Day: March 6, 2023

At least nine police officers were killed and 11 others injured in a suspected suicide blast in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province on Monday, authorities said, the latest in a string of recent attacks against security personnel in the South Asian nation.

Kachhi Police senior superintendent Mehmood Notezai said a vehicle carrying policemen was targeted in the province’s Sibi district. “Preliminary evidence suggests it was a suicide attack,” he said, adding an investigation was underway. There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack so far.

Among the injured officers, three remain in critical condition and are receiving hospital treatment, Sibi’s Combined Military Hospital administration said.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by area, has seen a decades-long insurgency by separatists who demand independence from the country, citing what they say is the state’s monopoly and exploitation of the region’s mineral resources.

Source: Somali National News Agency

The Acting Minister of Public Service and Administration, Mr TW Nxesi, will brief the media on the Members of Nehawu who embarked on illegal actions of blocking entry to government buildings.

The Minister will also brief the media on the labour court interdict of the indefinite strike and the urgent court action set for 09h00 today to enforce the court order issued on Saturday which interdicted the strike.

Source: Government of South Africa

The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, is scheduled to officially open a new Home Affairs office at the Menlyn Park Shopping Centre in Tshwane on 6 March 2023.

This is in fulfillment of a commitment to making Home Affairs services more accessible to people. The new office will offer application and collections services for IDs and passports. Clients will have the convenience of applying for these services when they visit the center for their shopping.

Home Affairs Menlyn Office is expected to take off pressure from high-volume offices around Tshwane, such as Byron’s Place in the city center, Mamelodi and Centurion.

The Department of Home Affairs has signed a mutually beneficial partnership with the owners of the Menlyn Park Shopping Centre. This partnership is expected to blossom.

Source: Government of South Africa

The main priorities that Seychelles is focusing on in its millennium development plans are a modern public service, a healthy nation, modern education aligned with future needs, as well as law and order and environmental sustainability.

These are the main points to be discussed and agreed upon during a meeting to establish the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), which is taking place at the Savoy Resort and Spa this week.

The framework, which is expected to be completed in the coming day and a half, will conclude with the basics of how the United Nations (UN) will be able to assist Seychelles in the implementation from 2024 to 2028.

The UN’s framework will complement the Seychelles National Development Plan, which is currently being drafted.

In his opening address, the Minister for Finance, Economic Planning and Trade, Naadir Hassan, said that “Seychelles is in the process of drafting its development strategies.”

He explained that the various changes in the world including the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, have forced Seychelles and the UN to drastically review their priorities.

“The UN is preparing its strategies as to how it will help Seychelles by aligning its programmes with the country’s needs. We cannot have two different plans that are not in line with each other,” said the principal secretary for economic planning, Elizabeth Agathine.

With the aim of harmonising the two frameworks, the meeting includes participants from the various agencies and government offices in the country as well as those from the UN.

Another aim of the meeting is to gain an understanding of the vision and priorities of Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean.

While the island nation has already done much work to meet the targets such as being front runners in biodiversity and services-oriented SDGs having been achieved, there is still much to be done.

Among the challenges facing Seychelles are the strengthening of the digital ecosystems and the need for a new SDG stimulus initiative with improved terms and lending.

Agathine said that “our strategies aim to look at everything holistically on a national level.”

She added that for the priorities to work, there will also be a drive to develop capacity in the country.

“We are currently working on a human resources development plan to be able to develop the resources we have in the sectors and areas where they can make a difference,” she said.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

Government’s International Cooperation, Trade and Security (ICTS) cluster has noted the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) decision to list South Africa as a “jurisdiction under increased monitoring”, or more commonly referred to as FATF’s “grey list”.

In a statement on Monday, the cluster said Cabinet has considered the action plan and is committed to actively work with the FATF to swiftly and effectively address all outstanding deficiencies.

South Africa was put on a “grey list” recently for falling short of certain international standards for the combating of money laundering and other serious financial crimes.

FATF assessed that the country needed to make further and sustained progress in addressing the eight areas of strategic deficiencies related to the effective implementation of South Africa’s Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) laws as set out in the FATF’s statement.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said most of these deficiencies relate to the implementation of laws. For example, the country needs to be able to demonstrate, among other things, an increase in the investigation and prosecution of serious and complex money-laundering and terrorism financing.

This includes an increase in mutual legal assistance requests to other countries, an increase in the use of financial intelligence by law enforcement agencies, and the effective implementation of targeted financial sanctions.

“Our action plan to address these deficiencies is aligned with the work we are doing to implement the recommendations of the State Capture Commission as outlined in our submission to Parliament in October last year,” the President said.

President Ramaphosa said that like all countries, South Africa is dealing with the shifting sands of globalised crime and criminal syndicates. He added that the challenge facing authorities is to anticipate criminal innovation and to respond swiftly and effectively.

Since the dawn of democracy in 1994, the country has sought to build credible, independent institutions and implement effective laws to deal with complex financial crimes of this nature.

South Africa forged collaborative relationships with transnational entities and global bodies in the financial sector, including the FATF and Interpol.

The country has come a long way when it comes to developing world-class expertise, legislative reform and strengthening state institutions to combat complex financial crime.

“We have restored credibility to key institutions like SARS and the NPA to enable them to fulfil their respective mandates. We have bolstered the powers of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) by establishing a Special Tribunal to recover public funds stolen through corruption and fraud, and an Investigative Directorate in the NPA to investigate serious corruption,” he said.

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced in the 2023 National Budget that additional funds will be allocated to the police, NPA, SIU and Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) to strengthen the fight against crime and corruption.

The President said one of the country’s most effective tools for combating money laundering and other financial crimes is the multidisciplinary Fusion Centre, established in 2020.

The ICTS Cluster is responsible for Priority 7 of the Medium-term Strategic Framework 2019-2024, A Better Africa and World.

Source: South African Government News Agency