Category: Crime & Corruption News

President Cyril Ramaphosa has strongly reprimanded Finance Minister Tito Mboweni following comments made by the Minister on social media regarding the removal of Zambia’s Central Bank Governor by President Edgar Lungu.

In one of his tweets, Mboweni “promises to mobilise”, if not given the reasons the Zambian Central Bank Governor was fired by President Lungu.

In a statement on Monday, President Ramaphosa assured the government and people of the Republic of Zambia that the unfortunate remarks do not reflect the views of the South African Government and its people.

Acting spokesperson to the President, Tyrone Seale, said the issue is being addressed to ensure that such an incident does not occur again.

“South Africa and Zambia enjoy strong historical relations dating back to the days of the struggle against apartheid. South Africa remains committed to maintaining the deep and solid bonds of friendship between the peoples of South Africa and Zambia,” Seale said.

Police Minister, General Bheki Cele, has expressed shock at the death of three Tshwane Metro Police officers, who were killed in a head-on collision at the hands of a suspected drunk driver.

According to reports, in the early hours of Sunday morning, a TMPD vehicle collided head-on with a suspected drunk driver, who was evading police in Pretoria West.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Police Ministry said the three officers in the vehicle and the suspected drunk driver all died on the scene. A female passenger, who was travelling with the alleged drunk driver, is recovering in hospital.

Inside the vehicle, empty and full bottles of alcohol were found.

Cele conveyed condolences to the families of the deceased members and at same time, denounced the reckless behaviour that led to the senseless loss of life.

“The lives of these young officers were cut short by a man who chose to drink and act irresponsibly. While the alcohol ban has been lifted under lockdown level 2, it still remains the responsibility of those who consume alcohol to do so without putting themselves and those around them in danger,” said the Minister.

Cele reminded South Africans that the 10pm curfew is still in place.

Meanwhile, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has also expressed its condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the three officers who died in the collision.

The corporation has called on traffic officers to remain committed and not be discouraged.

“This unfortunate event should strengthen their resolve to fight lawlessness and violation of traffic rules with all the power and might at their disposal.

“There should be a closer focus paid to drunk driving and law enforcement operations should be conducted every night and every evening to ensure that no one dares to drink and drive on public roads,” the RTMC said.

This incident follows another alcohol related accident, which occurred in Benoni on Tuesday night. Five people were killed when two vehicles collided.

“These crashes provide further evidence of the devastating impact of alcohol on road accidents in the country. It is estimated that 27% of collisions in the country are alcohol related. Alcohol plays a key contributory role in most crashes occurring at night and over weekends,” the RTMC said.

The Office of the Military Ombud has found that the official conduct of South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members was improper, irregular and in contravention of the Code of Conduct, Operational Orders and Rules of Engagement in their interaction with the Khosa family and other members of the public in Alexandra during the lockdown.

Collins Khosa was killed at his home in April.

“We also found that the Platoon Commander failed to command the platoon, in line with Command Orders,” said Military Ombud Lt Gen (Ret) Vusumuzi Masondo.

The Military Ombud was assigned by the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans to conduct the investigation, in terms of section 6 (11) of the Military Ombud Act 4 of 2012.

Earlier this month, the Office of the Military Ombud submitted its report, with findings and recommendations, to the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans.

The investigation was an administrative inquiry into the conduct of members of the SANDF, which is separate from the criminal investigation conducted by the South African Police Service.

The investigation conducted by the Military Ombud is an independent investigation, in terms of the Military Ombud Act.

Masondo, meanwhile, said investigations into other complaints are ongoing. So far, the office has received 32 complaints from members of the public against members of the SANDF since the beginning of lockdown.

These complaints are at different stages of investigation. In cases where there was a joint operation, the law enforcement agencies concerned conduct their own investigation into the conduct of their members.

The Military Ombud has appealed to members of the public, who lodge complaints with his office, to do so in writing, using the prescribed Complaint Form, which can be obtained from www.milombud.org.

The Military Ombud is mandated to conduct investigations without fear, favour or prejudice. It is generally accepted that allegations of misconduct against members of the SANDF while conducting official duties, including official duties performed during the lockdown, fall under the ambit of “official conduct of a member” for the purposes of section 4(1) (c) of the Act.

The Office of the Military Ombud can be reached via intake@milombud.org, WhatsApp 012 676 3800.

The 40th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of SADC has condemned terrorism and violent attacks in Mozambique, while pledging support for the southern African country.

“The summit expressed SADC solidarity and commitment to support Mozambique in addressing the terrorism and violent attacks, and condemned all acts of terrorism and armed attacks,” said the Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in a communique.

The summit, which was held virtually, welcomed the decision by Mozambique to bring to the attention of SADC the violent attacks in that country, and commended Mozambique for its continued efforts towards combating terrorism and violent attacks.

Violence has plagued the the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado.

The summit also received an assessment report on emerging security threats in the region.

It directed the Secretariat to prepare an action plan for its implementation that will, among others, prioritise measures to combat terrorism, violent attacks and cybercrime, and address the adverse effects of climate change.

Monday’s virtual summit was attended by President Cyril Ramaphosa, Lesotho’s Prime Minister Dr. Moeketsi Majoro, Mozambican President  Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, as well as Zimbabwean President  Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, among others.

At the summit, President Nyusi was elected as Chairperson of SADC, while the President of the Republic of Malawi, Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, was elected as incoming Chairperson of SADC.

The summit also elected the President of the Republic of Botswana, Dr. Mokgweetsi E.K. Masisi, as Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, while President Ramaphosa  was elected as incoming Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.

Vision 2050

The summit approved SADC Vision 2050, which is based on a firm foundation of peace, security and democratic governance. It is premised on three interrelated pillars, namely: industrial development and market integration; infrastructure development in support of regional integration; and social and human capital development.

The three pillars also recognise gender, youth, environment and climate change, and disaster risk management as important cross-cutting components.

The summit also approved the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2020-2030 to operationalise Vision 2050.

Mauritius

Leaders at the summit expressed solidarity with Mauritius after the MV Wakashio ship run aground and leaked oil off the coast of the island nation.

“The summit expressed solidarity with the government and people of Mauritius for the environmental disaster in its waters caused by a grounded ship, and called upon SADC Member States and the international community to support Mauritius in containing the disaster,” said the leaders in the communique.

Impact of COVID-19

Amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the summit also received a report on the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on SADC economies, while also noting its effects across sectors. The summit approved the proposed measures to address the sectoral effects.

Leaders noted that a face-to-face summit will take place in Maputo, Mozambique, in March 2021, if the COVID-19 pandemic situation is contained.

Prior to Monday’s summit, the Council of Ministers of the SADC met virtually last week in preparation for the summit.

The Department of Employment and Labour has reiterated its warning to the public to remain vigilant of a scam that continues unabated on social media, promising a pay out of between R33 000 and R35 000.

Department spokesperson Teboho Thejane said the scammers have re-created a fake Department of Employment and Labour website using the old coat of arms/logo in which they ask members of the public to check if their names appear on the list of those that are entitled to withdraw these funds.

Thejane said the fake website claims that workers who have worked between 1990 and 2020 have the right to get R35 000 from the department.

“The Department of Employment and Labour has not asked anyone to come forward to receive any of these benefits and will never do so in a manner that it is done through this website. All the benefits from the department are received by those that have worked for them or are entitled to receive them, and are processed at its 125 offices that are spread across the country,” Thejane said.

Thejane advised members of the public to visit the Department of Employment and Labour Provincial Offices, or a nearest Labour Centre to seek information.

“Members of the public are also cautioned to refrain from sharing information as they are assisting the scammers to reach out to many unsuspecting people; and are also advised to not share their personal information on these social media platforms or website as they are not authentic. The department’s suite of services is offered free of charge to the public,” Thejane said.

To report any suspected criminal acts, members of the public are requested to inform the South African Police Service; report on the department’s fraud hotline number 08600 22 194 or email fraud@labour.gov.za (link sends e-mail) and, or visit the nearest department office.

Western Cape call centre shuts down operations

Meanwhile, Department of Employment and Labour in the Western Cape has closed down operations at a local call centre after contravening the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act no. 85 of 1993.

The African Debt Advisors (ADA) was shut down following a tip-off, which led to the reactive inspection at the work place on Wednesday.

According to Provincial Chief Inspector (PCI) David Esau the company was not able to present a risk assessment that spoke to COVID-19 regulations; there was no personal protective equipment provided to staff, and there was a general lack of social distancing and poor sanitisation.

“During a walk-about, it was also observed that the company did not follow some of the basic principles associated with the OHS Act. The company was found to be in contravention of the environmental regulations on fire prevention as all fire equipment was outdated.

“Based on the comprehensive findings, the employer was issued with a prohibition notice and asked to vacate the premises. Prohibition notices essentially means that no operations may take place at the premises where the notice was served,” Esau said.

Esau said the department is also in the process of issuing a subpoena to the employer to appear before the PCI to explain the absence of documents required to follow up on allegations of defrauding the COVID-TERS system and the exploitation of workers.

This comes after the employer was also inspected in respect of the Unemployment Insurance Act.

“The employer has been asked to provide information of employees listed on the payroll, an approved and rejected list of employees under the COVID-TERS benefit for applications made for April, May and June 2020. The information is expected to also include advances made to staff, deductions, and a list of staff who did not work for the set period and also did not receive COVID-TERS.

“A follow-up visit will be conducted to determine if the employer continued with operations as this will be deemed a criminal offence, as the employer was prohibited from continuing operations until evidence is produced that there is compliance with COVID-19 regulations,” Esau said.

Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has appealed to men to stop the brutal killing of women and children.

The Minister’s appeal follows reports of six cases of murder by an alleged serial killer that could be on the loose in KwaZulu-Natal’s South Coast.

“This barbaric act is a persistent shame to our society, especially during the month of August when the country should be embracing women`s rights,” Minister Nkoana-Mashabane said on Thursday.

In the last six months, six bodies of women were found within the same area in KwaZulu-Natal.

Three bodies were found in sugarcane fields in the province between April and July.

Two bodies were found in sugarcane fields at Mnamfu in April and the third woman’s body was also found in a sugarcane field in Nomakhanzana in July.

On Wednesday afternoon, a fifth decomposing body of a woman was found in the Mthwalume area.

She was found with her chest open and she was covered with a scarf and appeared to have been strangled.

A case of murder has been opened for investigation.

Minister Nkoana-Mashabane appealed to the investigating task team to work around the clock to ensure that the perpetrator(s) of these gruesome murders are arrested.

Nkoana-Mashabane pleaded with communities to work together with the police in finding the perpetrators of the gruesome murders.

“The day men decide to stop the brutal killing and raping of women and children, there will be no gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide. As we commemorate Women’s Month, we must dismantle toxic masculinity and its impact on women and girls, which underpins gender-based violence and the brutal killing of women and girls,” said Nkoana-Mashabane.

“We must unpack what it means to be a real man so that men play a meaningful role in empowering women changing their own behaviour and breaking of stereotypes, towards the goal of and the achievement of gender equality,” she said.

Meanwhile, the department will engage the Department of Social Development to follow through on psychosocial support for all affected families.

“We do know that not all men are bad but at the same time we cannot blame women and children for losing trust in men.”

“Whether you consider yourself to be a good man, or a responsible father, the fact is that women continue to experience abuse at the hands of those who claim to love them, and they associate you with abuse and pain,” she said.

GBV and femicide must be a conversation within families and communities.

“We need you to be a change agent, bringing about behaviour change in your homes and in your communities. This must be from the ground up and as a collective, men must denounce any form of violence or degrading behaviour towards women and children,” the Minister said.

The Gauteng Health Department has expressed concern over the spate of abandoned babies after birth.

This year alone, 118 babies were left at various public hospitals in the province.

Chief reasons cited range from teenage mothers being fearful of their parents, unwanted and unplanned pregnancies to lack of immediate basic supplies of clothes and toiletries for the mother and the newborn upon discharge, the Gauteng Health Department said.

Also, some mothers lack emotional, financial and social support from the father, while others are undocumented migrants.

The department said the worst affected hospitals include Carletonville and Leratong, which reported 19 incidents each and Far East Rand with 13 cases. Both Tembisa and Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital recorded 10 cases each.

The department said the time spent in hospital for the babies range from a week to a month or longer depending on the medical condition.

However, another factor is how long social workers can facilitate pre-statutory processes for the transfer of the baby to an accredited child protection organisation in terms of the Children’s Act 38 of 2005, the department explained.

The department said the hospital social workers are working tirelessly in conducting education awareness campaigns with pregnant mothers to reduce child abandonment.

This includes teaching them about various options that are available to them such as adoption, temporal and foster care.

“Through networking with child protection organisation, hospital social worker are able to provide mothers at risk for abandonment basic material support for both mother and child.”

The department said nurses are now able to identify expectant and new mothers who are likely to abandon their babies and refer them to social workers for psychoeducation, counselling and other care.

Where the mother agrees to take care of the baby, the new mom is then referred to a child protection organisation for further support.

Public Service Commission (PSC) Director-General, Dr Dovhani Mamphiswana, has been placed on precautionary suspension, the Presidency announced on Wednesday.

President Cyril Ramaphosa informed the Director-General (DG) on the decision on Thursday, 6 August 2020.

The suspension, with full pay, takes effect immediately.

In a statement, the Presidency said the DG’s suspension does not in any way constitute a judgment on the part of the President.

“This is a precautionary suspension in terms of the Disciplinary Code and Procedures for Members of the Senior Management Services (SMS) contained in Chapter 7 of the SMS Handbook for the public service,” said the Presidency.

In terms of a Presidential Minute dated 27 February 2020, the President delegated to the Minister of Public Service and Administration the power to investigate if there was any improper conduct during the filling of a vacancy within the Department.

“A report on the investigation was presented to the President in his capacity as the Executive Authority designated by law to deal with career incidents, including disciplinary matters, pertaining to Directors-General. The report submitted to the President has recommended that the President institute formal disciplinary action against Dr Mamphiswana,” said the Presidency.

The President subsequently advised the Director-General of his intention to place him on precautionary suspension.

Following written representations by Dr Mamphiswana, the President decided to proceed with the precautionary suspension.

Meanwhile, the President has, in terms of Section 42A(3)(a) and relevant provisions of the Public Service Act, delegated to the Minister for Public Service and Administration the power to:

• Initiate disciplinary processes against the Director-General in terms of the Disciplinary Code applicable to heads of department as envisaged in Chapter 7 of the SMS Handbook;
• Deal with all matters pertaining to the disciplinary hearing and its outcome, including, but not limited to – in the event of a guilty finding at the hearing – the implementation of the sanction pronounced by the chairperson at the hearing.

Despite progress made in improving the lives of South African women, a long road is still to be travelled to free women from discrimination, violence and poverty, says President Cyril Ramaphosa.

“There has been real progress in improving the lives of South African women in the economy, in the political sphere and in public life,” said the President in his weekly newsletter on Monday.

In the newsletter, President Ramaphosa highlighted that the status and position of women in South Africa today is vastly different to that faced by mothers and grandmothers in 1956.

He said the country had come a long way in realising a South Africa that is non-racial, non-sexist, democratic, prosperous and free.

“At the same time, we know there is so much further we still have to go. Women still face discrimination, harassment and violence, and bear the greatest brunt of poverty. If we are to truly realise the promise of our Constitution we have to tackle the economic and financial exclusion that makes women more vulnerable to abuse and violence,” he said.

The President’s comments came after South Africa commemorated the 64th anniversary of Women’s Day on Sunday.

President Ramaphosa also said that South Africa has joined a ground-breaking campaign of global efforts to achieve gender equality by 2030.

“We have joined a ground-breaking campaign that links us to global efforts to achieve gender equality by 2030. Generation Equality is an ambitious and transformative agenda to end discrimination and violence against women and for their equal participation in political, social and economic life.”

Addressing GBV

As part of this campaign, South Africa has joined two ‘Action Coalitions’, one for economic justice and rights and another against gender-based violence (GBV).

“Both of these themes are critical to our own national agenda,” he said.

Eleven months since the Emergency Response Action Plan to combat GBV and femicide was implemented, government has made progress in expanding support and care to survivors, and progress is being made in legal reforms to afford them greater protection.

“This month we begin the implementation of the National Strategic Plan to combat gender-based violence and femicide,” he said.

A key aspect of the plan is on ensuring greater women’s financial inclusion. This is because economic inequality and social inequality are interconnected.

“The economic status of women in South Africa makes them more vulnerable to abuse. We must therefore scale up support for women to enable them to become financially independent,” said the President.

Commitments

In addition, a number of commitments have also been made.

“We have made a number of commitments under Generation Equality that will be given effect to through the National Strategic Plan. Firstly, we are going to drive women’s economic inclusion through public procurement. We have set the target of ensuring that at least 40% of goods and services procured by public entities are sourced from women-owned businesses,” said the President.

Government will also scale up support for women-owned SMMEs and for women who work in the informal sector or are unemployed. This will include engagement with the financial sector to make financial services accessible and affordable for women.

“Thirdly, we want to ensure more women have access to productive assets such as land. It is essential that women are beneficiaries of the accelerate land reform programme. It is significant that of the R75 million in COVID-19 relief earmarked for farming input vouchers [that]  53% of the beneficiaries will be rural women. We must ensure that women subsistence and small-scale farmers continue to receive support beyond the pandemic.”

Government will also seek to ensure that women are protected from GBV in the workplace.

“In this regard, we will be working at a national and regional level towards the ratification of the International Labour Organisazion Convention on Violence and Harassment in the Workplace,” he said.

The emancipation of women is only words on paper unless it is matched by commitment from all sectors of society,” he wrote.

Employment opportunities for women

“As we prepare for the reconstruction of our economy in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, we have said that we cannot simply return to where we were before the outbreak of the virus. We must build a fundamentally different economy which, among other things, substantially improves the material position of women,” he added.

South Africa’s investment in infrastructure must support not only the development of local industry, but also women-owned businesses.

“It must deliberately create employment opportunities for women in all stages of planning, financing, building and maintaining infrastructure. By the same measures, as we scale up our public employment programmes, we must ensure that young women in particular, are identified as participants.”

“In addition to an income, these programmes will provide them with an opportunity to acquire some of the skills and experience necessary to enter the mainstream economy,” he said.

The President said while it is government’s responsibility to provide economic opportunities for women and create an enabling framework for advancing gender equality, businesses must support women-owned enterprises in the procurement of goods and services.

He emphasised that women needed to be protected from harassment and discrimination.

“It is up to transport operators, university administrators, school governing bodies and religious organisations to create conditions for women and girls to travel, study and worship in safety.

We must forge ahead with our efforts to eradicate chauvinism, sexism and patriarchy. It is these attitudes that enable the oppression of women,” said President Ramaphosa.

The Department of Health says Minister Zweli Mkhize does not own a personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturing company.

The department released a statement on Monday in response to messages that appeared on various threads on Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp, claiming the Minister owns a PPE manufacturing company,

“We would like to categorically state that Mkhize does not own a PPE manufacturing company nor is he involved in any way in the manufacturing of PPE.

“In anticipation of any further emergence of fake news, we also categorically state that nobody in Minister Mkhize’s family is in the business of manufacturing, selling or distributing PPE,” the department said.

Creating or advancing fake news remains an offence under the National State of Disaster.

“The Department of Health will not hesitate to take action against those found to be creating or perpetuating fake news. This kind of content is damaging to the reputation of honest, hardworking members of the executive. It distracts from and undermines the important work of fighting Coronavirus.”

The Ministry has called on members of the public to be circumspect in their engagement with social media content and not find themselves becoming agents of fake news and misinformation.

“We are still in the midst of a pandemic and the best way to fight it is by arming ourselves with facts and sound knowledge that empowers us to defeat Coronavirus.

“We hope that this clarifies the matter and that all individuals that are either the originators of this content or those who have advanced the content by sharing or commenting will take the opportunity to immediately remove the content from their platforms and issue an apology to the Minister and to the public for advancing fake news.”