eGAZETTE SYSTEM FAILURE

• The eGazette has not been available since 1 February, when the Government Printing Works website went offline. Although the landing page is now online, none of its online services are accessible. As a result, the South African Government website ‘documents’ section has not been updated since 28 January, other than to provide a link to the latest amendments to the Covid-19 disaster management regulations for adjusted lockdown level one. The eGazette system has now been experiencing problems intermittently for more than a year.

JUDICIAL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY INTO STATE CAPTURE

• Published on 1 February, according to the accompanying Presidency media statement Part 2 of the report deals with allegations involving:
  • Denel, and
  • Transnet.

COVID-19

• On 1 February, following a ‘special Cabinet meeting’, a media statement was issued announcing changes to the disaster management regulations for adjusted lockdown level one:
  • isolation is no longer mandatory for anyone testing positive with no symptoms
  • the isolation period for anyone testing positive with symptoms has been reduced from 10 to seven days
  • ‘contacts do not have to isolate unless they develop symptoms’
  • full-time learning may resume ‘in all schools’, which will ‘return to daily attendance’, and
  • the one-meter social distancing requirement for learners has been removed.
• The relaxed measures are reflected in amendments to the regulations, which were published on 1 February.

FINANCIAL SECTOR

• The Financial Sector Conduct Authority has extended by 12 months an exemption period intended to facilitate remuneration payments to independent intermediaries dealing with short- and long-term insurance contracts.
• The Financial Sector Laws Amendment Act has been gazetted. Once in force, it will establish a framework for the orderly resolution of systemically important banks, non-bank financial institutions and their holding companies.

Prepared by Pam Saxby