Category: MIL-OSI

Source: APO

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Following the declaration of Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola is stepping up disease surveillance, prevention and preparedness measures especially in the country’s Lunda Norte province which borders the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

A multidisciplinary team with experts from the National Directorate of Public Health, the National Institute for Health Research, World Health Organization (WHO), and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), visited  Tchissanda, Fortuna and Nachire border crossings in Lunda Norte to assess and help implement preparedness measures by  local health authorities, as well as raise awareness among  communities about Ebola, its symptoms, early reporting of suspected cases and how to stay safe.

The team provided training on key areas such as the Ebola virus disease identification, infection prevention and control, active case finding, diseases surveillance in communities and at points of entry, sample collection and transportation, as well as risk communication, including strategies to address mis- or disinformation.

In total, 140 officials, including health professionals, community mobilizers, police officers and border authorities, took part in the trainings.

“The Ministry of Health’s priority is to guarantee early detection, appropriate case management, and above all, the protection of both our communities and the health workers in the frontline” says Dr Eusébio Manuel, Head of the Department of Hygiene and Epidemiological Surveillance at Angola’s Ministry of Health. “We are firmly committed to strengthening Angola’s preparedness against Ebola.”

In addition, more than 150 traditional and religious leaders, midwives, hunters and traditional healers from five municipalities of Luanda Norte took part in the preparedness activities that also aimed to build community trust and align local response with the municipal outbreak preparedness and action plans to ensure a coordinated and effective response.

“Preparing now means saving lives later. Every trained official and every informed community increases Angola’s capacity to respond effectively if the virus crosses the border,” says Dr Noémia Silva, WHO surveillance and immunization officer in Lunda Norte province.

WHO assesses the overall public health risk posed by the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as high at the national level, moderate at the regional level and low at the global level. WHO is working with the national authorities in 10 priority countries neighbouring the Democratic Republic of the Congo to initiate readiness assessments and contingency planning.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) – Angola.

Source: APO

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Artificial intelligence, quantum computing and neurotechnology are rapidly transforming our environment, redefining industries, society and human experience itself.

In this period of great potential and great risks, there is an urgent need for increased international collaboration and meaningful debate. The world also needs a new type of leadership, one able to anticipate future challenges and opportunities, and therefore transform disruption into a force for constructive change.

In this context, the Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSTI), through the Science Diplomacy Capital for Africa (SDCfA) platform and in collaboration with the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA), is hosting the Anticipatory Leadership Week (ALW) as a G20 side event from 18 to 22 September 2025.

The SDCfA, an initiative of the DSTI and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), is a platform that fosters international collaboration in science, technology and innovation (STI) to address Africa’s pressing societal challenges and contribute meaningfully to global development.

The Anticipatory Leadership Week is focused on equipping policy and decision-makers with skills related to anticipating the impact of disruptive technologies on societies. Held as a side event to the G20 Research and Innovation Working Group and G20 Research and Innovation Ministerial Meetings, the five-day ALW currently under way in Pretoria.

Delivering the keynote address at the opening on 19 September 2025, the Director-General of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Mlungisi Cele, said that the gathering reflected South Africa’s commitment to positioning STI as central drivers of sustainable development, both nationally and globally.

“South Africa’s G20 Presidency is a crucial moment for the country and the African continent. The 2025 theme for the Research and Innovation Working Group, namely, ‘Science, technology and innovation for solidarity, equality and sustainability’, aims to address critical global challenges, with a strong focus on Africa’s development”, he said.

Cele spoke of the growing importance of global cooperation to tackle pressing issues such as climate change, food security, health and energy. He noted that new technological frontiers, including artificial intelligence, called for collaborative approaches that anticipated both opportunities and challenges.

“Given the emerging global challenges that we face, there is a key role for international cooperation in providing innovative solutions. More than ever, the focus is not only on how we use these for the global good, but also on the opportunities to work together to anticipate evolving opportunities and challenges,” he stated.

The event also emphasised Africa’s science and innovation priorities, aligning with the African Union’s Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2034.

According to the Cele, the discussions at the ALW are designed to bridge local perspectives with global conversations shaping the impact of technology on societies.

“Science knows no borders, providing key platforms for initiatives and cooperation that transcend boundaries. The diversity of participants reflects the importance of science and technology across sectors and regions,” he added.

The Deputy Director-General: International Cooperation Resources at the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, Mr Daan du Toit, presented South Africa’s latest STI policy updates and highlighted findings from the latest national survey on research and experimental development, which showed research and development spending at 0,62% of GDP and progress in the transformation of participation, with 47% of researchers being women.

He outlined the government’s STI priorities under the 7th administration, namely, inclusive growth, poverty reduction, and building a capable developmental state. He noted that the STI Decadal Plan (2022-2032) provided the framework for achieving this vision. There was a strong focus on transforming the national system of innovation (NSI), ensuring that it was responsive to South Africa’s needs, as well as on improving governance, coordination and collaboration in order to increase investment in a difficult economic environment.

When referring to the recommendations of the NSI Transformation Summit held in March 2025, Du Toit noted the priority intervention areas for transformation – fostering a new cultural mindset and reshaping the way knowledge is produced, anticipating and harnessing disruptive technologies, focusing its efforts on advancing African and Global South agendas, and remaining responsive to shifting geopolitical dynamics.

He said that internationalisation and science diplomacy were regarded as essential enablers of South Africa’s STI agenda and global problem solving, particularly in advancing African and Global South priorities.

Dr Ndumiso Cingo, Strategic Partnerships Manager at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, said that the ALW would encourage the kind of thinking that made it possible to address some of the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead.

Prof. Michael Otmar Hengartner, Chair of the GESDA Academic Forum and Board President of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (ETH), spoke about GESDA’s Science Breakthrough Radar®, which provides an overview of science trends and breakthrough predictions in 42 science and technology emerging topics. He also looked at how the ALW enabled GESDA and others to identify current opportunities for action.

The Science Breakthrough Radar® asks leading scientists how they envisage the future of their field in five, 10 and 25 years. Hengartner indicated that “2 300 scientists from 87 countries have contributed to the Radar since its inception in 2021”.

He also talked about the role of science diplomacy in a changing geopolitical context and said science and technology advances were accelerating, with transformative impacts on people, society and the planet. He indicated that he considered science and technology as inherent drivers of geopolitics.

Talking about the ALW, Hengartner said that anticipatory leadership training would, among other things, expand the role of stakeholders in science diplomacy. In a shifting and multipolar geopolitical scenario, it could serve as a bridge for engagement when other forms of multilateral cooperation were not possible.

The event, which brought participants from government, academia, diplomacy, and industry, has allowed South Africa to contribute to the Global Curriculum for Anticipatory Leadership, a GESDA initiative aimed at designing a new paradigm for leadership training.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, Republic of South Africa.

Source: APO

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The Select Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Mineral Resources will, from today, conduct an oversight visit to Alexkor in Alexander Bay in the Northern Cape.

This oversight visit aims to address problems surrounding the Richtersveld Cedar Hub Land Claim, which has significant implications for the Richtersveld community and the restoration of land rights lost due to historical diamond mining activities in the region. The Richtersveld Cedar Hub Land Claim, one of the largest in South Africa’s history, has resulted in the community regaining approximately 195 000 hectares of land. This includes a share in the Richtersveld National Park and a 49% stake in a diamond-mining joint venture with Alexkor, alongside development funding for housing.

A vital aspect of the settlement was the establishment of the Richtersveld Community Property Association (CPA) to manage community assets, alongside two trusts and various subsidiaries. Over a decade since the settlement, several requirements outlined in the deed remain unfulfilled, prompting the need for this oversight visit.

Chairperson of the committee, Mr Mpho Modise, said previous engagements and oversight by the National Council of Provinces and the National Assembly committees have identified outstanding actions required from government departments and local authorities.

Mr Modise said the reports highlight challenges faced by the local municipality regarding service delivery in the former mining town of Alexander Bay. Issues include:

– Dysfunctionality within the CPA
– Delays in electricity service connections in Alexander Bay
– Operational challenges for agricultural businesses transferred to the CPA
– Unsatisfactory environmental rehabilitation of mined areas falling within the settlement of Alexander Bay or on land returned to the members of the CPA.

During the 7th parliamentary term, the committee has been approached by various stakeholders to resolve ongoing issues with the mining joint venture and to assist the CPA in securing the final transfer of funds owed by Alexkor for payment of the long-standing rental agreement.

During the week-long oversight, the committee will convene meetings with all relevant stakeholders to establish a timeline for completing outstanding actions. Where timelines are lacking and previous provincial task teams have set deadlines, the committee will engage responsible parties to understand the challenges affecting the implementation of the deed settlement.

Attached please find the programme of the oversight https://tinyurl.com/7mzuj4jy

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.

Source: APO

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he Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development has invited nominations and applications from individuals and organisations for two suitable people to be appointed as members of the Information Regulator for a period of five years.

According to the Chairperson of the committee, Mr Xola Nqola, one position is full-time and the other is part-time.

A list of all the nominations and applications received with the accompanying Curricula Vitae (CVs) and suitably redacted personal information will be published on Parliament’s website for public comment on the suitability of candidates. Shortlisted candidates will be subjected to a screening process.

In terms of the Protection of Personal Information Act No. 4 of 2013, members of the Regulator must be South African citizens who are appropriately qualified, fit and proper persons and:

• At least one of whom must be appointed on account of experience as a practising advocate or attorney or a professor of law at a university; and
• The remainder of whom must be appointed on account of any other qualifications, expertise and experience relating to the objects of the Regulator.

Nominations and applications must be accompanied by a Curriculum Vitae (CV) providing the nominee or applicant’s:

• Full name, ID number and gender;
• Contact details, including physical address, telephone/cell number and email address;
• Relevant previous experience (including relevant dates and organisations concerned); and
• Academic qualifications.

In addition, nominations must contain the full name, address or email address and contact details of the person or organisation making the nomination and a signed acceptance of the nomination by the nominee.

Nominees and applicants are also requested to indicate whether they would be available to serve as a member of the Regulator in a full-time or part-time capacity, or both, should they be appointed.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.

Source: APO

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The Chairperson of the Select Committee on Public Infrastructure and Minister in the Presidency, Mr Rikus Badenhorst, today congratulated the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Mr Dean Macpherson, and the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) for the decisive steps taken to hold non-performing contractors accountable.

Mr Badenhorst described the announcement that the CIDB has blacklisted 40 contractors since June 2024 as “nothing short of historic”.

“In the 22 years prior, only a single contractor had been blacklisted. The failure to act against non-performing contractors created an environment in which incomplete, poorly built, and abandoned projects became commonplace. This eroded public trust in government’s ability to deliver. Under the Minister’s leadership, and with the CIDB acting decisively, that chapter is now closed,” said the Chairperson.

Mr Badenhorst stressed that this turnaround is more than a statistic. It is a signal that the department, together with its entities, is serious about restoring professionalism, cleaning up procurement and ensuring that public funds deliver tangible infrastructure for South Africans. The CIDB’s action directly supports the Minister’s vision of a department that is a highly effective delivery unit, capable of supporting economic growth and job creation.

The Chairperson said that the committee also welcomes the additional reforms announced by the Minister, including refining blacklisting processes, recovering funds from delinquent contractors, filling key vacancies, and tightening accountability mechanisms. “These reforms, reinforced by the CIDB’s enforcement powers, represent the kind of systemic change that Parliament has long called for,” he said.

According to the Chairperson, there is now a clear message to communities across South Africa that the days of impunity are over. The combination of ministerial leadership and the CIDB’s decisive action is ensuring that contractors who betray the public trust will no longer be allowed to do business with government.

Mr Badenhorst said the committee will continue to exercise its oversight role to ensure that these reforms are sustained, that the CIDB is supported in its regulatory mandate and that South Africans see the results in the form of quality infrastructure that is delivered on time and within budget.

“The committee congratulates the Minister and the CIDB on this important milestone. It represents a fresh start for the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure and a renewed commitment to accountability, delivery, and economic growth.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.