Statement on the Cabinet Meeting of 23 May 2018

Cabinet met on Wednesday, 23 May 2018, at Tuynhuis, Cape Town.olIssues In The Environment1.1 Gender Based Violence (GBV)Cabinet strongly condemns the violence against women and children.

The most recent cases of Nonkululeko Mpanza and Nompumelelo Mhlongo in Thokoza, Ekurhuleni Katlego Joja, in Mamelodi, Tshwane Promise Mthembu in KwaZulu Natal and Jabulile Nhlapo, the Unisa student brings into sharp focus the level of violence that threatens the lives of our women and children.Cabinet expresses its deepest condolences to the families and friends of these women and children.

The issue of crime against women and children requires all of us to actively be involved in fighting it.Cabinet continues to strengthen law enforcement agencies in the fight to stop gender based violence.

Amongst the bills approved in this last cabinet is the Criminal Procedure Amendment Bill of 2018, which amends the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977. The Bill will extend the list of sexual offences in respect of the prosecution and significantly it will allow the sexual cases to go before Courts even after 20 years. These interventions add to a number of measures that government has already put in place.

A total of fifty four Thuthuzela Care Centers across the country, have been opened to serve as a one stop facility to reduce secondary victimization and reduce the time of finalizing sexual cases.1.

2 Government has set up seventy five dedicated Sexual Offences Courts so as to deal decisively with sexual violence against women. Furthermore the South African Police have established one thousand and forty seven dedicated facilities for victims at police stations countrywide to accommodate and assist victims of GBV1.3 Child Protection Week will be held from 27 May to 2 June 2018, Cabinet calls on parents, guardians and communities to work with law-enforcement agencies to protect our children.

Cabinet reiterates that if you suspect your child is missing you must immediately report to your nearest police station.1.

4 We must work together as a peace-loving and law-abiding society to tackle all crimes against women and children. Cabinet calls on those aware of any crimes against children to contact the toll- free Childline on 0800 055555 or Crime Stop on 086 0010111. If you are a woman in distress or if you are aware of a woman in distress, the GBV Command Centres toll-free number is 0800 428428 or (O800 GBV GBV).

1.5 Cabinet calls on all of us to work together to do more to prevent violence against women and children, support survivors of abuse and bring perpetrators to justice. It is the duty of everyone to report those who hurt, exploit and abuse women and children so that the perpetrators can be arrested and convicted.

Economy Cabinet welcomes the positive growth in employment of two hundred and six thousand jobs reflected in the first quarter of 2018, from the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA). The upswing in employment was driven by increases in six of the ten industries.

The unemployment rate amongst our young people however remains high at 52.4 % with an absorption rate of only 12.2 %. Cabinet calls on sectors of society to continue to pull together to tackle youth unemployment.

In the spirit of Thuma Mina inspired by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his maiden State of the Nation Address in February 2018, Cabinet calls on all South Africans, in particular the private sector, to help create jobs and invest locally so that more South Africans can be drawn into the economy.EnergyCabinet welcomes as a milestone the launch of the Xina Solar One Concentrated Solar Power Project in the Northern Cape.

It is one of seven Concentrated Solar Power Projects under the Department of Energys Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP).The Xina...