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Dear Editor The DA has won yet another historic battle in our ongoing lawfare campaign to abolish ANC cadre deployment corruption from the face of South Africa. Today, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) dismissed the ANC’s desperate attempt to appeal the earlier ruling of the Johannesburg High Court, which held that the ANC must …
Dear Editor President Cyril Ramaphosa’s attendance of Emmerson Mnangagwa’s inauguration as President of Zimbabwe today demonstrates the extent to which the ANC is removed from the plight of the Zimbabwean people under the ZANU-PF’s longstanding autocratic dictatorship, and the ANC’s complete and utter disregard for our own founding principles of freedom and democracy which the …
Dear Editor Parliament continues to drag its feet in tabling the DA’s Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation Of Land Amendment Bill for its first reading in Parliament. Until this is done, the Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements cannot deliberate on the Bill which continues to have a severe impact for illegal land …
Dear Editor Despite a convergence of ideas from the Democratic Alliance (DA), civil society and more recently the South Africa Reserve Bank (SARB), on the need to review the fuel price methodology to make fuel more affordable to consumers, the ANC government has stubbornly refused to take urgent policy steps towards fuel price rationalization in …
Over 11 000 public servants undergo lifestyle audits
President Cyril Ramaphosa says over 11 000 public servants in national government have undergone lifestyle audits, as at March 2023.
The President announced this when he appeared before Members of the National Assembly to reply to questions during a hybrid plenary sitting held this afternoon.
Responding to a question by Democratic Alliance leader, John Steenhuisen, who had asked whether the lifestyle audits on Members of the Executive have been concluded yet, President Ramaphosa said lifestyle audits of public servants have been compulsory since 2021.
He said the lifestyle audit process for Members of the Executive is spearheaded by the Office of the Director-General in the Presidency and the Secretary of Cabinet.
“The process was institutionally initiated towards the end of 2022. Earlier this year, I sent letters to the Deputy President, Ministers and Deputy Ministers requesting their written consent to the process to ensure that the information is obtained in a legitimate and legal manner.
“I received the same letter signed by the Director-General and Secretary of Cabinet. The Members of the Executive, including myself, have submitted consent forms for the nationally-driven process of lifestyle audits,” President Ramaphosa said.
President Ramaphosa noted the implementation of the lifestyle audits has been delayed by the change of the service provider. He said the implementation of the project is anticipated to be concluded by the end of this financial year.
While welcoming the decision of the lifestyle audit, Member of the National Assembly for the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Mkhuleko Hlengwa, said the issue with the lifestyle audit is with capacity and that it should be run parallel with the 2014 Cabinet decision that all executives in SOEs [State-owned enterprises] and SCM [Supply Chain Management] practitioners must be vetted.
The President acknowledged that the process of vetting is lengthy, with some people leaving the public service without being vetted.
He said different ways of speeding it up are being looked into.
“I am one of those who sees the delays in vetting people being quite detrimental to our public service because we need to know much earlier the standing of those that we employ, whether they are able to execute their task with the integrity that we require of them,” the President said.
The President said that the Minister in the Presidency responsible for State Security Agency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, is attending to the matter.
The President dispelled the notion that only public servants are being subjected to lifestyle audits, reiterating that Members of Executive are also being subjected to lifestyle audit.
“When we subject them to lifestyle audits, we have to go through a process and they are quite intrusive and get into private details of the members’ lives… We have to implement proper processes so that we arrive at the type of conclusion that we would like to see.” – SAnews.gov.za
GabiK
Tue, 09/05/2023 - 15:29
Public Protector urged to respect constitutional process on suspension
President Cyril Ramaphosa has outlined to suspended Public Protector Adv. Busisiwe Mkhwebane the constitutional processes that pertain to her suspension or potential removal from office, which therefore prevent her from reporting for duty.
In a letter on Monday, the President set out the conditions preventing Mkhwebane’s return to the office.
“The President was responding to a letter he received from Adv. Mkhwebane earlier on the same day in which she expressed her intention to report for duty today, Tuesday, 5 September 2023, until the expiry of her term of office on 14 October 2023 or any lawful removal in terms of Section 194 of the Constitution, whichever happens first,” the Presidency said.
The President has pointed out to Adv. Mkhwebane that her intention to return to work is misconceived.
This is due to the fact that the proceedings initiated by a Committee of the National Assembly, which has inquired into Adv. Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office have yet to be completed.
The Presidency said that since the Committee has adopted its report, the proceedings, which it initiated, will be finalised either when the National Assembly does not adopt a resolution calling for the removal from office of Adv. Mkhwebane, or if the National Assembly does adopt such a resolution.
In his letter, the President said: “It is therefore patently clear that the process initiated by the Committee is not completed, (as your letter suggests) when the enquiry by the Committee has been finalised.
“In the circumstances, you have no right or entitlement in law to return to office pending the decisions to which I refer above.
“In the circumstances, while I thank you for your courtesy in informing me of your intention, your interpretation of the Presidential Minute and my letter is wrong, and your intention to return to office is misconceived.
“Your letter states that you were advised on 24 August 2023 that the Committee had completed its part of the process, and that its report would be tabled in the National Assembly. You waited until today to inform me of your intention to return to office tomorrow. Such precipitate action is unjustified on any basis”. – SAnews.gov.za
nosihle
Tue, 09/05/2023 - 11:36
President Cyril Ramaphosa has outlined to suspended Public Protector Adv. Busisiwe Mkhwebane the constitutional processes that pertain to her suspension or potential removal from office and which therefore prevent her from reporting for duty.
President Ramaphosa set out the conditions preventing the suspended Public Protector's return to office in a letter to Adv. Mkhwebane dated 04 September 2023.
The President was responding to a letter he received from Adv. Mkhwebane earlier on the same day and in which she expressed her intention to report for duty today, Tuesday, 05 September 2023, until the expiry of her term of office on 14 October 2023 or any lawful removal in terms of Section 194 of the Constitution, whichever happens first.
The President has pointed to Adv. Mkhwebane that her intention to return to work is misconceived.
This is due to the fact that the proceedings initiated by a Committee of the National Assembly which has inquired into Adv. Mkhwebane's fitness to hold office have yet to be completed.
Now that the Committee has adopted its report, the proceedings which were initiated by the Committee will be finalised either when the National Assembly does not adopt a resolution calling for the removal from office of Adv. Mkhwebane, or if the National Assembly does adopt such a resolution.
In his letter, the President said: “It is therefore patently clear that the process initiated by the Committee is not completed, (as your letter suggests) when the enquiry by the Committee has been finalised."
“In the circumstances, you have no right or entitlement in law to return to office pending the decisions to which I refer above."
“In the circumstances, while I thank you for your courtesy in informing me of your intention, your interpretation of the Presidential Minute and my letter is wrong, and your intention to return to office is misconceived."
“Your letter states that you were advised on 24 August 2023 that the Committee had completed its part of the process, and that its report would be tabled in the National Assembly. You waited until today to inform me of your intention to return to office tomorrow. Such precipitate action is unjustified on any basis.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency: Republic of South Africa.
Dear Editor Due to lack of transparency from the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development (DALRRD) on farm purchases made under the land acquisition programme, the DA has been compelled to submit a PAIA application in order to obtain details of a farm transaction that took place in 2014. This transaction involved the …
Dear Editor Mayors in DA led municipalities across the country have made submissions to the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) rejecting the ANC government’s District Development Model (DDM) regulations that were gazetted on 4 August 2023. The message from the DA Mayors is clear – the DDM, and its regulations, is unconstitutional …
Dear Editor It has come to our attention that students, who are beneficiaries of NSFAS, have not received their allowances due to NSFAS’s administrative lapses. This situation has caused immense mental stress and financial hardship for these students, and it is absolutely unacceptable. The root cause of this issue lies in NSFAS’s failure to release …
Activist organisations express frustration at lack of action against corruption-accused Member of Parliament Sfiso Buthelezi
Joburg fire victims' families can identify bodies at Diepkoof morgue
Families who lost loved ones in the Johannesburg Usindiso Building fire can go and identify their family members at the Diepkloof mortuary from today.
At least 74 people died in the tragic incident when a fire broke out in the building they were living in on Thursday.
“A family member or relative who wishes to identify their loved one should have their original Identity Document (ID), ID of the deceased or birth certificate if the deceased is a child.
“If the deceased is a foreign national, a passport, asylum seeker certificate or a letter from [the] country of origin confirming who the deceased is and to whom the remains should be handed over to is needed. The Diepkloof Forensic Pathology Service (FPS) is located at 2 Collinder Road Berthsam, Diepkloof, Soweto.
“Identification of the deceased bodies at the Diepkloof FPS will take place on Friday. The facility will also open on Saturday and Sunday from 9am and 3pm. Counselling services will be offered to the bereaved families,” the Gauteng Provincial Health Department said in a statement.
Those who died include at least ten people whose gender could not be identified because of the extent of their burns.
In this regard, the department will use other means in an attempt to identify them.
“The Gauteng FPS will use the Digital Fingerprint System to identify unknown bodies who have visible fingerprints. The system uses biometric scanners and third-party access to the databases of Department of Home Affairs, South African Police Service and National Credit Bureau to identify deceased bodies.
“Bodies that been burnt beyond recognition and without fingerprints will be identified through DNA process,” the department said.
Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said: “As soon as we learned of the incident, we immediately activated our emergency protocols to ensure that we respond as speedily as possible to those that needed medical attention. The Gauteng Emergency Medical Services has been on the ground contributing to emergency and rescue efforts as part of the provincial disaster management response.
“We have further deployed counselling and other psycho-social support services to compliment interventions from the City of Joburg and provincial department of Social Development”.
Those family members who are looking to trace loved ones can call the toll-free hotline number on 0800 203 886 or direct line during office hours on 0113553048/0112415707.
“Those enquiring would need to provide their personal details including the name and last name of the family member they are tracing,” the department said. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Fri, 09/01/2023 - 08:48
Dear Editor Following a sustained public campaign by the DA in which we called for urgent action to cushion farmers against the debilitating impact of loadshedding, we cautiously welcome the announcement made by the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Thoko Didiza, on a new Agro Energy Fund (AEF). The AEF is a …
They say they make sure the law is upheld, while the City of Johannesburg has failed to provide alternative accommodation for evicted people
Dear Editor The DA will today write to the Leader of Government Business, Deputy President Paul Mashatile, calling on him to address Minister Pravin Gordhan’s disregard for the Public Enterprises Portfolio Committee. This follows Minister Gordhan’s repeated no-show before the Committee to answer and rebut serious allegations made by his former Director General, Kgathatso Tlhakudi, …
Dear Editor The DA notes the Department of Basic Education’s statement, and we are surprised that DBE would so willing expose their intent to use the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill to disempower school governing bodies (SGBs) and communities. James Ndlebe, Chief Director for Provincial Monitoring and Delivery Oversight, said in the statement that …
Dear Editor Today, the DA revealed our alternative student funding model to solve the myriad of problems with the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and provided an update on the Private Protector’s investigation of NSFAS direct payment contracts. The current higher education funding model is highly unsustainable considering declining levels of economic growth, the …
Dear Editor On behalf of the Democratic Alliance, I would like to extend our sincerest condolences to all the individuals and families affected by the horrific fire in Inner City Johannesburg that has taken over 50 lives so far and devastated many more. This is a catastrophe for our nation, causing unimaginable pain and suffering …
I did nothing wrong, says Collins Tshisimba as the Special Investigating Unit moves to freeze two properties
The world is currently facing one of the harshest economic climates experienced since the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, one of the worst financial crises in modern history. This raises concerns that more people may turn to fraud to address the financial pressure they are experiencing. “Rising inflation and the current war in Ukraine are two …
Dear Editor The Governor of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), Lesetja Kganyago, today briefed parliament on the SARB investigation into allegations that President Ramaphosa contravened Exchange Control Regulations by holding US dollars at his farm for a period exceeding legislated limits. The briefing followed an obtuse media release by SARB on 18 August, wherein …
Dear Editor As the DA prepares to contest NERSA’s decision to award Eskom a 31,4% tariff increase over two years, at the North Gauteng High Court on 11 September, it has since emerged that Eskom has submitted a new application to extract an additional R24 billion from overburdened consumers. The DA finds this stealth cost …
Dear Editor The Department of Human Settlements have contradicted the Minister of Human Settlements, Mmamoloko Kubayi, by revealing that it has no record of decision for her plan to capture gate communities by enforcing broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) on services procured by community housing schemes. This was revealed in answer to a Promotion of …
Dear Editor “We hold the view that none of the candidates interviewed are suitable for appointment, given the enormous responsibility this position holds. The candidates all showed an alarming lack of basic knowledge of the legal framework in which they would be required to operate. We further hold the view that an appointment should not …