Jacob Zuma's house in Nkandla, South Africa

THE cost of the expansion of President Jacob Zuma’s family homestead in Nkandla in northern KwaZulu-Natal, estimated at R65 million last year, has rocketed to almost R200 million, a source close to the project has revealed.

The source said the cost soared because of additions to the architectural plan, unforeseen expenses as a result of transporting building material to this remote rural area and rising construction costs.

Although Zuma is expected to be financially responsible for part of the building expenses, the taxpayer is expected to foot the largest chunk of the bill, said the source

According to the Mail & Guardian’s original report on the project last year, the expansion will turn the presidential homestead into a sprawling precinct that will include a police station, helicopter pad, military clinic, visitors’ centre, parking lot with parking for at least 40 vehicles and at least three smaller houses that will serve as staff quarters.

Weekend Witness has learnt that other extensions that added to the soaring cost include fencing and the construction of roads within the precinct.

Phase one of the project comprises two houses — a double-storey and a guesthouse — which are expected to be completed shortly as soon as builders complete the roof-thatching.

Locals in Nkandla would not comment openly about the project. Those who spoke to Weekend Witness expressed their excitement about what was going on in their area.

Said an elderly woman who spoke on condition of anonymity, “Having a president as a neighbour has already started benefiting us as we now have running water and electricity.

“We hope this new development will help attract other development projects in the area, especially with regard to job opportunities for our youth,”

The views of people at a local shop were generally that although the Zuma homestead is like a mansion in a sea of poverty, local people have not lost hope that one day the government will provide them with subsidised housing.

Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya referred all inquiries about the expansion to the Public Works Department (PWD), saying it is handling the project.

The response from Thami Mchunu, spokesperson for the PWD to a list of detailed questions (see box) was that the department “is not in a position to answer any questions related to the accommodation of the president of the country”.

“The accommodation for the executive falls under the ambit of the National Key Points Act* and we therefore cannot provide any details as this can compromise the safety and security of the executive.”

* The National Key Points Act was first promulgated in 1980 and amended as the National Key Points and Installations Act in 2007. Like its predecessor, it seeks to protect places and areas deemed to be of strategic national interest against sabotage or other forms of attack.

• Are projected costs above R65 million as reported?

• If they have soared, what are the reasons behind that and what is the new figure?

• How much is going to be spent by President Zuma on the whole project and how much will be footed by the state?

• Can you confirm that the whole project is done on behalf of the Public Works Department? If so, how is President Zuma going to reimburse the state after the completion of the project?

• When is phase one of the project going to be completed and when will the entire project be finished?

• Are there any other developments projected for the area?

 

http://africanbeautifulmansions.blogspot.com/2011/08/jacob-zumas-house-in-nkandla.html

Zuma slams ANCYL

2011-08-14

President Jacob Zuma on Saturday tore into ANC Youth League (ANCYL) president Julius Malema over his calls for a regime change in Botswana – hours before the league abruptly withdrew its statement on that country.

The league said it felt the “leadership of the ANC took serious exception to the statement and classified that statement as a transgression of the ANC’s Constitution and policies”.

In an exclusive interview with City Press in Durban on Saturday, Zuma for the first time spoke out against Malema’s calls for regime change in Botswana.

In a ­pre-emptive strike before publication, the league apologised and promised to “whenever expected, be available to listen to political and organisational guidance from the leadership”.

Zuma told City Press that the youth league’s comments on Botswana were “not in keeping with our policies, whether on a government or ANC level”.

Not like the apartheid government

“We are not going to be like the apartheid government and interfere with our neighbours. We promote good neighbourliness and we don’t interfere in the internal affairs of other people,” Zuma said.

He said that while Malema’s earlier utterances on Zimbabwe and Libya had been “talked through politically”, the Botswana comments “went far beyond that in every respect”.

“If you start talking about sending a command or unit to go in and engage in political activity to change the government of a country, that is a very serious statement. You therefore need a different kind of intervention to ordinary political discussion,” he said.

Zuma said Malema’s comments suggested that the youth league saw the Botswana government as illegitimate.

“The ANCYL looks at Botswana as if the government was not elected by the people of Botswana. If you are a democrat, you have to understand democracy. In Botswana, there are regular elections and this government was elected by the people of Botswana.”

Humble pie

In a rare case of eating humble pie, the league promised to “never define itself outside the policy confines and directives of the ANC”.

ANC spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said the damage done to Zuma’s image, and to the ANC and the government, “will not be changed with an apology”, indicating the ANC will not drop the matter.

“The matter is now beyond the youth league. The ANC will now weigh this up, apology or no apology,” Mthembu said.

Zuma said he was sure Botswana understood these were not the views of the ANC or government, but of the youth league “thinking in its own way”.

Zuma also promised action against those who were fingered in the public protector’s report about dodgy police leases, saying he was “almost at the end’’ of examining it and would “certainly have to take action”.

Fighting corruption

Zuma defended his administration’s approach to fighting corruption.

“I personally have signed off on at least 18 investigations. You cannot say that this current administration has done less than what happened before.

“I think we are doing our best to fight corruption. In fact, we are even talking about changing tender procedures to tighten the rules and limit the possibilities for corruption, something that has never been discussed before,” he said.

Some of the ANC’s allies are unhappy with the apparent lack of speed in dealing with National Police Commissioner Bheki Cele and Minister of Public Works Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde.

Cosatu’s Patrick Craven said Cosatu was unhappy that the president seemed to be stalling.

Indecisiveness

“There is an element of indecisiveness that we of course would prefer not to have. Of course he has time to look into issues, particularly in respect of the police leases, but it is taking too long.”

ANC Veterans’ League president Sandi Sejake said Zuma was “indulging the enemy” by dragging his feet in acting against those fingered in Madonsela’s report.

“If you engage in corruption, you are part of the enemy. If you take so long to act, you are indulging the enemy. Zuma must show that he agrees with the Public Protector, especially because she has been threatened about these things.”

On Malema’s Botswana threats“There are certain things that have been said that are verging on disciplinary action. The officials (of the ANC) have been discussing the matter and must have decided what needs to be done, but I don’t think they want to say that publicly now.’’

On Swaziland"There has been an unfortunate kind of sentiment that Zuma is giving his friend a favour. This is not true. This is a loan, not a grant, which is clearly spelled out when it comes to how it is going to be paid back.”

On the Public Protector’s report“I am almost towards the end of my process and once that comes, we will almost certainly have to take action. I don’t think people should be in a hurry. We are acting against corruption, but we can’t act outside the procedure."

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Zuma-slams-ANCYL-20110814

Who is Steve Bosch?

14 August, 2011

Businessman Sthembiso Steve Bosch has remained largely below the radar, despite his strong political ties to the ANC Youth League in Julius Malema's stronghold of Limpopo.

Bosch, who studied at the Tshwane University of Technology, has been involved in the ANC Youth League for 16 years.

He said: "In 1995, the first ANC league branch in what was Pietersburg was launched by a couple of young individuals, myself included, and I assumed the position of the treasurer-general of the youth league."

Bosch remains a member of the ruling party.

Soon after he started supplying building materials in 2001, he "immediately recognised my role in ploughing back into the communities in which I do business".

In 2003, he started Sizani Build It, the company that donated cash to Malema's Ratanang Family Trust, as well as to Jacob Zuma's educational trust in 2007.

Glossy pictures of Bosch standing alongside Malema, Zuma, Limpopo premier Cassel Mathale and housing MEC Soviet Lekganyane can be found in provincial brochures.

Bosch's 100%-owned Sizani Build It has also won a number of lucrative tenders in the province, including the R41.3-million deal to build 189 RDP houses in Seshego, Polokwane.

In August last year he became a "strategic investor" in Aurecon, an international engineering and project management company. In November, Aurecon won the R3.3-million tender to be the project management unit for Limpopo's Department of Housing.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2011/08/14/who-is-steve-bosch

Malema: The deals continue

14 August, 2011

Today a Sunday Times investigation can reveal a web of tenders worth tens of millions of rands manipulated through companies controlled by Julius Malema and his associates in the ANC Youth League.

Project management units (PMUs) appear to be the key mechanisms they use to influence how tenders work.

PMUs oversee the work done by companies that win tenders, and in two key Limpopo government departments - roads and transport, and housing - this role has been outsourced to private companies with links to Malema and his cronies.

The transport department's PMU contract went to On-Point Engineering, and the housing department PMU was outsourced to a company called Aurecon.

Malema confirmed his "family's shareholding" in On-Point through his Ratanang Trust to the Mail & Guardian last week. Malema associate and former youth league treasurer Steve Bosch {S’thembiso Bosch} has a stake in Aurecon.


Yet, both Malema's relative, Tshepo Malema, and Bosch's own company, Sizani Build It, have also scored government tenders from the same departments. Both departments tried to downplay the influence of these PMUs in awarding lucrative tenders that then go to Malema's associates.

Thesan Moodley, spokesman for the department of transport, said On-Point provided only "technical support" to the bid specification committee. "They cannot make a decision on who gets anything. The final decision is made by the department."

He denied On-Point had played any role in awarding tenders to companies linked to Malema.

But he admitted that they gave advice on tenders to officials who make the final call.

The Limpopo Department of Housing said its project management unit's role was "strictly to monitor and ensure that contractors build RDP houses according to specification and ensure quality", said spokesman Dieketseng Diale.

"Aurecon has no role whatsoever in awarding tenders in the department."

She also denied Malema had any influence over tender awards. "Malema does not work for the department and therefore he is in no position to decide or influence who is awarded a tender. Your inference is purely shaped by racial prejudice."

The department of housing is now headed by two former youth league members.
But several sources in the province close to government tender processes said Malema was a key driver in ensuring tenders are dished out to his associates.

"It's clear that Julius Malema is behind the manipulation," a veteran ANC member and senior Limpopo government official told the Sunday Times, speaking on condition of anonymity.

He said there was "no administrative need" for project management units, which simply served as engine rooms to manipulate tender awards.

"These boys (of the youth league), they manipulate where the tenders go. They deploy people to the project management units, bid committees and selection panels to make sure the tenders go to the right people."

Recent tender documents seen by the Sunday Times show several entities whose owners are close to Malema received tenders from roads and transport - the same department that gets "technical advice" on dishing out tenders from Malema's company, On-Point.

On July 14 and 15, Bosch's Sizani Build It won two building tenders from the department of roads.

Aurecon, in which Bosch also has shares, also landed a R3.3-million PMU tender for "priority/pilot housing projects" last year from the department of housing, according to the tender documents.

Both Limpopo housing MEC Soviet Lekganyane and head of department Clifford Motsepe are former league members who served under Malema.

Bosch declined to comment on Aurecon or explain his relationship with Malema.

"Obviously you have this obsession about Malema that you want to write anything to sell your papers."

Other Malema cronies who benefited from roads tenders include Tshepo Malema - despite the fact that Malema's On-Point provides the roads department with advice on tenders.

Tshepo Malema's company, Arandi Trading, won a tender on July 14 for supplying the department with "painting materials".

Asked about the paint supply tender, he said: "I don't talk to the media. That's not my work. My work is to do business."

http://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2011/08/14/malema-the-deals-continue

Friend who gave Juju R1.2m car is in tender trouble

07 August, 2011

Matome Hlabioa, who "lent" ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema a R1.2-million Range Rover, has been red-flagged by the auditor-general for receiving irregular tenders from the Limpopo government.

In total, Hlabioa has won more than R200-million in tenders from the province, including R60-million in deals to build three schools. He denied Malema pulled strings for him.

Now a confidential "audit finding" sent to the Limpopo Department of Education on April 29 flags irregularities and sloppy record-keeping with regard to 102 tenders - including the three tenders worth R60-million won by Hlabioa's MPPJ Property Development Company - and asks the province to explain them.

Regarding the company's largest single contract for a school, worth R33-million, the department could not:

• Provide the bid documents;
• Provide any record of how well the bid scored during the adjudication process; or
• Provide any record of compliance.

Yet the tender bid committee still appointed MPPJ - as it did in two other tender deals where documents were missing.

When contacted, Hlabioa said if any tender documents were missing it was the department's fault.

"We don't get tenders through the back door ... we submit all the relevant documents," he said. He declined to provide the tender documents to the Sunday Times.

Hlabioa admitted he had a close relationship with Malema: "He's like my son. I started looking after him when he was very young, since 2001."

But he denied Malema was now repaying the favour, saying he won tenders based on the quality of his work, "not whether I know Julius or President (Jacob) Zuma".

Hlabioa said he would continue to support Malema even if "he becomes president" because "I'm not going to let that boy suffer".

"When Julius gets a job which pays him money (and) a salary, I will gladly say to him, 'My man, you are emancipated, you are independent, no more'," he said.

Dickson Masemola, the MEC for Education in Limpopo, told the Sunday Times that the auditor-general's document was simply "a discussion between the auditor-general and my department on issues they may have picked up" - not the final audit. Masemola said "it would be inappropriate to comment" before he'd received the final report.

While these issues could be resolved before the final auditor-general's report is released, the red flags raised during the audit appear to support claims that tenders are manipulated in the province to suit politically powerful figures.

A new group called the Forum of Limpopo Entrepreneurs spoke out this week about what it said was widespread tender corruption in the province.

"We suspect Malema used his powers to influence who gets tenders in the province," said Siviko Mabunda, secretary of the forum. The forum claims to have more than 2000 members.

"The police must do their job and investigate. If they find any wrongdoing, (Malema) must be arrested," he said.

Malema still enjoys support in many quarters in a predominantly rural province where 46% of working-age adults can't find jobs.

Emmanuel Makgoga, who represents poor communities living on mines in eastern Limpopo, said many rural youths looked up to Malema and did not hold his flashy lifestyle against him.

"Here he's still our hero," said Makgoga. "We don't see any problem with his money because he's the president - unless it was got by illegal means."

The Mail& Guardian reported this week that a company with direct links to Malema was involved in managing and disbursing a reported R4.6-billion worth of tenders and contracts on behalf of Limpopo's Department of Roads and Transport .

The paper reported that On-Point Engineers was formed just days before it successfully bid for a three-year contract worth R52-million .

Malema confirmed to the newspaper that his Ratanang Family Trust was a "shareholder" in On-Point Engineers but insisted he did not "participate actively" in the company or influence tenders.

"I just queue when the dividends are due ... not me, the trust does that," he said.

Attempts to solicit comment from Malema were not successful at the time of going to print.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2011/08/07/friend-who-gave-him-r1.2m-car-is-in-tender-trouble

Taxpayers to pay Travelgate debt

August 13 2011

Taxpayers will fork out millions of rands to pay off debts racked up by MPs in the Travelgate scandal.

Despite numerous undertakings to act against MPs over the years since the scandal broke, Parliament has failed to recover about R12.2 million owed by its members after the institution controversially purchased the debtors’ book from the liquidators of Bathong Travel in 2009.

Bathong was one of six travel agencies implicated in the infamous and unresolved travel voucher scandal.

Information released this week has revealed that when the Bathong debts were purchased for R380 000 MPs still owed about R5.4m, of which the liquidators had managed to recover only R413 303 – or 7.6 percent – from 19 of the 89 MPs on the agency’s books.

More recent information has shown that this amount eventually rose to about R17m as more “debts” were uncovered, leaving Parliament in the red to the tune of about R12.2m. This debt will now be written off, Secretary to Parliament Zingile Dingani told journalists in Cape Town this week, which leaves taxpayers to foot the bill.

Parliament buried this information until Eastern Cape High Court Judge Sytze Alkema ordered its release on July 28, when the Centre for Social Accountability, an NGO from Rhodes University, successfully challenged Parliament’s refusal to provide the information via the Promotion of Access to Information Act.

Judge Alkema had harsh words for Parliament, saying it was clear throughout the process that it was more concerned with its public image – and those of its members – than with getting to the truth or collecting the outstanding debts.

“The above entries (from parliamentary minutes) indicate a strong desire, for reasons not known but giving rise to wide speculation, on the part of Parliament to prevent those claims from being pursued. It was particularly anxious to protect those claims from public scrutiny in a court of law,” the judge said.

“Parliament was acutely aware of the public interest in the matter … It went to some lengths to prevent the publication of information contained in the schedules (the list of 89) in order to protect it against adverse public opinion – even purchasing the claims. But public opinion is not the same as public interest. Public interest is at stake when the structure of institutional democracy is threatened by a culture of ‘secretive and unresponsive’ government,” Judge Alkema concluded.

http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/taxpayers-to-pay-travelgate-debt-1.1116932

Tender boss paid Malema R1.2m

2011-08-13

ANC Youth League president Julius Malema was paid R1.2m, through a Johannesburg architect building his home, by businessman Steve Bosch, the Sunday Times reported.

Records have shown that Bosch's company, Sizani Build It, made two payments from its Standard Bank account on Malema's behalf, to an Investec bank account - belonging to architect Aurielo Cimato, the report indicated.

Sizani Build It

Company profile
Sizani Build It is involved in community development by supplying building materials to many projects across the Greater Letaba area.
DescriptionSizani Build It comprises retailing, warehousing and distribution of building material. It is one of the country’s largest suppliers of building material and an emerging property developer, competent in providing a professional building service.
Key facts and figures
It specialises in distributing building material across the Limpopo Province. Sizani Build It is also involved in the construction of low-cost housing throughout the province and is currently constructing the 189 community residential units in Seshego.
Empowering the community
The company has embarked on funding projects. In 2009, it was one of the sponsors that donated a house in Seshego, through the president of the ANC Youth League, Julius Malema. The house was handed over by President Jacob Zuma and Limpopo premier Cassel Mathale.
In 2010, another house was donated in the Letaba Municipality and was handed over by the MEC for Local Government and Housing Soviet Lekganyane and mayor of the Greater Letaba Municipality, City Modjadji.

Contact:S’thembiso Bosch, Director

Physical Address153 Blaauwberg Street, Ladine, Polokwane 0353

Postal AddressPO Box 1217, Polokwane 0700

Tel:+27 15 297 5834

Fax:+27 15 297 3420

Email: sthembiso@sizanibuildit.co.za
Website: www.sizanibuildit.co.za

The report indicated that Bosch had scored tenders worth tens of millions of rands in Limpopo, and Cimato is building Malema's multimillion-rand house in Sandton.

An amount of R900 000 was deposited on March 4 this year, and another R300 000 on June 4, with "J Malema" as a beneficiary reference.

The bank sent confirmations to Malema via SMS, it was reported, but Malema has denied receiving any benefit from Bosch.

"There is no money that came from me or any of my entities," he told the Sunday Times when contacted.

He then referred all questions to Bosch, adding: "I don't care whether he answers you or not, it’s none of my f**king business!"
Bosch has refused to explain the payments to the newspaper, and denied that any SMS confirmations were sent to Malema.

"Do you know how many Malema's are here in Polokwane and Botswana?" he said.
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Politics/Tender-boss-paid-Malema-R12m-report-20110813

Whites’ Shacks Torn Down, Black Shacks Untouched

Friday, 12 August 2011

The inequal treatment meted out to poor-white Afrikaner squatters under the ANC-regime bears all the hallmarks of an ongoing ethnic-cleansing campaign: the whites are denied food-aid, government benefits and are forced to tear down their shacks…

http://bit.ly/r7NKmM

Booming black squatter towns housing millions of illegal black migrants are not being targetted for demolition by the ANC-regime. However the hundreds-of-thousands of homeless, desperately poor (indigenous) Afrikaner families face a constant stream of demolition court cases - ordering them to tear down their neatly-maintained, safe little garden-cottages. These close-knit Afrikaans communities are being ripped apart by the ethnic-cleansing campaign lodged by the ruling ANC: which uses frivolous claims of municipal bylaws to remove these impoverished Afrikaners from the land of their forefathers. At the same time, the ANC-regime also ignores the same bylaws for black-occupied squatter towns…

BELOW: NOT DEMOLISHED by ANC-RUN JOHANNESBURG MUNICIPALITY:

Black squatter shacks, Clay Oven Village, Fourways Aug 12 2011

BELOW - FACING DEMOLITION: WHITE SQUATTER SHACKS, DASPOORT

- COURT DATE: SEPT 2 2011 -- VISAGIE STREET MUNICIPAL COURT, PRETORIA:

This tight-knit Afrikaner squatter-community above faces demolition of their neat, safe little Wendy House-cottages at Daspoort smallholdings near Pretoria due to ‘municipal by-laws’ -- which obviously are not being equality applied to the much more dangerous, unhealthy illegal squatter shacks at the rapidly-growing black-squatter camp nearby…

http://censorbugbear-reports.blogspot.com/2011/08/whites-shacks-torn-down-black-shacks.html

White UK Pensioners Starve in Zimbabwe

Friday, 12 August 2011

1,650 dirt-poor white Zimbabweans including 50 farmers survive on $9 a month and private food-aid from SA

2011-08-1 André le Roux reports in Beeld that some 1,650 dirt-poor white Zimbabwean pensioners in 28 old-age homes – many of UK origin – now are totally reliant on food-parcels brought them from South Africa every six to eight weeks. The biggest reason for their dire destitution is the Zimbabwean regime's abolition of the worthless Zimbabwean 'dollar' 2 years ago – and which wiped out their savings banked in Zimbabwean dollars.



So all their savings were wiped out in one fell swoop two years ago. The US dollar and South African Rands now are are the only currencies legally used in Zimbabwe. "These pensioners now have to live on as little as R90 ($9 US) a month or even less,” said Linda Schultz of the Zimbabwe Pensioner Support Fund from Malelane, Mpumalanga in South Africa.

• For donations contact: Hannes Botha, chairman of ZPSF, cell: 084 589 3221 Landline 013-7900934 - email ensupzim@vodamail.co.za - http://zpsf.terapad.com/

In one case, a pensioner only gets 40 US dollars a month: of which the Zimbabwean 'reserve bank' takes $2 and her rent is $35. That leaves her about $3 US a month for food.

These pensioners live in 28 old-age homes countrywide. The fund also supports about 50 white farm-families who were driven from their farm-properties by violent land-invaders.

Founder-member Hannes Botha climbs behind the wheel himself every six to eight weeks to take loads of food-parcels across the border.

He said the fund is mostly supported by 'Afrikaans-speaking South Africans'. 

He's far less happy about the low level of enthusiasm from formal 'Rhodesians', i.e. English-speaking whites, he said. The parcels contain food and medicines and are the only means with which these forgotten 1,650 old-age pensioners still remain alive.

http://afrikaans.news24.com/Afrika/Nuus/Oues-in-Zim-oorleef-met-kospakkies-uit-SA-20110812

http://www.sewood.co.za/ZPSF.htm

Join the cause on Facebook

http://apps.facebook.com/causes/causes/23444-save-zimbabwe-s-old-age-pensioners/welcome?flow=join&show_earn_dialog=welcome

http://censorbugbear-reports.blogspot.com/2011/08/white-uk-pensioners-starve-in-zimbabwe.html

Zuma defends R2.4bn Swazi Loan

President Jacob Zuma defended the R2.4bn loan his government has granted Swaziland,

"If a country is your neighbour, should you allow your neighbour to collapse because you hold certain political views? Will that not impact on you?" Zuma was quoted as saying.
Zuma was responding to criticism from Swaziland's democracy activists, who cited King Mswati III 's lavish lifestyle.
And guess what folks, that is all he says..................so sad.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Politics/Zuma-defends-R24bn-Swaziland-loan-20110813