Author: Agency

Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has clarified allegations that his department is “chasing away tourists from South Africa” following an internal circular that was issued by the department on 21 December 2023. Briefing media on Sunday in Pretoria, Motsoaledi explained that the circular was directed to the Commissioner of the Border Management Authority (BMA), as well as managers of ports of entry. The circular was also sent to Provincial Inspectorate and Visa Facilitation Centres. Motsoaledi said the circular was meant to guide BMA officials at the ports of entry on what to do when they encounter nationals of other…

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The Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant – popularly known as the R350 grant – is expected to be raised to R370 from April this year. This was announced by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana in the National Assembly on Wednesday. “His Excellency, the President, in his State of the Nation Address, said that the [SRD grant] is going to continue, and the R350 will be improved. My colleague, the Minister of Social Development, is going to publish for comments a comprehensive social security programme and that… will define a better platform and a future for the social security net in…

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President Cyril Ramaphosa says there is great potential to unlock economic opportunities through investment-led trade initiatives aimed at increasing the trade of value-added products between South Africa and Ghana. “We need to move beyond trade in commodities and on to the purchase of job creating agricultural goods, and advanced manufactured and value-added products,” President Ramaphosa said. Addressing the SA-Ghana Business Forum held at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand on Tuesday, President Ramaphosa said South Africa and Ghana share a long and rich history defined by the struggle for freedom. “This history provides a firm foundation to forge closer economic…

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The Mpumalanga provincial government has introduced coding and robotics in 128 schools, as part of its pilot programme. “That pilot is progressing well and 128 schools, from Grade R to 3 and Grade 7, are currently doing coding and robotics,” Mpumalanga Premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane said on Friday when delivering the State of the Province Address (SOPA). Since 2022, in its quest to improve learner performance, the provincial government is providing all Grade 12 learners and teachers in Quantile 1 to 3 schools with tablets and laptops respectively. These devices, the Premier said, are loaded with e-content and will be provided…

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The health sector is expected to receive an allocation of R848 billion over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework with at least R1 billion directed to the National Health Insurance (NHI). This was announced by Minister Enoch Godongwana during the 2024 Budget Speech on Thursday. “These allocations include R11.6 billion to address the 2023 wage agreement, R27.3 billion for infrastructure, and R1.4 billion for the NHI grant over the same period. “The allocation for the NHI is a demonstration of the government’s commitment to this policy. There remain a range of system-strengthening activities, that are key enablers of an improved public…

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A combination of high debt servicing costs and a higher budget deficit has led to the introduction of a new reform of the Gold and Foreign Exchange Contingency Reserve Account (GFECRA). The reform is aimed at mitigating fiscal risks by reducing government borrowing in the medium-term and will allow government to draw down from its GFECRA held at the Reserve Bank. This was announced by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana during the tabling of the 2024 Budget Speech held in Cape Town on Wednesday. GFECRA is a Reserve Bank held account which captures gains and losses on South Africa’s foreign currency…

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Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana says although structural reforms have made “good progress”, load shedding and freight rail challenges remain an obstacle. He was speaking during the Budget Speech held at the Cape Town City Hall on Wednesday. “We have embarked on a broad structural reform agenda that aims to address the challenges that have held back our growth. “This agenda has included areas like electricity, logistics, water, telecommunications and visa reforms. The Budget Review details the good progress that has been made in these areas over the past few years. But, obstacles remain and let me focus on the two…

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New retirement reforms that will allow access to a portion of one’s retirement savings before retirement will be effective from 1 September 2024, says Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana. “Progress has been made on the two-pot retirement system since I last addressed you during the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS).  Contributions to retirement funds will be split, with one-third going into a ‘savings component’ and two-thirds going into a ‘retirement component.’ “The two-pot system ensures that we strike a balance between preserving contributions to safeguard a better retirement for members, while addressing the plight of the people to access some…

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Some R765 billion has been allocated to the security cluster to up the ante in Government’s fight against crime and to support the defence forces. This was revealed during Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s Budget Speech delivered in Cape Town on Wednesday. “In the coming financial year, 10 000 new police recruits will be trained. As part of the country’s responsibility to promote regional peace and stability, this budget will also allocate funding for the deployment of soldiers in Mozambique and the DRC. “Work on costing and identifying the needs for these critical missions will continue throughout the year and funding…

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Over the next few years, government plans to implement a global minimum corporate tax to limit the negative effects of tax competition. “Multinational corporations with annual revenue exceeding €750 million will be subject to an effective tax rate of at least 15%, regardless of where their profits are generated. The proposed reform is expected to yield an additional R8 billion in corporate tax revenue in 2026/27,” Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said on Wednesday in Parliament. Delivering the 2024 National Budget Speech, Godongwana encouraged interested parties to provide comments on the draft Global Minimum Tax Bill published today. The draft Global…

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