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Statement on Cabinet Meeting, 29 June 2006 Cabinet met
at the Union Buildings before a brief recess. The meeting was chaired by President
Thabo Mbeki. Cabinet finalised the two-monthly reports from Cabinet Committees
on implementation of Government's Programme of Action (POA). The media will be
briefed on progress in the POA during the week beginning 2 July 2006 and the programme
of action on the government website will be updated. The Minister of Transport
tabled a strategy for the restructuring of the Road Accident Fund, proposing amongst
other things, the introduction of a no-fault system of benefits for all victims
of road accidents and a Road Accident Fund benefit scheme intended to improve
healthcare outcomes for those injured in road accidents. Cabinet approved distribution
of the document for public comment. The Minister of Health briefed Cabinet
on an outbreak of polio in Namibia. Cabinet noted that South Africa has been successful
in the eradication of polio within its borders, but took the view that although
no cases have been reported in the country for the past 15 years; we could not
afford to be complacent. The government has been assisting the Namibian government
in dealing with the outbreak, amongst others through provision of laboratory test
services and vaccine cooler boxes. Cabinet commended the South African and Namibian
Ministries of Health for their speedy intervention. The Minister of Provincial
and Local Government briefed Cabinet on municipal infrastructure backlogs and
action to address them. As indicated in the POA this includes reduction in the
number of households still using the bucket system and expanding access to water,
sanitation and electricity. Cabinet approved the following appointments:
- Mr Tshediso Matona as Director-General for the Department of Trade
and Industry for three years.
- Fourteen members of the board of South
African Tourism for three years, commencing on 1 July.
- Four part time
commissioners of the International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC).
The
Minister of Public Enterprises led a discussion on measures needed to meet the
Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) objectives as and when state-owned enterprises
(SOEs) dispose of land. A number of SOEs have finalised and others are finalising
plans for the disposal on non-core assets. The guidelines which will be published
shortly will ensure a coherent approach across the different public enterprises
reporting to the Department of Public Enterprise (DPE); a clear set of empowerment
criteria to the market and mechanisms for setting and achieving empowerment targets
through disposal of SOE non-core properties. Cabinet welcomed the elections
to be held in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on 30 July 2006. These elections
represent for the Congolese what our 1994 elections represented for us and mark
the culmination of over 10 years of effort by the people of the DRC. Our Independent
Electoral Commission (IEC) together with a number of South African institutions
and companies have been providing different kinds of assistance and support. Cabinet
expressed it's gratitude to all the South Africans who have been and those who
still are participating in this historic process. The Minister of Safety
and Security briefed Cabinet on the events leading to the shooting in which four
members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) lost their lives and eight
others were shot dead. Government would like to reaffirm it's appreciation of
the role of SAPS in fighting crime and to emphasise the message that crime should
not and does not pay. Cabinet expressed its empathy and condolences to the families,
friends and colleagues of the fallen members of the SAPS and called on all South
Africans to unite against crime. Cabinet noted the tragic death of 14 teachers
in a road accident in the North West Province and expressed its condolences with
the families, friends, pupils and colleagues of the teachers. Cabinet expressed
its appreciation of the steps taken by the North West government to support the
pupils, teachers and parents. Cabinet noted that the emblem for the 2010
FIFA World Cup will be unveiled in Berlin on the 7 July 2006. As the 2006 FIFA
world Cup reaches its climax in Germany, the world will be watching us carefully
to judge whether we will be ready to host this prestigious event. Cabinet expressed
its confidence that we will be ready and called on all sectors of our society
to work together in a national effort to ensure that South Africa hosts the best
World Cup ever on behalf of Africa. Cabinet congratulated the five African
countries that represented the African continent in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in
Germany, in particular Ghana for reaching the quarter finals and carrying the
torch on behalf millions of Africans around the world and playing like true champions
against the current world champions, Brazil. With regard to the allegations
that the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) had excluded certain commentators
from its airwaves, Cabinet took the view that this is an internal matter and expressed
its confidence in the capacity of the public broadcaster to address the matter
in terms of its mandate. Cabinet received a report from the National Security
Commission (NSC) on the Khampepe Commission Report into the mandate and location
of the Directorate of Special Operations (DSO). The report had been referred by
the President to the NSC for further consideration. Cabinet endorsed the decisions
of the NSC, which will be the subject of a briefing by the Director-General in
The Presidency. For further information contact: Themba J Maseko
Government
Spokesperson
Cell: 083 645 0810 Issued by: Government Communications
and Information System (GCIS)
29 June 2006
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