Author: The Bulrushes

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday authorised the release to the public of the report compiled by the expert panel appointed to review the government’s response to the July unrest. Ramaphosa appointed the panel in August 2021 following a spate of orchestrated public violence, destruction, and sabotage in July the same year. He tasked the panel to lead a thorough and critical review of the security services’  preparedness for the July events. The panel was mandated to examine all aspects of the security response and to make recommendations on how to strengthen security capabilities. Members of the panel comprised Professor Sandy…

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) on Monday said it had registered two more Covid-19 jabs – the COMIRNATY vaccine by Pfizer Laboratories (Pty) Ltd and the Covid-19 VACCINE MC PHARMA by MC Pharma (Pty) Ltd. At the weekend, The Bulrushes reported that the SAHPPRA would announce Monday the names of the latest Covid-19 vaccination to be authorised for use in South Africa. For more read: REGISTERED: SAHPRA has auhtorised the use of these two Covid-19 jabs Sources had correctly told The Bulrushes that at least one of the vaccines was from China. “The registration of these vaccines is a vast…

Eskom suspended load-shedding Sunday at 21:00 saying it made sufficient recovery in generation capacity. The power utility had initially announced that load-shedding would continue through the weekend and end on Monday morning. However, Eskom said it was “pleased to announce that load-shedding has been suspended from 21:00 tonight due to sufficient recovery in generation capacity”. The power utility said the period of load-shedding assisted us in replenishing the emergency generation reserves in anticipation of the week ahead. Since Saturday morning, Eskom said its teams have returned nine generating units to service, helping to ease the capacity constraints. A generating unit…

An Appeal Committee has been appointed to make a formal judgment on whether it is necessary to vaccinate children between 12 and 17 years of age. On Friday Health Minister Dr. Joe Phaahla announced the appointment of an Appeal Committee to adjudicate on the matter between the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) and an organisation called Free-the-Children Save the Nation. Last year in October Dr. Phaahla said the government would open Covid-19 vaccinations to children aged between 12 and 17 years old. Opening vaccination of children of this age group, was in line with then SAHPRA’s approval of Pfizer…

Two fraud suspects, 37-year-old Michelle Pillay and 42-year-old Khatiya Patel appeared in the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Wednesday facing charges of fraud in which Cell C lost more than R130 million. “It is alleged that between 2012 and 2019, Techno Genius Director, Adriaan Pillay (38) and his business partner Mohamed Ismail Adamjee (44), who was a Cell C executive, colluded and inflated rates for IT and network services required by Cell C which resulted in an actual loss of over R130 million,” said Captain Ndivhuwo Mulamu. Further investigations revealed that Patel allegedly colluded and inflated rates for the…

The Presidency has received the second part of the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption, and Fraud in the Public Sector at the Union Buildings. The Secretary of the Commission Professor Itumeleng Mosala presented the second part of the report which focuses on procurement shenanigans at Transnet and Denel to the Director-General in the Presidency Phindile Baleni on Tuesday Afternoon. President Cyril Ramaphosa received the first part of the report from Acting Chief Justice and Commission Chairperson Judge Raymond Zondo on 4 January 2022. The Commission has until the end of February to…

The Tiger Brands Foundation (TBF) has served a record 100 million meals to schoolchildren since launching its in-school breakfast programme about a decade ago. The programme complements the daily lunch provided by the Department of Basic Education as part of the National Schools Nutrition Programme (NSNP). The NSNP ensures that the country’s most vulnerable schoolchildren have access to a nutritious meal every day. TBF Operations Manager Karl Muller said the breakfast programme now reaches 104 schools across all nine provinces in South Africa. It provides nutrition to more than 79 593 schoolchildren a day, with a total of 83 897 beneficiaries. The…

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will find out today if he can appeal against a high court ruling that he may be extradited to the United States, where he is wanted for publication of classified military documents. Last year in December a British high court overturned an earlier ruling by a magistrates’ court not to extradite the 50-year-old Australian to America. After the high court ruling, Assange’s fiancee Stella Moris said extraditing him to the US was “dangerous and misguided”. Moris added: “For the past … two years and a half, Julian has remained in Belmarsh prison, and in fact, he…

An armed gang of 30 robbers shot dead an Eskom-contracted security officer in a brazen attempt to steal copper cables at the power utility’s Klipspruit Customer Network Centre (CNC) in Soweto. It is alleged that the suspects were attempting to steal the City Power copper cable when they shot at an approaching team of seven security officers. Eskom said the shooting occurred on 11 January just before midnight. Recounting for the first time events leading to the fatal shooting, Eskom said Tuesday: “Seven security officers drove out of the Klipspruit CNC to return to their post at Mapetla substation when the…

A day after Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) responded to criticism of having disgraced Bain & Company as a member, the local unit of US management consultants quit the lobby group so as not to “distract”. Business Day reports that Bain South Africa said in a statement that it was withdrawing its membership from BLSA so that it “should not distract from the important work” the lobby group does for the local business community. On Monday BLSA CEO Busi Mavuso addressed criticism directed at the organisation and herself over the stance taken on Bain after the Zondo Commission exposed the company’s role…