter criminal activity to some degree,” he added.

He said the fence on top of the centre barrier proofing on the R300 has been successful, and Sanral will continue to invest in such sustainable solutions.

Mona said it was important to note that, although detection and notification of all incidents have improved, it remained the ability of law enforcement authorities to respond effectively to such incidents, and this will be the determining success factor. - SAnews.gov.za

It is high time young women find their spot in leadership positions and climb the corporate ladder, says the President of the Student Representative Council (SRC) of the University of Mpumalanga, Nduduzi Khumalo.

“Gone are the days when women have to stay at home and be housewives and housekeepers,” said Khumalo, speaking at a Women’s Month dialogue led by Deputy Minister of Communications, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, at the university on Saturday.

The Deputy Minister’s visit to Mpumalanga University was part of a three-day Imbizo programme for Women’s Month.

Khumalo told SAnews that she and her fellow students had been inspired by having one of the youngest Deputy Minister’s visit their campus.

“The information she gave us today is crucial, and we are going to apply whatever she said effectively,” said Khumalo.

The 37-year-old Deputy Minister said female students should ask themselves what role they could play in carrying forward the legacy of the women of 1956 who marched to the Union Buildings to protest against apartheid pass laws.

She encouraged students to take part in decision-making processes and raise issues that affect them and suggest possible solutions.

“… you start by reading the budget vote speeches, the State of the Nation Address, the NDP and other important documents. Then decide how you will assist government achieve its goals,” said the Deputy Minister.

The Deputy Minister said students should be the authors of their own stories and never forget their history.

She pleaded with the youths to stop being ignorant and take part in developing their communities.

“There are your brothers and sisters out there who are hungry for the education that you are currently enjoying, they need your help, you should not be selfish, share information with them,” she said.

Deputy Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams said women today occupied many positions which were previously occupied by men.

She challenges the female students to be bold and work hard to fulfil their ambitions. -SAnews.gov.za

Police Minister Nathi Nhleko has reiterated his call for community partnerships to help address the recent spate of crimes, which has left several children dead.

Minister Nhleko said he was extremely concerned about the incidents, and urged communities to build a united front against criminals through partnerships like Community Policing Forums.

Over the last few weeks, a number of violent incidents involving children have taken place. These include the kidnapping and murder of three-year-old Cuburne Lavone van Wyk from Reiger Park. Three-year-old Luke Tibbetts died after he was shot in the head by a stray bullet in Westbury, while four-year-old Taegrin Morris (also from Reiger Park) was killed during a hijacking last month.

Minister Nhleko said underlying societal issues must be addressed in order to effectively turn the tide against crime. This, he said, could only be done through solid partnerships between all members of society, including government, business and NGOs.

"We would like to see a growing trend in the country where the police, civil society and communities are working together to ensure that South Africans feel free in their daily lives,” said the Minister.

The Minister was briefing the media after meeting with Gauteng police management.

He said the crime statistics, which will be released next month, will paint a clearer picture of the extent of crime across the country.

The Minister is on a countrywide campaign, which will see him meet with the provincial management of police and other stakeholders to address his vision and expectations.

Serving with care

Minister Nhleko said plans are on track to shift the policing approach from “force” to “service”. This is part of the strategy, as outlined in the National Development Plan (NDP), of building a professional and caring police service.

The NDP envisages a state where police work closely with communities to ensure that the root causes of crime are addressed.

To professionalise the police service, Minister Nhleko said they are already changing the way they recruit new officers.

The new recruits are taken through a stringent suitability test before they start with formal training. This is in addition to community involvement, where the community can comment on their suitability for the job.

For staff that is already on the job, Minister Nhleko said they will give them refresher training, including training on crowd management. – SAnews.gov.za

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) considers the local banking sector to be healthy and robust and does not agree with the decision of rating agency Moody’s Investor Service to downgrade four of the country’s biggest banks.

This follows a statement issued by the rating agency, stating that it has downgraded by one notch to Baa1 the country’s four biggest banks namely Standard Bank, Absa, FNB and Nedbank.

“The SARB notes the decision by Moody’s Investor Service (Moody's) to downgrade four of South Africa’s major commercial banks by one notch and placed them on review for a possible further downgrade.

“While the SARB respects the independent opinion of rating agencies, we do not agree with the rationale given in taking this step, nor do we agree with the assessment it is based on,” said the SARB’s Head of Group Strategy and Communications, Hlengani Mathebula.

According to the central bank, on Tuesday, the rating agency refers to a lower likelihood of sovereign systemic support based on decisions taken recently in relation to African Bank Limited (African Bank).

“This concern stands in sharp contrast to the support actually provided by the SARB.

“Notwithstanding this downgrade, Moody’s has confirmed the resilience of the South African banking system and in their own view … notes the broad resilience demonstrated by South African banks in the past, including the management of adverse economic environments, and recognises the solidity of key system financial metrics,” said Mathebula.

African Bank Investment Limited

Earlier this month, the Reserve Bank announced that African Bank Investment Limited (Abil) has been put under curatorship and that it would pay R7 billion of African Bank’s bad loan book.

Abil will receive a R10-billion capital injection by a range of banks such as Capitec Bank and Investec Bank Limited, which have formed a consortium to underwrite the R10-billion capital raising.

The downgrade of the four banks follows the rating agency’s downgrade of Capitec Bank a few days earlier.

“The South African banking sector remains healthy and robust,” said the SARB. – SAnews.gov.za

A police constable and his eight accomplices are expected to appear before the Modimolle Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday on charges of attempted rhino poaching and possession of unlicensed firearm.

Limpopo police spokesperson, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, said the police constable and eight other suspects were arrested on Sunday morning for attempted rhino poaching at a private game farm in Rakin’s Pass.

He said the constable worked under the Crime Prevention Unit at Hillbrow police station in Gauteng.

“Three suspects, two Mozambicans and one Zimbabwean national, were arrested inside the farm ready to poach rhinos,” Mulaudzi said.

He added that two other suspects, a local resident and a Botswana woman, were arrested outside the farm just after offloading the poaching trio.

Mulaudzi added that another three suspects [South Africans, were arrested at Vaalwater where they waited for rhino horns with a getaway vehicle.

“A .375 hunting rifle with serial number filed off, a silencer, an axe, an Toyota Tazz and a Nissan Hardbody vehicle were seized,” Muladzi said.

Measures against rhino poaching

Recently, Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa said SA would continue to push strategies to stabilise the rhino population.

She said SA is home to 82% of Africa’s rhino - both black and white - 93% of Africa’s white rhino and 39% of Africa’s black rhino.

Minister Molewa said government is cognisant of the fact that rhino poaching is a multibillion dollar worldwide illicit trade. This, she said, was the reason they would put in more emphasis on the Integrated Strategic Management approach to save rhinos from poachers.

“… That is why we will continue to strengthen holistic and integrated interventions and explore new innovative options to ensure the long-term survival of the species,” Minister Molewa said at the time.

Meanwhile, National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega announced that she had directed a team of detectives trained in wildlife crime investigations, forensics experts, the SA Police Service air wing, the flying squad and the dog unit to assist with current investigations on poaching.

“This additional team will attend to all the outstanding and new crime scenes and continue to do proper crime scene investigation and management,” said Phiyega at the time

She pleaded with communities living around game reserves to continue playing their role in helping police arrest the poachers.

She warned that poachers were becoming more sophisticated in their methods to poach rhinos.

“It is our ultimate objective to establish a long term solution to drastically reduce the incidents of rhino poaching,” she said. - SAnews.gov.za

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) says while it has taken note of rating agency Moody’s decision to downgrade Capitec Bank Limited, it does not agree with the decision. Two reasons were given for the rating action: a lower likelihood of sovereign systemic support based on decisions recently taken in relation to African Bank Limited [...]SARB disputes downgrade of Capitec Bank is a post from: South Africa Business


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