Market related package. National manufacturing company needs an experienced Machine Setter who also has mechanical maintenance skills. Will set, run and maintain machines, oversee quality control of product, supervise relevant staff on shift, do maintenance on machines/equipment and around the plant as required. Experience working in packaging / plastics a plus. Shift work. Matric / N3 minimum. Contact Scott 0117041302
Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Barbara Creecy on Tuesday welcomed back a group of 45 Working on Fire (WoF) crew and their senior managers, who spent almost 30 days fighting fires at the Province of Alberta in Western Canada.
The team had been deployed to assist in combating the huge Chuckegg fire which burnt more than 350 000ha since May 2019, following a request by the Canadian Inter-Agency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC).
“What is most heartening to hear, is that because of your efforts, the boundary line remained unbreached by the fire. You stood with 1 180 firefighters from all over Canada, Mexico and the USA and said: ‘This far and no further,'” Creecy said in a statement.
The team left South Africa on June 24 to assist the Province of Alberta to combat its wildland fires. The situation was so severe that evacuation was effected in high-level and surrounding hamlets. Seven homes were lost in the fire and fortunately, there was no loss of life.
“This was a mammoth operation that the Canadians could not handle on their own, hence we lent a hand.”
Cooperation agreement
The South African Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries has a memorandum of understanding with the Canadian Department of Natural Resources, in terms of which either country may request urgent support from the other with regards to wildfire management.
This was the third successful deployment between Canada and South Africa, bespeaking the importance of heightened cooperation and resource sharing agreements put in place by the international firefighting community, Creecy said.
The SA firefighters who helped douse flames in Canada. (Supplied: GCIS)
Subsequent to the receipt of the request, Working on Fire identified two 20-person Type 1 firefighting teams (based on experience, fitness and disciplinary record within the programme). The selections included firefighters who had experience in overseas deployment and those who had not yet had an opportunity to serve on overseas assignments. The 40 firefighters, of which 12 (30%) were women, came from all nine provinces in South Africa.
“The camaraderie built through your morning Working on Fire parade, will stand you in good stead in years to come. Almost all of you have reported benefiting greatly from the exposure to new techniques, approaches, equipment and the novelty of fighting underground fires,” said Creecy.
Internationally renowned
Working on Fire is an internationally renowned programme for its Integrated Fire Management services, which include creating fire awareness, proactively putting fire-preventative measures in place (such as prescribed burns and fuel-load reduction), veld and forest fire suppression, and rehabilitation of burnt areas.
The programme was launched in 2003 as part of the government’s drive to create jobs and alleviate poverty. It is one of several programmes in the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries that are implemented through the government’s Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). The EPWP has been the primary vehicle through which the department has delivered on its job creation mandate while protecting the environment.
It is through the Working on Fire programme that the government continues to protect both plantation and indigenous forests. It is the same programme that played a significant role in putting down devastating fires on the Garden Route over the past two years.
The firefighters are recruited from marginalised communities and trained in fire awareness and education, prevention and fire-suppression skills. They are trained as veld and forest firefighters and are stationed in more than 200 teams throughout South Africa.
GET THE NEWS at your fingertips and download the News24 app for Android here now. Get it for your iPhone here.
KEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE newsletter.
– FOLLOW News24 on Twitter
PRETORIA, Tuesday, 30 July 2019 – To date, the response from South Africa has been great, with over 6 million logins, almost 1.3 million returns requested, and over 1 million returns submitted, of which 900 000 are for the 2019 tax year.
By 29 July 2019, SARS had paid R5.5 Billion, with an average turn-around of 7 days for taxpayers that had not been selected for audits, and 21 days for those selected for audits.
SARS also wishes to reiterate that when we opened the latest Filing Season on 1 July 2019, predominantly for electronic filing via its eFiling and Mobile Application platforms, the purpose was to make things easier for taxpayers.
In our endeavour to ensure a smooth service, while maintaining cyber security protocols and staying abreast of technology, various changes were introduced this tax filing season for taxpayer’s convenience. These include the following:
Enhanced co-browsing to enable SARS call centre agents, to assist and guide taxpayers with return completion.
SARS has noted the dissatisfaction expressed by a few taxpayers over technical glitches encountered while trying to submit their tax returns.
SARS acknowledges that while many taxpayers have experienced a smooth service, some have experienced difficulties with logging in, not receiving one-time pins, the inability to upload supporting documents, data issues impacting filing, including assessments and tax calculator results.
SARS takes these issues very seriously, and all efforts have been made to resolve them expeditiously and minimize the impact on compliant taxpayers who want to fulfil their filing obligations.
SARS would like to apologise for the inconvenience to the affected taxpayer, but wishes to emphasise that this is not the general rule.
The process for taxpayers below the income threshold, which was increased to R500 000, with income from one employer and no other deductions, who still want to submit returns, was further enhanced to allow seamless submission, by presenting a simulated tax calculation based on pre-populated third party which could simply be accepted.
To date, the response from South Africa has been great. In the event of any problems, taxpayers are urged to phone the SARS Contact Centre no. on 0800 00 7277 or email to webmaster@sars.gov.za. It is SARS’ commitment to resolve all enquiries urgently and speedily.
Our client dealing with storage and document management solutions is looking for an EE Credit Controller to maintain general accounting and administrative functions.
Requirements:
Please take note: if you have not been contacted within 14 days, please consider your application unsuccessful.
#SHIFTINTOHIGHCAREER to a well established and highly successful Dealership in Free State who requires the services of a Dealership Accountant Bookkeeper
Minimum Requirements:
Salary Structure:
(Only suitable candidates will be shortlisted and contacted within 14 days)
Please send your CV to joenie@gapconsulting.co.za
Visit our website on www.gapconsulting.co.za
Follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn @GAP Consulting or on Twitter @GAPAuto
GAP Consulting – General Automotive Personnel
SA’s Premium Automotive Recruitment Consultancy
Port Elizabeth – The Southern Kings have released a statement regarding the selection process of their new head coach.
There was an uproar on social media on Monday after a report claimed that former Springbok coach Peter de Villiers was overlooked for the position because he did not possess a Level 3 coaching certificate.
De Villiers hit back, with evidence, insisting that he did possess of the necessary qualifications.
Afrikaans newspaper Rapport wrote on Sunday that New Zealand’s Steve Jackson, the current Samoa coach, was the only remaining candidate on the shortlist to replace Deon Davids as Kings coach.
Other candidates mentioned included Worcester Warriors coach Rory Duncan and Cheetahs forwards coach Corniel van Zyl.
Duncan is no longer wanted by the English club, but he has ruled himself out of contention for the Kings job, while Van Zyl reportedly does not have a Level 3 coaching certificate.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Kings insisted that “only one of the candidates that were interviewed had the required qualifications”.
The Kings, however, did not reveal who the candidates were.
The full Kings statement reads as follows:
The Southern Kings Board has noticed the widespread and largely inaccurate speculations in the media regarding the ongoing process of appointing a new Head Coach for the franchise.
We can confirm that proceedings continue to progress in an orderly, confidential and professional manner.
An interviewing panel was appointed to interview candidates for the Head Coach position and to make recommendations to the Southern Kings Board.
While the job advertisement for the vacant position called for a candidate with a World Rugby Level 3 qualification, as per minimum requirement for all elite coaches, and experience at the highest level, it was discovered that only one of the candidates that were interviewed had the required qualifications.
Notwithstanding the above, following the completion of the process of interviews, the interviewing panel ranked the candidates in terms of their technical capacity for the job.
We can confirm that the interviewing panel has sent their scores and rankings to the Chairman of the Board, Mr Loyiso Dotwana, who intends to present these recommendations at the next Board meeting before a final decision is made.
An official announcement will be made at the appropriate time once all contractual negotiations have been completed.
As previously stated, we continue to treat the entire process with strict confidentiality and sensitivity.
Tshwane Mayor Stephens Mokgalapa and officials from his office are on a paid-for junket to China to view smart cities, courtesy of technology giant Huawei, mayoral spokesperson Omogolo Taunyane confirmed to News24 on Monday.
She said the visit was “linked to the City’s strategic objective to grow the economy by positioning itself as an IT development hub”.
Documents seen by News24 show that Mokgalapa and his delegation left for China on Saturday, July 27. The delegation includes the Tshwane divisional head for private office and ceremonial services, Norman Mohale; MMC for Corporate and Shared Services Richard Moheta; MMC for Health Derrick Kissoonduth; and the group head for shared services, Musa Khumalo.
They are expected to return on August 3.
R120k
Flights, accommodation, and ground transport for the trip are being covered by Huawei, while the City will fork out R120 543,80 for “subsistence and contingency fees” for the officials.
President Cyril Ramaphosa put forward the idea of building smart cities in South Africa, inspired by the Chinese, in his State of the Nation Address in June.
The president also openly backed Huawei, in the midst of the spat between the United States and China over the technology company, when he addressed the Fourth Industrial Revolution Summit in Johannesburg in July.
He made similar remarks on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka in June.
Spy allegations
The US temporarily blacklisted Huawei over national security concerns, amidst allegations that the technology was being used by the Chinese government to spy on the West. Those trade restrictions were eased as part of a trade truce between the two leading world economies last month.
Ramaphosa’s son, Andile, and corruption-accused company Bosasa previously had plans to invest in smart city technology in Africa, along with another tech giant, Dahua, but the plan was aborted, News24 reported in March.
READ MORE: From China to Krugersdorp: Andile Ramaphosa and the Bosasa ‘billions’
A report compiled by the Office of the (Tshwane) Executive Mayor seeking approval for the trip, seen by News24, sets out the details of the Huawei junket.
The itinerary for the jaunt includes visits to the Huawei smart city demo sites at Longgeng and Shanghai, as well as visits to the sprawling Huawei headquarters in Shenzhen. The delegation will also visit a Huawei manufacturing centre and something called the “Huawei Beijing Experience Centre”.
The document states that the trip will have to be declared to National Treasury and the Gauteng Treasury. This is in line with the Municipal Finance Management Act, which says that any trips or sponsorships offered by a provider, or prospective provider of goods and services to the municipality, must be reported.
The document does not elaborate on whether Huawei is a current service provider of the municipality or whether it will be one in the future.
Copy-and-paste quote
The trip also had to be justified because of a moratorium on international travel imposed by former mayor Solly Msimanga in August 2016 as a cost-cutting measure, which meant that all international trips undertaken by City officials had to be subjected to a cost-benefit analysis by the mayoral committee in Council.
The mayor’s office report also notes the Municipal Finance Management Act says that international travel must be limited to events and meetings that are “considered critical”.
Part of the justification for the trip, as per the report from the mayoral office, under the heading “background”, reads: “Huawei has launched an overall Smart City architecture that consists of one cloud, two networks, and three platforms to build the nervous systems for cities… It capitalises on new ICT technologies to address city problems…”
It is a copy-and-paste quote from Huawei’s letter of invitation to the City’s officials, also seen by News24.
Ultimately, it was decided that the trip was justified and it was approved by the relevant municipal authorities.
‘Top managers sit in luxury’
Meanwhile, Mokgalapa leaves behind a deeply unhappy city: bus drivers blockaded roads in Tshwane on Monday morning over a wage dispute, gridlocking traffic and preventing movement in and out of the Tshwane CBD.
At the heart of the dispute between the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) is the upgrading of the municipality’s ranking in terms of the Municipal Structures Act, from a Category 9 to a Category 10 municipality. Because of this upgrade, the municipality is allowed to pay its staff more.
But this applies only to group heads and divisional heads permanently employed at the municipality, Samwu said in a statement. The union wants the salary upgrades to apply to all workers.
“We cannot afford a situation where top managers sit in luxury and pay themselves exorbitant amounts of money while the struggling majority are being taken for granted,” the union said in a statement.
GET THE NEWS at your fingertips and download the News24 app for Android here now. Get it for your iPhone here.
KEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE newsletter.
– FOLLOW News24 on Twitter
Recruit Digital; leading recruitment agency for the Digital, Media, IT & Advertising sectors in South Africa.
Covering both Cape Town and JHB roles, Recruit Digital provides staff for Media firms, Digital Agencies, Corporates, Startups, E-commerce retailers, and all other Internet related businesses.
Recruit Digital fills vacancies within Client Services, Creative & Design, Development & Technology, Sales, Copy-writing, Social Media, SEO, Planning & Strategy, Marketing, Senior Management & Executive positions.
Cape Union Mart International (Pty) Ltd has been equipping South African adventurers since 1933, and is South Africa’s favourite outdoor adventure store. Stocking everything one needs for outdoor pursuits – including hiking, camping, trail running, mountain biking, snow sports, travel and more – Cape Union Mart is an essential first step in every adventure. Cape Union Mart has stores across South Africa, and in Namibia and Botswana.
While we tend to associate ADHD with young children, the condition is also quite prevalent in adults.
According to research published in the South African Medical Journal, up to 65% of children with ADHD will carry on displaying symptoms into adulthood.
And although the condition can be successfully managed through a variety of methods, such as medication, lifestyle factors and therapy, it can still be difficult to cope with ADHD in a work environment.
Poor organisational and productivity skills are often associated with adult ADHD and can have a negative impact on one’s career. Because adult ADHD is often misdiagnosed and the symptoms may differ from childhood ADHD, it will show up in a way that others might view as laziness or an inability to do one’s work properly.
Besides seeing a psychiatrist with experience in the field and taking the correct medication, here are a number of coping strategies that may help at work:
1. Minimise your main distractions
Open-plan offices can be a challenge to productivity for everyone, not only those with adult ADHD.
Unfortunately, large, noisy environments are the reality for many employees. Minimise distractions by asking if you could be moved to a quieter section of the floor, de-clutter your desk regularly and turn off all email and social media alerts while you focus on the task in front of you.
Allocate yourself a certain amount of time for a task – and when the time is up, take a couple of minutes to check emails or social media. Invest in a good pair of headphones to drown out the noise around you.
2. Learn how to plan and organise
Nowadays, email software and mobile phones have all the functions necessary to help you organise your day. Make lists; set up a daily planner; send yourself reminders; make notes on your phone; and set an alarm if you need to remember commitments.
3. Make lifestyle changes
Healthy eating habits and exercise are a vital part of ADHD management. A low-GI diet as well as omega-3 supplements are recommended. Half the battle is won once you’re informed about your condition.
“There’s no reason why a person with ADHD shouldn’t lead a normal life,” sufferer Kim Coppen said in a previous Health24 article. “But you must understand the condition. Then you’ll also understand the patterns, recognise the symptoms and manage them on the spot.”
You can incorporate healthy lifestyle choices at work with a little bit of planning. Pack healthy meals and snacks to stay energised and enhance your concentration – avoid highly processed meals and snacks full of saturated fat and sugar.
You can also make the most of lunch breaks by going for a walk around the block and getting away from your desk.
4. Be mindful of your interpersonal skills
Learning skills such as conflict management, anger management and organisation may be helpful in an office environment where you need to cope with a variety of conflicts and difficult scenarios.
Therapy may help you deal better with stress and anxiety. Your self-image may also need rehabilitation as many people with ADHD blame themselves instead of their condition for failures.
It is also helpful to learn coping techniques when dealing with a difficult situation at work – learn how to breathe and meditate before confronting someone, and allow yourself to leave your desk and first go somewhere where you can clear your head.
If you are diagnosed with ADHD, it may also help to disclose your condition to colleagues. Explain the situation and educate them so that they can be better equipped to understand you.
5. Do what you can, one day at a time
Those with ADHD tend to aim for perfection and may want to do everything all at once. But psychologist Peter Collins says it’s fine to aim for second best and to scale down perfectionism.
Make big tasks less daunting by breaking them into smaller pieces and by focusing on one segment at a time. Ticking smaller tasks off a list can also be mentally rewarding and help you to focus on what’s in front of you, instead of constantly worrying about the bigger picture.
Image credit: iStock
