It’s callous to whip up emotions of citizens
WHILE the budget contained some good news, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni made it clear that certain other taxes and levies would need to be raised in order to bolster the State’s coffers.
To this end, he announced an increase in the plastic bag levy from 12c to 25c at the beginning of April 2020. Moreover, he revealed that National Treasury would also be consulting on extending the current levy on plastic bags to all single-use plastics used for retail consumption, including plastic straws, utensils and packaging in 2021. An assessment of the current levy, including a clarification of the tax treatment of compost-able bags, will be undertaken.
We, as Plastics/SA, question who is to profit. The minister’s announcement of the increased plastic bag levy was clearly framed within the context of the green economy and conveyed the impression that the funds raised would be used to mitigate climate change.
If the expected R250 million generated from raised levies is used to boost recycling and grow a circular economy, we would welcome and support the minister’s announcement. However, past experiences, such as the failed section 21 Buyisa e-Bag initiative, have shown that government views the plastic bag levy as an easy way to raise funds to pay for other projects that have nothing to do with the
THE articles on sterilisation of women are very confusing. While it is important to raise awareness of patients’ rights, it is also important to make sure that the facts are presented truthfully.
One woman said: “I was not told that I was going to be sterilised. Nobody signed my consent form. My mother was present with me all the time; she knows nothing about my uterus being taken out. I know for a fact that there are more people. The majority of us at the Hopeville support
MADAM & EVE environment.
Plastics/SA calculates that almost R2 billion was raised through the levy on plastic carrier bags since it was first introduced in 2004. The levy was applied to the manufacturers of the plastic bags, but passed on to consumers.
Buyisa-e-Bag was established to administer the funds by promoting waste minimisation and awareness initiatives in the plastics industry, expanding collector networks, creating jobs, as well as kick-starting rural collection by empowering small medium and micro enterprises and creating additional capacity in group do not have uteruses,” she said.
This cannot be true. There is a big difference between removing a uterus and sterilisation. Removal of a uterus without a patient’s consent is an emergency procedure to save the patient’s life when excessive, uncontrollable bleeding happens during a Caesarian section. If the uterus, which becomes highly vascular during pregnancy, fails to contract and stop bleeding after doctors have tried everything, doctors have no choice but do a hysterectomy. non-governmental organisations. However, the project quickly failed, and less than half of the money raised went towards recycling projects. The rest was channelled into the National Revenue Fund and allocated to government departments.
Despite the lack of government funding, the South African plastics recycling industry continued to record year-on-year growth. In 2018, 352 000 tons of plastics were recycled into raw material, achieving an impressive input recycling collection rate of 46.3% for all plastics. It created permanent employment for 7 800 people and a further 58 500 income-generating jobs
During sterilisation, only a small part of the fallopian tube is cut off if done during a C-section. Sterilisation can sometimes be reversed if the patient later decides to try for a child. It can also be done using a less-invasive procedure where the tubes are tied off.
It is important for reporters to remember that patients do not always understand some of these things. Removal of a uterus is a major procedure that is irreversible.
Midrand
By Stephen Francis & Rico during this year.
In recent years, the plastics industry has made important strides forward aimed at addressing the issue of plastic bags polluting the environment. For example, plastic bag manufacturers agreed to remove fillers in order to produce bags that are fully recyclable.
It is our sincere hope the money raised through the new plastic bag levy will be ring-fenced for the recycling industry and that the entire process will be managed with transparency, accountability and clear communication to all the parties concerned.
Executive director:
Plastics SA
THE first issue I want to discuss is about the inhabitants of South Africa. I have read about one of the leaders of the Khoisan groups, saying Julius Malema must go back to Ethiopia.
The population of Africa is characterised by migrations within and from outside the continent. There were migrations from North East Africa and North West Africa. However, not all the people who live in South Africa, migrated. There are autochthonous populations who mined iron ore.
The iron ore mines in Zimbabwe and Swaziland, date back to 27 000 and 41 000 years. Who mined in those areas at that time? Was it the Khoisan people? It has been said that Swaziland was originally occupied by Sotho-Tswana speaking people.
These Khoisan people, who claim that they are the original South African inhabitants, are the coloured people. They don’t resemble those in some areas of the Northern Cape, Botswana and Namibia. And European settlers’ descendants came from outside the continent of African continent. They do not own South Africa.
The second issue is that of support by the EFF of building nuclear power plants. They marched to Eskom Megawatt Park with a memorandum supporting nuclear power generated electricity plants. For what reason?
Citizens are struggling to have a reliable and continuous supply of electricity while the capitalists are competing to be suppliers of electricity. It is callous to whip up the emotions as a consequence of endless electricity disruptions.
Independent researcher