Author: Agency
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…