Government

The Concourt’s judgment is a watershed, showing that the very highest in the land may be held to account and that the Constitution is supremeOUTA welcomes the Constitutional Court judgment sending Jacob Zuma to jail for 15 months with no possibility of overturning this. The Concourt has shown it will defend the courts and the rule of law, and act against impunity. “No person is above the law,” the Concourt said in the judgment, finding Zuma guilty of contempt of court. “The Concourt judgment is … [Read more...] about Concourt stands up against impunity

Although the Minister has said AARTO starts in July, the law can’t take effect until the official start date is gazetted, which has not yet been done.If AARTO starts in July, OUTA expects it will fail. The rollout has not been properly planned, OUTA’s legal challenge to AARTO is due in court in October, and the agency charged with implementation has refused to provide any information on readiness. There’s no start date The legislation which sets up the driver’s licence demerit system has not yet … [Read more...] about AARTO – Doomed to Fail

The South African National Parks (SANParks) says an independent report on the wildfire that burned about 600 hectares of land within the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) and some neighbouring properties has ruled out natural causes.The report also ruled out rock falls or lightning strikes or an accidental/negligent incident, such as an abandoned camping/cooking fire as possible causes of the fire. The latter, therefore, confirms the fact that the fire was not started by homeless persons, as … [Read more...] about Natural causes ruled out as cause of Table Mountain fire

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has been granted a preservation order to freeze approximately R22 million held in bank and investment accounts linked to Digital Vibes (Pty) Ltd.The order was granted on 17 June 2021 by the Special Tribunal. This is as part of taking action against those implicated in corruption, maladministration and malpractice, in the matter involving the national Department of Health and the communication firm. This also includes entities/individuals, who received … [Read more...] about Digital Vibes Bank Accounts Frozen

South Africa has various multi-sectoral programmes currently under implementation aimed at, among other things, to contribute towards climate change adaptation and mitigation.Addressing the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Symposium on Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) on Wednesday, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creecy said many of these programmes link biodiversity conservation with socio-economic development in line with government priorities. Barbara … [Read more...] about Barbara Creecy on climate change adaptation and mitigation

In a historic step forward for transformation of the small-scale fishing sector, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has allocated 15% of the squid catch to the small-scale fisheries sector.Prior to this decision, squid was not in the basket of species available to the 15 co-operatives and 600 individual small-scale fishermen and women operating in the areas of the Eastern Cape where squid is harvested. This apportionment will be reviewed at the beginning of every fishing … [Read more...] about Small Scale Fisheries to Benefit from Squid Catch