Report: SA govt gets worst rating

28 June 2011 15:00
Report: SA govt gets worst rating
The South African government has received a 'red' rating by an independent peer review report for failing to separate its party-state relationship
editor@thesouthafrican.com
The president should provide particular leadership in making party–state distinctions. Holding office for the entire country, the president needs to guard against the commandeering of state resources for party ends," says the report.

"The distinction between the state and the political party has become blurred," adds the document, titled, "Implementing the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Views from Civil Society".

It was released by the APRM Monitoring Project (AMP) to the Pan African Parliament on Tuesday.

The AMP is run jointly by the SA Institute of International Affairs, the Centre for Policy Studies and the Africa Governance, Monitoring and Advocacy Project.

The government received the worst possible rating, red, for "an element of denialism" about xenophobia, state-party separation and relationships, cadre deployment and politicisation of institutions and regulating private funding to political parties.

A red rating means "no progress has been achieved on addressing the issue; or very little progress has been achieved and the government does not seem to be on track to complete it in the near future". Sapa

Comments by Sonny

Our source has been trying to resolve a faulty/fraudulent water & light account for the best part of this year, after having spilt over from last year.

He put his complains in writing and this is the response he gets from Joburg Metro...

On 30 June 2011 he received a letter from Mailtronic Direct Marketing P O Box 5674

JOHANNESBURG.

There is a reference number and then the contents of the letter states that his query has been resolved.

He is therein advised to send his personal particulars to fax number (011) 727-0370.

Johannesburg Metro is in possession of the clients particulars as he has been a client at the same premises since 1978.

This is how complaints get resolved/waylaid/lost/handled by the ANC run JOHANNESBURG MUNICIPALITY.

The letter was not signed and therefore is not authentic.

The next time around the ANC is going to lose Johannesburg and all the big Cities!

SA gets worst possible ratings - report

SA gets worst possible ratings - report
2011-06-28

Johannesburg - South Africa received the worst possible rating on several governance aspects in an independent peer review report released on Tuesday.

The country's police "force" and the government's handling of xenophobia, crime and corruption are some of the criticisms in the document, entitled, "Implementing the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM): Views from Civil Society".

President Jacob Zuma and Parliament also came under fire.

Threat to press freedom

Under a category on protection of the media, it warns of threats to press freedom.

"Recommendations frequently appeal for better implementation of existing legislation, acknowledge the need for participatory governance, and many call on civil society to accept its share of responsibility," reads a summary of the report.

It was released by the APRM monitoring project, which is jointly run by the SA Institute of International Affairs, the Centre for Policy Studies and the Africa Governance, Monitoring and Advocacy Project.

The report gives South Africa an "orange" rating in most categories, meaning that "some progress had been achieved on addressing the issue".

The report calls for a judicial inquiry into "allegations of criminality, corruption, inappropriate political interference, nepotism and maladministration occurring within the SAPS".

It warns that appeals by some politicians for the police to act forcefully against criminals were "tough, even unconstitutional rhetoric".

"Temper the hardline, militant rhetoric around crime, and emphasise the importance of the rule of law and the Bill of Rights in the Constitution," it suggests.

It calls for crime statistics to be released more regularly, instead of just once a year.

State and party lines are blurred

The government received the worst possible rating, red, for "an element of denialism" about xenophobia, state-party separation and relationships, cadre deployment and politicisation of institutions and regulating private funding to political parties.

A red rating means "no progress has been achieved on addressing the issue; or very little progress has been achieved and the government does not seem to be on track to complete it in the near future".

"The president should provide particular leadership in making party-state distinctions. Holding office for the entire country, the president needs to guard against the commandeering of state resources for party ends," the report reads.

"The distinction between the state and the political party has become blurred."

Poverty, unemployment and corruption also received red ratings.

"Given the perceptions of corruption in South Africa and that government did not follow through with the APRM’s recommendations on protecting whistleblowers, the evaluating group felt that a red rating was justified."

Parliament was asked to improve reports from committees and "upgrade the quality of debate". A policy on attendance for MPs was also needed.

Room for improvement

According to the report Parliament needed to be "more conscientious in evaluating and processing legislation".

"After passing legislation, Parliament needs to monitor its operation. As a part of this process, the objectives of the legislation need to be clearly spelled out to enable such monitoring."

Other contentious issues such as racism, land reform, black economic empowerment and service delivery received orange ratings, with warnings that there was room for improvement.

On land reform, the report notes: "Although much progress has been achieved, completion is still far away. The experts on land reform in the evaluating team felt that given the overall status of the issue, a red rating should be awarded.

"However, other participants argued that a green rating should be awarded, based on the progress achieved. Therefore, an orange rating was awarded as a compromise."

The only green rating was for holding successful elections.

Although there was a category called "access to information and protection of the media", no rating was given because the media had not been covered in previous reports.

It however notes that access to information and media freedom are threatened by plans to establish a media tribunal and the proposed protection of information bill.


- SAPA

Read more on: media | politics | xenophobia | parliament 2011 | legislation | jacob zuma

BAE's 'bribery' channel

BAE's 'bribery' channel
Sam Sole and Stefaans Brümmer
Jun 24 2011
Documents reveal the cunning origin of the British arms company’s system used to channel alleged kickbacks to South African arms deal 'advisers'.
A new cache of documents shows how British arms multinational BAE Systems planned a payment channel so covert its own business units would not know the details -- and then used it to push more than R1-billion to "marketing advisers" on the South African arms deal.

The documents, extracted from the British Serious Fraud Office's investigation into BAE, were obtained from a source in Europe by the M&G Centre for Investigative Journalism and Swedish television journalists.

Resulting broadcasts in Sweden forced arms manufacturer Saab to admit last week that BAE had irregularly used a South African joint venture between the two companies to channel R24-million to a "South African consultant" -- former defence ministry advisor Fana Hlongwane. Saab produces the Gripen jets South Africa bought at the turn of the century as part of the R60-billion arms deal.

These revelations fit with the details of civil charges that the United States state department brought against BAE last month -- and that BAE promptly settled by agreeing to pay a record $79-million (R550-million) fine.

The civil charges overlapped with two criminal matters already settled by BAE in the US and Britain, but with one significant difference: this time BAE's payments to secure part of the South African arms purchase formed part of the charges.

The state department charges focused on the covert nature of the payments BAE made through its "Red Diamond" system, which bypassed US laws meant to prevent foreign bribery and arms proliferation. BAE and Saab were both subject to US jurisdiction because their aircraft contained US technology.

BAE's settlement with the state department, like Saab's admission last week, poses new challenges for South African authorities that have closed all investigations into the arms deal and steadfastly rejected calls for a judicial inquiry.

BAE and Hlongwane have not denied the fact of the payments, but have denied that they were bribes. What remains to be explained is why payments were made through elaborate and covert channels when there was nothing to hide.

Planning Red Diamond
The cache of documents obtained by the M&G Centre include BAE internal memorandums dating from the mid-1990s.

A first memorandum outlined the sheer scale of BAE's payments to an army of "marketing advisers" helping to lubricate arms sales across the globe. In 1995, 225 "brass-plate advisers" got a total of £25-million (R275-million) and 74 "confidential advisers" another £21-million (R230-million).

A second memorandum considered alternatives to hide such payments. "It has been suggested that in order to increase security and confidentiality of marketing adviser payments, consideration should be given to the possibility of making these payments through a company set up for the purpose and given a name which has no connection with BAE. For the purposes of this note the company is called JBL (Joe Bloggs Ltd)," the memorandum stated.

It listed three alternatives. The first, according to which BAE business units would deal with the advisers but pay them through Joe Bloggs Ltd, was considered risky as "the wide circulation in BAE ... would continue" and "the system would deter casual observers but would still be obvious to anyone investigating".

A second alternative -- transferring liaison with the advisers from business units to BAE headquarters at Farnborough near London -- was considered "still transparent if investigated".

The third alternative, which was eventually chosen, involved incorporating Joe Bloggs Ltd offshore "with sufficient expert directors (and staff?) to be credible". It would pay the advisers with funds transferred from BAE headquarters "in round numbers blocks", which in turn would be derived from levies imposed on BAE business units.

The "advantages" included that paperwork could be stored offshore; business units would know no more than the amount of marketing levy they paid to headquarters; and "the arrangements can be justified if investigated and would be difficult to penetrate anyway".

A separate memorandum considered how business units would know by how much to inflate prices for their weapons if they did not have details of how much would flow back to the "advisers". The solution: headquarters would simply inform business units of "percentage enhancements" to slap on their pricing. These could be described in company records as "HQ management charges etc".

Another memorandum confirmed an instruction that "covert paperwork should be removed offshore" -- Switzerland was eventually chosen. It recommended that, record at headquarters should be limited to the minimum.

"There are about 350 covert agreements in existence so it is impossible to remember them all. It will be necessary therefore to keep as a minimum a single computer listing at Farnborough, preferably on an easily removable laptop."

US charges
The US state department's charge sheet against BAE -- called a "proposed charging letter" because it was a civil matter -- takes up the story: "In February 1998, respondent [BAE] engaged Uniglobe Aktiengesellschaft, a trust company in Vaduz, Liechtenstein, to create Red Diamond Trading Ltd, an offshore company, located in the British Virgin Islands ... Although not a subsidiary of respondent, Uniglobe structured Red Diamond in a manner in which Red Diamond could not act without respondent's written agreement ...

"The purpose of Red Diamond was to facilitate payments to third-party brokers hired by the respondent ... There were approximately 350 covert agreements with 299 brokers. Red Diamond operated with intent to circumvent the normal payments reviews."

All in all, according to the charges, Red Diamond made more than 1 000 covert payments to brokers -- another word for BAE's "marketing advisers" -- over the nine years of its existence. This period, 1998 to 2007, corresponds with a massive flow of funds to Hlongwane and a handful of others who helped BAE clinch its South African sales.

The state department charges were an outflow of a US criminal investigation into contraventions by BAE of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. BAE settled it in March last year by pleading a lesser charge that did not involve knowingly bribing officials, and paying a $400-million (R2.8-billion) fine. No reference was made to the South African deal.

After the plea, the state department required BAE to come clean on contraventions of the US Arms Export Control Act, which is intended to control arms sales involving US technology and prevent bribery by requiring broker fees to be reported.

According to the charging letter, the British company came clean on broker payments it should have reported in respect of deals to sell or lease Saab’s Gripens to the Czech Republic and Hungary.

When the state department reviewed further Gripen deals, it discovered that no broker fees had been declared when it issued a licence in 2002 authorising the export of US technology for the Gripens that BAE and Saab were selling South Africa.

This was contradicted by evidence the department obtained: "Respondent [BAE] or its representative, Red Diamond, made payments to brokers involved in securing the sale to South Africa. Respondent failed to disclose payments as required."

This, and a host of related offences revolving largely around the Red Diamond payments, led to BAE's prompt settlement last month. The $79-million fine it agreed to pay is the biggest of its kind the state department has levied.

SA payments
Soon after Red Diamond was formed in 1998, it appears to have become the vehicle of choice to pay BAE's "advisers" on the South African deal, which was then being finalised.

Among the documents obtained by the M&G Centre is an October 1998 contract between BAE and Arstow Commercial Corporation, a British Virgin Isles company controlled by, among others, Hugh Thurston, who was financial adviser to former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher's family.

The contract promised a commission of 1.5% on the sale of Hawks and Gripens to South Africa. In April 1999, the contract was substituted by another that promised the same 1.5% fee, but with Red Diamond replacing BAE as the principal.

In September that year -- with the arms deal negotiations in their final stage -- Arstow signed a contract with another entity, Westunity Limited. The latter promised to "provide the services of Fana Hlongwane, who will use his best efforts to promote the reputation and sale of the product in the territory".

At the time, Hlongwane had only recently resigned as then-defence minister Joe Modise's adviser.

A back-to-back contract, in turn, was signed between Westunity and Hlongwane, who was to "promote the sales of the products of Westunity".

A British Serious Fraud Office list of transfers from Arstow's accounts to Hlongwane through Westunity and another company in Hong Kong, which is also part of the document trove, shows that the money started flowing almost immediately. An amount of £100 000 (R1.1-million) was paid in October 1999, shortly before the arms contracts were signed, whereas £550 000 (R6-million) was paid in May 2000, after the contracts were signed. By July 2001, Arstow had remitted £4.9-million [now R54-million] to Hlongwane's entities.

The same convoluted pattern -- from Red Diamond to Hlongwane and others, often through several offshore stages -- led to the payment of a staggering total of £103-million (R1.13-billion) in respect of the BAE and Saab sales in South Africa, according to an affidavit by fraud office investigator Gary Murphy that was previously reported on by the Mail & Guardian.

Murphy stated: "I suspect that a primary reason behind the inception of Red Diamond was to ensure that corrupt payments could be made, and that it would be more difficult for law enforcement agencies to penetrate the system."

The fraud office's BAE investigation was terminated last year after a settlement in which BAE admitted guilt on accounting-related charges in only one of the matters investigated, the sale of radar equipment to Tanzania.


A paper trail that leads to millions
The new cache of documents obtained by the Mail & Guardian includes a contract signed between the South African National Industrial Participation company (Sanip) and arms deal agent Fana Hlongwane.

This document forced Saab, the Swedish builder of the Gripen fighter jet, to confirm last week that at least R24-million was paid through Sanip to Hlongwane by Saab's partner, BAE Systems, allegedly without Saab's knowledge.

BAE ran the South African company on Saab's behalf.

Strikingly, the contract commits Hlongwane to deliver outcomes over which he could not have had a bona fide influence -- and it promises him a fortune in return.

Saab set up Sanip to manage the enormous offset obligations generated by the purchase of Hawk and Gripen fighter aircraft.

Most observers believed the offset requirements -- investments of $2-billion and export promotion of $5.2-billion by April 2011 -- were pie in the sky and would need significant massaging of the figures to be achieved, even on paper.

The Sanip contract, running from August 2003, agreed to pay Hlongwane's consultancy firm a once-off fee of R8 175 000, a quarterly retainer of R1 875 000
and two enormous success fees.

The first success fee of R22.5-million would be paid if the South African government confirmed, in writing, that BAE had achieved its first offset milestone -- achieving investments of $300-million and exports of $2-billion -- by April 2004.

It appears that this was paid, though clearly there were issues around meeting the deadlines.

An amendment in August 2006 allowed for the payment of an additional R1 275 000 bonus following "resolution … of the issue relating to the credit review timing under NIP [the offset programme]".

Hlongwane was promised a further R30-million if the government certified that BAE had achieved the final April 2011 milestone. It is not known whether this amount has indeed been paid.

Hlongwane had no obvious industrial experience and, indeed, British investigators who seized BAE documents and questioned its executives could find scant evidence that he supplied significant input.

It is not clear how Hlongwane was regarded as being able to influence the offset process -- other than on the basis of lobbying politicians and officials to engage in the required accounting gymnastics to produce the required approvals.

Documents show that Sanip also paid Hlongwane R4.2-million for a report on black economic empowerment. The only justification BAE could produce for this largesse was a two-page report on the choice of a strategic BEE partner.

The Sanip contracts and payments are only a part of a complex series of payments and agreements between Hlongwane and BAE or its agents, most of which were "covert" and channelled through offshore companies and banks. The M&G has previously reported that he was paid more than R200-million in total.

Even Hlongwane’s "overt" contract with Sanip was allegedly never disclosed to Saab, although the Swedish company was formally the 100% owner of the offset company until it was transferred to BAE in 2004.

Investigators always suspected -- but have never had the opportunity to prove -- that these secretive arrangements were designed to facilitate onward payment of monies by Hlongwane to South African government officials who could influence the decision, and to disguise delayed rewards to Hlongwane himself for influence exercised in the 1990s when he was special adviser to defence minister Joe Modise.

Hlongwane could not be reached for comment. -- Sam Sole & Stefaans Brümmer


Pikoli slams corruption
Former national director of public prosecutions Vusi Pikoli spoke out about the arms deal this week, saying the country needed to confront the allegations to demonstrate a real will to fight corruption.

"Two issues … are going to define our commitment to fight corruption. They are the arms deal and the [Iraqi] oil-for-food case," Pikoli told the inaugural conference of the Institute of Commercial Forensic Practitioners in Sandton on Tuesday.

South Africa's involvement in the oil-for-food scandal was exposed by the M&G's "Oilgate" investigation. Kickbacks were allegedly paid to Saddam Hussein’s regime to secure lucrative oil-buying rights in at least two deals linked to key ANC figures, including the late Sandi Majali.

Then-president Thabo Mbeki appointed the Donen Commission five years ago to probe the allegations, but as recently as last year President Jacob Zuma refused to release its report or to extend its restrictive mandate.

Pikoli said the commission was set up to meet international obligations to fight corruption: "Then what? I don’t know what happened. Now the arms deal issue is coming back to haunt us again … It will be here until the matter is adequately addressed and not pushed under the carpet … We have to deal with that."

Pikoli said he was fired because certain members of the government hankered after the times, such as under apartheid, when the executive could issue instructions to prosecutors.

"That’s why I got into trouble -- because I failed to obey an unlawful instruction, unlawful and unconstitutional."

Mbeki suspended Pikoli when he refused to delay or withdraw plans to arrest former police commissioner Jackie Selebi.

Pikoli said the now-defunct Scorpions were once public darlings. "What went wrong? We had to tackle grand corruption that tended to affect some politicians. That’s when things started to go wrong."

He said the fight against corruption was central to protecting democracy and economic growth and called on forensic professionals, the private sector and civil society to play an active part.

Corruption was not just the government’s problem, he said.

"At the end of the day, the failure of the authorities, of government, is our failure as a people.” -- Sam Sole & Stefaans Brümmer


Arm yourself
Today amaBhungane (the M&G Centre for Investigative Journalism) launches the "Arms Deal Cache", an online resource to spread knowledge about South Africa's arms deal scandal and enlist the public in efforts by journalists and campaigners to expose the truths that authorities have so studiously ignored.

Found at www.mg.co.za/armsdocs or at amaBhungane's homepage at www.amabhungane.co.za, the cache will start with the collection of documents referred to in the accompanying articles.

It will be supplemented over time with many more documents collected during our and the Mail & Guardian's decade-long, award-winning investigations into the scandal. Readers are invited to submit feedback -- and any further documents they might have in their possession -- to amabhungane@mg.co.za.

The M&G Centre for Investigative Journalism, supported by M&G Media and the Open Society Foundation for South Africa, produced this story. All views are the centre’s. www.amabhungane.co.za.
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An online resource to spread knowledge about South Africa's arms deal scandal.
amaBhungane presents the Arms Deal Cache, an online resource to spread knowledge about South Africa's arms deal scandal and enlist the public in efforts by journalists and campaigners to expose the truths that authorities have so studiously ignored.

The cache will be supplemented over time with many more of the documents collected during our and the Mail & Guardian's decade-long, award-winning investigations into the scandal.

Be the first to know when we add new documents to the cache by following SAarmsdealcache on Twitter.

Want to tell us what you've found? Or add more documents to the cache? Email amabhungane@mg.co.za -- anonymous postings welcome.

Disclaimer: Investigations are works in progress. Some of the documents below contain allegations which remain unproven. They are included because a full airing of the scandal is in the public interest, but remember that all persons are innocent until proven guilty.

UK SFO documents on BAE investigation

941010 Kayswell (Bredenkamp company) incorporation in BVI

960000 BAE plans covert offshore payment system

981021 BAE agreement with Arstow (Roberts, Thurston, Matt)

990414 Red Diamond (BAE) substitute agreement with Arstow

990902 Arstow contract with Westunity (Hlongwane)

990902 Westunity back-to-back contract with Hlongwane

991111 Red Diamond contract with CIC (Thurston, Chapman, Day)

000222 Jasper (Bredenkamp) incorporation Mauritius

000605 Bank correspondence shows Hlongwane has CIC debit card

010514 Bank memo shows Hlongwane is CIC beneficiary

010730 Arstow payments to Hlongwane

020000 Transfers between Red Diamond, CIC, Westunity (Hlongwane)

020101 BAE contract with Hlongwane Consulting

030910 Sanip contract with Hlongwane Consulting

041207 BAE, Red Diamond payments to Arstow, onflow to Hlongwane, MacDonald

041207 BAE, Red Diamond payments to Arstow

050000 Valurex corresp re route to Hlongwane

050301 BAE contract with Hlongwane Consulting renewed

050823 BAE contract with Hlongwane Consulting extra $8m

050930 BAE payments to Kayswell (Bredenkamp company)

051205 ACS (Bredenkamp) ref payment to Hlongwane

060813 Sanip contract now with Ngwane Aerospace (Hlongwane)

070431 BAE payments direct to Hlongwane Consulting

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Pafments to FATA HLONGWANE from Arstovr's bank accounts Schedule 1
Bank Account no. Description on the bank statement Value PaymentPaEd to
Date
VP Bank 314A49.019 oaest-gg R100,000.0NWestunity Business Ltd.
314.449.0.lg Renttttsnce Westuntty Business Lkt 08-May 00 E5{i0,000.00Westunlty Business Ltd.
VP Bank 314.449.019 Remittance Weshrrity Business Ltd 03-Jan-0'f DQ0,000,00Westunliy Business Ltd.
3 1 4A49.01 9 Rernittanas Westurity Business Ltd 08-Jan+1 L tOO,OOO.OOWestunRy Bus!ness Ltd.
Bank Wegeiin 30.570354 > 2CO Funds tntnster 1&Jvn-01 R598,125.02Bhun tgng{H ongK ong)C ompany Ltd
Bank Wegegn 30.570554 2~0 Funds transfer 2Wun-01 t2,000,000.0OWesturity Business Ltd.
Bank Wegeim 30.5T0354 2.200 3Cklut-01 g1,455,000.00Wsstunlty Bo@ness l.td.
Totat R4. 9 03,126 02

Arms group admits to SA bribes

Arms group admits to SA bribes

Sapa-AFP
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Stockholm - Swedish defence group Saab on Thursday admitted that millions were paid to clinch a South African contract for fighter jets but said its erstwhile British partner BAE Systems had paid the bribes.

Saab said R24m had been paid by BAE in the form of bonuses and salaries between 2003 and 2005 for the deal involving 26 JAS Gripen fighters.

The comments came after Sweden's TV4 television channel said it had evidence Saab had promised to pay Fana Hlongwane, then advisor to the South African defence minister and also serving as a consultant to the Swedish firm, millions of euros in bonuses if Pretoria did not back out of the Gripen deal.

Saab said R24m had been paid by its South African subsidiary Sanip, which was then controlled by BAE Systems.

Saab president and chief executive Haakan Bushke denied responsibility saying in a statement: "A person employed by BAE systems has without Saab's knowledge signed for us an unknown contract, signed for us up until now unknown transactions..."

BAE Systems said last week it had sold its stake in Saab for £152m.

The 1999 deal with South Africa provided for the sale of 28 jets for €1.6bn but this was later whittled down to 26. The last plane is due to be delivered next year.
Read more about: arms deal | bribes | corruption | bae | saab

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DA to challenge closed arms deal probe
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - Oct 17 2010 14:47



The Democratic Alliance said on Sunday it would ask the chairperson of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Themba Godi, for an urgent special hearing into the termination of the investigation into the arms deal.

"They need to explain why the investigation into corruption in the arms deal was closed," the DA's David Maynier and Independent Democrats leader Patricia de Lille said in a joint statement.

The DA wanted General Anwar Dramat, the head of the Hawks, and Menzi Simelane, head of the National Prosecuting Authority, to be at the special hearing.

The DA said that advocate Glynnis Breytenbach, head of the Special Commercial Crimes Unit, should also be there to "explain the progress made with requests for mutual legal assistance to foreign countries which may assist in the investigation into the arms deal".

In the statement the DA said it believed that the decision by Dramat to close the arms deal investigation was "part of the biggest cover-up of corruption in the history of South Africa".

The DA's response came after the last two "legs" of the investigation into the arms deal were closed, the Mail & Guardian reported on Friday.

Read our story: Arms deal probe (2000-2010)

The report said that while elements of the criminal justice system were still pursuing leads, it appeared that with the main investigative capacity shut down, these efforts stood little chance of success.

The DA said the Hawks knew arms deal corruption went all the way to the highest levels of government and by closing the investigation they had effectively "let some very big political fish off the hook".

"The fact is that we cannot stand by and let the biggest corruption scandal in the history of our country be buried by the Hawks." -- Sapa

Sexwale outraged over 'bribery'

Sexwale outraged over 'bribery'
Jun 28 2011 21:23

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Cape Town - The former leader of the Special Investigations Unit's probe into public housing corruption allegedly buried charges against the National Home Builders' Registration Council (NHBRC) before taking a cushy job with it, Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale said on Tuesday.

An outraged Sexwale said the NHBRC offered Vanessa Somiah a salary of more than R1m a year - nearly double her pay at the SIU - to quit the corruption busting unit, in a move he described as "bribery".

Sexwale said Somiah had since been suspended from the NHBRC post, which was created without the requisite ministerial approval.

Somiah oversaw the SIU's four-year-old probe into corruption in public housing and was personally tasked with investigating corruption allegations within the NHBRC at the request of the ministry.

At the same time, she was secretly offered or applied for a senior post in the NHBRC, allegedly in collusion with its CEO Sipho Mashinini, who was one of the people under investigation, Sexwale said.

"It came to light that, at the same time as she was in the process of working on the report for the department of human settlements, she was ostensibly negotiating with, and subsequently became employed by the NHBRC at almost twice the salary she was earning at the SIU.

"Within weeks of her employment the NHBRC while conducting some kind of disciplinary action against its employees, listed Ms Vanessa Somiah as a witness against some of them who were whistleblowers while she was at the SIU.

"It is quite clear to any thinking person what the objectives of all these machinations were about.

"I regard all this as not only devious but also shocking, to realise how some of those who are supposed to be in authority in our campaign against corruption can undertake such reprehensible measures to undermine this fight," Sexwale said.

Half measures

He said Mashinini had been given a final written warning and would be the subject of further investigations.

"The council has been further advised that investigations around Mr Mashinini ought not to be conducted while he is in office."

Sexwale said he was in favour of all possible steps being taken against those involved in covering up corruption at the NHBRC, including criminal charges.

"I don't want half measures ... I really don't take prisoners on this kind of thing."

He said the SIU would repeat the investigation into allegations of corruption at the NHBRC, as the report he had received was clearly "a whitewash" riddled with discrepancies that warranted proper analysis.

SIU head Willie Hofmeyr said this should take two to three months.

Hofmeyr said the affair was deeply unpleasant for the SIU and had been uncovered thanks to information received from the National Education Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu).

"We have received very good co-operation from the union in this whole investigation and I do want to thank them for that," he said.

Hofmeyr said Nehawu members blew the whistle before the Easter weekend, complaining that they had given Somiah information against Mashinini which she had failed to properly investigate.

Somiah left the SIU at the end of April, but failed to disclose that she was taking a job with NHBRC and had a conflict of interest.

"By that stage she had resigned, but she did not tell us who her new employer was," he said.

"The SIU is appalled by these allegations that reflect very negatively on the important work that we are tasked to do.

"We would like to make it clear that this kind of behaviour, if it is proven to be correct, will not be tolerated under any circumstances and that we will pursue individuals implicated in such behaviour harshly and vigorously."

Misconduct

Hofmeyr said that, at this stage, he could not say how much money was involved in the alleged corruption at the NHBRC or how many people were implicated.

The NHBRC's previous chairperson, who resigned last year, is also under investigation.

The NHBRC was established under the Housing Consumer Protection Measures Act, mainly to protect the interest of housing consumers and to regulate the home building industry.

The SIU's overall investigation into public housing corruption has so far led to the recovery of R55m. Sources said the SIU was confident that the probe had not been compromised by Somiah's alleged misconduct.



Read more about: corruption | housing | tokyo sexwale

Cops launch gun licence education plan

2011-06-29 18:17


Related Links
Mthethwa licence promises impossible - FF+
Gun owners get reprieve
'Bad idea' to upset gun law


Johannesburg - A programme to educate people about the firearm licence application process will be launched in August, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said on Wednesday.

Roadshows would be held throughout the country at which people could detail any challenges they had faced with the process, he said in Pretoria.

Speaking after a progress review meeting with the task team responsible for a turnaround strategy for firearms applications, Mthethwa said that the 1 080 696 backlog in applications in February, had been reduced to 121 449 by June 26.

Of these, 60% were already at the central firearms registry.

"We acknowledged that there were challenges but from where I am sitting currently, I am satisfied with [the] progress," he said.

Mthethwa wants all applications for firearm licences, competency certificates and renewals finalised by the end of August.

"Internally, we shall ensure that we implement tailor-made systems that will help us deal with this challenge and avoid future backlogs," he said.

Putting in place systems without understanding applicants' frustrations would not help, he said.

- SAPA

Comments by Sonny

What a waste of public funds.......

The minister should settle all the judgements he has against him!

How many of you listened to Martin Hood at 17:40 on Radio 702.....?

Don't give us futile speeches, give us affirmative service delivery....!

Lt Col Marc Ishlove... 'died in war against crime'

JHB reservist 'died in war against crime'
Alex Eliseev | EWN 702
Friends and family of Johannesburg police reservist Marc Ishlove on Monday described him as a brave soldier who died in the war against criminals.

Ishlove was killed in a shootout in Northcliff earlier this month. He served as a reservist for more than 30 years.

He received a full state funeral in Fairland, where National Police Commissioner Bheki Cele spoke.

Ishlove’s daughters Marcia and Juliette said their father went where angels feared to tread and that they would carry his spirit with them forever.

Colleague and close friend Clifford Bond said Ishlove was like a father to him.

“We go in together and we leave together. We were not trained to leave men behind. But on that day I left a man; I left a great man,” he said.

Cele delivered a fiery speech, calling on officers to hunt down those who kill policemen.

“Anybody who kills a member of the South African police must have a sleepless night,” he said. “You (criminals) go and brush your teeth in the morning, your toothbrush must say police, police, police.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Cele speaks at Ishlove funeral
Police are fighting a war they did not declare, National Police Commissioner General Bheki Cele said during the funeral of police reservist Mark Ishlove, in Johannesburg, on Monday.

27 June 2011 | Sapa

JOHANNESBURG - Police are fighting a war they did not declare, National Police Commissioner General Bheki Cele said during the funeral of police reservist Mark Ishlove, in Johannesburg, on Monday.

"We shall win this war. We shall not allow the country to be ruled by criminals," Cele told mourners during the service which was held at the Mosaiek church in Fairlands.

Cele assured the church filled with police that they were doing a "wonderful job" and reiterated no officer should die with a gun in their hand.

"Anybody who kills a member of the police is inviting trouble and courting sleepless nights," Cele said.

Sixty-year-old Ishlove, a lieutenant-colonel, died in a shootout between the police and a five-man gang near a primary school in Northcliff on June 15. Two of the gunmen also died.

Police were chasing the gang's white Mercedes-Benz when it crashed.

The five men inside jumped out and ran away.

One of them dropped his pistol and was arrested near the accident scene. Another man was arrested further down the road and a third was caught in the school grounds.

Ishlove chased one of the other men to a house where a shootout ensued in which both he and the gunman died.

The fifth man tried to hide in a Wendy house. He shot himself in the head and died on the way to hospital.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marco George Ishlove Lt-Col
8 February 1951 ......Rip......15 June 2011



And now, the end is near,
And so I face the final curtain.
My friends, I'll say it clear;
I'll state my case of which I'm certain.

I've lived a life that's full -
I've travelled each and every highway.
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Regrets? I've had a few,
But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption.

I planned each charted course -
Each careful step along the byway,
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew,
When I bit off more than I could chew,
But through it all, when there was doubt,
I ate it up and spit it out.
I faced it all and I stood tall
And did it my way.

I've loved, I've laughed and cried,
I've had my fill - my share of losing.
But now, as tears subside,
I find it all so amusing.

To think I did all that,
And may I say, not in a shy way -
Oh no. Oh no, not me.
I did it my way.

For what is a man? What has he got?
If not himself - Then he has naught.
To say the things he truly feels
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows I took the blows
And did it my way.

Yes, it was my way.

Protect And Serve - Not Die...Jeppestown Massacre 25 th June 2006

Protect And Serve - Not Die

My four brave buddies in BLUE
Today the Country salutes you
You were all an inspirational light
Keeping your mission and zest bright
Little did you ever know
What seeds of evil against you could sew

On Sunday 25th Junes 2006 you were on duty
Little knowing what was expected of you
To come up against the trained forced of evil
Lead to your fate by Lucifer, the Devil
You were outnumbered, outgunned and slain
Like pigs going to their slaughter

Out numbered, not once, out spirited
You stood your ground like heroes
You carried your cross like disciples
You paid the supreme price with your flesh
You have all earned a place in heaven
While your enemy will languish in HELL!

Copyright (c)2006 William Ernest Cox

---------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chilling glimpse into 'Jeppestown Massacre'
January 31 2008 at 07:36am



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By Alex Eliseev

For 19 months, photographs of the Jeppestown bloodbath lay hidden in police dockets and court files - but today it's clear why the June 25 2006 shootout was dubbed a massacre.

Some of the 1 000-odd images presented to the Johannesburg High Court on Wednesday are too grisly to publish, but they tell the real and frightening story of a raid gone very wrong.

The most striking photograph shows two slain police officers - Constable Pieter Seaward and Inspector Gert Schoeman - on the floor in a final embrace.

Seaward's right hand is resting on his colleague's arm, his left hand is tucked under Schoeman, only the hand protruding.

Their blue uniforms are covered in blood and dust from the crumbling plaster.

All around is the bloody chaos of a standoff that, in the end, claimed 12 lives.

The wall above the officers is smeared in streaks of blood and riddled with bullet holes. At their feet is a bag used by the gang to carry their loot.

The floor is a wild mess of clothes, suitcases, bags, takkies, newspapers, car tools, buckets and coins.

In the same room lie three dead robbers - one at the feet of the dead cops, one on the floor and one on his back on the bed. Five guns are scattered around the bedroom.

The photo albums also contain pictures from the postmortems, detailed ballistic diaries, chilling glimpses inside other rooms at 54 Mordaunt Street, the areas surrounding the house, and money bags stolen from the Honeydew Pick n Pay and recovered in the hideout.

The much-awaited trial of the "Jeppestown Massacre 13" began on Wednesday after a two-day delay.

State prosecutor Joanie Spies read out the 23 charges and was met with defiant pleas of "I'm not guilty" on all counts from all accused.

This means the trial - set down until the end of March - is likely to run its full course.

The 12 men and one woman face various charges of robbery, murder, attempted murder, and being in possession of unlicensed and illegal firearms.

All but one accused exercised their right to remain silent. Zinto Mqunu claimed he had gone to the house to visit a sangoma and was not involved in the robbery.

Ballistic evidence has shown that at least 27 firearms were used in the siege - including an AK-47 - and that more than 110 shots were fired by the seized weapons.

The real figure - including shots fired by police outside the house - is closer to 300.

On Wednesday, 11 handguns and an AK-47 were laid out as evidence. The service pistols of Schoeman, Seaward, and inspectors Victor Mathye and Frikkie van Heerden were also presented.

Two witnesses were called to give evidence: a woman robbed outside the Pick n Pay and a supervisor on duty on that bloody Sunday.


Joanne Brown, who has an artificial leg, had parked in the disabled-parking spot outside the supermarket. As she opened the door, "a chap" appeared and ordered her to hand over her handbag.


She later saw a man with the bag - covered in "trinkets, teddy bears and silly things" - making a getaway. She spotted a red Honda Ballade and claimed it was used by the gang. The car was then linked to the scene in Jeppestown.

Sarah Marumole - a supervisor at the Pick n Pay since 2002 - was six months pregnant when the gang struck.

She said she worked with one of the accused, Mary Maleke, who is thought to be the insider at the store.

Marumole attended an identity parade at C-Max prison (where 10 of the accused are kept) but said she was too scared to point out anyone.

On Wednesday, she was given a set of photographs and picked out one of the faces.

None of the widows of the slain police officers were in court.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Widow relives horror of Jeppestown massacre
KHETHIWE MABENA | 01 September, 2009 17:56

CHEATED: Widows Leonie van Heerden and Nadia Seaward listen to proceedings in the Johannesburg High Court yesterday. Van Heerden earlier recounted events that led to her husband being killed .Pic: ALON SKUY. 04/11/2008. © The Times.Save & Share
THE widow of a policeman murdered in the Jeppestown massacre wept as she described how difficult it was for her to explain their father's death to her young children.

"Every day of their lives [my children] miss their father. We do not go to bed without my son asking why they shot his dad," said Inspector Leonie van Heerden in the Johannesburg High Court yesterday.

"I am angry. They took away the best thing in my life."

The widow, also a police officer, has spent many days in court listening to the proceedings.

"We had dreams, things we wanted to go through together. I'm missing my best friend's company, his jokes, everything," she said.

Her husband and partner in the Roodepoort police dog unit, Inspector Frederick "Frikkie" van Heerden, was one of the four police-men killed during the bloody Jeppestown shootout in June 2006.

She, too, was at the scene, but survived.

The police officers had driven to Jeppestown after a tip-off that an 18-man gang was hiding in a house in the area.

Eight robbers died during the five-hour gun battle with the police.

Van Heerden was one of the four witnesses called by the state to testify in aggravation of sentence against the 12 accused who were recently convicted for charges including murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

She had previously said that she would not be able to testify against her husband's killers because she was still traumatised and was undergoing counselling.

Yesterday, however, she was the first of the witnesses to testify.

"I remember that Inspector Victor Mathye was shot in both legs and was down on the kitchen floor. I remember that he fired shots to keep the people inside the house at bay and that he was using his last breath to fire the shots," she said.

"I was bleeding from the head and a person came out of the house, looked at me, laughed and ran off."

Van Heerden lost her composure when she was asked to describe how the incident affected their daughter: "Her father was everything to her," she said.

ý Accused Emmanuel Mweli, 29, appealed for leniency because he had "already spent two years behind bars" and was "still young".

Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng dismissed an application that it be recorded that three of the accused felt that he had pre-judged them and had not properly considered their evidence.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Life sentences for Jeppestown massacre accused
Submitted by MyHoneydew on Fri, 28/11/2008 - 07:52.
28 November 2008

Eleven of the 13 accused in the Jeppestown massacre were on Thursday given four life sentences each by the Johannesburg High Court for the murders of four policemen.

Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng also gave them 40 years each for other crimes relating to the incident, including the killing of eight others who were thought to be members of the gang.

As sentence was past, family members of the slain policemen wept and hugged each other before leaving the court room.

Fanie Schoeman, brother of slain police Sergeant Gert Schoeman, said "I'm happy that it's over, but we can't say that justice has been served, because they took my brother away.

"The message that the judge gave to other criminals is a good one... Police are there to protect us, it doesn't matter what background you come from, you should know what is right and what is wrong," he said
with tears in his eyes.

Those sentenced to life were Nkosinathi Mzamo Mchunu, of Hillbrow; Sizwe Mbuyazi, of Joubert Park; Khumbulani Mabaso, of Johannesburg CBD; Sizwe Dlamini, of Fairview; Sihle Mdunge, of Hillbrow; Muzulelwa Vezi, of Johannesburg's Bree Street; Siyanda Mgomezulu, of Hillbrow; Hlongwa, of Jabulani Hostel; Bekokwakhe Zulu, of Benrose Hostel; Mhlomme Sesiba, of O'Riley Street, Johannesburg and Zinto Mqunu of Jeppestown.

Most of the accused were fathers of very young children.

The "prime mover" behind the Pick 'n Pay robbery in Honeydew which eventually led to the bloody shoot-out in Jeppestown two years ago, Senzo Mweli, 29, was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. He was also sentenced to five years for attempted murder, which would run concurrently with the 20-year sentence.

The policemen were killed in the shoot-out at a house in Mordaunt Street, Jeppestown, on Sunday June 25, 2006 in the aftermath of the
robbery.

Inspectors Frederick "Frikkie" van Heerden, 32, and Victor Nzama Mathye, 49, both of the West Rand dog unit; Sergeant Gert Schoeman, 30, of the West Rand emergency response service; and Constable Pieter
Seaward, 31, of the Johannesburg dog unit died in the gunfight.

The father of Schoeman said earlier that he looked forward to closing a painful chapter of his life.

"I have waited two-and-a-half years for this book to be closed. It's been two-and-a-half years without any proper sleep. My son was a very brave man and I am very proud of him," said Stanley Schoeman.

Provincial Commissioner for Gauteng, Director Govindsamy Marimuthoo,
said the sentencing was settling for all members in the police force.

"We welcome the sentencing, and will continue in the fight against crime...our fallen heroes have paid the ultimate price...it is a great relief to know that those responsible for these atrocious acts have received justice."

Mokgoatlheng said that the background the accused came from should not be an excuse to the events that occurred.

"People cant be allowed to take the law into their own hands, because we have the capacity to think what is right and what is wrong...what this court can't understand is why people should kill in cold blood."

He said that while he understood that the financial situation of the accused was very dire, it was no excuse even if all eleven of the 12 accused were all first time offenders.

"We come from a very painful past, but I try to understand why such a waste of life happens for money...speaking as a black judge, I must say, that in South Africa today, a black man can rise and become what he wants to be."

He said that South African policemen were the bastion of the constitution and society would not accept the killing of a policeman while on duty.

"No civilised society should live like this...people should be allowed to go shopping on a Sunday morning without the fear of being shot and killed."

Promise Mchunu, brother of accused number 3, Nkosinathi Mzamo Mchunu, appeared depressed ahead of the sentencing.

"My brother is not okay. I spoke to him three days ago. He is very sad. I am very sad about this situation too, I love him very much," said Mchunu.

In response to Mchunu's testimony that police had shot at the robbers first, Mokgoatlheng said that the police were just doing their job.

"The police were following you criminals, it is not correct that the police shot at you first, they were just doing their work, and they should be allowed to do their work," he said.

Sapa

Officials " milk" state for R50 million

Officials 'milk' state for R50m
2011-06-26 10:00



Parliament has been told of administrative chaos and rampant corruption at the Institute for National Development of Learnerships, Employment Skills and Labour Assessments. Picture: Brendan Croft/Foto24

Related LinksGauteng official signed 'illegal' deal
Terrorists exploit SA corruption
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Thanduxolo Jika
Johannesburg - About 21 officials are facing disciplinary charges over the alleged theft of at least R50m from an education department agency, amid claims that they were running a private golf club on government property.

The missing millions from the coffers of the higher education and training department’s institute for national development of learnerships, employment skills and labour assessments (Indlela) is shrouded in secrecy as the department won’t release details of the scandal.

Indlela, an agency that dates back 60 years in various guises, is responsible for certifying the qualifications of artisans in South Africa.

Details emerged in Parliament of how staff:
- Ran a private golf club on the agency’s Oliphantsfontein property;
- Ran a private catering business;
- Stole government tools and equipment; and
- Milked the agency of 53% of its more than R100m budget over two years.

The education department has asked police to investigate criminal charges.

A report to Parliament’s education oversight committee recently hinted at the scale of the problems that are being uncovered and which resulted in a consultant being hired to get Indlela back on track.

Forensic audit

DA MP Andricus van der Westhuizen, a member of Parliament’s education portfolio committee, said they were told that staff members were using the golf course to generate income for themselves.

“There were allegations that even tools which are used for training artisans were removed from the premises and also some staff members were catering for the institution and charging for it,” he said.

At the time the money went missing Indlela fell under the labour department but it was transferred to Blade Nzimande’s ministry in April last year.

The alleged fraud and theft was uncovered in a forensic audit conducted by audit firm OMA for two financial years.

OMA handed its report to the department in December, but the department still refuses to make it public.

Media24 Investigations applied for access to the report in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act but the application was denied on the grounds that it would prejudice pending disciplinary proceedings.

But acting director general Gwebinkundla Qonde confirmed that disciplinary procedures had been started against 21 officials.

‘Rampant corruption’

Media24 Investigations has lodged an appeal against the refusal to provide the report.

During a visit to Indlela’s complex last week, the golf course still had a clubhouse and flags on the greens. The course was historically part of the complex but some officials at Indlela spotted a business opportunity and set about running it as a private course, allegedly pocketing the proceeds.

One staffer who asked not to be named said officials there had rented it out to locals for business functions and social gatherings. Locals had also paid them to play golf there over weekends.

The department has now closed the golf course and is investigating where the money went.

Education department chief director Clive Mtshisa told the portfolio committee in a briefing earlier this year that the financial problems were due to Indlela being allowed to operate as an autonomous entity while it was located in the labour department.

He painted a picture of administrative chaos, rampant corruption and maladministration.

Portfolio chairperson Advocate Ishmael Malale said the committee was still awaiting another briefing from the department regarding action against implicated officials.

“We need tough action to be taken,” said Malale.


- City Press

Read more on: crime | corruption | education | indlela | gwebinkundla qonde

Corruption undermines democracy: Mthethwa

Sapa | 24 June, 2011 15:367 Comments

Nathi Mthethwa
Image by: Bathini Mbatha
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Corruption undermines democratic processes in South Africa, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said.

"Its impact tends to undermine democratic processes and corporate governance, while eroding social cohesion and values," he told the SA Policing Union (SAPU) anti-corruption symposium in Midrand.

Mthethwa said when public officials displayed unethical conduct public confidence in government processes and institutions was eroded.

Legal and policy prescripts were being strengthened by his department and disciplinary regulations were being reviewed within the SA Police Service (SAPS).

Problems in combating police corruption included reluctance to report corrupt colleagues, as well as that of some police administrators to acknowledge corruption.

An improved anti-corruption strategy focusing on "prevention, detection, investigation and restorative actions" was under deliberation, Mthethwa said.

"In brief, our programme... consists of achieving better policing, ... (an) efficient criminal justice system, involvement of society in the fight against crime, and a campaign to refurbish the moral fibre of South African society," he said.

Trade union officials from a number of Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, advisor to Norwegian ambassador Ingrid Skjolaas, Washington-based naval researcher Dr Nathan Meehan, and Lawyers for Human Rights representative Kaajal Ramjathan-Keogh also attended the symposium.

Times Live

Comments by Sonny

Look whose talking - certainly not a zero tolerance department!

No wonder Rape dockets and evidence are hidden at cops houses....!

Not to mentions all the cops on bail for serious crimes and still on the job!

20,000 state firearms unaccounted for since 2004??

Minister, you leave us cold!

Copper cable theft declared a high-priority crime

By: Brindaveni Naidoo
23rd June 2011


TEXT SIZE - sore eyes

Copper cable theft, which is estimated to cost the South African economy about R5-billion a year, has been declared a high-priority crime, Business Against Crime (BAC) executive: strategy Advocate Simi Pillay-van Graan said on Thursday.

Speaking at the Copper Cable Theft conference, in Johannesburg, she said the crime would now receive the focus and attention it needed and that government was realising the impact that copper theft has on the economy.

The organisation was engaging with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to incorporate more stringent legislation that would see stricter regulation of import and export processes, which would ensure that the exporting of stolen goods, including copper, was punishable by a jail sentence of up to ten to fifteen years, Pillay-van Graan said.

“Currently, South Africa’s International Trade and Administration Act does not allow for the policing of these processes, which makes it an open door for syndicated criminal activity to successfully enable stolen goods and nonferrous metals to leave the country.

“Unfortunately, law enforcement agencies and international trade administration authorities do not have the resources to check every container that leaves South Africa. This is a challenge and it is critical for us to address this matter with the Minister of the DTI and to have him incorporate stringent legislation, which will not hinder trade that builds the economy, but hinder the export or import of stolen or illegal goods,” she said.

The import and export processes were the first of four high-impact areas identified. Other interventions included the establishment of a central facility to coordinate data and more proactive policing.

“The South African Police Services (SAPS) has been very proactive in the provinces and nationally. However, there will be operational plans developed in each province and more vigorous policing.

“There are a lot of high-level developments within the SAPS, which will cater to and accommodate this,” Pillay-van Graan said.

But, what was most critical, and the fourth aspect of the high-impact areas was that “business needed to get its house in order”.

Pillay-van Graan said: “It is very easy to say there is a reliance on law enforcement organisations to do the policing but we believe most of the risks exist within businesses. There is a need for businesses to unpack their value chain and “clean up their houses”.

“Business also needs to identify internal risks throughout their value chain, from financial investment to security, skills and capability of staff, including outsourcing contracts.”

“We are quite positive about the export and import processes and believe it will probably have the highest impact on curbing nonferrous theft. We will look to a combination of the four aspects we have identified to help grow our economy. We are going to get more ‘purified’ money coming into the economy and South Africa will not be a conduit to facilitate criminal activity across our borders,” Pillay-van Graan told Engineering News Online.

But, she said that it was also key for industry and government in South Africa to understand that the theft of nonferrous metals was not only the result of local challenges, but also changes in the international arena.

The international demand for copper, particularly from developing economies like India and China, as well as Saudi Arabia were also driving organised syndicated crime in South Africa and increasing the level of incidents of theft.

Meanwhile, microdot manufacturer DataDot senior strategic analyst Dekker van Wyk emphasised the key role that technology would play in dealing with cable theft, and the need to start looking for solutions that could be deployed at a manufacturing level.

He believed that technology, including microdots, could be used as a cost-effective method of identification. “Cable is devoid of an identity once the casing has been removed. By the time it reaches the foundry or for export, it is in its raw state and the individual who has it in their presence can claim ownership.”

He advocated for a separate crime code for copper theft, given that copper is the third most stolen commodity in South Africa.

Van Wyk also pointed to the new Second-Hand Goods Act, of 2009, as key to curbing copper theft as it would place strain on scrap metal dealers. The new Act is expected to be implemented from January 1, 2012.


Edited by: Mariaan Webb

Comments by Sonny Cox

Many hands switch lights off!!

Not only Eskom & City Power is responsible for our Darkness!

There agents are however coining on the high price of copper wire!

Now Masondo's croney Tau wants to screw us an extra 30% on top of their tainted

accounting system which is riddles with fraud!

Malema: Minister must prep mines

Wednesday 22 June 2011 : 14:00

Johannesburg - Minerals Minister Susan Shabangu should start preparing the mining sector "psychologically" for nationalisation, ANC Youth League president Julius Malema said on Tuesday.

The lesague further expected Shabangu to be the first to explain "to our people why we are nationalising", Malema said during an interview on SAfm.

"She should prepare the mining sector psychologically, otherwise the mining sector will be in for a shock... ."

Putting the mines in the state's hands was adopted as a league policy at its policy conference which ended on Sunday.

Shabangu recently dismissed nationalisation as "not an option" and "not current policy".

Malema said nationalisation of mines in Zambia had failed because demand for copper fell, and individuals, not the state, were the beneficiaries. One of the proposals the league suggested was to start with new mining entrepreneurs.

When new mining licences are issued, the state should hold 60% of the ownership, and the mining company 40%.

Mines already operating could hand over the 60% portion to the state and, over time, be paid back through profits.

The ruling ANC has made it clear that mine nationalisation is not a party policy. Policies are formulated at national conferences. The next ANC national conference is in 2012 in Mangaung.

Read more about:
mine nationalisation | julius | susan shabangu | malema


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Pragmatist - June 22, 2011 at 12:45 Report comment
Well we the mines are almost out fo gold anyway... let the clowns have them!
00 Reply to Pragmatist

Fredster69 - June 22, 2011 at 12:42 Report comment
He is from a League, not even a proper party and he is the president of the League, a League means to combine; to unite; as, common interests will league heterogeneous elements.a group of people coming together to form an opinion. And now they want to tell the ruling party what to do... Who is the bigger idiot now?
00 Reply to Fredster69

NeoJudge - June 22, 2011 at 12:42 Report comment
Can anyone who's well informed and has contemplated this issue without prejudice explain to me why it is wrong for the ANCYL to call for nationalisation. I personally do not think that this is a Malema issue... So if u reply please focus on the matter not the man..
00 Reply to NeoJudge

ben petzer - June 22, 2011 at 12:34 Report comment
Can somebody please take a hammer and chisel and engrave in Malemas' brain "mine nationalisation is not ANC party policy".
00 Reply to ben petzer

Capestorms - June 22, 2011 at 12:29 Report comment
Just tell all international companies to take there investments and shove it.

With what money will these mines be operated with, TAX??????
Less and less money in the personal account of our goverment brothers and sisters.

When money walks out of the back door, voters walk over to new a party.
00 Reply to Capestorms

Sammy - June 22, 2011 at 12:25 Report comment
Surely Malema must be taking the piss out of everybody , nobody can be that moronic and hold office!
00 Reply to Sammy

Mias - June 22, 2011 at 12:20 Report comment
The more I hear I think that our dear President Zuma and his cabinet and the NEC of the ANC is not in charge of this country anymore. We need to accept that Julius now runs the country. Trevor and the rest of the senior ANC cadres just do not have the balls to get this little twit in line. They are running scared of him.
00 Reply to Mias

jake somber - June 22, 2011 at 12:17 Report comment
I guess that he wants the 40% to foot 100% of the expenses.
00 Reply to jake somber

Mengas - June 22, 2011 at 12:14 Report comment
You are right Cde Julius, we have to benefit from the wealth of this country
00 Reply to Mengas

simon - June 22, 2011 at 12:03 Report comment
Jump, Susan, jump, your real boss is talking to you !
00 Reply to simon

sanette.taylor - June 22, 2011 at 12:03 Report comment
Nationalisation: The capitalists strike back
www.thedailymaverick.co.za
00 Reply to sanette.taylor

Staalbal - June 22, 2011 at 12:01 Report comment
Why don't the media ignore everything from this Fukwit for a couple of months. The media gives him more power because of all the coverage, Juju can just fart and it's news. I propose a total media blackout of all matters Julius.

BTW, mangaung is a municipality Bloemfontein is the cities name.
00 Reply to Staalbal

Gregory - June 22, 2011 at 12:00 Report comment
Tpgbru
I listened to this idiot on the radio this morning! Not the same person when he doesnt have a prepared speach that he read or rehearsed. His IQ is lower than i thought and thats bad. Presenter tell him about all the failed nationalisation projects accross the world and all the research from experts saying it a receipt for disaster and Julius replies it's because it's in the freedom charter!!!!!hhahahahahhwhhhhahhahwhhwhahahah!!!! And then later in the interview when they changed the subject from the mines to the education problem.... Boom! no lights! he wasnt suppose to ask me those questions???? huh??? education?? Come on people this guy is only looking after his own interest! Let me explain. He and JZ's son and all these other power hungry mongrels only want to nationilize the minds because the government will have to buy these minds from the owners. Some of them are worth nothing actually but if the gov pays a few billion for it who benifits??? Think about it logically! Not sure if it was Chille but the lost $100m a day when they did this and when they scrapped it they made $100m a day! simple math?? To my African brothers and sisters out there.... dont be blinded by one mans ignorance and greed. He will take you all down. This dictator would have died for Zuma a few months ago and now??? He wants to get rid of him!! hahaha What do you think he will do with you?? Logic? :) my 5 cents worth. :)
00 Reply to Gregory

Tolerant - June 22, 2011 at 11:44 Report comment
Don't promise what you can not deliver, some people might believe you for a while, but you can not fool all the people all of the time.
00 Reply to Tolerant

Sinqulile - June 22, 2011 at 11:44 Report comment
The adoption of Nationalization of Mines Policy might be the right thing to revolutionize Black community through our national Assets so let us support the policy so that we can bridge the gap of inequality. Let us unite the nation by giving Black youth fair opportunity in all sphere of economy.
00 Reply to Sinqulile

Noitol - June 22, 2011 at 11:40 Report comment
Can this priceless fool not see that no sooner will nationalization take place than the bottom will fall out of the gold market -- precisely as happened to the copper market in Zambia. Next to collapse will be the mines themselves under government management, with, one wonders, how much loss of life?
00 Reply to Noitol

ZACKIE - June 22, 2011 at 11:37 Report comment
a mental patient has escaped from valkengberg yesterday goes by the name juliass..very dangerous and stupid
00 Reply to ZACKIE

be200 - June 22, 2011 at 11:37 Report comment
EISH one of these days no more pap to eat like our brothers in Zim,where wil we go Nigeria? If this fails are we going to blame this on our selfs or the west?? Eish no more pap and vleis just hunger like the rest of Africa!
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Totman - June 22, 2011 at 11:37 Report comment
"The league further expected Shabangu to be the first to explain "to our people why we are nationalising", Malema said during an interview on SAfm."

So he decided and it is now going to happen.

I am a bit confused. Is the YL not a part of the ANC and the ANC the ruling party, using the parliament to make laws to implement things like that? Since when does a nation gets ruled by a group and leader of a youth group of one of it's political parties?

What are the elected leaders saying of this?

Did the chiefs forgot to throw some Mrs Ball's on when they were doing the initiations in the bush.[ Seeing that, that is also in the news.]

........or is the YL only the megaphone of the speakers behind it?
00 Reply to Totman

Ollie - June 22, 2011 at 11:36 Report comment
Malema must "psychologically" be preparing for Weskoppies
00 Reply to Ollie

Finance 24

Comments by Sonny

The ANC has created this monster, MALEMA....

He will be the direct reason for J Zuma's demise before his term has expires.....!