16 April 2009
Cabinet held its ordinary meeting in Pretoria on Wednesday, 15 April 2009.
This was the last meeting prior to the general elections to be held on 22 April
2009.
Cabinet observed a moment of silence in honour of the memory of the late Dr
Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, the Minister of Communications. Her warm and measured
contributions to the work of government, especially in the field of education,
development and strengthening of the telecommunications industry, will be
missed by her colleagues and the country. Cabinet conveys its condolences to
her family and friends. May her soul rest in peace.
The meeting noted that preparations for the inauguration of the next
President of the Republic were at an advanced stage. The inauguration will take
place on Saturday, 9 May 2009 at the Union Buildings. Heads of State and
Government have been invited to join the nation in witnessing and celebrating
the inauguration of fourth democratically elected President of the Republic.
Members of the public are invited to attend the ceremony at the Union Building
lawns. The theme for the event is âTogether, celebrating a vibrant democracy
and building a better life for allâ.
The planning for the transition is proceeding accordingly with all
ministerial âend of termâ reports due by 24 April 2009. These reports are aimed
at facilitating a smooth transition to the next administration. Government is
satisfied with the implementation of the programme of action and electoral
mandate during its term of office. The lives of ordinary people have indeed
improved.
Cabinet was pleased to note that campaigning for the general elections has
proceeded very well with only a few and isolated reports of violence. Cabinet
calls on all South Africans to come out in their millions to vote in the
general elections to strengthen our democracy. Government calls on everyone not
to allow any attempt to prevent free, fair and peaceful elections in every
corner of our country. No amount of intimidation and or violence will be
tolerated. Security personnel will be ready to deal with anyone attempting to
prevent South Africans from exercising their hard earned right to vote.
Government also welcomes the SADC Observer Mission which has been launched in
South Africa.
The proposal for the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to support
the South African Police Service with borderline control for the duration of
the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup Finals was
approved.
A report on the consultation processes with the communities of Moutse 1, 2,
3 (Limpopo), Matatiele (Eastern Cape) and Ga Ba Mothibi (North West) regarding
their choice of provinces was discussed and noted. The meeting agreed that
further consultations need to take place with the affected communities before
government makes a final decision on the matter. Although Cabinet was willing
to review the decisions on provincial boundaries, further consultation was
found to be necessary to ensure that a measure of consensus is reached in the
affected areas to prevent further divisions in the communities. The matter will
be finalised by the next administration and the new Parliament at the end of
the consultation process. The change in provincial boundaries will require
changes to the constitution.
The meeting noted the report on the Zimbabwe Humanitarian and Development
Assistance Framework (ZHDAF), which is the mechanism adopted to channel all
Southern African Development Community (SADC) assistance to Zimbabwe. As part
of this mechanism, an Implementation Working Committee was established to
ensure that aid reaches the targeted beneficiaries. The participants in the
working committee were the SADC Secretariat, the Government of Zimbabwe, United
Nations agencies (UNDP, FAO, WFP, WHO, UNICEF), donor representatives,
religious organisations, organisations of farmers and South Africa. In
addition, all SADC Ambassadors in Harare acted as monitors of the
programme.
The aid included seed and fertiliser which will go a long way to ensure that
large volumes of food are produced. Small scale farmers, old resettlement
farmers and communal farmers were the main recipients of this aid package. All
land and farm owners who benefited from the 2000 Zimbabwean governmentâs Fast
Tracked Land Reform Programme, the 2008 Champion Farmers Programme and the 2008
Presidential Programme were excluded from SADC aid package. The meeting noted
that some media reports failed to distinguish between the SADC aid package and
the various initiatives of the Zimbabwean government.
The monitoring teams conducted field inspections and were satisfied that
control measures were put in place to ensure that the SADC aid package was
delivered in a non-partisan. Cabinet is satisfied that the aid has been
delivered properly and that it will help to alleviate food shortages in
Zimbabwe.
Cabinet endorsed the South African Rugby Unionâs bid to host either the 2015
or the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Hosting the Rugby World Cup will provide the
opportunity to build on the momentum generated by our hosting of the 2010 FIFA
World Cup.
The meeting approved and welcomed South Africaâs selection to host the
Indian Premier League from 18 April to 24 May. This development, together with
the forthcoming British Lions Rugby Tour and the International Cricket
Councilâs Champions Trophy, will go a long way towards cementing South Africa
as a venue of choice for hosting international sporting events ahead of the
FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. These events present
endless opportunities to market South Africa as a tourism and investment
destination of choice.
Cabinet re-affirmed governmentâs commitment to build an integrated public
transport system for the benefit of all South Africans. Government will
continue to work with all stakeholders to ensure that the Bus Rapid Transport
(BRT) programme which will provide access to fast, regular, high quality, safe,
affordable and reliable public transport. Recent reports on the reaction of
some taxi associations to the introduction of the BRT system has created the
wrong impression that there is widespread resistance to the initiative. On the
contrary, the majority of South Africans want a better and more improved public
transport system that they deserve.
The proposal to allocate governmentâs 20% shareholding in the National
Lottery to the National Empowerment Fund and the South African Post Office was
approved. The 20% shareholding will be split equally between the two
entities.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Gender and
Development was approved and will be submitted to Parliament for
ratification.
The proposals for South Africa to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the
adoption of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination
Against Women (CEDAW) and the upcoming 15th anniversary of the ratification of
CEDAW by South Africa were approved.
The meeting approved the extension of the deployment of members of the South
African National Defence Force (SANDF) who were deployed in the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC) to provide training to the armed forces. This extension
will be until March 2010. The extension of the deployment of members of the
SANDF in Burundi was also approved.
The Revised Non-Statutory Forces pension dispensation for the SA National
Defence Forces was approved. This dispensation creates parity in pension
benefits between the integrated statutory and non-statutory forces.
The military strategy and force structure entitled âSANDF 2010-2030â was
noted and endorsed.
The National Youth Policy for 2009-2014 was approved following consultation
with all the relevant stakeholders.
The revised National Energy Efficiency Strategy was approved and will be
published for public comment.
The proposal for South Africa to join the Association of African Diamond
Producing Countries was approved.
The Convention on International Liability for Damage caused by Space Objects
of 1972 (Liability Convention) and the Convention on Registration of Objects
Launched into Outer Space (Registration Convention) were approved and will be
submitted to Parliament for ratification.
The following bills were approved:
* Protection from Harassment Bill (for public comment)
* Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Bill (for public
comment)
The Constitutional Seventeenth Amendment Bill was approved and will be
gazetted for public comments prior to submission to Parliament. This bill vests
national government with new powers of intervention at local government level
to facilitate service delivery and to achieve regional efficiencies and
economies of scale at local government level. The Bill will also facilitate the
restructuring of the electricity distribution industry and possible
regionalisation of other municipal functions when necessary.
The following appointments were approved:
* Mr Themba Masekoâs employment contract as the Chief Executive Officer of
Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) and Government
Spokesperson was extended for a three year period with effect from 1 July
2009.
* Mr TH Matonaâs employment contract as Director-General in the Department of
Trade and Industry was extended for a three year period with effect from the
1st July 2009.
* Ms P Williams was appointed to the post of Deputy Chief Executive Officer in
the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS)
* Mr AM Mphela was appointed to the post of Chief Land Claims Commissioner at
the Department of Land Affairs.
* Mr TA Maphoto was appointed to the post of Regional Land Claims Commissioner,
Limpopo province in the Department of Land Affairs
* Mr VP Madonselaâs employment contract as Director-General in the Department
of Social Development was extended for a three year period with effect from the
15 May 2009.
* Mr Setlakalane Molepo was appointed as the Managing Director of Khula
Enterprise Finance for a period of five years.
* Ms Lupuwana was appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the Small
Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA)
* Mr N Manoim, Mr M Madlanga, Ms YT Carrim, Mr AA Wessels, Ms MM Mokuena, Ms MG
Holden, Mr T Madima and Ms AT Ndoni were appointed as members of the
Competition Tribunal for a period of five years
* Ms S Maziya, Adv DJ Block, Ms FA Melato, Ms SE Moolman, Ms D Ndaba, Prof S
Perumal, Mr NMW Vermeulen, Mr S Zikode and Mr M Moeletsi were appointed as
members of the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) Board
for a period of five years
* Dr T Ramontjaâs nomination as Chairperson for the Pan African Mineral
Development Corporation (PAMDC) was endorsed
* The following were appointed as Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) board
members: Dr M Ramphele (Chairperson) Ms H Brown, Ms C Carolus, Dr S T
Cornelius, Prof S Harrison, Mr A Lax, Dr NS Msomi, Dr P Ngwenya, Mr RHR Norton,
and Mr GC Venter.
* The following were appointed to the Council of Freedom Park: Dr EM Dikotla;
Ms ES Mabusela; Mr V Mchunu; Mr SSD Mdanda; Mr PR Mnisi; Mr KP Mokwena; Mr O
Phillips; Ms N Ramdhani; Mr II Van Niekerk.
Enquiries:
Themba Maseko (Government Spokesperson)
Cell: 083 645 0810
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Issued by Government Communications (GCIS)
16 April 2009
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