Springbok Women’s Sevens Head Coach, Renfred Dazel, expressed satisfaction at the end of their two-week Olympic Games camp in Potchefstroom and said all planned objectives had been met at the conclusion of the exercise on Saturday.

Dazel also finalised the fourteen-player roster for their first ever appearance at the Olympics, where their Rugby Sevens participation will start the day after the opening ceremony.

Team South Africa will play defending champions Australia in their opening game on 27 July and will also take on Great Britain and Ireland in Pool B of the competition.

“I am very happy with what we got out of the two-week camp with the only unfortunate part having to tell some players that they were not in the final group. That is always a tough conversation, but in the end I am happy with the squad selected,” Dazel said.

The camp also gave the coaching staff time to further integrate the likes of Sizophila Solontsi, Veroeshka Grain, Byrhandre Dolf, who recently played in the XVs code as well as Libbie Janse van Rensburg, who only returned to action last month in the final HSBC SVNS event in Madrid, following a lengthy injury recovery.

Dazel named 12 players in the official squad and two extras that will travel with the team to France as standby reserves.

Regular co-captains, Mathrin Simmers and Zintle Mpupha are both included as Dazel stuck to the group used during the 2024 SVNS Series. There is a return for Marlize de Bruin also, who missed the last three tournaments of the regular season.

Kemitsetso Baloyi, Nadine Roos, Ayanda Malinga, Liske Lategan and Maria Tshiremba are other regulars that got the nod.

Dazel praised the attitude of the squad during two tough weeks.

“We wanted to train at altitude, on firm surfaces and in good weather. We got all of that in Potchefstroom, with their Sports Village and High-Performance facilities answering all our needs. It was a tough two weeks and I can only congratulate the squad on the way they responded to the challenges we presented to them.”

The team will now enjoy a short break before they assemble in Cape Town on 7 July. They will depart to Montpellier in France on 12 July. They will spend a week in the south of France training against Australia and Brazil before joining the world showpiece at the Olympic Village in Paris on 20 July.

The Team SA squad for Paris 2024:

1. Mathrin Simmers

2. Zintle Mpupha

3. Sizophila Solontsi

4. Veroeshka Grain

5. Kemisetso Baloyi

6. Nadine Roos

7. Liske Lategan

8. Byrhandre Dolf

9. Ayanda Malinga

10. Libbie Janse van Rensburg

11. Marlize de Bruin

12. Maria Tshiremba

13. Shona-Leah Weston (travelling reserve)

14. Shiniqwa Lamprecht (travelling reserve)

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of South African Rugby.

Note to editors: Audio notes of Renfred Dazel can be downloaded here (https://apo-opa.co/4csVraI).

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HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani received a written message from HE President of the Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville), Denis Sassou Nguesso pertaining to bilateral relations and means of supporting and developing them.

The message was handed to HE Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi during his meeting today with HE Rodrigue Ghislain Guessan, Special Envoy of the President of the Republic of the Congo.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The State of Qatar.

Newly deployed military staff officers serving with the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) have concluded a five-day mandatory induction training to familiarise themselves with the peace-support operations and mandate. 

At the opening ceremony on Monday, the Acting ATMIS Force Commander, Maj. Gen. Marius Ngendabanka, said the training was important to integrating the officers, given their critical roles in supporting the Mission’s military operations. 

“I urge you to embrace the values of professionalism, teamwork, and integrity. Remember, your role is not just about performing tasks, but also upholding the highest discipline standards,” said Maj. Gen. Ngendabanka. 

“ATMIS is a multi-dimensional mission with complex operations in a dynamic environment, and therefore your expertise and judgment will be key to supporting our operations,” he added. 

At the closing ceremony on Friday, ATMIS Deputy Force Commander in Charge of Support and Logistics, Maj. Gen. Peter Kimani Muteti, was optimistic that the training had provided the officers with the requisite knowledge and skills to effectively understand the Mission and their responsibilities in advancing the Mission’s mandate. 

“It is important to ensure that the mandate of ATMIS and the follow-on mission are carried forward with the ultimate goal of ensuring peace and stability in Somalia and the Horn of Africa region,” said Maj. Gen. Muteti. 

“I believe you have the knowledge and the tools on your side and that as you deploy, you are now ready to contribute to the mandate,” he explained. 

The officers acknowledged the importance of the training in effectively discharging their duties. 

“The training provided detailed knowledge, which will go a long way toward helping us work effectively and we are grateful for it,” said Col. Dismas Hakizimana, ATMIS Burundi contingent Deputy Commander, who spoke on behalf of the participants. 

Topics covered in the induction included the ATMIS mandate and structure, Standard Operating Procedures, including the Rules of Engagement, the Law of Armed Conflict and Child Protection, civil-military cooperation, conduct and discipline of staff officers and prevention of sexual abuse and exploitation. 

Participants were also taken through civilian casualty tracking and reporting, Somali culture and religion, information and communication technology (ICT) security and explosive hazard awareness. 

ATMIS military staff officers provide expert advice to the Force Headquarters in their respective fields of specialization, including intelligence, logistics, planning, operations and coordination. 

The mandatory induction training is designed to equip the officers with the necessary skills and knowledge to discharge their duties and acquaint them with the Mission’s standard operating procedures (SOPs). It ensures the officers understand the work environment, expected challenges and mitigation measures. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).

Legislators on the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises have tasked the finance ministry to present documentation on the criteria used in granting bailouts to companies in financial crises.

According to the committee chairperson, Hon. Medard Sseggona, companies belonging to foreign investors have mostly benefitted from bailouts compared to companies belonging to Ugandan investors.

“What is the legal and policy framework on which you base to determine who should benefit from your bailouts and who should not? You are helping AYA but you are not helping Sembule who has invested in development of your technology and skills,” said Sseggona.

He raised the concern in a meeting between committee members and officials from the ministry on Friday, 28 June 2024.

The delegation appearing before the committee was led by finance minister, Hon. Matia Kasaija.

Ssegona also tasked the minister to present a schedule of all companies in which government has bought shares, and appraise the committee with details by Friday, 06 July 2024.

He cited companies including Atiak Sugar Factory, the Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort and ROKO Construction Limited.

“We want to know what we have injected, what the worth of our investment is in terms of shareholding, and our level of participation in managing these companies. We must be able to reap back our money,” Sseggona added.

Hon. Timothy Batuwa (FDC, Jinja South Division West) also tasked the minister to appraise the committee on the status of companies that receive tax waivers from government.

“On that list, let us have Bujagali Energy Limited. Year after year, they seek tax waivers and we want to know what benefit government has derived from this move,” Batuwa said.

Sseggona added that the ministry ought to show the monetary contribution of companies receiving tax waivers, to the economy over the last three years.

Hon. Nathan Itungo (Indep., Kashari South County) raised concern over selective release of funds, citing that some universities receive 100 per cent release of funds whereas others receive only 60 per cent by the close of the financial year.

“If you are releasing, release 70 per cent across the board. But if you give Makerere University 100 per cent and then you give Bunyoro University or Kabale University 55 per cent, that is not good,” Itungo said.

Kasaija told the committee that money for approved budgets is released on a timely basis, adding that the releases are based on the cash available.

On queries by the committee about URA’s inability to assess and collect taxes on gold exports, Kasaija clarified that in May 2024, the Minister for Energy and Mineral Development issued a statutory instrument imposing a levy US$200 per kilogramme of processed gold exported.

He added that the level of purity of gold exported was specified to be at 99.9 per cent.

“URA started the assessment and collection accordingly. From 01 July 2021 to 30 June 2023, a total of 65,135 kilogrammes of processed gold were exported and total tax assessed was Shs47.28 billion. Of this, Shs2.17 billion was paid, leaving Shs45.1 billion in outstanding tax arrears,” Kasaija said.

He added that for the period between 24 May 2024 and 27 June 2024, a total of 4,006 kilogrammes of refined gold was exported and taxes amounting to Shs3.114 billion were collected.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.