Day: July 26, 2023

President Cyril Ramaphosa will next month host the ninth District Development Model (DDM) Presidential Imbizo at the Magwala Sports Field in the Chris Hani District Municipality in the Eastern Cape.

The imbizo will be held on Friday, 11 August.

The imbizo is a platform for face-to-face engagement between citizens and senior government leaders, to hold the administration to account. It allows government to consult and brief communities on development and service delivery in various areas.

The DDM was approved by government structures, including Cabinet, to integrate service delivery that will be more practical, achievable, implementable, measurable and clearly aligned to the key priorities of the government.

The model seeks to change the face of rural and urban landscapes by ensuring complementarity between urban and rural development, with a deliberate emphasis on local economic development.

The Cabinet-approved District Development Model is due for implementation in all of South Africa’s 44 municipal districts and eight metropolitans.

Preceding the imbizo will be a series of build-up outreach activities led by Ministers, MECs and Mayors in parts of the Chris Hani District Municipality and across the Eastern Cape Province.

The model also seeks to ensure that municipalities are adequately supported and resourced to carry out their mandate.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has welcomed a decision of the Supreme Court of Appeal to dismiss two appeals by a company seeking to validate its business rescue procedures.

The company, PFC Properties and its trust, the De Robillard Family Trust, owed SARS at least R148 million and failed to pay the amount and instead went into business rescue and sold its assets for far below market value.

The assets included a R45 million yacht which was sold for R12 million, another yacht valued at R13 million sold for R570 000 and R50 million value house sold for R11.3 million.

The revenue collector’s commissioner, Edward Kieswetter, condemned the use of business rescue processes in an attempt to avoid paying taxes.

“It was unfortunate that some taxpayers abuse the business rescue proceedings, to the detriment of creditors. In most instances, the fiscus is the main victim.

“SARS will continue to act firmly and decisively when business rescue proceedings are abused to the detriment of the fiscus. We will without any equivocation oppose such abusive applications,” Kieswetter said.

SARS explained the reasons why the court dismissed the applications.

“The issue before the SCA was whether the conduct on the part of PFC and the De Robillard Family Trust’s trustees in launching the business rescue application, constituted an abuse of court process. The SCA held that that application should not have been considered by reason of its use in a scheme of abuse. The Court held that the business rescue application was a stratagem.

“Consequently, the business rescue application could not suspend the liquidation application because the former was tainted by abuse. Apart from this, the De Robillard Family Trust’s trustees failed to make out a case that there was any prospect of rescuing PFC. All its assets had been sold-off and it had lost its substratum. The SCA further held that the liquidation order granted by the Pretoria High Court was unassailable. For these reasons, both appeals were dismissed with costs,” SARS said.

The revenue collector vowed to clamp down on any attempts to avoid paying what is due to the taxman.

“SARS will not stand idle when taxpayers abuse the mechanisms of the Companies Act by acting malignantly to deprive SARS what is due and payable to the fiscus. Any elaborate and carefully calibrated plans to withhold taxes will be resisted emphatically.

“SARS will always work in the manner that supports the growth of the economy with concomitant job creation. Where, for whatever reason businesses do not perform optimally and they are unviable, every role player in the process is duty bound to act professionally and without fear, favour or prejudice against any creditors,” the revenue service said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Eskom has warned members of the public not to fall for job scams purportedly related to vacancies at its power stations, with the latest scam targeting the Medupi Power Station.

According to the power utility, scammers lure unsuspecting victims to interviews in Gauteng and are asked to pay for accommodation and other fees.

“As part of the modus operandi, job seekers are advised to bring money for expenses, such as accommodation and transport, to Lephalale where Medupi Power Station is located. In some instances, the unsuspecting job seekers are required to deposit more money into a bank account for other expenses such as personal protective equipment (PPE) or medical assessment following the interviews, among other reasons.

“Eskom advises job seekers to be aware that vacancies in the organisation are on its recruitment website which can be accessed by visiting www.eskom.co.za and cautions job seekers against using any other links found on the internet. Under no circumstances will Eskom require any payment from applicants during its recruitment process,” the power utility said.

Eskom said that, together with law enforcement, it has instituted an investigation with arrests subsequently made.

“Upon receiving several complaints from members of the public about the recruitment scam at Medupi, Eskom launched a joint operation with the South African Police Service (SAPS), which led to the arrest of three suspects — two females and a male accomplice.

“The suspects were charged at the Douglasdale Police Station on 26 June 2023 and appeared at the Randburg Magistrates’ Court on 28 June 2023. They will appear again at the same court on 16 August 2023,” Eskom said.

Members of the public who may have fallen victim to the scam are encouraged to contact Colonel Naidoo on 082 820 6174 or SAPS on 08600 10111 or SMS the Eskom Crime Line on 32211.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, has strongly condemned the brutal murder of a five year-old girl, allegedly by her cousin.

On Tuesday afternoon, police and paramedics received information about the body of a child found in the bushes.

Upon arrival at the scene, they found the lifeless body of the little girl with her throat slit, as well as stab wounds on her upper body.

She was certified dead by the medical personnel on the scene and police have opened a murder case.

Preliminary investigations indicated that the girl left home with her male cousin to a nearby tuck shop to buy some snacks.

However, the cousin returned alone without the little girl, saying that she had gone to play with other children in the neighbourhood.

However, the family was concerned that something could have happened to the child and they began searching for her until they made the gruesome discovery of her body in the nearby bushes. They immediately alerted the authorities.

Police in Bushbuckridge arrested the suspect on the same day and charged him with murder.

The suspect is expected to appear in the Bushbuckrigde Magistrates’ Court soon. Investigations are ongoing. It is not yet clear if the girl was raped or not, and that will form part of the probe.

Manamela urged parents and guardians to be vigilant with their children.

“It is disheartening and disappointing to learn that some family members are found to be the ones allegedly perpetrating crimes against children, whereas they have been entrusted to safeguard them,” she said.

Source: South African Government News Agency