Pretoria - No changes will be made to South African public holidays until the matter receives due consideration from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Presidency has said.
This follows reports about the recommendations of the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities, relating to public holidays.
The commission has reportedly recommended that South Africa scrap Family Day, Boxing Day and the Day of Reconciliation. It wants public holidays to be more inclusive.
“Considering the fact that the recommendations of the Commission may result in the amendment of the Public Holidays Act, 1994, which is administered by the Department of Home Affairs, the recommendations of the Commission were forwarded to the Minister of Home Affairs for further consideration,” said the Presidency.
Meanwhile, the Presidency said it has not yet received the Protection of State Information Bill. The Bill was passed in the National Assembly last week by an overwhelming majority. “The President will attend to it when it is referred to the Presidency by Parliament.”
On media reports that the Zimbabwean government had requested a loan from South Africa to fund the upcoming elections in that country, the Presidency said any such request would need to be channelled through to SADC which would discuss and provide direction on what the region should do to support Zimbabwe.
President Jacob Zuma has also noted weekend reports of untenable conditions in some schools. The SABC reported on poor sanitation and lack of ablution facilities at Maqhingendoda High School in Ulundi, KwaZulu-Natal and the Sunday Times reported on two schools, Nyangelizwe Senior Secondary and Ntapane Junior Secondary schools in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape.
“The President has directed the Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation in the Presidency to look into the matter and advise him on what is being done to change the situation in the three schools.” – SAnews.gov.za
