SAnews.gov.za

Government's social assistance reaches 17 million

Cape Town – Government’s Social Assistance Programme now reaches almost 17 million South Africans, says Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini.

Delivering the department’s Budget Vote Speech in Parliament, on Wednesday, Minister Dlamini said more than two thirds of all social grant recipients are children who receive the Child Support Grant (CSG). 

“Over three million older persons receive the Old Age Grant while a million people receive the disability grant,” the Minister said.

She said the investment that the government is making in the lives of the poor and vulnerable learners is showing positive results. 

She further said children in the department’s Isibindi Programme and the CSG were performing well in schools.

Last year, out of 455 922 learners who passed their matric examinations, 304 913 learners, received a social grant.     

She said social assistance has proven to be an important tool for human capital investment and the biggest contributor to reducing poverty and inequality.

“In order to ensure that the education of these learners continues without interruption, the department is in negotiation with the National Student Financial Aid Scheme to ensure that learners that had qualified for grants are not subjected to a means test to qualify for financial support to further their studies,” the Minister said. 

Illegal deductions on social grants under the microscope

The Minister said the department was faced with huge challenges emanating from illegal deductions on social grants.

She said the deductions were eroding the value and impact of social grants in addressing the deep levels of poverty and inequality in the society.

“We have witnessed high levels of unacceptable practice of illegal, immoral and unauthorised deductions of money from all grant types for services ranging from airtime, water, loans and funeral policies.

“We published revised Regulations to the Social Assistance Act for public comment in February this year, which will deal with this practice.

“The department has considered all the comments and made some revisions to the Regulations,” she said.

The Minister said these revisions to the Act will be published this week.

She said the Ministerial Task Team on Deductions will continue to monitor these practices and ensure that deductions are ultimately brought to an end. 

“The absence of a funeral benefit has opened our social grant beneficiaries to exploitation by private insurance companies. The lack of government action to protect them has led very loud outcry by our beneficiaries and various civil society organisations

“We intend to introduce legislation into Parliament during this current financial year, for the establishment of a funeral benefits fund.” – SAnews.gov.za

SAnews.gov.za

SA joins Africa Month celebrations

Pretoria – Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa has encouraged South Africans to participate in Africa Month activities to build a better Africa.

Speaking on Tuesday during the launch of the Africa Month programme for May, Minister Mthethwa said the month is aimed at pursuing an Africa that will occupy its rightful place in the world through achieving the objectives of Agenda 2063.

“We are on track as we continue a continental journey begun by our ancestors… As representatives of business and industry leaders, heritage institutions, local communities and the development sector in Africa, your task is to create the conditions for Africa to extend its freedom,” Minister Mthethwa said.

This month also marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the African World Heritage Fund, which strives to conserve and protect Africa's natural and cultural heritage. A seminar is being held on Tuesday and Wednesday under the theme ‘African World Heritage - Thinking Ahead’ at the Cradle of Humankind in Gauteng.

Minister Mthethwa has welcomed the seminar.

“In a world in which increasingly people and places are in danger of imminent death and wanton destruction, where valuable African heritage has been defaced and destroyed by those who do not understand their worth to humanity, we welcome this seminar,” Minister Mthethwa said.

The seminar focuses on heritage conservation and development initiatives, enhancing the role of communities in heritage preservation and addressing matters of world heritage in post conflict regions.

Some of the activities for Africa Month include the 5th International Marimba and Steelpan Festival, a reggae festival, an anti-racism music festival and film festival, which will be held in Limpopo as well as the iKauru Contemporary Art from Africa exhibition.

The Gcwala Ngamasiko International Cultural Festival, a Pan African Culinary Festival in Durban and the Bureau of the 4th Pan African Cultural Congress will also be included in the programme. – SAnews.gov.za

News24

Mbeki, Yacoob take jibe at Zuma during Constitution anniversary celebrations

2016-05-08 14:05

Jeff Wicks, News24

Former President Thabo Mbeki sits with other panellists ahead of an event to mark the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution. (Jeff Wicks, News24)

Pretoria – Former president, Thabo Mbeki, and retired Constitutional Court justice, Zak Yacoob, on Sunday took a thinly veiled swipe at President Jacob Zuma and his administration during a panel discussion at an event to celebrate the adoption of the Constitution.

The panel was convened to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution in Parliament in 1996, and was hosted at Pretoria’s Freedom Park.

The park itself is a monument to South African conflict, opening in 2004. 

Mbeki and Yacoob have both been vocal critics of Zuma and his current administration.

“As South Africans we signed a common contract to say this is the South Africa we want to build. It is an important day because it brought to an end a struggle that lasted centuries,” Mbeki said.

Flouted the Constitution

He said that large portions of society remained unfamiliar with the Constitution, to the detriment of the country.

This was in an apparent veiled reference to the adverse finding of the Constitutional Court against President Jacob Zuma and the National Assembly. 

The Constitutional Court ruled that Zuma flouted the Constitution when he ignored Public Protector Thuli Madonsela's remedial action on the non-security upgrades done at his private home in Nkandla.

"A lot of our people are not familiar with what this Constitution says. The consequence is that we sit in government and do something that is wrong and even unconstitutional, Mmusi [Maimane] will say it’s incorrect and so will the judges [of the Constitutional Court], but where is the rest of society?” he questioned. 

“If there was more familiarity with it, there would be a larger social intervention,” Mbeki added.

Mbeki, asked directly to comment on his evaluation of the current political leadership, was restrained in his response. "What is clear to all of us is there is a lot of restlessness in the country and a lot of disaffection about the current situation," he said.

Equal before the law

Yacoob emphasised that all were equal before the law, and he called for the hallmarks of the Constitution be realised.

“Everyone is equal before the law… our Constitution says that neither the state nor anyone else shall discriminate on any grounds.

“We have a leader of political party, not Mmusi [Maimane], that he goes to a white lawyer because he thinks white lawyers are better and everyone laughs. We discriminate against ourselves and we must not do this,” he said. 

Yacoob also seized his opportunity at the podium to make an apparent jibe at Zuma.

He referenced the rules of the African National Congress in making his point.

“All members of the ANC are called to behave honestly and fundamentally, we need to have courage and behave honestly and ensure that others do so,” he said.

Read more on:    anc  |  thabo mbeki  |  zak yacoob  |  pretoria  |  politics

EyeWitness News

LIMPOPO GOVT MAKES 'POWERFUL BREAKTHROUGH' IN VUWANI

The provincial government says it hopes talks with traditional leaders will see an end to a week of violence.

One of the schools targeted in ongoing protests in the Vuwani area. Picture: Kgothatso Mogale/EWN.

• Vuwani
 
• Malamulele Limpopo protests
 
• Vuwani protests
 
• Malamulele

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Mia Lindeque | about 12 hours ago

JOHANNESBURG – The Limpopo government says it has made what it calls a “powerful breakthrough” in negotiations with the majority of traditional leaders in the areas surrounding Vuwani.

The provincial government says it hopes these successful talks will see an end to a week of violence, with more than 20 schools being either torched or vandalised by protesters.

Residents in and around Vuwani are refusing to have their area fall under the Malamulele municipality.

Limpopo government spokesperson Phuti Seloba said traditional leaders have given a strong message that they too will be helping authorities to bring stability to Vuwani and other villages this week.

“They’re very committed, they also shared the same sentiment with us as government about the delay and the violation of the rights of other people in the area and they’ve committed themselves to support and work together with the police and government.”

Seloba said he believes the violence will now come to an end and children will be able to go back to school.

Co-operative governance minister Des van Rooyen and his state security counterpart David Mahlobo visited the troubled area over the weekend.

MBEKI ADDS HIS VOICE

Former president Thabo Mbeki has added his voice to the condemnation of the burning of schools in Vuwani, saying the law needs to be enforced.

Mbeki was asked whether the supreme law of the land protects children from their rights being infringed on through the arson attacks on education facilities, during a panel discussion in Pretoria today.

He said the attacks formed a part of a larger complex societal problem.

“It’s illegal to go and burn libraries, trains and all of this infrastructure. The law needs to be enforced.” 

VHAVENDA KING CALLS FOR AN END TO VIOLENCE, VANDALISM

The Vhavenda king has called on protesting residents of Vuwani to end the violence and vandalism of schools in the area, but added he fully supported their opposition to joining a new municipality based in Malamulele.

Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga met with the king at the Vhavenda royal house in Dzanani to discuss the protests and continued arson attacks on schools.

MORE SUSPECTS ARRESTED FOR VUWANI ARSON ATTACKS

Limpopo police say 23 people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the recent spate of arson attacks in the town of Vuwani.

The police’s Malesela Ledwaba said, “Eight more suspects have been arrested, meaning that the total number is now 23 suspects arrested in connection with the protests at Vuwani.”

(Edited by Leeto M Khoza)