Cape Town — Warnings of Migrant Crisis in South Africa Were Made Years Ago - Zimbabwean Activists
According to the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, warnings of a migrant crisis in South Africa were made years ago with the body having raised the issue with the International Relations Department and Embassy in Harare, eNCA reports.
The Coalition said that governmental talks and exhanges were not enough to stop Zimbabwe's economic collapse, and that their pleas to South Africa of taking the issue of Zimbabwe's governance to the South African Development Community (SADC) were not heard. The body's statements come after a viral video of Limpopo Health Phophi Ramathuba went viral showing her admonish a Zimbabwean woman seeking treatment and "burdening" the South African healthcare system.
"We warned the South Africa authorities [a] long time ago about their quiet diplomacy and the way there were baby sitting Zanu PF under the guise of umbrella of former liberation movements ... But citizens have been complaining bitterly, we have seen atrocities being perpetrated against Zimbabweans by the Zanu PF government and the South Africa government has always been defending them. But we told them long ago they [will] suffer the ramifications of migration," said crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition's chairperson Peter Mutasa.
The Coalition reiterated its call for South Africa to take the issue to the SADC and warned that South Africa may face bloodshed if decisive action is not taken.
New Driver's Licence on the Cards
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A newly designed driver's licence will be introduced by the Transport Department which will adhere to international standards, TimesLive reports.
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula said that the current driver's licence card is outdated with its introduction in 1998, and the equipment required to produce it being obsolete. "The current driver's licence card and the equipment used to produce it will be decommissioned on April 1 2024," Mbalula said. "However, there will be a five-year period of transition from the old card to the new one. The current cards will continue to be recognised as valid until March 31 2029."
Mbalula added that an average validity period of 10 years for driver's licences in developed nations was significant in the system's replication with regard to their having better road safety ratios than South Africa. "This is an important factor in validating a longer renewal period in line with international best practice," he said.
Motorists in Cape Town Urged to Avoid Hout Bay Due to Protests
Authorities are urging Cape Town motorists to avoid Hout Bay due to demonstrations by taxi operators in the area, reports EWN.
Cause for the protests are allegedly due to the issuing of route permits. Speaking for the city's traffic services, Kevin Jacobs said that traffic officers are responding to reports of violence and cautioned motorists to proceed to their destinations safely by finding alternate routes.
