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South African government calls for urgent resolution amid ongoing unrest in Kenya and Nigeria

South African government calls for urgent resolution amid ongoing unrest in Kenya and Nigeria

THE South African government has expressed concerns over the continuing unrests in Kenya and Nigeria and have urged for an urgent solution to be found. In a statement issued after a cabinet meeting, the government said: “Cabinet raised concerns with the continuing unrests in Kenya and Nigeria and urged all parties to find urgent solutions to the plight of citizens with the high cost of living, which South Africa is not spared from.” The statement from SA came on the day that Kenya saw renewed protests. Police in the Kenyan capital Nairobi fired tear gas to clear pockets of anti-government…
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New South African government inspires hope and fear

New South African government inspires hope and fear

SOUTH Africa's new unity government inspired cautious optimism from industry and financial markets but many citizens and political analysts fear the coalition will struggle to deliver economic growth and social change. President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed former main opposition leader John Steenhuisen to head an important ministry on Sunday, bringing the Democratic Alliance and other parties into a coalition cabinet for the first time in three decades. The ruling African National Congress was forced to join rival parties to stay in power after losing its majority in a May 29 poll, getting just 40% of the vote, the first time it has received under half of the votes in…
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South Africa is short of academic statisticians: why and what can be done

South Africa is short of academic statisticians: why and what can be done

OUR world is awash with data. A 2019 article published by the World Economic Forum estimated that, by 2025, about 463 exabytes of data will be created each day globally – that’s the equivalent of 212,765,957 DVDs per day. But data is only useful if it can be collected, analysed and explained by experts. That’s where statisticians come in. People like us are trained to make sense of data. Our analyses can then guide organisations and governments in making sensible policy decisions. Both “data scientist” and “statistics lecturer” feature on the South African government’s critical skills list. Due to the…
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South Africa’s immigration proposals are based on false claims and poor logic – experts

South Africa’s immigration proposals are based on false claims and poor logic – experts

THE South African government recently issued a long-awaited policy statement – called a White Paper – outlining proposed changes to the country’s asylum and immigration system. More than 20 years after its first post-apartheid immigration legislation in 1998, immigration remains a pressing concern. Getting this policy right could help with South Africa’s economic recovery, increase regional prosperity, and heighten security for citizens and migrants alike. LOREN B LANDAU, Co-Director of the Wits-Oxford Mobility Governance Lab, University of the Witwatersrand REBECCA WALKER, Research Associate at the African Centre for Migration & Society, University of the Witwatersrand A general election is due…
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South Africa calls in Israeli ambassador to discuss conduct over Gaza war

South Africa calls in Israeli ambassador to discuss conduct over Gaza war

SOUTH Africa has called in Israel's ambassador to discuss what it described as his recent "unfortunate conduct" linked to the war in Gaza, the foreign ministry in Pretoria said. The ministry said Eliav Belotsercovsky received the order on Thursday, but it did not go into details on his conduct. "Ambassador Belotsercovsky is called upon to conduct himself in line with the Vienna Conventions, which accord heads of diplomatic missions certain privileges and responsibilities, key amongst which is to recognise the sovereign decisions of the host nation," the South African statement said. "Ambassador Belotsercovsky was once again called upon to convey…
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South Africa checking if two of its citizens killed in Israel

South Africa checking if two of its citizens killed in Israel

SOUTH Africa's government said that it was checking information from the Israeli embassy that two of its nationals had been killed in attacks by the militant group Hamas and called on Israel to provide Gazans with food and water. The attacks by Hamas inside Israel killed more than 1,300 people, mostly civilians. Israel has since responded with days of retaliatory attacks, pounding densely urbanised Gaza with air strikes and artillery fire and killing over 1,500 Palestinians. "We are currently verifying this," Clayson Monyela, a spokesperson for South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), said when asked about a local…
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South Africa’s drinking water quality has dropped because of defective infrastructure and neglect – new report

South Africa’s drinking water quality has dropped because of defective infrastructure and neglect – new report

A report released by the South African government paints a grim picture of the country’s water resources and water infrastructure as well as the overall quality of its drinking water. The Blue Drop Watch Report – an interim report because it only assessed a sample of the facilities across the country – focused on the condition of the drinking water infrastructure and treatment processes from a technical standpoint. It also reported on water quality. Author ANJA DU PLESSIS, Associate Professor and Research Specialist in Water Resource Management, University of South Africa The issues of biggest concern that it identified included…
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South Africa is proposing plans to manage diseases like COVID. Why they’re flawed

South Africa is proposing plans to manage diseases like COVID. Why they’re flawed

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the South African government published “special regulations” to contain the spread of the disease. These actions were taken under special powers granted by the Disaster Management Act. In April 2022, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa announced an end to the crisis management mode the country had been in for two years. Now processes are underway to embed some of the special regulations into the country’s general health regulations related to notifiable medical conditions. Authors IGNATIUS MICHAEL VILJOEN, PhD Candidate Cell and Gene Therapy Regulation. Institute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Pretoria…
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The engine room: SA government support fuels further investment in vehicle manufacturing

The engine room: SA government support fuels further investment in vehicle manufacturing

SETH ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY IN March, there were 50, 607 new cars sold in South Africa, representing the biggest sales in that market since October 2019, indicating the level to which the sector has bounced back since being hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Top Auto figures also show that 7,184 more units were sold in March than in the same forecast period in 2021, reflecting a 16.5 per cent increase year-on-year. Strong auto sales come as the South African government continues to provide support for an incentive scheme aimed at boosting exports of vehicles and components, with a new…
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S.Africa gives national airline $98 mln, but administrators can’t use it

S.Africa gives national airline $98 mln, but administrators can’t use it

THE South African government has transferred 1.5 billion rands ($98 million) to administrators for national airline South African Airways (SAA) but the funds cannot be used yet, the administrators said. The administrators said the conditions the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) attached to how the money should be spent were in contravention of labour and companies laws. “We are unable to utilise the funds until the conditions have been amended by the DPE,” they added in a statement. A DPE spokesman said the department would comment later. SAA entered a local form of bankruptcy protection in December last year after…
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