The Cape Town march is part of a world-wide outpouring of hostility against Monsanto, the company that has aggressively marketed genetically modified (GM) crops all over the world.  The global protest, March Against Monsanto, has announced that marches are being planned on six continents, in 36 countries, totalling events in over 250 cities.

In South Africa marches will happen in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town and George.

March against Monsanto Cape Town organiser, Chloe Monteath, says: “We are creating global awareness about Monsanto and many people have indicated they will come out in massive opposition to this company’s activities on 25 May. We will stop Monsanto”.

South Africa is known to be Monsanto’s base on the African continent, having already bought out over half of the South African seed industry and holding absolute monopoly over the soya, cotton and GM maize seed markets. South Africa is the only African country to date that is growing GM crops on a large-scale and the only African country growing GM food crops. World-wide controversy continues to rage over the long-term safety of GM foods.

Small-scale farmers that have formally objected to Monsanto’s field trials of “drought resistant” maize in their local environment are among those who will march. Convener of the Food Sovereignty Campaign and emerging farmer based in Lutzville, Davine Witbooi, says that rural government land has been given to Monsanto to run field trials, while farmers in the area battle for land. She claims that farmers “don’t want this kind of production; it is not good for the environment or for our health. Monsanto came to speak to us after we protested, but did not want to hold a follow-up meeting where both sides of the story could be presented to us”.

Community members and food producers from Khayelitsha will also voice their opposition to Monsanto with an event in Makhaza on the day.  Siviwe Mdoda of the community based organisation, the Coalition for Environmental Justice, said “We want to add our voices to the global action against this company. Not many of our members can attend the march in the city centre and we plan on doing our bit in our own backyards, directed at sensitising the communities on the work of Monsanto and what the role of this company represents.”

South Africans have recently learnt that Purity baby foods containing maize and soya contain high levels of GM. Johannesburg-based organisation, the African Centre for Biosafety, released the results of tests done on seven baby foods and formulas last week.

The results have prompted concerned consumers to use 25 May to take local action against GM foods.  The Clovelly Friends in support of the African Centre for Biosafety have organised a talk by GM expert Glenn Ashton at the Fish Hoek Library. They say: “Our health, our food security, our agricultural integrity and the health of our environment is threatened by the spread of genetically modified crops in South Africa.

“There is an increasing GM content in many of our staple foods.   Most are not labelled which robs us of our right to choose what we eat”.

The March against Monsanto will convene at Kaizersgracht near the Grand Parade at 10 am on Saturday 25^th May 2013. It then moves to the grand parade at 1 pm where it will continue until 5 pm

• The GM food awareness event will be at the Fish Hoek Library Hall on 25 May from 10:00 till 12:00.  

ENDS// 573 words

Contact:

• March against Monsanto: Rean Cloete:076 624 0687
• March against Monsanto: Chloe Menteath: 0714543425
• March against Monsanto: Brent Hill: 072 377 7835 
• Food Sovereignty Campaign: Davine Witbooi: 071 592 2361
• Coalition for Environmental Justice: Siviwe Ndoda: 082 368 5096
• African Centre for Biosafety: Haidee Swanby
• Friends of Clovelly :Kyoko: 076 798 0313 kyoko@telkomsa.net

Friends of Clovelly: Kim: 0754548467 Kim

Follow St Francis Chronicle on Twitter: @stfranchronicle

All articles edited or written, all photos taken plus all adverts designed by the Editor and printed in the St Francis Chronicle are protected by the law of Copyright ©. Reproduction or copying of any part of the contents of this newspaper and its concept and design can only be done with the Editor’s written permission.

Government on Wednesday said such acts were the main causes of a divided South Africa.

This comes after media reports have indicated that the community of Kleinfontein in Gauteng vow that only Afrikaners will live in the area.

Acting Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) CEO Phumla Williams expressed shock and dismay that in this day and age, there were still South African citizens who did not want to integrate into a democratic South Africa.  

“This disintegration is extremely disappointing as it perpetuates the ills of the apartheid era,” Williams said.

Noting that the country had made significant progress in uniting citizens and breaking the racial barriers that epitomised the ‘old’ disjointed South Africa, Williams said all South Africans were governed by a Constitution that catered for all who live in the country, regardless of race and religion.

“It should be noted that the Kleinfontein community benefits from the services provided for by the government and we strongly discourage them from lobbying for the town to be declared independent from the Tshwane Municipality, as this will be contrary to the Constitution of this country,” Williams said

News courtesy of SAnews.gov.za

Follow St Francis Chronicle on Twitter: @stfranchronicle

All articles edited or written, all photos taken plus all adverts designed by the Editor and printed in the St Francis Chronicle are protected by the law of Copyright ©. Reproduction or copying of any part of the contents of this newspaper and its concept and design can only be done with the Editor’s written permission.

Presenting her budget vote in Parliament today, 21 May, Pule said the target is for terrestrial transmitters to reach 84% of the population by December. The digital broadcasting network currently reaching more than 80% of South Africans,

 To cover the remaining 16% gap, Sentech would launch a Direct-To-Home satellite broadcasting service, she said.  This service will provide TV and radio coverage to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and all other areas where there is no DTT signal.

The Minister intends issuing a policy directive to Icasa this year to compel the authority to put out regulation on the market definition for wholesale access to premium TV content which would address market competition.

Pule said her department had also finalised the subsidy plan for poor households, supported by the qualifying criteria, to obtain digital television. “We are ready to implement the Set-Top Box (STB) manufacturing strategy which requires 30 percent local content as part of the electronic industry development.”  

Icasa ( Independent Communications Authority of South Africa) has finalised the broadcasting regulations and Pule said she would shortly release a notice in the Government Gazette setting the performance period for digital migration switch on.  The Department of Communications will next month (June) launch the STB compliance lab in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry and the SA Bureau of Standards (SABS). 

“We have taken a decision to review the policy on the STB control system as one way of fast tracking the rollout of DTT to make this system non-mandatory,” she said adding that her department will also intensify its communication campaigns to inform and educate the public about the need for DTT.

 In a media briefing following her budget vote speech, Pule said she had asked for further contributions from the Fiscus in order to fund such a campaign and to also help fund young people to develop new content as well as those that will install STBs and to fund call centre agents that are expected to assist South Africans with digital migration. 

She said the department would need about R8 billion over the next three years to cover digital migration and meet the International Telecommunications Union deadline of June 17, 2015.

 In her budget vote speech Pule, who serves as the chairperson of SIP 15, said her department is finalising a project action plan that has connectivity targets for public facilities such schools, health centres, government offices, libraries and police stations. 

Earlier this month, her department closed the public consultation phase on the New Broadband Policy and her department is now preparing to take this policy to the cabinet next month. The finalisation of the policy will pave the way for the Icasa to licence the much sought after 2.6 Gigahertz and 800 Megahertz, including the extended digital dividend.

This year the department will finalise the Icasa Amendment Bill which empowers the authority to enforce compliance and monitor radio frequency spectrum resources and postal regulation. 

Pule said she will issue a policy directive to Icasa to compel cellphone operators to publish transparent pricing of services such as SMS, voice, and data. “This policy measure will also ensure that competition is strengthened in the telecommunications market.” 

 She added that the lowering of the mobile termination rates from R1.25 a minute in 2010 to 40c from March 2013 represents a significant milestone in reducing the cost to communicate. Mobile Termination rates are the charges which one telecommunications operator charges to another for terminating calls on its network.

For example, a customer of T-Mobile wishes to call a friend who has a Vodafone mobile. T-Mobile will charge the customer a fee per minute (the retail charge) for this call. Vodafone will charge T-Mobile a fee for terminating the call on its network. This termination rate therefore forms part of T-Mobile’s cost of providing the call to its customer.

  Pule said she is concerned about governance arrangements at the SABC and would be consulting with the Parliament’s portfolio committee on communications to explore an urgent review and amendment to the Broadcasting Act.

News source: SAnews.gov.za

Follow St Francis Chronicle on Twitter: @stfranchronicle

All articles edited or written, all photos taken plus all adverts designed by the Editor and printed in the St Francis Chronicle are protected by the law of Copyright ©. Reproduction or copying of any part of the contents of this newspaper and its concept and design can only be done with the Editor’s written permission.

United States President Barack Obama will visit South Africa as part of his Africa tour next month.

The visit, which will also take him to Senegal and Tanzania, is scheduled from June 26 – 3 July 2013.

In a statement, the White House said Obama would use his visits to reinforce the importance that the US places on growing ties with countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Obama’s visit will also focus on expanding economic growth, investment, and trade; strengthening democratic institutions and investing in the next generation of African leaders, said his office.

“The trip will underscore the President’s commitment to broadening and deepening cooperation between the United States and the people of sub-Saharan Africa to advance regional and global peace and prosperity,” said the White House.

According to the statement, Obama, who will be accompanied by his wife, is looking forward to the visit, which will see them meeting with a wide array of leaders from government, business and civil society, including youth, to discuss the US’s strategic partnerships on bilateral and global issues. 

This is Obama’s second visit to the region since taking office in 2009. He has been to Ghana, while his wife and children visited South Africa in 2011.

News courtesy of SAnews.gov.za 

Follow St Francis Chronicle on Twitter: @stfranchronicle

All articles edited or written, all photos taken plus all adverts designed by the Editor and printed in the St Francis Chronicle are protected by the law of Copyright ©. Reproduction or copying of any part of the contents of this newspaper and its concept and design can only be done with the Editor’s written permission.

or email: stfrancisc@yahoo.co.uk
All names will be put in a bowl and the first name to be draw will win two tickets. The competition will close at 12 noon tomorrow so get your entries in now!!

Follow St Francis Chronicle on Twitter: @stfranchronicle

All articles edited or written, all photos taken plus all adverts designed by the Editor and printed in the St Francis Chronicle are protected by the law of Copyright ©. Reproduction or copying of any part of the contents of this newspaper and its concept and design can only be done with the Editor’s written permission.

Mixed reactions have been forthcoming following the 4 hour march and demonstration by about 200 residents on the R330, the only access road to St Francis Bay, in which motorists were prevented from entering or leaving the St Francis area on 18 May.

Representatives from the departments of Public Works and Transport are expected in Sea Vista tomorrow to hold the first of a series of meetings with community leaders to find ways on how to remedy the grievances experienced by residents in this area.

The march organisers were satisfied with getting a response to their demonstrations in which they burnt rubber tyres and branches and formed three barricades between the Sand River bridge and the rubbish tip. But not everyone was happy with the march. Some St Francis Bay residents were upset, venting thier comments on FB.

Organisers though believe the march, which was held to protest lack of housing and poor service delivery  was successful in that residents have now been taken seriously. They say they were not taken seriously by the government when they peacefully marched 5 kms to Cape St Francis to deliver their grievances at the home of their Ward Councillor.

Organisers now hope the government representatives will commit themselves to assisting Sea Vista residents in improving their living conditions. The meeting tomorrow follows a two-hour meeting after the march held in the Sea Vista hall. Present were Kouga Mayor, Booi Koerat, the MEC for Education, Mandla Makapula  and community leaders.

While 80% of the  marchers demonstrated peacefully, there was a small, unruly element that had to continually be brought in line by the organisers. The former took it upon themselves to stone the fire engine that came to put out the fires at the barricades, plus some road signs were pulled down and damaged.

According to Mfundo Mbele, media liaison at Kouga municipality several issues were raised at the meeting in the post march meeting in the Sea Vista hall on 18 May.

“The main issue was lack of housing. Residents of the Kosovo and Zwelitsha informal settlements want their dwellings to be made formal plots in order for them to receive service like residents in formal dwellings. The land they are occupying belongs to the Department of Public Works.

“Though initially there was a dispute between the provincial and the national spheres as it relates to the ownership of the land, both the Minister Thulas Nxesi and MEC Thandiwe Marau have agreed that they will facilitate the transfer of the land for the municipality to start with the necessary processes.

“The municipality will, this week, put up six new communal taps and four chemical toilets in the area. The municipality has committed itself to facilitating the various meetings and responses between the community and the various departments.”

Mfundo also says that other issues raised at Sea Vista meeting included the reported damage to signboards at the entrance of St Francis Bay and that some of them are missing.

Then the issue of sufficient and proper scholar transport was raised.  Education MEC Mandla Makapula, will be meeting with the community leaders to discuss the issue of inadequate scholar transport.

Another issue was that of police brutality. “The station commander for St Francis Bay, Captain Kieviet will bring forward names of police officers who are alleged to be abusive to people in Sea Vista, whether verbally or physically,” Mfundo added.

Yesterday, 20 May, the St Francis Bay Residents’ Association (SFBRA) made an appeal to the residents of Sea Vista: “While we are supportive of their plight we are totally opposed to any form of protest which involves damage to property, such as the stoning of our one and only fire engine, the burning of street signs, and damaging of roads,” the SFBRA said in a statement. “We also appeal to people not to carry dangerous weapons and most importantly to take into consideration the affect they are having on other residents in St Francis.

“A number of residents missed flights out of Port Elizabeth as well as doctors’ appointments and one resident and his wife of Sea Vista were unable to get to Humansdorp where their son is gravely ill.

“As recently as last Tuesday, we presented concerns about the 2013/14 budget at a full council meeting and also reiterated concerns about the appalling conditions under which residents of Sea Vista have to live. We appeal to those that organised this march to take the above into consideration when considering any future service delivery action.   We also appeal to the residents of Sea Vista to work with us to improve their plight.”

Several St Francis Bay residents criticised the damage to property while others felt sorry for Sea Vista residents and understood their anger. Other residents were upset their plans and appointments for out of town that morning had to be cancelled.

(edited)

See: original articles and photos of the march and demonstration:

http://stfrancischronicle.com/2013/05/18/sea-vista-marchers-block-entrance-to-st-francis-bay/

http://stfrancischronicle.com/2013/05/18/sea-vista-marchers-dispersing-and-vacating-the-r330/

Follow St Francis Chronicle on Twitter: @stfranchronicle

 All articles edited or written, all photos taken plus all adverts designed by the Editor and printed in the St Francis Chronicle are protected by the law of Copyright ©.  Reproduction or copying of any part of the contents of this newspaper and its concept and design can only be done with the Editor’s written permission.

Jordy Smith of Cape Town, South Africa (pictured) has won the Billabong Rio Pro defeating Adriano De Souza of Brasil in the final on Sunday May 19, 2013. Smith’s result today sees him jump into the World No. 2 position on the ASP ratings.
CREDIT: ASP/ Kirstin
PHOTOGRAPHER: Kirstin Scholtz

Follow St Francis Chronicle on Twitter: @stfranchronicle

Jordy Smith of Cape Town, South Africa (pictured) celebrates his victory at the Billabong Rio Pro defeating Adriano De Souza (BRA) in the final on Sunday May 19, 2013.
CREDIT: ASP/ Kirstin
PHOTOGRAPHER: Kirstin Scholtz

Follow St Francis Chronicle on Twitter: @stfranchronicle

The provincial MEC for Education, Mandla Makupula, and Kouga’s Mayor, Booi Koerat, met with them half an hour ago. The marchers then agreed to vacate the R330 which they had effectively blocked off  for 4 hours today, 18 May. They were potesting about lack of housing and poor service delivery.

St Francis Bay residents and visitors were unable to enter or leave St Francis Bay during this time as the marchers burnt rubber tyers and branches and formed two baricades several metres apart across the R330 on the Sand River Bridge side of the entrance to St Francis Bay. A third barricade was set up on the Cape St Francis side of Sea Vista, preventing motorists leaving or entering Cape St Francis.

Residents and visitors will now be able to leave and enter St Francis Bay. Clearing and removal of the third barricade outside Cape St Francis is expected soon.

The meeting between marchers and the mayor and MEC was cordial. Everyone spoke in Xhosa. A march organiser translated for St Francis Chronicle and said everyone was now going to the Sea Vista community hall for a big meeting

Koerat told St Francis Chronicle that he will be addressing the demonstrators in the hall. He is expected to be handed the list of residents’ grievances which his office said he never received.

See: original full story:

http://stfrancischronicle.com/2013/05/18/sea-vista-marchers-block-entrance-to-st-francis-bay/

Follow St Francis Chronicle on Twitter: @stfranchronicle

All articles edited or written, all photos taken plus all adverts designed by the Editor and printed in the St Francis Chronicle are protected by the law of Copyright ©. Reproduction or copying of any part of the contents of this newspaper and its concept and design can only be done with the Editor’s written permission.