Latest news with #Ramakgopa
The Citizen
02-08-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Top 10 stories of the day: Ramakgopa on tariffs and BEE, Aarto commencement date, Mbeki, Appollis and more
Here's your daily news update for Saturday, 2 August 2025: An easy-to-read selection of our top stories. In the news today, Minster of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramakgopa denied suggestions that the United States' 30% tariffs on South African trade was a result of the country's broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) policy. National government gazetted the commencement dates of the Aarto demerit system in a staggered implementation of the Aarto Act, as the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) and the Construction Education Training Authority (Ceta) engaged in a war of words over alleged corruption. Orlando Pirates' new signing Oswin Appollis made an impressive debut for the Buccaneers in the MTN8, while SA's hottest artists are reflecting on a glitzy evening at the Basadi in Music Vanguard Awards. Weather forecast According to the South African Weather Service (SAWS), rain and showers are also likely in the south-western parts of the country heading into Monday. Otherwise, partly cloudy and cool to warm conditions are expected in other parts of the country, it said. SAWS also said a cold front will hit the Western Cape on Monday, along with rainfall. It expects the cold front and rainfall to move to the Eastern Cape on Tuesday. Stay up to date with The Citizen — More News, Your Way. Ramakgopa dismisses claims US tariffs target BEE policy, but admits it needs tweaking From August, South Africa will be lumped with a 30% tariff on goods traded with the United States after President Cyril Ramaphosa's administration failed to negotiate a deal with their American counterparts. Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa during a ANC media briefing on 2 August 2025. Picture: X / @MYANC Ramakgopa said the tariffs had 'huge economic implications' as they threatened jobs but said the situation was forcing the country to look for more agreeable trading partners elsewhere. Read more: Ramakgopa dismisses claims US tariffs target BEE policy, but admits it needs tweaking Extortion suspect killed in shootout with Eastern Cape police Police investigating an alleged extortion ring in rural Eastern Cape were in a gunfight with a suspect on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Saps The suspect was travelling with a passenger who left the scene unharmed, but in custody to undergo further interrogation. Read more: Extortion suspect killed in shootout with Eastern Cape police Khampepe Commission is the right platform for Mbeki, Mabandla to tell their story, court rules Former president Thabo Mbeki and ex-justice minister Brigitte Mabandla lost a court battle to intervene in a damages case related to the failure to prosecute apartheid-era crimes. Former president Thabo Mbeki. Picture: Gallo Images The case related to claims that between 1998 to 2017, the government actively blocked investigations into Truth and Reconciliation Commission-referred matters. Read more: Khampepe Commission is the right platform for Mbeki, Mabandla to tell their story, court rules Haven't filed your tax return yet? Here's how to avoid mistakes It is tax season again, which means it is time for taxpayers to stress pleasing the bean counters at the South African Revenue Service. Picture: iStock Here is some expert advice from top professionals in South Africa's investment and finance industry. Read more: Haven't filed your tax return yet? Here's how to avoid mistakes Union expects 'mass exodus' of pilots as 12-day Flysafair strike ends FlySafair confirmed on Friday that its management had signed a formal agreement with the trade union Solidarity to end the pilot's strike. Fkysafair Boeing 737-844 with green and gold in support of the Springboks. Picture: Gallo Images/Jaco Marais However, Solidarity spokesperson Helgard Cronjé believed the mediation process came at a high cost and could have been resolved earlier. Read more: Union expects 'mass exodus' of pilots as 12-day Flysafair strike ends Government announces when Aarto demerit system will start Clauses relating to the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) demerit system will come into effect next year. Picture: Nigel Sibanda. Implementation of the act will be done in phases, beginning in December for some municipalities. Read more: Government announces when Aarto demerit system will start 'The public deserves better': Outa and Ceta trade barbs after protest Outa protested outside the Ceta offices earlier this week, with the two organisations trading heated words over allegations of corruption and mismanagement. Outa protested outside the Ceta head office in Midrand on Thursday. Picture: X/@OUTASA Outa CEO Wayne Duvenage is wanting an audience with newly appointed Minister of Higher Education and Training Buti Manamela to discusses the authority's effectiveness. Read more: 'The public deserves better': Outa and Ceta trade barbs after protest Appollis helps Pirates make perfect start to MTN8 title defence Buccaneers debutant Oswin Appollis was on the scoresheet as his new employers registered a win in the MTN8 quarterfinals. Oswin Appollis and Patrick Maswanganyi celebrate a goal during the 2025/26 MTN8 quaterfinal match between Orlando Pirates and Polokwane City at Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Saturday. Photo: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix The win gave new coach Abdeslam Ouaddou the perfect start, who was thrilled with the domestic season-opening victory. Read more: Appollis helps Pirates make perfect start to MTN8 title defence Laconco, Lootlove and Relebogile Mabotja among big winners at Basadi in Music Vanguard Awards The Vanguard Awards recognise women in often-overlooked roles – from managers and producers to stylists and other creatives who drive the industry's success stories. TV personality Luthando 'Lootlove' Shosha won entertainment radio presenter of the year. Picture: Nigel Sibanda The evening also saw special honours awarded to two trailblazing women. Read more: Laconco, Lootlove and Relebogile Mabotja among big winners at Basadi in Music Vanguard Awards
Daily Maverick
08-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Maverick
Ending hunger: A call for legislative action on food waste in South Africa
To be successful in addressing food insecurity and malnutrition in South Africa, the broadest possible consultation will be required across the food system, including with farmers and agri-business food manufacturers, retailers, the non-profit organisation (NPO) sector and, crucially, the government. The commitment by Gauteng Department of Agriculture MEC Vuyiswa Ramakgopa to ending hunger in Gauteng — and in South Africa as a whole — is most encouraging. Her 'Ending Hunger Symposium' held in early April 2025 was a powerful show of her genuine interest in collaboration among all the many civil society and government organisations that are fighting the hunger crisis in South Africa. The Union Against Hunger (UAH), a recently launched movement that aims to pull together the efforts of the myriad organisations and individuals fighting to end hunger, along with FoodForward South Africa and SA Harvest, are committed to working closely with Ramakgopa and her department to build this collaborative effort. FoodForward SA, South Africa's largest food redistribution organisation, understands that, since food insecurity and malnutrition affects millions of vulnerable households each month, addressing these challenges requires the combination of systemic intervention involving the government, the private sector, and civil society. The right to food The foundation of the right to food in South Africa is the enshrinement of that right in the South African Constitution. Broadly speaking, section 27(1) (b) of the Bill of Rights states that everyone living in South Africa has the right to enough food and water, while Section 28(1)(c) states that every child has the right to basic nutrition. It is abundantly clear that the government has failed in its responsibility to honour its obligations in relation to the right to food. It is unacceptable that in our country, which produces more than enough food to feed all its people, more than 29% of our children up to the age of five are stunted as a result of severe acute malnutrition; up to 20 million South Africans are on a spectrum of severe food vulnerability ranging from running out of money to feed their families at some point during the month, to millions of children going to sleep hungry every night. Up to 65% of South African women and about 40% of men are overweight or obese because of the general unaffordability of nutritious foods. The government must urgently set in motion the realisation of its constitutional obligations with respect to sections 27 and 28. This demand is also expressed constitutionally: Section 7(2) of the Constitution imposes an obligation on the state to 'respect, protect, promote and fulfil' all rights in the Bill of Rights, which obviously includes the right to food. Make dumping edible food illegal — a low-hanging solution It is globally accepted that legislation concerning various aspects of the food ecosystem would make a massive — and relatively quick — difference to ending hunger in South Africa, and the place to begin is by making the dumping of edible food illegal, a measure that has precedent, and has achieved great success in countries such as Italy and France. One-third of food produced in South Africa — ten million tons — goes to waste each year. This is equivalent of 40 billion meals, in a context where 20 billion meals are needed to feed all of South Africa's hungry people three meals a day for a year. It is difficult to estimate the quantum of food that is currently being saved from the food chain but, suffice it to say that if legislation increased the food saved from going to landfill by just 5% per annum, two billion additional nutritious meals per annum would become available. Legislation and incentive schemes to reduce food waste have made a palpable difference globally. One well known example is France's 2016 'Garot Law' , which mandates, inter alia, that unsold food products from retail stores that are still safe for consumption must be donated rather than discarded. This includes measures such as that supermarkets larger than 400 square metres are required to sign agreements with food redistribution organisations to donate unsold food, and that supermarkets are obliged to keep records of their food donations and provide annual reports on the amount of food wasted and donated (tax incentives or penalties apply). If a similar law were legislated in South Africa, farmers, manufacturers and retailers would be obliged (by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment, which is responsible for drafting the current food waste reduction policy) to make agreements with food redistribution organisations (e.g. SA Harvest and Food Forward SA). This would ensure that the cost of handling and transporting donated food was not a barrier for redistribution organisations, and that tax incentives were provided for farmers, manufacturers and retailers. These incentives would include reductions in their income tax based on the value of the food donations they have made. In South Africa, in addition to the mandates such as those included in the Garot Law, two key actions that we believe are required. First, a Food Donations Bill that, inter alia, relaxes the often over-strict safety liability of food donors and redistribution organisations and clarifies date marking ('sell by' dates), which can be misleading, as they often suggest a much shorter 'safety' window for a product), which severely hampers the quantum of food that can be donated by food producers. Second, a Food Donations Bill should revise the front-of-pack labelling guidelines issued by the health department, encouraging the donation of food that has passed its 'best before' date. (Editor's note: draft new front-of-pack labelling guidelines have been under review for more than two years.) Rescued food Since the Garot Law was passed in 2016, according to independent research carried out for SA Harvest, the law has been effective in increasing the amount of food rescued by nearly 28% (from 36-million to 46-million kilogrammes) in its first two years. Ultimately, to be successful in addressing food insecurity and malnutrition in South Africa, the broadest possible consultation will be required across the food system, including with farmers and agri-business food manufacturers, retailers, the non-profit organisation sector and, crucially, the government. Critical to this process is that the government creates a Food and Nutrition Security Council (which has been promised since 2018) in order to (1) onboard strategic partners (2) strategically carve out an approach to solutions, and (3) develop key performance indicators and metrics, as well as define who will be responsible for measuring success, and for reporting on the council's actions and progress. As Dr Tracy Ledger, who leads the Just Transition programme at the Public Affairs Research Institute and is one of South Africa's leading food activists, asks: 'Why is it that food prices are so high that millions of South African families go hungry, while the prices paid to farmers for the same food are so low that many cannot stay in business? Why are the people who produce our food — farmworkers — among the most insecure of all? Why do high levels of rural poverty persist while corporate profits in the food sector keep rising? How did a country with enough food for all and a constitutional right to food become a place where more than one in four children is malnourished and classified as stunted?' Obtaining the answers to these questions is what Ramakgopa has set in motion. 'We will find the answers through a collaborative effort, and we will ensure that, based on these answers, we will implement the appropriate actions,' she said. 'After all, quality research and market intelligence are worth nothing without action, and I am dedicated to showing that genuine care, in the case of our people, is a 'doing' word.' DM
