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The Western Cape’s carefully curated spin that it is exceptionally well-led and performing exceptionally well in comparison to other provinces is fraying at the edges.
The post SOPA 2026: WINDE MUST GET REAL ABOUT WESTERN CAPE OF UNEQUAL OPPORTUNITIES appeared first on For Good.
Statement by Brett Herron,
GOOD Secretary-General & Member of the Western Cape Parliament. Note to editor: This is a speech delivered in reply to Premier Alan Winde’s statement to the Western Cape Provincial Parliament on the Ombudsman’s Report on Policing in the Western Cape.
The post POLICE, CITY, AND PROVINCE MUST JOINTLY ACCOUNT FOR INACTION ON CAPE GUN VIOLENCE appeared first on For Good.
Monametse residents blame the mine for cutting them off from access to river water, grazing land and plants essential for traditional ceremonies.
SIU to investigate Eskom contracts
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) will investigate allegations of corruption and maladministration in nine Eskom contracts.
This after President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a proclamation authorising the corruption busting unit to probe the power utility’s affairs.
The SIU said it will investigate the following contracts:
• The procurement of and contracting for coal from Tegeta Exploration and Resources (Pty) Limited for coal supplied by Optimum Coal Mine (Pty) Limited and the Brakfontein Colliery Mine.
• Procuring and contracting for coal information technology services under a master services agreement concluded with T Systems International GmbH.
• The procurement of and contracting for information technology services related to software licence and support agreements concluded with SAP South Africa (Pty) Limited.
• Procurement of and contracting for coal services concerning Task Order SM008 for “capital scrubbing”
• The procurement of and contracting for coal security services from Combined Private Investigations (Pty) Limited.
• The procurement of and contracting for coal forensic investigation services from Kapditwala Incorporated, trading as Dentons South Africa.
• The procurement of and contracting for information technology services from Cutting Edge Commerce (Pty) Limited (formerly Leonardo Business Consulting).
• Serious maladministration in connection with the affairs of Eskom relating to a pre-payment by Eskom of approximately R1.68 billion for coal from Optimum Coal Mine to Hendrina Power Station, which pre-payment was later changed to a guarantee.
• Serious maladministration in connection with the affairs of Eskom relating to a pre-payment by Eskom of approximately R659 million to Tegeta Exploration and Resources (Pty) Limited.
“Additionally, the SIU will investigate any unauthorised, irregular, fruitless, or wasteful expenditure incurred by Eskom or the State. The investigation will encompass any unlawful or improper conduct by Eskom officials, employees, suppliers, service providers, or any other involved parties.
“The proclamation covers allegations of unlawful and improper conduct that occurred between 1 March 2006 and 30 August 2024, as well as any related activities before 1 March 2006 and after the date of the Proclamation that are pertinent to the matters under investigation or involve the same persons, entities, or contracts,” the SIU said.
Meanwhile, the unit said the proclamation authorising it to investigate allegations at the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform has been amended.
“The amendment results from the SIU’s investigations, which revealed that the SIU needs to investigate further areas that the existing proclamations did not cover. The SIU requested a Proclamation amendment in terms of time and focus areas,” the unit said.
The amendment additionally authorises the SIU to investigate the acquisition by the Department or beneficiaries of:
• the Bekendvlei, Nirwanda, Wonderhoek, Mont Piquet, Appelkloof and Rietvlei farms.
• Mike's Chicken (Pty) Limited, immovable assets and animals for Project Harmonie, Project Uitkyk and Project Dipalemo.
• Shares in Bambanani Fruits BEE (Pty) Limited regarding the Department's Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy or the Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development Policy and identifying, selecting and appointing strategic partners and beneficiaries.
“Additionally, the SIU will investigate any unauthorised, irregular, fruitless, or wasteful expenditure incurred by the department or the State.
“The investigation will encompass any unlawful, improper or corrupt conduct by Department Officials, employees, suppliers, service providers, or any other involved parties. Beyond investigating maladministration, corruption, and fraud, the SIU will identify systemic failures and recommend measures to prevent future losses.
“In line with the Special Investigating Units and Special Tribunals Act 74 of 1996 (SIU Act), the SIU will refer any evidence of criminal conduct uncovered during its investigation to the National Prosecuting Authority [NPA] for further action,” the SIU concluded. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Fri, 08/30/2024 - 13:06
RS South Africa (https://Africa.RSdelivers.com/), a trading brand of RS Group plc (LSE: RS1), a global provider of product and service solutions, is showcasing the significant updates to its Africa Export Solutions website that came into effect last year.
The updates have enhanced customer convenience by enabling purchases in various currencies, explains Sales Director Erick Wessels. “Essentially our ecommerce platform now allows clients to transact in a range of popular currencies.” This can be done easily by means of a simple dropdown menu.
“We initially only had U.S. dollars as it was the main forex reserve currency in Southern Africa,” explains Wessels. However, customer feedback from various key corporates indicated a preference to be able to transact in different currencies such as euros and pounds.
“We then decided to introduce this added functionality online as our offline SAP system has historically allowed customers to trade in any currencies. It meant it was not difficult to integrate and certainly did not require any major overhaul of our website, which is highly user-friendly and simple to navigate,” adds Wessels.
Many British businesses set up operations in lucrative African markets like Kenya and remit to their home office in the UK in pounds, so it made sense for RS to facilitate that process and assist such customers specifically.
“It was mainly a question of enhancing our customer experience and responding to feedback, especially in the face of a dynamic and ever-shifting online trading environment, where responsiveness, user-friendliness and flexibility are key,” highlights Wessels.
This, in turn, also allows such companies to trade with each other in the currency of their respective head offices, especially in Germany and France, where many of RS's major suppliers are headquartered. “By differentiating our currency base on our ecommerce platform, we are able to accommodate these customers directly and thereby grow our market share and customer loyalty throughout the region,” says Wessels.
The Institute of Export & International Trade, comparing RS Export Solutions with an average exporter, has established that it can cut costs by 20% and increase processing efficiencies by 15%. “This reiterates that we are experts at export,” adds Wessels.
RS has the expertise to ensure the prompt delivery of trusted brands across the globe. Using direct export or via its third-party distributor network, RS can meet diverse customer requirements with a complete end-to-end solution or support with advice and paperwork, transforming processing times and guaranteeing compliancy.
Find out more about RS Africa Solutions (https://apo-opa.co/4bNUzN3) here.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of RS South Africa.
PR Contact Person – RS South Africa:
Princess Tlou
Communications & Content Specialist
Africa Exports
Princess.Tlou@rsgroup.com
+27 11 691 9366
Media Contact Person – NGAGE:
Thobile Ndlovu
PR Account Executive
thobile@ngage.co.za
+27 11 867 7763
Further information is available via these links:
Twitter : https://apo-opa.co/3T0ICwS
LinkedIn: https://apo-opa.co/3I5UIyE
Facebook: https://apo-opa.co/3T2j16J
RS Africa Exports: https://apo-opa.co/42GY3gZ
RS South Africa: https://apo-opa.co/48m0si7
DesignSpark: https://apo-opa.co/4bJaCwo
RS Group plc: https://apo-opa.co/49isz2Z
About RS:
RS is a trading brand of RS Group plc, providing product and service solutions that help our customers design, build, maintain, repair and operate industrial equipment and operations, safely and sustainably. We stock more than 750,000 industrial and electronic products, sourced from over 2,500 leading suppliers, and provide a wide range of product and service solutions to 1.1 million customers.
We support customers across the product lifecycle, whether via innovation and technical support at the design phase, improving time to market and productivity at the build phase, or reducing purchasing costs and optimising inventory in the maintenance, repair and operation phase. We offer our customers tailored product and service propositions that are essential for the successful operation of their businesses and help them save time and money.
RS Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange with stock ticker RS1 and in the year ended 31 March 2023 reported revenue of £2,982 million.
SAP ordered to pay SIU half a billion Rand over 'invalid' Eskom contracts
German software company, SAP, has been ordered by the Special Tribunal to pay some R500 million to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) within seven days following a settlement reached between the company and the unit.
According to the SIU, the settlement stems from an agreement on the validity of two Eskom contracts awarded to SAP between 2013 and 2016.
“Eskom and SAP entered into two contracts, the Enabling Agreement and the Cloud Services Agreement, worth approximately R1.1 billion. The Special Tribunal order has also declared that the two contracts are constitutionally invalid and therefore set aside.
“The order of the Special Tribunal is part of the implementation of the SIU investigation outcomes and consequence management to recover financial losses suffered by State institutions due to negligence or corruption. The settlement agreement does not absolve SAP or any implicated party from possible prosecution,” the SIU said.
The corruption-busting unit explained that an investigation into Eskom found that the contracts were entered into illegally.
“Thereafter, SAP entered into a Sale Commission Agreement with CAD House CC, a Gupta-linked company. Furthermore, Eskom and SAP signed an agreement for Cloud services at a contract value of R21 712 514.82. Following payments from Eskom to SAP, CAD House received funds from SAP.
“SIU findings revealed that the Enabling Agreement and the Cloud Services Agreement did not comply with the Public Finance Management Act, which resulted in Eskom incurring fruitless and wasteful expenditures in respect of the agreements.
“The SIU is empowered to institute civil action in the High Court or a Special Tribunal in its name, to correct any wrongdoing uncovered during its investigations caused by acts of corruption, fraud or maladministration. In line with the Special Investigating Units and Special Tribunals Act 74 of 1996, the SIU refers any evidence pointing to criminal conduct to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for further action,” the SIU said. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Mon, 03/25/2024 - 15:01
SIU investigating millions more lost to corruption, maladministration
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