Day: April 17, 2023

Government says it has noted with concern and condemns the fighting that erupted on Saturday morning in several parts of Khartoum and other areas outside the capital between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

“The South African government calls for peace and calm among the parties involved in the conflict, in keeping with the African Union (AU) objective of silencing the guns on the continent,” the Department of International Relations and Cooperation said in a statement.

According to CNN, at the heart of the clashes are Sudan’s military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the commander of the paramilitary, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

“Until recently, they were allies. The pair worked together to topple ousted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in 2019 and played a pivotal role in the military coup in 2021,” CNN explained.

However, the news channel said tensions erupted during negotiations to integrate the RSF into the country’s military as part of plans to restore civilian rule.

“South Africa appeals to the different factions of the Sudanese army to immediately cease all fighting, spare the Sudanese people any further violence during this holy month of Ramadan and immediately return to the negotiation table, to agree on a sustainable military and security sector reform programme, as part of the Final Agreement towards the restoration of a civilian-led transitional government in Sudan,” the department said.

Meanwhile, government has described the situation in Sudan as “disturbing” as it affects ordinary people who have suffered from instability in the country over a prolonged period.

South Africa joins AU, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres in their call on the parties to return to the negotiating table and continue their dialogue to transition the country to a civilian-led government.

Guterres labelled what was happening as “appalling”.

He said the ongoing clashes in Sudan have resulted in the deaths and injuries of civilians, including three of the World Food Programme (WFP) colleagues killed while carrying out their work.

“Those responsible should be brought to justice without delay. Humanitarian workers are #NotATarget,” he tweeted.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), since 13 April, more than 83 people have been killed and more than 1 126 people injured across Khartoum, South Kordofan, North Darfur, Northern State and other regions, with the heaviest concentration of fighting now taking place in Khartoum City.

The agency also reported that movement in the city is restricted due to the insecurity creating challenges for doctors, nurses, patients, and ambulances to reach health facilities, and putting at risk the lives of those who need urgent medical care. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: South African Government News Agency

Rand Water has announced that the restoration of power at the utility’s Mapelton Booster Station has been successfully completed, following a power failure that halted pumping at the station on Friday.

The incident resulted in the depletion of water in Rand Water’s reservoirs, with areas within City of Ekurhuleni and City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipalities experiencing water shortages and/or low water pressure.

In a statement on Sunday, Rand Water reported that the restoration of power at the station has been successfully completed, marking a significant milestone in their efforts to ensure that water supply is fully restored to the affected areas.

“The re-energizing process commenced at 01:05 and by 02:30 the booster station had achieved full pumping capacity,” said Rand Water spokesperson, Makenosi Maroo.

However, Maroo noted that there will not be an immediate relief in the water supply system, and the system will require a recovery period of up to one week to fully stabilize.

“We extend our sincere gratitude to all our stakeholders, particularly the affected communities, for their patience and understanding during this difficult period. As we move forward, we will closely monitor the situation and provide regular updates to the public on any further developments,” Maroo said. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: South African Government News Agency

Little known Karumo Technical Training Institute was named the best performing tertiary institution in the country going by the just released ratings for the 2021/2022 financial year.

Tacked in the interior of the semi-arid Tigania West sub-county the institution beat odds to scoop the coveted price from a list of at least 135 other institutions.

The awarding ceremony took place during the release of the report on Evaluation of the Performance of Ministries, State Corporations and Tertiary Institutions for the 2021/2022 Financial Year presided by President William Ruto at KICC.

This, according to the institution’s Principal Ms Florah Kanyua who spoke during an event to celebrate the win, was not a mean achievement for the young institute which held its inaugural graduation ceremony two months ago.

Speaking to KNA, the elated principal said the main secret behind the remarkable performance was teamwork and dedication among all the members of staff in the institution.

‘We are very glad that we emerged the best in the country in terms of performance contracting which incorporates various issues. We are not taking this for granted and we can only attribute it to teamwork, dedication and above all to God,’ said Ms Kanyua.

She explained that in performance contracting, an institution is expected to set targets at the beginning of a financial year and at the end of the period, it is rated on the basis of whether it managed to achieve the set targets.

‘In our case for instance, we achieved almost all the targets we had set in the year 2021/2022 starting with academic performance which we had set at 67 per cent but surpassed this to score 73 per cent,’ said Ms Kanyua.

She added that they had also said that they will construct some classes which they did, as well as committing to giving internship opportunities to young people among other targets.

The institution’s overall performance stood at a mean score of 78 per cent.

‘The key thing is that once we set the targets, we sensitise all the staff members on the same and so each of them is aware of what is expected of us to achieve at the end of the year.

We have seen this work because every trainer owns the exercise and we are attributing this to strong teamwork,’ said Ms Kanyua.

She added that their qualified trainers who understand what is expected of them also set their individual targets which are usually higher than what they set in the performance contracting and this has helped them to meet their overall targets easily.

Location of the institution in a rural area, she added, is a plus to the institution as it gives learners a conducive environment for their studies.

‘Unlike in the urban areas, this helps our students concentrate on their studies because once you have lesser obstructions you are able to perform well in classwork,’ said Ms Kanyua adding that a secure environment, as well as disciplined students were also factors that contributed to their win of the award.

She added: ‘We also participate in co-curricular activities meaning that the institution is holistic which provides opportunities for those who perfect in these activities.’

Nevertheless, the institution has been facing challenges including lack of enough learning facilities as well as infrastructure, and inadequate water.

‘Considering that our institution is a day school, we have no hostels despite having students from far flung areas. As a result, the students rent houses from outside and with the high demand the rent fee is also high. This forces the students to look for houses as far as six kilometers from the institution,’ said Ms Kanyua.

She is requesting the residents to construct more houses to accommodate the increasing student population.

‘I appreciate them since they have really tried to take up that initiative but I am encouraging them to do more,’ she said.

She added that the institution has only 30 trainers employed by the public service commission with more than 70 others being under the board of governors which translates to a huge wage bill for the growing institution.

‘If we have the 70 trainers absorbed by the government, we would channel the money we use to pay them to other development projects,’ said Ms Kanyua.

She encouraged parents to take their children to such institutions regardless of the grade they scored in their secondary school examinations adding that they will end up being molded to important people in future.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Embassies of China, Sweden and British in Addis Ababa have extended Easter holiday best wishes to all Ethiopian Christians.

The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Addis Ababa has extended best Easter wishes to all Ethiopian Christians.

The Embassy said in its best wish message “The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China wishes our brothers and sisters of this beautiful country a happy and blessed Ethiopian Easter.”

The Embassy of Sweden stated in its message that “Melkam Fasika from the Embassy of Sweden to all Ethiopian Christians. We wish you a joyous Easter holiday.”

The British Embassy in Addis Ababa has also extended a happy Ethiopian Easter holiday to all Ethiopians.

A number of other embassies of various countries based in Addis Ababa have wished a delightful Easter festivity to all Ethiopians.

The Embassies of Netherlands, Denmark, Israel, Russia, Iran, Mexico, the United States, German, Italy, Pakistan, and Austria among others have extended best Easter festival wishes to Ethiopian Christians.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

German ambassador to Angola Stefan Traumann Monday expressed his country’s availability to boost the strategic partnership with Angola and step up the exchange of experiences between the Parliaments of both countries.

The diplomat was speaking to the press at the end of a meeting with the National Assembly Speaker, Carolina Cerqueira.

Stefan Traumann considered the exchange of experiences crucial because the Parliaments are fundamental representations between the two countries and peoples.

The two interlocutors also discussed the support of the German Government in projects such as the construction of energy infrastructure (Caculo Cabaça Dam), renewable energies, in addition to the green hydrogen project, with the participation of Sonangol and a German company.

The German diplomat noted that his country also supports projects in Angola such as agribusiness, construction of hospitals and staff training. The two interlocutors also spoke of Angola’s role in promoting peace on the continental region, especially in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Stefan Traumann also told the National Assembly Speaker that the German Parliament will be represented with a high-level delegation at the 147th General Assembly of the Inter-parliamentary Union (UIP), scheduled for October this year, in Luanda.

Angola and Germany created the Bilateral Commission, as part of the “Joint Declaration of Intent”, signed on 8 July 2011. It is a platform for exchanging opinions of a general nature on bilateral and multilateral issues of mutual interest, responsible for evaluation of the development of cooperation.

The parties are engaged in permanent development of bilateral talks, held,

mainly, since the visit of President João Lourenço to Berlin, in August 2018, as well as the delegations to Luanda of the Economic Affairs Committee of the Bundestag (German Parliament), in February 2019, and the President of the Federal Council, in July 2019.

Angola and Germany established diplomatic relations in 1979.

Angola and South Africa strengthen relations

Still on Monday, the first deputy Speaker of National Assembly, Américo Cunonoca, received, in audience, a South African Parliamentary delegation, with whom he established experiences in the parliamentary domain and the

management of public accounts.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)