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Statement on Cabinet Meeting of 20 March 2007 Cabinet
held its fifth meeting of the year this morning, 20 March 2007, in Cape Town.
The meeting considered and ratified the agreement to establish the Basel
Convention Training Centres for English speaking African Countries. The Basel
Convention is a global agreement which seeks to address challenges posed by the
trans-boundary movement of hazardous waste. Its objectives are to minimise hazardous
waste, promote disposal of these wastes as close to source of generation as possible
and the reduction of movement of these wastes particularly across international
boundaries. These regional centres will assist developing countries to implement
and fulfil their obligations in terms of the convention. Cabinet noted
plans to release the reports on the first year of implementation of the Accelerated
and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA) and Joint Initiative for
Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA) initiatives. The Deputy President will release
the AsgiSA report on Thursday, 22 March 2007 and the JIPSA report will be published
next week. These reports will give the public and the social partners an indication
of the progress towards meeting the targets for faster and shared growth, skill
development and will highlight the challenges that need to be addressed in the
coming year. The meeting noted plans to celebrate Human Rights Day in different
provinces tomorrow, 21 March 2007. Government urges the public to participate
in these events to commemorate those who lost their lives as victims of violent
repression; celebrate progress in realising human rights and dignity; and reaffirm
our commitment to ensure that these rights are enjoyed by all. Cabinet
was briefed on the successful two-day South African National Aids Council (SANAC)
National Consultative Conference to finalise the draft National Strategic Plan
for HIV/AIDS and STI for 2007-11. The outcomes of the conference make it a major
milestone in our efforts, as South Africans, to respond to the challenge of HIV/AIDS.
Government wishes to convey its appreciation to all stakeholders for their role
in the preparation for what became a very successful consultative conference and
the spirit of partnership that prevailed before, during and after the conference.
We are satisfied that together, in a partnership of hope, we can overcome the
challenges that face us in the fight against HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted
diseases. Government wishes to stress the centrality of behavioural change by
individuals, particularly among the youth, that will put us on course to defeat
the scourge of HIV/AIDS. Cabinet noted that the Minister of Communications
had received the report on the investigations into the affairs of the Board of
the South African Post Office. The Minister will release the findings of the investigation
and announce the steps she will be taking to address the problems raised in the
report at a later date. As part of our commitment to contribute to peace
and stability on the continent, and to fulfil our international obligations to
the United Nations (UN) and the African Union, Cabinet approved a request to extend
the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) personnel in
Sudan (750, AMIS), Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) (1264, MONUC), Ethiopia
and Eritrea (10, UNMEE/OLMEE). The deployment of 22 SANDF personnel assisting
with integration and training in the DRC will be extended by a year. The meeting
further approved the deployment of five SANDF personnel to be part of the UN Political
Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) as military observers and staff officers. South Africa
will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the UN's Department of Peacekeeping
Operations to regulate our role in UNMIN. The meeting approved the proposal
for South Africa to sign and ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities and its optional Protocol. Cabinet noted that South Africa,
along with Mexico, were instrumental in negotiating this UN Convention. The Convention
will be an important instrument for developing, and where necessary, adjusting
existing policies to ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy and exercise
the same rights, obligations and responsibilities as anyone else. In signing and
ratifying the Convention, we will be deepening our commitment to take further
steps in the equalisation of opportunities for persons with disabilities. The
Convention will be signed at a special ceremony at the UN headquarters in New
York on 30 March 2007. Cabinet, once again, expressed its concerns about
the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe and reaffirmed the government position,
as recently stated by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, that only dialogue
among the main political protagonists can help bring about a lasting solution
to the current political and economic challenges facing Zimbabwe. As stated previously,
South Africa is ready to provide whatever assistance is required in bringing about
a peaceful and lasting solution to the situation in Zimbabwe. The meeting
approved the Public Transport Strategy and action plan. This strategy maps out
a framework to accelerate the urgently needed transformation of South Africa's
public transport. It aims to implement high quality public transport networks
that integrate rail, bus and minibuses to form a single public transport system
for the benefit of the public and the economy. The Minister will unveil the details
of the strategy and the implementation plan next week. Cabinet noted that
preparations for South Africa's hosting of the Global Forum V on Corruption and
Safeguarding Integrity were proceeding according to plan. The meeting approved
the proposal for a high-level delegation of Ministers, Deputy Ministers and senior
government officials to attend and represent South Africa at the forum. The key
Ministries in the delegation will include Finance, Safety and Security, Home Affairs,
Justice as well as Public Service and Administration. The Forum will be held on
2 to 5 April 2007 at the Sandton Convention Centre. The following Bills
were approved. - Criminal Law (Sentencing) Amendment Bill was approved
for submission to Parliament for consideration during 2007 session (Dept of Justice
and Constitutional Affairs)
- Co-operative Banks Bill for submission to
Parliament in the 2007 session of Parliament (Department of Finance)
The
following appointments were approved: - Mr Alan Hirsch as the Deputy
Director General (DDG) in the Presidency
- One DDG in the Department of
Trade and Industry
- The following were appointed as non-Executive Directors
to the Board of the South African Post Office (SAPO) for a three year period:
Mr P Canca; Ms N Msimang; Ms T Mokgosi-Mwantebe; Mr S Mokoetle and Mr V Mahlathi
as Board Chairperson.
- The meeting concurred with the appointment of the
of the following nominees to the Board of Mintek: Mr H Motaung (Chairperson);
Ms GFN Mthethwa; Mr R Havenstein; Mr S Sikhosana; Mr MA Ntilane; Ms L Mhlambeni;
Dr J Bredell; Mr M Mphomela; Dr B Sehlapelo and Dr. P. Jourdan (Chief Executive
Officer)
- Cabinet concurred with the appointment of the following as new
Directors of the Board of the Central Energy Fund (CEF) (Pty) Ltd: Ms B Mabuza;
Mr M Damane (CEO); Mr TZ Feketha
- The recommendation to appoint Ms B Ngwenya
as the Chief Operations Officer of Sentech for a five year period was endorsed
Enquiries: Themba Maseko
Tel: 083 645 0810) Issued
by Government Communications (GCIS)
20 March 2007 | 
