Month: March 2023

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Suspect arrested for RAF fraud

EASTERN CAPE – The Gqeberha based Serious Corruption Investigation team of the Hawks arrested Bantu Hoho (46) for charges of Road Accident Fund (RAF) fraud on 28 February 2023.

It is alleged that on 5 February 2017, Hoho reported a hit and run accident by a motor vehicle while riding his motorcycle. A claim to the value of R1.3 million was reportedly submitted at RAF by the attorneys as instructed by the accused.

The claim was processed and before a payment was made, an internal investigation was conducted where it was established that there was no other vehicle involved in the accident besides the motorcycle.

A case of fraud was reported to the Hawks for criminal investigation hence Hoho’s arrest. Hoho appeared before the Magistrate at New Law Court in Gqeberha and the case was postponed to 3 March 2023 for Regional Court date. The accused was released on warning.

Source: South African Police Service

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Cabinet reshuffle imminent, says Presidential spokesperson

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to announce a Minister of Electricity and a reshuffled Cabinet “in a matter of days”.

This is according to Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, who was addressing media on Wednesday.

“There are vacancies in Cabinet. We also now have a vacancy in the role of a Deputy President and so there is a sense of urgency that the President fills those vacancies as soon as possible. In a matter of days, that announcement will be made.

“The President has to apply his mind. The appointment of Cabinet members and the management of Cabinet is not something that you can conduct in haste. It’s something that has to be carefully considered because you have to look at the stability of government, you have to look at the programmes that are already underway.

“There are many layers of complexity and sensitivity that have to be looked at,” Magwenya said.

Answering questions on former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter’s allegations that senior government officials and at least two Cabinet Ministers are allegedly involved in corruption at the power utility, Magwenya said: “What [De Ruyter] has said is nothing new to the extent that we know that there is corruption at Eskom.

“More importantly, government has responded to that level of criminality that exists within Eskom through a multi-disciplinary task team that has been deployed to Eskom through the NatJOINTS. That includes all the law enforcement agencies, including State Security… and they are dealing with every aspect of wrongdoing going on at Eskom,” he said.

Magwenya said President Ramaphosa does not have the names of those Cabinet Ministers allegedly involved in wrongdoing at the State power utility and therefore cannot factor that into his impending Cabinet reshuffle decision.

“What the President has said is that Mr De Ruyter should approach law enforcement agencies with all the evidence and all the information that he has. He has a duty to do so and he had a duty to provide that information to law enforcement agencies as the CEO of Eskom.

“The President has also been on record to say that we now have law enforcement agencies that have been empowered to operate without any fear or favour. We know we come from an era where some of these law enforcement agencies were ameliorated of skills, were disempowered in so many ways. That has changed… They now investigate without any fear or favour.

“So anybody who has any information that can assist in curbing the levels of corruption at Eskom is urged to take that information to law enforcement agencies so that it can be fully investigated,” Magwenya said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

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Government returns to KZN for ex-miners compensation fund outreach

Government departments will on Thursday hold an imbizo in Pongola, KwaZulu-Natal, to provide feedback to stakeholders on the progress made with regard to the ex-mineworkers’ compensation fund programme.

This follows an outreach programme conducted in the province, in partnership with various stakeholders, including the Southern African Miners Association (SAMA), Minerals Council South Africa, gold mining company Harmony and Tshiamiso Trust, in consultation with traditional leaders.

The programme targets former mineworkers or their beneficiaries for unclaimed social protection benefits and urges eligible claimants to continue with the lodgement process.

“Government announced its partnership with various compensation fund schemes and other social protection benefits last month for those who contracted TB, silicosis and other occupational lung diseases while working in the mines, together with those who were not paid their pension or provident funds,” the Department of Health said.

This outreach programme, according to the department, has enabled the provision of claims lodgement, medical assessment and banking services at various sites in the northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal, namely Vryheid, eDumbe, Ulundi, Nongoma and Pongola, as part of government’s mission to bring services closer to the people.

The Deputy Ministers of Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, and Mineral Resources and Energy, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, will represent national government.

The various provincial and local government leaders and senior executives from mining companies, Tshiamiso Trust, SAMA and representatives from organised labour formations operating in the sector will join the two leaders.

The imbizo is scheduled to take place at Belgrade Community Hall from 10:00 to 13:00.

Source: South African Government News Agency