Daily Podcast – August 26, 2020

26th August 2020 By: Sane Dhlamini - Creamer Media Senior Contributing Editor and Researcher

Daily Podcast – August 26, 2020

Cape Town mayor Dan Plato

For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Sane Dhlamini.

Making headlines: ANC and Motshekga defends reopening of schools, Business body says UIF TERS shutdown unfair to those with legitimate claims and, Cape Town will appeal land ruling           

 

ANC and Motshekga defends reopening of schools

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga called on MPs to refrain from making utterances that would discourage pupils from attending recently reopened schools.

She told the National Assembly on Tuesday there already appeared to be an increase in truancy, while their "biggest fear" was a high dropout rate, which tended to affect impoverished communities.

Motshekga was participating in a "debate on an urgent matter of national importance" on the department's phased-in reopening of schools called for by Inkatha Freedom Party MP Siphosethu Ngcobo.

 

Business body says UIF TERS shutdown unfair to those with legitimate claims

Business for South Africa said that the Unemployment Insurance Fund’s decision to halt coronavirus Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme payments was unfair to those who lodged legitimate claims. 

This comes after the organisation learnt that the TERS payments were halted pending investigations by the auditor-general owing to “system integrity” challenges. 

The Covid-19 TERS payment was introduced as a financial support mechanism to employers and employees. 

 

Cape Town will appeal land ruling           

Cape Town mayor Dan Plato has said the city would appeal a high court ruling barring the city from removing land invaders from public land as it set a dangerous legal precedent that would undermine property rights.

Plato has instructed the City of Cape Town’s legal team to appeal the Western Cape High Court’s order granting an interdict removing the City’s right to protect property from land invasion.

Plato noted that the litigants, the South African Human Rights Commission and the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters, had expressly sought an order that in effect prevents land owners from resorting to counter-spoliation. 

 

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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