“Our thoughts are with all the victims’ families and loved ones during this perilous period of fighting. We remain gravely concerned at the devastating escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the atrocities committed against civilian populations. We call for the immediate cessation of violence and the exercise of restraint. It is vital that all those who require urgent humanitarian assistance are provided with the basic life-supporting necessities and that human suffering is ameliorated,” said President Ramaphosa.

The President further urged the international community to accelerate its support to an inclusive process towards a lasting and durable peace that produces a viable Palestinian state, existing in peace alongside Israel, within the 1967 internationally recognised borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

“South Africa stands ready to work with the international community and to share our experience in mediation and conflict resolution as we have done on the continent and around the world,” concluded President Ramaphosa.

The President emphasised that a more secure border was important for curbing illegal migration, human smuggling and trafficking, and that the BMA would help in combatting cross-border crime.

President Ramaphosa was delivering remarks at the launch of the BMA at Musina Show Grounds in Limpopo on Thursday, 5 October 2023

He said that this would be a new model of integration of functions, roles and responsibilities in the broader law enforcement environment.

“The BMA is expected to tackle the challenges of congestion, procedural delays, long transit times, lack of predictability and high logistics costs. I commend the BMA for the speed with which it has already commenced its work.

“When our country’s ports of entry and borders are well-protected and well-managed, we are able to prevent the illegal importation and exit of goods. We see the BMA as a vital link in our efforts to harness the benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Area,” he said.

The President said the BMA was established in response to a number of serious challenges. One of these challenges is the increase in the number of undocumented foreign nationals entering the country, which has exacerbated many of the country’s social and economic problems.

“The movement of persons and goods at ports of entry has often not been as efficient as it should be, resulting in unnecessary delays and increased costs for individuals and companies. This in turn is harming our economy.

"Deficiencies in border management have also enabled corruption and organised and cross-border crime to thrive. We have faced a problem of fragmentation of powers, responsibility and accountability,” the President said.

The BMA is now the third armed service in South Africa after the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and the South African Police Service (SAPS).

It is mandated to perform border management functions within ports of entry as well as the law enforcement area. The BMA is being established through an incremental approach.

Steps have already been taken to integrate under the BMA various relevant functions of the departments of home affairs; agriculture; health; and fisheries, forestry and the environment.

To enable its work, the President said the BMA had signed implementation protocols with the South African Revenue Service, SAPS and SANDF.

“While the border guard will be conducting border law enforcement functions, including access control, the SANDF remains responsible for border protection and safeguarding.

“The border guard will interface with the nearest police station with regard to the occurrence of a crime at a port of entry,” the President said.

BMA as an important tool to develop the region

The President took a tour to the Beit Bridge Border Post with his counterpart from Zimbabwe, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, and they agreed that the establishment of the BMA would be an important tool for the development of the region.

“It will form part of integrating border management activities in the Southern African Development Community region as we implement the African Continental Free Trade Area. We will be able to work towards eradicating various forms of red tape that are hindering trade, investment and the movement of persons,” he said.

The President said that BMA would be redeveloping six ports of entries as one-stop-border-posts.

This approach will improve efficiency at land border crossings by combining the steps required for processing exit and entry formalities.

In July, the country saw the deployment of the first officers of the border guard of the BMA at vulnerable segments of the border line, including the informal community crossing points.

– Source: SAnews.gov.za

More than three billion people use the oceans for their livelihood, while 80% of world trade is achieved using the seas, the Minister said.

“The oceans, seas and coastal areas contribute to food security and poverty eradication.

“And yet, the oceans are under severe threat by human activities, where economic profits are at the expense of environmental degradation.”

Minister Pandor highlighted acidification, pollution, ocean warming, eutrophication and fishery collapse as some of the issues facing the marine ecosystem.

“These threats are detrimental to the planet and are long-term repercussions that demand urgent action to protect the oceans and the people who depend on them.

“The Indian Ocean region, therefore, should remain our own peaceful zone from which we can enhance opportunities in trade and further develop our nations by advancing the protection that our oceans so dearly deserve.”

The Minister believes that the gatherings have succeeded in developing clear concepts around the IORA Development Initiative.

“I am also pleased that the High-Level Strategic Dialogue meeting, which was co-chaired by South Africa and the Secretariat, was a resounding success.”

The meeting, she said, reflected on the status quo and a vision of how the IORA should proceed.

“Several discussions were held on, among others, the achievements and challenges of the IORA’s first 25 years and what that meant for the IORA’s future work and the implementation of the IORA’s Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.”

Minister Pandor is of the view that these issues are significant and will continue to help strengthen the association that is becoming increasingly important on the global stage.

“IORA member states and dialogue partners made it clear that they desire collaboration, regional cooperation, freedom of navigation, consensus-building actions, partnerships, shared prosperity, rules-based norms in the Indo-Pacific and not disunity, hostility, divergence and increased military presences.”

South Africa, according to Minister Pandor, looks forward to the completion of the zero-base document, which she believes should be adopted and followed by implementation at the earliest opportunity.

“The document will provide a vision of future activities of the IORA and the role our various regions could play.”

In addition, Minister Pandor announced that the IORA Business Forum’s South African Chapter had developed a concept note on the creation of an IORA Business Forum Digital Portal.

“This portal will connect us, reduce transactional costs, while creating a trading platform and make it easy to trade in our region and beyond.

“Working jointly at creating a region of peace means we can achieve operational optimisation within the region and achieve energy-efficient technology acquisition – this would be a conducive environment that could ensure the continued sustainable development of the IORA region,” she said.

– Source: SAnews.gov.za

According to the department, this would also encourage health-seeking behaviour for early diagnosis and effective management.

“Stigma and discrimination can make mental health problems worse and delay a person from seeking help they need to recover,” it said.

– Source: SAnews.gov.za

The investment was announced as one of the pledges worth billions of rands that contributed to bringing the total value of investment pledges over a five-year investment mobilisation period to R1.51 trillion, thereby exceeding the initial target of R1.2 trillion set by President Ramaphosa.

Chief Government and Industry Officer at SA Taxi Holdings, Matsidikanye Moswane, said more than R350 million of the funding that was provided by the developmental credit provider, Transflow, had already been spent.

“The investment is being used to enable financial inclusion by extending developmental credit to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that may otherwise not have access to credit from traditional financiers,” Moswane said.

“By providing debt funding through Transflow, the Development Bank of Southern Africa is empowering under-serviced and emerging SMEs to build their businesses, which in turn creates further direct and indirect employment opportunities. To date, this has helped create 1 620 direct jobs and 2 700 indirect jobs,” he said.

Moswane said SA Taxi, whose headquarters are based in Midrand, Gauteng, had a national customer base, finances entrepreneurs who operate minibus taxis that may not otherwise have access to credit from traditional banks, contributing to job creation and enabling and improving the safety of public transport in South Africa.

“SA Taxi is an independently owned commercial business. It is the first financial service provider to focus solely on the taxi industry. We make a vital contribution to a market sector that has a stimulating effect on the national economy at many different levels.

“Each taxi creates 1.8 new jobs related to the industry. We focus exclusively on building entrepreneurs through the medium of the taxi industry, which comprises an estimated 250 000 taxis that are on the roads in South Africa,” Moswane said.

He said SA Taxi sourced the money it lends to its clients from foreign and domestic direct investment.

– Source: SAnews.gov.za

The agreement also seeks to ensure efficient management and sustainable development of the resources.

The signing ceremony took place on the sidelines of the 10th SADC River Basin Organisations and Shared Watercourse Institutions workshop, held at Joachim Chissano Conference Centre in Maputo from 2 to 4 October 2023.

The workshop aimed to facilitate the exchange of ideas that would enhance effective transboundary water resources planning, development and management in the region, while ensuring environmental sustainability and resilience to improve regional water security and ultimately reduce poverty through regional integration, economic productivity and industrialisation.

Through the signed MoU, the two parties have agreed on the following areas of cooperation, among others:

• engage in academic research on the Incomati and Maputo basins on items of mutual interest, particularly on groundwater-related issues
• share any information that improves the knowledge base on transboundary aquifers in the Incomati and Maputo basins
• design and undertake joint excursions and projects within the two basins
• explore funding opportunities from various cooperating partners and funders to implement joint activities within the basins.

INMACOM is an entity established by the Kingdom of Eswatini, Republic of Mozambique and Republic of South Africa through the Incomati and Maputo Watercourse Commission Establishment Agreement, entered into in November 2021.

This is an instrument used to guide the riparian states in contributing to regional cooperation with regard to the utilisation and development of common water resources.

The main responsibility of the commission is to, among others, encourage cooperation between the parties to ensure the development, protection and sustainable utilisation of the water resources shared by the member states.

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has welcomed the new development, saying the combined effort by the member states, through South Africa’s DWS, the Department of Water Resources in Eswatini and Mozambique’s Department of Water and Natural Resources, could also contribute positively towards “peace, stability and prosperity of the southern African region”.

“SADC-GMI is established as the regional centre of excellence in promoting equitable and sustainable groundwater management and providing solutions to groundwater challenges across the SADC region for improved livelihoods and socio-economic development. This also forms part of SADC's agenda of regional integration and poverty eradication.

“Furthermore, SADC-GMI’s mandates are to create an enabling policy, legal and regulatory environment, capacity development, advancing research, supporting groundwater infrastructure development and create an enabling dialogue and accessibility of groundwater information in the SADC region,” the department said in a statement.

– Source: SAnews.gov.za

In an era where groundbreaking discoveries and innovations are essential, Dr Moodley’s journey exemplifies the power of education, dedication and collaboration. Under the mentorship of Professor Andrew Forbes in the Structured Light Laboratory at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits), Dr Moodley has embarked on an exciting mission to lead the QLab research team at Raphta in developing and commercialising this groundbreaking quantum microscope.

Raphta, based in Midrand, is known for its pioneering use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to safeguard critical infrastructure, including water, solar and telecoms facilities in South Africa. Through its subsidiary, QLab, Raphta has become the commercialisation partner of the Structured Light Laboratory’s quantum technology and Dr Moodley is at the helm of this innovative venture. Traditional microscopes, although invaluable tools in science and medicine, have limitations. Many materials under examination are sensitive to light and can be damaged by the intense illumination of traditional microscopes. Quantum microscopes, however, present a transformative solution. These marvels of science utilise a fraction of the light compared to their traditional counterparts and can operate effectively in low-light environments.

The core principle behind a quantum microscope lies in the phenomenon of photon entanglement. In simple terms, it involves two particles, such as photons, remaining interconnected, even when separated by vast distances. This means that the characteristics of one entangled particle can be measured remotely by observing its entangled counterpart ‒ a concept that defies conventional scientific boundaries.

Raphta’s QLab, officially launched in September 2023, stands as a pioneering research and innovation arm akin to Google X. It is devoted to quantum imaging, AI and next-generation technologies. Among its innovative solutions is Shuri AI, an autonomous software platform harnessing the power of AI, computer vision and sensor fusion to mitigate and ultimately prevent incidents of theft and vandalism to critical infrastructure.

Dr Moodley, having recently earned her PhD in Physics, boasts a diverse background as both a physicist and physiologist. Her extensive research experience across various fields at international institutions contributed to the foundation of her groundbreaking work. Her PhD thesis focussed on applying AI to quantum imaging, with the aim of optimisation and enhancement ‒ a crucial step towards the development of the revolutionary quantum microscope.

As Dr Moodley emphasises, the journey towards creating the quantum microscope is in its infancy. Collaborating closely with the Structured Light Laboratory and Professor Forbes, Dr Moodley envisions demonstrating a viable product within approximately five years ‒ a prospect that holds immense promise for the scientific community and beyond.

Tshidiso Radinne, CEO of Raphta, firmly believes that AI has a pivotal role to play in South Africa and the wider continent. By nurturing a growing local AI community and contributing meaningfully to technological advancement, Raphta and its subsidiary, QLab, are poised to make a substantial impact on critical infrastructure, healthcare, smart cities and addressing AI bias—a testament to the transformative power of innovation.

South Africa’s first quantum microscope, taking its first steps towards reality, is not just a scientific breakthrough ‒ it is a beacon of hope, a symbol of progress while highlighting the incredible potential that resides within our global community.

– Source: www.goodthingsguy.com

Londolozi Game Reserve

The Sabi Sand Game Reserve is a popular choice among the Conde Nast readers. Londolozi, situated on the banks of the Sand River across six million acres of the reserve, clinched the sixth spot on this year’s list. It has made the list consecutively since 2017 and is famed for its ability to deliver memorable leopard sightings, big five photographic game drives and a healing house. The lodge boasts five luxurious camps in the form of the Tree Camp, Pioneer Camp, Varty Camp, Founders Camp and the Private Granite Suites.

Rates per person sharing per night at Londolozi start from R19 950 in a chalet in the Varty Camp and reach upwards of R37 450 in one of the private granite suites. Rates include accommodation, all meals, selected beverages, game drives and walks and one yoga class per day.

Ulusaba Private Game Reserve

Coming in at number 48 is Ulusaba Private Game Reserve, Sir Richard Branson’s private game reserve in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve. With 20 rooms and suites straddling three lodges ‒ Rock Lodge with its panoramic views of the Drakensberg escarpment, the opulent Cliff Lodge with expansive views of the reserve and Safari Lodge with its treehouse-type rooms ‒ it’s the views and wildlife sightings that have made this a popular spot. And popular it is: this is the eighth year it’s made the list.

A night in Rock Lodge and Safari Lodge will set you back R13 800 per person sharing per night in the most basic rooms, while the “cheapest” night in Cliff Lodge will cost you R25 500 per person sharing. Rates include your accommodation, all meals, selected beverages and game drives and walks.

TOP SOUTH AFRICAN RESORTS

Londolozi and Ulusaba are the only two South African properties to have made it onto the Conde Nast 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards this year but the Readers’ Choice selection of Top 15 Resorts in South Africa was also announced last week:

• Londolozi
• Ulusaba Private Game Reserve
• Molori Safari Lodge
• Lion Sands Game Reserve
• andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve
• Grootbos Private Nature Reserve
• Lepogo Lodges, Noka Camp
• Morukuru Family, Madikwe Game Reserve
• Kapama Karula
• Morukuru Family, De Hoop Reserve
• Samara Private Game Reserve
• Tswalu Kalahari
• andBeyond Ngala Safari Lodge and Tented Camp
• Bushman’s Kloof Wilderness Reserve and Wellness Retreat
• Marataba Luxury Lodges.

– Source: www.timeslive.co.za

Black Coffee, whose real name is Nkosinathi Maphumulo, took to Instagram to share his exhilaration: “It’s always been one of my biggest dreams to take this music and sound to the highest level possible and to expose it to the largest audience imaginable, and so I’ve dreamt of my Madison Square Garden debut for many years.”

This momentous occasion was a culmination of years of dedication, hard work and an unwavering commitment to his craft.

Madison Square Garden, often referred to as “The World’s Most Famous Arena”, has witnessed some of the most iconic moments in music history. From Michael Jackson’s electrifying Bad World Tour in 1988 to George Harrison’s historic The Concert for Bangladesh, this venue has provided a stage for musical legends to shine. Notably, it played a pivotal role in uniting a grieving city after the September 11 attacks with The Concert for New York City. John Lennon’s final concert appearance during an Elton John concert in 1974, just before his tragic death in 1980, is etched in the memory of music enthusiasts. Even the legendary Elvis Presley graced Madison Square Garden with four sold-out performances in 1972, marking his first and last shows in New York City.

Reflecting on Black Coffee’s achievement, Litha Mpondwana, spokesperson for the Department of Arts and Culture, shared: “In April, Black Coffee was among the South African Grammy Award winners honoured by Minister Kodwa for achievement on the global stage. Minister Kodwa says from the streets of Umlazi, Umtata, to the world’s most famous music arenas, Black Coffee has been an inspiration to the young and old. He continues to scale the great heights of world music.”

Indeed, Black Coffee’s remarkable journey from his South African roots to the world stage is all due to the power of his talent, perseverance and passion. He has not only elevated South African music but has also bridged cultural gaps through his beats, captivating audiences worldwide.

Black Coffee’s historic performance at Madison Square Garden serves as a source of immense pride for South Africans and it reinforces the idea that dreams can be achieved with hard work and dedication.

– Source: www.goodthingsguy.com

At 21 years old, Tyla has become the youngest South African to appear on the prestigious list.

The Billboard Hot 100 is updated weekly and is the most popular music ranking chart in the US.

The artist, born Tyla Laura Seethal, has made quite a splash with her contemporary R&B and amapiano song. Released on 28 July, the song spawned a popular trend on TikTok and made it onto Spotify's Global top 50 playlist and now Tyla has made her first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song also went from number 71 to 38 on the Billboard Global 200 chart. The song's initial virality is a key contributor to its continued success. The Water TikTok dance challenge, created by Tyla's choreographer Lee-che´ Janecke, has resulted in more than 600 000 videos.

Tyla initially expressed disbelief toward the predictions that her song may debut on the chart; she wrote on X, "No Ways".

She also thanked her fans for their support: "Y'all helping me break records …Thanks so much for streaming Water, more coming very soon."

– Source: www.news24.com

It all began when Mphahlela, a chartered accountant and Mokgatle, an attorney, heard professionals at their office complain about most brands not measuring up when it came to finding exclusive work attire in the right cut, fit, design and style for their body. Mphahlela saw a gap in the market and weaved his talent for tailoring business solutions with his unique sense of style to start their brand, Decorum Stylists, in 2016.

This is not the pair’s first stint overseas ‒ they made their international debut of His & Hers suits at Pitti Uomo, known as a mecca for menswear where industry professionals from around the globe gather to talk about the latest and best textiles and exchange thoughts for the future. They demolished stereotypes with their Prince of Wales collection. Since breaking out, they have also been featured in international publications such as GQ, NYTimes, Getty Images, Vogue, Man of Many, The Streets Magazine and Be Global Fashion Network.

After schooling at Jeppe High School for Boys and being one of their star accounting students, Mphahlela managed to secure a bursary at an audit firm called BDO. He recalls wearing the same blazer from Grade 8 to Grade 12 and then to his interview at BDO, the sleeves of which were undoubtedly too short by then. Fast forward to 2023, and Decorum Stylists just showcased their sartorial suits at one of the biggest events of the year.

– Source: www.goodthingsguy.com

AGOA allows 35 qualifying sub-Saharan countries to export 1 835 tariff lines duty-free to a significant consumer market in the US.

Michelle Mokone, who is the Operations and Supply Chain Director of Mo’s Crib, says their products are manufactured from unique materials such as ultra-durable polyvinyl chloride plastic, reclaimed from landfills and construction sites throughout South Africa, and various types of grass.

All this is underpinned by a particular interest in the protection of the environment.

“Our mission is to leverage the craftsmanship of South African artisans to help accelerate awareness about the most pressing environmental and social issues faced today.

“With every sale, we are creating economic and educational opportunities for South African men and women, while diverting plastic waste from the natural resources of our hometown of Pretoria,” Michelle said. In addition to safeguarding the natural environment, the Mokone sisters are deeply committed to the development of the people in their community.

“We are striving to create opportunities and make a meaningful impact. We would like to grow our footprint beyond the US and enter new markets, such as Europe and the United Arab Emirates. We have our own internal plan to create 20 new jobs within the next two to three years,” Michelle said.

She said a forwarding agent assisted them with the compliance and administration process to booking various containers.

“Since 2021, we have shipped a total of eight containers to the US. We are on track to ship two more containers before year end of 2023. We also regularly ship a container to fulfil our orders for our online store, which is filled through our warehouse in New Jersey.

“Although shipping is relatively expensive, especially for a small business that is 100% self-funded, we have benefited from the AGOA Act through significant market access.  Currently, the US orders constitute 60% of our overall revenue,” she said.

South Africa is working to secure a renewal and extension of AGOA, including through direct engagement between government and business representatives, as well as with members of the US Senate and Congress across party-political lines.

During a recent parliamentary briefing, Trade, Industry and Competition Minister, Ebrahim Patel, told members of Parliament that South Africa’s participation in AGOA benefitted neighbouring countries through shared value chains.

– Source: SAnews.gov.za

The World Rugby Hall of Fame recognises those who have made an outstanding contribution to the game of rugby throughout their careers, while also demonstrating rugby's character-building values of integrity, passion, solidarity, discipline and respect.

Habana, who holds the record for the most Test tries by a Springbok (67 in 124 tests), scored a record-equalling eight touch-downs as South Africa lifted the Webb Ellis Cup in France in 2007.

After hearing the news, 40-year-old Habana penned an emotional letter on Instagram, saying he was "immensely grateful and blessed".

– Source: www.news24.com

Announced in the top five Swimming World Cup winners that competed in Berlin’s meet, Sates waves the South African flag proudly amid other swimming royalty from around the world, including Erika Fairweather, Haiyang Qin, Thomas Ceccon, Danas Rapsys, Michael Andrew, Kaylee Mckeown, Yufei Zhang and Siobhan Haughey.

This after 20-year-old Sates’ stellar swims with results boasting two gold wins for his 200m medley and 200m butterfly, as well as silver in his 400m medley.

His latest achievements mark another magnificent milestone in the young swimmer’s career and for Team South Africa, including the likes of winning the first gold for Team SA at the Fédération Internationale de Natation World Swimming Champs last year where he also broke his own African record.

Of his victory, he dedicated it to the people of Pietermaritzburg, aptly noting that “you can take the boy out the burg but you can’t take the burg out the boy.”

Now, Team South Africa will progress to Athens where the Swimming World Cup continues for its second meet from 13 to 15 October with Sates at the forefront of more proud moments to come.

– Source: www.goodthingsguy.com

The appointments were made on merit after a review of the 40 pool phase matches. This is great news for Jaco Peyper and highlights just how fair and observant he is as a referee. He was also selected to referee the opening match of the World Cup, another great honour.

According to World Rugby, Jaco Peyper holds the record of matches refereed in Super Rugby, having passed the 100 mark in 2019, and he is the third South African after Jonathan Kaplan and Craig Joubert to handle 50 tests. He started his career in 2011, refereeing Kenya 21-26 Zimbabwe.

He has refereed at two World Cups so far, including 2015 and 2019. This year is his third, which is an incredible accomplishment for his career. World Rugby shared that this match at Stade de Marseille in Marseille would be his 50th test as a referee. 

– Source: www.goodthingsguy.com

But it wasn’t just Markram who made the difference. There were also superb hundreds from Quinton de Kock (100 in 84 balls, 12x4s, 3x6s) – his first World Cup ton – and Rassie van der Dussen (108 in 110 balls, 13x4s, 2x6s) who combined to put on 204 in 178 balls for the second wicket, setting up the Proteas’ huge total.

It was also the first time in World Cup history that hundreds were scored by three batters in one team.

 – Source: supersport.com

Five drivers who were in South Africa for the event traded their cutting-edge vehicles for paddles as they were joined by members of local Dragon Boat racing clubs and split into two teams of 12 to race each other in the harbour’s waters. Drivers brave enough to take the plunge included Klara Andersson, Niklas Grönholm, Timmy Hansen and Oley Veiby.

Igsaan Salie, Chairperson of the SA Dragon Boat Association, was one of the onlookers impressed by the drivers’ athleticism in the water.

“I was very impressed with how quickly they adapted to the sport. They already got their timing right in the warm ups, so you could see that their general sporting abilities were an asset in the boats,” he said.

And while the focus was on racing cars the past weekend, the Dragon Boats will have their time in the sun later this month when they feature in the annual Boatica Cape Town event, running at the V&A Waterfront from 27 to 29 October. Boatica Cape Town features manufacturers and buyers of luxury boats, accessories and marine equipment, a once-in-a-lifetime ultimate yacht experience, sophisticated exhibiting companies, live on-water activities and a luxury lifestyle exhibition for a premium shopping experience.

– Source: www.goodthingsguy.com

England defeated Samoa in their final Pool D clash and have subsequently topped their pool and will now clash with Fiji in the quarters. The Pacific Islanders famously defeated England in a World Cup warm-up match at Twickenham and will look to repeat that performance after finishing as runners-up in Pool C.

Finally, Wales topped Pool C, winning all four of their fixtures and will clash with Pool D runners-up Argentina. Los Pumas booked their place in the play-offs as they defeated Japan 39-27 in a do-or-die match.

With the eight teams proceeding to the knockouts, 12 teams now bid the competition farewell. Notably, Australia have exited the World Cup at the pool stages for the first time in their history.

– Source: www.msn.com