Govt corruption: R30bn could be lost - SIU

Govt corruption: R30bn could be lost - SIU
2011

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Cape Town - The head of both the special investigating unit and the asset forfeiture unit said on Wednesday the country could lose as much as 20% of its total procurement budget to graft annually, in response to a question about the extent of government corruption in South Africa.

"I think that may not be an unrealistic estimate," Willie Hofmeyr told Parliament's justice committee, adding that it translated to between R25bn and R30bn.

The SIU was currently investigating 558 procurement contracts to the value of R1.9bn and 360 cases of conflict of interest where R3.4bn was involved.

Hofmeyr said the fight against corruption was hindered by a shortage of investigators and the low rate of criminal convictions of officials found with their fingers in the till.

"We should have 7 000 people whose job it is to investigate corruption and I think we have 700.

"Our policies are pretty good but if there are not consequences for breaching them... a culture of impunity spreads pretty quickly."

Hofmeyr welcomed the cancellation of the flawed lease contracts with Roux Shabangu for new police headquarters but went on to highlight further problems in the police and public works departments.

"From the kind of things we have found the SAPS leases are not an uncommon practice elsewhere."

SIU investigations have shown that public works paid at least R35m to entities where staff held undeclared interests and were investigating irregularities to the tune of R330mlinked to the building and renovation of 33 police stations.

However, he said, the worst leeching of taxpayers' money was not happening at national level.

"Local government is where the problems are the worst and where oversight mechanisms are the least."

Asked about the implications of the Constitutional Court judgment in the Glenister case, Hofmeyr said if a central anti-corruption agency were created he would like the SIU to be part of it and believed the Hawks also had a central role to play.

"There isn't really a centre from which government's anti-corruption efforts are driven. I think there is a bit of a gap there. The Glennister judgment is an urgent issue that needs to be resolved soon," he said.

"If there is a new corruption unit set up we would like very much to be part of it."

The court found that the legislation that created the Hawks did not give the unit enough independence and gave Parliament 18 months to amend it.

Funding trouble

The special investigating unit ran into severe funding trouble this year when Eskom established that legally it may not be paid by state entities that solicit its help, MPs heard.

He told the justice committee the corruption-busting entity had expected to earn R240m from such agreements but instead had to turn to Treasury to tide it over.

"We are getting an additional R97m from Treasury this year," he told MPs.

Hofmeyr said the SIU was alerted to the problem by Eskom in June after the electricity utility had asked it to probe "corporate governance issues", notably persistent problems surrounding its coal supply contracts.

He said the SIU obtained two legal opinions which confirmed that provided by Eskom, upsetting a 7-year-old practice that had seen it accepted remuneration from a range of state entities.

"We got our own legal opinion at the end of June and then a second opinion that confirmed it and accepted we have got a problem," he said.

"Basically, we are not allowed to charge departments for our services. Everybody was a bit blind-sided by this issue."

Hofmeyr mentioned the matter in a briefing on the SIU's annual report.

He said the unit had not wanted to make it public until it was confident of finding both long and short term solutions because it did not want its staff to fear for their jobs, he said.

An amendment to the SIU Act that would make such payments legitimate is in the pipeline, Hofmeyr said. At present, the legislation is silent on the issue.


- SAPA

Read more on: police | siu | roux shabangu | willie hofmeyr | corruption | police lease saga

SIU gets yet another acting boss

The Directorate of Special Operations (also, DSO or Scorpions) was a multidisciplinary agency that investigated and prosecuted organised crime and corruption. It was a unit of The National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa. Its staff of 536 consisted of some of the best police, financial, forensic and intelligence experts in the country. It was officially disbanded late in January 2009 by South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, after coming into conflict with the crooked head of the South African Police Service, Jackie Selebi.



SIU gets yet another acting boss
2011-12-21 14:45


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Carien du Plessis, City Press
Johannesburg - President Jacob Zuma has replaced the acting head of the special investigating unit (SIU), Advocate Nomgcobo Jiba, after less than a week in the job.

Zuma said in a statement she would be replaced by the deputy national director of public prosecutions, Advocate Nomvula Mokhatla, as acting head.

No reasons are given for the sudden change.

Jiba was appointed last week after Advocate Willem Heath, who had been in the job less than two weeks, resigned following remarks he made to City Press about former president Thabo Mbeki’s alleged involvement in prosecuting Zuma.

Zuma’s spokesperson, Mac Maharaj, said there were no “profound” reasons for Zuma’s decision to replace Jiba.

“The appointment was temporary and until further notice. There is nothing in the law that stops the president from making temporary appointments,” he said.

There is also nothing in the law that compelled him to do so, Maharaj said.

Sarcastic

A sarcastic Maharaj said that Jiba might have been replaced because she could have decided to go on holiday.

Jiba’s appointment raised eyebrows because of her history.

She was suspended from the NPA in 2007 for allegedly assisting the police in its campaign to save former police chief Jackie Selebi from prosecution, but fought her suspension.

Her temporary appointment was announced last week by Justice Minister Jeff Radebe, but Mokhatla’s appointment on Wednesday was announced by Zuma himself.

Mokhatla has served in the litigation unit of the justice department.

She practised as an advocate at the Pretoria and Johannesburg bars before that.



- SAPA

Read more on: siu | nomvula mokhatla | jacob zuma | mac maharaj | nomgcobo jiba | willem heath
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DPCI

South Africa's new priority crimes unit

Share | 10 July 2009

South Africa's new Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), to be known as the Hawks, will target organised crime, economic crime, corruption, and other serious crime referred to it by the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS).

The new unit replaces the National Prosecuting Authority's Directorate of Special Operations, which was known as the Scorpions, and has inherited the core of the Scorpions' investigative capacity, as well as all the cases it was busy handling.

The head of the Scorpions, and Scorpions special investigators based in the Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape, have started relocating to the Hawks, which falls under the SAPS.

Minister of Police Nathi Mthethwa has appointed Western Cape Deputy Commissioner of Police Anwa Dramat to head the new unit.

Speaking at it the launch of the Hawks in Johannesburg this week, Dramat said the fight against crime in South Africa required an integrated, multi-disciplinary approach.

"A genuine commitment to working together is the key ingredient to meeting our objectives," Dramat said. "We have to move away from the 'silo' approach that is prevalent in so many of the structures tasked with combating crime and corruption.

"We need to agree on a partnership and a multi-disciplinary approach that will benefit all South Africans."

The unit has formed a close working relationship with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, the National Treasury, the Financial Intelligence Centre, the South African Revenue Service, and the Department of Home Affairs.

While the Hawks' organisational structure is being finalised, the functions of the SAPS's Organised Crime Unit, Commercial Crime Unit and High Technology Project Centre are expected to be transferred to the DPCI.

Mthethwa, also speaking at the Hawks' launch, said stringent selection and vetting procedures would ensure that the DPCI was staffed with investigators of the highest quality.

At the same time, Mthethwa noted that most Scorpions investigators had opted to join the new unit and be part of the SAPS.

The minister said he was confident that the transitional measures put in place, including the formation of joint operational management teams from the Scorpions and the SAPS, would ensure a smooth transition from the Scorpions to the Hawks.

Source: BuaNews

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Special Investigating Unit (SIU)

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) of South Africa is an independent statutory body that is accountable to Parliament and the Presdent. It was established to conduct investigations at the President’s request, and to report to him on the outcomes thereof.

The SIU was created in terms of the Special Investigating Units and Special Tribunals Act, 1996 (Act No. 74 of 1996). The SIU was initially headed by former Judge Willem Heath, who resigned in June 2001 after the Constitutional Court ruled that a judge could not head the SIU. The SIU then formally ceased to exist.

A new SIU was established in July 2001 through a presidential proclamation.

The SIU functions in a manner similar to a commission of inquiry, in that the President refers cases to it by way of a proclamation. It may investigate any matter set out in Section 2 of the SIU and Special Tribunals Act, 1996, regarding:

■serious maladministration concerning the affairs of any state institution;
■improper or unlawful conduct by employees of any state institution;
■unlawful appropriation or expenditure of public money or property;
■any unlawful, irregular or unapproved acquisitive act, transaction, measure or practice that has a bearing on state property;
■intentional or negligent loss of public money or damage to public property;
■corruption in connection with the affairs of any state institution;
■unlawful or improper conduct by any person who has cause to or may cause, serious harm to the interest of the public or any category thereof.
The SIU litigates its cases in the Special Tribunal, a specialised court that deals specifically with its cases. This avoids some of the delays usually associated with civil litigation. The focus of the SIU is the public sector, but it also deals with private sector accomplices. It can investigate private sector matters that cause substantial harm to the interest of the public.

As the focus of the SIU is on civil litigation, it does not have the power to arrest or prosecute suspects. When it uncovers evidence of criminal activity, it hands a court-ready docket to the South African Police Service (SAPS) and/or the Scorpions (DSO).

The SIU also works closely with the Natonal Prosecution Service (NPS), the core prosecuting division of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), to ensure that prosecutions take place as soon as possible. It also works with the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) in cases where the powers of this unit are more suitable for recovering the proceeds of crime.

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State corruption bombshell
March 31 2011 at 09:28am
By Deon de Lange


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INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS


The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) on Wednesday provided a rare glimpse into rampant corruption in the government when it told Parliament that 16 departments and public entities were under investigation for fraud, corruption and maladministration.

National police commissioner Bheki Cele, who is already under fire for his role in a multi-billion-rand headquarters lease in Pretoria, faces new questions after the SIU revealed that the construction of 33 police stations - valued at more than R330 million - was under investigation for “significant irregularities”.

The SIU has prioritised investigations into the Pienaar, Hazyview, Brighton Beach and eSikhawini police stations after an initial probe revealed fraud and corruption that included SAPS officials having undeclared interests in suppliers awarded work by the police; the lowest quotations not being accepted; no quotations received from winning bidders; and actual payments far exceeding budgeted costs.

SIU chief Willie Hofmeyr told visibly shocked MPs from the National Assembly’s justice committee on Wednesdaythat more than half of the government’s approximately 10 000 subsidised housing projects were suspect. This included instances where “contractors were paid for building houses which may not exist at all; were extensively incomplete; seriously defective; or were paid for more houses than were built”.

He said the investigation by public protector Thuli Madonsela into the Pretoria and Durban police office leases was “only one part of a far wider investigation” into the police’s procurement division.

So widespread is corruption at this department that the SIU has been forced to prioritise only the 20 “top cases”, which alone total over R2 billion.

At the SABC the SIU uncovered that between September, 2007 and March last year, about 20 employees had undeclared interests in firms that did business with the broadcaster to the tune of R2.4bn. This follows an earlier auditor-general investigation that uncovered corruption involving 20 SABC employees to the tune of R3.4m.

According to Hofmeyr, a joint investigation with the Brixton commercial crimes unit had so far resulted in eight criminal cases, of which five had been referred to the National Prosecuting Authority. “There is serious criminality that is being investigated at the SABC,” said Hofmeyr.

The Department of Public Works is being investigated after the SIU discovered that R35m had been paid to entities in which department officials had undisclosed business interests. A contract issued by this department for the construction of “accommodation” at an undisclosed border post - valued at R375m - was also under the microscope.

The public protector has already slammed Public Works Minister Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde for “unlawfully” entering into the police headquarters lease in Pretoria. Now the SIU is looking into another Pretoria lease, this time for a single residence which the department had leased as “residential accommodation” at an astronomical R217 000 a month - without “relevant approval”. The contractor had been “positively linked to a DPW official”.

The Department of Arts and Culture is being probed for misusing funds ring-fenced for the 2010 World Cup.

The Tshwane Metro had paid R185m between 2007 and 2010 to businesses in which 65 municipal staff members had either had undisclosed interests or, brazenly, were the vendors doing business with their own municipal council. Further procurements of R80m were also under investigation.

Ten waste management tenders at the Ekurhuleni Metro - valued at R500m and involving 19 different contractors - were under investigation. In one of these, payments totalling R37.8m had been made to service providers without delivery notes and no one at the metro could confirm whether the goods were ever delivered.

Also in Ekurhuleni, information and communication technology contracts worth R32m had been awarded to a company with which the municipality’s executive director of IT services had an undisclosed relationship.

“He has since resigned and is now employed full-time by the company,” Hofmeyr said to astonished gasps from MPs. And the municipality’s director of infrastructure had admitted to approving invoices valued at R12.4m for services that were never delivered.

The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform is being probed - at the request of minister Gugile Nkwinti - in what is likely to be the country’s biggest-ever “data uplifting project”.

So far, fraud and corruption charges have been laid against three officials and a KwaZulu-Natal businessman relating to land reform grant fraud totalling R50m. And working with the Hawks and the Assets Forfeiture Unit, the SIU has seized KwaZulu-Natal farms worth a further R50m.

The SIU can only investigate at the request of a department or government entity - and only after the president has signed a proclamation authorising such a probe.

President Jacob Zuma has signed 16 proclamations for the 2010/2011 financial year, including one proclamation to investigate all 23 municipalities in North West.

Asked by one MP whether South Africa was losing the fight against corruption, Hofmeyr said: “I think we should all accept that corruption is a serious problem in our country, but I am hopeful that we will make good progress over the next few years.”

He also said he was encouraged by the fact that the president had issued 16 SIU proclamations - the most in a single year - and that “significant resources” were being devoted to the problem. - Political Bureau

Illegal Joburg cut offs stopped

Property
Author: Hendri Pelser
December 2011 10:14
Illegal Joburg cut offs stopped

Court imposes interim order.
JOHANNESBURG - Businesses and residents in Johannesburg on Thursday won a major victory against illegal water and electricity cut offs by the City of Johannesburg.

This comes in the form of an interim order handed down by the South Gauteng High Court, applied for by a group of businesses and property owners. The Metro did not oppose the application.

Recently, the Metro has been disconnecting services if there was money owned on other accounts or line items, such as property tax. At the same time, the billing crisis has created a situation where services on disputed accounts are also cut off if an outstanding balance shows.

This has been in contravention of the City’s own by-laws and procedures.

Schindlers Attorneys, Conveyancers & Notaries applied for the order on behalf of their clients that own and operate 50 000 housing units in the inner city. Managing partner, Maurice Crespi, explained while the application represented an estimated 250 000 people and 100 000m² of retail space, it affected all businesses and residents in Johannesburg.

Crespi added that the applicants did not have a problem with service cut offs as long as it happened in terms of the City’s bylaws.

The interim order clearly sets out the conditions for service disconnections going forward and the parties will appear in court again next March for the final order.

Renney Plit is the chairperson of the Property Owners and Managers Association and the Afhco Group, two of the applicants. He explained that the City’s ability to resolve queries is problematic. In one example alone, a building was overcharged for electricity by about R470 000 because of an incorrect meter reading. Because the situation could not be resolved, the City threatened to cut off power to the building and its tenants.

Plit added that cut offs have been a major problem for some time and the interaction with council did not come to much: “We have been involved in many meetings with senior members at the council and received commitments verbally and in writing”. As a result, court action was the only option.

Johannesburg deputy director for communications, Nthatisi Modingoane, did not answer specific questions as to why the Metro did not oppose the application.

In response to Moneyweb’s questions, he said the joint statement issued confirmed the City’s undertaking to rectify the situation and set out procedures.

“While every effort is made to filter all accounts scheduled for credit control correctly, we are not immune to making a few mistakes. Our cut-off process does give customers some leeway to engage with the City… These (conditions for disconnections) may be subjected to a review if not fully closing the gap of trying to strike a balance between revenue collection and customer satisfaction,” he said.

The disconnection of services may only take place if:

•Consumers are correctly billed;
•A reasonable opportunity is afforded to settle arrear accounts or make appropriate arrangements satisfactory to the City and its municipal entities; and
•Prior to disconnection/restriction, consumers are given adequate and fair advance notice and an opportunity to challenge the accuracy of the accounts as per the City’s bylaws.
The Johannesburg Metro has undertaken to:

•Send reminders to consumers to pay accounts in the form of a monthly statement and/or a telephone call advising customers to pay the account and the outstanding arrears within 20 days;
•If this is not done, consumers will receive a pre-termination notice giving them 14 days within which to settle the account or make satisfactory arrangements;
•Any consumers who lodge queries or challenges to the accounts will be allowed the opportunity to do so and the City will assess these queries, make any appropriate adjustments to accounts (if any) and notify consumers of the outcome and any reasons in relation thereto;
•The City must inform the consumer in writing of its decision as soon as possible and must give the consumer 21 days to pay the amount found to be due and payable.
•Where a consumer has lodged a legitimate revenue related query, services to which that query relates will not be disconnected until the query is resolved and the consumer notified accordingly. In the meantime, consumers must continue to make payments of a reasonable amount (equal to the average of the preceding three months account which are not in dispute) in relation to the amount in dispute. The consumer must, regardless of the query, pay all amounts that are not in dispute.
( Money web)

Now for the gospel according to Zuma

Polokwane - There are no "supreme members" in the ANC, not even President Jacob Zuma, the party's Limpopo chairperson Cassel Mathale said on Tuesday.

All ANC members were volunteers, including Zuma, Mathale said on the last day of the party's Limpopo elective conference, held outside Polokwane.

"We should all appreciate that fact," he said during his closing address. He was re-elected the party's leader in the province, defeating Arts and Culture Deputy Minister Joe Phaahla.

Mathale's victory was seen as a boost to his and his close ally, suspended ANC Youth League president Julius Malema's reported efforts to unseat Zuma as ANC president.

On Tuesday, ANC chief whip Mathole Motshekga said the conference was not to be considered a foundation for the ANC's elective conference in Mangaung in December 2012.

Personal gain

He criticised those within the party who occupied positions for personal gain, rather than to better the lives of the poor.

"It is very hard for some comrades to execute a political task without expecting any material gain. Comrades want to implement a political task with a personal gain in their hands."

Mathale said the ANC continued to lose members who were not made councillors. Some caused division because they were not appointed to certain positions.

"We must never lose sight of the fact that we cannot all lead at the same time. This is a reality that we must not forget."

Many had fought for the country's liberation, without expecting favours. Instead they remained disciplined, honest and active in the organisation.

No hard feelings

He called on members to support those who had been given a "political responsibility", and not to raise dissatisfaction through the media or protests.

Phaahla said he would continue his work in the government and support the newly-elected leadership.

Soon after Mathale was declared winner on Sunday, he said there were no hard feelings between them, and they would remain comrades. Mathale beat Phaahla by 601 votes to 519.

Some of Phaahla's supporters left the conference after his defeat.

Mathale, who is also Limpopo premier, recently had five of his provincial government departments placed under administration following allegations of financial mismanagement.

His government had asked the Treasury to increase its overdraft facility by R1bn so it could meet its obligations. He has since said he supported the intervention.


- SAPA







Now for the gospel according to Zuma
CANAAN MDLETSHE and ANDILE NDLOVU | 21 December, 2011

President Jacob Zuma during the launch of Valingozi road safety campaign and crime awareness drive yesterday, in KwaMaphumulo, KwaZulu-Natal, where he blamed Christianity for Africa's problems

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Gospel according to Julius President Jacob Zuma has blamed religion, particularly Christianity, for the loss of humanity in society.

The ANC leader, who was ordained as a priest of the Full Gospel Church, in KwaZulu-Natal in 2007, said yesterday that the arrival of Christianity brought problems for Africans.

"As Africans, long before the arrival of religion and the gospel, we had our own ways of doing things.

"Those were times that the religious people refer to as dark days but we know that, during those times, there were no orphans or old-age homes. Christianity has brought along these things," he said.

Zuma was speaking at KwaMaphumulo, on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast, during the launch of a road safety and crime awareness campaign.

It is not the first time that Zuma has raised eyebrows with his comments on religion.

In June this year he was forced to apologise to the SA Council of Churches for "misusing" Jesus' name during the local government elections campaign.

As the ANC prepares to celebrate its centenary, Zuma's statements fly in the face of the ruling party's rich history of association with the churches.

The ANC was formed in 1912 at the Dutch Reformed Church in Waaihoek, Bloemfontein, and its founding president, Dr John Langalibalele Dube, was a priest.

Yesterday, African Christian Democratic Party leader the Rev Kenneth Meshoe lambasted Zuma and said his comments were "hypocritical".

"Firstly, the president needs to be rebuked for hypocrisy because for him to blame Christianity when he knows churches were at the forefront of the struggle is disappointing," Meshoe said, "and he knows that what he said is not true, having claimed to be a Christian himself.

"Secondly, during elections he doesn't run to the graveyards to get votes from the ancestors, but he runs to churches."

On the "orphanages" and "old- age homes" issues, taught children to look after their parents.

"It is ridiculous for the President to make such suggestions. It's tantamount to foolishness to blame old-age homes on Christianity. In fact we teach children to take care of elders. We teach them against 'dumping' of parents at old-age homes."

Yesterday, Zuma said it was crucial that South Africans return to the "old days of doing things" because the modern way had caused problems in society.

"We have passed laws that prohibit you as a parent [from using] corporal punishment. Today, when, as a parent, you bring your child [to] order by using corporal punishment, you are breaking the law, but the person who passed that law cannot raise your child the way you want to.

"I am not blaming such legislation but I can't be diplomatic about this. It's a fact," Zuma said

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ANC must rule for eternity: Motshekga
2011-12-21 07:44

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Polokwane - The ANC has a responsibility to rule Limpopo and the whole country "until Jesus pays another visit", ANC chief whip Mathole Motshekga said on Tuesday.

Speaking on the last day of the Limpopo ANC's elective conference in Polokwane, Mathale said each member had a responsibility to keep the movement alive.

"The organisation has a responsibility to rule until Jesus pays us another visit," he said to thunderous applause from delegates.

President Jacob Zuma received condemnation from religious groups after he made similar comments in 2009.

Greatest think tank in the world

The four-day conference ended on Tuesday. It saw Limpopo Premier Cassel Mathale being re-elected as the ANC's provincial chairperson. He defeated Arts and Culture Deputy Minister Joe Phaahla. Some members in Phaahla's camp left the conference soon after they learned he had lost.

"The ANC is the greatest think tank not only on the continent, but also in the world," he said.

Motshekga commended delegates for their understanding of the character of the ANC through robust discussions aimed at building, and not destroying the party.

Motshekga said the conference was not to be considered a foundation for the ANC's elective conference in Mangaung in December 2012.

"This conference is not about Mangaung, but about this province. The conference was not about the succession debate."

Succession debate

Mathale's victory was a confidence booster for him and his close ally, suspended ANC Youth League president Julius Malema, in their reported efforts to unseat Zuma as ANC president.

However, several provinces still had to hold their elective conferences before the ANC's national conference.

ANC leaders had yet to open the process in which members in their respective branches debated, nominated and submitted lists of preferred candidates to higher structures.

"This province understands that. We should not allow anyone from outside to confuse us, because the choice of leadership of the ANC is the prerogative of the branches of the ANC, and they will do that at an appropriate time," Motshekga said.

Delegates in Polokwane however made it clear through songs and chants that, at Mangaung, they wanted Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe to replace Zuma. They referred to the president as the "shower man".

Reactionary elements

Motshekga said people sometimes confused "genuine concerns" raised by members with conflict. Since its formation, the ANC had created space for its members to raise such concerns.

"The ANC belongs to its members and it will never allow a situation where any of its members feels like an outsider or stepchild. In this conference comrades understood that the ANC is a family and has to continue as such."

Motshekga reminded delegates that the party existed for nothing but delivering services to people.

In a veiled attack on the Democratic Alliance, Motshekga urged the conference to go back and "reconnect" with people and win back areas of the country run by "reactionary elements".

"Liberate our people, because as long as some reactionary elements still control parts of our country, it means our people are not truly liberated.

"We must work hard to make sure we liberate the Western Cape and some wards which have fallen into the hands of people who don't understand why we wanted freedom."


- SAPA

Read more on: anc | cassel mathale | joe phaahla | mathole motshekga | kgalema motlanthe | jacob zuma | julius malema | polokwane | politics | mangaung 2012
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SACC slates Zuma's Christian comments
2011-12-21 15:23

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Jacob Zuma slams Christianity


Johannesburg - President Jacob Zuma's comments that Christianity brought orphans and old-age homes to South Africa have come as a shock, the SA Council of Churches said on Wednesday.

"We are just taken aback. We are shocked and we don't understand," said SACC general secretary Reverend Mautji Pataki.

Zuma was quoted on TheTimesLive website as saying that "as Africans, long before the arrival of religion and [the] gospel, we had our own ways of doing things".

He was speaking at the launch of a road safety and crime awareness campaign at KwaMaphumulo in KwaZulu-Natal.

"Those were times that the religious people refer to as dark days, but we know that, during those times, there were no orphans or old-age homes. Christianity has brought along these things," he said.

Present

Zuma's office has since issued a statement that sought to clarify his comments.

Pataki said that the council was "deeply disappointed" by the president's comments.

"We do not understand why the president, whom we have always counted as one amongst us Christians, would find the Christian faith to be so hopeless with regard to building humanity."

Pataki said that it was the "calling" of Christians to care for the vulnerable of society.

"The Lord Jesus Christ was a friend to orphans and widowers and the old and the disabled. Wherever they are, we will do our ministry... which is to take care of them. It's a calling. It's not a choice."

Co-founder of the International Orphan Network website, Sean Grant, said that South Africans needed to focus on the present.

"There is a great need for social services and care of orphan and widows.

"While there may have not been these institutions in the past, certainly we will see that the current culture in South Africa is abandonment and negligence. If it weren't for religious groups and non-profit organisations, there would be far more lack of care, if not dying," he said.

Social problems

In a statement on Wednesday, the presidency said that what Zuma had meant in his comments at KwaMaphumulo was that South Africans should not neglect African culture, while embracing Western culture and Christianity.

"While we should embrace Western culture and Christianity, we should not neglect the African ways of doing things," presidency spokesperson Mac Maharaj said.

Maharaj said that the faith-based sector had made a "sterling contribution" for the struggle for liberation and justice for over a century in SA.

He said Zuma would meet religious leaders in the new year to discuss how they could work together on various social problems.

Maharaj said that Zuma's comments at the campaign conveyed his views that "while we welcome the advent of Western culture, some useful traditional ways of doing things and aspects of African culture were undermined or even eroded".

"The president indicated, among other things, that Western culture had brought about the end of the extended family as an institution, leading to the need for government to establish old age homes, orphanages and other mechanisms to support the poor and vulnerable.

"He added that even poverty was an unknown factor as neighbours were always ready to assist each other, giving one another milk or cattle where needed."


- SAPA

Read more on: sacc | jacob zuma | religion | politics

Businessman helps crack rhino horn ring

Businessman helps crack rhino horn ring
NASHIRA DAVIDS | 21 December, 2011 00:18

Searle Derman of Saving Private Rhino with a stash of tusks and horns found in a raid on a home in Table View, Cape Town, yesterday. Police arrested two men Picture: ESA ALEXANDER
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23 rhinos killed in Zim A businessman ditched the boardroom yesterday to bust what appears to be an ivory and shark fin syndicate operating from an upmarket block of flats in Cape Town.
Searle Derman, owner of the luxury Aquila Private Game Reserve, called police to raid the apartment complex in Table View.

Shortly after about 9am, Melody de Andrade called Derman to tell him about a peculiar smell coming from a neighbouring garage.

De Andrade, who follows Derman's Saving Private Rhino initiative on Facebook, said: "I was called downstairs by my domestic worker because she smelled something burning and said there was a fire in the garage opposite us.

"Then I realised there was someone in the garage, but he kept shouting at us to go away. I thought something suspicious was going on so I called Searle." She told him the fumes smelled like burning hair.

Derman - who began the anti-rhino poaching initiative after two rhinos on his reserve were killed by poachers in August - said that when De Andrade phoned him he "flew out" of his Sea Point office and contacted the police.

Police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk said they found a "large quantity" of ivory ornaments and jewellery and "portions of ivory tusks" in an 11th-floor apartment at De Andrade's building.

Officers removed 20 elephant tusks and shark fins from two garages.

Derman said they also found a white powdery substance that smelled like the burnt hair De Andrade had complained about.

In fact, Derman said, the whole building smelled so bad that residents had fled their homes.

"It seems as if the guys were grinding and carving pieces of ivory in the garage. They would then carry it to the apartment where they were also working."

De Andrade said at one stage she had managed to get inside the apartment the police were raiding.

"The [Chinese nationals] kept saying to me [the horns] are for their teeth and I said: 'Yeah right' and then later they said it is for their hair and I said: 'Make up your mind.'"

Two Chinese nationals, aged 41 and 52, were arrested.

By late yesterday afternoon police and other government agencies, including the SA Revenue Service, were still on the scene.

"It is terrible to look at the tusks. There is so much pain and suffering behind it all," said Derman. "A lot of the time these animals are still alive when their tusks are removed."

Adv W. H. Heath SC Press release

Adv W. H. Heath SC
Tudor Place II, 283 Durban Rd
Tygervalley, 7530
Tel: +27 21 910 2252 • Fax: +27 21 910 2284
PRESS RELEASE:
18 December 2011
As was announced by the Honourable Minister of Justice and Constitutional
Development on Thursday, 15 December 2011, I have resigned my position as head
of the Special Investigation Unit (“SIU”). The SIU is one of the most important
institutions to support and develop our democracy. It is tasked with combating and
eradicating corruption, fraud and maladministration in our country, thereby
protecting the rights of all South Africans to expect that service delivery in this
country is achieved as effectively as possible, creating an environment in which
government can spend the money of the South African tax payer without fear or
favour.
The events of the past two weeks have created the impression that I am unable to
head the SIU independently. Correct or not, the initial media coverage of an
interview in which I participated left the impression that I made unqualified
statements of political events which may be unbecoming of the head of the SIU. In
the public domain therefore, such an impression has created much public debate
and impression is often as important as fact.
Such an impression has created much discourse which has opened the door to
political debate and conflict between the political parties who represent the South
African populace. The role of SIU Head dictates that any South African of which ever
political persuasion or belief may approach the SIU to investigate any matter in the
interest of any grouping or the public as a whole. If the impression is therefore
created, correctly or through innuendo, that the head of the SIU is not independent
enough to deliver on such a mandate, then the SIU and the Republic would be better
served by me resigning from such a position.
It was for this reason that I resigned my recently appointed post as head of the SIU.
The importance and mandate of the SIU is of greater importance than the person of
the head of the SIU - the interests of South Africa dictate this. While my successful
tenure as the inaugural head of the SIU, my part in drafting the legislation governing
the SIU and my well-known history of heading the SIU without fear or favour makes
me adequately experienced and qualified to head the SIU, I was ethically bound to
resign from this position due to the doubt created in the public eye.
The collective vision of all South Africans that this country will achieve greatness by
eradicating corruption and thereby improving service delivery is of fundamental
importance. Such a vision should form the basis of our collective endeavours as
South Africans in our interaction with all levels of government and in government’s
interaction with the private sector.
Corruption is not only an attributed evil to government, but is fuelled by the often
unsolicited bribery by the private sector of government officials.
It is therefore my sincere hope that this collective vision will allow South Africa to
progress to a nation where service delivery and the fundamental rights of South
Africans are promoted by effectively combating corruption – a shared vision by
government, all political parties and South Africans in general.
- ends
Enquiries: Marius Heath
Cell: 083 777 44 77
Tel: 021 910 2252
Email: marius@heathco.co.za
Copy: African Christian Democratic Party - office@acdp.org.za
African National Congress - sngubane@anc.org.za
African People's Convention - Ramahlalerwa@ekurhuleni.gov.za
Azanian People's Organisation - azapo@mail.ngo.za
Congress of South African Trade Unions - patrick@cosatu.org.za
Congress of the People - (website unavailable)
Democratic Alliance - leader@da.org.za
Federation of Unions of South Africa (website unavailable)
Freedom Front Plus - info@vf.co.za
Independent Democrats - patriciadl@id.org.za
Inkatha Freedom Party - ifpinfo@iafrica.com
Minority Front - mf@mf.org.za
Pan Africanist Congress (website under construction)
South African Communist Party - info@sacp.org.za
United Christian Democratic Party (website unavailable)
United Democratic Movement - info@udm.org.za
Politicsweb.co.za


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Zuma accepts Willem Heath's resignation
2011-12-15 17:50

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The Heath is on - 11 Dec


Johannesburg - Willem Heath has resigned as head of the Special Investigating Unit, Justice Minister Jeff Radebe said on Thursday.

"He tendered his resignation as the head of the SIU in writing on Wednesday and I have brought [it] to the attention of the President [Jacob Zuma]," said Radebe.

"The President has accepted his resignation and it has become effective."

Last week, Zuma asked Radebe to help his office in an investigation into Heath's accusations against former president Thabo Mbeki.

Heath told the City Press newspaper earlier this month that Mbeki had allegedly initiated rape and corruption charges against Zuma. He claimed Mbeki abused his position to compromise the criminal justice system by blocking some investigations into corrupt practices.

"I invited Advocate Heath to a follow-up meeting in my office in Pretoria in order to have the matters further clarified following his submission of information he had undertaken to make available," Radebe said on Thursday.


Independent


Heath, whose appointment as SIU head was announced on November 29, expressed gratitude to Zuma and Radebe for showing confidence in him by giving him the appointment, said Radebe.

"The manner in which events unfolded following his appointment, created a perception, rightly or wrongly, that he would not be in a position to execute his duties in an independent manner as expected or required of an incumbent holding that position."

Zuma was taking steps to fill the vacancy. In the interim he appointed Nomgcobo Jiba as acting SIU head.

Jiba is currently a deputy national director of public prosecutions at the national prosecuting authority.

"She has served as a senior prosecutor and has extensive knowledge of criminal law and experience in prosecuting corruption cases," Radebe said.

"We would like to give assurance to all South Africans that our government remains committed towards fighting corruption."

Heath replaced Willie Hofmeyr as SIU head. He was first appointed by former president Nelson Mandela in 1996 to establish the SIU.


Heath, however, resigned in 2001 after the Constitutional Court found that a sitting judge could not head a long-term investigating unit.

The City Press also reported that Mbeki, who was president at the time, refused to grant Heath an early retirement. As a result he had to resign, a decision that, according to Heath, left him a "pauper".


(Sapa)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------


DA: Statement by Helen Zille, Democratic Alliance leader, calling on Zuma to explain appointment of Willem Heath as head of the SIU (05/12/2011)

StatementsPublished 05 Dec 2011 I shall today be writing to President Jacob Zuma requesting that he inform us of the reasons for the dismissal of Willie Hofmeyr as head of the Special Invesitgations Unit, and the reasons for his appointment of Advocate Willem Heath in his place.

The South African public remains in the dark about last week's sudden dismissal by the President of Willie Hofmeyr, and his replacement with Adv. Willem Heath.

The DA immediately raised concerns regarding the objectivity and independence of Adv. Heath.

These concerns were confirmed, and indeed exacerbated yesterday in an interview with Adv. Heath published in the City Press. It is clear from this interview that Adv. Heath has involved himself in factional ANC politics and aligned himself politically on the side of President Jacob Zuma.

This raises serious questions as to whether he will be able to objectively and impartially conduct investigations into corruption at all levels of government. Our concern remains that the President is trying to assert control over independent institutions by appointing people who are loyal to him as factional battles intensify in the run-up to the ANC’s Mangaung elective conference in 2012.

Section 3(4)(b) of the Special Investigating Units and Special Tribunals Act 74 of 1996 provides that the President may at any time remove the head of a Special Investigating Unit "if there are sound reasons for doing so".

We cannot allow the “Zumafication” of South Africa’s constitutionally independent justice system. We believe the President must now supply the “sound reasons” for removing Mr Hofmeyr.

Moreover, in the light of Heath's admitted political loyalty, the President should explain why he sees Adv. Heath as a "fit and proper person to be entrusted with the responsibilities of that office", as required in terms of the Act.

Edited by: Creamer Media Reporter

Permit rage - tourist in court

Permit rage - tourist in court
2011-12-20 22:25


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Johannesburg - A tourist was arrested on Tuesday morning amid holidaymakers' protests against a new permit system regulating vehicle access onto northern KwaZulu-Natal's popular beach, Sodwana Bay.

He appeared in the Ubombo Magistrate's Court later on Tuesday charged with the theft of a permit book at an isiMangaliso Wetland National Park office, said Terri Catsis, commercial director of the park, which is a Unesco Heritage Site.

Further charges were being processed against other holidaymakers following the assault of park staff on Monday, she said.

Tempers flared a number of times over the weekend and early in the week over the issuing of permits to allow vehicles on to the beach.


The introduction of a permit system, allowing access to 200 vehicles a day in line with the law, saw holidaymakers blockade the beach entrance in protest on Sunday and harass park staff early this week.

"On Monday, some people who had been involved in blockading the access to the beach on Sunday became unruly and started inciting people to rock vehicles. Staff were also assaulted," she said.

Catsis said the permits had to be implemented when the current one-in, one-out system led to huge congestion at the beach entrance.

This annoyed holidaymakers confused by the inconsistency of the times and places where they could collect their permits, one resort owner from outside the park said.

Catsis said when people first applied for permits, there was once again huge congestion.

"We received feedback from people that it needed to be made easier, so we changed the system. Unfortunately the communication that went out did not get around the following morning and people went to the wrong places."

By Tuesday afternoon things were back to normal and people were receiving permits according to plan, with 100 reserved for tourists accommodated within the park, and 100 for day visitors, many of whom stayed at resorts outside the park.

"There has been a huge increase in development of accommodation outside the park, which has brought about added pressure [to the beaches]," she said.

Facilities in the park were fully booked through to January.

Commenting on the unruliness, Catsis said: "I understand people's frustrations, but nothing can warrant such lawless behaviour."


- SAPA

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