Author: The Bulrushes

The South African Post Office (SAPO), which is under business rescue, has begun the process of retrenching thousands of workers including postmen, drivers, retail staff, and managers. The troubled post office has written to employees and union leaders to inform them of the possibility of retrenchment. The notice of possible termination of jobs due to operational requirements was sent out on 31 December 2023. While the employees and unions were invited to consult, the disclosures made by SAPO, which was placed under business rescue last year on 10 July, paint a bleak picture. The SA Post Office has not been…

eZaga Holdings (eZaga), one of the four fintech providers selected by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), on Wednesday rejected accusations by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) that it paid kickbacks to secure a contract. OUTA has accused Higher Education Minister Dr. Blade Nzimande and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) board chairperson Ernest Khosa of being involved in corruption. OUTA recently released voice recordings of two meetings between Khosa and a service provider representative, revealing how service providers allegedly paid millions of rand to Minister Nzimande and Khosa in kickbacks for tenders. Both Minister Nzimande and…

The fired National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) CEO Andile Nongogo has failed in his bid to persuade the Labour Court to declare his dismissal unlawful. The court decision was delivered by Judge MB Mahalelo of the Labour Court, on Monday, (8 January 2024) Commenting on the matter on Tuesday, the Board of NSFAS said it “welcomes the Labour Court’s decision to declare the termination of the contract of employment of the former NSFAS CEO Mr. Andile Nongogo as lawful and valid”. The NSFAS Board said it “further welcomes” the court’s dismissal, with costs, of the application by Nongogo to…

The alleged “holiday swindler” Francois Swart has been arrested, brought before a court, and granted bail, AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit revealed on Tuesday. AfriForum said the law has finally caught up with the travel agency boss months after criminal complaints were filed against him. Johannesburg – The alleged “holiday swindler” Francois Swart has been arrested, brought before a court, and granted bail, AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit revealed on Tuesday. AfriForum said the law has finally caught up with the travel agency boss months after criminal complaints were filed against him. RELATED: Travel Fraud: Warrant Of Arrest Issued For Francois Swart MD…

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…

Gauteng will attract more investors as a result of hosting the BRICS summit, revealed Koketso Tamale, the Head of InvestSA, in a recent interview with The Bulrushes. The BRICS summit attended by dignitaries from more than 64 countries, including Brazil, China, Russia, and India was held last week from 22nd to 24th August at the Sandton Convention Centre in South Africa. “Hosting this international summit will attract many investors to the province,” Tamale said after the summit. “This is a good opportunity that will position the province as an investment destiny since business people, politicians, and other potential investors will be…

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) on Monday announced that it has filed papers to apply for leave to appeal the decision of the High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Division Pretoria, relating to the Unit’s intended investigation into the affairs of Telkom.  Last month, the High Court ruled that Proclamation R49 of 2022 authorising the SIU to investigate allegations of serious maladministration, malpractice, and possible corruption in the affairs of Telkom was declared unconstitutional, invalid, and of no force or effect. The High Court found that Telkom is not a State Institution and therefore, the SIU could not investigate allegations…

Former president Jacob Zuma, who was unlawfully released on medical parole, was admitted to the Estcourt Correctional Services on Friday morning and processed before he was released on remission of his 15-month sentence for contempt. The former president went back to the Estcourt Correctional Facility early Friday morning, where he was re-admitted, processed, and released as a beneficiary of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s special remission of sentences he authorised in April. Justice Minister Ronald Lamola said Zuma was considered a low-risk offender who is benefitting from the special remission of sentences. Minister Lamola said President Ramaphosa approved the remission of non-violent…

Astron Energy on Monday announced that it has marked the rebrand of its 100th service station as part of the fuel company’s mammoth project to rebrand its network from Caltex. The company’s 100th service station is Astron Energy Greenways in Strand, Western Cape. Astron Energy is set to reach over 200 sites by the end of this year. This will place the new Astron Energy-branded service station footprint ahead of several other smaller fuel brands that have been around for longer. Astron Energy CEO Thabiet Booley said: “We are very pleased with our progress so far, which has seen a…

Kusile Power Station has been exempted by the regulator from meeting strict anti-pollution rules for the next two years in a move that could add 2 100MW to the grid, Eskom announced on Sunday. “The National Air Quality Officer (NAQO) has granted Eskom postponement to meet Minimum Emission Standards (MES) at Kusile Power Station from 5 June 2023 to 31 March 2025, subject to certain strict conditions,” Eskom said. “The postponement application was necessitated by the failure of Kusile’s west stack on 23 October 2022. “The failure limited the power station’s ability to operate three commissioned generating units (units 1,…

Spotify on Tuesday announced a new Original Podcast with Trevor Noah, one of the most successful comedians in the world and a New York Times best-selling author. The weekly podcast will blend Trevor’s signature humor and razor-sharp wit with his global perspective to deliver a unique take on the hottest and most captivating topics of the moment. Launching later this year, the series will also feature in-depth and freewheeling conversations between Trevor and some of the most influential and interesting figures around the world. The new original series will be available on numerous platforms and sees Trevor joining Spotify in partnership like…

Midrand – If variety is the spice of life, then Africa’s Big 7 Expo at Gallagher Convention Centre is the place to be. All kinds of goodies are on display for three days from Sunday. One of the more impressive exhibitions is the Indonesia pavilion, where well packaged products are bound to catch the eye. At least five companies from Indonesisa sent representatives to the expo with various agricultural products that include; noodles in a cup, Arabia coffee, coconut milk, green tea, sardines, tinned snail and more. You may love Indonesian coffee, but not even know it because many of…

Six people – some former employees of the old Department of Employment and Labour – have been arrested by the Hawks for fraudulent Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) claims in the North West. Lieutenant Colonel Tinyiko Mathebula said the suspects aged between 36 and 58 were arrested by the Hawks in Mahikeng on Saturday, (10 June 2023). Narrating events leading to the arrests, Lieutenant Colonel Mathebula, said allegations were that two former employees of the old Department of Employment and Labour and four recruiting agents recruited jobless individuals between 2019 and 2020. Allegations are that the jobless individuals were enticed with promises of…

Business has every interest in seeing universal health coverage in South Africa, but it must be sustainable, and provided in a way that best uses the scarce resources of the state. National Health Insurance , as it is conceived in the bill now approved by the health committee in Parliament, is not that. Indeed, in my view, the NHI envisaged in the bill would leave all South Africans worse off, in a system in which state provision becomes impossible and private health provision is effectively closed down. The system would impose a single-payer model in which the government is the only…

The African National Congress (ANC) National Disciplinary Committee (NDC) on Friday said a written notice of its findings and disciplinary action against Ace Magashule had been sent to his residence. The NDC has found former party secretary general Magashule guilty of misconduct and has given him seven days to say why he should not be expelled from the ANC. The findings on Magashule’s discipline matter were first made public by ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula on Wednesday during a media briefing. Magashule was charged with contravening the ANC Constitution’s Rule 25.17.12 and Rule 25.17.3 read with Rule 25.17.12 and Rule…

Afrorama, a new African encyclopaedia and information platform has been launched on the back end of Africa Day for anyone with an interest in Africa. Afrorama provides a curated collection of articles, videos, and other multimedia content. This packaged, dynamic content includes information on arts and literature, business and politics, entertainment, geography and nature, history, sciences and technology and philosophy from pre-colonial times to the present day. Afrorama aims to combat misinformation, promote a nuanced understanding of Africa, and showcase its true beauty and complexity. Afrorama’s database of African knowledge is curated by a team of writers and researchers located…