Day: November 10, 2022

Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) former legal department head Kenneth Diedricks, and two others, have appeared in the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court where their corruption and money laundering case was postponed.
The two other accused – Charles Pretorius and Refiloe Martins – former employees of rail maintenance company Polyzomba – did work for the state entity.
According to National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane, the case stems back to 2006 when TFR awarded a R64 million tender to Polyzomba “for the replacement of turnouts/track panels on the railway network” for a duration of five years.
“After the expiry of the TFR and Polyzomba contract, the latter lodged a contractual dispute with TFR for the payment of an ancillary contractual payment to the total value of R25 million.
“Before a settlement between TFR and Polyzomba could be concluded, the consultation approval and signatures of Diedricks, the General Manager of Rail Network as well as that of the Principal Engineer were required.
“On 19 December 2011, Diedricks and the said General Manager co-signed and approved the settlement of over R25 million as payment to Polyzomba without consultation, knowledge, approval and signature of the engineering department of TFR, nor the Principal Engineer,” she said.
Mjonondwane said the three are expected back in court next year.
“All accused were released on R10 000 bail after the court heard an unopposed formal bail application on condition that they should notify the investigating officer 14 days in advance of travelling out of South Africa, as well as provide the officer with a full itinerary of their travelling arrangements.
“All accused will return to court on 7 March 2023 for disclosure of the contents of the docket to the defence team,” she said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Office of Deputy President David Mabuza says it has noted the unfortunate and misleading statement issued by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in the Free State.
This comes after COSATU accused Mabuza’s office of neglect amid ongoing water and electricity outages in Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality and the provision of other basic services to the residents of Phuthaditjhaba and surrounding areas.
“While the frustrations on the ground as a result of the disruption of basic services and livelihoods are understandable, the statement by COSATU bears misrepresentations around this matter,” the Deputy President Office’s statement read on Wednesday.
“It lacks basic facts on the chronology of events and the work that has been done in dealing with issues of provision of basic services in the municipality.”
In its statement, the Deputy President’s Office said COSATU “unfairly” attacks the second-in-command and disregards ongoing negotiations towards the finalisation of the Active Partnering Agreement between Eskom and the municipality.
“This agreement is aimed at assisting the municipality with the maintenance of infrastructure and revenue collection to enable payment of the bulk electricity account and reduce escalating debt while restoring reliable electricity and water supply.”
The Deputy President’s statement further stated that the “unfortunate” assertions lack appreciation for intergovernmental relations and their complexities.
“The provincial and national CoGTA departments have a constitutional mandate to intervene in the event of a municipality’s collapse. However, the legislation is also clear on a need to first identify the challenges facing a municipality in order to provide the necessary support, before rushing to interventions.”
In the case of Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality, the Office said the role of the convener is to bring together the key players to look at the best ways to assist the municipality to get back to full operation so that it can serve the people and meet the needs of the community.
“That is why the Deputy President began by holding engagements with the Premier and the Municipal Council at the time, including various local stakeholders, community representatives, business leaders, labour leaders and traditional leaders.”
In these engagements, the Office said it was established that the municipality had a myriad of challenges that had brought municipal operations to a halt, leading to sporadic protests and unrest.
Resolving challenges
Meanwhile, Mabuza has also appointed a multi-sectoral team of technocrats under the auspices of the then Eskom Political Task Team to facilitate a resolution on the challenges in the municipality as raised by Parliamentarians.
“This intergovernmental process entailed a series of engagements by the three spheres of government to implement measures to mitigate service delivery challenges in Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality, while a sustainable solution to the municipal debt was being finalised.”
The adopted immediate intervention measures and roadmap to stabilise the situation and address governance and operational deficits include an electricity supply improvement framework and a better mechanism to deal with the Eskom debt.
In addition, government is also looking at a water supply intervention framework, revitalisation of the industrial parks and special economic zone, and promoting commercial, solidarity economy, and informal business initiatives.
“Interventions on the electricity supply are at an advanced stage, including the construction of a new substation.”
These efforts both at political and technical levels were premised on fostering collaboration between government and social partners in order to get the municipality to full operation.
“The Deputy President remains committed to the process, as evidenced by the three visits to the municipality with a delegation that included the Premier of the Free State, members of the provincial and national governments, and senior executives of Eskom and the affected water boards.”

Source: South African Government News Agency

More than 100 small, medium, and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) have received training as part of the Coega Development Corporation (CDC) programme in the first half of the 2022/23 financial year.
“Over the six-month period (April – September 2022), a total of 102 SMMEs received training, as part of Coega’s SMME Development Programme, which implements developmental initiatives to grow SMMEs. The Programme has proven very successful since its inception in 2014, having trained over 2 500 SMMEs over the years,” the CDC said on Wednesday.
During the first and second quarter of the current financial year 2022/23, Coega’s SMME training included bespoke new venture training, pricing, and tendering workshops.
The New Venture Training module aimed to assist SMMEs with business administration, while Pricing and Tendering Workshops aimed to guide SMMEs on the tendering process, which will assist them to properly prepare and respond to bids/ tenders.
The training covered the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (TASEZ) Programme and the Coega Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Zone 10 – Bulk Infrastructure Project.
Coega has reaffirmed that a strong SMME sector is crucial to achieve the country’s objectives for economic development.
“The ability of Coega to promote long-term, sustainable corporate growth while simultaneously improving people’s quality of life through the provision of opportunities forms the basis of the company’s overall strategic plan. Of the 102 individuals that received SMME training, 32 completed the New Venture Skills Programme and 70 completed the Pricing and Tendering Workshops,” the CDC said.
Coega SMME beneficiary, Cynthia Ndika from Savela Cleaning Services, said the SMME development initiatives have improved the reputation and image of her business.
“Coega is a reputable corporation, which motivates my employees to put in the extra effort to meet its standards,” Ndika said.
She expressed gratitude to Coega for giving her a platform as a small business as this has allowed her business to differentiate itself from other cleaning businesses, particularly in the Gqeberha area.
“Working with Coega was a positive experience; service delivery was quick and effective. We are appreciative to Coega SEZ for the chance to support our growth, which ultimately led to our company receiving an upgrade to a 5pe CIDB grading. The project team and Coega provided excellent and highly competent support,” Britney Charles from Motheo Construction said.
Nompilo Dube, whose company provides plumbing services, expressed her appreciation for Coega’s trust in her and for going above and beyond in renewing their company’s contract.
“I appreciate the opportunity Coega has provided, and to be introduced to new clients as a result of our collaboration, as well as the ongoing communication with Coega, and the advice provided through the administration learnings,” Dube said.
CDC SMME Training and Development Manager, Ziyanda Kalani, said training is a crucial component in ensuring that we expand our SMMEs and that SMMEs that are a part of the CDC SMME Development Programme are well-trained through Services Sector Education and Training Authority (Services SETA) accredited interventions as well as on-the-job training when on construction sites.
Earlier this year, Coega announced that it had spent R1.5 billion on SMME procurement spend during the past financial year, ending 31 March 2022, which was targeted at businesses owned by Women, especially Black Woman, Black Youth, and Persons with Disabilities.
Coega’s policy is to ensure 33% SMME involvement in all projects; this cuts across the different sectors where Coega operates. The organisation also offers mentorship opportunities for emerging contractors and entrepreneurs.

Source: South African Government News Agency