COVID-19 STATE OF DISASTER

• Cabinet’s decision on 11 March to extend the Covid-19 State of Disaster by another month was confirmed on 12 March by notice in the Government Gazette.

 

• According to the post-Cabinet meeting media statement announcing this, National Treasury and Department of Health negotiations aimed at ensuring ‘quick access to vaccines for all’ are ongoing.

 

• A ministerial advisory team has been established to further ‘soften the blow’ of Covid-19 disaster management measures on SA’s creative sector, which continues to be ‘hardest hit’ by prevailing restrictions.

 

EDUCATION

 

• On 11 March, Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister Blade Nzimande announced:
  • that funding will be ‘reprioritised’ from the Department of Higher Education and Training budget so that all ‘deserving’ first-time entrants qualifying for National Student Financial Aid Scheme support receive it
  • arrangements for the late registration of affected students, and
  • his department’s intention to conduct an ‘immediate’ review of its ‘student funding policy’, prompted by concerns about mounting student debt.

 

LABOUR

 

• The eligibility of domestic workers to receive benefits under the 1993 Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act was confirmed on 10 March by notice in the Government Gazette, which also
  • urges domestic worker employers to register, and
  • provides information on the benefits available and procedures to be followed when applying.

 

COMMUNICATIONS

 

• On 9 March, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa issued a media statement:
  • confirming the postponement of this month’s scheduled high-demand radio frequency spectrum auction, and
  • drawing attention to the implications of Tuesday’s Gauteng High Court (Pretoria) ruling for:
    • competition in the mobile services market, and
    • ongoing efforts to reduce the cost to communicate.

 

JUSTICE

 

• The South African Law Reform Commission has extended the deadline for comment on its discussion paper dealing with ‘the possible adoption a single marriage statute’.

 

• The Rules Board for Courts of Law has called for input on draft amendments to court rules, focusing on the electronic civil justice system and affecting:
  • uniform rules for the High Court, and
  • the rules for magistrates’ courts.

 

ENVIRONMENTAL

 

• The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries has clarified:
  • the process followed in identifying geographical zones earmarked for:
    • gas transmission pipeline infrastructure
    • large-scale wind and solar photovoltaic energy facilities, and
    • electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure in renewable energy development zones, and
  • reasons for the ‘shortened’ environmental authorisation process associated with them.

 

ENERGY

 

• Draft amendments to the 2012 regulations on the mandatory blending of biofuels with petrol and diesel have been gazetted for comment, among other things:
  • proposing more comprehensive definitions for ‘bio-ethanol’ and ‘biodiesel’, and
  • specifying the standards with which blended unleaded petrol and automotive diesel fuel should comply.

 

Prepared by Pam Saxby