Category: Reportage

Source: South Africa News Agency

Motorists will get some reprieve at the fuel pumps from Wednesday following an announcement by the Department of Energy of the drop in fuel prices.

As of 7 March, the petrol price will drop by 36 cents a litre and between 44 and 47 cents less for a litre of diesel.

According to the Energy Department, the drop in the fuel price is a result of the strengthening of the Rand against the US Dollar and a decrease in the prices of crude oil.

“The Rand appreciated, on average, against the US Dollar from 12.20 to 11.82 Rand per USD during the period under review.

“The average Brent Crude oil price decreased from 69.06USD to 65.05USD per barrel during the period under review. This led to lower prices of petroleum products in the international markets,” said the department.

The department said other factors that influence the price of fuel include the fact that South Africa imports both crude oil and finished products at a price set at the international level, including shipping costs.

“The main contributing factor was the abundance of crude in the market, particularly with growing exports from the US Gulf coast, which kept the price low in the market. Furthermore, the forthcoming widespread refinery maintenance in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific is also muting demand for crude and limiting upward price movement,” said the department.

The fuel prices for paraffin and gas for March 2018 will be also adjusted as follows:

• Illuminating Paraffin (wholesale): 22.00 c/l decrease
• SMNRP for IP: 29.00 c/l decrease
• Maximum LPGas Retail Price: 69.00 c/kg decrease
   

The fuel prices schedule for the different zones will be published on Tuesday, 6 March 2018. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: South Africa News Agency

Small, medium and micro-sized enterprises (SMMEs) in Limpopo will now have access to mentorship and training at their doorstep following the launch of the Tourism Business Incubators by the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Elizabeth Thabethe, on Friday. 

Tourism Business Incubators are a virtual vehicle used to assist businesses with support interventions to tourism enterprises clustered along a thriving tourism network. 

“Through the incubators, SMMEs are able to access remote business support services facilitated by experienced business development advisors, who offer mentorship, coaching and cluster training that is tailored to their needs. 

“This will ensure the viability and sustainability of SMMEs in the Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality,” said Deputy Minister Thabethe.   

The Phalaborwa incubator is one of a few that will be launched across the country as part of a greater objective of the revised National Tourism Sector Strategy (NTSS) 2016-2026 to ensure the sustainable growth and development of the tourism industry. 

“Tourism in Limpopo is thriving, and it is critical that its socio-economic benefits are enjoyed by all.

“We identified Phalaborwa as a suitable town to establish a Tourism Business Incubator to promote economic inclusion, and ensure that new entrants into the industry are viable,” said the Deputy Minister.  

The Tourism Department has set aside a more than R50 million investment to advance sustainable tourism SMMEs in Phalaborwa. This will be done through the Wild Activity Hub at the Phalaborwa Gate of the Kruger National Park as well as the new Shangoni Gate of the Park close to Giyani. 

“SMMEs have the potential to create sustainable employment opportunities, and to contribute to the economic development of local economies. We need to leverage on this potential to grow the sector and our economy. 

“We have thus far established business incubators in Moruleng, Pilanesberg in the North West Province, and Manyeleti, Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga province. The two incubators are operating very well, and we are confident that the Phalaborwa incubator will be a success,” said the Deputy Minister. 

The Deputy Minister said she believes this investment and development will stimulate economic growth in the region and thus spur entrepreneurial opportunities. 

Support framework

The department also hosted a workshop in partnership with the Limpopo Department of Economic Development and Environment and Tourism (LEDET) to present the services and initiatives provided to SMMEs under the Tourism Enterprise Development and Support Programme. 

The Tourism Enterprise Development and Support Programme addresses the challenges facing businesses in the sector concerning information about funding and market access opportunities.  

For more information on the Tourism Enterprise Development and Support Programme and the up-coming workshops in the various provinces, interested persons can visit www.tourism.gov.za.
 

The next Enterprise Development Awareness and information sharing event will take place in Mahikeng, North West, 5 March 2018. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: South Africa News Agency

South African Sign Language (SASL) has officially been recognised as a home language in the curriculum as one of the examinable subjects for the National Senior Certificate.

“It is a monumental step forward that SASL has now, for the very first time in South Africa, been officially recognised as a home language in our education system,” said the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training, Umalusi, in a statement.

The announcement by Umalusi follows a report it released of its research study on the inclusion of SASL in the curriculum.

The aim of the study was to provide guidance to Umalusi in its role as the quality assurer for SASL-Home Language, with specific reference to school-based assessment and national examinations.

According to the Council, the scope of the study also encompassed understanding how Deaf learners are assessed, as well as the kind of resources and materials required for assessment, including identifying potential national moderators and evaluators.

“Deaf learners in South Africa no longer need to feel like foreigners in their own land, and at last they can exercise their rights to be taught and assessed in their own language,” said Umalusi.

Recognition of SASL as a home language in the education system was highlighted by Umalusi as ground breaking as it serves to recognise “Deaf culture as a fundamental part of South African culture”.

When reflecting on this momentous occasion, Umalusi chairperson John Volmink said: “Today we can say to Deaf learners that the system has fully embraced them, that their language is valued and respected, and that they now have the opportunity to learn and study and be tested through the medium of their home language.”

The full details of the study are available in the report entitled, ‘Sign of the Times: The Quality of the Teaching and Assessment of South African Sign Language’. 

The report is available on Umalusi website: www.umalusi.org.za. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: South Africa News Agency

The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) has bulked up security at the country’s points of entry to ensure the protection of big cats and other wildlife. 

To mark World Wildlife Day on 3 March, the department deployed South African Revenue Service (SARS) K9 sniffer dogs to OR Tambo International Airport to detect attempts to smuggle wildlife into the country. 

In addition to this, the department’s Environmental Management Inspectors (EMIs), also known as the Green Scorpions, inspected a consignment of birds for export from South Africa to ensure that the consignment has met all legal requirements. 

“These are just two of the actions taken daily at points of entry and exit to ensure that smuggling of wildlife is halted and that our natural world is protected. 

“About 300 legal wildlife-related consignments are exported and imported on a monthly basis at this airport and our EMIs inspected and endorsed approximately 4 200 CITES [Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora] permits during 2017,” said the department’s Director General Ishaam Abader. 

Guided by this year’s theme, ‘Big cats: predators under threat’, lions, leopards and cheetahs are the focus of protection and conservation efforts. 

To combat the illegal trade of these animals, a range of measures have been introduced in South Africa to ensure that cat populations are conserved and properly managed.  

“This includes the implementation of a Biodiversity Management Plan for the African Lion.  The Scientific Authority of South Africa conducted a Non-Detriment Finding (NDF), as required by the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).  The final NDF was published for implementation on 23 January 2018,” said Abader. 

According to the NDF, for lions, there are at present no major threats to the wild and managed lion populations within South Africa, although the management of reintroduced wild lion needs some improvement. 

Minor, but non-detrimental, threats include over-utilisation, disease, poaching and conflict with communities around protected areas. 

Law enforcement collaboration yields fruit

 

While the focus may be on big cats this year, Wildlife Day also takes stock of the efforts of law enforcement officials to prevent wildlife crimes. 

The declaration of wildlife crime as a priority crime in South Africa resulted in the joint collaboration of the National Prosecuting Authority, the police and institutions such as the Airports Company of South Africa. 

The Green Scorpions assist SARS and SAPS with cases where illegally traded rhino horn have been detected. 

Since August 2016, this collaboration resulted in the seizure of 11 rhino horn at OR Tambo. 

The first case at ORTIA of 2018 recently involved the arrest of a Chinese woman in early January hiding thee rhino horn pieces of approximately 4kg in a wine box. 

“The increase in detections of rhino horn at ORTIA are a tribute to the hard work and collaborative approach involving airport security, SARS, the Green Scorpions, and the police,” said Abader.  

Partnerships to combat wildlife crimes

 

The DEA is currently working with WWF-SA on a project to increase its ability to tackle wildlife trafficking in South Africa.
 

“This project, funded by a grant from the US Department of State’s Bureau of International & Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), focuses on the development of further training materials to bolster our national compliance and enforcement programme,” said Abader.
 

The training materials include an e-learning platform for officials, audio visual materials, specific curriculum and manuals, which assist law enforcement agencies to effectively detect the smuggling of wildlife. – SAnews.gov.za