Andrew's Journal

World Refugee Day Who is a refugee? A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. A refugee has wee founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. Most likely, they cannot return home or are afraid to do so. War and ethnic, tribal and religious violence are leading causes of refugees fleeing their countries . History On 4 December 2000, the United Nations General Assembly in Resolution 55/76 decided that, from 2001, 20 June would be celebrated as World Refugee Day. In this resolution, the General Assembly noted that 2001 marked the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. African Refugee Day had been formally celebrated in several countries prior to 2000. The UN noted that the Organization of African Unity (OAU) had agreed to have International Refuge...

Suspect behind the murder of Thembisile Yende apprehended and appeared in court David Ngwenya (43), the suspected murderer of Thembisile Yende was arrested in Carletonville by the Springs SAPS on Thursday, 15 June 2017 after following leads and information from "reliable sources". These comes after Thembisile Lucia Yende was found brutally murdered in her office at Eskom's Parastatals Peterboth substation in Springs. Yende was found dead after she disappeared for two weeks without anyone knowing where she was.  Spokesperson from the Springs SAPS Captain Johannes Ramphora said that Ngwenya was arrested in the residential houses of calletonville and it is believed that he was not alone when the crime was commited and that as the police they are working hard to arrest more suspect who were involved. "We believe that the suspect did not act alone and there are other people that we are looking for as the investigation is still going on so it is very premat...

Gauteng Education Department urges parents to keep children at home for their safety   The Gauteng Education Department urges parents to keep their children at home today due to the national taxi strike. For the sake of the safety of the children the Department believes that all precautionary measures should be taken to keep our children safe. The Department has urged all schools to give learners that could not make it today a second opportunity to write exams. We understand that many schools are writing exams but assure parents that children that did not go to school today will be given a second opportunity. The Department has communicated to all school principals to give children that could not make it to school today another opportunity to write at a later stage. In cases where children have made it to school safely the schools are urged to make a determination whether to continue with the exams that were scheduled today, subject to the condition that it is safe t...

MEC warns of increased drug usage among youth in Gauteng Gauteng Social Development MEC Nandi Mayathula-Khoza today warned of the increase in drug use by black youth in Gauteng. She said 88% of drug users in Gauteng were black young males under the age of 20 following hot on the heels of KZN and Northern Cape with 98% and 92% respectively. Mayathula-Khoza was speaking at Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni during the 5 the Annual Ke Moja Awards to recognised 350 best performing life coaches and volunteers who assist school children with drug abuse awareness in schools. “The use of Nyaope continues to pose a problem, with 4% of patients in Gauteng admitting to the use of Nyaope. This is a mixture of low grade heroin and other ingredients smoked with dagga,” Mayathula-Khoza explained. She added that a demand for drugs can lead to a variety of social ills impacting on the health, behavior and state of mind of children and youth, placing them at risk of developing life-thre...

GDE Online Admissions Applications Draw Close The Gauteng Department of Education has to date received 269 676 applications; 147779 for Grade 1 and 121897 applications for Grade 8.  This 59921 higher is higher compared to the same period last year. The current capacity is 342 610 . The Online Admissions for Grade 1 and 8 opened on 2 May and will close tonight at midnight. The department commends parents for heeding the call to apply online and on time, and the significant increase in the number of applications during the last week of the application period is notable. The Department hereby reminds of the closing date of the application period and advise them to go to the nearest school, or apply online by midnight, today. Bulk SMSes were forwarded to all parents who had not yet applied for Grade 1 and/or Grade 8 for the 2018 learner intake As part of the celebrations to commemorate Youth Month, an Admissions Exhibition has been set up at NASREC Exhibit...

Murder case of Themba Ndlozi postponed! The murder case of Themba Ndlozi, a taxi driver who is charged with a double murder of two young residents of Kwathema has been postponed to the 26 June 2017 earlier rhis morning by the Springs Magistrate court. Members of the community in support the deseased and their  families outside the court. The victims, Miss Refiloe Mashime and her male friend Mr Thuto Thekoe were shot and killed in the early hours of 14 April 2017, (Good Friday). This was the suspect's second appearance at the Springs Magistrate Court and is currently out on a R5000 bail. Various political parties, civil society groups and members of the public assembled at the court to give support to family members of the deceased. This heart wrenching matter has devided the community members of Kwatsaduza, that is your Kwathema, Tsakane and Duduza. Member of the comunity holding posters written differnt messages of support . Families of the deceased have e...

Conclusion of the successful GDE Lekgotla The Gauteng Department of Education hosted the 3 days Lekgotla from 01- 03 June 2017 with key focus on ‘ Enhancing the quality of education provision in Gauteng’.   The objectives of the Lekgotla were the following: •   Understand the quality of outputs through analysis of Grades 3, 6, 9 and 12 learner performance. •   Strengthen the implementation of Whole School Improvement strategies and other plans towardsthe realisation of the NDP goals through the GPG & GDE Pillars. •      Using ICT as an enabler to improve pedagogical practice. •      Strengthening monitoring, reporting and accountability at all levels. •      Increasing success in Maths and Language education. •      Creating awareness on Home Education and Special Education. According to MEC Panyaza Lesufi “the department adopted its strategic plan 2015-2020 and a number of s...

MEC Lesufi Concerned About Assault of Educators by Learners at Schools The department is deeply concerned about the assault of school staff members by learners. Schools are meant to be a conducive environment for teaching and learning, therefore it is disappointing that staff members are being physically assaulted and/or threatened by learners. These incidents of learner misconduct undermine the authority of educators. In 2014, ten cases were reported to the Department, while twenty-six were reported in 2015 and twenty-one in 2016. Johannesburg East accounted for a high number of assault cases, with seven cases in 2014, five in 2015 and four in 2016.  Johannesburg North is second, with one case reported in 2014, three in 2015 and five in 2016. The department has a policy of zero-tolerance to bullying or any form of misconduct. Anyone found to be transgressing this policy is dealt with in line with South African Schools Act (SASA), which governs all schools. Learners ...