Photo via Freddy Mavunda/Times Live
Thursday,
the South African Cabinet, which consists of the ministers of the departments
in Parliament, met to deliberate an array of topics facing the nation. The
discussion ranged from the Russia-Ukraine conflict to issues of domestic
security.
Minister
in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, briefed the media about the meeting on Friday. He told reporters about social concerns, decisions made by the
cabinet, approved bills and upcoming events.
He
began the briefing by discussing the Russia-Ukraine conflict. South Africa has
been notably divided on this issue with many members of the ANC denouncing
sanctions on Russia by Western powers, meanwhile many members of the public
have demonstrated in solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
The
Cabinet said it advocated for an equitable international system that allows
their voices to be heard on this matter.
“Cabinet calls for a negotiated
diplomatic solution and urged all parties to uphold and protect human rights,
and abide by their obligations in terms of international law and international
humanitarian law,” Gungubele said.
Gungubele
said the South African government is working with the Ukrainian government to
get all remaining South Africans out of the war torn state. The minister said
this was especially urgent to do so because of the reported mistreatment of
Africans attempting to cross international borders during the conflict.
The
cabinet also discussed South Africa’s ongoing struggles with the pandemic. They
said the battle against the disease is not yet over and urged all
people in South Africa to remain vigilant and continue protecting themselves to
stop the spread of the deadly virus.
“Unvaccinated
people still remain unprotected against COVID-19 and pose a health risk to
themselves and those around them. Vaccination remains the best way to fight
COVID-19, and Cabinet calls on everyone aged 12 years and above to vaccinate
without further delay,” Gungubele said.
Gungubele
said the cabinet was pleased more than 32 million vaccine doses had been
administered and 42 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. Economic
statistics also indicate optimism for South Africa on the other side of the
pandemic with GDP growth of 1.2 percent in the last quarter and annual growth
of close to five percent.
While
the country has made progress in its fight against the virus, the cabinet said
one area it had to improve was in national safety and security. The cabinet
appointed five new officials to various roles throughout the National
Prosecuting Authority and State Security Agency.
This
included the appointment of Nicolette Bell as the Director of Public
Prosecutions in the Western Cape. These appointments were made in an attempt to
strengthen the country’s capacity to investigate crimes and corruption.
“Our
security forces remain on high alert and are in constant liaison with foreign
intelligence services, both within South Africa and abroad," Gungubele said. "Their work includes
information exchange on threats presented by violent extremism and terrorism.”
The
cabinet said it was disappointed by the ongoing acts of violence in the
country. They called out recent incidents in Alexandra, where Gungubele said
there was blatant violations of human rights and inexcusable violence.
The
violent clashes between street vendors and the Alexandra Dudula movement, which
is attempting to kick out illegal immigrants from the country, has already
resulted in injuries with some claiming the movement is xenophobic.
Gungubele
said members of the Alexandra and neighboring Sandton community are urged to
report all illegal activity to the police.
The
cabinet meeting also led to some short and long term legislative changes. Long
term the cabinet is working on the National Infrastructure Plan 2050 and
liquefied petroleum gas rollout strategy.
In
the short-term the South African Post Office will see some changes too.
Including taking advantage of technological developments and separating
Postbank from the postal services.
“The
proposed amendments seek to enable SAPO to take advantage of the technological
developments in its environment," Gungubele said. "It will be able to revise its duties and
expand its mandate. It will be a service provider of a universal postal and courier;
an integrated logistics; e-commerce, and will be a digital hub for business and
communities.”
Once
these bills are adopted into law, the Postbank will be able to operate as a
separate entity with outside of the South African Post Office.
For
more details about the cabinet of the south African government visit www.gov.za
By Ben Rappaport
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