Month: June 2024

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has welcomed a Constitutional Court judgment dismissing an application to appeal a High Court order bid by engineering company Mphaphuli Consulting to have the unit’s report on Operation Mabone reviewed and set aside.

In 2013, the Greater Tubatse Local Municipality (now known as Fetakgomo Tubatse Municipality) entered into a contract with the company to connect at least 13 000 houses to the grid worth some R168.8 million.

An investigation by the SIU found that the company – owned by Lufuno Mphaphuli – allegedly overcharged the municipality by at least R73 million after costs skyrocketed as the municipality twice amended the contract – bringing the total number of houses to be electrified to 19 000, at a cost of at least R326 million.

‘In the judgment dated 3 June 2024, the Constitutional Court states that it ‘considered the application for condonation and application for leave to appeal and has concluded that the application for leave does not engage its jurisdiction. C
onsequently, leave to appeal must be refused with costs and the Court need not decide the application for condonation’.

‘The SIU welcomes the decision of the Constitutional Court, as it now settles the question of whether the SIU was empowered to investigate the electrification of villages under Greater Tubatse Municipality and paves the way for the civil claim against the engineering company to recover approximately R76 million to commence in the Limpopo High Court,’ the SIU said.

The corruption busting unit explained that in its investigation, it was found that the municipality had ‘piggybacked on an existing contract between Mphaphuli Consulting and Vhembe District Municipality to electrify villages’.

‘However, the terms of the contract were changed to increase the pricing of the services by more than R5 000 than what was charged in Vhembe resulting in an overpayment of approximately R76 million. The SIU instituted a civil claim in 2017 in the Limpopo High Court to recover financial losses suffered by t
he Municipality following the conclusion of its investigation.

‘In response, Mphaphuli Consulting brought an application to review and set aside the SIU report and to seek an order compelling the SIU to stop all steps taken against the engineering company, which emanated from the SIU’s investigation.

‘In March 2022, the Limpopo High Court dismissed the application with costs. In August 2023, the Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed the application with costs and now the apex court has also dismissed it with costs. The SIU will start the process of pursuing the legal fees it is owed by Mphaphuli Consulting for these court proceedings and other related legal processes,’ the unit said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Secretary of Parliament, Xolile George, has now officially received the list of elected representatives who will make up the National Assembly for South Africa’s seventh Parliament.

George received the list from Chief Justice Raymond Zondo in a handover ceremony held at the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg on Thursday.

Earlier in the ceremony, Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) chairperson Mosotho Moepya handed over that list and another list of those expected to serve in the Provincial Legislatures to the Chief Justice.

‘As South Africans, we have again demonstrated to the world, that despite the numerous global and domestic challenges that we face, we are steadfast in maintaining the integrity of our Constitution and our commitment to our growing democracy through, again, conducting peaceful and efficient elections.

‘This is a track record that all South Africans should be proud of. South Africa’s young democracy shines as a beacon of hope, not just for our nation, but for all those who beli
eve in the power of the people to shape their own destiny through free and fair elections.

‘This is indeed a historic moment in the maturity of our democracy, where political parties are compelled to work together to establish a government and a Parliament that represents the will and aspirations of the people,’ George said.

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo said the handover of the lists from the IEC to the Chief Justice and in turn to the Secretary of Parliament ‘marks an important milestone in our Constitutional democracy’.

‘Now that the list is here, one knows who will be members of Parliament who will convene on the first day of the sitting. The announcement of the date for the first sitting of Parliament will be the next step. That…will be announced by the Chief Justice and I think it’s going to happen pretty soon.

‘The judiciary will play its role to make sure that our Constitutional democracy runs as smoothly as it should,’ Zondo said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government is at the centre of coordinating relief and humanitarian efforts in the aftermath of a devastating storm that ripped through parts of the province on Monday.

The uThongathi area in eThekwini was the hardest hit, with other district municipalities, including Ilembe, King Cetshwayo, Amajuba, Umzinyathi and Umkhanyakude, being affected by the storm.

According to the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government, 12 people across the province died following the storm and strong winds.

Initial assessments show that over 7 000 households have been damaged, affecting over 17 000 people. Eighteen schools have been damaged.

The provincial government said over 1200 homeless families were currently receiving humanitarian aid from government across the province.

KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Nomusa Dube Nncube, said disaster teams were continuing with assessments to establish the total cost of the damages.

A central management centre has been set up in the eMagwaveni area in uThongathi, where
all relief and support efforts are being coordinated, and more services to the areas affected by storms have been added.

‘Every government department is on the ground to speed up recovery efforts, providing humanitarian relief and improve safety and security as mop-up operations continue. Government has also coordinated all the support from non-government organisations and private donors to ensure it reaches all those that are affected and avoid duplication.

‘To support the South African Police Services and Metro Police to ensure maximum security, government has deployed safety volunteers from the Department of Community Safety and Liaison and the eThekwini Municipality.

‘Power generators have been set up in strategic locations around the uThongathi area to ensure adequate lighting and visibility and power has been restored in some parts of uThongathi,’ Dube-Ncube said.

Considering the scale of damages and amount of work required it is anticipated that power supply will progressively be fully restored in
the coming days.

The provincial government has commended the progress made by Eskom in restoring power to affected communities across the province.

However, it appealed to the public to be patient as damaged infrastructure has led to challenges in accessing certain areas, hampering repair efforts.

‘While water supply was not affected, eThekwini Municipality has provided water tankers to ensure everyone has access to water, and standpipe systems have been installed in areas where taps were damaged.

‘The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs has increased the number of Community Development Workers and Expanded Public Works Programme workers to assist in clearing debris and cleaning the streets to make areas accessible.

‘The Department of Social Development has made social workers available to provide counselling, and the South African Social Security Agency is assisting families to replace lost social grant cards.

‘The Department of Home Affairs is also assisting community members
who lost their identity documents, while government is provides three meals a day to the community members at the various centres that have been set up in the area,’ said the provincial government.

The Premier assured residents that government was working hard to find permanent solutions to assist victims, particularly in uThongathi.

‘We have engaged with eThekwini Municipality to review existing plans related to human settlements.

‘Working together with the city and the Provincial Department of Human Settlements, we are seeking the quickest solutions to provide shelter for those affected.

‘We appreciate the continuous support from non-government organisations that have extended a helping hand to our people. We are working closely with all grieving families to ensure they mourn with dignity and bury their loved ones in a dignified manner,’ Dube-Ncube said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Trade Modernisation Project (TMP) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), will check the extortion of traders by facilitating the comprehensive tracking of their goods from the beginning of the trade process until delivery.

This is through its Unified Customs Management System(UCMS), a software that would be deployed to monitor all stages of the transactions by traders.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the TMP is the automation of the business processes of the NCS, to simplify and enhance the experience of stakeholders in the trade value chain.

It is also aimed at making it easy to obtain export and import clearances, and in paying duties and obtaining release of goods.

NAN further reports that customs modernisation project, which has three phases, is a 20- year concession agreement.

It was signed on May 27, 2023 between the Federal Government of Nigeria, represented by NCS Board, and The Trade Modernisation Project Ltd.

Chief Superintendent of Customs, Usman Abba, Head, Business Analyst f
or the project, told NAN in an interview on Thursday in Abuja that by using the software traders would be able to know when and where there were hitches in their transactions for redress.

Abba said the system would eliminate fraudulent intent and expose those who take advantage of clients who cannot properly track their goods with the current system to extort them.

‘ This is the platform where the trader has access and is able to track all the stages of transactions, and know where the challenge or exactly the issue is untill the goods are delivered,’ he said.

He said that the service had received numerous reports of agents attempting to extract additional funds from their clients, by falsely claiming that their goods had not been cleared by customs when the process had already been completed.

According to him, the software, which will soon be inaugurated, is designed to have information on all transactions, including payments and goods clearance, to enable the trader to act as required.

‘ So the trader
can log in and see where exactly the goods are, also after he makes payment, he can see through the system that the payment has been done, and even how much has being paid.

‘He can even see that the consignment have stepped out from the port, because we have the gate acknowledgement.

‘ It means that when the truck is moving out, the system will update that the consignment has been gated out because the system allows integration with the terminal operator ,’ he explained.

He added that other agencies were also being integrated into the system to examine goods according to their constitutional mandates

On the current stage of the development of the software, Abba said that all internal systems had been completed, and final touches were being done on stakeholders integration.

‘ What we are working on basically is the stakeholders integration. We are done with customs part and are just on the aspect of few stakeholders, just to show them the system and how to have them integrated.

‘ We have engaged the Cent
ral Bank of Nigeria,National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control,just a bit to finish up the system,’ he said.

NAN reports that the TMP is targeting generating more than 250 billion Dollars in revenue over the 20 year concession.

The project is aimed at bringing Nigeria at par with the rest of the world in the deployment of technology to facilitate international trade.

It would also assist the Federal Government in achieving economic diversification by facilitating easier cross-border trading.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, has applauded the smooth conduct of the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

During a visit to monitor the examination at Government Secondary School Garki in Abuja on Thursday, Mamman expressed confidence in the examination’s conduct, noting no reported incidents.

However, he expressed dissatisfaction with some of the school’s infrastructure and promised that steps would be taken to give the school a needed facelift.

‘We are here to check the ongoing WAEC examinations and the exams is going on very smoothly, we are happy with the nationwide exams and so far we haven’t had any incident in the exams,’ Mamman said.

Speaking on the examinations, the Head of National Office (HNO) of WAEC, Dr Amos Dangut, said about 1.8 million candidates were sitting for the examination.

Dangut said the 2024 examination had slightly more females above the number of males with the ratio of 51:49.

He added that the examination is taking place in ov
er 20,000 school centres nationwide, while commending the candidates’ comportment in the ongoing exercise.

‘This year’s exam has been very successful as there has been no report of any leakage whatsoever, so it’s going on smoothly.

‘As the minister has attested to it when moving round, you will see that there was calmness as the students were well comported and writing very well,’ Dangut said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the May/June WASSCE which began on April 30, is expected to end on June 24.

The examination is ongoing in four WAEC member countries namely, Nigeria, Gambia, Sierra-Leone and Liberia.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, says the leadership style of President Bola Tinubu is achieving desired results in the territory.

Wike stated this in Abuja on Thursday, during the inauguration of B6, B12, and Circle Roads in the Central Area by Tinubu, to celebrate his one year in office.

Tinubu was represented at the event by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

According to the minister, leadership is key, stressing that with the right leadership, you get the right results.

‘Because we have the right leadership, now we are getting the right results.’

He said that the completion of the B6, B12 and Circle Roads was awarded on May 14, 2007, at N48.5 billion and revised to N98.8 billion in Jan. 2021.

He pointed out that the project was ongoing for 17 years, but Tinubu completed it in just one year in office due to good leadership.

He, however, complained that the Ministry of Finance building had encroached into the portion of the road and appealed to Tinubu to inte
rvene.

This, he said, was critical to enable the contractor to complete the portion of the road.

‘There is supposed to be a road from B12 connecting with Ahmadu Bello Way by the finance bridge, but the ministry of finance has encroached into the road.

‘We have pleaded with the ministry to allow us to do the road. We are all working for the same government, and we don’t want to use force to go and destroy the building.

‘We gave them the land, but they encroached on the way.

‘I want to plead with Mr. President to talk to them, so that we will be able to complete the road for the interest of the public,’ Wike said.

He reiterated President Tinubu’s commitment to complete all ongoing projects in FCT, adding that 58 per cent of the 2024 FCT capital budget was set aside for completion of all ongoing projects.

The FCT Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, commended the residents for their patience due to the inconveniences caused by the construction of the roads.

‘The projects being delivered is a testament
to Tinubu’s commitment to progress and prosperity.

‘It will not only enhance accessibility into the Central District but contribute to the overall socio-economic development of the city,’ Mahmoud said.

Earlier, Mr Shehu Ahmad, Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), said that B6, B12 and Circle Roads, provided connection into Abuja Central Area from Airport Road axis in line with Abuja Master Plan.

He said that the B6 also known as Constitution Avenue had been partially completed and put to public use.

He, however, said that B12, named Independence Avenue, had not been completed.

‘The principal roads, particularly road B6 is about 6.6 km, B12 6.7 km, while the circle road is about 4.6 km.

‘The cross sections of the roads as typical with other expressways are two main carriage ways of three lanes each, as well as two lanes both ways.

‘The roads will enable dual mode transportation into and out of the central area,’ he said.

The FCDA boss expressed optimism that the completed
road will fizzle out the early morning gridlock being experienced at the City Gate.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria