Category: News

Two more suspects were at the weekend arrested by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation in Johannesburg in relation to theft of over R36 million from a deceased First National Bank (FNB) client.

Hawks spokesperson Captain Matimba Maluleke said the couple aged 28 and 43, allegedly received R6 million from one of the suspects in this case.

He said: “The couple started to fight over the money when the sender requested it back.

“When the girlfriend went to the police in Johannesburg to open a case of assault against her boyfriend, the police discovered that the money they were fighting for was actually stolen and Limpopo Hawks were investigating the matter. The Hawks were alerted and found that R5.5 million of the R6 million that they had received was already returned back to the sender.”

On 10 June 2022, the FNB employee, Thabiso Matenda, based in Makhado, was arrested by the same team for allegedly stealing R36 989 051 belonging to the bank client.

“It is alleged that on 25 April 2022, Matenda opened a profile of the client, who had just died in a vehicle accident a day before (24 April 2022), without authorisation.

“It is further alleged that the accused connived with his accomplice to open a new bank account, linked it to the deceased’s account and started spending all the money from the deceased’s account,” said Maluleke.

He said the bank discovered the shenanigans and reported the matter to the Hawks.

“Some of the stolen money was allegedly donated to a certain church. Matenda is still in police custody after his bail was successfully opposed.

“The couple is expected to appear in the Makhado Magistrate’s court on 18 July 2022. The investigation is still ongoing and more arrests are expected,” he said.

At least four people have appeared in the Randburg Magistrates’ Court on charges of corruption, fraud and money laundering related to the defrauding of Eskom during the height of state capture at the power utility.

The four include two former employees of digital technologies company ABB, Mohammed Mooidheen and Vernon Pillay and their wives Raeesa Mooidheen and Aradhna Pillay.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority Investigating Directorate (NPA ID) spokesperson, Sindisiwe Seboka, the four allegedly cashed in on “gratifications estimated at R8.6 million…by inflating prices” for ABB subcontractor, Impulse.

They were arrested in Durban and Mpumalanga and appeared in the court in what is considered a “seminal case” for the National Prosecuting Authority.

“The former ABB employees, Mohammed and Vernon, stand accused for their influence in the awarding of over R549.6 million of the Eskom-ABB contract, for the benefit of Impulse between the period 2015 to 2017. This is reportedly despite the fact that it was reported that Impulse did not actually qualify to do the work required.

“Eskom was really at the core of state capture and features prominently in the Zondo Commission Report, where executives at the most senior levels of the SOEs [State Owned Enterprises] seemed to have enabled or facilitated for the looting of state funds,” Seboka said.

NPA ID head Advocate, Andrea Johnson, reiterated that the directorate is “hot on the heels” of those involved in State Capture.

‘’This is a clear demonstration of collaborative work between the ID, Hawks and SAPS and more seminal cases will be enrolled as we continue to reprioritise cases emanating from the Zondo Commission reports.

“The National Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Shamila Batohi, National Commissioner, General Fanie Masemola and Hawks head, General Lebeya met today to reinforce a working relationship among law enforcement and NPA in a bid to ensure that those most responsible for alleged corruption and state capture are held to account and that the rule of law is upheld,” Johnson said.

The case is expected to resume on 14 October for further investigation of assets seized during a joint search and seizure operation with the Hawks and SARS on properties held by the four accused.

The Western Cape government has welcomed the extension of operations at Tiger Brands’ Langeberg & Ashton Foods (L&AF) plant.

This comes after Tiger Brands engaged with affected employees, organised labour, and other stakeholders, and agreed to allow the company to extend operations for another season.

According to the provincial government, the extension of operations allows for a possible transaction that may result in a long-term, sustainable solution for its deciduous fruit processing business.

“The flexibility, open-mindedness and good faith shown by all parties in reaching this compact will allow for the rigorous exploration of any new proposals in respect of the company’s deciduous fruit processing operations,” said Tiger Brands CEO, Noel Doyle.

In addition, Doyle said this move would help secure jobs for 250 permanent employees and 4 300 seasonal workers directly employed by L&AF for a further season.

According to Moneyweb, Tiger Brands first revealed its intentions in 2020 to sell the canned fruit business – which serves export markets beyond Africa and no longer offered value – as part of its strategic plan to optimise its operations and better position the business for future growth.

The Western Cape government and the provincial Agriculture MEC, Ivan Meyer, met with Agri-Western Cape representatives, producers and the Canning Fruit Producers Association.

“We agreed that our priority was to protect the rural economy and jobs in the Langeberg and Ashton areas. Therefore, the announcement that the factory will be kept open for another season is good news, as it allows for more time to secure a suitable investor,” said Meyer.

Meyer said parties should focus their energies on ensuring the long-term sustainability of the factory and jobs now that the company and its key partners have reached an agreement.

The MEC has vowed to continue to support the industry in its endeavour to identify an investor who shares the vision of building a vibrant agro-processing sector in the province.

Provincial Finance and Economic Opportunities MEC, Mireille Wenger, said: “I am ecstatic that Tiger Brands will extend operations at Langeberg & Ashton Foods for another season. This is reason to celebrate, especially for the thousands of Western Cape residents employed through their operations.

“This announcement demonstrates the power of partnership and collaboration, and I thank all stakeholders for their efforts to find a solution in the best interests of all involved.”

Eskom has welcomed the arrest of four people alleged to have defrauded the State power utility during State capture.

The four appeared in the Randburg Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday on charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering, and are currently out on bail.

“Eskom welcomes the arrests of two former employees of former contractor ABB Group (ABB), as well as their spouses for corruption linked to Eskom contracts worth R2.2 billion. The four were arrested yesterday… for corruption that defrauded Eskom in a contract awarded to ABB in 2015.

“Eskom congratulates the NPA’s [National Prosecuting Authority] Investigative Directorate on the arrests in this case and pledges to do everything in its power to assist the investigations to bring about successful prosecutions. Eskom also hopes this is just the beginning and that more arrests will follow in this matter and in the more than 100 other criminal cases lodged with law enforcement agencies over the years,” the power utility said in a statement.

According to the NPA, the four suspects allegedly cashed in on “gratifications estimated at R8.6 million… by inflating prices” and exerting influence over the “awarding of over R549.6 million of the Eskom-ABB contract” for the benefit of a subcontractor – Impulse – between 2015 and 2017.

The electricity supplier acknowledged that for years, Eskom was the scene of major State capture.

“Eskom was one of the major crime scenes, as evidenced by the findings of the Commission of Enquiry on State Capture, and this was one of the seminal matters on which the State Capture Report recommended persecutions.

“The law enforcement system needs to show that the time for criminal impunity and theft that continue to rob the people of South Africa of services they have so dearly paid for is up,” the statement read.

According to Eskom, the contractor – ABB – has already paid back some of the money it had received irregularly from the power utility.

“During December 2020, ABB South Africa agreed to pay Eskom R1.577 billion of funds it had irregularly paid after it voluntarily disclosed collusion with certain Eskom officials to irregularly award it R2.2 billion for a control and instrumentation contract for Kusile power station in 2015,” Eskom said.

The owner and two employees of the Enyobeni tavern in which 21 teenagers mysteriously died last month have been arrested in connection with the tragedy.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) in a statement said the three were arrested at the weekend and on Tuesday.

SAPS Eastern Cape spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana said the three were arrested by a team of detectives working on the Scenery Park incident.

“The arrest of the 52-year-old suspect and two employees, aged 33 and 34, follows after the Eastern Cape Liquor Board laid charges in Scenery Park Police Station for contravention of the Liquor Act.

“After the opening of the case by Liquor Board, the investigators embarked on the investigation process which resulted to fines to the amount of R2000 being issued to each of the two tavern employees, whilst summons were served to the owner for his immediate arrest and appearance in the court of law.”

Among others, he said, the investigation focused on alleged violation or contravention of the Eastern Cape Liquor Act by permitting or conniving for the selling or supplying of alcohol to children under the age of 18 years and for selling or supplying of alcohol to children.

The tavern owner is expected in the East London Magistrate Court on 19 August 2022 to face the said charges.

“The two employees have been given an option of a fine in terms of the Liquor Act. Should they fail to pay the fine, they will be required to appear in the same court on the 19th August 2022,” said Kinana.

The SAPS management reaffirmed in the statement its commitment in ensuring that all the investigations around the Scenery Park incident are conducted in a professional and well-organised manner to ensure the successful prosecution and subsequent conviction in the court of law.

The Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nomthetheleli Mene, expressed her appreciation for the work of the investigators.

She expressed gratitude at the patience shown by both affected families and communities alike.

“Just as we said in the beginning, investigation is a process and needs to be treated with extreme care and wisdom so that we can achieve the desired outcomes which all of us will be proud of. This is the beginning of the great work we are doing behind the scene,” Lt Gen Mene said.

Kinana said the forensic investigation into the cause of death of the 21 youths in Enyobeni tavern is still ongoing.

“As indicated earlier, at an appropriate time and conclusion of the investigation, the results will be made available to the affected families. There are no new developments at this stage,” he said.

The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) has warned job seekers to be careful with their identity numbers following a surge in public complaints regarding bogus employers.

The UIF said the bogus employers have reportedly used job seekers’ identity numbers to register them with the fund and claim for the COVID-19 TERS benefit, and in some cases, unemployment benefits.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Department of Employment and Labour said most of the complaints emerged when several people applied for the Social Relief of Distress Grant (SRD) R350 grant from the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA). However, their claims were declined since they were registered with the UIF.

“These are mainly learners/students, who are recruited for ‘learnerships’ and their studies are allegedly sponsored for R3 500, which was never paid to the learners but ended up being labelled as their monthly salary when claiming UIF,” the department said.

In terms of the UIF’s normal training programmes, the department said learners are recruited through the Department of Employment and Labour’s Employment Services of South Africa (ESSA) work seekers’ online portal. ESSA links unemployed people with employment and training opportunities.

UIF Commissioner, Teboho Maruping, said as part of the fund’s efforts to create employment opportunities and upskill young people, the UIF has several training programmes under the Labour Activation Programmes (LAP).

Through LAP, the UIF partners with training institutions, who upskill the trainees in various fields such as hospitality, aviation, administration, agriculture, and security amongst others, leading to job opportunities.

“To support the trainees participating in the programme, the UIF provides a monthly stipend, which is not a salary and should have no UIF deductions attached to it,” Maruping said.

Maruping said subsequent to receiving these complaints, the Department of Employment and Labour’s  provincial Risk Management Units, launched multiple investigations and has already identified some of the bogus employers.

“However, the fund is not at this stage able to mention them, as investigations are still underway. However, we can mention that some of these companies are in Kwazulu-Natal and others around the country.

“Furthermore, the fund has introduced the payment verification process to check the validity and existence of employees, which will assist us in tracking down all the bogus employers,” said Maruping.

Phase 2 of COVID-19 TERS “follow the money project” will commence this month and all employers that have declared false employees will be prioritised as part of the project.

Maruping said the appointed audit firms will be conducting an end-to-end audit process for all the employees on the payroll of the company against all UIF claims made by the company.

Any company found to be defrauding the UIF will be reported to law enforcement agencies and criminal cases will be opened with the South African Police Service.

Members of the public are advised to report these fraudulent activities at the nearest labour centre, or Fraud@labour.gov.za(link sends e-mail), or call the National Anti-Corruption Hotline on 0800 701 701.

Transnet’s capital expansion programme has received a boost after the state owned freight and logistics company signed a $1.5 billion five-year senior unsecured term loan facility, led by the Deutsche Bank AG.

In a statement on Wednesday, the company said the facility will also be utilised to “refinance existing debt in line with Transnet’s corporate funding plan” for this financial year.

Transnet’s Group Chief Financial Officer, Nonkululeko Dlamini, said the facility will go a long way to supporting the company’s sustainability.

“This is a significant milestone to stabilise Transnet’s liquidity position in support of our financial sustainability. It has been the single largest funding transaction which Transnet has been able to secure in the last seven years with the benefit of diversifying our investor base in the process.

“The confidence that these investors have demonstrated is encouraging and we continue to focus on improving the operational and financial performance of Transnet,” Dlamini said.

The company explained that the first tranche of $685 million is scheduled to be drawdown this month while it will be done in “eight equal semi-annual instalments” following a grace period of a year.

“There is an Accordion feature in the transaction for up to $1.5 billion, subject to Transnet’s consent until December 2022. Given the Accordion feature, Transnet will have approximately $800 million available for drawdown up until 31 December 2022, subject to market conditions and investor appetite.

“The transaction saw participation from a number of investors and DFIs, demonstrating confidence in Transnet and expanding the company’s investor base. The institutions included Deutsche Bank AG as Global Coordinator, book runner and arranger, Africa Finance Corporation as book runner and arranger, African Export-Import Bank as book runner and arranger and Ahli United Bank as Lead Manager,” Transnet said.

Eskom has downgraded daytime load shedding from Stage 4 to Stage 3 for the rest of this week.

This as the power utility continues attempts to stabilise generation capacity, following at least two weeks of multiple breakdowns and an industrial strike at power stations.

“Stage 3 load shedding – previously communicated Stage 4 – will be implemented at 5am to 4pm on Wednesday and Thursday. Between 4pm and [midnight] on both days, load shedding will be implemented at Stage 4.

“Eskom anticipates lower stages of load shedding to be implemented through the weekend as some units return to service. Should anything change in the intervening period, Eskom will communicate and implement any changes as may be necessary,” the power utility said in a statement.

The electricity supplier added that some 3 934MW of generation capacity is currently out on planned maintenance with another 14 867MW of capacity unavailable due to breakdowns.

“As the generation capacity shortages persist over the next few weeks, load shedding will continue to be implemented at various stages. Eskom cautions the public that it will still take a few weeks for the power generation system to recover.

“Eskom would like to remind the public that load shedding is implemented only as a last resort to protect the national grid. We therefore urge all South Africans to continue using electricity sparingly especially during these uncertain times on the power system,” Eskom said.

The measles outbreak in the Tshwane District has been declared over since more than 42 days, or two incubation periods, have passed without new cases being detected since the outbreak.

According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), as of 11 July 2022, no new laboratory-confirmed measles cases were reported to be linked to the measles outbreak in Tshwane District.

“The number of measles cases detected and epidemiologically linked to the measles outbreak in the Tshwane District remains at four. The last laboratory-confirmed measles case was reported on 25 June 2022,” the NICD explained.

Also, no additional laboratory-confirmed measles cases in the district had an epidemiological link to the home-based school facility outbreak.

In addition, the NICD said the City of Tshwane and provincial health officials conducted public health investigations and responses that resulted in the measles vaccination campaign in crèches and schools where the measles outbreak occurred, and areas where another case was detected.

The institute said Gauteng is planning a measles vaccination campaign targeting children aged six months to 14 to increase immunity and prevent new measles cases.

“Clinicians and caregivers should continue to check the children’s vaccination booklets to ensure they are up to date with their measles vaccination,” the institute advised.

The measles vaccine is given routinely at the age of six and 12 months, while catch-up doses should be administered to children who missed their vaccinations.

Measles, according to the NICD, is a highly contagious disease and it spreads through infectious airborne respiratory droplets from an infected person when coughing or sneezing.

It commonly presents with respiratory tract symptoms and any of the three Cs — conjunctivitis, cough, and coryza.

“Other symptoms can include fever, fatigue, and muscle pain, which typically appear before the onset of the disease’s characteristic maculopapular rash.”

However, children under the age of one may develop complicated measles including bronchopneumonia, keratoconjunctivitis (inflammation of the cornea and conjunctiva), and rarely, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).

“These complications may lead to irreversible damage and/or death, especially in immunocompromised or malnourished children. Even healthy children who develop measles develop transient immunosuppression and are more susceptible to common childhood illnesses for at least one year after infection.”

The first day of the wage strike by South African Revenue Service (SARS) workers had seen minimal disruption to its services, says the revenue collectors.

In a statement, the revenue collector said 18 of its branches had to close down due to absence of workers.

It said: “Overall taxpayers have continued to interact with the organization through the wide range of on-line services. SARS has rescheduled most of the appointments that were made before the industrial action started”.

SARS said it has furthermore put business continuity plans and other contingencies in order to continue to deliver essential service to taxpayers.

“We urge the public to utilize our website for further updates on how to engage with SARS to fulfil their required obligations. Taxpayers are encouraged to avoid coming to a SARS office,” SARS said.

SARS appealed to staff to remain peaceful in their protest and to respect picketing rules as specified in the CCMA Picketing Rules issued.

It said it remained empathetic to financial challenges faced by its staff as a result of increasing food and fuel prices as well as other essential services.

The resumption of strike follows its temporary suspension by the PSA in May, and union leadership has indicated that they intend to remain on strike until SARS improves its wage offer.

“The dispute arose because of trade unions’ rejection of the available R70 million for baseline increases for bargaining unit employees.

“SARS has communicated that it does not decide on its own funding, but is dependent on an annual allocation made through a process managed by National Treasury. The demand of labour of CPI plus 7% is simply unaffordable until the SARS receives further funding,” reads the statement.

“SARS will always respect the constitutionally protected right of workers to strike within the strict provisions of the law, whilst at the same time take the necessary steps to fulfil its legal mandate and serve taxpayers and traders. The “no work, no pay” will apply for those employees that are participating in the industrial action.”

The revenue collector said it had demonstrated transparency in its financial position and willingness to engage the union leadership on ending the impasse.

“SARS has done everything in its power and within the available funding to extend the offer to trade unions, which remains available. SARS remains willing to continue engagements with the trade unions on the offer as well as the boarder Employee Value Proposition,” it said.