Who is responsible for protecting my health during the COVID- 19 pandemic?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karlien Kallmeyer ◽  
Melvin A Ambele ◽  
Chrisna Durandt ◽  
Graeme Ford ◽  
Simone Grobbelaar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Fundamental Question ◽  
South African Government ◽  
Infected Person ◽  
The South ◽  
African Government ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Individual

Since the report of the first COVID-19 infected person in South Africa, COVID-19 moved from being a distant threat to a new reality overnight. Metaphorically, COVID-19 could be described as rain, and in order to be protected one would need to stand under an umbrella. The fundamental question that stems from this is who is holding this protective umbrella? Is the government holding the umbrella or are we holding the umbrella? In this article/commentary/perspective, we briefly discuss the responsibility of the South African government and the individual during this global pandemic, the reasoning behind the implementation of lockdown and the consequences thereof. We conclude that both government and citizens need to cooperatively take responsibility and work together to fight COVID-19. The protective umbrella needs to be held by both government and by ourselves.

scholarly journals South Africa and its COVID-19 prohibition predilection

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 874-877
Author(s):  
Indrajit Banerjee ◽  
Jared Robinson ◽  
Brijesh Sathian ◽  
Edwin R Van Teijlingen
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Policy Reform ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
South African Government ◽  
The South ◽  
African Government ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Unique Method ◽  
The Government

The year 2020, will forever be marked by the Global pandemic, COVID-19. According to The Department of Health in South Africa until September 15, 2020 3,940,217 tests have been conducted. 651,521 positive cases have been identified, 583,126 recoveries have been reported and there has been a total of 15641 deaths. The South African government have introduced a range of parameters and laws in order to curb the spread of the virus whilst simultaneously endorsing programs to spearhead the preparedness of the healthcare system for the various waves of COVID-19 cases that have been forecast.  In conjunction with the new laws and regulations, the South African Government has exercised lockdown and restriction of movement policies. South Africa’s unique, multifaceted and strategic method of combatting the coronavirus has proven to be effective in using existing resources and redirecting both manpower and personnel, thus being of great benefit to all stakeholders and citizens within the country. The prohibition of alcohol is a unique method employed by the government, the full extent to which this policy reform has benefitted the country, its government and its citizens is yet to be fully calculated and projected as South Africa’s Coronavirus cases are still increasing on a daily basis. This policy reform will likely find itself becoming a popular trend with crisis management protocols of other countries if the long-term benefits thereof are proven to be true.

scholarly journals The Impact Of Business Support Services To SMMEs In South Africa

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Motshedisi S. Mathibe ◽  
Johan H. Van Zyl
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Free State ◽  
South African Government ◽  
The South ◽  
African Government ◽  
Business Support ◽  
The Government ◽  
Support Programmes

Small Medium and Micro Enterprises in South Africa were operating in the era of the apartheid regime but were not given enough support and were not a priority in the government of those days. Before democratic transition, the South African government was mainly giving attention to large businesses as well as state-owned enterprises. It was only in the late 1970s and the early 1980s that the South African government realised the importance of the small enterprise sector and its contribution to the countrys economy. The democratic regime of the early 1990s gave SMMEs an opportunity to participate in the South African economy. A White Paper of 1995 introduced the strategy to promote and develop SMMEs in South Africa and to design an SMME policy framework that will focus its attention on supporting and developing SMMEs. The aim was to enable SMMEs to grow as a way of creating a balance in the economy (away from state-owned and large enterprises) As a result, different support mechanisms have been implemented to support and develop SMMEs in the country since the democratic government took over in 1994. This paper evaluates the business support programmes that have been implemented in South Africa since 1994, specifically in the Free State Province for the development and support of SMMEs. In this respect, the paper compares and evaluates the ability of the business support programmes that have been put in place to develop and support SMMEs in order to grow and become sustainable. This is done by means of a brief overview of the international business support services and an assessment of the South African SMME policy environment. The study also conducted five structured interviews with the management representative of the five different business support programmes in the Free State Province. Some of the key findings indicate that not many SMMEs are aware of business support programmes in the Free State and are even less informed as to where to access finances. At the same time, it was found that staff responsible for business support programmes appears to be incompetent, and therefore, deliver poor quality services. From this study it can be concluded that of all the programmes the government-driven initiatives to develop and support SMMEs struggle the most to become operational. The business support programmes focused on markets to some degree, but seldom made it an inherent requirement. This paper recommends that there should be monitoring and evaluation systems available to document the quality of the service delivery to SMMEs in the Province, and to train the staff of the business support programmes to deliver high-quality services to entrepreneurs. The study compared five business support programmes in the Free State with regards to developing and supporting SMMEs in the province. As a result, the value of the findings might well be considered in terms of future provincial planning documents and policy.

Access to Government Publications in South Africa

1977 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 210-211
Author(s):  
L. Greenstein
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Government Printing ◽  
South African Government ◽  
The South ◽  
African Government ◽  
The Government

Here is a list of the government printing offices in South Africa. Many government departments also publish items and these documents are often only available from the department concerned. Publishing addresses for the new Southern African states and the semi-autonomous “Homelands” are not included, as it is very difficult to obtain materials from them and ascertain what has been published. The addresses of the main commercial publishers of South African statutory material including some commercial publishers who reproduce legislation under the South African Government Printer's copyright authority are listed and some examples of the type of material published by them are given in order to indicate their coverage.

scholarly journals Prisoner Transfer to South Africa: Some of the likely Challenges ahead

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 151
Author(s):  
Jamil D Mujuzi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
South African Government ◽  
The South ◽  
African Government ◽  
The Government

Official and unofficial reports indicate that the South African government is in the process of entering into prisoner transfer agreements or making prisoner transfer arrangements. This comes after many years of reluctance on the part of the government to sign a prisoner transfer agreement or enter into any prisoner transfer arrangement. The reason for this change of position is not clear. In this article the author demonstrates what he considers to be the factors behind this change and discusses the issues that South Africa is likely to grapple with when the process of transferring offenders to South Africa commences.

Exploring the South African Government Communication on Land Expropriation without Compensation

2020 ◽  
Vol 72 (1-3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lungisani Moyo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Food Security ◽  
South African ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
South African Government ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
The South ◽  
Land Expropriation ◽  
African Government ◽  
Government Communication

ABSTRACT This paper used qualitative methodology to explore the South African government communication and land expropriation without compensation and its effects on food security using Alice town located in the Eastern Cape Province South Africa as its case study. This was done to allow the participants to give their perceptions on the role of government communication on land expropriation without compensation and its effects on South African food security. In this paper, a total population of 30 comprising of 26 small scale farmers in rural Alice and 4 employees from the Department of Agriculture (Alice), Eastern Cape, South Africa were interviewed to get their perception and views on government communications and land expropriation without compensation and its effects on South African food security. The findings of this paper revealed that the agricultural sector plays a vital role in the South African economy hence there is a great need to speed up transformation in the sector.

Sustainable housing financing model to reduce South Africa housing deficit

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 410-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bashir Olanrewaju Ganiyu ◽  
Julius Ayodeji Fapohunda ◽  
Rainer Haldenwang
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
South African Government ◽  
The South ◽  
African Government ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mortgage Payment

Purpose This study aims to identify and establish effective housing financing concepts to be adopted by government in achieving its mandate of providing sustainable affordable housing for the poor to decrease the building of shacks, as well as proposing solutions to the housing deficit in South Africa. A rise in demand and shortage in supply of housing calls for the need to address issues of affordable housing in South Africa, and developing countries in general, to ensure a stable and promising future for poor families. Design/methodology/approach Literature has revealed that the South African government, at all levels, accorded high priority to the provision of low-cost housing. Thus, government has adopted subsidy payment as a method of financing affordable housing to ensure that houses are allocated free to the beneficiaries. This also addresses the historically race-based inequalities of the past, but unfortunately, this has not been fully realised. This study uses a sequential mixed method approach, where private housing developers and general building contractors were the research participants. The qualitative data were analysed using a case-by-case analysis, and quantitative data were analysed using a descriptive statistical technique on SPSS. Findings The results of the qualitative analysis reveal a gross abuse of the housing subsidies system by the beneficiaries of government-funded housing in South Africa. This is evident from illegal sale of the houses below market value. This has led to a continual building of shacks and an increased number of people on the housing waiting list instead of a decrease in the housing deficit. The results from quantitative analysis affirm the use of “Mortgage Payment Subsidies, Mortgage Payment Deductions, Down-Payment Grant and Mortgage Interest Deductions” as viable alternatives to subsidy payment currently in use to finance affordable housing projects by the South African Government. Practical implications At the moment, the focus of the South African National Government is continual provision of free housing to the historically disadvantage citizens, but the housing financing method being used encourages unapproved transfer of ownership in the affordable housing sector. This study thus recommends the use of an all-inclusive housing financing method that requires a monetary contribution from the beneficiaries to enable them take control of the process. Originality/value The relational interface model proposed in this study will reduce pressure on government budgetary provision for housing and guarantee quick return of private developers’ investment in housing. Government must, as a matter of urgency, launch a continuous awareness programme to educate the low-income population on the value and the long-term benefits of the housing.

scholarly journals Profligate spending exploits wildlife in Taiwan

Oryx ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chryssee Bradley Martin ◽  
Esmond Bradley Martin
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
South African Government ◽  
The South ◽  
African Government ◽  
Return Visit

When the authors visited Taiwan in 1988 they discovered that much of the rhino horn on sale there had come from South Africa. Since then action by the South African Government and Taiwanese Customs has stopped these illegal imports. A return visit in 1990 revealed that the same is not true of horn from Asian rhinos; demand for this is increasing and wealthy Taiwanese, aware that prices will rise even higher as rhinoceros numbers decline, are buying it as an investment. Although imports of rhino horn have been prohibited in Taiwan since 1985, the smuggling goes on, encouraged by the fact that domestic sales of horn still continue despite a total ban initiated in 1989.

scholarly journals TRANSFORMATION OF GOVERNANCE IN STATE-OWNED COMPANIES: THE CASE OF SOUTH AFRICA AS A DEVELOPING COUNTRY

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 162-176
Author(s):  
Maphelo Malgas ◽  
Bonginkosi Wellington Zondi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
General Public ◽  
African State ◽  
South African Government ◽  
The South ◽  
African Government ◽  
Financial Reports ◽  
The People ◽  
The Will

The basis of this article is an article published by Thomas (2012) whose objective was to track over a two-year period the performance of five strategic South African state-owned enterprises with regards to issues of governance. These enterprises were ESKOM, South African Airways (SAA), South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), Telkom, and Transnet. The paper revealed that there were serious transgressions in these entities and recommendations were made to address these. The aim of this article therefore was to establish whether or not the transgressions reported by Thomas are still happening within these entities. The data was collected from the 2014/2015, 2015/2016, 2016/2017, and 2017/2018 financial reports of these entities. The study revealed that the transgressions are still taking place. With regards to issues of sustainability SAA and SABC continue to make loses, with SAA continuing to be bailed out by the South African government against the will of the South African general public. Fruitless and wasteful expenditure increased in all the five entities mentioned above and no serious action has been taken by the South African government to hold the people responsible accountable. While Telkom, Transnet and Eskom were making profits these profits are not at the envisaged level.

Between Self-help and Dependence: Donor Funding and the Fight Against HIV/AIDS in South Africa

Africa ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 496-517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krista Johnson
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
South African Government ◽  
The South ◽  
African Countries ◽  
African Government ◽  
Global Response ◽  
Donor Funding ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Hiv Aids

This article examines funding for HIV/AIDS in South Africa, and the relationship between foreign donors and the South African government. The recognition of the AIDS pandemic as an epochal crisis has led to a proliferation of international and donor organizations now directly involved in the governance, tracking and management of the pandemic in many African countries. In many ways, the heavy donor hand that is increasingly defining the pandemic and the global response to it feeds into a new imperialist logic that subordinates pan-African agendas, masks broader issues of access central to the fight against the pandemic, and strengthens traditional relationships of dependence between wealthy Western nations and poorer African nations. The South African government's relationship with foreign donors, however, has been shaped by its efforts to develop an African response to the pandemic not determined nor primarily funded by foreign aid. This article highlights the positive and negative implications of the sometimes contentious relationship between the South African government and foreign donors, as well as the Africa-centred, self-help agenda it pursues, highlighting the opportunities as well as challenges for African governments to define the global response to the pandemic.

Security Council

1964 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 468-485
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Security Council ◽  
Secretary General ◽  
South African Government ◽  
The South ◽  
African Government ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Made In

The Security Council considered the situation in the Republic of South Africa resulting from the apartheid policies of the South African government during its 1073rd–1078th meetings held from November 27 to December 11, 1963. The Council had before it the request made by 32 African and Asian states in a letter of October 23, 1963, addressed to the President of the Security Council; and the report by the Secretary-General submitted pursuant to the request made in the Security Council's Resolution of August 7, 1963, that he keep the situation in South Africa under observation and report to the Security Council by October 30, 1963. At the President's invitation Mrs. Pandit (India), Mr. Grimes (Liberia), Mr. Rakotomalala (Madagascar), Mr. Slim (Tunisia), and Mr. Karefa-Smart (Sierra Leone) took places at the Security Council table.

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