STATE CAPTURE COMMISSION REPORT

• The Presidency has issued a media statement announcing the availability of an amended report:
  • reflecting corrections made by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo in his capacity as commission chair when the original version was published, and
  • in keeping with a recent Gauteng High Court (Pretoria) judgement granting permission for the necessary changes to be made.

 

INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE

• The Department of Science and Innovation has gazetted draft regulations that, once finalised, could herald the commencement of the 2019 Protection, Promotion, Development and Management of Indigenous Knowledge Act.

 

STUDENT FINANCIAL AID

• Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister Blade Nzimande has confirmed his department’s intention to develop a comprehensive’ model, which will:
  • be informed by recommendations in a report prepared by the ministerial task team appointed last year to explore the matter
  • seek to address the issue of funding for ‘missing middle’ students (those unable to afford tertiary education themselves but with financial means greater than the threshold below which students qualify for government funding), and
  • is likely to take at least ten years to finalise for implementation.

 

MONEY LAUNDERING & TERRORIST FINANCING

• National Treasury has gazetted substantive amendments to the 2002 regulations. In force from 14 November 2022, among other things they prescribe:
  • the information to be provided in a cash threshold report, and
  • the amount of cash above which a transaction must be reported to the Financial Intelligence Centre.

 

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

• In a speech at this year’s Agricultural Sector Education and Training Authority (AgriSETA) annual general meeting, Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister Blade Nzimande confirmed that work has begun on ‘the process of crafting’ a ‘one country master skills plan’:
  • intended to ‘promote a more efficient and effective mechanism for ... country-wide skills planning’, and
  • drawing on information available in the raft of plans already in place, including those developed by the sector education and training authorities.

 

PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION ACT (POPIA)

• The Information Regulator has published codes of conduct approved last week for:
  • the Banking Association of South Africa, and
  • the Credit Bureau Association.

 

WASTE MANAGEMENT

• The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has gazetted a notice requiring:
  • all ‘potential waste tyre exporters’ to register with the department and provide it with information on:
    • the ‘physical characteristics’ of the tyres concerned, and
    • the processing technology to be used by prospective importers.
•  According to the notice, there are insufficient processing facilities in South Africa to manage an ‘oversupply’ of certain types of waste tyres.

 

MINERAL AND PETROLEUM RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT

• The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy has gazetted draft amendments to the regulations for public comment. They:
  • focus on petroleum-related permission, permits, rights and appeal application fees, and
  • propose substantive changes to Regulation 76 (prospecting fees).

 

MERCHANT SHIPPING

• The Department of Transport has gazetted notices calling for input on five sets of draft regulations to be posted shortly on the Maritime Safety Authority website and affecting:
  • crew accommodation
  • dangerous goods
  • constructing and equipping fishing vessels:
    • less than 24 metres in length and at least 25 gross tonnage in weight, and more than 24 metres in length, and
    • navigation safety.

 

Prepared by Pam Saxby