Day: December 1, 2022

PRETORIA, Dec 1 (NNN-SANEWS) — Two more people have been arrested at Eskom’s Matla Power Station in Mpumalanga for the alleged theft of coal at the power station.

 

According to Eskom, the two are workers of a transport company contracted to the power utility to transport coal.

 

“The arrests took place after the truck driver was found to be in possession of sub-grade coal destined for the facility. The coal swapping allegedly took place at a known illegal coal yard in the Mpumalanga area, prior to the delivery being made at the Matla Power Station.

 

“During questioning, the truck driver admitted to offloading the ‘good-quality’ coal he had received from the Arthur Taylor Colliery, located in Mpumalanga. He further alleged that he was acting on the instructions of his supervisor when he proceeded to the Rondebult coal yard to exchange the coal,” Eskom said in a statement.

 

The power utility explained that coal theft is a “highly organised criminal activity” which not only enriches syndicates but causes damage to power stations.

 

“The criminal black market for such commodities and establishment of illegal coal yards and dumpsites are expanding at a rapid rate due to the lag in law enforcement and the high levels of corruption and collusion.

 

“Eskom loses billions of rand due to the misappropriation of coal and similar commodities which directly affects production,” the power utility said.

 

Eskom General Manager for Security Advocate Karen Pillay said the arrests – which follow arrests on similar charges at Camden and Kendal power stations – are a significant step for the power utility.

 

“It also confirms the extent of criminality and prevalence of organised crimes affecting the organisation. Eskom has discovered through investigations that the control processes are deliberately bypassed by the criminal employees of the mines, transporters and Eskom alike. We shall pursue these unscrupulous individuals relentlessly and ensure that justice is served.

 

“It is a clear demonstration of our determination deal with criminality within Eskom,” she said.

 

 

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

PRETORIA, Dec 1 (NNN-SANEWS) — International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Dr Naledi Pandor, has described Nigeria as a key long-term market for South African investments.

 

Pandor, who hosted her Nigerian counterpart, Geoffrey Onyeama, in Pretoria, on Wednesday, was speaking during the mid-term review of the Bi-National Commission (BNC) between the two countries.

 

The South Africa-Nigeria BNC, launched in 1999, is the formal mechanism through which the two countries conduct their bilateral relations.

 

Pandor said Nigeria’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan 2017-2020 and the National Development Plan 2021-2025 present massive investment opportunities for both nations.

 

South Africa’s investment in Nigeria, according to the Minister, is made up of about 120 companies with a total investment of R4.398 billion capital expenditure.

 

This also provides significant employment opportunities for Nigerian people during the period under review.

 

“However, South African companies have recently apparently found it difficult to operate in Nigeria. Some of the reported challenges include regulatory issues and non-tariff barriers,” he said.

 

According to Pandor, this has resulted in South African companies operating in Nigeria significantly dropping from 350 to 120 with the recent departures of the likes of Game, Shoprite and Sasol.

 

“Given these statistics it was correct that our Heads of State and Government decided during the 10th BNC that a mid-term review of the implementation of the decisions of the BNC at the level of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs be convened, hopefully, to address challenges and encourage greater action on agreed goals.”

 

She believes that the platform will assist in assessing progress with the implementation of the decisions of the 10th BNC – identify weaknesses in implementation, and take measures to strengthen implementation.

 

“It will also assist us to ensure the operationalisation of the mechanisms established by the Heads of State and Government to address the challenges faced by our people and business.”

 

The Minister saluted Onyeama for his commitment to deepen the bilateral cooperation by honouring the invitation to come to South Africa.

 

“South Africa regards the relationship with Nigeria as strategic in the context of bilateral relations, the West Africa region, Africa We Want, and the promotion of a rules-based international system of governance.”

 

Meanwhile, the Minister said she was pleased by the steady increase in investments in the South African economy by Nigerian companies, including the Dangote Group and the packaging company, GZI Industries Limited.

 

“The recent Access Bank investment is the third largest investment in South Africa,” she added.

 

Pandor also touched on World AIDS Day commemorated on Dec 1, which she said was a reminder that HIV is still a reality.

 

The Minister has called on the redoubling commitment to turn around the HIV, AIDS and tuberculosis epidemics.

 

She also commended the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) for choosing to settle their differences through dialogue and diplomacy during the African Union-facilitated talks hosted in South Africa.

 

“This is a positive step towards the Agenda 2063 aspiration of a peaceful and secure Africa and the goal of silencing the guns,” she said.

 

She told the guests that this outcome would not be possible without the effort of the facilitation team led by the Nigerian Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, assisted by the Former President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta and the Former Deputy President of South Africa Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.

 

“This is a clear demonstration of the immense positive impact a strong collaboration between South Africa and Nigeria has on Africa We Want.”

 

 

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

PRETORIA— South African president Cyril Ramaphosa is facing a possible impeachment threat over the “Farmgate” scandal.

 

The president has been accused of covering up a $4m theft from his farm in 2020, including kidnapping and bribing the burglars into silence.

 

A leaked report from an independent panel has found that Ramaphosa abused his position and may have broken an anti-corruption law.

 

He has denied wrongdoing, and said the money was from selling buffalo.

 

The panel’s findings have been handed to parliament, which is set to examine them and decide whether or not to launch impeachment proceedings next week.

 

Ramaphosa is less than a month away from a conference which will decide if he can run for a second term with his party, the African National Congress (ANC), in 2024. The incident could be particularly damaging as Ramaphosa ran for office on an anti-corruption ticket.

 

The ANC will hold a meeting with its executive on Thursday, where it is expected that the issue will be discussed.

 

The Farmgate scandal erupted in June, when a former South African spy boss, Arthur Fraser, filed a complaint with police accusing the president of hiding a theft of $4m from his Phala Phala farm in the north-east of the country in 2020.

 

Fraser, who is a close ally of former President Jacob Zuma, alleged that the money could have been the proceeds of money-laundering and corruption, and accused the president of kidnapping and bribing the burglars.

 

Holding such a large amount of money in dollars could violate foreign exchange control laws.

 

Ramaphosa has confirmed a robbery, but said the amount stolen was less than that alleged, and denied attempting to cover it up.

 

Some $580,000 which had been paid in cash for buffalo was stolen from under sofa cushions in the farmhouse, he said.

 

“I did not ‘hunt’ for the perpetrators of the theft, as alleged, nor did I give any instructions for this to take place,” he wrote in a submission to the panel’s report.

 

The panel concluded that there were many unanswered questions, calling it a “very serious matter”.

 

Little information was kept about the man who supposedly paid the money for buffalo, it said, adding that he had still not collected the animals two and a half years later.

 

The panel also said it was strange that the money had been kept hidden in a sofa, rather than in a safe until it could be lodged in a bank account.

 

“We think that the president has a case to answer on the origin of the foreign currency that was stolen, as well as the underlying transaction for it,” the report said. It added: “The president abused his position as head of state to have the matter investigated and seeking the assistance of the Namibian president to apprehend a suspect.”

 

Namibian president Hage Geingob has previously denied any involvement in the incident.

 

 

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

A report by an independent panel appointed by South Africa’s parliament contends that President Cyril Ramaphosa violated his oath of office, which could lead to an impeachment inquiry. The panel finds the president has to answer for the theft of at least a half-million dollars from his game farm that may not have been declared in his taxes.

Following the release of the report, Ramaphosa maintained his innocence and said in a statement he categorically denies violating his oath in any way.

The panel’s report stated that while it did not have all the answers, nor the authority to pursue them, it recommended an impeachment inquiry should proceed to get to the truth.

It noted there are many questions left unanswered, including where the money stolen from the farm had come from and the exact amount in question.

A former spy boss, Arthur Fraser, first brought the issue to light, claiming that between $4 million and $8 million was stolen from a sofa in the president’s farmhouse where it was hidden.

Fraser claimed the money was collected by Ramaphosa’s adviser Bejani Chauke for both him and the president during several trips he made to Middle Eastern and African countries, and it was not declared to authorities.

Ramaphosa, meanwhile, said it was from the sale of 20 buffalo to a Sudanese businessman known as Mr. Hazim who paid $580,000 for them on Christmas Day in 2019. The president said he was not at the farm at the time of the sale.

Ramaphosa said he was in Addis Ababa when he heard about the robbery on February 10, 2020. There are conflicting reports on whether the actual robbery took place on February 9 or February 10.

The panel questioned why no other information about the businessman was made available. And it noted that News24 journalist Kyle Cowan reported that despite “extensive searches, utilizing various databases and online tools, News24 was not able to immediately verify Hazim’s identity.”

One of the political parties that submitted evidence to the panel against the president, the Economic Freedom Fighters, or EFF, welcomed the report.

“There was no purchase of any buffalos, and this is exposed by the fact that two years later, those buffalos are still chilling at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm,” said Leigh-Ann Mathys, an EFF member.

This is something the panel raised, along with the fact the theft of the money from the game farm was not reported to the police but instead was handled by the head of Presidential Protection Services Major-General Wally Rhoode.

It is alleged that once found, several suspects were paid almost $9,000 each to keep quiet about the money.

There are also allegations the suspects were interrogated and tortured.

Political analyst Sanusha Naidoo of the Institute for Global Dialogue said Ramaphosa was hoping to be reelected at the African National Congress, or ANC, elective conference later this month, aiming for a second term as the country’s president.

“Going into 2022 elective conference, he was favored. And so, what happens to the elective? What are we going to do? The impact that this is going to have in the short term on our investment ratings, on our rand,” Naidoo said.

By late afternoon Thursday, the rand had weakened substantially and was trading at about R17.73 to the U.S. dollar.

Naidoo said this scandal is a massive blow to the country, as the president had campaigned globally for investments in South Africa.

“One of the things that has been critical in his gaining these kinds of investment pledges is the road map that he was going to put forward in terms of how this was going to be utilized in a productive, transparent and coherent way in order to stimulate the growth,” Naidoo said.

Another analyst, Professor Bheki Mngomezulu, also weighed in: “The reality of the matter is that his political image has been dented. So, under normal circumstances one would expect him to voluntarily exit the stage as it were, in terms of the elective conference because even if he were to win, that will compromise not just himself as a politician but the ANC as an organization.”

As for the quality of the report, constitutional law expert and University of Cape Town professor Pierre de Vos said while it’s not perfect, it has merit.

“Regardless of the technicalities, the report makes quite a convincing argument that there is a case to answer,” de Vos said.

The South African Revenue Service is also looking into the allegations.

 

 

 

Source: Voice of America

Members of the media are advised that the Media briefing by the Presidential Spokesperson Mr Vincent Magwenya that was scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, 01 December 2022 has been cancelled.

The Presidency announced earlier today that Mr Magwenya would update the public, though a media briefing on the President’s public programme for the week.

We apologise for the inconvenience this may have caused.

 

 

Source: Government of South Africa