Ndebele boasts of jobs created by tolls

Mar 29 2011

 Ndebele boasts of jobs created by tolls roads....

Although the tender for the Open Road Tolling (ORT) system project was awarded to a foreign company.........

more than 90% of staff on the project will be South African, Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele said on Tuesday.

                                                 Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele 

"It can be reported that 99% of ETC JV staff for the operations of the system will be South Africans. Furthermore, during the construction of the civil works, 20 000 direct jobs were created," said Ndebele.

"This project has therefore contributed to job creation and will continue to do so," he said.

He was responding to a question in the National Assembly by Anton Alberts of the Freedom Front Plus.

                                                                      Anton Alberts

Alberts asked the minister why the tender for the management of the collection of toll fees for the ORT was awarded to a consortium of which a foreign company was the majority shareholder and not to a local company.

ETC JV, a joint venture comprising one local and two foreign companies, was granted a R6.22bn tender to implement and run the Gauteng road tolling system.

Swedish and Austrian branches of Kapsch TrafficCom, an international supplier of intelligent transportation systems, hold stakes of 40% and 25% of ETC JV respectively. TMT Services & Supplies, a South African company, holds 35%.

Ndebele said the tender was awarded to ETC JV because it had submitted a tender offer which was more than R2bn cheaper than the next lowest tender offer, and because the equipment and software to be used in the project was not locally available.

He said the SA National Roads Agency Limited also required foreign companies of ETC JV to put up guarantees in excess of R1bn in support of their ability to perform their obligations.

This amount was "far in excess" of that which could be offered by any South African company in this sector, he said.

To ensure that South Africans benefited from the project, the contract required the contractor to continuously transfer skills and ownership and employ South Africans in all positions throughout the lifespan of the project.

Ndebele said these requirements would be monitored and the contractor would receive stiff penalties for failing to adhere to the requirements and commitments made.

"The contract has very specific measures and penalties to ensure that the contractor fulfil its contractual obligations. This project has contributed to job creation and will continue to do so."

He said the tender process was in line with South Africa's commitment to attract investment and skills and that local companies were not excluded from the tender process.

The tender was awarded through a public tender process taking into account the available skills in South Africa.

The objective was to ensure that a quality product would be delivered, said Ndebele. 

http://www.fin24.com/Economy/Ndebele-boasts-of-jobs-created-by-tolls-20110329 

• page
• 1

Prosecutors under wraps

Police escort in Mdluli case raises spectre of 'Mafia-style crime network'

Apr 4, 2011

The National Prosecuting Authority has placed a second prosecutor under police protection in just two weeks, raising concerns about a "wider network of organised crime" in South Africa. 

This emerged after the appearance yesterday of Colonel Mtunzi-Omhle Mtunzi, 52, in the Boksburg Magistrate's Court, east of Johannesburg, in connection with the murder case against police spy boss Richard Mdluli. 

Mdluli and his co-accused, Colonel Nkosana Ximba and Warrant Officer Samuel Dlomo, a court orderly, appeared in the Boksburg Magistrate's Court last Thursday in connection with the alleged murder of Oupa Ramogibe 12 years ago. 

Mdluli was reportedly in love with Ramogibe's girlfriend, with whom he also has a child.

At the time of the murder Mdluli was head of detectives at the Vosloorus police station, east of Johannesburg. 

Mtunzi, a colonel who also works in the police's crime intelligence unit, was arrested on Friday, is the fourth accused in the Mdluli matter. He faces charges including murder, kidnapping and serious assault. 

NPA spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga yesterday confirmed that prosecutor Kholeka Gcaleka "is under protection". He said the NPA was "not at liberty to discuss the factors taken into account" in making the decision. 

After Mtunzi's appearance yesterday, Gcaleka was escorted from the court by two armed policemen and driven away in a police vehicle. 

She is the second prosecutor in just two weeks to be assigned a police escort, after prosecutor Riegel du Toit was given an armed escort in the fraud trial of Radovan Krejcir. Du Toit's name appears on what is believed to be a hit list found in a raid on Krejcir's home. 

Johan Burger, a senior analyst at the Institute for Security Studies, yesterday told The Times the two most likely scenarios in which Gcaleka would be assigned a police escort were if there were "a typical Mafia-style crime network in which case everyone involved in the trial should be protected", or if Mdluli's influence was "so great that there would be fears about her safety".

Last week The Times reported that Mdluli was also being kept in protective custody because of conflict between factions within the police force. All four accused will appear in the Boksburg Magistrate's Court again on Thursday.

Gauteng's new police commissioner, Mzwandile Petros, at a conference on crime in Pretoria yesterday. He succeeds Perumal Naidoo, who has retired, and has vowed to increase police visibility.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/article1003539.ece/Prosecutors-under-wraps 

 

Zille hammers ANC over top brass 'hit list'

'Rivalry, murder plot a bitter portrayal of what party has become'

Apr 4, 2011 

Helen Zille characterised the ANC Monday as a party in which politicians are prepared to kill each other for power and lucrative tenders. 

                                                       Helen Zille

She was speaking after reports of a police investigation into a "hit list" that allegedly marks top ruling party leaders for assassination.

On a countrywide campaign before the local government elections, Zille said she was shocked to learn of the deadly turn of events in the ANC in Eastern Cape.

"This rivalry . this murder plot is a bitter portrayal of what the party has become. They are trying to kill each other for positions and tenders," she said.

Zille was referring to the case of two municipal employees who allegedly conspired to kill five ruling party leaders, including ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane and local government MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane.

The two employees were arrested and briefly appeared in an Mthatha court last week. They will appear for a bail application tomorrow.

Speaking at a DA rally in the Orient Theatre, East London, yesterday, Zille told the 500-strong cheering crowd that becoming a metro did not guarantee a change for the better for Buffalo City.

"Becoming a metro will not eradicate all these problems. The only way to change things here is to vote for change on May18," she said.

The former Cape Town mayor said that, "for once", the ruling party was telling the truth when Qoboshiyane admitted that the municipality was on the brink of "total collapse".

Zille said the DA was the party that truly reflected the dreams of Nelson Mandela and his concept of a rainbow nation.

On entering the hall, Zille was surrounded by a "blue wave" of supporters. Before she could reach the stage, one supporter threw himself on the ground to kiss the energetic leader's shoes.

Zille was accompanied by DA heavyweights such as Cape Town mayoral candidate Patricia de Lille, and the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Athol Trollip.

Decked out in an African dress and blue All Star DA takkies, the Western Cape premier said the forthcoming local government elections would prove to be a "watershed moment" in South African politics.

"It will be the first time voters will have an opportunity to properly compare political parties' track records," she said.

Speaking in a mix of English, Afrikaans and Xhosa, Zille compared the state of affairs in Buffalo City with that of Cape Town.

"They [Cape Town residents] too were tired of corruption and poor service delivery under the ANC. So what did the DA do when we took power? We started by getting the basics right. And that can happen here as well," she said.

Dancing on the stage, Zille said the DA was a government party whereas the ANC was merely a government of lavish parties.

Her dance moves have received a lot of media attention, with many critics questioning her terpsichorean ability.

ANC Youth League president Julius Malema said at the weekend that Zille danced "like a monkey".

Without mentioning a name, Malema asked ANC supporters in Polokwane: "Have you ever seen an ugly woman in a blue dress dancing like a monkey because she is looking for votes?"

But the comments did not deter Zille, who had the crowd on their feet singing and shouting support as she showed off her fancy footwork.

During a business breakfast before the rally Zille defended her "moves" and said she would not "stand stiff" because dancing and singing were part of African culture.

"It is only the local elections so give us a chance ... loan us your vote for the next five years and see what we can do," Zille concluded.

 http://www.timeslive.co.za/specialreports/elections2011/article1003553.ece/Zille-hammers-ANC-over-top-brass-hit-list

Spy Boss Accused of Waging Witch-Hunt

Mdluli allegedly tried to sabotage murder probe by two seasoned intelligence officers....

Apr 4, 2011 

Arrested police spy boss Lieutenant-General Richard Mdluli allegedly launched a systematic witch-hunt against two of his crime intelligence officers to stop them investigating his suspected role in the murder of his former lover's boyfriend. 

 

 

Mdluli, held last week for the murder 12 years ago, allegedly threatened to transfer warrant officers HMagabe and Thomas Rikhotso as uniformed officers to police stations more than 300km from their homes and instituted spurious disciplinary proceedings against them.

This was allegedly after Mdluli and one of his co-accused in the 1999 murder case, Colonel Nkosana Ximba, learned that the two intelligence officers had made inquiries about the dormant murder docket of Oupa Ramogibe after a tip-off.

Mdluli accused the two of leaking information to the Sowetan newspaper in July 2009 about his alleged links to the murder. Mdluli, Vosloorus police station commander when Ramogibe was shot dead in the township in 1999, was appointed head of crime intelligence shortly before the Sowetan article was published. Ramogibe, killed while pointing out to the police the scene of an earlier attempt on his life, was involved with a woman with whom Mdluli was romantically linked.

Magabe and Rikhotso, who together have 40 years of police experience, 20 with crime intelligence, were unavailable for comment yesterday.

According to documents The Times has seen, and South African Police Union general secretary Oscar Skommere, Magabe and Rikhotso have been subjected to surveillance and unauthorised cellphone bugging since February 2009.

They had become so unnerved that they were receiving counselling. Their appeals to national police commissioner Bheki Cele for his protection had fallen on deaf ears.

Police spokesman Colonel Vish Naidoo yesterday refused to confirm or deny the allegations, but said an internal investigation was under way into "various aspects'' of crime intelligence.

A highly placed police officer said the investigation of Mdluli and his unit "would open a whole new can of worms" and included "very serious issues".

"This is a massive investigation. It's going to cast a bad light on this country's intelligence world. It is going to be nasty."

In one of many letters of complaint about the alleged victimisation of Magabe and Rikhotso, the police union's legal representative, Kwena Moabelo, asked Cele in March last year to intervene in the "witch-hunt".

Skommere said the union felt "vindicated" by the arrests of Mdluli and three co-accused, but there had been prolonged injustices against its members for doing their job.

"Our members have all along professed that they did nothing wrong but knew these charges and victimisation were an attempt to frustrate them in doing their jobs," said Skommere.

He said there was ample proof that Mdluli tried to scupper the investigation of the two officers in connection with Ramogibe's murder. This includes his failure to finalise disciplinary proceedings since 2009.

Magabe and Rikhotso were to have had their hearings finalised within 60 days in terms of police discipline regulations but, after 22 months and one hearing that resulted in a "no-verdict" judgment, there is still no resolution.

According to the charge sheet of the disciplinary hearing, issued in March last year, more than a year after the alleged offence, the two officers were to face charges from February 23 to September 2009.

They were accused of misconduct in that they:

• Failed to adhere to basic police principles by investigating Mdluli and others for "unfounded" allegations relating to the Ramogibe murder without an intelligence docket inquiry;

• Misled a colleague at the Vosloorus detective unit into believing that their murder investigation was properly authorised;

• Tried to frame Mdluli and others, and conspired to prevent him being promoted to his current job;

• Failed to keep a record of information gathered, or to report back to the SAPS; and

• Failed to respect Mdluli's "basic human rights" and "humiliating" and "discriminating" against him through a Sowetan article on July 10 last year.

In its letter to Cele, the union labelled the allegations "baseless, vexatious and unfounded". At the time, Sapu wrote that: "Mdluli has a history of antagonism against the employees. This can be deduced from his attempts to get rid of them from crime intelligence without a just cause."

The union said Mdluli, in letters dated February 9 2010, went as far as wanting to transfer Magabe and Rikhotso to crime prevention units.

Both warrant officers are stationed on the East Rand. Mdluli reportedly wanted to transfer them to Sebokeng and Magaliesberg.

Mdluli, Ximba and their co-accused, court orderly Samuel Dlomo and Lieutenant-Colonel Mtunzi Omhle Mthembeni Mtunzi, will appear in the Boksburg Magistrate's Court on Thursday on charges of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, intimidation, serious assault, kidnapping and obstructing and/or defeating the ends of justice.

Skommere said the union had asked the state to withdraw the charges against the two officers.

 http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/article1003552.ece/Spy-boss-accused-of-waging-witch-hunt

Police find Dismembered Body in Cemetery

2011-04-04

Free State police said on Monday that the dismembered body of a 23-year-old man had been found in the Welkom cemetery.

Spokesperson Stephen Thakeng said that the body of Michael van Eck had been found in a shallow grave on Sunday morning.

"The body didn't have a head, a right arm, or left foot and both legs had been amputated at the knees."

Thakeng said Van Eck's car was found abandoned at a Welkom taxi rank on Sunday morning and police phoned his parents to enquire about his whereabouts.

Van Eck's parents told police that he went on a date on Saturday night and should have been at work on Sunday morning.

When police phoned his employer, they confirmed that he had gone on a date with a girl he had met on the social website Facebook the night before, but he did not pitch up for work on Sunday.

His employer said Van Eck and his date would have met at the Welkom cemetery, which prompted police and his family to go to the scene.
"At the entrance we found a shirt which the parents confirmed belonged to their son.

"Our K9 unit was called in and they found the shallow grave."

Thakeng said a 23-year-old man had been taken into custody for questioning after he had claimed he was picking up the abandoned car in the taxi rank for a friend.

"We suspect occult issues, that's why we have deployed our task team to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book."

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Police-find-dismembered-body-in-cemetery-20110404

Teachers Battling with Simple Maths

2011-04-04 

Mathematics teachers are battling with simple issues such as calculating percentages, according to a study using the recent Southern and East African Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ III) dataset for South Africa.

Stellenbosch University professor of economics, Servaas van den Berg said: "What is evident is that math performance is not very good in the broader context of what one expects from primary level.

"Teachers are really struggling with issues such as calculating percentages.

"More than half of the teachers thought if the height of a fence is raised from 60cm to 75cm, it was a 15% increase," he said.

"It also shows that some math teachers have problems with relatively simple math problems."

The Grade 6 teachers were given similar tests to that of their pupils to gauge their subject knowledge.

"It is particularly worrying that teachers have gaps in their subject knowledge, but it appears that this does not have a huge effect on how children perform," he said.

According to the study, the impact of improved teacher knowledge on pupils' performance was "strikingly small.

Performance

"A 100 point increase in average Reading teacher scores leads to a 7.1 point increase in learner reading scores. This is extremely small.

"A similar rise of 100 points in average Maths teacher scores leads to an even smaller 4.7 points increase in student maths scores," it read.

"Better subject knowledge did not necessarily translate into better performance.

"Rather, pupils getting an opportunity to learn or teachers being present in the classroom improved pupil performance.

"It's even more important to have a well-functioning school," Van Den Berg said.

Government's newly introduced annual national assessments for grades 3, 6 and 9 was a step toward improving the situation.

The SACMEQ III survey provides the research community with new data on primary education in South Africa.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Teachers-battling-with-simple-maths-20110404 

British Tourists Robbed at Addo

2011-04-04 

A spokesperson for the Eastern Cape police,  Priscilla Naidu, says two British tourists have been robbed of possessions worth about R71 000 while staying at the Addo Elephant National Park.

Naidu said the tourists had been woken early on Monday by two men who threatened them with a crowbar and a rock.

They ransacked the tourists' chalet at the Elephant House bed and breakfast and fled with cellphones, money, clothing, music players and other items.

Naidu said the robbers were found a short while later in Nomathansanqa village. The stolen items were found in their house and in nearby bushes.

The tourists, both of them men, decided to return to the United Kingdom.

The robbers, both aged 23, will appear in the Addo Magistrate's Court on Tuesday on charges of housebreaking and robbery.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/British-tourists-robbed-at-Addo-20110404 

Malema and Beautiful Women

“We have got beautiful women in the ANC like Angie Motshekga, the president of the (ANC) Woman’s league, very beautiful women,” Malema said. 

http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/fury-over-malema-s-monkey-jibe-1.1051732 

Malema linked to 'wrecked' taxi rank

2011-04-03 

ANC Youth League President ­Julius Malema has been linked to another failed construction project – a collapsed R2-million taxi rank in Limpopo.

SGL Engineering Projects, a company that has had at least three municipal projects taken over after non-performance, won the tender to build the R2.1m Apel Cross Taxi Rank in Ga-Masemola, south of Polokwane, in March 2006.

At the time, Malema was listed as a director of SGL. When his link to the company was revealed last year he claimed his signature had been forged and said he was never a ­director. Malema has since ­resigned as a director.

City Press has obtained tender documents that the municipality previously told the Public ­Protector had been lost. The ­documents showed that SGL had subcontracted the construction of the taxi rank to two companies – Ever Roaring Investments and Moloko Business Enterprises.

 

Malema was also a director of Ever Roaring at the time.

According to the documents, the contract was split in two – R1.8m for construction and R300 000 to SGL as consulting engineers. Moloko’s director, Mathews Mathabatha, was one of Malema’s business partners in Ever Roaring.

Malema was a director in Ever Roaring until last June.

Problems

City Press has identified the following problems with the project:

- The rank was completed in ­October 2009, two years after its original deadline of August 2007;
 
- In March 2008 Moloko and ­Ever Roaring were kicked off the project because of non-performance and another company had to complete the project;

- The Greater Sekhukhune district municipality had initially ­refused to sign off on the project as it had questions about the roof’s design, according to a probe by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela;

- Water and electricity have still not been supplied to the taxi rank though it is stipulated in the ­contract;

- One section of the taxi rank’s roof caved in in October last year, a year after construction was ­completed, and;

- Minutes of several site meetings held between SGL, contractors, labourers and the project steering committee show that some of the labourers were not paid for up to four months.

Municipal spokesperson Willy Mosoma said part of the roof collapsed due to natural disasters and not through any fault of SGL. However, he could not elaborate on these “natural disasters”.

He said the municipality was working with Eskom to supply electricity and water to the rank.

Mosoma’s version of how the roof collapsed was disputed by the chairperson of the Masemola ­Local and Long Distance Taxi Association Danie Mohlala, taxi drivers and hawkers, who believed it happened because poor quality materials had been used.

Malema, through his spokesperson, Floyd Shivambu, refused to comment, saying he would not ­respond to questions from this ­reporter.

 

                                                                      Floyd Shivambu

In a recent meeting with City Press editors, Malema “banned” Rampedi from all youth league ­activities after he’d reported on Malema’s business interests.

SGL project engineer Thomas Mulaudzi and company lawyer Mpoyana Ledwaba acknowledged receipt of questions sent to them but they failed to respond.

City Press revealed last year that SGL had been awarded government tenders worth at least R140m by municipalities in Limpopo. 


http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Politics/Malema-linked-to-wrecked-taxi-rank-20110403

 

Lindiwe Sisulu Jet Decision

DA questions Sisulu jet decision

2011-04-03 

The decision by defence minister Lindiwe Sisulu to lease two new aircraft for transporting VIPs, at a cost of R800 million, was cause for concern, the DA said on Sunday.

"Why are we spending R800m on aircraft for VIPs when millions of people do not have housing, health and basic services," party spokesperson David Maynier said.

"The ministerial handbook is clear: the use of defence force aircraft for these purposes should be the exception, not the rule," he said.

The tender was apparently awarded to AdoAir, a company owned by Nigerian businessman Adegboyega Olulade.

The tender document reportedly specified that the aircraft should be able to transport at least 17 people, have sleeping quarters for two passengers as well as on board communication systems and two conference facilities.

"The use of the SA Air Force for the purpose of ferrying around VIPs needs close scrutiny," Maynier said.

The party would call on the chair of the joint standing committee on defence, Jerome Maake, to schedule hearings on the matter.

                                                                       David Maynier

 http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Politics/DA-questions-Sisulu-jet-decision-20110403