WeeklySA_AdminCITY APPEALS R1 BILLION ESKOM BILL
The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) and City Power have lodged an appeal against a high court judgment ordering them to pay an outstanding debt of R1.073 billion to Eskom. “The City and City Power believe that critical aspects of the evidence were not fully considered by the court in reaching its conclusion,” it said in a statement on Friday, 21 June 2024.
“While we accept and respect the court’s decision, the City reserve the right to appeal the ruling.” The CoJ added that Eskom avoided its efforts to engage in mediation and Inter-Governmental Relations dispute resolution processes.
“Eskom bypassed these avenues and rushed to court to seek a resolution.” The Johannesburg High Court ordered the CoJ and City Power to pay Eskom R1.073 billion for various unpaid electricity bills on Thursday, 20 June 2024.
In a sworn statement submitted to the court, Eskom revenue manager Susan Smith said City Power had been rolling its debt with Eskom since October 2023. While the CoJ acknowledges its debt to Eskom, it claims that the state-owned power utility owes it R3.4 billion for unresolved overbilling dating back to 2021. – Lehlohonolo Lehana.
TOP IEC OFFICIAL NABBED FOR CORRUPTION
Dr Nomsa Masuku, Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) Commissioner, has been arrested for corruption amounting to R1,2 million relating to her time as an employee of Standard Bank. Masuku( 62) , who was entrusted with managing the Standard Bank Corporate Social Investment Programme (CSI) “Adopt A School Trust”, appeared in the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Friday. She was released on R20 000 bail. The case was postponed to September 4, 2024.
National Hawks Spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale says through an intensive probe investigators established that Dr Masuku flaunted the processes of the trust by awarding scholarships to friends and family members through manipulating documents and without the approval of the Committee.
Mogale says it was further established that some of the money was deposited directly into her personal bank account to the tune of R1.2 million.
The “Adopt A School Trust” was established to provide scholarships, bursaries and awards of study, research or reaching to learners from schools adopted by Standard Bank. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) confirmed that it will be monitoring developments of the case.
“The Electoral Commission is aware of the reported arrest of Commissioner Dr Nomsa Masuku. It appears that the matter relates to her erstwhile employment and does not relate to her tenure in the Commission both as an employee and commissioner,” the IEC stated. – Lehlohonolo Lehana.
AUDITING COMPANIES
APPOINTMENT WITHDRAWN
The Gauteng Department of Social Development has acknowledged that its recent appointment of a controversial auditing firm was irregular.
The firm, Open Water Advanced Risk Solutions, was appointed in March to investigate the department’s school uniform project at a cost of R8.5 million without following standard supply chain management protocols, GroundUp reported.
Matilda Gasela, who was the head of department at the time, made the decision on 12 March, 19 days before the end of the 2023/24 financial year. This was one of several multimillion-rand funding decisions signed off by Gasela in her last few months in office. Themba Gadebe, the spokesperson for Gauteng Social Development MEC Mbali Hlophe, confirmed to GroundUp that the appointment of Open Water was irregular.
Gadebe said Hlophe had instructed the department to restart the appointment process.
Open Water has a sketchy track record and has been accused of helping to cover up the role of former Free State premier Ace Magashule and his allies in the Free State’s R1 billion housing scandal.
Hlophe was communications and information manager in Magashule’s office while the latter was the ANC’s secretary-general, and he has been described as an ally of Magashule. Magashule has since been suspended from the ANC and is on trial for corruption, theft, fraud and money laundering.- SANews
SA GETS MPOC DRUGS
South Africa received its first batch of antiviral drugs to treat mpox as the number of cases almost doubled. Tecovirimat will be used to treat patients who have severe health complications while those mild cases will continue to be managed with supportive treatment, the Department of Health said in a statement. The country has detected six more laboratory-confirmed cases of mpox bringing the total number to 13, the department said. The eastern KwaZulu-Natal province has seven cases, the commercial hub of Gauteng five and the Western Cape one, it said.
A cousin of the smallpox virus, mpox has for years been mostly confined to developing countries, though it spread across Europe and the US in 2022. A large proportion of cases globally have been among men who’ve had sex with other men, and many have occurred within sexual networks, though anyone can contract the disease. There is particular risk for those who also have untreated HIV infections.
The pathogen typically causes flu-like symptoms, followed by a rash that frequently starts on the face and spreads down the body. – Monique Vanek.
