The month of May is Workers Month, a time for all workers to learn more about their rights – rights that South Africa’s government protects with some of the best labour laws in the world.

May is Workers’ Month in South Africa, a time to celebrate the people who build our country. South Africa’s labour laws “tick all the right boxes” when compared to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, South Africa’s 1955 Freedom Charter, and our Bill of Rights, says Minister of Labour Mildred Oliphant.

“We have chosen the 2017 Workers Month to take stock and celebrate how far we have come in our quest for social justice through labour relations dispensation,” the Minister said recently.

Government has made even more improvements to our labour laws over recent years. These include protection from abuses by labour brokers, better maternity benefits for working women, trade union rights and more.

Trade unions

Trade unions and the right to organise are protected by the Labour Relations Act (LRA). Before, unions needed 50 per cent representation plus one in a company to be recognised as the majority union. Today, Commissioners can award majority rights to unions that represent the most workers, as long as there is no union with majority rights already.

Employees on short-term contracts have also been granted the right to union protection. They also enjoy the right to picket at both their employer’s and the labour broker’s premises.

Temporary Employment Services are regulated by the LRA to prevent abuse of workers on short-term contracts. Any employee contracted for longer than three months will be deemed to be employed indefinitely unless there are justifiable reasons otherwise.

Labour brokers

Before, some employers used labour brokers to keep down costs and avoid complying with labour legislation. Changes to our labour laws mean that now, workers sourced by labour brokers are considered to be employed by the company they work for, irrespective of the contract with a labour broker.

Employers also are now required to justify why a permanent appointment cannot be made at the end of a fixed-term contract. Lack of an offer – no matter the length of the contract – can be interpreted as unfair dismissal.

Dismissals are also deemed unfair if they come as a result of an employee refusing to accept a demand in a matter considered of mutual interest. These – pay cuts or longer hours – are in the ambit of collective bargaining.

Unemployment insurance fund

Maternity benefits from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) are now paid at a fixed rate of 66 per cent of earnings instead of the previous sliding scale of 38 per cent to 66 per cent. Also, a worker who miscarries in the third trimester of her pregnancy is entitled to full maternity benefits.

Domestic workers are also entitled to claim from the UIF, as long as they have been registered by their employer and they are paying monthly contributions.

“South Africa was among the first four countries to ratify the ILO Convention concerning decent work for domestic workers,” Minister Oliphant said.

“We urge trade unions and individual workers to assist in raising the awareness of the rights and responsibilities of workers in our labour laws.”  

"It is our responsibility to break down barriers of division and create a country where there will be neither Whites nor Blacks, just South Africans, free and united in diversity."

On the nature of unity: “It does not grow wild. It has to be nurtured, built up, it wears away. It must be doctored, treated. It also has many enemies like the enemies that enter any plant that you grow, and you have to keep vigilant against these.”

(Second Pan-African Youth Seminar, Dar es Salaam, 5 August 1961)

wriiten by Neo Semono

South Africa’s eighth Special Economic Zone, the Maluti-a-Phofung SEZ, already has over R1-billion of investments and is set to create thousands of jobs in the Free State.

President Jacob Zuma recently launched Maluti-a-Phofung Special Economic Zone (MAP-SEZ) in the Free State, highlighting the government’s drive towards inclusive economic growth.

“This launch and the development of the Maluti-a-Phofung SEZ demonstrates our promotion of industrial development which is key to the nation’s long-term economic success and prosperity,” said President Zuma.

He said South Africa needs to change the way its economy is structured.

“Our current reliance on exporting minerals and other raw materials to other countries is a sure recipe for an economy that enriches the few at the expense of the majority. This, of course, will just deepen the already high levels of inequality in our society,” the President said.

The launch brings South Africa’s total number of SEZs to eight. SEZs are geographic areas of a country set aside for specific economic activities. They offer incentives to businesses to set up shop there.

Creating thousands of jobs

At the launch, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said South Africa’s Special Economic Zones have together attracted over R9.5 billion in investments so far. They have also created over 10 000 direct jobs and 65 000 indirect jobs.

The MAP-SEZ has an investment pipeline of R2.6 billion, Minister Davies said. “I believe it’s around R1 billion of investment that’s here already.”

The Free State SEZ was once an apartheid-era industrial park set up to provide access to cheap black labour.

President Zuma pointed out that these industrial parks were introduced not for their economic potential, but simply to sustain the apartheid government’s “homelands” system.

SEZs critical to transform economy

The Special Economic Zones and Industrial Parks programme, run by the Department of Trade and Industry, is critical to the radical transformation of South Africa’s economy.

The new SEZ is part of the government’s efforts to boost economic growth and job opportunities closer to where people live.

“This we do through promoting industrialisation and also the development of township and rural economies,” the President said.

SEZs also play an important role by bringing domestic and foreign direct investment into the economy.

Incentives for business

The government offers tax incentives to attract businesses to SEZs. The MAP-SEZ will offer a preferential 15 per cent – instead of 28 per cent – corporate income tax instead for a period of 10 years. Import duty tax will also be reduced on manufacturing materials and equipment.

MAP-SEZ incentives also include a research and development allowance of 50 per cent for any new technology that enhances productivity, and energy-savings incentives for the use of green building techniques.

In declaring the MAP-SEZ open, President Zuma urged companies setting up there to do business with local small enterprises.

“I am quite certain that this makes good business sense,” he said. 

This article was originally published on SAnews.gov.za

KwaZulu-Natal’s uMkhanyakude District is a beautiful and remote corner of our country where South Africans, Mozambicans and Swati people live and work side by side in agriculture, mining, manufacturing and services in places such as Sikhamelele, Manguzi and Mbazwana.

Sadly, large numbers of South Africans and foreign visitors often speed past or around these areas close to our border with Mozambique en route to enjoying the adventure and tranquility on offer in nearby world-class tourism attractions.

Indeed, many visitors entering this region do so with deep concern for, or anticipation of, the natural assets in the area, including forests, wildlife, waterways and the coastline along Kosi Bay.

Few pause to ponder the living conditions of the close to 40 000 households in the area, where 54 per cent of households are headed by women and where 41 per cent of the population are children under the age of 15.

On 27 April 2017 government focused the nation’s gaze on Manguzi (formerly Kosi Bay town) by hosting our national celebration of Freedom Day in Manguzi.We dedicated our 23rd Freedom Day to our great patriot, Oliver Reginald Tambo, under the theme “The Year of Oliver Reginald Tambo, Together Deepening Democracy and Building Safer and Crime-Free communities”.

We want to see an end to vicious attacks on women and children, the house break-ins, cash-in-transit heists, car hijackings, stock theft and other crimes that make life difficult for our people in many communities.

Government chose Manguzi as the stage for our national day after I paid a Presidential Siyahlola Monitoring visit to the area, specifically because of the aggressive cross-border crime which has included car hijackings and theft, with vehicles being taken to Mozambique across the border.

In the imbizo with the community, residents outlined various challenges they faced and I assigned several departments to work on the issues that had been raised by the community, as part of the freedom citizens enjoy to talk directly with government.

When I visited Manguzi police station I found it dilapidated, with inadequate personnel and resources to handle the matters at hand. I found the same situation in Nyanga in Cape Town in February and also in Soshanguve in Gauteng which means we need to improve capacity in police stations serving black communities.

 As a government that cares, listens and acts, we have set aside R92 million for the renovations of the Manguzi police station. Already, painting and other minor refurbishments are being undertaken so that the police can work in a more conducive environment.

The KwaZulu-Natal provincial government has supplied the police station with vehicles to enable faster responses when crimes are being committed.

The police station has also been upgraded to a level of a Colonel and measures have begun to fill 44 vacant posts.

The South African National Defence Force and SAPS on the border have begun to work together on efforts to defeat cross-border crime, as it was clear that there was little collaboration and criminals were taking advantage of a lack of coordination.

The SANDF has increased the deployments along the border with Mozambique here and the law enforcement agencies will continue to do their best to prevent the cross-border car thefts with the support of the community.

Without the support of the residents, though, very little progress will be made, and so government invites the Manguzi community – like we invite all South Africans – to work closely with our law-enforcement agencies.

The progress we are seeing in making Manguzi and surrounding areas safer and to avoid tensions between South Africans and Mozambican nationals shows that in South Africa, there are no “forgotten corners” or places where we aren’t improving living conditions daily.

Rural development and safer communities are among the key priorities pursued by government under our National Development Plan. It has been our mission since the dawn of democracy 23 years ago that the footprint of development must be seen and felt in all parts of our country.

Manguzi – and many places like it in all nine provinces – has become and will remain a part of this development footprint, as government works with communities and civil society to move South Africa forward.

It is development of this kind that gives true meaning to the freedom we attained 23 years ago.

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The Organisation of Africa Unity, established in May 1963, made our continent the first to foster nation building through unity and freedom. To celebrate the OAU and its successor, the African Union, the Department of Arts and Culture hosts a series of events during Africa Month.

The Organisation of Africa Unity (OAU) was founded on 25 May 1963, formed out of ideas sweeping the world. One was the pan-Africanism of the 19th and early 20th centuries, inspired by US intellectuals such as Martin Delany and WEB Du Bois.

ANC founder Pixley Ka Isaka Seme’s 1906 essay “The Regeneration of Africa” helped shape African unity. Later luminaries – Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere of Kenya, Sékou Touré of Guinea and Zambia’s Kenneth Kaunda – promoted pan-African ideals.

The 21st century brought a new focus on the rights of Africa’s people. This led to the founding, in 2002, of a new organisation: the African Union. The AU – a union of peoples, not just leaders – renewed the commitment to democracy, gender equality, good governance and the rule of law.

Africa Month Festival of Ideas

The Festival of Ideas, an Africa Month colloquia programme, is framed in the broader theme of decolonisation. For some, decolonisation means a total and abrupt break from the past. Another school of thought cautions against deconstructing colonialism.

The festival recognises the political and cultural environment as one in which calls for decolonisation take precedence. Decolonisation cannot be separated from the radical economic transformation agenda. It is with these underpinnings that the colloquia programme has been developed.

Celebrating Africa's liberation heritage

From 23 to 25 May, Arts and Culture will also host a roundtable with the proposed theme of “Roads To Independence: African Liberation Heritage – Towards an Integrated Southern African Road Map”. The discussion aims to reinvigorate Unesco and AU resolutions recognising liberation heritage as having outstanding universal value.

The South African chapter – the Resistance and Liberation Heritage project – is a national memory project aimed at commemorating, celebrating and educating, as well as preserving and providing a durable testament to South African’s road to independence.  

South African National Anthem Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika Maluphakanyisw' uphondo lwayo, Yizwa imithandazo yethu, Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso, O fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho, O se boloke, O se boloke setjhaba sa heso, Setjhaba sa South Afrika - South Afrika. Uit die blou van onse hemel, Uit die diepte van ons see, Oor ons ewige gebergtes, Waar die kranse antwoord gee, Sounds the call to come together, And united we shall stand, Let us live and strive for freedom, In South Africa our land.

African Union Anthem Let us all unite and celebrate together The victories won for our liberation Let us dedicate ourselves to rise together To defend our liberty and unity Chorus: O Sons and Daughters of Africa Flesh of the Sun and Flesh of the Sky Let us make Africa the Tree of Life Let us all unite and sing together To uphold the bonds that frame our destiny Let us dedicate ourselves to fight together For lasting peace and justice on earth Chorus Let us all unite and toil together To give the best we have to Africa The cradle of mankind and fount of culture Our pride and hope at break of dawn. Chorus

An invitation to Africa Month events

The Africa Month 2017 theme is “The Year of OR Tambo: Building a Better Africa and a Better World”. The Department of Arts and Culture invites all Africans, and global guests, to join the celebrations.

As an integral part of Africa, South Africa’s interest is linked to continental stability, unity and prosperity. Our African agenda is the upliftment of all people on the continent.

Arts and Culture’s existing programmes inculcate an African identity by popularising the national flag and anthem, and the continental flag and AU anthem. A month-long programme, a festival of ideas, and a celebration of what it means to be African will also expand our knowledge and help us embrace our continental destiny. Celebrations during Africa Month will include:

• A Festival of Ideas: a series of discussions on decolonisation by prominent Africans
• !Kauru: Contemporary Art from Africa – a visual art celebration of African art
• Gcgwala Ngamasiko: Multidisciplinary African arts festival
• Focus on African Archives
• Focus on the African Liberation Heritage Route in the SADC region

Visit www.dac.gov.za for the full Africa Month 2017 programme.

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The Department of Cooperative Governance’s Community Work Programme gives meaningful work opportunities to the poor. Now the programme is helping their children get a better start in life.

Cynthia Molehe’s grandfather always told her she would grow up to be a teacher. “He used to say I had the brains in the family. That I was going to make something of my life.

“But when I finished my matric in 2004, there wasn’t any money for university.”

Molehe grew up in Madibogo, a village in one of North West’s poorest local municipalities – Ratlou. Ratlou stretches for kilometres – it’s vast and dry, with no towns or industry. More than 100 000 people live here, but the only jobs are seasonal farmwork and contract labour at the local open-pit gold mine.

With no chance for further education, Mohele went to look for work. But all she found were low-paid piece jobs.

Meaningful jobs

In 2013, she joined the Department of Cooperative Governance’s Community Work Programme (CWP), which provides meaningful jobs for the poor.

“The work is all community orientated – maintaining vegetable gardens in schools, helping the aged, cleaning public spaces,” says Mohele. “Soon after I entered the CWP, I was identified as a skilled worker and offered specialised training.” But Mohele still hadn’t given up on her dream of being a teacher.

“In 2015, I was invited to train as an early learning playgroup facilitator (ELF). I jumped at the chance to work with children.” She went on to become a mentor trainer, managing a group of ELFs. She now manages 10 playgroups in Ratlou.

Stimulating young minds

The early learning playgroup model was introduced to North West in 2015 through a partnership between the CWP, the North West Department of Social Development, Cotlands, the Lima Rural Development Foundation and Ilifa Labantwana.

“This project has been a model public-private partnership,” says Zamani Cele, Lima’s learning support facilitator for North West.

“These partnerships shift the work undertaken by CWP participants from menial work to social action. They can create viable career paths for the participants so that they can ‘graduate out of poverty’ – what CWP refers to as an ‘exit strategy’.”

Lima and Cotlands, two national NGOs, partnered with CWP to select qualified CWP participants to run playgroups for children aged three to five. These are kids who lack access to the benefits of early childhood development.

“We are thorough in our selection,” says Zamani. “Participants have to have passed Grade 10. We check for criminal records, and we do aptitude, numeracy and literacy assessments.” Participants are also screened against the sexual offenders register, in line with legislation in the Children’s Act.

Growing dreams

Selected CWP participants are then trained in playgroup facilitation by Cotlands, an early childhood development NGO. Aside from providing the initial training to the ELFs, Cotlands and Lima provide ongoing support from people like Molehe – the mentor trainers.

“The early learning programme is different to the rest of the CWP work,” says Terrance Mahlatsi, who manages the 1 200 CWP participants in Ratlou. “The participants who have trained as ELFs want to become teachers. This work opportunity means they think of themselves as teachers already – so their dreams grow.”

Many villages in Ratlou have no early childhood development centres at all. ECD stimulates the minds of very young children, setting them on the path of lifelong learning. Where day care centres exist in Ratlou, the cost – anything from R50 to R350 per month – is too much for many rural households, who mainly rely on social grants and subsistence farming for survival.

The 2016 South African Early Childhood Review found that 71% of North West’s children under six live in poor households. These children spend most of their day at home.

According to the South African Early Childhood Review, a third of South Africa’s three- to five-year-olds – that is, one million children – don’t get the benefit of any early learning programme.

'You have made my child clever'

“Young children need to be stimulated. The learning which takes place before school will ensure that the child is able to absorb knowledge once they start Grade R,” says Getrude Mabeza, Cotlands project manager for North West. “There is evidence that children who attend a good quality early learning programme are better equipped for the formal education system.”

The benefits are clear to Molehe. “I have seen the difference these playgroups make in so many children,” she says. “They come shy and they sit in the corner, not talking and not interested in the games.

“A few weeks in, and they are excited, they are taking part in everything, they can’t stop talking. I don’t mind if they are naughty – that’s how children should be!

“Their parents come and thank us. They say: ‘You have made my child clever.’” 

written by Noluthando Motswai

Educator Sara Motsitsi won first prize for Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning at the 2017 National Teacher Awards.

Maths is fun for the Grade 4 kids in Sara Motsitsi’s classroom, thanks to their IT-savvy teacher’s enthusiasm for computer technology as an educational tool.

Motsitsi is a 26-year-old educator at Reseamohetse High School in the Free State. She recently won first prize for excellence in Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning in the Department of Basic Education’s (DBE) 2017 National Teacher Awards.

The annual awards acknowledge the amazing efforts made by South Africa’s public school teachers. They are a way for the DBE to recognise and encourage caring teachers.

Up-to-date teaching methods

Motsitsi has been a teacher for only three years. But what set her apart at the awards, she says, was her use of apps and the internet to make sure her learners get the latest maths teaching methods.

“Most of the older teachers still use textbooks published 10 years back,” she says. “I use the internet to access new information and methods on how to deal with difficult mathematic concepts.

“I am able to use all the resources the DBE provides us – tablets, computers and laptops.”

Motsitsi says she has seen a big improvement in her learners’ performance since she started teaching with digital tools.

“My learners say maths is more fun and easier to understand,” she says.

Funza Lushaka Bursary

The road to the classroom – and to winning – has not been easy for Motsitsi.

Her passion for technology began in high school. “My favourite subjects at school were mathematics and computer application technology.”

She matriculated in 2009, but financial difficulties kept her at home for a year. In 2011 she got a place at the Central University of Technology. She qualified with a national diploma in 2013.

“In 2014 I started looking for a job but I was not lucky,” she says. “I told myself I would not stay unemployed. So I applied for the Funza Lushaka Bursary from the DBE.”

The bursary allowed her to register for a Postgraduate Certificate in Education. After she qualified the Funza placement office found her a job at Reseamohetse Public School.

Motsitsi says she is proud to be an educator because she is not only helping learners, but is also building the nation – at the important stage of primary school.

The love of teaching with technology

Motsitsi never imagined she would win first prize. “When it was announced that I had won I was so happy and excited. It is a true testament that if you are passionate about what you do, you will succeed.”

As prizes, Motsitsi walked away with a Chevrolet Spark, a tablet and a mobile phone – sponsored by the Vodacom Foundation – as well as a Legacy Resorts weekend away.  

written by Tshepo Ramonoedi

Hospitality Studies students across South Africa now have the latest teaching material available at the click of a mouse, thanks to a partnership between the Department of Basic Education and Sun International.

A new partnership between the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and Sun International will make high-tech online Hospitality Studies teaching material available to learners in Grades 10, 11 and 12 across South Africa.

The Hospitality Studies Digital Curriculum Project, with the theme “21st Century Education for 21st Century Hoteliers”, was launched by Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga at Tembisa High School in Ekurhuleni recently.

Hospitality Studies learners at the school were enthusiastic about the new technology. “This course is important because it will teach us to master food preparation skills,” Grade 12 learner Seakanyeng Tlhobolo said. “The knowledge I will gain in this programme will help me become an entrepreneur.”

Jeanette Makhoba, also in Grade 12, hopes to one day run her own restaurant. “This course will give me more practical knowledge in the hospitality field,” she said. “Thanks to our government for launching this digital curriculum. Hopefully it will be extended to many schools, to reach other learners who are interested in hospitality as a career.”

Jobs and economic growth

The online course will provide support to both teachers and students. It will also help popularise hospitality at secondary schools, and the fast-growing tourism industry it supports. Tourism is important to South Africa’s economy, giving jobs to more than 700 000 people and earning around R250 billion a year.

Sun International recently hosted a four-day training workshop for teachers from 80 schools from five provinces, to bring them up to speed on course content and ensure they have the necessary IT skills. The teachers were also trained in Obami, a 100 per cent South African online learning system. Obami has developed a customised repository of hospitality-related educational resources, in collaboration with Sun International and quality assured by the
DBE.   

Tshepo Ramonoedi works in the Communications Unit with the Department of Basic Education.

Written by Monique Johnstone

Delicate knee surgery carried out with the help of robotics at Mitchells Plain hospital is the first of its kind in South Africa.

Surgeons Dr Paul Rowe and Dr Yusuf Hassan recently performed the first robotic knee replacement surgery of its kind in the country at Victoria and Mitchells Plain District Hospital.

This technology allowed the doctors to demonstrate the future of orthopaedic surgery in South Africa.

The benefit of the technology is that it simplified the operation for the surgeons. It gave an accurate map of the area of the knee where the implant would be made. It also made cutting the knee in the operating room very precise.

Using robotics means far fewer errors during surgery, in comparison to surgery done by hand. The patient loses less blood, and the robotic system gives immediate electronic feedback on the success of the operation.

The patient also recovers more quickly. Within one or two days after surgery the patient will start showing signs of healing and movement.

How it works

The robotic machine works together with the surgeon’s hand to give an accurate assessment of the knee. A special optical probe creates a “virtual” computer model of the knee. This helps the doctor to choose the implant size that best fits the patient’s knee. The robotic operation takes only an hour and  half to insert the knee implant.

“This revolutionary technology allows you to template the patient’s anatomy before making the bone cuts, and it allows you to decide where to precisely place the implants,” said Dr Hassan.

Earlier this year, Dr Hassen was given insight and training on how to use the technology by an expert at Navio Robotics in France. He then brought back his knowledge to perform these ground-breaking procedures in our state hospitals.

“The robotic system is more accurate than a manual system, where after performing manual surgery one would have to wait and see the outcome of the surgery,” said his colleague, Dr Rowe.

“The hope in the development of robotics is that it will be the next step for the future of orthopaedics. We expect significant improvement because research is showing that the more accurately you place the implant, the longer the survival of the implant.”

Western Cape Minister of Health, Dr Nomafrench Mbombo, said partnerships were key to this kind of breakthrough. “The Western Cape Department of Health continuously strive to lead the way with innovative surgical procedures and it is through partnerships with other healthcare organisations that we can provide better and improved healthcare for our patients,” she said.   

Monique Johnstone is a Principal Communications Officer with the Western Cape Department of Health.

The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) has urged parents to become more involved in the initiation process. The department has launched a Zero Deaths campaign, and urges communities to be guided by the theme “We Love Our Tradition, We Value Life of Our Youth”.

Even as communities prepare children for this sacred cultural path, CoGTA has reminded parents that they are responsible for their children’s health. They must not give this responsibility to others.

CoGTA Deputy Minister Obed Bapela has assured parents that the government is working to keep their children safe. Stakeholders will be making random visits to crack down on illegal initiation schools.

“Remember, initiation is a societal issue and all problems emanating from it, are also societal problems,” the Deputy Minister said. “It takes communities to raise responsible young men who can contribute positively to the future of our country.” 

 

The Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) is tackling poverty and underdevelopment in our communities by creating opportunities for skills transfer and the delivery of public assets and services.

The EPWP is playing a role in alleviating poverty by providing work and training opportunities for poor and unskilled South Africans.

Since 2014 the EPWP has created 2 343 147 work opportunities throughout the country. Most of those who benefit are community members who otherwise would not have had any chance of entering the formal world of work because they are unskilled and/or have never worked before.

Think about the people who fell by the wayside as you progressed from Grade R to Grade 12 and later tertiary level. Where did those people end up? Many of them end up in the temporary employ of the EPWP, where they gain the skills needed to enter the formal job market.

Rewarding hard work

Once in the EPWP, participants receive training in various activities such as gardening, security, community care giving, and firefighting, or learn to be basic pharmacy assistants or artisans.

We have many good stories in the EPWP where a participant enters the Programme as a cleaner, gardener or working as a volunteer caregiver and eventually becomes a skilled and qualified artisan, firefighter and/or even a small business owner who provides jobs to our people. 

Contributing to change

The department says: “never undermine and/or underestimate the EPWP and the … developmental role it plays in the betterment of the lives of our people”.

The developmental role that the department refers to relates to the community assets and services delivered through the Programme. Assets are things such as dams, roads, community recreational facilities, schools and hospitals that are constructed and maintained using the EPWP’s labour-intensive methods.

Some of the community services rendered through the EPWP include participants caring for thousands of senior citizens as well as for hundreds of thousands of children.

In the Mbashe Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape, community members – EPWP participants – took part in the construction of a multi-million rand dam that has enabled the municipality to provide clean drinking water to villages there.

The EPWP remains a good story to tell in our work of delivering a better life for all.

The Programme faces challenges though. There are participants who expect the Programme to create permanent jobs for our people.

The public or even participants in the programme have demanded the opportunities provided by the programme to be made permanent.

Although many participants have found permanent jobs after participating in the EPWP, it must be stressed that the Programme is not aimed at creating permanent jobs.

The EPWP was designed as a way to alleviate poverty and create work and training opportunities for unskilled people, while delivering socio-economic developmental assets and services.

EPWP minimum wage

The Ministerial Determination sets EPWP wages. The current daily wage for the EPWP is R83.59, but many public bodies pay participants more than this.

Despite the good work the EPWP has done to fight poverty and underdevelopment in our communities while creating work and training opportunities, the EPWP is not the perfect solution to the country’s high unemployment rate.  

Written by Stephen Timm

Government  expects to see local economies benefiting directly and indirectly from the intended mining of shale gas, which is also likely to contribute nine per cent to South Africa’s energy mix.

The extraction of shale gas in the Karoo could see South Africa generate thousands of jobs and add as much as R960 billion to the economy over the next 20 to 30 years.

Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane announced in late March that the government intended to proceed with the mining of shale gas.

The estimate is contained in a 2012 report on shale gas by a government task team and is based on the extraction of 50 trillion cubic feet of shale gas, when the rand was at R8 to the US dollar ($) and natural gas was priced at $4 per thousand cubic feet.

PetroSA manager of licensing and legal compliance Tebogo Motloung pointed out that it might be necessary to revise the economic benefits of shale gas in light of changes in commodity prices as well as changes in the recoverable reserves assumed.

He said the expectation is that gas will contribute nine per cent towards the energy mix by 2030. Depending on the amount of gas extractable, and the scale of production, local economies will benefit from direct and indirect employment at power stations, he added.

The South African National Energy Development Institute (Sanedi) is doing a study to quantify the direct and indirect employment opportunities from shale gas extraction.

Motloung said three companies, Bundu Gas, Shell and Falcon, have lodged five applications between them for exploration rights for shale gas. No exploration rights have been granted so far.

Drilling is likely to start towards the end of the second year of the three-year exploration concerning the granting of rights, he added.

Bundu Gas is a local entity but most of its shareholders are listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.

Motloung said geological field mapping and other data gathering activities are under way. PetroSA is not involved in any of the shale gas applications thus far, he said.

At the time the task team said the economic implications of a ban would delay or prevent an improvement of the understanding of the real extent of the potential resource, hamper the development of coal bed methane, and remove the potential economic benefit to severely deprived communities in the Karoo. 

Across the world Public Employment Programmes (Peps) are implemented to respond to challenges such as poverty, high unemployment rates, political conflicts and/or even natural disasters.

For instance, during the Great Depression of the 1930s, the United States of America implemented Peps to respond to the high unemployment rate that existed then. The American government employed millions of poor and unskilled Americans as a way not only to tackle widespread unemployment in the country, but also to deliver public assets such as roads.

With South Africa experiencing a stubbornly high unemployment rate, in 2004 government set out to implement a programme that would tackle poverty and underdevelopment while delivering community assets and services such as roads and community-based home care programmes in South Africa. This is how the EPWP was born.  

Written by Stephen Timm

Arguably the most commonly misunderstood issue when it comes to shale gas exploration is that fracking will significantly contaminate the ground water resources of the Karoo region.

PetroSA manager of licensing and legal compliance Tebogo Motloung however says shale gas is found between 1 500 m to 4 000 m below ground surface, which is far deeper than where acceptable drinking water is located.

“The likelihood of contamination is significantly reduced due to the location of target formation and eliminated by the manner in which wells are to be constructed – i.e. cased in cement to achieve the desired well integrity.” 

In addition, he said, the technology itself allows for the use of multi-well pad drilling where a number of wells are drilled in one well thus significantly reducing the ground that might be damaged in comparison with drilling vertical wells.

What is hydraulic fracturing?

“Hydraulic fracturing”, generally referred to as “fracking”, involves injecting a mixture of water, chemicals and sand at high pressure into the ground to allow natural gas to flow freely from the rock pores to production wells.

What is shale gas?

Shale gas is natural gas that is attached to, or adsorbed onto, organic matter or is contained in thin, porous silt or sand beds interbedded in shale.

Are hydraulic fracturing fluids and flow-back not harmful to water resources?

Hydraulic fracturing fluid is typically made up of 99.5 per cent water and sand, and 0.5 per cent chemicals. Most chemicals are commonly used in household applications. There has been a move by the industry to reduce the use of potential toxic additives and replace them with non-toxic alternatives. The industry would be required to disclose additives to the Regulator.

Will hydraulic fracturing and shale-gas production cause any atmospheric pollution?

Compared with other sources of energy, natural gas is considered one of the cleanest energy source. The draft regulations prohibit any venting of natural gas to the atmosphere and also require operators to maximise resource recovery, thus preventing any potential impacts.

Will the process interfere with the existing land-use activities and, if so, how will these be managed?

As part of the application for exploration or production rights, applicants are required to assess the impact of proposed operations on existing land use and consult with any affected landowners. Once operations are complete, the holder is required to rehabilitate the site in such a way that future land use in the area is not compromised.

How will roads and other existing infrastructure be affected?

A traffic impact assessment will be undertaken as part of the environmental impact assessment to determine the actual effects of shale gas development and how such impacts can be mitigated, including making provisions for the maintenance of roads.

What benefits does hydraulic fracturing provide?

The extraction of a modest estimation of the Karoo’s 50 trillion cubic feet of shale gas will have a significant positive impact on economic growth, the diversification of the energy mix, employment opportunities and other benefits from multiplier activities such as manufacturing, skills development and transportation.

Has government provided sufficient mechanisms to protect communities and the environment?

The regulatory framework has been benchmarked against well developed and matured jurisdictions with over 50 years of experience, and adapted to a South Africa-specific environment. In terms of the law, companies seeking approval to develop shale gas are required to undertake comprehensive consultations with interested and affected parties, including communities.

Written by Stephen Timm

Regulations have been put in place, environmental assessments, a deep-drilling project and other precautionary initiatives are underway to ensure fracking in the Karoo does not do damage to the environment.

Having given the green light for shale gas drilling to go ahead, government is taking a range of precautions to mitigate against any environmental damage in the Karoo, says PetroSA manager of licensing and legal compliance Tebogo Motloung.

Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane announced in March that government intends to proceed with shale-gas mining.

There has been concern that the removal of shale gas by hydraulic fracturing (or fracking) could cause environmental damage.

"Applicants must carry out mandatory environmental impact assessments".

Motloung said a number of regulations have been put in place to counter these risks, while a range of studies have also been commissioned to assess the various risks.

A monitoring committee has also been set up made up of representatives from the departments of mineral resources, science and technology, energy, environmental affairs and water and sanitation, as well as PetroSA and the Council for Geoscience

Under the National Environmental Management Act applicants must carry out mandatory environmental impact assessments. Further regulations for petroleum exploration and production were gazetted in June 2015, expanding the existing regulatory framework.

The departments of environmental affairs and mineral resources as well as other departments are also carrying out an environmental assessment to develop policy and legislation.

Scientific studies

Motloung said a number of scientific studies were published last year. These include assessment of impacts of shale gas development on air quality, earthquakes, water resources, biodiversity and ecology, heritage and spatial and infrastructure planning.

The Council for Geoscience in collaboration with PetroSA has also embarked on a Karoo Deep Drilling Project aimed at understanding the impact that any geo-resource exploration activities would have on the Karoo.

Added to this, the departments of science and technology and mineral resources together with PetroSA are continuing to engage with one another to develop mechanisms to ensure that shale gas activities will not compromise the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio astronomy project near Carnarvon.

The Astronomy Geographic Advantage Act provides for the protection of the areas relevant to the SKA. Motloung pointed out that site-specific assessments can only be undertaken once it becomes clearer what equipment will be used on each site.

The Department of Mineral Resources held two public awareness meetings, one in Cradock in the Eastern Cape and another in Richmond in the Northern Cape.

The three applicants that have lodged applications to explore for shale gas have also held several consultation meetings in the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Western Cape. 

Written by Albert Pule

Youth

When Khathutshelo Ramukumba, Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), spoke at the recent South African Youth Awards he reminded the audience that South Africa was a country where dreams could come true. Despite circumstances or background, “…you can achieve your dream and live the life that you’ve imagined”.

With this opportunity, Minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Jeff Radebe, reminded nominees and winners, came responsibility. “The nation will look up to you to play significant leadership roles in society. You are the faces of the future of our country. You are expected to play an active role in uplifting your communities. You are expected to assist in empowering other young people. You are expected to contribute to national development.”

Recognizing and Rewarding Achievement

Youthful entrepreneurs were recognized across eight categories plus an overall winner received the Presidential Award. Academic excellence, business savvy, social entrepreneurs and people working in the health field were all recognised.

The overall winner was Nneile Nkholise the owner of a medical technology company that produces bespoke prosthesis. In collecting her prize, Nkholise said, “This is one of those times where I’m grateful to be South African and to be a young person and to have a government that is so supportive.”

An environment for growth

Deputy Minister in the Presidency Buti Manamela, speaking at the awards, highlighted the importance of recognising young people who were making a difference in the country and their community. “Today you will hear stories of young women and men making a difference in their communities and in their own lives.  They continue to make South Africa a better place.  They continue to bring a smile to our faces.  We don’t hear about them often. We don’t read about them often.  We don’t see their faces often.  But they exist. And they are here today representing the thousands of ordinary youth in Mzansi doing extra-ordinary things.” 

Minister Radebe reminded guests during his keynote address that it was the nation’s responsibility to recognise and celebrate the accomplishments of the young. They, he continued, will define the future of the country.

“Through the South African Youth Awards we are saying the youth is here and ready to lead. This is also the reason why the notion of “intergenerational mix” must be an integral part of organisational strategies.”

It is time, he said, for young South Africans to continue the journey to a better and more prosperous

Written by Albert Pule

Youth

A fresh idea has won 26-year-old township businessman Lethabo Mokoenathe the South African Youth Awards entrepreneurship top prize.

Lethabo Mokoena gave up the security of a salary to clean shoes in Daveyton in Gauteng. For the 26-year-old former Sony brand activator, it was an award-winning decision.

Walk Fresh, his two-year-old sneaker and shoe polishing company, employs four other youth and is this year’s winner of the South African Youth Awards entrepreneurship top prize. 

The company is growing, Mokoena told Vuk’uzenzele. The journey has not been easy but the reward has made the struggle worthwhile. “It’s better now and things are starting to look up,” he says. “Entrepreneurship is not what people want us to think of it. People want to glamorise it. That’s why a lot of entrepreneurs are depressed, because this is very hard.”

Mokoena is proud of his achievements, but he is not ready to put his feet up and rest. There is room for growth, and more services to offer his customers. Currently, Walk Fresh cleans sneakers, polishes shoes, refurbishes leather, maintains and refurbishes suede and sells shoe laces. In a few years, Mokoena says, “We will be a one-stop-shop for footwear.”

First steps

Walk Fresh was born out of Mokoena’s frustration. A few years ago he was a graduate who had completed his studies in public relations and corporate Communications. But he had not figured out what he wanted to do with his life.

“One day we were sitting with my friends and one of them was cleaning his mother’s shoes. I asked him, ‘Why you don’t get paid to do that?’ That’s when the guys started laughing. At that moment I saw an opportunity to start this kind of business.”

His friends still laughed when he shared his business idea, but he pressed on. He used his transport money to buy his first batch of cleaning materials. Walk Fresh began operations on the same veranda where the idea was born but has just moved into new premises. Pointing to over 300 shoes waiting to be collected or cleaned, Mokoena says, “Today, we are here. We’ve been here for only two weeks and in a month or two, we will know if our numbers have changed.”

Walk Fresh uses township laundromats as drop off or pick up points for customers. They promise a three-day turnaround, and Daveyton residents get free delivery.   

Contact Walk Fresh at lethabo@walkfresh.co.za, call 073 628 2382 or visit them at 7540 Mangosuthu Street, Daveyton.

Written by Siya Miti

A new mill funded by the Rural Enterprise Development Hub will improve the lives of rural Eastern Cape residents and spur economic growth.

A new maize milling plant in rural Mbizana promises the hope of a rejuvenated economy in this Eastern Cape municipality. Located in Dyifani village outside Bizana, the mill draws employees – mostly youth – from local villages and provides an income to more than a 1 000 co-operative members.

Funded by the Eastern Cape government under the Rural Enterprise Development Hubs (RED hubs) programme, the R53.5 million facility processes maize supplied by local co-operatives for use by local communities as well as being shipped to the shelves of national retail chains.

At the unveiling at the end of March, President Jacob Zuma explained that the Dyifani project along with three other RED Hub projects in the province – located in Chris Hani, OR Tambo and Alfred Nzo municipalities – will generate income for residents of neglected rural communities.

“These RED hubs with the primary production covering a total of 3 754 ha of land and producing maize and sorghum planted by rural co-operations ... made an income of about R8.2 million during the mid-term.

“The RED hubs created a total of 397 permanent and 679 short-term jobs and there’s a potential to create more jobs when the milling plants are fully operation,” the President explained.

Owned by villagers, feeding the country

Vusi Ngesi, general manager of the Bizana Mill, calculates at least 1 400 people benefit directly from the mill’s operations. There are 64 full time employees and at least 100 members in each of the 14 local co-operatives that supply the mill, a secondary co-operative, with maize to process. The development has already improved the region, says Ngesi. 

“It has changed the lives of people because there are job opportunities, and milling is here, and they can get maize meal from our own area. What’s also very important is that people are being skilled in taking soil samples, analysing soil and determining the type of fertiliser to use to get a certain yield.”

The region is moving from a collective of subsistence farmers to becoming a region built on commercial agriculture. The mill grinds maize for Lethabo Milling, who are suppliers to national chains like Boxer Supermarkets and Massmart, owners of the Makro and Game supermarket chains.

Ongoing development

The Eastern Cape Rural Development Agency (ECRDA) provides ongoing business development services to all four of the RED hubs they have financed. The province has turned to Lethabo Milling founder Xolani Ndzaba to help build sustainable industries around the existing RED hubs.

Ndzaba says, with his assistance the Bizana Mill has already won orders from the Boxer chain. “That plant has a lab to ensure the milled maize meets their quality standards. In terms of the memorandum of understanding, the agreement covers all RED hubs. We provide technical skills, management development and access to markets, which is where Lethabo comes in.”

Based in the Free State, Lethabo Milling is believed to be the first 100 per cent black-owned maize processing company in South Africa. The relationship between Lethabo and the Eastern Cape provincial government began after he was invited by the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) speak to the parliamentary committee on agriculture. “Back in 2014, parliament asked me how I would assist communities to access the market and how I could ensure more black millers come into the industry,” said Ndzaba.

Lethabo has now opened an office in East London after a successful meeting with ECRDA set up by the dti. Ndzaba’s company has 40 employees with an average age of 31 because he focuses on youth development.

“Forty-three per cent of my employees are females and operate at the critical parts of the business such as labs, packaging lines. I run a plant that has passed food safety standards. We presented to the department and ECRDA … ECRDA told us they have milling plants established in communities and asked us to check how we can help with food safety standards,” Ndzaba said, explaining the beginning of his relationship with ECRDA. 

 

Advertorial

 

Statutory Services Officer (2 posts)

Centre: Provincial Office: Western Cape
Reference No: HR4/4/10/192
Enquiries: Ms Z Maimane, Tel: (021) 441 8125
Centre: Provincial Office: East London
Reference No: HR4/4/1/72
Salary: Commencing: R334 545 per annum
Enquiries: Ms P Bodoza, Tel: (043) 701 3279

Provincial Offices
Chief Director: Provincial Operations: Western Cape, Department of Labour, PO BOX 872, Cape Town, 8000

Chief Director: Provincial Operations: Eastern Cape, Department of Labour, Private Bag X9005, East London, 5200

Deputy Director: Labour Centre Operations

Centre: Labour Centre: Postmasburg
Reference No: HR4/4/8/254
Salary: All Inclusive: R779 295 per annum
Enquiries: Mr ZL Albanie, Tel: (053) 838 1500

Provincial Office
Chief Director: Provincial Operations: Northern Cape, Department of Labour, Private Bag X5012 Kimberley, 8301

Closing date for applications:
Monday, 29 May 2017 at 16:00

For full details of the advertised posts visit our website: www.labour.gov.za

Applications must be submitted on form Z83, obtainable from any Public Service Department or on the internet at www.gov.za/documents. The fully completed and signed form Z83 should be accompanied by a recently updated, comprehensive CV as well as recently certified copies of all qualification(s) including a Senior Certificate and ID-document [Driver’s license where applicable]. Non-RSA Citizens/Permanent Resident Permit Holders must attach a copy of their Permanent Residence Permits to their applications. Should you be in possession of a foreign qualification, it must be accompanied by an evaluation certificate from the South African Qualification Authority (SAQA). Applicants who do not comply with the above-mentioned requirements, as well as applications received late, will not be considered. The Department does not accept applications via fax or email. Failure to submit all the requested documents will result in the application not being considered. Correspondence will be limited to short-listed candidates only. If you have not been contacted within eight (8) weeks after the closing date of this advertisement, please accept that your application was unsuccessful. Suitable candidates will be subjected to a personnel suitability check (criminal record, citizenship, credit record checks, qualification verification and employment verification). Where applicable, candidates will be subjected to a skills/knowledge test. All shortlisted candidates for SMS posts will be subjected to a technical competency exercise that intends to test relevant technical elements of the job, the logistics of which be communicated by the Department. Following the interview and technical exercise, the selection panel will recommend candidates to attend generic managerial competencies using the mandated DPSA SMS competency assessment tools. Successful candidates will be appointed on a probation period of 12 months. The Department reserves the right not to make any appointment(s) to the above post. The successful candidate will be expected to sign a performance agreement. The Department of Labour is an equal opportunity affirmative action employer. The employment decision shall be informed by the Employment Equity Plan of the Department. It is the Department’s intention to promote equity (race, gender and disability) through the filling of this post(s) with a candidate whose transfer / promotion / appointment will promote representativity in line with the numerical targets as contained in our Employment Equity Plan.

Stay in touch with the department, visit: website: www.labour.gov.za | Facebook: Department of Labour | twitter: @deptoflabour

 

Applications: The DG of the Department of Communications, Private Bag X 745, Pretoria, 0001 or hand deliver to Tshedimosetso House, 1035 Cnr Frances Baard & Festival Street, Hatfield , Pretoria

For Attention: Mr A Khameli

Note: Applications must be submitted on form Z83, obtainable from any Public Service Department or on the Internet at www.gov.za. The completed and signed form Z83 should be accompanied by a recently updated, comprehensive CV, certified copies of all qualification(s) and Identity document. The certification must be within three (3) months.

Post: Director-General:  (5 Year Renewable Contract) - withdrawn

Post: Deputy Director-General: Communications Policy Research And Development

Branch: Communications Policy Research and Development
Salary: All-inclusive remuneration package R1 299 501.00 per annum
Centre: Pretoria
Reference Number: DDG: Policy/03/17

Post: Deputy Director-General: Entity Oversight Branch: Entity Oversight

Salary: All-inclusive remuneration package R1 299 501.00 per annum
Centre: Pretoria
Reference Number: DDG: EO/04/17

Enquiries: Ms Mathope Thusi, 012 473 0174

For more information on the requirements of the positions, kindly visit www.doc.gov.za. Correspondence will be limited to successful candidates only. If you have not been contacted within a month after the closing date of this advertisement, please accept that your application was unsuccessful.

Africa news

Agriculture is Africa’s best opportunity to diversify its economy, improve food security and create jobs, according to the World Economic Forum on Africa held in Durban recently.

How to develop and strengthen the economies of rural Africa was one of the major discussions at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa, held in Durban this month.
Agriculture offers Africa the potential to reduce poverty and create jobs, especially in poor rural communities and other areas where jobs are hard to find.

According to WEF, growth in agriculture is 11 times better at reducing poverty than growth in other sectors. With 65 per cent of Africa’s population already working in farming, investment in agriculture will benefit more of the continent’s people.

But poorly maintained roads and other infrastructure are a challenge. For example, it can be more expensive for some African farmers to get their products to a port just 10 kilometres away than it is for European farmers to ship milk across the world.

Today, Africa as a whole has to import agricultural and food products. In the 1960s Africa was an exporter of surplus farming products.

A new vision

In 2009 WEF determined that the world needs sustainable agriculture to deliver food security, environmental sustainability and economic opportunity. The organisation devised the New Vision for Agriculture, embracing market-based methods to achieve the goal of a 20 per cent improvement every decade to 2050.

Success, WEF reasoned, would depend on good leadership from governments and investment in infrastructure, research and monitoring. The Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP), run by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, has driven commitments from African governments to increase funding on agriculture.

The Department of International Relations has pointed out: “Events in Africa and across the world have demonstrated a need for leaders to be responsive to the demands of the people who have entrusted them to lead, and to also provide a vision and a way forward.”

The CAADP has already helped to almost double agricultural trade within Africa. But this still only accounts for 3.5 per cent of the continent’s gross domestic product.

In 2014 members of the African Union signed the Malabo Declaration, which set a target of tripling the trade of agricultural and food products between African countries by 2025.

Bursaries for better skills in agriculture

To fast track rural skills development, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has increased the number of bursaries it offers to students accepted to agricultural colleges.

This was an investment in South Africa’s drive a development agenda of food security and rural wealth creation, Minister Senzeni Zokwana said.

“DAFF has been awarding bursaries since 2004, after introducing an external bursary scheme in response to government’s call to bridge the skills gap, promote rural development and to eliminate skewed participation in South Africa,” the Minister said.

“The scheme is used by DAFF as a skills pipeline to contribute towards the promotion of inclusive economic growth, job creation and food security by ensuring a constant supply of required skilled personnel in the highly competitive fields of agriculture, forestry and fisheries.” 

International Relations

South Africa has become one of a select group of countries to enter a partnership with China encouraging citizens to share knowledge and ideas with each other. The US, Russia, UK, France and Indonesia have similar agreements with the Asian superpower.

The South Africa-China High Level People-to-People Exchange Mechanism (PPEM) will help both countries exchange information, identify common opportunities and create strategies and objectives to their mutual benefit.

“Often called soft diplomacy, learning about each other’s world view, belief systems and way of life is a critical part of creating a better world for all,” Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa said at the programme’s recent launch.

The exchange will allow people employed in the areas of society, culture, economy, science and technology to work more closely together.

As Deputy Minister in the Presidency Buti Manamela explained: “If we do not strengthen relations at the level of people-to-people, then all other agreements become of no consequence because it is people who should drive these.”

Science and technology boosted

Importantly, the PPEM will strengthen ties between the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology. The agreement envisions 15 new research and development (R&D) projects, including a Big Data programme in the information technology sector.

The National Research Foundation will manage most of the new initiatives, including a Young Scientist Exchange Programme. Shared research projects in biotechnology, new materials and advanced manufacturing, and information technology are also in the pipeline.

A new joint mining and minerals research centre will focus on cutting-edge R&D and innovation, with the aim of commercialising any shared developments.

High-tech science park

The departments of Science and Technology (DST) and Higher Education (DHT) have partnered with the Chinese research institution Torch to build a high-tech park in Gauteng. There are plans for three research centres – DST and DHT are conducting feasibility and financial sustainability studies – which need to be within 50 kilometres of research institutions and resource pools.

At the launch of the new scientific cooperation agreement, Minister Naledi Pandor said: “Our goal is to develop in South Africa, through close cooperation with China, a science park that will become an instrument for inclusive growth and accelerated transformation of our economy.

“Our efforts are inspired and informed by China’s tremendous success in building science parks to drive innovation.” 

Africa news

The Organisation of African Unity is formed

25 May 1963

Inspired by the dream of a united states of Africa, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was founded by 33 newly independent states in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 25 May 1963. A further 21 countries joined the organisation over the years. South Africa became the 53rd member on 23 May 1994.

The OAU was set up to strengthen cooperation between African states to achieve a better life for their people, to defend African countries’ sovereignty and independence, and to eradicate colonialism.

Its founding is celebrated every year on 25 May, Africa Day, marking the beginning of a quest for continental unity, political and economic emancipation, and the restoration of the dignity of Africa’s people.

In 2002 the OAU was dissolved and a new continental organisation took its place: the African Union.

Information supplied by http://www.sahistory.org.za

Sport, arts & culture

Ontlametse Phalatse,  the first black woman in the world diagnosed with the aging disease progeria, has been praised for her courageous spirit and the inspiration she gave to others.

A fighter to the end is how many have described Ontlametse Phalatse, the dynamic young woman known for her brave battle with progeria

Progeria is a rare genetic condition that causes children to age rapidly. It is often fatal, and claimed Phalatse just after her 18th birthday.

Phalatse used to call herself the First Lady, because she was the first black woman in the world to be diagnosed with this disease.

Despite the physical toll on her body, she remained a positive inspiration throughout her life.

After experiencing breathing difficulties she was rushed to Hebron Clinic, and then referred to Dr George Mukhari Hospital, where her life ended.

'We will miss you sorely'

The Phalatse family and Ontlametse Phalatse Trust thanked nurses and staff for their compassion and effort in trying to save her.

“Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness but Ontlametse as we know her would want us to carry on with her courageous spirit,” the Ontlametse Phalatse Trust said in a statement. “We will miss you sorely, Tsontso, our first lady. May you find eternal peace among the angels. Rest in peace.”

Ontlametse's mother, Bellon Phalatse, says her baby was born looking normal. But she realised early on that something was wrong. The baby suffered constant rashes, and Bellon thought she had a skin disease.

After Phalatse was diagnosed with progeria doctors did not think she would live to see her 14th birthday. But in March this year she turned 18, after finishing her matric.

Meeting the President

One of Phalatse's dreams was to meet President Jacob Zuma. On the eve of her birthday that dream came true at the Mahlamba Ndlopfu presidential residence.

During their chat, President Zuma came to learn of the challenges Phalatse faced. He offered to assist her and her family. After the meeting Phalatse thanked those who had supported her through the years.

'A dynamic lady'

At Phalatse’s funeral in Hebron in North West, crowds of people gathered in a large marquee to hear President Zuma speak in her honour.

He said she walked tall, despite her progeria.

“I looked forward to seeing her,” he said of their meeting. “I had my own mental picture of her. That changed when she came to visit me. She walked proudly and she shook my hand. She sat proudly on her chair.

“She was a dynamic lady,” said President Zuma.

The President added that Phalatse talked non-stop.

“You wouldn’t ask her a question because she would answer before you had asked the question. She was very bright,” he said.

Memories of Phalatse

At his meeting with Phalatse, she had expressed her wish for a car and a home for her and her mother. The President said Phalatse had spoken about the challenges of having to use public transport when going to her doctor’s appointments in Johannesburg

“She had wished for a house and car. I indicated to her that I have a Trust and a Foundation,” the President said at her funeral. He said that when he invited her to celebrate his upcoming 75th birthday on 12 April, he had planned to surprise her with the car she needed.

“I wanted to give her the car on my birthday, but little did I know that God had made a decision. Death is a secret only known by God. I was shocked. She was healthy,” he said.

A memorial service for Phalatse was held at Hebron College, Manotsi High School.

Among those who came to pay their last respects were Social Development Deputy Minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu and North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo.