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3 years ago

Service - Leadership in Government - Issue 75

  • Text
  • Government
  • Leadership
  • Urban
  • Leaders
  • Pandemic
  • Transition
  • Digital
  • Infrastructure
  • African
  • Economic
  • Global
  • Cities

S snippets SERVE AND

S snippets SERVE AND DELIVER NAMA KHOI MUNICIPALITY IN THE SPOTLIGHT The 140MW Kangnas wind farm in the Northern Cape has successfully reached commercial operations. This marks the completion of all five wind farms in a Lekela-led consortium across South Africa. Together, these total over 600MW and will provide clean, cost-effective power for up to 485 000 South African homes over the next 20 years. Lekela is a renewable power generation company that delivers utility-scale projects across Africa. The Kangnas wind farm is situated just over 50km east of the town of Springbok in the Nama Khoi Local Municipality of the Northern Cape. Construction for the project began in 2018 and has been achieved with 50% of construction content manufactured locally in South Africa, including the site’s two transformers. Kangnas wind farm also committed to drive local job creation on top of manufacturing, providing over 550 jobs at the height of the project’s construction. Long-term operations and maintenance jobs will also be supported while the 61 Siemens SWT-2.3-108 wind turbines generate electricity for 20 years. FREE STATE LAUNCHES YES4YOUTH PROGRAMME The Free State has introduced yet another innovative and ambitious programme as part of its arsenal to fight unemployment, poverty and inequality. Working with Standard Bank, the Free State Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (DESTEA) announced the Yes4Youth programme which will provide unemployed youth with work experience and introduce them to the world of business. “We cannot grow the economy with the generation of job seekers. As we change the lives of these young people we have to place them at the heart of the business so that they can demonstrate their talent and play a meaningful role as we create our own economy,” says DESTEA MEC Makalo Mohale. Working with SMMEs that benefited from DESTEA’s enterprise support programme, 60 young people with skills in electronics, accounting, business management, economics, food and waste sectors among others, have been identified and will be placed in several SMMEs throughout the province. PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION Information security and data privacy are at the core of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). Companies that prioritise the safeguarding of their proprietary and customer data will benefit from better business resilience in the face of increased cybercrime while simultaneously complying with the Act. The elements required to protect personal information are the very same elements needed for the protection of other valuable information in a business. CIOs and IT managers should address the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data, and cover both the cyber and physical security aspects of information protection. A proactive approach to information security now will help companies to ensure that their houses are in order, and done cost-effectively, before the POPIA grace period ends in June 2021. – AVeS Cyber Security Kangnas wind farm has committed to drive local job creation on top of manufacturing by providing over 550 jobs at the height of the project’s construction. SA GOVERNMENT CALLS FOR TECH IDEAS FOR TOURISM SECTOR The government is calling on entrepreneurs in the hard-hit tourism sector to apply for funding for their new tech startups. The Department of Tourism in collaboration with the Technology Innovation Agency is embarking on joint implementation of the Tourism Technology Grassroots Innovation Incubation Programme. The programme aims to stimulate entrepreneurship and new start-up enterprises in the tourism industry, underpinned by technology, innovation and new business ideas that have potential to enhance services and experiences in tourism. – BereaMail 6 | Service magazine

snippets S PRESIDENTIAL PERFORMANCE TARGETS President Cyril Ramaphosa has set performance targets for his ministers in a move to increase their accountability between now and 2024. Most ministers are expected to ensure there is 100% elimination of wasteful and fruitless expenditure, 75% reduction of irregular expenditure and maintain unqualified audit opinion by 2024. Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula is tasked to upgrade, refurbish and ensure maintenance of approximately 20 000km of road network and ensure 10% of road freight is transferred to rail by 2024. Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu is mandated to ensure improved coverage of social grants for vulnerable children through the extended child social grants. Zulu has until 2021 to come up with legislation and regulation. Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille is tasked to create jobs through Job Summit commitments, Operation Phakisa and other public sector employment programmes. She has been given a target of five-million Expanded Public Works Programme work opportunities to be created by 2024. De Lille, along with Finance Minister Tito Mboweni, has to ensure that the R100-billion Infrastructure Fund is established and operationalised by 2024. De Lille will also lead the process for the establishment of the New City in South Africa along with Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has been assigned to ensure that the National Health Insurance fund is established as a public entity and operational in 2021-22. Mboweni's targets include capacitating SARS through the establishment of an Illicit Economy Unit. COGTA Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma together with Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams is tasked to lead and coordinate the refurbishment and transformation of identified cities into smart cities. Also among Dlamini Zuma’s targets is supporting adequate municipal spending on the Municipal Infrastructure Grant fund to address infrastructure backlogs. She must also support National Treasury incentives and support for municipalities to increase expenditure on repairs and maintenance as well as oversee the implementation of Municipal Public Accounts structures. Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams has been mandated to ensure 5G spectrum licensing and commencement of rollout by March 2024. She is expected to issue policy direction for 5G by December 2021 and ensure 80% of the population have access to the Internet by 2024. – iol 20 YEARS OF DEMOCRATIC LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN SA Panel discussions from the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) National Members Assembly (NMA) saw representatives of national, provincial and local government, and other key policymakers and practitioners reflect on the last 20 years of democratic local government in South Africa. In his welcome address, President Cyril Ramaphosa urged members to use the occasion as an opportunity for new thinking on how to enhance local democracy. Prof Thuli Madonsela, former Public Protector, shed light on what was meant by the adage of local government is the closest sphere of government to the community. She said: “The truth is it’s the most important. It is the integrator. It is the only place where Gogo Dlamini can see the link between her day-to-day life and the promises in the Constitution, which are to heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic government, social justice.” – Cape Talk GOVERNMENT TO TAX PROPERTY MORE Deputy President David Mabuza says that government plans to introduce the Municipal Fiscal Powers and Functions Amendment Bill, which will allow municipalities to boost their revenue by recovering costs for all land development projects. Mabuza said that the proposed legislation forms part of new government measures which aim to mitigate the negative impact of the reprioritisation of funds on local government to ensure that access to services is not impacted. Development charges are a once-off fee levied by a municipality on a landowner as a condition for approving land development application and enable municipalities to provide infrastructure in a timely and sufficient manner thereby supporting economic development. – Businesstech The proposed legislation forms part of new government measures which aim to mitigate the negative impact of the reprioritisation of funds on local government to ensure that access to services is not impacted. TRANSFORMING THE AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY For over a decade, the collaborative efforts of Amadlelo Agri have been at the forefront of transforming the agricultural industry and unlocking the land potential in communities in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Today, Amadlelo Agri has expanded its footprint within the agriculture sector to include fruits and agro- processing and is involved in nine projects as an operator, investor or both. These projects comprise six dairies, the Ncera Macademia project, the Fort Hare Piggery and the Coega Dairy project. It has also pioneered other milestones that are indicative of the success that Amadlelo Agri has enjoyed in South Africa’s agriculture sector: • Amadlelo Agri’s tried-and-tested model has been replicated and is being used in five dairy enterprises which are located in rural areas and on communal land. • A testament to its healthy relationship-building and trust ethos, Amadlelo Agri continues to leverage successful rural community partnerships, inclusive of a dynamic network of successful commercial farmers. Service magazine | 7

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