Human Settlements Minister Connie September has launched an initiative to speed up transformation in the estate agency sector.

The ‘One Learner – One Estate Agency’ programme, which will be administered by the Estate Agency Affairs Board (EAAB), aims to change the landscape of the industry.

Minister September on Thursday said only about 10% of the 40 000 estate agents currently registered are black.

“It is an unfortunate reality that the sector presently remains characterised by an acute under-representation of formerly disadvantaged persons… This patent lack of meaningful transformation, notwithstanding the consistent endeavours of the EAAB to inculcate awareness amongst sector role players of the transformation imperative, can no longer be tolerated,” she said.

Through the programme, the EAAB and its partners are targeting to recruit 10 000 new entrants to the sector over a period of three years, commencing in April 2014 and ending on 31 March 2017. This means over 3 300 new entrants will be recruited to the sector every year.

To date, the EAAB has received support for the programme through written pledges from 20 estate agency firms to collectively take on 750 learners into the programme.

This will increase the number of estate agents by 20% and increase the level of understanding of property as an asset for economic wellbeing and trading.

The EAAB said this will also promote the real estate market as a career of choice and development.

During the Real Estate Summit, which was held on 4-5 October 2012, industry stakeholders committed to the adoption of the One Learner – One Estate Agency’.

Minister September hailed the programme, saying it was paramount to the growth of the industry.

She said more women, the youth and physically disabled persons should be given an opportunity to participate in the sector.

The EAAB regulates the estate agency profession through ensuring that all persons carrying out the activities of an estate agent as a service to the public are registered with the EAAB.

Currently, there are about 10 000 estate agency enterprises that are controlled by EAAB. - SAnews.gov.za

The community of Itsoseng near Lichtenburg in the North West will now be able to receive decent health care on their doorstep, thanks to the completion of Itsoseng Community Health Centre.

The R70-million state-of-the-art community health centre is expected to be officially opened on Friday by Health MEC Dr Magome Masike.

The centre will help the department improve the health of the province’s population by giving them basic primary health care (PHC) services.

The centre will offer, among others, emergency medical services, family planning and the management of treatment for chronic illnesses.

MEC Masike said that as the province prepares for the National Health Insurance (NHI), it is important that the department improves the state of the provincial facilities like clinics, community health centres and hospitals, especially in rural areas.

“We want people to fully benefit from NHI by the time it is rolled out to all the districts,” MEC Masike said. – SAnews.gov.za

This fun-filled festival provided interesting day and evening activities for visitors to the North Coast resort catering for both young and old – was hosted by uMhlanga Tourism under the chairmanship of Peter Rose, in association with eThekwini Municipality, and produced by Firstline Promotions, over the Easter weekend. uMhlanga Easter Festival and Trail Run and [...]uMhlanga Easter Festival Trail Run 2014 is a post from: Trail Running South Africa


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Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe will today start his four-day working visit to the United Kingdom, where he is expected to engage with the business community.

The country’s second-in-command will also meet with the South African diaspora, and will deliver a lecture at a conference organised by Oxford University, entitled ‘1994-2014: 20 Years of South African Democracy’. The conference is to be attended by British scholars and South African academics.

The Deputy President will be the guest of honour at the South African High Commission's Freedom Day reception, which aims to celebrate 20 years of freedom and democracy in South Africa.

South Africa and the UK have longstanding historic relations, which cover a wide range of cooperation in the fields of trade, health, technology and education, among others.

“The UK is one of the important sources of Foreign Direct Investment into South Africa from Europe, with total investment for the period January 2009 to June 2012 at R44.3 billion.

“In 2012, the UK was South Africa's seventh largest export market. It also continues to be one of the important sources of long haul tourists to South Africa,” said the Department of International Relations and Cooperation. – SAnews.gov.za

The Gauteng school health programme has received a boost with the donation of a mobile clinic that will be used by health workers to screen children for conditions that compromise their learning.

Last year, through this programme, the department screened over 50 000 learners from different schools for a range of health conditions.

The department’s 61 school health teams, which are made up of a professional nurse and an enrolled nurse and/or an assistant nurse, screened 57 095 learners. Of these learners, 6 347 were referred to local clinics and hospitals for specialist care and further investigation.

Prevalent cases that were identified were oral health, eye care, hearing difficulties, speech and suspected TB.

During the visits, immunisation is also one of the main services that are given to children. Over and above the immunisation, the children are also assisted with psychosocial support. Follow-up visits are also made.

The generous mobile clinic donation by Nedbank will help the department reach more children.

“This is one of the department’s initiatives to strengthen primary healthcare and to ensure that preventable health factors that undermine the children’s learning process are eliminated.

“We are indeed determined and committed to playing our part in ensuring that children stay healthy and do not drop out of school,” said Gauteng Health MEC Hope Papo.

“We urged parents to support their kids by encouraging them to study after school, as that is another important factor in order for them to obtain good results.

“It is also important to cook healthy meals for them and encourage them to participate in sporting activities so they can be strong and healthy,” the MEC added. – SAnews.gov.za

Higher Education and Training Minister Dr Blade Nzimande says work is underway towards the establishment of the new comprehensive health and allied sciences university.

The mooted university will be incorporated into the existing University of Limpopo’s Medical University of South Africa (Medunsa) Campus in Pretoria.

Minister Nzimande, together with Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, had appointed a joint task team (JTT) to investigate the feasibility of establishing the institution. The two ministers today visited Medunsa to engage with the university community before submitting a report back to them on the feasibility of the new university.

Speaking at Medunsa on Tuesday, Minister Nzimande said the task team’s report had been submitted to him, Minister Motsoaledi and the university’s council.

“I am very pleased to … report back to you on the considerable progress that has been made with regard to establishing the new university... It will be important to synchronise all feasibility studies, which are currently underway and related to the new university, so that they can be considered simultaneously by Treasury.

“These include those pertaining to the new academic hospital, the new Polokwane academic health complex, the new Soshanguve hospital and the refurbished Dr George Mukhari Hospital, as well as the feasibility study for the new university.

“With regard to the transitional and incorporation processes, a Protocol for Engagement between the Council of the University of Limpopo and the Interim Council of the new health and allied sciences university has been prepared, with the Department of Higher Education and Training acting as facilitator,” he said.

Minister Nzimande said the task team has also recommended an exciting academic model and what is called a “Programme Qualification Mix suitable for a comprehensive health and allied sciences university in the South African context”.

This, he said, would include all programmes currently offered on the Medunsa campus. This includes disciplines such as optometry, prosthetics and orthotics and rehabilitation, and other programmes that are increasingly popular internationally.

The minister said it was also important that the new university, which is yet to be named, be financially and academically viable.

“To support the projected increases in student enrolments (a headcount of 7 000 students by 2019, and 10 000 by 2024), existing space on the Medunsa campus will need to be modified, reassigned and better utilised, and a number of new buildings and facilities will be required, including purpose-built administration, student and science and technology buildings, larger teaching venues, an expanded library building and additional recreational facilities.

“It is estimated that the total cost of all new buildings and extensions, alterations and renewals of existing buildings for the first five-year phase (2014-2019) of the new health and allied sciences university is likely to require a minimum initial capital injection of almost R1 billion.”

Minister Nzimande also announced an interim council that will be vested with the responsibility of laying the foundation of the new university. – SAnews.gov.za

Online entries for the much anticipated Totalsports Ladies Race will open on Thursday, 01 May 2014. Taking place in Durban on Sunday, 20 July 2014 and in Johannesburg and Stellenbosch on Saturday, 09 August 2014 entrants have two fun categories to choose from, a 5km run/fun walk and a 10km run/fun walk. The Totalsports Ladies [...]Totalsports Ladies Race Entries Open is a post from: Time-to-Run South Africa

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