Gabi Khumalo

Thanks to Adult Basic Education (ABET), Sphiwe Mkhasibe, 28, was given a new lease on life. While in high school, Mkhasibe had a drug and alcohol problem that prevented him from completing matric. However, doctors at a rehabilitation centre in Johannesburg gave Mkhasibe a second chance by encouraging him to enrol at an ABET centre. Although still on his road to recovery, Mkhasibe proudly admits that his life has changed. Not only has he completed his Level 4 at City Deep Adult Education Centre in Johannesburg, but he has also discovered other talents such as playing soccer and cooking for 160 residents at the centre where he lives.

New beginning
“When the facilitators and psychologists at ABET centre motivated me to go back to school, I thought I had nothing to lose and decided to do it. Now my life has changed for the better. Not only did I receive an education, I’ve also started a soccer team at the rehab centre.”
“They encouraged me to take part in com- munity activities so that I can become a better person and understand more about myself. I’m now a captain of our soccer team. We compete with other health institutions. ABET is not only about studying, you also gain life skills and improve other skills such as computer skills,” Mkhasibe said.
He was one of the adult learners honoured by the Adult Learning Network (ALN) during an adult learners week awards ceremony held on 8 September at White River in Mpumalanga. ALN is a non-profit organisation established in 2002. The organisation has a national networking structure that promotes adult literacy, adult basic education and lifelong learning in South Africa and internationally. It works in partner- ship with the Department of Basic and Higher Education as well as training departments, Umalusi and SaQa.
The awards set the stage for the celebration of outstanding achievements of national winners. Adult learners, facilitators and deserving projects were awarded and showcased as best category and challenged other adults who didn’t complete their education by going back to school to enrol for ABET. “Education is for everyone; let’s go back to school. Even if your peers laugh at you, don’t be discouraged because drugs take you backwards and affect your brain, and ultimately your success in life. “
Right now his goal is to become an artisan since there is a shortage of artisans in the country.
Speaking on behalf of Mpumalanga Education MEC, Reginah Mhaule, the Department’s Deputy Director-General, Lucy Moyane, said it is important to acknowledge that literacy is an important tool towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. She said education centres were essential to eradicating poverty, reducing child mortality, achieving gender equality and ensuring sustainable development, peace and democracy in the world. The theme “Adult Learning and Skills Development for Better Life” is significant in addressing the priorities of government – inequality, unemployment and poverty.

ABET institutions
There are 3 083 public adult learning centres in South Africa. Some 257 of them are in Mpumalanga where they provide adult education and training. For government to move forward and implement policies, Moyane said there was a need to take stock of what government has been doing over the years. She said there was a need to ask basic questions, such as: Have they been able to achieve their set target? To what extent have they provided quality programmes in the centres? Was there management of a required standard and were personnel equal to the task?.
“Let’s appreciate the scope of work covered since the Department of Higher Education and Training was established in 2009. The department had to relook at the nature of post-school education to address the plight of the youth and adults. This was reflected in a study by the Centre for Higher Education, Transformation and Fellow Education and Training, according to which 2,8 million youths were unemployed or did not have a proper education or training.

Other adult learning network award winners included:
The Ambassador’s Award; in recognition of his distinguished contribution to the promotion of lifelong learning and adult education in South Africa: Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse.
The Outstanding Achievement Award in recognition of their distinguished contribution to the promotion of adult literacy or adult education in South Africa: The KHA RI GUDE Literacy Campaign.
Best Learner
1st Place: Sphiwe Sifiso Mkhasibe from City Deep Public Adult Learning Centre (PALC) in Gauteng.
2nd place: Isak Botha from Matie Community Service in the Western Cape.
3rd place: Zandile Kubheka from Ilungelolethu PALC in KwaZulu-Natal and Wayne Engelbrecht from Bergsig AET Centre in the Northern Cape.
Best Educator
1st Place: Raymond Belani Zibi from Ponelopele ABET Centre in the North West.
2nd Place: Bernadette Bailey from Worcester CLC Centre in the Western Cape.
3rd Place: Thembeni Seale from Ntsie PALC in Mpumalanga.
Best Group
1st Place: Coen Strydom, Group Welding Class, from DWT Nthathe ABET Centre in Winterveldt, Gauteng.
2nd Place: The Tourism Group from Porterville CLC in the Western Cape.
3rd Place: Austerville Progressive Men’s Group from KwaZulu-Natal.
Best Centre/Project
1st Place: Elsies River ABET Centre in the Western Cape.
2nd Place: Chubekani ABET Centre from Mpumalanga.
3rd Place: Tswelopele PLC Satellite, Gaerobe State Adult Centre in Soshanguve, Gauteng.
 

Irene Naidoo

Photo caption: The importance of civil registration documents was discussed at the recent Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Conference.

African countries have pledged to work with Universities and Non Government Organisations in step- ping up measures to record their populations. This follows the Second Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Conference held in Durban recently.
Speaking at the conference, President Jacob Zuma highlighted the need for countries to get their civil registration systems in order.
The conference discussed the importance of Africans having civil registration documents, such as birth certificates, identity documents, death certificates and so on.
Ministers and experts from the continent also reviewed the progress made in civil registration and planned the way forward.
Zuma expressed concern over the scandal of invisibility – a situation where people are born and die without ever leaving a trace in any legal record of their existence.
“It has meant that the most vulnerable people in Africa remain unseen and uncounted. They practically do not exist,” he pointed out.
It was important for all African citizens to be registered – a feat that could only be achieved through efficient civil and registration systems. Once everyone in Africa has been registered and accounted for, the continent can plan better for its people and its development, the President added.
Home Affairs Minister and African Union Commission chair Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, who chaired the conference, said public records enabled governments to keep track of births, marriages and deaths.
Having an efficient civil registration system would also help countries when it came to providing services for their people.
The information would help decide how many schools or hospitals need to be built, how many vaccines are needed as new-born babies grow, or help identity a particular deadly disease, since a cause of death would be noted on a death certificate.
Dlamini Zuma said the conference was a resounding success and that a number of decisions were agreed upon.
She said the conference had, as promised, assessed the progress made since the first conference in 2010 and the results were pleasing. “It was very encouraging to find that many countries had implemented many of the decisions taken in 2010 and had started or accelerated work in these areas. But of course, two years is not a long time to implement everything, so we were pleased that no country said we didn’t care, we didn’t do anything. Every country tried to do something,” Dlamini Zuma added.
All countries on the continent, including those that have just emerged from conflict were doing their best to make sure all citizens were registered.
“No country is just sitting and saying they are in shambles. Every country is doing something and there are many things we can also learn,” she said.

Trade and Industry Deputy Minister Elizabeth Thabethe urged South Africans to use has alcohol responsibly and help reduce alcohol abuse among children. Speaking at the launch of the National Sobriety Week campaign from 7 to 14 September 2012, the deputy minister described alcohol abuse as a growing crisis.
South Africa is ranked 52nd out of 191 countries on alcohol consumption and ranked fourth on a scale of between one and five (more risky). “I do not believe this is the record we are proud to hold as a nation.”
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the annual liquor consumption by South Africans amounts to 7,87 litres of pure alcohol per person. Research also indicates that the youth drink more than adults, which poses a problem for the future of the country. Alcohol abuse also costs the country between R9 and R10 billion a year and contributes to violence. “South Africa is among the top 10 consumers of liquor in the world,” The Deputy Minister said, adding that the country now has high levels of babies born with foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). She said the problem is most rife in De Aar in the Northern Cape with almost 12% of the community affected by FAS. However, there has been a 30% reduction in the FAS rate in this community thanks to the Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Prevention Programme run by the Foundation for Alcohol-Related Research (FARR) in the area. FARR is one of the non-governmental organisations that work closely with the Department of Health.
Other areas seriously affected by FAS include Wellington in the Western Cape at 8,8%, Upington in the Northern Cape at 6,9% and Diepsloot in Gauteng at 2,7%. Compared to other countries such as the USA which has a total FAS rate of 0,3%, or France and Sweden which stand at 0,1%, provincially South Africa’s numbers are extremely high.
According to research, one of the main reasons for the high provincial rates is the “dop system”. Wine was historically distributed daily to workers as partial payment for labour. This was called the dop system. Despite the system being outlawed in many areas it still remains a general practice.
To coincide with the campaign, the Department of Health has also pleaded with expecting mothers to refrain from drinking alcohol during their pregnancies, as South Africa has one of the highest incidences of FAS in the world. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can have devastating effects on the unborn baby. These effects include permanent brain damage, behavioural, learning and developmental problems.
Whatever an expecting mother drinks, the unborn baby drinks too. So if a pregnant mother of any age drinks alcohol, there is a high chance of her baby being born with FAS. Most women are unaware that they are pregnant during the fi three months of pregnancy and it is during this time that alcohol can cause the most damage to the unborn baby.
Deputy Minister Thabethe also urged com- munities to reduce their intake of alcohol during the course of the campaign and appealed to communities to start other forms of businesses other than taverns.
“Liquor is a form of doing business but it has both advantages and disadvantages. It has economic benefits but creates fatalities,” she said, urging tavern owners to sell responsibly and for them to respect selling times.
She said fines given to liquor sellers that disobey the law were not effective enough and other avenues needed to be looked at. “Fines don’t work, we must look at other options to do better,” she said, adding that the department might consider withdrawing licences.
“We need to minimise the burden of liquor abuse in our communities. The intervention by government would be to change the pattern of liquor consumption using a multi-disciplinary approach where the effect would be directed at the consumer base.”

For more information on FAS, contact the National Department of Health on tel. 012 395 8364/9180/8047 or FARR) on: 021 686 2646

Stephen Timm

If you are writing matric this year, you must apply now for admission to a tertiary education institution of your choice.

This message, coupled with career advice and assistance on how to apply to universities and colleges, is playing on radio stations, newspapers and social media platforms such as Mxit and Facebook, as part of the Department of Higher Education’s Apply Now campaign. The campaign, which includes the Khetha radio programme on SABC radio stations, was launched in August by the department, in partnership with universities, the Department of Basic Education, the South African Qualifi ations Authority (Saqa) and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
The Minister of Higher Education and Training, Blade Nzimande, said the campaign is aimed at helping as many learners as possible, especially those from disadvantaged communities, to reduce the number of late applications.

Central application system
An Apply Now booklet details information such as basic career advice, opportunities at Further Education and Training (FET) colleges and universities, Seta training courses, public-service training opportunities and funding opportunities. To improve the applications process, the department is also developing a central application system.
The system, which is similar to one the United Kingdom (UK) uses, will be up and running by 2014, but Nzimande stressed that by next year, the department would have the capability to know how many students apply and are accepted at each tertiary institution. This, he said, would enable the department to know how many spaces are available and at which colleges and universities these are available.
The system is part of a number of interventions detailed in the Green Paper on the Post-School Education and Training System, which the department is putting in place to increase university enrolments to 1,5 million and those of other post-school institutions to four million by 2030.

New universities
The actions also include the construction, by 2014, of two new universities – in the Northern Cape and Mpumalanga – to have a combined intake of 20 000 students.
The main campus for the University of Mpumalanga will be located at the Lowveld Agricultural College, while the main seat and campus for the University of the Northern Cape will be located in Kimberley.
Nzimande said that the architects’ plans were being drafted and that environmental impact assessments for the two universities were being prepared.
Academic work groups are also being set up to develop the potential academic focus areas of each institution and to work out partnerships to enable this outcome.
In addition, the department is looking into the possibility of offering free higher education by covering undergraduate qualifications. A team is expected to present a report on the proposal to the department in November.
However Nzimande stressed that previous- ly disadvantaged students already received significant state support – such as subsidised transport and meals and the conversion of fees for third-year students into interest-free loans.
To boost the quality of higher education, the department also aims to:

• increase funding amounts for post- graduate students to up the number of Masters, honours and doctoral students
• set aside a dedicated bursary for FET colleges and university lecturers to en- able them to obtain PhDs and Masters degrees part-time
• send some students overseas to obtain specialised skills
• recruit students and lecturers from out- side the country
• get those in the corporate sector with PhD qualifications to lecture part time.

For more information call the Department of Higher Education and Training call centre on: 0800872222
 

Samona Murugan

Photo caption: City of Johannesburg received the Best Province implementing EPWP in the Social Sector

Photo caption: Pheka Ka Kopanele from Free State was awarded the Best Innovative Project Award in the EPWP Non State Sector

Photo caption: Mr Stanley Henderson (EPWP Deputy DG) presented the Honourable Minister Thulas Nxesi (right) and Honourable Deputy Minister Jeremy Cronin.

Photo caption: Limpopo received the Best Cooperative Project award in the EPWP Environment and Culture Sector.

Photo caption: Msinga Community Works Programme of KwaZulu-Natal was awarded the Best Programme in Community Works Programme under the ~1

More than two million work opportunities were created throughout the country from 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2012. This is thanks to the Department of Public Works Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) and those who implement the EPWP projects.
The programme is a government-wide initiative aimed at drawing poor unemployed people into the world of work.
To pay tribute to municipalities, provinces and non-profit organisations that have excelled in implementing the EPWP, the department presented the annual Kamoso Awards. Winners in each of the EPWP sectors, namely Infrastructure; Social; Non-State; and Environment and Culture received certificates and floating trophies for their commitment to eradicating poverty within their respective communities.
The awards seek to encourage government and its partners to increase their efforts in implementing the EPWP. They also communicate and showcase the progress, impact and successes of the EPWP nationally, provide a platform to enhance visibility of the EPWP and reinforce its objectives to the broader public.
Projects that scooped awards in the various categories include:

Infrastructure sector
Best Construction: Roads and Storm Water Phase 3, Umjindi Local Municipality, Mpumalanga
This programme in the Umjindi Local Municipality is part of the roads and storm water project of the Integrated Development Plan (IDP). It started on 13 September 2010 and was completed on 19 August 2011, creating 26 work opportunities and empowering beneficiaries with training and skills.

Best Maintenance Project: Siyatentela Programme, Mpumalanga
Tackling the huge challenges of poverty and unemployment in the area, Siyatentela carried out routine maintenance of the provincial network. The project started on 1 April 2011 and ended on 31 March 2012.
Beneficiaries received protective clothing, work tools and a monthly stipend from the department and participated by maintaining road drainage systems such as side-drains, filling potholes, erecting road signs and construction of gabions. The programme has employed 5 370 beneficiaries and maintained 2 685 km of road networks in the province.

Social sector
Best Innovative Project: City of Johannesburg Community Safety Tourism Ambassadors, Gauteng
The Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) coordinates the city’s prevention strategy which includes effective street lighting in high-risk areas and private security partnerships and partnerships with business in high crime areas. The project creates jobs while reducing crime through tourist ambassadors. The ambassadors receive a monthly income that allows them to provide for their families. The project has created 242 work opportunities and 30 beneficiaries have been employed permanently by the JMPD and 17 by Emergency Services (EMS). Five beneficiaries who have successfully completed their training have been deployed at 10 tourist attraction sites around Johannesburg.

Environment and culture sector
Best Innovative Project: City of Johannesburg Sebenzela Imifula Project, Gauteng
Johannesburg City Parks (JCP) is the custodian of more than 22 278 hectares of open spaces and green areas aimed at providing citizens with a greener environment. The Clean-up Joburg Campaign, which maintained trails and wetlands, started on 1 February and was completed on 30 June this year. A total of 92 work opportunities were created of which 62 per cent were women and 75 per cent youth. This helped to reduce crime, raised awareness and educated the community about caring for the environment and promoted responsibility and a sense of ownership of facilities, rivers and wetlands.

Best Cooperative Project: Rahlagane Table Grapes, Limpopo
Supported by the Limpopo Department of Agriculture and the Small Enterprise Development Agency, the project started on 1 November 2011 and is scheduled to be completed by 30 November this year. Beneficiaries were taught to improve administration, financial management and technical production. The project has to date created 40 work opportunities for EPWP beneficiaries including women, youth and people living with disabilities.

Best Provincial Project: Tubatse Municipality Leolo Landcare Project, Limpopo
The Leolo Catchment Project ran from April 2009 to April 2010. Covering the entire Tubatse Municipality and a portion of the neighbouring Fetakgomo Local Municipality, its core function is to construct gabions. This has brought much relief to the people of Greater Sekhukhune District, which was declared a disaster area characterised by severe land degradation and high unemployment. The project addressed soil conservation, the control of alien plants, protection and maintenance of wetlands and improvement of live- stock. It employed 258 beneficiaries, including 110 women and 87 youth.

Best National Project: Goegap Provincial Nature Reserve, Northern Cape
The project started in April 2012 and is scheduled to be completed soon. It is the initiative of Zamisanani Joint Venture, a company that implemented EPWP projects under the Department of Environmental Affairs’ Social Responsibility Programme.
The joint venture is 100 per cent black owned and has extensive experience in implementing EPWP projects. In the fi t month, it employed 236 local people with the number increasing to 400. They are mainly from Bergsig, Fonteintjie and Caroulsberg in the Springbok vicinity near the Goegap Reserve.

NON-STATE SECTOR
Best Innovative Project: Pheko Ka Kopanelo, Free State
Pheko ka Kopanelo, which started in June 2011, cares for terminally ill patients and those suffering from HIV and AIDS. The project has created 300 work opportunities including 34 men, 52 women, 33 people living with disabilities and 181 youth. The organisation also sponsored 13 students to study at the University of the Free State. About 540 volunteers support the project by giving their time and expertise to HIV and AIDS patients.

Best Project: Kgapamadi Community Organisation, Mpumalanga
This non-profit organisation was established to uplift and develop the people of Ezakheni on the outskirts of KwaMhlanga Township in the Thembisile Hani Local Municipality in Mpumalanga. The project started in 2006 and is still in progress. It is involved in arts and crafts training; heritage, community construction and development; traditional dancing and music development; community food and vegetable gardens and community sports development. It also pro vides a community information centre and a health centre. To date, 300 beneficiaries have been trained.

Best Project: Msinga Community Work Programme, KwaZulu-Natal
This initiative, which started in April 2011, identified the 25 most vulnerable households per ward in Msinga. Each household received fenced gardens, a rainwater harvesting tank, an irrigation system and a storage facility. The Community Work Programme (CWP) funded by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, provides funding to train participants in the construction industry. They receive accredited certification for basic house building, which is recognised by contractors. So far, 25 EPWP beneficiaries have been trained. Apart from repairing the roads around Msinga, they built toilets and bathrooms for local schools that were in dire need of such facilities. More than 100 households have benefited from the project.
 

Marilyn Williams - registered debt councilor

Imagine going to a bank to ask for finance only to find that you have been blacklisted by a credit bureau. Your dream of owning a car or a house is crushed.

What is a credit bureau?
A credit bureau supplies credit providers (shops, banks, money lenders etc.) with information on your credit history and how you manage your credit commitments. In other words, how much debt you have and how well you pay your ac- counts. In this way, the company that is opening a new account for you will have enough information about the way you pay the accounts you already have, so that they can make responsible decisions about granting you credit.

What is a judgment?
A judgment is a court order requested by your credit provider when you have not paid your debt. A legal process is followed before a judgment is issued. A summons is then issued to you. The law stipulates that the summons does not necessarily have to be issued to you in person but can be issued to your address (where you live or where you have agreed that notices may be served if you breach the contract). The summons tells you to appear in court and allows you to represent yourself. Where you fail to appear, judgment is issued in default. The judgment is held on the system of a credit bureau for five years and is then automatically removed.
Credit bureaus will not remove your judgment unless it has been rescinded in a court of law or if you qualify under the National Credit Act in terms of Amnesty as stipulated in Section 73, which regulates when the judgment data can be removed.

What is a default judgment listing?
A default means you have failed to pay as per your agreement. A default is held on the system at the credit bureau for two years.
What if you pay the outstanding balance? Will your listing be removed?
Paying a default account in full does not automatically qualify you for the removal of your listing. However, the credit grantor will be obliged to update the information on the credit bureau that you have paid the total outstanding amount.

What is an admin magistrate’s order?
This is a court order granted by a magistrates court at the request of you, the debtor, or a credit provider, provided that your debt does not exceed R50 000. The order examines your financial position and appoints an administrator to whom you make regular payments.
These payments are divided proportionately among your creditors as listed on your order.
An administration order remains on your credit record for a period of 10 years or fi years from the date of rehabilitation, whichever date comes sooner, and can be removed from the credit bureau prior to the 10-year period, as soon as the order has been rescinded.

Can you challenge the information on credit bureaus?
You must contact the credit bureau concerned to raise an objection or lodge a complaint.

1. The bureau has 20 business days in which to resolve the issue.
2. If the bureau is unable to resolve the issue, you should refer the matter to the Credit Information Ombudsman (CIO) at 0861 662 837.

Should the CIO be unable to find a resolution, the National Credit Regulator will intervene at the request of the CIO.
With regards to credit information, you have the right:

• To be informed that the credit provider in- tends to report negative information about you to a credit bureau before the credit provider actually reports you.
• To receive a copy of your credit record from a credit bureau when you request it. You can get one free record per year, but the credit bureau may charge you a fee for any further records.
• To challenge information kept by a credit bureau if you are unhappy with the information.
• For your information to be kept confidential and for your information to be used only for purposes allowed by the Act.

If you experience problems with servicing your debts take the following steps:

• Contact your credit provider to discuss your situation and negotiate an affordable repayment plan.
• If you cannot reach an agreement with your credit provider, you may contact a debt counsellor.

For more information call the National Credit Regulator on: 0860627627
 

Nthambeleni Gabara

Photo caption: The Gauteng Agri-Business Women of the year winner Flora Shilaluke (centre) with other winners.

Flora Shilaluke has sacrificed sleep and social life and endured physical pain to succeed as a farmer.
Any day of the week, this 46-year- old mother of four can be seen toiling away at her 21-hectare farm, Leeufontein, near Bronkhorstspruit, east of Pretoria.
The fruits of her labour were realised when she came out tops in the Gauteng Agri-Business Woman of the Year competition.
On 23 August, Shilaluke exchanged her overalls for a black-and-white suit to accept her award and the R140 000 prize money at a ceremony at the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria.

A shining star
Although there were also winners in other categories, Shilaluke, who farms with poultry, goats, cattle and vegetables, was the star of the evening.
Even in her moment of glory, she emphasized that farming was a difficult business, which often took its toll on the body. “Some- times I feel very tired and worn out with aching back, arms and legs, but I don’t give up, because farming is in my blood. This is not an industry for models because their beauty will fade away with an increasingly tanned skin after spending long hours in the sun.”
But Shilaluke is happy to be a farmer. “With agriculture, there is no hunger and I have been working very hard since I started farming in 2008.”
Her three poultry houses have 9 000 layers, which currently supply eggs to supermarkets throughout Bronkhorstspruit. But Shilaluke also gives back to the community by donating eggs and vegetables to the Botle Primary School every day.
She ascribes her success partly to her supportive husband, Petrus Machabaphala, who is also passionate about farming.
“My husband spends most of his time in the mealie field planting maize and this is actually what encouraged me to start a backyard garden; now the rest is history.”
Shilaluke is delighted that their first-born daughter, Molatelo (19), has also developed a passion for agriculture. “This is good because young people don’t take farming seriously; they consider it as an industry for elderly people.”
Asked about her future plans, the farmer who has already created permanent jobs for two women and six local men said, “I want to expand the production of layers from 9 000 to 20 000 layers, as this will help to create even more jobs.”
Gauteng Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Nandi Mayathula-Khoza said the link between women and agriculture is crucial, as agriculture remains the backbone of our economy and women are the bedrock upon which families are built.
“We are resolute in our commitment towards the total emancipation of women, and these awards are testament of that resolve,” she concluded.

“With agriculture there is no hunger…” – Flora Shilaluke

Other winning categories
Disabled Agri-Business Woman of the Year: Ellen Makhaya from Zuurbekom
Best Homestead Food Garden: Matodzi Mukwevho from the Itsoseng informal settlement
Informal Markets Crops: Bantubonke Agricultural Co-operative from Sebokeng
Formal Markets: Rethabiseng Agricultural Co-operative from the rural community of Rethabiseng near Bronkhorstspruit
Best Agri-Business of the Year: Processing:  Gauchix
 

Samona Murugan

When the Afrisun Trust and Carnival City offered three young Ekurhuleni girls the opportunity to study beauty therapy, they didn’t realise that the world would soon become their oyster.
From a background of abuse and abandonment, Nombuso Mncube, Duduzile Ngwenya and Thuli Tshabangu looked forward to spending nine months working as beauticians in the Bahamas aboard a luxury cruise ship.
Having just returned from this life-changing journey, the girls are brimming with tales of wonder and a clear vision of their bright futures.
Mncube, Ngwenya and Tshabangu, along with 10 other matriculants were identified in 2008 by the Afrisun Trust as potential recipients of a two-year bursary in Somatology (Beauty Therapy) and Hairdressing. The course, internationally accredited by City and Guilds in London, is run by the Rene Institute of Beauty Therapy in Brakpan. Following extensive aptitude interviews, Mncube, Ngwenya and Tshabangu were selected for the course

New worlds
After graduating Tshabangu, originally from Kwa Thema, Mncube from Tsakane and Ngwenya from Brakpan were offered the opportunity to work for the leading global spa brand Steiner aboard their international cruise ships. All three girls agree that the experience expanded their minds and opened their eyes to new worlds, new cultures and new possibilities.
Ngwenya toured the Bahamas, Jamaica and the Caribbean, Key West, Jacksonville and Croatia, “We worked closely with people from all over the world. I learned so much about other cultures and food. The hours were long, but the experience is one I will never forget and no one can remove it from my mind.”
Ngwenya is not yet certain about her future plans, but hopes to have her own beauty spa one day which she would like to use as a “pay-back” to train young, orphaned women in her hometown.

Professional behaviour
For Mncube, the time away was a wonderful way of gaining knowledge about things such as time zones, weather conditions, dress codes, food and different cultures. She visited Italy, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Malta, Greece, Miami, Florida, Haiti, Jamaica, Grand Turk and the Cayman Islands, St Thomas, St Martin, St Croix, Puerto Rico and the Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas.
She also learned a lot about professional behaviour. “It taught me that when you work with people, you have to be patient, humble, respectful and trustworthy and it’s not just about rendering a service but also about building a relationship with your clients.” She intends returning to the ships and plans to save the money she makes there to open her own business.

Crystal cruise
Tshabangu’s nine-month adventure took her to Hawaii, Turkey, Greece, France, Brazil, China, India, Vietnam, America, Australia, New Zealand, Egypt, Dubai, Israel, Egypt, Croatia, Barcelona, Costa Rica, Colombia, the Amazon and Singapore.
“I’m so grateful for the wonderful experience; I would never have been able to afford to go to any of these places on my own. All the countries I visited are special and beautiful in their own way. I learned about other cultures, food and lifestyles; I made sure I ate something in every country, which is visible by my weight gain and the comments from all at home,” she joked.
“The experience has changed me in a good way. I have matured and I now understand and appreciate where I come from. I learned how to communicate with people, how to stand, speak and address people. I now realise you should always take your job seriously,” says Tshabangu.
Her next sea adventure will take her aboard a bigger ship, the six-star Crystal Cruise.
 

Photo caption: Do not miss a day of school in the weeks leading up to the start of examinations.

As the final examination for the National Senior Certificate approaches the Department of Basic Education, is embarking on a campaign to help matric learners prepare for exams.
The department has launched the Class of 2012 Campaign, which will give matriculants tips on how to study and prepare for their final examination. The campaign encourages matrics for the next few months to focus on their school work and rallies parents and com- munity members to show their support and assist learners.
To prepare, you must draw up a study timetable and use your time well. Work through each subject and make notes and mind maps using your textbooks and study guides. Once you have covered all the topics, go over exam papers from the past two years. These should give you an idea of the kind of questions to expect from your final exams.

Ten things to do to succeed in the Grade 12 examinations

1. The draft matric timetable is out. Study it and start to plan now. There are sometimes two exams in one day, so you will have to be sharp and alert. Check the final timetable in case there are any changes.
2. Your final exams will start soon, make sure you use your time wisely. Start today and work every day, including your weekends and set targets for each subject.
3. Do not miss one day of school between now and your exams. Keep healthy and alert and listen to your teachers for tips and advice.
4. Reading is a skill that can change your life. Read at least a 1 000 words per day, but read it accurately.
5. Writing is a power, but requires practice. We are all judged by our writing every day. You can inspire, impress, persuade and express various emotions in your writing. Write carefully, accurately and effectively every day.
6. Textbooks are very important for your exams. Make sure you have the correct textbooks for each of your subjects and that you work systematically through each textbook. Don’t wait for your teacher to explain it all. Take the initiative and look at what you have to learn for your exams and plan accordingly.
7. Keep your weight under control. Your weight indicates how healthy food you are. Remember to eat healthy and exercise. Remember a healthy body makes for a healthy mind.
8. Your work requires concentration and focus. Make sure that you focus on your work every day. Turn off all iPods, CD players, TVs and cellphones so you are not distracted. Build your brain cells and be the envy of your friends.
9. Good vibes are great for success. Surround yourself with positive, happy people who want you to succeed. Your family and friends will be important in supporting you in the next few weeks. Be grateful for their support.
10. Matric success requires planning and hard work. Start planning and working today. Do your homework, read, write and calculate every day. Stick to your study plan.

For more information call the Department of Basic Education contact number: 012 357 3000/ Hotline: 0800202933

Photo caption: Shomang Sebenzani Development Initiative – Gauteng

Photo caption: KwaQatha Women Project- KwaZulu-Natal

Photo caption: Mzilela Community Garden Cooperative – Limpopo

South Africa is set for a massive boost in science with the recent announcement that the country – together with eight African partner nations – will host the majority of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope project.

The Department of Water Affairs honoured women using water to improve their respective communities in the 2012 Women in Water Awards held in the Makwane Village in Qwaqwa, in the Free State, recently.
The awards recognise the exceptional work done by women and the vital role they play in the water sector. Through perseverance, under difficult conditions and with few resources, these women have implemented creative and innovative new ways to save water through their projects.

Twelve projects received prizes this year in four cat egories:

Adopt a River
The project sees women from various communities rallying together to beautify their villages by cleaning surrounding rivers. Developing communities also use the water for domestic purposes, commercial farming, vegetable gardening and rehabilitation of groundwater sources as well as the rehabilitation of wetlands.

1st prize: Shomang Sebenzani Development Initiative – Gauteng
This initiative employs 100 women who facilitate the cleaning of the Jukskei River around Alexandra. It is a non-profit organisation founded in 2001. The project plays an important role in educating the community about the importance of water and its use. The initiative received R100 000 in prize money.

2nd prize: Eyami Eyakho Cleaning Services – KwaZulu-Natal
The project, which employs 40 women, promotes the planting of trees in communities to beautify their surroundings. The initiative received R50 000 in prize money.

3rd prize: Setsoto Women Empowerment – Free State
This is a women empowerment project engaged in cleaning the Caledon River, also known as the Mohokare River, which is a tributary of Orange River. The project employs 36 women. The initiative received R20 000 in prize money.

Education and Awareness
These projects share water-related information with communities in community gatherings. They advocate for proper use of water and teach communities the effectiveness of harvesting rain water.

1st prize: Khiphikhono Organisation for the Disabled – KwaZulu-Natal
It is an initiative that ensures that women with disabilities have access to clean water and can also access water for their vegetable gardens in order to alleviate poverty in the community. The project, which employs 16 women, received R100 000 in prize money.

2nd prize: Nababeep Advice and Development Centre – Northern Cape
The project employs 10 women mainly to educate learners and the community on how to save water and how to clean riversides. The community is also educated on the use of grey water. Grey water is wastewater generated from activities at home, such as laundry, dish- washing and bathing, which can be recycled for uses such as irrigation. The initiative received R50 000 in prize money.

3rd prize: Lee-Anne Klapmuts Water Project

It does not take a big group to make a difference in a community. Four hard-working women have managed to keep this project afloat successfully. The project collects runoff water that is then stored in self-made containers and plastic bottles for agricultural and domestic use. Runoff water is excess water that flows over the land, especially after rain. The initiative received R20 000 in prize money.

Water conservation
These projects use very little water in their production of cash crops. Some even have their own regional way of recycling grey water in their gardens. They conserve water by creating river basins, growing indigenous plants and removing those that absorb too much water.

1st prize: KwaQatha Women Project- KwaZulu-Natal
The hands of 20 women in this vegetable gardening initiative scooped the top award in the Water Conservation category. The project uses grey water and plastic two-litre bottles to store water and water their crops. The initiative received R100 000 in prize money.

2nd prize: Water for Food Harvesting – Eastern Cape
Seventeen women in the Eastern Cape man- age this vegetable gardening project. By using rainwater harvested into artificially made dams and by using compost instead of fertilisers, the group carries out mulching – a method of keeping the soil moist and ready for harvesting. The initiative received R50 000 in prize money.

3rd prize: Ikaheng Maafrika Project – Free State
With only eight pairs of hands, the project grows plantations using water abstracted from an artificial dam. The women irrigate the land in the early hours of the morning and in the late evening by using a drip irrigation system. The initiative received R20 000 in prize money.

Community development
Through these water-related projects, com- munities have developed and produced food, shared food with surrounding poor families and donated food during times of mourning to poor community members. The women took it upon themselves to manage the one and only borehole which serves as a source of water.

1st prize: Mzilela Community Garden Cooperative – Limpopo
This is a vegetable gardening project initiated during the time when the community was faced with serious health problems, particularly malnutrition. It employs and supports 16 women who in turn are able to support their own families. Scooping first place, the initiative received R100 000 in prize money.

2nd prize: Retshwenyegile Home-based Care – North West
Also a vegetable gardening project managed by 16 women, the project sees to the planting of its own seedlings. The women also carry out transplantation each evening, to ensure seedlings are still equipped for growth at night as well. The initiative received R50 000 in prize money.

3rd prize: Moshate Borehole Project – Limpopo
This is one of the largest projects and employs 196 women. The borehole water project was established when the community of Ntoane in Moutse was experiencing a serious water shortage. The women are now responsible for storing water for the community and seasonal harvests. The initiative received R20 000 in prize money.

Mandla Mpangase - Public Relations Manager at IDC

Photo caption: The IDC will provide more money for development

The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) is generating more money for funding development, especially in rural areas.
In the financial year ending on 31 March 2012, the IDC grew its funding activity by 55% to R13.5 billion, while the number of funding approvals rose by 33% to 293.
It is the corporation’s highest ever level of investment in the local economy, making a considerable contribution to job creation, says IDC Chief Executive, Geoffrey Qhena.
The rise in the number of approvals in the year under review will help to create or sustain about 45 900 local jobs, compared to 39 400 in the previous financial year. Of particular significance, Qhena says, is that 48% of these jobs were based in rural areas and were largely created by IDC’s investment in mining, agriculture and renewable energy sectors. As a result, 99% of funding approvals went towards projects aligned to objectives of the New Growth Path (NGP) and the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP) policies.
“Our objective is to grow the local economy through the development of industrial capacity, with job creation as a critical outcome and, where possible, benefitting communities in far-flung areas, in line with the objectives set out in the NGP and IPAP,” says Qhena. As part of a broader strategy to grow South Africa’s industrial base, the IDC is focusing on expanding the fabricated metals, capital and transport equipment industries on the back of the planned capital expenditure programmes of state-owned companies (SOCs), Transnet, Prasa and Eskom among other public sector entities.
This massive capital injection and infrastructure development programme, together with the operational requirements over a longer term, present an exceptional opportunity for the IDC to participate in projects that seek to promote downstream beneficiation and localisation. To this end, the development funder is already a key participant in various strategic infrastructure initiatives spearheaded by the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission and rolled out through the associated Strategic Integrated Projects. Other areas of future focus for the IDC include investing in the development of a local antiretroviral pharmaceuticals industry; the expansion of the motor vehicles and components industry; and value addition in the agricultural and mineral value chains.
In addition, the IDC continues to play a critical role in South Africa’s transition to a green economy having approved R5, 2 billion in funding for ventures that received bid awards in the first round of the Renewable Energy Procurement Program (REPP).
“To ensure that rural based or marginalised communities benefit from this transition to a green economy, 12 of the renewable energy projects funded by the IDC will have Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment participation, whose objective is to benefit rural communities,” says Qhena.
Qhena is upbeat about the IDC’s role to grow the economy into the future. “The road ahead may be fraught with challenges, but our human capital wealth, solid financial position and our steely resolve to contribute to local and the continent’s social and economic development places us in a strong position to make a difference.”

Samona  Murugan

Photo caption: The new transport master plan aims to meet commuter needs

Gauteng is planning to improve and integrate its public transport system to make it a transport mode of choice for most of its residents.
The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport says it wants to build on the success of the Gautrain and other transport arrangements made for the 2010 FIFA World Cup TM to improve the daily experience of commuters.
The plan seeks to make the lack of safety, unreliability and inflexibility of provincial public transport a thing of the past and reduce traffic congestion.
To address commuter needs and challenges, the Gauteng Department of Roads and Trans- port has launched the five-year Gauteng Trans- port Interim Implementation plan (GTiP5). We can either let the next government decide how to deal with an ailing transport system or we could address the future now,” Gauteng MEC of Roads and Transport Ismail Vadi said.
This five-year plan focuses on existing infrastructure and projects that can deliver short-term results. The plan includes all public transport role players – such as municipal transport departments, commuter and taxi associations, unions and other provincial departments. This team is headed by Gautrain CEO Jack van der Merwe and supported by his new Head of Department, Mavela Dlamini. One of the key guiding principles of the plan is the focus on public transport and its many elements. To achieve this province-wide focus the proposed five-year plan has been divided into various key focus areas that include the following:
A transport authority for Gauteng:
One of the major challenges the province faces is the different bodies responsible for managing transport planning and implementation. The team aims to create a single body that would oversee and manage these critical services.

Integration:
This is vital as rail is still considered the backbone of Gauteng’s public transport system. The Passenger Rail Agency (Prasa) has an existing R4 billion modernisation programme underway that will revitalise its aging train fleet, improve its railway tracks, signalling and electrical infrastructure, improve access to stations and upgrade station facilities and amenities.

Mini-bus taxi reform:
The transformation of the mini-bus taxi industry has been slow and has stalled the role the mini-bus taxi industry could play in an integrated transport system. The team is working on a negotiated way forward to avoid destructive competition.

Alternative public transport vehicle propulsion:
Gauteng’s green refleeting strategy focuses on shifting the energy source for transportation from current non-renewable oil resources to sustainable or clean fuels. The aim is to reduce transport’s urban air pollution by 35% by the year 2020 and 50% by 2040.

Travel demand management:
Congestion on the roads is not only a major problem for road users, but also a serious hurdle to economic growth. With Gauteng’s population expected to double by 2037, the need to address travel demand management is high. The plan aims to create new standards for public transportation and municipal public transport corridors.

Accessibility to major freight nodes:
Gauteng is a major hub for goods and freight of all descriptions.
Despite Transnet’s plans to extend its rail net- work as a viable alternative to road transport, container traffic is growing at almost 5% a year and continues to place strain on road networks. Plans to divert heavy traffic around core urban areas to major freight intermodal facilities are underway. This would also ensure easy access for workers commuting from outlying areas.

International and city airports:
Aside from having to plan routes to accommodate increased travel to and from Africa’s busiest airport, OR Tambo International, the plan raises the possibility of building a second major airport. The number of passengers travelling through OR Tambo is expected to reach 65 million per year over the next 25 years. Lanseria Airport could then possibly serve niche markets to alleviate the pressure on the main airport.

Pedestrian paths and cycle ways:
De- spite cities such as Johannesburg and Tshwane introducing pedestrian-friendly routes, their efforts are uncoordinated. The plan looks set to promote the greening of transport and reducing traffic congestion. This would be done by promoting cycling and short-distance walking and using those routes as feeder systems to public transport. The key actions and projects proposed include the development of 50 km of pedestrian paths, plus 50 km of cycle ways and 200 cycle racks at key public transport interchanges across the province.

Continued province-wide mobility:  
This initiative looks specifically at the road network that feeds traffic into and out of Gauteng. The five-year strategy will focus on developing a link between Johannesburg and Rustenburg via Lanseria Airport and the N4 Platinum Corridor, providing a link between Sandton and the N4 Platinum Corridor and linking the N3 to the N4 Maputo Corridor through Ekurhuleni.

Management of transport infrastructure:
The state of the roads across the province is one of the major priorities. The plan highlights creating more roads engineering capacity internally, conducting annual pavement, bridge and storm water assessments, and producing an annual report on projects and finances.
These proposed initiatives aim to alleviate bottlenecks, while laying the foundations for the 25-year strategy.

For more information call the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport: 011 355 7000

Albert Pule

Photo caption: Members of BRICS the Prime Minister of India Mr Singh, President of Russia Mr Medvedev, President of China Jiantao, Brazilian President Rouseff and President Jacob Zuma.

South Africa has made positive strides since joining BRICS, says Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.
“When South Africa joined BRICS in 2010, it was once again an affirmation of what this country has achieved in creating a better Africa in a better world. South Africa’s BRICS membership is a strong brick for building Africa’s growth and its regeneration.”
Already, the benefits of South Africa’s membership are showing signs of Africa’s rise as the next growth pole, Minister Nkoana-Mashabane told the New Age business breakfast in Sandton recently.
BRICS is the acronym for a group of emerging economies consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The BRICS member countries are distinguished by their large, fast-growing economies, and with the exception of Russia, they are developing or newly industrialised countries. Set to host the fifth BRICS Summit in early 2013, South Africa is considered a valuable member of the group.

Powerful
Forming partnerships with other countries in the south remains important, but the relationship with BRICS countries is expected to play a more significant role moving forward. “Our BRICS partners have an important role to play in this regard. We have to take them on board, work with them in order to realise the measurable benefits of this partnership,” she added.
In recent years the BRICS countries have emerged as a powerful formation with 43 per cent of the global population. Their combined nominal gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated at US$13,7 trillion (R113.47 trillion) and between 20 per cent and 25 per cent of global GDP, as well as combined foreign reserves estimated at US$4 trillion (R33 trillion).
BRICS countries accounted for approximately 11 per cent of global annual foreign direct investment (FDI) flows in 2012 (US$465 billion) (R383.443 billion) and 17 per cent of world trade.
South Africa’s membership of the body has expanded BRICS’ geographic and intercontinental reach, including its global representivity and inclusivity. South Africa itself has a population of 50 million and an economy worth approximately US$527 billion (R434.342 billion).
The country’s per capita income level at purchasing power parity compares favourably with BRICS partners estimated at US$11 000 (R90 707) (after the Russian Federation at US$16 700 (R137 726) and Brazil at US$11 845 (R97 686).
“The comparative advantage within BRICS pertains to our considerable non-energy in-situ mineral wealth. In a recent report com- missioned by the US-based Citigroup bank, South Africa was ranked as the world’s richest country in terms of its mineral reserves, worth an estimated $2,5 trillion (R20.7 trillion).,” the Minister explained.
South Africa is the world’s largest producer of platinum, chrome, vanadium and manganese, the third-largest gold miner and offers highly sophisticated mining-related professional services, contributing significantly to the BRICS resource pool.

Common vision
“South Africa and BRICS countries share a common vision. Like South Africa, our fellow BRICS nations are striving to enhance inclusive economic growth that will lead to an increase in the creation of decent and sustainable jobs, advance the fight against poverty and accelerate the economic transformation of our countries,” Minister Nkoana-Mashabane told the briefing.
“We also dream and work to realise a more equitable global political and economic system. This is the right platform for such growth prospects.”
South Africa’s export structure to BRICS member countries shows significant diversification and the negative trade balance has also narrowed over the last four years; from R57 billion in 2008 to R22, 8 billion in 2011.
“Our export trade with the BRIC partners has grown from 6,2 per cent in 2005, to 16,8 per cent in 2011, whereas its imports from the BRIC countries represented 13,6 per cent of total imports in 2005, and 20 per cent in 2011.
“The Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies, has emphasised that last year alone, trade between South Africa and BRICS countries grew by 29 per cent, which is considerable.”
The Minister said the booming trade relations between South Africa and its BRICS partners should also benefit other African countries. She gave an example of a Brazilian company partnering a South African company to assist in building a copper mine in Zambia in an agreement worth more than US$1,2 billion (R9 billion).

Mduduzi Tshabangu

Benedict Martins was appointed Minister of Transport on 12 June 2012. Before then, he had been a Member of Parliament since 1994.
In Parliament, he served as chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs.
He is also a member of the Political Bureau and Central Committee of the South African Communist Party (SACP), the Council of the Robben Island Museum and Executive Committee of the Caversham Centre for writers and arts.
In the 1970s, Minister Martins was a member of the Black Consciousness Movement. He worked for the Community Care Centre and the Edendale Ecumenical Centre in Pietermaritzburg from 1977 to 1983. In 1979, he joined the African National Congress (ANC) and the South African Communist Party (SACP). As a graphic artist Martins produced ‘protest art’ T-shirts and posters in the 1970s. In 1978 he was charged with and ac- quitted for producing banned Steve Biko T-shirts and in 1979 he joined the ANC and later became a member of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK). Between 1983 and 1991 he was charged under the Terrorism Act and imprisoned for eight years on Robben Island in Johannesburg. He was again arrested and kept in solitary confinement and tortured for seven months in 1983.
Prior to his appointment as Minister of Transport; Mr Martins was Deputy Minister of Public Enterprises of the Republic of South Africa from 1 November 2010 to 12 June 2012.
In 1984 while he was in detention and on trial, his book of poetry titled ‘Baptism of Fire’ was published by Ad Donker publishers. Before his arrest he had also contributed poetry, graphics and essays on art and culture to the Staffrider publication. Mr Martins holds a Master of Law degree in International Law from the University of Cape Town; a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Natal (now University of KwaZulu-Natal) and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Africa (UNISA) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Management Practice (PGD Dip. Man. Prac.) from the University of Cape Town.
Joburg gets community cycling
Albert Pule

Photo caption: An artist’s impression of the proposed cycling lanes

The city of Johannesburg is building special cycling lanes across the city to reduce traffic congestion and promote a healthy lifestyle for residents.
The R15 million project is a partnership between the Department of Environmental Affairs and a German-based development funding institution, Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KFW).
The initial 5 km route is expected to start at Noordgesig Clinic and will create a link between two railway stations, Mlamlamkunzi and Orlando, and the Rea Vaya bus system. The route passes destinations in Orlando, such as the Orlando Stadium, the magistrate’s court, the police station, a number of churches, a community hall and seven schools.
“The project is expected to start in the next few months. Conceptual designs have been generated, the community has been consulted and we are now finalizing designs and nearing implementation,” Rehana Moosajee, Johannesburg’s Mayoral Committee Member for Transport, said.
Moosajee said the city was following inter- national best practice. “The city has looked at how other cities have implemented similar projects around the world.
“We have learnt a great deal from international experts such as Gil Penalosa (CEO of 8 to 80 cities) who has shared valuable advice on similar projects in Bogota, Paris, New York and Canada,” she explained.
The streets where the route will be constructed have been identified. All that is left is for construction to start.
Moosajee said the construction of the route was in response to the needs of all categories of road users across the city. “Our transport infrastructure must respond to the needs of all categories of road users including pedestrians and cyclists.
“The need to promote walking and cycling is linked to objectives beyond transport. We are looking at social cohesion and healthy lifestyles.”
She added that the project was also an attempt by the city to address the challenge of traffic congestion. “We are encouraging Johannesburg residents to leave private cars and user other forms of transport.
“The implementation of such a project goes beyond addressing the challenge of congestion. It is about providing safe infrastructure to enable residents of the city to adopt a culture of cycling and walking, which has major health benefits, but most importantly, provides safety for road users – pedestrians, cyclists, public transport and motorists.”
She added that plans were underway to establish partnerships with various organisations to make bicycles available for the community during the fi phase of the project.

New trains will soon take to the tracks
Albert Pule

Photo caption: Train stations will be refurbished and new ones will be built

New trains will soon take to the rail- way tracks throughout South Africa where they will stop over at refurbished or brand new stations.
Over the next three years, through an ambitious new programme, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) is to renew rail infrastructure and create up to 7 000 direct construction and downstream industry jobs.
The renewal of infrastructure will not only increase the capacity of South Africa’s trains, but will also make them safer and more reliable. “A specific modernisation programme is also included for the total modernisation and remodelling of three priority rail commuting corridors in the country, one in each of the metropolitan areas in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape,” Prasa’s CEO Lucky Montana said.

Renewal
The agency will roll out renewal programmes, such as the introduction of new trains and the national resignalling programme, which are aligned to the priority corridor modernisation. With a budget of close to R30 billion, facilities will be upgraded to enable commuters to move easily from trains to other transport modes. Railway tracks, platforms and electricity supply for trains will also be upgraded.
The station improvement programme includes the upgrading of existing stations, building new stations and developing intermodal hubs in conjunction with local and provincial governments.
“Over 50 stations are part of the programme with a total investment commitment of over R1 billion. The improvement of stations will enable people with disabilities to access trains more easily. There will be facilities to make it easier for businesses to operate at stations, to connect to other forms of transport, and to enhance the customer and communications interface at stations,” Montana explained.
“Stations will be fitted with state-of-the-art control gates, electronic dis- play boards for train schedules, electronic customer help points, CCTV cameras and public address systems, including the securitisation of station environments and rail corridors through refencing and walling,” he added.

Expansion
In addition, the agency plans to expand the rail commuter system to deal with the demand for service. “In order to plan for future growth and expansion of the rail commuter network, we will accelerate the planning and feasibility of four priority expansion projects to ensure the system is extended to reach areas that have developed away from the existing rail network.”
This expansion will entail the extension of the Motherwell railway in Port Elizabeth, the extension of the railway line from Nasrec to Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, the extension of the railway line into areas within Daveyton in Ekurhuleni, the improvement of the train service in Hammanskraal in Tshwane, a new line linking people from Moloto north-east of Tshwane to their places of work and new lines linking the Cape Town International Airport in the Western Cape and the King Shaka Airport in KwaZulu-Natal to their respective cities.
These changes will not only make travelling by train much more enjoyable, but will also make it more accessible to more people.

Albert Pule
Government is doing well in many of the targets it has set for itself to achieve by 2014, but there is room for improvement.
This was the feeling after the first cabinet lekgotla in the three years and four months of the current administration. “We can confidently say we are happy with the progress, there are challenges, but overall we are satisfied with the pace things are moving,” Minister in the Presidency for Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Collins Chabane recently said.
Among others, the three-day meeting endorsed the objectives and the 18 key targets set out in the National Development Plan 2030 (NDP) prepared by the National Planning Commission.
“The lekgotla acknowledged the NDP as a way to form the basis of future government detailed planning. A government-led process to secure stakeholder participation in mobilising national ownership will be initiated,” Minister Chabane said.
The meeting focused on ensuring that government remains accountable to the service delivery needs of the people and receives progress reports on key infrastructure projects.
The cabinet lekgotla was happy with progress on the implementation of government’s priorities in health, fighting crime and corruption, job creation, rural development, local government and basic services and education, and skills development. The review report focused on assessing progress to date against the detailed targets per priority that were set in 2009.
Areas of good progress are evidence of increasing life expectancy thanks to government’s response to HIV and Aids, a reduction in the mortality rate of infants and children under the age of five, an in- crease in the number of artisans qualifying per year and a reduction in serious crime. Cabinet agreed that all the relevant departments should develop concrete actions to accelerate progress in those areas where, based on current trends, it appears that the targets may not be met. For example, there were discussions on ensuring that teachers are in class teaching seven hours a day, that textbooks are delivered timeously, that hospitals always have adequate supplies of medicines, and that municipalities have appropriately qualified officials in key positions.
The lekgotla also received progress reports on the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Committee Report and Presidential Review Committee on State-Owned Enterprises.
 

Photo caption: The Limpopo Premier’s Hotline is making a difference

Since its launch in April 2011, the Limpopo Premier’s Hotline has provided the citizens of Limpopo with a centralised means of reporting service delivery issues.
The web-based case management system allows for incidents to be swiftly processed and for investigative progress to be closely monitored by the Office of the Premier to ensure that incidents are attended to and appropriately resolved.
The hotline enables residents to call into the call centre in a language of their own.
The Hotline allows the office to keep abreast of the service delivery issues experienced by community members in the Province and identity “hot spots” or trends in this regard so that actions for improvement can be taken. Citizens are provided with feedback on each incident reported, which demonstrates the Office of the Premier’s accountability to its citizens and its commitment to improving service delivery in the Province.

Case One - Working together we can do more
Rodney Masane, a resident in the Tubatse Municipality near Tuang Village called the Presidential Hotline to complain about the provision of adequate water and sanitation in his area.
Masane reported that the water pump ma- chine had insufficient water supply to meet the needs of the community.
After speaking to a Public Liaison Officer (PLO), Masane was advised to write a formal letter to the municipality so that they could intervene and address the challenges.
The PLO and technicians went to the area for an in loco inspection to provide support by improving the capacity of the water levels in the community. Furthermore, communication channels were improved through a meeting that was convened between the inspectors and the municipality representatives which lead to the enhancement of community participation in development programmes.
Since reporting the case, Mr Masane learnt that their service delivery concerns are taken seriously. “We are willing to work together with the Municipality and Government to achieve more.”

Case Two - Thumbs up for road improvements
In another case reported through the Premiers Hotline, Mapula Ledwaba complained about the bad conditions of the roads in the Mahwelereng Hospital View area.
In an email sent to the hotline, Ledwaba reported that the condition of the roads was said to be so bad that people could not drive their cars there and deliveries could not be made. It often becomes worse when there are heavy rains that end up creating floods.
Two days after sending the email, municipal representatives from the Mahwelereng Municipality went to assess the road, which was then graded. The municipality promised residents of Hospital View that between 2012/2013, the road would be fully tarred and a proper bridge built.
Ledwaba was elated with the prompt response from the municipality, which promised to build a bridge. “The new bridge which will be built will also ensure the safety of residents in Hospital View” said Ledwaba.

Presidential Hotline contact number 17737
 

Rebaone Moeng - North West Department of Human Settlements, Public Safety and Liaison

North West MEC for Human Settlements, Public Safety and Liaison Nono Maloyi has vowed to show no mercy to criminals and traffic law offenders.
Addressing newly appointed traffic officers recently she commanded them to serve with diligence, dignity and commitment. She went on to say that the department is entrusting the safety of road users to them.
The MEC made a commitment to give newly-appointed traffic officers enough resources to make their work easier and for them to handle hardened criminals.
“You are going to deal with hard-core criminals and you must know how to deal with them,” she said.
The MEC said joint operations between the South African Police Service and traffic authorities would be stepped up across the province. “North West must never be a playground for criminals,” she warned.
At present, the province has about 390 traffic officers at operational level and intends to increase this number to about 900 by 2015.
One of the newly-qualified women officers, Nthabiseng Lobelo, pledged to serve with pride and honesty. She said being part of traffic law enforcement in the province gives her the responsibility to contribute to curbing the ever increasing fatalities on the main roads of the province. “I am determined to save lives, prevent accidents and enforce traffic laws,” Lobelo said.
 

Neliswa Demanai – Department of Rural Development and Land Reform

Photo caption: NARYSEC students celebrate at their graduation ceremony held in Kimberly recently

One thousand learners from the 3SAI Military Base in Kimberley have recently graduated from the National Rural Youth Service Corps (NARYSEC) programme.
Participants were not trained as soldiers but were exposed to military discipline so that they could be- come better and more patriotic citizens. In addition, they were trained to become agents of change so that they could help fight poverty, unemployment and inequality.
One of the graduates of the programme, Thuleka Mikelo from the Eastern Cape, expressed her gratitude for being given an opportunity to participate in the programme. “I have learnt so much from the programme. I am so grateful for everything I have learnt, I will use the skills I have learnt to improve my life and maybe empower those around me,” she said.
According to Mikelo, the training at the military base has helped her with discipline. “I don’t see myself doing the things I used to do before I came here, this training has really changed my life,” she said.
She further encouraged other young women from rural areas to participate in programmes such as NARYSEC. “We as women need to start leading. The time has come for us to be leaders.”
Following this training stage, the NARYSEC participants will conduct household profiling to determine the household needs of various com- munities. After that, the group will be trained in various skills areas so that they can build houses and roads.
Once their training is complete, they will be deployed to their respective rural communities where they will help build their villages’ infrastructure requirements.
NARYSEC was established by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform in 2010 to alleviate poverty in rural areas. The programme provides character building, soft and hard skills training, which qualify recruits in rural areas to undertake various rural infrastructure development projects.

For more information on NARYSEC contact Department of Rural Development and Land Reform on: 0800 0070 95or go to www.ruraldevelopment.gov.za

Albert Pule

If you receive maintenance money through the courts, you will receive the money faster if you open an account.
This was the call by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development while briefing the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) about progress in the development and achievements of third-party funds management.
Bank accounts are expected to decrease the number of fraud cases. “In the 2011/12 financial year the department investigated 68 cases of fraud and corruption involving R2,6 million. Out of this amount, R2,1 mil- lion has been recovered, and over R530 000 is still outstanding,” the department said in a statement.
To improve service delivery, the department initiated a court-level electronic payment system with which beneficiaries can now have their maintenance money paid directly in their bank accounts.
This system has been implemented in 135 courts, which means that 102 000 beneficiaries are now receiving their money within 24 to 48 hours.
The department’s priority is to pay maintenance on time and accurately to the beneficiaries who are generally minor children and people living with disabilities. The aim of this service is that people spend less time in queues in courts, while contributing towards poverty alleviation.

How to open a bank account
Opening a bank account is an important step in taking control of your finances. Banks have different services to help you manage your money. They also have different bank accounts.
If you are under 18 years old, you need to take your parent or guardian along to the bank.

The parent or guardian must take:

• His/her green ID book or a temporary ID book
• His/her proof of residence

You must take:

• Your green ID book or your birth certificate
• Money to open the account

If you are 18 years or older, you must take:

• Your green ID book or a temporary ID book
• Your proof of residence
• Money to open the account

The amount you need to open the ac- count will depend on the type of account you want to open. Most entry-level savings accounts require a R20 or R30 opening balance.
Proof of residence

• Water and electricity or phone bill with your name and address on it.
• Or a letter from someone you stay with explaining that you live at the same address.
• A bill in that person’s name will need to be supplied with the letter.
• If you don’t have a formal address, you can write a letter explaining where you live, take it to a police station and ask for an affidavit as proof of residence.
• A police officer will then stamp your letter and it will act as a formal statement, or affidavit, of where you live. Most banks will accept this as proof of residence.
   

Chris Bathembu

South Africa may soon face a serious water shortage if people do not use water sparingly, government warned recently.
South Africa is a water-scarce country, with an average annual rainfall of about 464 mm compared to a world average of about 860mm. But many South Africans still waste a lot of water.
The draft National Water Resource Strategy, released by government recently, calls for communities, business entities and farmers to save water by at least 10 per cent.
Speaking during the release of the document, the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs Edna Molewa said South Africa could not afford to invest in new water infrastructure now.
“The investments that we are making in water are not enough and the funding gap is too big. So until we find the money we are calling on people to save as much water as possible, “she said.

Lesotho Highlands
South Africa has a water partnership with Lesotho, which has led to the provision of water from the Lesotho Highlands to Gauteng. But, Molewa said, if South Africa continued to use more water than it really needed, even these resources could dry up before the new infrastructure was in place.
According to the Water Resource Strategy, South Africa’s water security has to date relied mainly on surface water and its development.
“Based on the completed water reconciliation studies, it is clear that surface water availability and its remaining development potential will be insufficient to support the growing economy and associated needs in full”. The strategy also highlights the fact that most water is available in areas far from where people live, which makes it expensive to take to the people.

Demand exceeds supply
Another concern is that most municipalities and other water users, especially farmers, do not monitor water use and are therefore unable to see their water losses. This is made worse by the lack of proper infrastructure management and maintenance. As a result, the demand for water far exceeds supply in many areas.
The catchments that provide water to the Durban/Pietermaritzburg area for example are almost dry. According to the report, other large water supply systems will soon face a similar situation.
“So by managing our water resources in a proper way we ensure that we balance demand and supply and that there is no shortage and we should be fine for the next 20 years until new infrastructure is in place,” Molewa said.

For more information, call the Department of Water Affairs Call Centre toll free number 0800 200 200

Samona Murugan

There were more award-winning stars than usual this year when the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) announced the winners in the 2012 Seda Small Business Stars National Business Plan Competition.
The winners wowed the panel of judges with their deserving entries, which made them stand out among more than 5 500 entries.
Owing to the quality of entries this year, Seda announced an additional four special category awards at the glittering prize- giving ceremony in Johannesburg recently. These were the best woman entrepreneur, best youth entrepreneur, best job-creating entrepreneur and best entrepreneur with a disability.

National winner: Adesh Naidoo, Clean Street
Passionate about the planet, Adesh Naidoo from KwaZulu-Natal scooped first prize for his creative initiative called Clean Street. He plans to take his concept – a special green- friendly litter bin that provides advertising revenue for the city, to every municipality in South Africa. His drive and business acumen to launch this product in the highly competitive media sector, secured him the judges’ highest score.
He walked away with a business support plan worth R60 000 from Seda, a cash prize of R50 000 and a laptop.

First runner-up: Palesa Moeketsi, Chesa Communications
Hailing from the Western Cape, Palesa’s media company has pioneered the concept of simultaneous syndicated programming to a network of small community radio stations, thus opening up a whole new marketing channel to advertisers.
She received R10 000 in cash and a share of R240 000 business support from Seda.

Second runner-up: Bokao Theka, Canvas Products
Bokao used canvas to create a range of high- quality products, ranging from laptop bags to lapas. Her unique business idea not only has great national potential, but shows great entrepreneurship skills. Bokao, who started her working life as a cleaner, received R10 000 cash and a share of R240 000 in business support from Seda.

Third runner-up: Lizelle Beukes, Arrero Premium Car Fragrance
Gauteng-born Lizelle has developed car- freshening fragrances based on designer aromas and not the typical fruity smells currently available. The product shows great potential to take off, as people hold on to their cars for longer in a recession, and spend more time looking after them.
She scooped R10 000 cash and a share of R240 000 in business support from Seda.

Special awards: Most promising woman entrepreneur: Tabisa Nomnganga, Western Cape
Bravo Promotions does what it says – make consumer brands come alive in communities through dance, theatre and performances. Despite being confined to a wheelchair, Tabisa created more than 20 jobs for dancers, performers and young promoters. According to Tabisa, companies and even friends were skeptical about her chances of succeeding. “They looked at my disability rather than my ability. I do not let my disability define who I am.” Many people in similar positions now look up to her for inspiration.
She was also voted the most promising entrepreneur with a disability and received a cash prize of R15 000.

Most promising youth entrepreneur: Thula Sindi, Gauteng
Thula created an affordable, contemporary clothing brand aimed primarily at sup- plying stylish career-wear. In five  years he has managed to build a trusted fashion brand, which employs six women full-time and about 20 others by outsourcing to their co-operative. His brand has attracted the attention of South Africa’s largest retailer Edgars and is now available in selected stores in South Africa’s major cities. He received a cash prize of R15 000.

Most promising job-creating entrepreneur: Martin Brown, Gauteng
Radical Holdings is one of the leading manufacturers of custom-built powered wheelchairs in Africa. Martin Brown, founder and CEO is a quadriplegic who has been confined to a wheelchair since 1998.  His frustration with trying to find an electric wheelchair that catered for his needs led directly to the formation of Radical Holdings. Martin has created more than 20 manufacturing jobs directly and indirectly, and his growing international order book is likely to push that number up. Not only has he created jobs, but he personally mentors and motivates his employees to excel.
He also received the award for most promising entrepreneur with a disability and a cash prize of R15 000.

Most promising entrepreneur with a disability: Obed Segooa, Gauteng
Cycle Check Trading produces working clothes and school uniforms and has created more than 20 jobs. Obed started the business knowing that it was going to be very tough competing with established clothing businesses, but he made it through sheer determination and business acumen. Eight local schools support the business and Obed has contracts from the Gauteng Department of Health and Social Development, the national Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the North West Department of Roads and Transport, as well as North West Parks and Tourism and the Ga-Rankuwa Hotel School.

For more information, call the Seda National Information Centre: 0860 103 703, or send an e-mail to info@seda.org.za.

Samona Murugan & SAnews

Photo caption: Minister of Police Nathi Mthethwa, National Police Commissioner General Riah Phiyega and SA Police Service research task team head Mzwandile Petros at the release of the crime stats

Photo caption: Statistics released show a drop in violent crimes in the national capital.

The rate of contact crime across South Africa has come down significantly, but ordinary people should work more with the police to expose criminal activities in their communities, said Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa.
Speaking at the release of crime statistics for the period from 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012, Minister Mthethwa expressed confidence that crime is getting under control and vowed to step up efforts to combat the scourge. “We are turning the tide against crime…crime affects all people of our country across class, gender, religion and colour. It is our common enemy and collectively, we shall defeat this scourge.” He said that adopting an eight year approach to crime statistics had helped government to track and depict crime patterns over a longer period. This approach had highlighted a de- crease in contact crime of 29.9% and murder by 27.6% over the past eight years
All provinces over the year under review experienced declines in contact crime, with the exception of the Free State, Limpopo and the Western Cape. Overall, contact crime had come down by 3.5. The seven categories of con- tact crime include murder, attempted murder, sexual offences, assault grievous bodily harm, assault common, aggravated robbery and common robbery. Attempted murder declined by 5.2%, assault grievous bodily harm by 4.2% and common assault by 3.4%.
A total of 15 609 murders were recorded in 2011/12, which is down from 15 940 murders recorded in 2010/11 and equates to a 3.1% drop in the per capita ratio of murders, This refers to the number of murders per person in South Africa over the year.
Gauteng experienced a 7.5% drop in murder cases and also recorded some of the biggest decreases on key crimes – such as sexual crimes, carjacking as well as house and business robberies – but the province still tops the list as the most crime-ridden province.
Minister Mthethwa said research by the police’s Crime Research and Statistics Unit revealed that 65% of murders began as assaults resulting from interpersonal, often alcohol or drug-fuelled, arguments.
In the past year alone, car-hijackings de- creased by 11.9 % and cash-in-transit robberies declined by an impressive 37.5%, indicating that Government’s intensive efforts to combat crime are working.
However, there is still a long way to go before Government as a whole can pat itself on the back. One area of concern is sexual crimes which fell marginally in all provinces except for the Free State, Limpopo and the North West where these cases increased.
Despite an overall decrease of 1.9% in crimes such as rape, this number is unacceptably high, said Minister Mthethwa.
“We need to emphasise that as government we are still concerned about the scourge of rape in our country. More resources and better training of police mechanisms are now being put in place,” Minister Mthethwa added.
This still remains one of the challenging categories to police and is influenced by reporting behaviour. Rape victims still don’t trust police. This means that many incidents of rape still go unreported. This however is not a local, but an international problem as well.
Efforts to address the high number of rape and sexual offences include the re-launching of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit, as well as a working relationship with the judiciary to have such cases prioritised, he said.
Another area of concern was that children were now becoming targets of criminals.
“One of the shifts we have witnessed is that although crimes against women and children are decreasing, we are now seeing a trend where young children are now being targeted and abused. We shall be intensifying the war against the abuse of young children to ensure that this trend is reversed,” Minister Mthethwa said. “There needed to be more awareness among parents and guardians that children needed to be looked after and protected,”
Business robberies were also on an increase, going up by 7.5% with small businesses bearing the brunt of the robberies.
Mthethwa said the police had finalised a strategy to combat and reduce robberies on small businesses, adding that the Civilian Secretariat of Police would be engaging with relevant parties in the coming weeks to ensure the policy is implemented.
Also on the increase is theft out of motor vehicles which increased by 4,8 %, stock theft by 1.5% and drug-related crimes by 15,6%. Commenting on this increase in drug-related crimes, Minister Mthethwa said policing drug-related crimes required a multi-disciplinary approach, as they were related to social problems, and couldn’t be solved by simply sending in the army.
Another worrying trend is drunken driving, which increased by 2.9% in the past year. Against this disturbing increase, Government has welcomed the National Prosecuting Authority’s decision to charge drunken drivers who are responsible for causing deaths during car accidents with murder instead of culpable homicide. “We hope this decision will ensure social responsibility among motorists,” said Minister Mthethwa.
Minister Mthethwa said to tackle crime effectively it wasn’t sufficient for police alone to up their efforts, but that the entire criminal justice system – from courts, prosecutors and police – needed to be involved together with community members.
Minister Mthethwa also encouraged officers to fight crime by doing more and talking less. In addition to all efforts made by the police, he urged the public to assist in the fight against crime. “We encourage the public to be whistle- blowers against crime and report crime at all times. “

Crime stop: 08600 10 111
 

Road to Paralympics 2016
Nthambeleni Gabara

Photo caption: Paralympians were given a heroes’ welcome on their return from the 2012 Paralympics Games held in London

Following their sterling performance at the Paralympic Games in Lon- don, Team South Africa is laying the ground for the 2016 games.
The country finished 17th, securing 29 medals, including eight gold, 12 silver, and nine bronze. In 2009 in Beijing, South Africa finished sixth with 30 medals, of which 21 were gold.
The President of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), Gideon Sam said this clearly indicates that the world is moving in terms of improving performance at global sporting events.
“The world is moving, the world is not waiting for us, and we have to catch up. I want to assure you, with brave people like these, we will achieve even more.,” said Sam. “As we prepare for Rio de Janeiro in 2016, we appeal for more support for these heroes and heroines so that they can perform even better.”
Sam commended the athletes for putting on an impressive performance.
“They have done their best, so we will take and prepare them well for 2016. Our preparations for the next Paralympic Games will start as soon as possible, because it is clear that the world is not waiting for us.”
According to Sam, SASCOC is already preparing for the 2016 games in Brazil.
“We need to start our planning now by visiting cities across the country and seeking inputs from athletes and all our stakeholders before we form the final plan for 2016.” Before the Olympic Games, SASCOC promised medal winners R400 000 for a gold medal, while silver and bronze medals were worth R200 000 and R80 000 respectively. Paralympic medal-winners, purely because of the vast number of classifications and events compared to the Olympics, were promised R100 000 for gold, R75 000 silver and R40 000 for bronze.
However, Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula intervened, saying Paralympian medal winners deserved the same incentives as those received by the Olympians.
At the handing over of ceremonial cheques, sensational swimmer, Natalie du Toit became the top earner after she received a whopping R1,4 million for winning three gold and one silver medal.
Under the old scheme, Du Toit would have pocketed R375 000.
Sprinter Oscar Pistorius, who took home R700 000, told fans gathered at the airport: “I never expected this huge turn out and I’ve never seen this overwhelming support in my life.”
Paralympic sensational swimmer Charl Bouwer took home R800 000 for winning three medals, while Du Toit’s coach, Suzanne Ferreira, received R530 000.
Speaking at the event to welcome the athletes at OR Tambo International Airport, Mbalula, who described Du Toit as a golden girl of South Africa said: “We are very proud of this team because if you don’t know perseverance, tenacity, exuberance and determination you know nothing and this is what this team has displayed. So we can’t ask for more, our athletes stood the ground and brought medals home.”
“We call them Olympians, we call them Paralympians, these are real people, and these are the people who have made our country very proud among nations.“ Minister Mbalula commended the paralympians for overcoming their disabilities.
“If you live with disability, that does not mean it’s the end of the road,” He also paid tribute to Du Toit who is now retiring from all forms of competitive swimming.
The games ended on Sunday, 9 September and the next Paralympics will be hosted by Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016.

SA to boost international sports events
Thomas Thale

Photo caption: From Left:Thabang Motlatla, CATHSSETA ,Adv Brenda Madumise,Chairperson CATHSSETA, Hon. Gert Oosthuizen Deputy Minister Sports and Recreation South Africa, Mike Tsotetsi, CEO , CATHSSETA

South Africa is taking steps to attract international sports events to the country.
Following a three-day conference in Durban in September, delegates adopted a sports strategy for the country to coordinate efforts to boost the country as a key destination for sports tourism.
The Sports and Events Tourism Conference brought together government representatives, sports administrators, representatives of the hospitality industry and international guests from countries such as London, Qatar, India and Scotland.
In his key-note address, Deputy Minister of Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA), Gert Oosthuizen said the department was ready to play a key role in positioning South Africa as a destination of choice for sports tourism.
The minister welcomed the adoption of the Draft National Sports Tourism Strategy by the conference. “It will now be finalised after this conference considering the papers presented and inputs made. We envisage to submit this strategy, before the end of the year, to Cabinet for official approval.”
Deputy Minister Oosthuizen also said the department would collaborate with the Department of Tourism as well as the sports and the tourism industries to maximise mutual benefits of positioning South Africa as a major destination for major sports events.
He added that sports tourism would stimulate the economy and benefit many people. “Beneficiaries include hotels, airlines, rental transport, travel agencies, bureaux de change and restaurants with also many other role-players benefiting indirectly from sports tourism including small businesses such as the crafters you see on the Durban beachfront.  It is through this that we hope to build our economy in a sector which relies on basic skills in the belief that we will meet the international standard of creating one job for every 12 tourists who visit our country.”
Sports events that attract a lot of tourists include rugby, cricket, golf, soccer and the Olympics. But the conference agreed that the approach to sport tourism should be continuous and even smaller sport codes such as table tennis and canoeing have the ability to attracts lots of visitors to the country. Gideon Sam, President of the South African
Sports Confederation and Olympic Commit- tee said his organisation is prepared to drive the strategy and chair the steering committee which includes sports federations.
Sam said sporting federations need buy- in from government to bid for international events. “Government must have appetite for us to bid. We must be assured of support.” Mvuzo Mbembe, CEO of the Local Organising Committee for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, told the conference that preparations for the tournament are on track.  “We are ready to host Africa. But if 32 000 fans arrive tomorrow, I am not sure if we’ll have the infrastructure to move them around and house them. We don’t see flags flying to promote the tournament.” Mbembe called on the tourism industry and municipalities to take a more active role in promoting the tournament. He added that Africa is a big market with huge buying power. “On the last day of the 1999 All Africa Games, they closed the Eastgate mall and Sandton City because the malls were sold out. Africans are big spenders. They bring dollars. We must be ready to welcome them.”
For more information, call the Department of Sports and Recreation South Africa on: 012 304 5000

Albert Pule

Photo caption: Nthakoana Mojakhomo, proud poultry farmer

Photo caption: Cathy Moloko hard at work feeding chicks

Photo caption: Teboho Mojakhomo lends a helping hand

Nthakoana Mojakhomo and her husband Teboho Mojakhomo both left their plush jobs in the medical field to start a poultry farm. Their love for selling chickens and eggs brought them together over 20 years ago in Soweto and they have never looked back since.
The couple now runs a successful chicken farm situated in Buffeldroom in the mining town of Stilfontein near Klerksdorp. Mojakhomo Broilers as the farm is known, produces 125 000 chickens in a 36-day cycle.
To get to their farm, we navigate through a large flat area resembling African savannah with a flock of sheep grazing in the distance. Dressed up in an undersized red T-shirt and khakhi pants, Teboho looks like an authentic farmer. His wife Nthakoana looking mature with her patches of grey hair, greets us from where she is sitting next to the staff quarters in the fading shade of the house.
Teboho, who is a former paramedic and Nthakoana a former nurse, have no regrets about giving up their medical careers to focus on farming. “I don’t miss nursing at all, because now I’m actually doing nursing of a different kind,” says Nthakoana as she leans against the back of a chair seeking refuge from the sun. “I’m nursing chicks now.”

Selling chickens
Nthakoana’s love for selling chickens started at an early age as she learned the ropes from her father, who was a chicken farmer. She started selling from her backyard in Soweto to her colleagues at Johannesburg’s Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital. Slaughtering, plucking and cleaning the chickens herself, she sold them ready to be cooked. As time went on, the demand exceeded supply and she had to expand.
Her dream of owning a farm prompted her to apply for a job overseas. “I worked in Saudi Arabia, the USA and the United Kingdom,” she explains. While she was working at a London hospital where she earned R35 000 per month, Teboho and their children joined her and for five years the family saved for their dream to owning a chicken farm.
In 2009, the Mojakhomos took a giant leap when they applied for a loan at Land Bank. “We got a loan for R3,8 million with a 25-year contract. We are still paying it back, but with the challenges facing our industry, we are struggling to keep up with the payments,” she says.

Achieving greatly
The Land Bank loan enabled the Mojakhomos to buy a 22-hectare farm, but the money was not enough to develop the farm. “We got a lot of financial assistance from government and we are grateful for that,” Nthakoana says.
The farm was neglected with old infrastructure and a lot of trees that had to be cut. “We knew that there was a chance for failing, but believed that those who fail greatly, achieve greatly,” adds Teboho.
Their perseverance paid off and they received help from government. The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform under the Recapitalisation and Development Programme and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries sponsored five 120 m x 80 m sheds, as well as coal and other farming implements and the digging of a borehole on the farm.

Creating jobs
The farm now employs 15 permanent and 20 casual workers. Nthakoana buys one day-old chicks from hatcheries, keeps them for six weeks and sells them to an abattoir. After that, a two-week break follows where maintenance of the sheds takes place. “The staff complement is not enough and we want to increase it, but we can’t because of the hardships the business comes across.”
The main challenge that threatens the Mojakhomos is the imports from European countries and Brazil. Nthakoana pleads with government to come up with solutions to deal with the challenges facing emerging black farmers.
“Government is aware of our challenges and they know how many chickens each province produces. We need to create more farms that will help in creating more jobs and food security.”
They believe to address food security and create more jobs, government should invest in upcoming farmers and ask established farmers like Mojakhomo Broilers to mentor them. With such support more emerging farmers will become successful commercial farmers thus creating job opportunities and helping to grow the economy.

For more information call the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform on: 0800 0070 95
 

Vuyani Sibene - GCIS Cofimvaba Thusong Centre

Photo caption: Beneficiaries on site, hard at work in the factory in Queenstown

Photo caption: One of the complete erected Ventilated Improved Pit toilet produced at the factory

Photo caption: MEC Qoboshiyane with MUNIMEC members during their visit to the project in Queenstown

Hundreds of unemployed graduates, community members, local contractors, job seekers and entrepreneurs are reaping the benefit of a sanitation project initiated at the end of 2010.
Thousands of ventilated improved pit (VIP) toilet units are being erected in households across the Chris Hani District Municipality. Not only does the project focus on constructing toilet units, but construction material is also manufactured locally.
Since January 2012 this R500-million project has seen over 200 unemployed graduates appointed as interns in Engineering, Administration, Social Sciences and Finance, with more graduates set to be hired as the project progresses. All interns receive a monthly Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP)-based stipend.
Four consultants have been hired as quality controllers and each will have to employ at least three local unemployed graduates as interns to ensure skills transfer.

New factory
A new factory has been built in Queendustria, the industrial area of Queenstown and work to manufacture construction material has started. The factory produce the required 60 toilets per day. Community members have been recruited to work at the factory, which has helped the District Municipality save about R20 million. The main contractor for the project is Cemforce, which has appointed locally based subcontractors. The contractor also employs local people, many of whom are unskilled and semi-skilled and helps them to acquire new skills with on-the-job training.

Sanitation backlog
Chris Hani District Municipality Council is striving to meet the national target of proper sanitation for all households by 2014. The council aims to build 13 000 toilet units. Thus far, 9 300 toilet units have been built in the district.
A master plan that was drawn up by the municipality to address sanitation identified the eradication of the bucket system as a key priority by 2014. But the district still has a backlog on sanitation, with 53 per cent of households, which amounts to 104 009, still without access to decent sanitation. Most of the backlog is in the Eastern part of the district, which is constituted by Engcobo and Intsika Yethu Local Municipalities. According to the municipality, this backlog requires a further R650 million to be wiped out.
 

Women’s participation in the world’s shipping industry must increase, Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma urges.
Speaking at the third Women in Shipping Conference in Durban last month, Dlamini Zuma, also the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, said getting more women involved in the male-dominated industry was a challenge for Africa and the world.
“Although women comprise at least 50% of the world’s population of approximately seven billion people, only 2% are estimated to be involved in international shipping,” she noted. Dlamini Zuma highlighted the importance of African Union member states implementing the provisions of the African Maritime Transport Charter, which includes the development and financing of the continental maritime industry.
The charter also includes the training and development of citizens, including women, to be part of this industry. The world economy cannot function without ships and the shipping industry, she added.
“Without this industry, intercontinental trade, the bulk transport of raw materials and the import and export of affordable food and manufactured goods would simply not be possible,” she said.
Despite this enormous effect on the world, she questioned whether the shipping industry was as effective as it could be, given that only a small fraction of women participated in it. Dlamini Zuma urged women already involved in the industry to encourage other women, especially young women, to become a part of it. Another issue that required serious reflection was why Africa was not part of the global shipping industry. “Geographically, the continent is after all surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Also, 50% of world trade between east and west comes through our coastline,” Dlamini Zuma said.
Africa is also rich in natural resources, such as hydrocarbons, minerals and timber. “Our natural resources also include diamonds, gold, iron, cobalt, uranium, copper, bauxite, silver, petroleum, but also wood and tropical fruits. In fact, Africa contains 30% of international mineral reserves. These goods are, however, unfortunately not transported on liners owned by Africans,” she said.
Heads of state and governments recognised this challenge and demonstrated their political will to grow the maritime industry for the developmental agenda by adopting the African Maritime Transport Charter, Dlamini Zuma added.
“I hope the provisions of this charter can be matched by action from member states. African leaders must recognise the need for cooperation, within the continent and beyond, as well as the value of training if the maritime industry were to be developed in Africa. This is a challenge for us all.”
 

Samona Murugan

Photo caption: Candidates selected for the YEP gear up for their trip to the US.

Are you thinking of starting your own business? Do you have a business plan? If yes, you could be one of 14 young business minds jetting off to the United States of America (USA) to receive first-hand business training to help propel your business to new heights.
This exciting and innovative opportunity is part of the new Youth Entrepreneurs Programme (YEP) presented by the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and the International Business Academy (IBA) Global to promote the development of the entrepreneurial spirit among young Africans.
Established in 2009, by the Sierra Nevada College in the USA, it identifies and assists young entrepreneurs from all walks of life and equips them to succeed in their own business ventures.
The programme aims to expand young entrepreneurs’ knowledge and expertise in entrepreneurial thinking, basic business management skills, methods of attracting investors and ways to design programmes to teach these skills to others.

Leadership and entrepreneurship certificate
Selected young entrepreneurs start their training with classes in South Africa and then travel to the USA for six weeks where they will be paired up with local entrepreneurs. The also receive classroom training at an accredited American college.
They will benefit from the business skills and knowledge of their USA-based mentors and learn business theory through workshops, lectures and online training. After the six-week period, candidates will receive a Leadership and Entrepreneurship Certificate. On their return to South Africa, they will be more confident and ready to turn their training into reality by implementing their business management skills.

Who can apply?
The NYDA calls on all young entrepreneurs to apply, provided they
•    are between 18 and 35 years old on 20 October 2012
•    are South African citizens
•    have a valid passport
•    are willing to travel and to embrace different cultures
•    can speak English
•    are team players
•    are dedicated to learning and prepared to work hard
•    demonstrate a passion for business and innovative ideas
•    are willing to assist and add value to their host company.

Prizes
Candidates will travel to the USA in February 2013 for six weeks; fl tickets, meals and accommodation will be covered.
Candidates will work closely with professional USA mentors, after which the mentors will come to South Africa to help them set up their own businesses.

The closing date for applications is 20 OCTOBER this year and winners will be announced on 20 November.

For more information contact the NYDA at 08600 96884/0800 5252 or e-mail info@iba-global.com. Application forms are available from www.nyda.gov.za or from your nearest NYDA branch

Ntokozo Maphisa – KwaZulu-Natal Department of Treasury

Photo caption: Overall winner of the 2012 Grade 11 Provincial Speech Contest from Ferrum High School aMajuba District, Mondli Ngwenya who presented a topic (‘Financially literate consumer; a blessing or a curse?’), and KZN MEC for Finance, Ms Ina Cronjé at uMfolozi FET College (Esikhawini) in Mpangeni, where young pupils from all corners of KwaZulu-Natal gathered under one roof, sharing their knowledge and concerns on financial education.

Learners from KwaZulu Natal shook off their stage fright and stood before an appreciative audience in a contest to see who is the best orator in the province.
The 12 Grade 11 learners from all twelve twelve districts competed for the top prize during the contest hosted by the KwaZulu-Natal Financial Literacy Association.
Mondli Ngwenya of Ferrum High School in Amajuba District scooped the top prize for being the most engaging speaker. For his efforts, he received a bursary to study financial management up to post-graduate level at a University of his choice.
The KwaZulu-Natal Departments of Education joined forces with Provincial Treasury and the Financial Practitioners Development Trust to host the fi of the 2012 Grade 11 Provincial Speech Contest at uMfolozi FET College, eSikhawini.
Now in its 16th year, the contest sees learners do battle from school level through toward, circuit and district levels. Only the district winners fight it out at provincial level, with the winner walking away with a bursary, a laptop, a trophy and a certificate. The contest seeks to inculcate a culture of wise spending among the learners.
CEO of the Financial Services Board Dube Tshidi said the contest sends a message to consumers to be financially literate. “What the government of KwaZulu-Natal has done makes it number one in terms of ensuring that people know how to manage their money. What the learners are participating in is certainly going to make them better financial managers,” he said.
Addressing the audience, the Mayor of Uthungulu District Municipality, Cllr Thembeka Mchunu, said the speech contest is a critical building block for learners to being better financial stewards. “I encourage learners to not shy away from maths and science because these subjects are key in unlocking the financial challenges that might face our society in future,” said Mchunu.
The Champion of the KwaZulu-Natal Financial Literacy Association and MEC for Finance, Ina Cronjé, said it is always better to teach people financial literacy from a tender age.
“This is one of the most important campaigns in this province that instills a culture of good financial management to the learners. We also want to ensure that the financial literacy messages are incorporated into the curriculum so that this can further shape the minds of our learners to be better financial planners and managers,” she said.
Prizes for all 12 finalists include laptops, certificates, TVs and DVDs. The sponsors of the contest include PC Training and Business College, Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa, Inseta, Department of Education, First National Bank, Financial Services Board and Postbank.
 

Albert Pule

South Africa’s young innovators and aspiring scientists received a major boost recently. The Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) launched a new fund called Youth Technology Innovation Fund (YTIF) which is aimed at promoting a culture of technology and innovation, as well as creating sustainable projects for the agency.
Under the YTIF, innovators will get intellectual property protection up to the value of R150 000, SABS product certificate to the value of R100 000, services at a TIA station worth R250 000, 160 hours of business coaching and an annual stipend of R60 000 for two years.
The fund, which was introduced in 2011, is available to young innovators between the ages of 18 and 30. Application for financial support is open to individuals, school leavers, students and researchers.
So far, the agency has selected 13 projects for funding and welcomes applications for more projects that will benefit South Africa’s currently under-resourced sectors, which includes health, advanced manufacturing, mining, ICT, energy, industrial biotechnology and agriculture.
CEO Simphiwe Duma said the fund had been designed to help South Africa’s young innovators to enhance their chances of commercial success, increase technological innovation in the country and improve the socio-economic status of their communities.
“We wouldn’t want to fund projects that will only satisfy the needs of a few scientists and researchers; we want to fund projects that will improve the lives of communities and many people around South Africa”, he explained.

To apply, contact one of the following centres, where your idea will be assessed.

TIA OFFICES:
Head Office: 83 Lois Avenue, cnr Lois Avenue and Atterbury Road, Menlyn, Pretoria
KwaZulu-Natal: Pods 7 and 8, Inthuthuko Junction, Francois Road, Durban
Western Cape: 4th Floor, Central Park, Black River Business Park, Fir Road, Observatory
Eastern Cape:  Ascot Office Park, Ascot Road, Greenacres, Port Elizabeth
Limpopo: Stonepark East, 28 Dimitri Crescent, Platinum Park, Bendor, Polokwane
Free State: 11 Zastron Street, Bloemfontein.

Tel: 012 472 2701
e-mail: youth.fund@tia.org.za
website: www.tia.org.za
 

Yes, I survived breast cancer. It can be beaten.” These are the confident words of award-winning scriptwriter, director and chairperson of the Writers’ Guild of South Africa, Thandi Brewer.
Brewer was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago. “My body finally sent me a message. I think it had been waiting for me to have a moment when I could actually pay attention to it, because I was so busy,” says Thandi. One night she woke up with agonising pain in her right breast and went to the doctor. “I found out that I had breast cancer and had to have my right breast removed. There was no time to brood about it, I had to just remove it and move on.”
Refusing to let her condition define her, Brewer decided not to undergo cosmetic surgery. “I am perfectly fine living with one breast,” she defiantly says. Her approach towards cancer is the same approach she applies to her life. “Live each and every day to the fullest, and enjoy every moment of your life. So what if you get cancer in your breast. Just remove it and move on with your life.”
No stranger to the effects of cancer, Brewer says her mother, Fiona Fraser, was also a breast cancer survivor, who had her first *masectomy in her thirties and her second in her sixties. She lived to the age of 76 not allowing cancer to dampen her enthusiasm for life.

“My mother survived cancer for close to 40 years and she was one of the most energetic women I knew. With her diagnosis, I knew that I was also at high risk, so I wasn’t freaked out when I was told, nor was I scared. I remember thinking, right, the battle lines are drawn, it’s time to fight this. I knew I could survive it.”
Undergoing chemotherapy was a challenge, but it did not break her spirit. “I wasn’t scared of it, which I think made all the difference. I went into treatment thinking the chemo is going to kill these nasty cancer buggers,” she laughs. The chemotherapy did not work as well as doctors had hoped, and Brewer had to undergo surgery to remove her breast.
“Removing my breast was not a hard decision to make. Given a choice between a breast and death I chose to live.” And she lives life to the full every day, inspiring everyone around her. Having cancer, she says, has given her an awareness of the value and vulnerability of life and friends, love and laughter.
Many women undergoing the same ordeal have reached out to Brewer. “I let them know what a positive experience I had and reassure them that *chemotherapy is not something to be scared of, nor is a mastectomy. We, as women, are more than our breasts.”
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Brewer urges all women to go for a *mammogram, and regular check-ups. “The one thing I want women to know about breast cancer is that it is completely beatable and not something to be scared of. The earlier your cancer is detected the quicker the cure,” she says.

*Masectomy is the surgery to remove the breast along with the cancer.
*Chemotherapy refers to treatment with drugs that kill cancer cells or make them less active
*Mammogram is the process of using X-rays to examine the breasts to detect the presence of cancerous cells

For more information about breast cancer contact the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) toll free call centre on: 0800 22 66 22.