Author: The Bulrushes
There aren’t a lot of companies that would risk letting their staff speak to the media about their work and how things can be made better to attract bright young people. The Bulrushes was pleasantly surprised this week when special risks insurance provider – iTOO Special Risk – did just that. The online publication was allowed to speak to a diverse group of iTOO staffers about “making insurance attractive to the youth”. It seemed an apt topic to discuss considering it was the month of the youth, besides the staffers were mostly young. They were quick to mention that iTOO was…
South Africa on Thursday said medical experts had confirmed the country’s first case of Monkeypox. Health Minister Joe Phaahla said the patient is a 30-year-old man from Johannesburg “with no travel history “ The outbreak was confirmed after laboratory tests. He said contact tracing had begun. Monkeypox spreads from one person to another through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, lesions or scabs on the skin. On Friday, 17 June 2022, WHO said since the begining of the year, cases of monkeypox have been reported from 42 Member States across five regions of the Americas, Africa, Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, and…
The Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) on Wednesday announced that it has fired CFO Palesa Moalusi, after a forensic investigation uncovered financial irregularities. “The dismissal is on the basis of several financial irregularities regarding the improper extension of service contracts with various third-party suppliers,” said the RTIA. “The charges also entail the incorrect reporting of the company’s performance during the 2017/2018 financial year.” The RTIA said an “extensive investigation” into allegations of misconduct has led to the summary dismissal of Moalusi, the agency’s CFO. “The dismissal is as a result of the findings of guilt against various charges of misconduct…
Eskom on Wednesday extended load-shedding Stage 2 to begin from 10 in the morning until midnight. The power utility announcement that load-shedding “will regretfully be implemented between 10:00 and midnight tonight”. Eskom added: “From Thursday until Sunday Stage 2 load-shedding will be implemented from 05:00 until midnight”. The power utility said a generation unit at the Kendal and another at Matimba, as well as two units at the Matla Power Station broke down Wednesday morning. “This reduced generation capacity by 2 400MW, adding to the ongoing capacity constraints,” said Eskom. There has been a delay in returning to service a…
A female Home Affairs official accused of unlawfully issuing an SA passport to “Lebohang from Bangladesh” has been arrested and will appear at the Benoni Magistrate Court on Tuesday. The official, based at the Home Affairs office in Benoni, was arrested on Monday by the Department of Home Affairs Counter Corruption Branch, working with the Hawks and other law enforcement agencies. “The official is on suspension and her disciplinary hearing is scheduled to take place this week,” said Siya Qoza, spokesperson for the Minister of Home Affairs. “If she is denied bail, the Home Affairs Department will arrange with the…
The much-anticipated release and handover of the final report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into allegations of state capture, corruption, and fraud in the public sector, including organs of state, has been again delayed. The overdue final volumes of the report were to have been sent electronically to President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday and handed over officially today. However, on Monday afternoon Professor Itumeleng Mosala, the Secretary of the Commission said the report had again been delayed. “The Commission would like to inform the public that due to challenges in processing Part V and VI of the Report on…
South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs has moved to clarify that the patrolling of the border along the Limpopo River remains the responsibility of statutory law enforcement agencies. Responding to reports that AfriForum has formed a border control unit – complete with sniffer dogs – to stop Zimbabweans entering the country illegally, the department said it “wishes to clarify the misconception created about the patrolling of the border, in particular along the Limpopo River”. The department said it has become aware of a video circulating on social media and other news platforms that AfriForum has taken over the responsibility of…
A good number of people have a phobia about using public toilets and worry about their hygiene safety when they do so. However, Harpic – a leading toilet care products maker, has moved to make public and shared facilities safer in South Africa. “It is a universal truth that women in South Africa dread using public toilets,” says #HarpicHygieneForHer Project Manager, Masibonge Mkhize. “This truth applies across the entire socio-economic spectrum of women. However, the circumstances of lower income communities are even more severe. “Public and shared toilets in these communities can be unhygienic, unsafe and are typically not suited…
Auditor-general (AG) Tsakani Maluleke revealed Wednesday that financial reporting consultants cost local government R5,31 billion during the previous administration. As many as 70% of municipalities use consultants every year, the AG said. “Financial reporting consultants have become a permanent feature in municipalities’ processes, and the annual cost of consultants doubled over the term of the previous administration, with the financial reporting cost of consultants totalling R1,26 billion in 2020-21,” said Maluleke. The AG made the revelation during the launch of the 2020-21 consolidated general report on the local government audit outcomes. “The lack of improvement in municipal outcomes is an…
AfriForum has launched its “Border Watch Initiative” complete with sniffer dogs to stop Zimbabweans from crossing illegally into South Africa. The organisation said the unprecedented move was in response to a documentary on border jumpers. “The Border Watch Initiative was established following the enormous support the organisation received after the premier of the documentary film Open Borders,” said AfriForum in a statement issued Tuesday by its campaigns manager, Jacques Broodryk. “The documentary depicted how poorly border control between South Africa and Zimbabwe is applied and how AfriForum’s neighbourhood watches in this border area helps to safeguard the community.” AfriForum added:…
South Africa’s elite crime busters – the Hawks – are looking for an errant Home Affairs official who allegedly unlawfully facilitated the issuing of SA passports to Pakistan nationals. “Kagiso Ronny Maboa (38), a Home Affairs official is sought by the Hawks Middelburg-based Serious Corruption Investigation team for fraud, corruption and contravention of the immigration Act,” said Captain Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi
The Department of Home Affairs will on Monday launch a pilot project to ease the passport renewal process for South African nationals living in the United Kingdom. “The pilot project will cover the cities of London, Edinburgh, and Manchester,” the department said in a statement released Sunday by Siya Qoza, spokesperson for the minister of Home Affairs. “To deliver this service, the department is extending its partnership with VFS Global to implement the pilot in the UK. VFS Global will receive applications for passport reissues at its new centres in the three cities.” The department said South African nationals will…
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment on Thursday said it was investigating the source of the stench over parts of Gauteng in the past two days. Residents of Johannesburg have been complaining about “a heavy smell of sulphur that lingers in the nose”. The department said it, “noted concerns about the strong smell and is working with environmental and air quality officials in Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Limpopo and North West to determine the cause of the stench”. The department said it was also probing, “whether prevailing wind and weather conditions have contributed to the smell travelling over a long…
Public Protector Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane on Wednesday said she was investigating a complaint lodged against President Cyril Ramaphosa for allegedly breaching the Executive Code of Ethics. Mkhwebane said the complaint relating to “President Ramaphosa’s alleged conduct, in respect of allegations of criminal activities at one of his properties, was received last Friday from Vuyo Zungula, MP, and president of the African Transformation Movement”. Last week, former spy boss Arthur Fraser lodged a complaint at the Rosebank Police Station against Ramaphosa alleging that he concealed from the police and the SA Revenue Service a 2020 robbery of more than four million…
Former Tegeta Exploration and Resources Director Ronica Ragavan, Pushpaveni Govender – a former trustee of Optimum Coal Mine, and Joel Raphela the former DDG in the Department of Mineral Resources, were arrested and appeared in the Randburg Magistrates’ Court Wednesday morning. Ragavan and Govender are accused of fraud, forgery, uttering, perjury and money laundering of R107.5 million. Allegations are that the accused irregularly withdrew mine rehabilitation funds from the trust accounts of Optimum Coal Mine and Koornfontein Mine in 2016. The two former company trustees were granted bail of R20 000 each, while Raphela was rushed to hospital during court proceedings for medical attention. The companies…
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday hosted visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and launched an “important collaboration” that involves the development of green technologies. “Today we are launching an important collaboration between the Federal Republic of Germany and Sasol around the development of green technologies,” said Ramaphosa during the visit to the Sasol headquarters in Sandton, Johannesburg, with the German Chancellor. “The Catalyst Research for Sustainable Kerosene project focuses on the development of catalysts for green jet fuel. “This is one of several areas of cooperation between companies, universities, and government agencies on the technology that will reshape our…
The Department of Home Affairs has fired Chief Director Ronney Marhule for recommending that Shepherd Bushiri and his family should be issued SA permanent residence permits. Before the Bushiris skipped bail, the wealthy preacher – along with his wife and two others – were accused of money laundering and fraud involving R102 million. On Monday, the SA Home Affairs Minister Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi said Marhule had been dismissed with “immediate effect”. “The chief director who recommended that Shepherd Bushiri and his family should be issued with permanent residence permits, which they did not deserve, has been dismissed from the Department…
Meta on Monday announced the return of its global campaign ‘Made by Africa, Loved by the World’, which was first launched in 2021. The campaign, which is part of Meta’s Africa Day celebrations on 25 May, aims to amplify the voices and stories of people and businesses from across Africa that are impacting the world. Kezia Anim-Addo, Communications Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, said, “I’m truly excited to be bringing back ‘Made by Africa, Loved by the World’ for the 2nd year running. “This campaign is about showcasing the incredible talent we have here on the continent and the African people and businesses that…
Eskom has announced that load-shedding Stage 2 during evening peak hours will continue throughout the week as it battles shortages of generation capacity. “Due to the continued shortage of generation capacity, Stage 2 load-shedding will be implemented from 17:00 until 22:00 throughout the week,” the struggling power utility said in its latest communique issued Sunday. “While there may be instances where load-shedding might need to be implemented outside of these hours, as far as possible Eskom will endeavour to limit the implementation of load-shedding to the evening peak in order to limit the impact of the capacity shortages on the public.”…
The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) has seen positive returns from its Investment Challenge designed to advance investments and stock market knowledge of learners and students. “The Investment Challenge was created to bring financial literacy to all learners and students across the country from all backgrounds,” says Ralph Speirs, JSE CSI Officer. “However, it is remarkable to see our financial literacy outreach touching the lives of people in the most remote parts of the country. “This year, we are very excited to welcome learners from Manamakgotha Secondary from the Northwest Province.” The school is situated about 80 kilometres from Rustenburg in a…
Tech nonprofit organisation Empire Partner Foundation recently held a historic hackathon to tackle youth unemployment in the Great Kei Municipality, Eastern Cape. The two-day youth unemployment coding festival was designed to provide participants with the right mindset, tools, and confidence needed to see, assess and shape opportunities for launching new projects and ventures. Young software developers were guided through a process of creating solutions to self-defined problems in an agile method, where testing the problems and validating solutions were crucial. Empire Partner Foundation has taken a leading role in tackling youth unemployment through hackathons. The non-profit organisation has in the…
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has warned of cold and wet weather in large parts of South Africa from Thursday into the weekend. “A steep upper-air trough system will develop into a cut-off low-pressure system over the north-western interior of the country by Friday,” said SAWS. “Widespread rainfall can be expected over the southern and central parts of the country from Thursday onwards, with light snowfalls likely over the mountainous, high-lying areas of the Western and Eastern Cape, spreading to the Lesotho Drakensberg regions by the weekend, where heavier falls are anticipated.” SAWS said light snowfalls can also be…
Stung by criticism, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa on Thursday bowed to pressure to scrap the plan to erect a massive flag that lights up at night for R22 million. Mthethwa’s attempt to justify the plan on television was met with an avalanche of criticism on radio and social media. “Over the past few days the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture has followed and taken note of public discourse that has unfolded in respect of the envisaged Monumental Flag,” said Mthethwa. “The diversity of voices around this important heritage project is a welcome celebration of our country’s…
The Pretoria Commercial Crime Court has sentenced businessman Veloro Davids and former Ekurhuleni employees Nilesh Singh and Andrew Mphusomadi collectively to 36 years direct imprisonment for their involvement in a corrupt IT tender. David received 10 years for fraud, 15 years for corruption and Singh was sentenced to 10 years for fraud plus 15 years for corruption. The magistrate ordered that the sentences run concurrently Mphushomadi, former IT senior manager at Ekurhuleni, was given a 10-year prison sentence for money laundering, of which four years were suspended. Meropa Sechabeng Technology CC represented by David and Nanga Transport CC represented by…
Just hours after Eskom warned it was struggling to meet electricity demand, the power utility on Monday announced that it was implementing Stage 4 load-shedding from 5 pm to 10 pm tonight. “Due to a further loss of generating capacity, load-shedding will be increased to Stage 4 from 17:00 – 22:00 tonight,” announced Eskom, which had earlier on Monday upped load-shedding from Stage 2 to Stage 3. Eskom said: “Unit 2 of the Kusile Power Station tripped earlier this afternoon, taking 720MW of generating capacity with it. “While this unit has since returned to service, it will slowly load up…