Limpopo housing demand database registration extended!

27 September 2009

As announced previously, the Department of Local Government and Housing has embarked on a campaign to register people in order to compile a new provincial housing demand database. Due to the overwhelming response by our people, the department has decided to extend the registration deadline from 30 September to Friday 9 October 2009.

We would like to encourage our people to come forward with their identity documents and register.

The department would also like to clarify a few issues:

* The demand database will be used for planning of housing developments and allocations in the province and it is a system that will radically turn-around housing delivery in the province ensuring that the planning for housing development is done according to customer demand, need and affordability. The demand database does not replace the waiting lists in the municipalities
* In addition to those requiring RDP houses, people who need other housing typologies like rental housing, low-cost housing and higher-cost housing should also come forward and register
* There is no limit! Everyone who needs a house must be captured on the demand database.

For more information please contact:

Clayson Monyela
Cell: 082 8067 405

Issued by: Department of Local Government and Housing, Limpopo Provincial Government
27 September 2009

Improvements in emergency medical services

28 September 2009

The Northern Cape Provincial MEC for Health Mr MS Sokatsha is proudly to announce the purchase of new equipment to better service delivery in the emergency medical services section of the department across the province.

The Northern Cape Department of Health has purchased individualised equipment for all actively operational basic life support and intermediate life support staff operating in ambulances, rescue units and response units across the province.

The equipment will enhance the official's image as well as professionalism which will lead to accelerated and improved service delivery of the emergency medical services.

The equipment purchased are: stet scopes, automated blood pressure machines, gluco meters and pulse ox meters. All the mentioned staff will be equipped with this necessary life changing equipment. The cost of the equipment is R3 162 per person and the total cost of all the equipment is R900 000.

Enquiries:

Andrid Scholtz
Tel: 053 830 2000
Fax: 053 833 1925
Cell: 082 447 9696 or 083 460 7570
E-mail: ascholtz@ncpg.gov.za

Issued by: Department of Health, Northern Cape Provincial Government
28 September 2009
Source: Northern Cape Provincial Government (http://www.ncpg.gov.za)

East London

Author:Samantha Black
Submitted:05 May 2009

East London is a pleasantly laid back little city with lovely beaches and great surf. Pretty little seaside resorts stretch out to the north, eventually culminating in the fabulously scenic Wild Coast, where you can do coastal hikes - on your own or supported - horse trails, some gentle river paddling and awesome surfing. There are some small game farms nearby and fantastic hikes in the not too distant Hogsback Mountains.

East London has some great cultural attractions, including a wonderful natural history museum, where you can see the only dodo egg in existence - but don't expect Jurassic Park, it's a bit dodgy.

What isn't dodgy, though, is the fact that it was this museum that identified the first specimen of a coelacanth - there's a great exhibit outlining the history of this awesome prehistoric fish. Previously known only from the fossil record, it was assumed to be extinct, and is believed to be the missing link between aquatic and terrestrial animals. OK - one of the missing links - it's quite a long chain.

East London has all the facilities you'd expect in medium sized city - good hotels, sufficient shopping opportunities, yummy restaurants and an airport - while still retaining the sleepy charm of a village.

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Horse riding on the beach
© South African Tourism

Family Holidays in South Africa

Knysna lagoon exploration

©South African Tourism

With its first world infrastructure, favourable exchange rate and varied attractions, South Africa is a great family holiday destination.

Children of a sufficient age to walk and talk and communicate with ease will find a visit to a game reserve or national park fascinating. Many of the private game reserves do not allow children, but some particularly welcome them, and many that do allow children don't allow them on game drives, unless the whole vehicle is taken by one family or party, so do your homework. Bear in mind that the main game viewing destinations are in malarial areas, where it is risky for young children and pregnant women, so you might want to stick to the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and North West Province reserves. As a rule the national parks are very child-friendly, with self-catering family chalets and perhaps even playgrounds.

Fishing in tidal rock pools

©South African Tourism

Beach holidays are another great favourite with families and, with such a long coastline, there are some really good options. The Wild Coast, in the Eastern Cape, is a favourite with local families, and many of the hotels have special children's programmes, playgrounds, children's dining areas and baby sitting services. The Garden Route is a good option if you're looking for a more exclusive experience, as there are a number of luxurious hotels and guesthouses that cater specifically for families, and many child-friendly attractions like a monkey park and walks with elephants. Dolphin and whale watching is another experience most children would never forget.

Springflowers near Clanwilliam

©Licia Erasmus

If you are travelling in spring, it's hard to resist the temptation to travel from Cape Town up the West Coast and into the main flower area of Namaqualand, where you could photograph your little darlings frolicking in fields of flowers stretching to the horizon.

But, really, there is something in almost every centre that you and your children will find interesting so it's just a matter of planning carefully and ensuring that you get child-friendly accommodation. Also bear in mind that, if you want a child seat in a rental car, you need to book it in advance.

Travelling by car? Try 13 games for kids in our Travel Matters article - Travel with Kids

Gorgeous new school replaces mud structure

23 September 2009  

Hundreds of community members in Mthatha joined national and provincial dignitaries yesterday to celebrate the opening of a R15 million state-of-the- art school built to replace what used to be a mud structure.

The officials described the opening of the Zithulele Senior Primary School in Zimbane area as evidence that partnership between government and the private sector can be a success.

The school’s construction was made possible by the provincial Department of Education and Vodacom Foundation, which contributed R7,5 million each. It will also be used as a training centre for local community members and neighbouring schools.

Parents, who have been pleading with the department for a better school, said their prayers have been answered beyond their expectations.

“We wanted a proper school, but we never dreamt of something like this. We had been patient for years while our children were suffering from cold and hot conditions in the mud structures.

“We made it our business to keep mending those walls for our children to get education,” said Noxolile Dosini, who has been on the school governing body since 1992.

For 12 year old Grade 6 pupil Zinhle Saphepha, this means that she can now walk with pride to and from school.

“Pupils from other schools used to laugh at us for attending an ugly school. But now it is up to us to make sure that we focus on our lessons,” said Zinhle, who wants to be a doctor.

Besides 11 classrooms, the new school boasts computer and science laboratories, a nutrition room and a Grade R classroom.

The computer lab, which has 35 Internet connected computers, will also be available for neighbouring teachers, pupils and community members.

The nutrition centre will also be used to train mothers who cook for schools on how to cook and handle food.

Issued by: Department of Education, Eastern Cape Provincial Government
23 September 2009
Source: Department of Education, Eastern Cape Provincial Government, (http://www.ecdoe.gov.za/)

Minister Sonjica raises profile of adaptation in her Climate Change engagements

25 September 2009

Ms Buyelwa Sonjica, Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, arrived this morning from her nine day visit to the United States where she raised the profile of adaptation for Africa, taking into account poverty eradication thereby balancing development imperatives and addressing the impacts of climate change.

She attended official engagements with various international stakeholders as part of preparations for the December United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (COP15). Minister Sonjica was well received by her counterparts and sought after for her views which enriched the debate. The Minister also championed the cause of Africa as Chair of the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN), informed by a developing country perspective.

She attended the Major Economies Forum (MEF) on Energy and Climate in Washington from 17 to 18 September, which was attended by seventeen of the world's major economies. This was immediately followed by the Greenland Dialogue on the 19 to 20 September in New York, with a broader group that includes not only developed countries, but a wider variety of developing countries groupings such as least developed countries and small island developing states.

The meetings addressed issues in the areas of mitigation and adaptation, with focus on finance, technology and capacity building. She used the platform to highlight the significance of adaptation, which she emphasised was a priority for Africa as the most vulnerable continent despite the issue being relegated to the periphery in the negotiations. As such convergence was reached on 'fast track' adaptation funding for the period between 2010 and 2012, without prejudicing the outcome of the negotiations for the period beyond 2012.

The meetings further deliberated modalities and mechanisms for mitigation, with the Minister calling for leadership by developing countries in taking deeper emission reduction commitments in order to meet the required by science levels of carbon dioxide concentration. The commitment of developing countries through their commitments to action threw the gauntlet back to the developed countries, with China having committed to a 15% contribution of clean energy to the country's energy mix, whilst Brazil committed to an 80% reduction in deforestation by 2020, both following the lead of South Africa's commitment to a plateau of emissions by 2020 to 2025.

The Minister further committed to the need for developmental space of developing countries, hence the inability to take emission reduction targets beyond the ambitious actions outlined in the various announcements by developing countries. She emphasised particularly that the developing countries are grappling with delivery against the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), access to energy, and energy security.

The Minister encouraged all parties to respect the letter and spirit of the convention particularly that of 'common but differentiated responsibility' as it takes into cognisance the historical responsibility of developed countries, the current capabilities of various countries, and social justice by recognising the development gap between developed and developing countries.

From 22 September the Minister attended the UN Secretary General's Summit on Climate Change, which was designed to galvanise world leaders into action towards an ambitious and concrete outcome in the international negotiations on climate change scheduled for completion at Copenhagen.

She contributed as a thought leader on the Round Table on Business and Climate Change. As part of President Zuma's delegation to the UN General Assembly, the Minister was part of bilaterals with key countries over and above her bilaterals which included, India, Denmark, World Bank, Sri Lanka, UK, USA, China, IRENA and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) as part of her effort to build bridges to facilitate a resolution to many of the outstanding issues in the international negotiation process.

Enquiries:
Albi Modise
Cell: 083 490 2871

Issued by: Department of Water and Environmental Affairs
25 September 2009

RELEASE: Life skills camp brings joy to underprivileged learners

 

 

 

Life skills camp brings joy to underprivileged learners

 

Forty of the top Grade 7 learners from four rural schools were recently given the opportunity to attend a two day life skills camp at the Africa Ablaze Campsite for Life Skills Development, thanks to WesBank.

 

There was a high level of anticipation as the learners were divided into teams and prepared themselves for a life changing weekend.

 

The learners were exposed to the principles of team work, dealing with responsibility, leadership and the importance of goal setting.  Challenging activities and presentations where balanced by fun sessions. The learners went back to their schools enriched and received assignments to impart the knowledge they have gained with the rest of their schools.

 

The Africa Ablaze Life Skills and Career opportunity camps are a vital link to address the situation that thousands of learners in the informal settlements are faced with.  Learners complete their Grade 12 with no information of what they can do to further their careers in their post matric year.

 

Africa Ablaze has been working towards relieving the plight of poverty stricken rural communities since 1980. Providing a few slices of bread for people on the brink of survival was just the beginning. Today they are a caring, organised team, focused on the specific needs of each individual, equipping the next generation to become significant players in society.

 

The sponsorship of the Life Skills Camp forms part of the WesBank Volunteers programme. The Volunteers programme gives each WesBank staff member the opportunity to get involved in initiatives that will make a sustainable difference to  disadvantaged communities across South Africa. On this particular Saturday, ten WesBank volunteers joined the staff from Africa Ablaze to help facilitate the day.

 

According to Mr Gerald Burton, General Manager of WesBank’s Corporate Division, the concentration levels, respect and passion to learn among these students is a beacon of hope for the next generation of potential movers and shakers.