The Department of Defence has funnelled R406-million for ship maintenance and repairs to a private company because it says it can no longer look after its own fleet. The fortunate recipient of the taxpayers cash is a company chaired and co-owned by the founder of Friends of Jacob Zuma Trust, Don Mkhwanazi. As power cuts sweep across South Africa fuelling anger and frustration, agricultural and meat producers warn that it could lead to shortages and a price hike of local produce. Eskoms top brass tripped over their words this week in a desperate bid to spin the spiralling energy supply crisis that is ripping through households and choking business ahead of Christmas. The SAA board refused to take part in self-evaluation, as the board charter requires. Chairwoman Dudu Myeni rejected the evaluation process because she feared being taken out by her fellow directors. In the meantime, a hidden annual report says SAAs losses have more than doubled to R2.6Billion. Nicholas van Hoogstraten, one of the largest landowners in Zimbabwe, is named in documents compiled by President Robert Mugabe’s intelligence chiefs, as giving $62 million (about R720m) to bankroll Grace’s presidential bid. Limpopo’s department of education needs more than R100 million to get all the textbooks it needs to avert a crisis in 2015. Two senior provincial government officials have told City Press that only half the books needed for 2015’s pupils had actually been bought. This is despite a recent statement from Limpopo’s government, which said textbook delivery to schools was well under way. Rogue elements in the South African business world who have access to some of the Libyan loot hidden in locations around Joburg have begun to plunder it. It has emerged that some involved in tracking the R2.6 trillion loot have been threatened with death, while one of the companies claiming to represent the Libyan government may be linked to Muslim fundamentalist groups. Board members of embattled state fuel enterprise PetroSA are rebelling at the decision by the Central Energy Fund (CEF) to vet them. This is part of the fallout from the bungled appointment of Tshepo Kgadima as chairman. Directors and board members of PetroSA and other subsidiaries under the CEF have questioned the judgment of CEF chairwoman Sankie Mthembi-Mahanyele, who announced the imminent vetting last week. Hundreds of Durban investors poured money into Carmol Distributors, an alleged ponzi scheme now under investigation by the South African Reserve Bank. Almost 2 500 investors, many of whom were encouraged to join by their local pastors, received a letter this week telling them the company’s operations had been suspended following a court order. The alleged scheme owned by Yunus Moolla, thought to be worth over R450 million, involved the distribution of diesel to foreign countries. Investors were promised up to an 8 percent monthly return on their investment. Shrien Dewanis secret weapon in his court victory this week was his elder brother, Preyen, and younger sister, Preyal. The two, both attorneys, worked at his side for four years to help uncover evidence that cast doubt on the states case against him.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Dec 2014 06:16:51 +0000
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