Reservist collapses and dies during public hearing at Parliament

5 Aug 2010

A member of the delegation from the KwaZulu-Natal Reserve Force, Durban Light Infantry, collapsed today while making a submission on the Defence Amendment Bill to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans.

Despite efforts by Metro Ambulance Service and ER 24 to resuscitate the reservist, she died of cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at 17h00 today.

Parliament is in the process of informing her family of her death.

Parliament extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.

Source: Parliament of South Africa

Issued by: Parliament of South Africa
5 Aug 2010

Vaccine fridge donation will assist with child health

6 Aug 2010

Provincial Health MEC, Theuns Botha, will today receive a vaccine fridge, valued at R20 000, from Mr Peter Hurst, sales and marketing director at refrigeration firm, Minus40. Minus40 is a specialist manufacturer of refrigeration products for the medical and hospitality industries.

Vaccine fridges are specialised pieces of equipment that require extremely accurate temperature control. The fridge has a ninety (90) litre capacity and stores thirty six (36) litres of vaccine, and can also freeze ice-packs. Vaccines must be stored at exactly two to six degrees otherwise the vaccine dies and becomes ineffective. In the case of a power failure the fridge has a hold-over time of six hours. These fridges are checked twice a day to ensure that the correct temperature is maintained, thereby prolonging the shelf life of the vaccine.

Khayelitsha Site B Community Health Centre (CHC) was selected as the beneficiary because the clinic is responsible for the highest daily number of vaccinations. During the 2009/10 financial year, the centre immunised almost one thousand eight hundred (1 800) babies less than one year old. During the recent measles outbreak, Khayelitsha was also the place with the highest number of reported measles cases.

Khayelitsha is the sub-district with the highest mortality rate in the Western Cape - 34.85 per 1 000 live births. This number is still much lower than the national average. Trends in mortality indicators show that the national figure for infant deaths in their first year is forty eighty (48) per one thousand (1 000) live births, while the Western Cape figure is twenty six (26). The national figure for child deaths before five years is seventy three (73) per one thousand (1 000), while the Western Cape figure is thirty nine (39). HIV AIDS and social and health service related factors have the greatest impact on these figures.

Additional notes about Khayelitsha Site B CHC:

• The facility manager is Ms Fundiswa Notshe
• There is a staff compliment of over two hundred (200)
• The CHC sees thirty thousand (30 000) to forty thousand (40 000) patients per month
• Services offered include emergency care, tuberculosis (TB) and HIV care, outpatient care and obstetrics.

Media enquiries:
Helene Rossouw
Tel: 021 483 4426
Cell: 082 771 8834
E-mail: herossou@pgwc.gov.za  

Issued by: Western Cape Health
6 Aug 2010

MEC Grant outlines plans for Tuesday's public service stayaway

6 Aug 2010

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) is prepared for the
upcoming stayaway by educator unions this coming Tuesday and have a
number of contingency plans in place.

Currently, our district officials are, as far as possible, determining
which schools will are likely to be most affected by the industrial
action and are arranging for extra support personnel to be made
available at these schools, where at all possible.

On Tuesday morning, we have systems in place to monitor absenteeism
levels of educators and will deploy, at short notice, WCED officials,
wherever possible, to help supervise classes.

Should a class be without an educator, learners are encouraged to
continue to read, write and calculate, using their textbooks and any
other material available, for example, crosswords in newspapers, or a
book from their school or local library.

Our Grade 12 learners should use this time for revision, consulting past
examination papers and their "Tips for Success" booklets.

We urge parents to send their children to school. We are only four weeks
into the third term after a long June and July holiday period; therefore
any further disruption to learning time is discouraged. We ask parents
to also ensure that their children bring extra learning materials to
school in case they find themselves in a supervised class that day.

The WCED have informed principals that no school can be closed without
notice and/or permission by WCED district officials.

Media enquiries:
Bronagh Casey
Cell: 072 7241 422
Tel: 021 467 2377

Issued by: Western Cape Education
6 Aug 2010

The pen will drop

Media statement: the pen drops

5 Aug 2010

Following a meeting with labour last week Thursday, Minister for Public Service and Administration Richard Baloyi made a pronouncement that come Wednesday next week (yesterday), he was ready to sign off a draft resolution for the implementation of the settlement.

The announcement that the pen will drop was an indication by Minister Baloyi that we needed to put the issue of negotiations behind so that we focus on other issues of priority in our agenda of service delivery and in this, presenting a sense of urgency with which to address this matter.

According to Baloyi, the urgency is meant to create a space for collective work in addressing some of the challenges in the public service that include:

•  The review of the remuneration policy
• The synchronisation of the salary negotiations with the budget cycle by government
• A return to April as the implementation month for salary settlement
• The building sustainable capacity in our negotiators
• The introduction of a multi-term focus in salary negotiations
• Further engagement in the housing support for employees.

The signing off did not take place yesterday despite the state being ready as labour requested for a postponement to today, thus not providing for the employer to table the revised offer. The Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) is currently sitting and the revised offer by the employer is under consideration.

The revised offer translates into a total package details of which are as follows:

• Negotiated salary increment, from 6.5 percent to 7 percent
• Housing allowance remains at R630.00, which translates to 0.5 percent
• A fixed pay progression of 1.5 percent

This amounts to a total average contribution of 9 percent (7 percent + 0.5percent + 1.5 percent = 9 percent) for public servants at salary level 1 to 12.

A further benefit analysis on expositions of gains due to 7 percent increment is carried in the annexure.

For more information contact:
Dumisani Nkwamba
Cell: 082 885 9884
Tel: 012 336 1704

Lebohang Mafokosi
Cell: 082 312 4641
Tel: 012 336 1017

Issued by: Department of Public Service and Administration
5 Aug 2010

Eighty one year old driver dies in N12 head-on collision

5 Aug 2010

North West MEC for Public Safety, Howard Yawa confirmed that police are investigating a case of culpable homicide, reckless and negligent driving after an 81 year old driver died in a head-on collision on the N12.

The accident occurred between Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp on Thursday morning.

The driver of a Nissan double cab allegedly drove on the wrong side of the double carriageway and collided head-on with an oncoming Opel Corsa bakkie at around 03h00.

The driver of the Opel bakkie died at the scene of the accident while the driver of the Nissan sustained serious injuries. He was rushed to hospital by paramedics.

MEC Yawa wishes to convey his condolences to the family of the driver who died in the accident and wished the injured driver a speedy recovery for his to answer to charges of culpable homicide, reckless and negligent driving.

Enquiries:
Lesiba Moses Kgwele
Tel: 018 381 9171
Cell: 083 629 1987
Fax: 018381 9123
E-mail: lkgwele@nwpg.gov.za

Issued by: North West Public Safety
5 Aug 2010

Labour Department barred Radisson Blu from using their hydraulic lifts

5 Aug 2010

A prohibition notice was issued for all hydraulic lifts in Radisson Blue Hotel in Rivonia Road in Sandton until a full comprehensive report is submitted to the Department of Labour stating that the all hydraulic lifts are in safe working order.

The prohibition notice was issued after a lift technician was found crushed by the car of the lift when he was fixing the car. There is no specific person who actually witnessed the incident.

The deceased was found after her wife reported him missing from work. The deceased was employed by Schindler Lifts South Africa (PTY) LTD as a lift technician for 25 years.

A follow up investigation will resume once the comprehensive report has been submitted to the department.

All workers have a right to work in places where risks to their health and safety are properly controlled. The primary responsibility for this is down to the employer, unlike economic losses, human suffering has no measurable cost.

Enquiries:
Mishack Magakwe
Tel: 012 309 5136
Cell: 082 908 1828

Issued by: Department of Labour
5 Aug 2010