Latest news with #Mohale
The Herald
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald
Connie Ferguson, Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa, Makoma Mohale win big at SA Style Awards
'I'm at a loss for words. It is such a special moment in my life and having been considered for this award is touching,' Mohale said. 'Especially considering that in the four years of being in this industry, I've been focused and my work has always been at the centre, I never thought people were watching. I knew one day I would receive my award in the industry, but I never thought it would be this soon. I'm grateful.' Other winners included former Miss SA Shudufhadzo Musida and model Yuri Pailman for Most Innovative Style. Mlotshwa was named Most Stylish Performing Artist in Film/TV, while actor-cum-businesswoman Lala Tuku walked away with Most Stylish Business Personality. BFFs Omuhle Gela and Sinivasan were named Most Stylish Couple, while the winner for Most Stylish Performing Artist in Music was Modiga and Most Stylish Models was given to former SMag cover stars the Malope brothers. Judges this year included fashion designer Gert-Johan Coetzee, past recipients Mabuse and veteran actor John Kani joined by SMag editor Emmanuel Tjiya and Wanted editor Aspasia Karras. Craig Jacobs, Sharon Armstrong and Andrea Nagel from Sunday Times and former Wanted editor Siphiwe Mpye also served as judges.
IOL News
12-05-2025
- Health
- IOL News
Tiger Brands settles listeriosis class action, a breakthrough for affected families
Victims of the 2017 listeriosis outbreak are one step closer to justice as Tiger Brands moves to settle claims. Image: Simphiwe Mbokazi/Independent Media The Department of Health has welcomed Tiger Brands' decision to settle in the long-running listeriosis class action, describing it as a potential breakthrough in the case that has dragged on for years, following the 2017 listeriosis outbreak in South Africa that affected more than 820 people and claimed 218 lives. The outbreak was linked to contaminated processed food products, mainly polony and viennas, produced at Tiger Brands' facility in Polokwane and distributed from its Germiston facility. According to reports, the settlement offer comes as the class action remains in its first phase, which aims to determine Tiger Brands' legal liability for the 2017 outbreak. Damages will only be assessed if liability is proven. The offer, made on April 25 by Tiger Brands' lead insurer QBE Insurance Group, targets three groups: those who contracted listeriosis, dependents of deceased victims, and guardians of infected children. It includes compensation for proven or agreed damages but does not admit liability. Tiger Brands reportedly said the offer follows earlier advance payments to those with urgent medical needs and reflects its intent to resolve the matter fairly. Plaintiffs' attorneys are now expected to present the offer to eligible claimants, with that process likely to take several weeks before damages can be quantified. Meanwhile, Department of Health national spokesperson Foster Mohale said the government welcomes the development as a critical milestone in bringing the prolonged legal matter to a close for families who lost loved ones to the disease. 'The department acknowledges the roles of all parties involved, including the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), Tiger Brands, Richard Spoor Inc, and LHL Attorneys, who kept the victims and their families at the center of this protracted legal process,' Mohale said. After years of legal delays, a settlement offer brings hope of closure for families affected by the 2017 listeriosis crisis. Image: Supplied He added that the NICD is providing necessary medical records to assist in decision-making during the ongoing investigation. Mohale urged people who believe they have a valid claim to come forward. 'We are appealing to those with evidence linking their loss to the outbreak to assist in accessing clinical records so assessments can be made and closure achieved,' he said. Mohale said Listeriosis is a serious but preventable and treatable disease caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, which is commonly found in soil, water, and vegetation. Animal products and fresh produce can become contaminated through contact with these sources. He emphasised that the outbreak underscored the critical importance of strict food safety practices, particularly in the processing and handling of ready-to-eat products. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ 'Food safety and hygiene practices are crucial for public health. They prevent foodborne illness, reduce food waste, and help avoid costly recalls,' he said. He said food safety in South Africa is managed through an intersectoral approach involving the Department of Health, Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC). Local governments are responsible for municipal health services and enforcement of food safety legislation. 'The DTIC oversees all aspects of fish and fishery products, while Agriculture is responsible for meat safety and animal health,' Mohale said. IOL
The South African
07-05-2025
- Business
- The South African
WHY the majority of South Africans prefer cash in hand … still
Despite the sharp digitsation of banking, the majority of South Africans prefer cash transactions. New data suggests that digital transactions may be on the rise for wealthier residents/businesses, but the majority of South Africans prefer cash in hand. Impressively, even with the rise in digital banking, cash transactions have not decreased over the last decade. As a result, the lower-income majority in South Africa still prefer dealing in hard currency. Many informal traders and spaza shops are simply unable to transact digitally. Image: File As interesting as it sounds, the fact that most South Africans still prefer cash is rather a large issue for the SA Reserve Bank (SARB). According to the latest insights, this trend suggests that most residents simply don't trust banking institutions. Moreover, because nearly 45% of South Africans receive some form of SASSA grant, many want to keep additional income undisclosed, or 'off the books.' Likewise, the sentiment seems to be that money recorded in a bank account may draw attention from SARS. A key reason why many low-income residents draw their money immediately is so it remains undisclosed to SASSA. Image: File However, there is also a strange divergence occurring at a retail level in South Africa. Because, in middle- to high-income areas many merchants are going cashless. While, in the informal economy, many shops shun card transactions. This means there is a large amount of cash circulating South Africa. Far higher than other comparable emerging economies. Standard Bank's Nthabiseng Mohale revealed broadly the same amount of currency has been circulating the country since 2009 – roughly R171 billion. Therefore, 'Cash remains deeply embedded in the country's consumer psyche,' said Mohale. Informal saving 'stokvels' is another reason why South Africans prefer cash in hand. Image: File Furthermore, the SARB says broadly half of all adults withdraw all their salary money as soon as it is deposited in their accounts. Conversely, digital payments in South Africa have enjoyed an 8% increase annually. This represents a clear value proposition to retailers and consumers who don't wish to handle money, too. Nevertheless, the majority of South Africans prefer cash because it represents a tangible, familiar way of managing one's finances. Many are wary of hidden fees or unauthorised/bounced debit orders. Likewise, cash is also perceived as a safeguard against unforeseen financial burdens. Which side of the fence do you sit? Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
03-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
United Masters crowned Mopani Easter champions
LIMPOPO – United Masters FC, from Mafarana village, have emerged as the undisputed champions of the Mopani Masters Football League Easter Tournament. Affectionately known as the Red Devils or Gembetela, the team clinched the title with a 1–0 victory over KCE Masters in the final, held at Mariveni Sports Ground. The winning goal came in the 57th minute, scored by former Baroka FC player Frans 'Khuze' Motupa. Throughout the tournament, United Masters dominated the field, scoring 11 goals without conceding a single one across four matches. Their triumph earned them a trophy, gold medals, and a R15 000 cash prize. The runners-up, KCE Masters, took home R9 000 and silver medals. The third and fourth placed teams received R5 000 and R4 000 respectively. Team manager Cooper Rikhotso expressed pride in his players' performance. Also read: DZJ Masters FC celebrates league win 'We play for pride and recognition, not money,' he said. 'Our pride comes from knowing we're the best, and we have quality players who gave it their all.' The Mopani Masters Football League was launched in September last year by founders Moses Mohale and Solly Malatji. Mohale told the Herald he saw a need for a master's league in the region and has been amazed by how quickly it has grown. The league hosts quarterly tournaments to maintain momentum and increase competitiveness. Mohale said he was especially pleased with the large turnout of fans, many of whom travelled from places as far as Giyani, Polokwane, and Phalaborwa to watch the matches. 'These games are about more than just football. They help unearth local talent, promote fitness and a healthy lifestyle, and foster social cohesion,' Mohale explained. 'A police officer even mentioned that gender-based violence cases have declined since the league started, as men now have a positive outlet for stress.' The tournament has also boosted the local economy, with various vendors, excluding alcohol traders, allowed to operate at the events. Security was well-managed by Lerarama Security, ensuring a safe and welcoming environment for all. Mohale concluded by thanking the main sponsor, Kgoshigadi Construction Engineering, along with other stakeholders and the local community for their continued support. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Daily Maverick
29-04-2025
- Health
- Daily Maverick
Inside the government's confused response to the US health funding crisis
In late January, the US suspended billions of dollars in international aid, including for HIV-related programmes in South Africa. The South African government could have responded by triggering an emergency funding mechanism, but has failed to do so yet. In the meantime, activists, health researchers and even technical advisers to the government are growing increasingly frustrated with the government's lack of transparency on this issue. To finance some of the health services that have been defunded by the US, the Department of Health could bypass the budget and secure emergency funding from National Treasury. But this hasn't happened yet. This emergency funding mechanism falls under section 16 of the Public Finance Management Act. It authorises the finance minister to allocate funds in exceptional cases 'which cannot, without serious prejudice to the public interest, be postponed to a future parliamentary appropriation of funds'. It has long been proposed by civil society as a way for the department to save crucial HIV-related services that have been defunded by the US. Section 16 allocations can be financed by Treasury's contingency reserve or via borrowing. The contingency reserve exists partially to deal with unexpected funding gaps like the one the department has been facing for the past two and half months. In late January, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order suspending virtually all of the US's international development funding globally. Since then, the US has moved to terminate thousands of aid contracts. This includes billions of rands worth of grants that were sponsoring crucial HIV-related services in South Africa. Spotlight and GroundUp sent questions to the Health Department about why it hadn't secured emergency funding from Treasury since the crisis began in January. In response, spokesperson Foster Mohale said Treasury did not 'indicate that they might look favourably on a motivation for section 16 funding'. It is unclear why the department needs to be told that its application will be looked on favourably in order for it to apply. Somewhat confusingly, Mohale also said the department had sent Treasury a letter which included 'firm proposals about [a] section 16 application'. We asked National Treasury's media office about this. It confirmed the existence of this proposal, saying it had received it on 15 April. Our questions to the Health Department had been sent on 14 April. Thus, it seems the department only submitted its letter to Treasury with 'firm proposals about a section 16 application' the day after we asked it questions about why it hadn't done so. Perhaps even more strangely, Mohale claimed that 'National Treasury has not formally responded to the proposal'. Yet, it appears that the Health Department had only just sent this proposal to Treasury when he made this claim. (Treasury told us it had received it on 15 April, which is the same day that Mohale said they hadn't responded). Treasury's media office said it had responded the next day, 16 April. Confusion and counterclaims Despite these bizarre media engagements, sources in the government and civil society say this isn't the first time that Treasury and the Health Department have been in communication about emergency funding. Instead, discussions about this have been ongoing. The department has apparently already submitted important information to Treasury as part of its request for financing, but has not provided detailed plans about how it would spend emergency funds. This is needed before a section 16 allocation can be issued. 'As we understand, Treasury has been waiting for the full motivation from the Department of Health around a special emergency allocation,' said Fatima Hassan of the Health Justice Initiative. 'As of 14 April, that information has not been submitted.' Since only some of the US funding gap can be financed through a section 16 allocation, the Health Department probably needs to provide very specific details about which services it wants to finance and how it plans to do this. Civil society groups are concerned that the department has done very little to gather information that would allow it to make such an assessment. For a start, there appears to have been some confusion about how the evaluation should be conducted in the first place. On 25 February, an article was published on IOL which quoted Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi as saying the department had hired Deloitte to conduct an investigation. But in response to questions from Spotlight and GroundUp, Mohale denied that Deloitte had been hired. 'The company made an offer of support but the procurement of the pro bono offer would have taken too long,' he said, 'so the department did the analysis of the available data itself.' It remains unclear what kinds of analysis the department has been doing. The US began suspending its global aid operations in late January, yet it took the department until early March just to meet the defunded organisations. The meeting didn't include all of the defunded organisations, according to Hassan, who added that many of those that were invited were only given a few hours' notice before the meeting started. Note, participants had to attend the meeting physically in Centurion. As we understand, this is the only meeting the department has yet held with defunded organisations, and it seemingly only came about following a wave of international media attention. Has the department done anything? Spotlight and GroundUp have been able to identify only a few minor cases in which the Health Department has responded to the US funding cuts. These instances primarily involve unit heads doing what they can to adapt to the situation and protect their staff. For instance, in the department's procurement unit, a few staff members were funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). After USAID pulled funding, the unit made arrangements to retain these staff members in the short term. The head of procurement, Khadija Jamaloodien, told Spotlight and GroundUp: 'We have been able to retain some capacity for a short period with the support of other partners.' To retain staff on a more permanent basis, she said, posts would need to be created and then advertised. Similarly, the department's Central Chronic Medicines Dispensing and Distribution (CCMDD) programme had two USAID-funded staff members. The head of the CCMDD, Maggie Munsamy, said a separate donor had provided funds to retain these staff. Beyond this, it seems very little has been done to address the closure of key US-funded services. One technical adviser to the Health Department told Spotlight and GroundUp: 'Our government is in denial. I think they are not appreciating the extent of the gaps that have been created. 'They've done nothing to replace the [US-funded] infrastructure… There is still no communication from the Department of Dealth as to what now… When I speak to the Department of Health and ask what we can do, there is a defining silence.' Parliament in recess during an emergency The same concerns have been echoed by several civil society groups. Hassan says that since 5 February a coalition of organisations has sent two letters to the government, asking for information about what it's doing to address the US funding cuts. Signatories to these letters include the Health Justice Initiative, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), the Cancer Alliance and SWEAT. These letters have been addressed to the ministers of health, finance and international relations, as well as the Presidency. Thus far they haven't received a single response, she says. Asked about this, Mohale stated: 'The department has met all role players that are affected by the Pepfar pause. During [these] meetings they were provided with the background to the problem as well as actions taken to address the challenges. Some of the organisations that are part of that letter, such as TAC, were invited to the meetings and they participated in the discussions.' In response, Hassan said 'several groups have requested information as far back as February. To respond by saying that one of those groups may have been involved in one or two meetings is hardly satisfactory'. It appears that Hassan's coalition is not the only one to be ignored by the government on this issue. On 4 April, a separate group, including prominent health researchers and activists, sent a letter to the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Health. Its lead signatory was Zackie Achmat, the co-founder of the TAC. The letter urged the committee to call for the funding of programmes that were previously US-backed. It also requested a meeting with the portfolio committee. The group was met with silence. On 10 April, Spotlight and GroundUp asked the committee why it hadn't responded to the letter. Shortly after, the committee sent Achmat an email saying that Parliament was in recess and that 'a date will be communicated once the committee reconvenes'. Responding to this, Achmat told Spotlight and GroundUp: 'When there is a global and national emergency, not to mention our Budget crisis, Parliament should not be in recess when needed.' If the South African government continues to stonewall civil society actors and delay its response to the crisis, the results could be dire. The most recently available data suggests that USAID has so far slashed 89% of its grants to South African organisations, worth billions of rands. And it's not clear how many of the remaining 11% are still active; at least one of the grants on the retained list has been cancelled since this data was published. As a result, USAID-funded drop-in centres that provide HIV treatment and prevention services have closed. And thousands of USAID-backed health staff working in government clinics and community settings have lost their jobs. A recent modelling study estimates that if the South African government fails to step in, US funding cuts could cause up to 65 000 extra HIV-related deaths by the end of 2028. If the government doesn't secure emergency funding to cover defunded services, it would need to wait until the budget adjustment period in September or October to allocate any additional money. In the meantime, certain clinics would continue to operate without crucial US-funded health workers, including data capturers and HIV testing staff. with HIV will continue to be left without USAID-funded counsellors. US-funded clinical trials rape survivors will remain unavailable. DM
