Author: Agency

Four of South Africa’s State Owned Companies (SOCs) – Transnet, Telkom, Eskom and the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa), together with the South African Police Service, have announced an integrated approach towards combatting the scourge of cable theft, battery theft and infrastructure damage. This was announced at an SOC Industry Roundtable on economic sabotage of critical infrastructure. The roundtable was led by chief executives and acting chief executives of the four SOCs, Eskom’s Andre de Ruyter, Transnet’s Portia Derby, Telkom’s Serame Taukobong and Prasa’s Hishaam Emeran. The CEOs and entities agreed on, amongst others, further integrating their security…

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the latest employment figures – which show a decline in the unemployment rate for the second quarter of 2021 – are cause for cautious optimism in the recovery of the economy. The President was addressing the nation through his weekly newsletter on Monday morning. The statistics show a decline in unemployment from 34.5% in the first quarter of 2022 to 33.9%. “Over the last few years, South Africans have had to contend with slow growth and rising unemployment. This has been worsened by a devastating pandemic, an attempted insurrection unrest in July last year, and, earlier…

The Information Regulator has established online portals for public and private bodies to use to submit their Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA) section 32 reports and to register their Information Officers (IO’s). In a statement released on Friday, the regulator said the online portals intend to improve efficiency, as they will be user-friendly and afford quick turnaround time for submission of section 32 reports and registration of Information Officers. “Manual applications will continue to be administered to accommodate special circumstances. However, we strongly encourage all public and private bodies to use the portals because it…

South Africa intends to enhance the teaching of robotics and coding in public schools through the establishment of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Institute. Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said the AI Institute is being established in partnership with institutions of higher learning, in particular the Johannesburg Business School of the University of Johannesburg and the Tshwane University of Technology, which are co-founder institutions together with the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies. “It is essential that we invest significantly to provide our youth with access to modern training, skill sets and formal education. To achieve this, our…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed a nine-member National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council (NACAC), which will advise the President on effectively implementing the anti-corruption strategy in all spheres of society, and provide advocacy and action in the fight against fraud and corruption. The council is also expected to give input on government’s response to the recommendations in the State Capture report, which President Ramaphosa is expected to present to Parliament by 22 October. “The National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council is the embodiment of our united resolve as a nation to rid all components of our society of all forms of crime and corruption…

The Department of Home Affairs has dismissed a senior official found guilty on counts relating to gross negligence and gross dereliction of duty. The official, Simphiwe Hlophe, Chief Director: Infrastructure Management for Information Systems (IS) was responsible for Information Technology (IT), aspects that involve network outages (offline), system downtime and IT capability which affect the Department’s commitment to service delivery and clean governance. Hlophe was charged with: Gross negligence or dereliction of duties in that he certified an invoice of  the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) that included services not rendered Contravention of National Treasury Regulation 8.2.1, gross negligence (alternative…

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI/Hawks) is currently probing at least 22 477 cases with a combined monetary value of about R1.5 trillion. The sordid details were on Tuesday revealed by National Hawks Head, Lt Gen Godfrey Lebeya, during a media briefing in Pretoria. Lebeya, who took stock of milestones achieved since his appointment in 2018, highlighted National Priority Offences. The cases include cash-in-transit robberies; theft of fuel from Transnet pipelines; drug and human trafficking, and corruption. They also include commercial crime, organised crime, cybercrime and money laundering, inchoate offences such as conspiracy to commit crime and incitement to…

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is expected to strengthen the corruption-busting unit’s hand in fighting maladministration, corruption and fraud. This as these crimes become more technologically sophisticated. According to a joint statement, the MOU paves the way for the CSIR to share expertise and skills to “drive research, development and innovation” in the fight against cybercrimes, data science and information. “The signing of the MoU between the two government entities signals a coordinated effort to enhance the use of technology to fight the scourge…

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the new Local Government: Municipal Systems Amendment Bill that he has signed into law, will strengthen capacity and improve ethical standards in local municipalities. The new law aims to improve the lives of South Africans at the local level by, amongst others, ensuring accountability and barring senior officials in local government from holding political office. “The amendments passed by Parliament show that the concerns of communities have been heard and been acted upon. “A capable, ethical state requires a strong foundation at local level, and the new law will go a long way to building communities’…

Deputy President David Mabuza says government is taking every step to make sure that Eskom is supported in its bid to stabilise the national grid and ensure energy security. The Deputy President was answering questions in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Thursday afternoon. The Deputy President is the Chairperson of the Political Task Team on Eskom which was established to bring government’s key players together in order to provide political leadership in the resolution of the problems besetting the power producer. The Deputy President said the task team has achieved several milestones since it was established including: Enabling…

Plans are afoot to build two new universities, says Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande. This follows Cabinet’s approval for the establishment of the new University of Science and Innovation in Ekurhuleni and a new Crime Detection University in Hammanskraal in Gauteng. Nzimande said the process of developing new universities is preceded by a feasibility study to ascertain the demand for new institutions in identified areas or areas of interest. “A feasibility study, funded through the Infrastructure and Efficiency Grant (IEG) to the value of R6 million, is underway to advice on the size and shape of…

South Africa could avoid possible greylisting if it implemented recommendations in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) mutual evaluation report. The FATF commenced its assessment in 2019 and published its final report on 7 October last year. The mutual evaluation report had an adverse rating under technical compliance and effectiveness. It made several recommendations. Addressing Parliament’s Standing Parliament on Finance, South African Reserve Bank (SARB) Governor, Lesetja Kganyago, said the report recommends that all regulatory authorities should subject beneficial owners to fit and proper assessments. Beyond this, all regulatory authorities should verify that directors, senior management and beneficial owners or…

State power utility Eskom says despite suspending load shedding, the power generation system remains vulnerable to breaking down. The electricity supplier said it suspended load shedding as a result of increased generation capacity, lower demand and the recovery of emergency generation reserves. “While we are able to suspend load shedding at this point, it is important to note that the generation system is still vulnerable to breakdowns and load shedding may be required. We therefore urge all South Africans to continue using electricity sparingly, especially during these uncertain times on the power system. “Eskom will promptly communicate should a need…

The National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (NPA AFU) has been granted and served an order to restrain at least R13 million on former South African Police Service (SAPS) Crime Intelligence Head, Richard Mdluli, Head of Supply Chain Management, Heine Barnard, former SAPS Crime Intelligence CFO, Solomon Lazarus, and others. The other accused are Mdluli’s former wife, Theresa Lyons, and his current wife, Vusiwane Mdluli, John and Heena Appalsami of Daez Trading CC, Barnard’s wife Juanita Barnard and Lazarus’s wife, Sandra Lazarus. According to the NPA, the restraint is linked to the fraud, theft and corruption case the accused are…

Eskom has announced that it will implement load shedding from this afternoon after the power utility faced some challenges at several power stations. “Due to a shortage of generation capacity, stage two load shedding will be implemented during the evening peak period of 4pm to midnight this afternoon and at the same time tomorrow. Eskom will promptly communicate any further significant changes. “The delay in returning a generation unit to service each at Arnot, Koeberg and Kusile power stations, as well as the unplanned outage of a generation unit each at Camden, Medupi and two units each at Grootvlei, Hendrina…

Eskom has warned that it may implement Stage 2 load shedding over the next three days from 4pm to midnight. The power utility explained that several power stations are battling challenges which may prompt the implementation of load shedding. “The delay in returning a generation unit to service each at Arnot, Kusile and Koeberg power stations as well as the failure of a generation unit each at Medupi, Hendrina, Camden and two units at Majuba power stations have exacerbated the capacity constraints. “Should there be any further loss of generation capacity over the next three days, or should some units…

Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, says government is focused on improving the performance of Eskom’s power stations and “adding as much new generation capacity to the grid as possible, as quickly as possible” in order to ensure energy security. He was speaking during a media briefing by several ministers whose departments fall under the National Energy Crisis Committee (NECOM). The NECOM – which comprises of Eskom and relevant government departments – was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa during an address to the nation last Monday on interventions to address the electricity crunch the country has been experiencing. NECOM will…

Eskom has met with Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and top leadership from at least 70 businesses on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA)-led session. The session is part of the state power utility’s efforts to find solutions to its ailing power generation issues. During the session Eskom CEO André de Ruyter mapped out the strategies currently in place to ensure that there is enough power supply on the grid. “The purpose of the discussions was to identify initiatives where the parties can collaborate and plant the seeds of opportunity to leverage private sector investment capacity…

At least 14 government entities and departments – including the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) – will come under the sharp eye of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) after President Cyril Ramaphosa signed five proclamations authorising the unit to investigate corruption and maladministration in the entities. SIU spokesperson, Kaizer Kganyago, said the departments under investigation include all of the provincial health departments. “The SIU investigation [into health departments] will focus on unlawful or improper conduct by claimants or applicants in respect to medical negligence claims that were fraudulent, improper or unlawful by any person or entity that unduly benefited…

A former acting head of the Gauteng Department of Human Settlement was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly fraudulently receiving R7 million payments from a supplier in the Free State government asbestos project. This was on Wednesday announced by the Hawks in a statement. Captain Christopher Singo said the 56-year-old suspect was arrested in Alberton Gauteng by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team based in Bloemfontein. He said: “It is alleged that during the period of 2014 and 2017 an irregular contract was awarded to a service provider for the eradication of asbestos roofs by the department of Human Settlement, Free…

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has welcomed the arrest of six government officials in Mpumalanga for fraud and theft of over R60 million. The six government officials were arrested by the Hawks in Mpumalanga for various charges including fraud, theft, money laundering and contravention of section 6 of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA Act). In a statement, SIU spokesperson, Kaizer Kganyago, said five of the accused were employed at the Mbombela Traffic Department (MTD), and one at Mbombela Local Municipality (MLM). The accused appeared in the Mbombela Magistrate Court on Monday. “The officials were involved in over 10…

President Cyril Ramaphosa says it is undeniable that South Africa has made gains in transforming a skewed and racialised economy. “Today, there are well over 300,000 black entrepreneurs who own over half of all small businesses in the formal sector,“ he said on Wednesday. In addition to the progress in management, shareholding and ownership of businesses by black and women South Africans, there has also been substantial progress made in employment equity. “As we reflect on this progress, we must also critically examine areas where transformation has been slow and implementation has been weak,” said President Ramaphosa at the inaugural…

South Africa has recorded four new deaths related to COVID-19, but none of the latest fatalities were reported in the past 24 to 48 hour reporting cycle. According to the latest data, this means the country’s death toll now stands at 101 922 since the outbreak. The Department of Health on Monday reported 880 new cases, pushing the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 4 000 631. Gauteng remains the hardest-hit province, followed by the Western Cape. Meanwhile, the country saw an increase of 10 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 1 102 patients who…

Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy, has published for consultation the proposed regulations pertaining to the exploration and production of onshore oil and gas requiring hydraulic fracturing. The Minister also published the intention to prescribe minimum requirements for the submission of applications for an authorisation, right, permit or licence for the onshore exploration of oil and gas intending to utilise hydraulic fracturing. The proposed regulations and minimum requirements have been published, in terms of the National Environmental Management Act. The publication of the proposed regulations comes four years after the Supreme Court of Appeal set aside the…

At least four people have appeared in the Randburg Magistrates’ Court on charges of corruption, fraud and money laundering related to the defrauding of Eskom during the height of state capture at the power utility. The four include two former employees of digital technologies company ABB, Mohammed Mooidheen and Vernon Pillay and their wives Raeesa Mooidheen and Aradhna Pillay. According to the National Prosecuting Authority Investigating Directorate (NPA ID) spokesperson, Sindisiwe Seboka, the four allegedly cashed in on “gratifications estimated at R8.6 million…by inflating prices” for ABB subcontractor, Impulse. They were arrested in Durban and Mpumalanga and appeared in the…