Did you know?
-Stats SA reported that South Africa’s unemployment rate rose to 27.7 % in the first quarter of 2017. This is the highest since September 2003.
-Living conditions in South Africa has improved over the years, according to the 2016 General Household Survey. More households in South Africa have access to improved sanitation, piped water, electricity, health and education, according to the report released by Statistics SA. The report shows the percentage of individuals that benefited from social grants consistently increased from 12.7% in 2003 to 29.9% in 2016. The report also found that between 2002 and 2016, the percentage of households that experienced hunger decreased from 23.8% to 11.8%, while the percentage of individuals who experienced hunger decreased from 29.3% to 13.4%. The national percentage of households connected to electricity supply increased from 77.1% in 2002 to 84.2% in 2016. More South Africans also had access to sanitation from 62.3% in 2002 to 80.9% in 2016. Improvements were also noted in access to public health care, with 71.4% households reporting to have used public clinics and hospitals as their first point of access when a family member fell ill or became injured.
-The South African Law Reform Commission (SALRC) released its report on adult prostitution. The report found that prostitution in South Africa is driven by a complex interplay of social and economic drivers that include poverty, inequality and unemployment. The report advises government not to decriminalise sex work. The public is invited to give their input. Read the report here https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsalawreform.justice.gov.za%2Freports%2Fr-pr107-SXO-AdultProstitution-2017.pdf
-Police currently have 1 045 designated victim-friendly rooms (VFR) at police stations and police contact points all over the country.
-Since 2009, government has built 920 schools through the Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (ASIDI) and various provincial infrastructure projects. The biggest beneficiary of these new schools has been the Eastern Cape, with a total of 334 schools delivered.
-Cabinet has invited the public to make their inputs into the Anti-Corruption Strategy discussion document, which will inform the National Anti-Corruption Strategy. The public can make written inputs through the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation website: www.dpme.gov.za.
-According to the 2016 South African Demographic and Health Survey, some 32% and 42% of women and men, respectively, indicated that they have never been tested for HIV, despite government efforts to raise awareness on HIV testing.
- The results of the latest Non-Financial Census of Municipalities 2016, released by Stats SA, show that there were 3.6 million households in 2016, as identified by municipalities. Of this, 2.7 million (75.2%) households benefited from the indigent support system for water, while 2 million (56.2%) benefited from free basic electricity provided by municipalities. The report also revealed that 2 million (56.5%) indigent households benefited from the indigent support system for sewerage and sanitation, while 2.5 million (68.6%) households benefited from the indigent support for solid waste removal.
- Government plans to connect 22 million South Africans to the internet by 2020 through the ‘Internet for All’ initiative. The initiative is a partnership between the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services, its social partners, and the World Economic Forum (WEF).
-Parliament has issued a call for Written Submissions on a Process to Examine the Feasibility of the Establishment of a “Single Human Rights Body “. Comments can be emailed to the Office on Institutions Supporting Democracy (OISD) at [email protected] by no later than Friday, 30 June 2017