It’s a wrap: The news stories that shaped 2022

It’s a wrap: The news stories that shaped 2022

The past year has seen some significant triumphs in the face of adversity for South Africans, with the government taking decisive and bold action in response to both local and international events. These are some of the stories that South Africans followed this year:

reBuilding in The face of natural disaster

In April, KwaZulu-Natal fell victim to devastating floods and landslides. The natural disaster saw more than 400 lives lost, another 40 000 people displaced, and billions of rands’ worth of damages to public and private infrastructure.

However, the provincial and national governments acted quickly to rebuild in the face of the disaster, with R1-billion in contingency funding has been committed by National Treasury for flood relief efforts. With the support of the private and non-profit sectors, the government departments began working immediately to restore services to affected communities, with more than 90% of services restored in under three months.

In addition to the infrastructure damages, the province suffered a severe blow to the economy, with the tourism and logistics sectors severely affected.

This saw repairs prioritised at attractions such as the Mandela Capture Site, Howick Falls and beachfronts as part of the recovery and reconstruction process, as well as work at King Shaka International airport to support air travel into the province

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport launched a project to patch potholes and repair damaged roads and bridges through more than 700 initiatives to be implemented through an emergency procurement process.

As part of the province’s recovery plan, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for the Department of Economic Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs Ravi Pillay said the focus would be placed on resilient sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, and the ocean economy.

TighTening regulaTions on financial crimes

This year saw the South African government taking decisive action to prevent greylisting the global money-laundering and terrorist financing watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

New amendment bills were submitted to Parliament to counter money laundering and combat terrorism financing, focusing on amending the Financial Intelligence Centre Act, Non-profit Organisations Act, Trust Property Control Act, Companies Act and the Financial Sector Regulations Act. The amendments seek to tighten the regulations around how businesses keep records of ownership and will introduce ways to trace the legal standing of individuals in leadership positions.

The government is also looking to amend two other Bills in a bid to combat financial crimes and corruption: the General Laws (Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Terrorism Financing) Amendment Bill and the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorist and Related Activities Amendment Bill.

The new laws are critical to avoid greylisting, says Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana. The finance minister adds that he believes the country can address the shortcomings raised by the FATP by February 2023.

Minister Godongwana says the legislation sends a strong message to the FATP that the government is taking action.

In addition, the way in which the government investigates and prosecutes financial crimes has also been bolstered.

Justice Minister Ronald Lamola announced that a tripartite agreement was concluded among the National Prosecuting Authority, Financial Intelligence Centre & the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigative Unit (Hawks) to fast-track criminal and financial investigations in money laundering matters.

Minister Lamola says an Anti-Money Laundering Desk Strategy has been formulated to cover the investigation and prosecution of money laundering and terrorist financing.

souTh africa exiTs The sTaTe of disasTer

After more than two years after South Africa declared a State of Disaster in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, all restrictions and regulations were dropped in April.

The declaration of the National State of Disaster on 15 March 2020 empowered government to take the measures that saved countless lives in the face of an unprecedented global threat

“These measures were effective in slowing down the rate of infection, easing pressure on our hospitals, and providing the time we needed to develop the infrastructure, resources and capacity to manage a large number of people who became ill as a result of Covid-19,” says President Cyril Ramaphosa.

It also allowed the introduction of the special R350 Social Relief of Distress Grant and other forms of economic relief for those affected by the pandemic.

The disbanding of the State of Disaster heralded the end of a series of lockdown levels that had been imposed to manage the pandemic, which ranged from no public movement beyond essential workers to curfews and mask-wearing.

“The end of the National State of Disaster is an important milestone in our fight against the pandemic. It is a sign of the progress we have made together and a reminder of what our nation has endured,” said President Ramaphosa.

“The end of the National State of Disaster is a firm statement of our determination to live our lives and rebuild our country even as this virus remains in our midst.”

Several Covid-19 regulations remained in place after the end of the State of Disaster, but these were repealed by Health Minister Joe Phaahla in June. The repealed regulations included the wearing of masks, curbs on gathering sizes and border checks for Covid-19. The government’s response to the pandemic is now facilitated by the National Health Act.

decisive action against corruption

This year saw the conclusion of the monumental effort to unravel the extent of state capture and the damaging effect thereof on our democracy through the Zondo Commission of Inquiry in State Capture

Initially slated to take place over 180 days, the hearings stretched to more than 400 days, during which more than 300 witnesses testified. The whole process took nearly four years to complete. This year, the Commission concluded its work by issuing a 5000-page report detailing how state resources were plundered. During the handover of the final part of the reports, President Cyril Ramaphosa committed to submitting an implementation plan to Parliament, detailing how the government would respond to the findings and recommendations of the Commission.

The president has also committed to professionalising the public service to prevent future abuse of power and the manipulation of public service appointment and dismissal processes.

This will include addressing political interference and a lack of transparency and accountability in appointing the leadership of state-owned companies.

The government has also invested significantly in strengthening law enforcement agencies. The Investigating Directorate (ID) was established within the National Director of Public Prosecutions to police corruption, and to date, more than 20 state capture-related criminal cases have been enrolled by the National Prosecuting Authority.

The National Assembly Rules Committee has also adopted a plan to deal with the Commission’s recommendations and oversee the president’s implementation plan. Parliament’s plan includes the establishment of a committee to oversee the president and Presidency, enhancing the capacity of members of parliament to hold the executive accountable, adequate resourcing for parliamentary oversight, and a system to track and monitor the performance of the executive on resolutions of the Houses of Parliament.

decisive foreign policy in The face of criTicism

International headlines were dominated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine earlier this year. With intense international pressure to take a stance in support of either nation, the South African government elected to strongly enforce their foreign policy of mediation and negotiation in the face of international conflict.

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the government opted to engage in dialogue and mediation to contribute to the achievement of a resolution. He said that South Africa strongly urged all sides to uphold international law, including humanitarian law and human rights law, as well as the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty.

He added that this approach allows South Africa to make its voice heard, not only publicly but also by the parties that are involved in the conflict.

Despite pressure to implement sanctions against Russia, the government said it had called on Russia to withdraw from Ukraine but held its ground on a cautious and measured response, saying it would first promote dialogue before it considered sanctions.

South Africa’s approach to the conflict was informed by its history, said President Ramaphosa, and that South Africa had attained democracy through a negotiated settlement

“We remain steadfast in our conviction that achieving world peace through negotiation, and not force of arms, is indeed attainable. This is a principle on which we have been consistent since the advent of our democracy and which remains an important part of our foreign policy orientation,” he said.