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Gender-based violence

When it comes to the sexual abuse of children with disabilities, anything that is not the norm in the children's behaviour should raise a red flag.

While all children are at risk of abuse, given their vulnerability, children with disabilities are at even greater risk of falling victim to sexual predators, many of whom gravitate to places where they can access defenceless children.

This is according to Teddy Bear Foundation Clinical Director, Shaheda Omar.

Premier of the Western Cape Alan Winde recently handed over hundreds of children’s books to Hanover Park Public Library near Cape Town.

The Western Cape Government is running a book donation drive named the Book Han(d)over Project.

Union Buildings

 Unexpected load-shedding disrupts the lives of millions of people in their homes, workplaces and businesses.

Khumbu Shelembe’s had an interesting journey from punching the till at a Durban Caltex station to owning an operation that sells almost 10,000 litres of fuel a day.

Having started out as a cashier at the Mobeni service station in Durban in 2007, Shelembe, now 36-years-old, got her first promotion after only six months in book-keeping and supply chain.

Film maker Jahmil Qubeka is passionate about African stories and respects the African art of story-telling.

Born in the Eastern Cape, Qubeka has strong ties with the province. His latest film Knuckle City is a crime story set in the Mdantsane boxing tradition.

“We had our international premier of the film at the Toronto International Film Festival recently. The film had three public screenings which were packed to the rafters. It was also screened for the world's press and has to date received a 100 percent score on the Rotten Tomatoes website,” said the film maker.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s programme of reviving the South African economy has received another boost.

This was evident at the much-anticipated launch of the Mara Phone manufacturing plant at the Dube Trade Port in Durban recently. The plant is a first of its kind in South Africa.

The launch comes 12 months after company chief executive Ashish Thakkar announced at the inaugural Africa Investment Forum in November  2018 that the company would invest R1.5 billion in a South African business venture over the next five years.

The Ndlovu Family Farm Cooperative in Hekpoort, Mogale City, is one of several sites to benefit from fish farming and mealworm breeding.

This was after the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR)installed infrastructure that will be used for fish farming and mealworm breeding.

The programme is a collaboration between the department and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), looking at the feasibility of this type of farming.

Government has stepped in to aid Northern Cape farmers whose livelihood is at risk because of drought.

Government and stakeholders in the agricultural sector are helping farmers affected by severe drought in the Northern Cape’s five districts. Recently, Deputy President David Mabuza visited Aggeneys in Namakwa District Municipality, in the Northern Cape, to announce urgent interventions.

Almost 15 500 farms with a carrying capacity of 613 447 large stock units, covering more than 20 million hectares, are severely affected.

The Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training, Umalusi, has given assessment bodies the greenlight to administer the 2019 matric exams.

The 2019 matric exams will begin on 23 October and wrap up on 28 November.

Briefing the media recently, the Council said it conducted a thorough assessment of the readiness of the basic education system to manage and conduct the 2019 national examinations.

Pupils in Gauteng can now access school lessons via the Digital Content and Online Assessment Platform, even when they are at home.

Gauteng’s MEC for Education and Youth Development Panyaza Lesufi launched the platform at Soshanguve East Secondary School recently.