Author: The Bulrushes
A 37-year-old female Home Affairs official in Upington, Northern Cape, accused of unlawfully dishing out SA Identity Documents to foreign nationals for cash has been arrested and put behind bars. The SA Police Service (SAPS) Provincial Anti-Corruption Investigating Unit (ACIU) arrested the Home Affairs official for alleged corruption on Wednesday, (3 January 2024). The arrest came after ACIU followed up on information that the official was illegally processing SA Identity Documents for undocumented foreign nationals in Upington for a fee. SAPS Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Sergio Kock said: “The police executed a successful action and caught the suspect red-handed at her office.…
The Chairperson of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) Board Ernest Khosa on Friday dismissed suggestions of corruption levelled against him and Higher Education, Science, and Innovation Minister Dr. Blade Nzimande. Khosa was responding to accusations of graft made by Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) on Thursday regarding NSFAS service provider tenders and demands for him and Minister Nzimande to resign. Responding to the accusations and demands, cit “has noted with outrage” a statement by the OUTA, calling for the resignation of Minister Nzimande and the Chairperson of the NSFAS Board Khosa. “Subsequent to the statement, OUTA circulated a…
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) on Thursday called for the resignation of Higher Education and Training Minister Dr. Blade Nzimande and Ernest Khosa, chairperson of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) board. “If they don’t resign, we call on President Cyril Ramaphosa to fire them immediately,” Rudie Heyneke, OUTA Investigations Manager, declared in a lengthy statement posted on “X”, formerly known as Twitter. OUTA said it has voice recordings of two meetings between Khosa and a representative of a service provider, which it alleged reveals how service providers allegedly paid millions of rand in kickbacks to Dr. Nzimande…
The Home Affairs system that crashed earlier Thursday has been restored. The Department of Home Affairs said late Thursday said the system was back online from midday today and services were available to citizens and other clients. RELATED: SA Home Affairs Services Temporarily Unavailable Due To Technical Problems – The Bulrushes “Technicians from the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) are monitoring the system to ensure that the solution is sustainable.Further updates will be provided where necessary,” said Siya Qoza, head of communications in the Department of Home Affairs. “The Department thanks citizens and clients for their patience.”
The Department of Home Affairs on Thursday announced that its services were “temporarily unavailable”. In a terse statement, the department said it “wishes to regrettably alert citizens that its services are not available at the moment due to a technical problem on the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) mainframe, which affects access to the National Population Register”. Siya Qoza Head of Communications in the Department of Home Affairs added: “We have contacted SITA and have been assured that its technicians and engineers are attending to the matter. “We hope that this will not take long to be resolved. “We will…
Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) is probing a recent incident at OR Tambo International Airport in which a passenger’s baggage was tampered with and possessions stolen. Late on Wednesday, the airports company’s regional general manager of OR Tambo International Airport, Jabulani Khambule, said: “ACSA is currently cooperating with the relevant airline and baggage handling company to ensure the incident is thoroughly investigated and the perpetrators are brought to book immediately”. Khambule added: “I would like to remind our customers that ACSA has a zero-tolerance approach to criminality and any forms of illegal behaviour by any airport staff, whether they are directly…
On Wednesday, (4 October 2023), Kagiso Capital in collaboration with Kagiso Trust and the FirstRand Empowerment Foundation will host a seminar on the efficacy of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE). The seminar in Sandton will held under the theme “Beyond the Façade – The Bittersweet Reality of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment”. B-BBEE has been a pivotal policy instrument in addressing historical inequalities and the transformation of black ownership and participation in the economy. Organisers said the challenge was the discussion on B-BBEE impact, progress, and potential improvement remains a polarising issue. The seminar will provide a platform for open, data…
South Africa is a global innovation hotspot in need of aid; this week, we’ll look at how specific companies are boosting their commitment to innovation, as well as how innovation is assisting them in dealing with economic insecurity. What does the future of economic growth based on innovation look like? This is a vital question for the development of businesses that may help address some of the most pressing issues on a continent. According to the Boston Consulting Group’s 2023 Most Innovative Companies study, 83% of African executives consider innovation to be a top-three priority this year, a 21% increase…
Postbank says it has fully restored ATM access for social grant beneficiaries a day after the system experienced a glitch. The glitch prevented South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) withdrawals on Tuesday. “This means that SASSA customers using the Postbank SASSA Gold Cards can now immediately access their social grants money via ATMs and Post Office branches,” said Dr. Bongani Diako, Postbank spokesperson on Wednesday. “SASSA social grants customers using Postbank SASSA Gold Cards and all stakeholders are advised that the technical difficulty that intermittently affected SASSA grants customers’ ability to perform withdrawals yesterday has been resolved for all ATM…
All eyes are on the Public Protector South Africa’s office where suspended Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane says she will return to work because she says her suspension ended with the conclusion of the Section 194 Enquiry into her fitness to hold office. RELATED: Section 194 Enquiry Draft Report Finds Advocate Mkhwebane ‘Incompetent’ – The Bulrushes However, President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday informed public protector, Advocate Mkhwebane, that she can not return to work as she remains suspended. Advocate Mkhwebane said in a post on X that she intended to return to work this morning, Tuesday (5 September 2023), because she said her suspension…