Sana Khan

President Ramaphosa, who visited the site in person, said that the government doesn't want to increase the burden, the suffering, and the grief of the victims' families, adding that "We want to be there as government at all levels to demonstrate our compassion."

President Ramaphosa further explained that health insurance is a commitment to remove all the severe disparities in the healthcare sector, noting that this bill is a vital instrument in tackling poverty. Ramaphosa said that the higher healthcare cost makes the families poorer.

Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga said an increase in the number of vehicles has created road safety issues including human factors, environmental factors, engineering and technical factors, law enforcement as well as education and awareness factors.

In total, more than 14,903 candidates are competing for 887 seats in the National and Provincial Legislatures. Whereas, the number of registered voters is 27.79 million. Ahead of May 29 voting day, South Africans living abroad will be voting on May 17 (Friday) and May 18 (Saturday) via the embassy.

The official unemployment rate has reached 32.9%, which is 0.8% more compared to the fourth quarter of 2023, as per Stats SA. However, the QLFS results also showed that the number of employed people has also increased from 22,000 to 16.7 million in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the last quarter of 2023.

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa acknowledged that the country was dealing with higher stages of load shedding as a result, the aggressive maintenance-led recovery plan helped to lower the higher load shedding stages.

According to the department, Mpox is a viral infection that is not easily spread between humans. The symptoms of this disease include painful rash, swollen lymph nodes and fever.

The event, held under the theme of "Unlocking Opportunities," will take place at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. This will serve as a platform for the tourism industry to unlock multiple opportunities.

DBSA Senior Deal Originator Bongo Bacela explained that the collaboration between the public and private sectors plays a vital role, giving an example of the Lobito Railway Corridor project.

Rand Water is the biggest bulk water utility in Africa and one of the largest in the entire world that provides water to more than 11 million people in Gauteng, parts of Mpumalanga, Free State and the North West.

The president explained that this program will not just make the process of home-related services easier but also faster and cheaper for South Africans. He noted that for many people in rural areas, traveling till the government offices takes a lot of time and turns out to be expensive.

NRF Business Advancement Group Executive Thandi Mgwebi explained that this program will focus on the postdoctoral research people and upcoming researchers at a postdoctoral level to be able to collaborate with government departments.

In the last one year, the operation has successfully arrested 600,000 criminals with the help of 71,000 operations across South Africa.

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa pointed out that the aggressive rollout of Solar Photovoltaic (PV) by private industries and households, which was supported by the National Treasury's incentives, helped to improve the load shedding across South Africa.

IEC said it is working with the Department of International Cooperation and Cooperation (DIRCO) to ship the voting materials including voting booths, ballot boxes and papers, stationery packs, lists of people and everything relevant to the procedure.

Letsoalo stressed that the RAF is aiming at settling all the pending claims in the next four months. However, he noted that supporting documents are necessary to finalize the claim efficiently and quickly.

President Cyril Ramaphosa emphasized that by supporting green industries and ensuring a fair transition, the government protects the environment while also strengthening the economy and offering new job opportunities.

Under the Water Services Act of 1997, the minister can step in and manage water and sanitation services if an authority shows a consistent decline, despite multiple efforts to help them improve.

For instance, purchasing 95 petrol in Gauteng, which currently costs R25.12, it will go up to R25.49 from Wednesday. However, some consumers will feel a bit of relief as the prices of diesel, paraffin and LP Gas are set to drop.

While the National Department of Health noted that there is no need to panic as people have developed some level of immunity from both the vaccines and infections, it noted that COVID-19 continues to circulate at relatively low levels across the country like any other part of the world.

These payments were made by both the South African Tourism's US and South Africa offices, the country's official agency for promoting tourism. SA Tourism operates under the Department of Tourism and it has an office called hub offices in important countries where many tourists come from.

Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Barbara Creecy noted that the "climate change is here" and there is "relatively little time to respond." Creecy explained that the bill aims to support the creation of a strong climate change strategy and a gradual transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), responsible for monitoring the circulation of respiratory viruses throughout the country, informed the health department that currently it is the peak season for RSV, which has similar symptoms to COVID-19.

Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Thandi Modise explained that a protocol had been established between the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, South African Police Service (SAPS) Detectives and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to take down all election-related crimes across South Africa.

President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted that the government is using the Public Transport Network Grant to promote the implementation of universal design and universal access, adding that now there are 10 integrated public transport network municipalities receiving the grant, with specific conditions on universal accessibility.

CODI is like an insurance plan created for people who keep their money in banks, allowing them to get the money back in case the bank ever has problems in returning the cash.

Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology of South Africa, Blade Nzimande said that the SETAs provide a key policy instrument such as the country's Master Skills Plan, the White Paper for Post School Education and Training, the National Skills Development Plan and the National Development Plan 2030.

National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Advocate Shamila Batohi said that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has been hard at work to take legal action against well-known figures including Ministers, Premiers, a former President, some of the most powerful CEOs and CFOs from both private and public sectors across the country.

Speaking at the inaugural Worker Share Ownership Conference held in Johannesburg on Tuesday, the president said this conference serves as a platform to encourage Employee Share Ownership Plans in private companies.