Recover : A total R14 billion was recovered  through court orders granted to the npa’s Asset Forfeiture Unit

By Monk Nkomo

One of the overriding challenges the current administration had to deal with when they took over was the great damage caused during the era of state capture when billions of rands earmarked  for the needs of  ordinary South Africans, were stolen.

This was said by President Cyril Ramaphosa during his State of the Nation Address at the Cape Town City Hall this week and on the 30th year of South Africa’s democracy.

For a decade, individuals at the highest levels of the State, conspired with private individuals to take over and repurpose State-owned companies, law enforcement agencies and other institutions. Ramaphosa said their first priority  was to put a decisive step to dismantle the criminal networks within the State and ensure that perpetrators  faced justice. This was done to restore the country’s institutions and rebuild our economy.

‘’ Great progress has been made in bringing those responsible to State capture to justice. More than 200 accused persons are being prosecuted. More are under investigation. Stolen funds are being recovered. Freezing orders of R14 billion  have been granted to the NPA ‘s Asset Forfeiture Unit for State capture -related  cases and around R8,6 billion in corrupt proceeds have been returned to the State.’’ The President said the real tragedy of State capture was that it diverted attention and resources away from what government should have been doing , which was to grow the economy  and create jobs.

‘’ We will not stop until every person responsible for corruption is held to account. We will not stop until all stolen money has been recovered. We will not stop until corruption is history.’’ Ramaphosa said billions of rands  that were meant for development for ordinary South Africans   were stolen. Confidence in our country was badly eroded and public institutions were severely weakened.

‘’ The effects of State capture continue to be felt across society, from the shortage of freight locomotives to crumbling public services, from the  poor performance of  South Africa’s power stations to failed development projects. But South Africans, including many honest and dedicated public officials, fought back and worked together to defeat State capture. Even then, the attempts to thwart the country’s recovery continued.’’

Turning to the collapse of most municipalities across the country mostly because of poor  management, Ramaphosa  conceded that too many municipalities  were failing on governance, financial and service delivery measures. These constraints affected every aspect of peoples’ daily lives. The government has now started  the implementation of a number of measures  to address these problems by providing  support to local government, including professionalizing the civil service and ensuring that people with the right skills were appointed to key positions.

South Africa, according to the President, had a vibrant civil society, a powerful union movement and an engaged private sector. In the past year, the government had come together with social partners to end loadshedding, address challenges in the logistics sector, tackle crime and corruption and accelerated job creation.

‘’ As we celebrate 30 years of freedom, we must remain steadfast in our  constitutional democracy and its promise of a better life.We should not give in to those who seek to divide our nation, incite violence and undermine democracy. As in the past, as in the future, the people of South Africa should stand together  against any attempt to reverse the achievements of our democracy.’’

Ramaphosa also highlighted that:

• The government  had cast off the tyranny of apartheid and built a democratic State based on the will of the people.
  
  
• One of the worst injustices of apartheid was the manner in which education was used as a tool to perpetrate inequality. This government has used education as a tool to create equality.
  
  
• Over the past five years they had worked to revive the economy  from a decade of stagnation and protect  it from both domestic and global shocks.
  
  
• Tackling crime  and insecurity was a key priority  with the recruitment of about 20 000 police officers in the past two years and another 10 000 officers next year. This was to ensure that South Africans were safe at all times.
  
  
• The government had established strong institutions  to protect the fundamental  freedoms and human rights of all people.
  
  
• They had transformed  the lives of millions of  South Africans , providing the necessities of life and creating opportunities that never existed before.
  
  
• From the depths of deprivation and inequality, the government had worked over 30 years to ensure that South Africans have an equal chance to prosper.
  
  
• The government endured times of great difficulty , when the strength of the constitutional  democracy was severely tested.
  
  
• They provided monthly social grants which benefitted nine million learners and provided a lifeline for 26 million South Africans.
  
  
• The government has taken steps to  address  the unemployment rate which is  at its highest especially amongst the youth.

‘’As we look towards the next 30 years of freedom, we must choose the kind of country, and indeed, the kind of world we want to create for ourselves and for our children. We are committed to a South Africa in which our common identity lies in our  recognition of each other’s humanity’’, said Ramaphosa.

AKA: COLD CASE FILE GATHERS DUST

MYSTERY: Closure elusive as South Africans remember AKA on his one year death anniversary…

By Lehlohonolo Lehana

It’s been a year since the passing of the iconic South African and multi-award-winning musician Kiernan “AKA” Forbes, who was just 35 at the time.

Forbes was shot and killed on February 10, 2023, outside the Wish Restaurant on Florida Road, Durban.

His close friend, seasoned chef and celebrated author, Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane was also a victim of the malicious attack.

No arrests have been made to date. National spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said, “We have made progress, we have positive evidence linking identified suspects, and others are in custody related to other matters. Others are on the run, and the team is hot on their heels.

“We are aware of limited communication with the affected families, the investigation is at a very sensitive stage and we have therefore taken the decision to limit all communication related to this matter”.

“The limited communication was not at all intended to undermine any of the affected families. We will however endeavour to improve on this in the near future.”

It didn’t take long before the rapper’s songs soared to the top of the charts and won several prizes at numerous music awards throughout 2023.

AKA’s single, “Lemons (Lemonade)” which features Nasty C, went 5X platinum. “Company” went platinum, and “Dangerous”, “Prada” and “Mbuzi (Freestyle)” went gold.

Then, at the South African Music Awards AKA bagged wins for Best Engineered Album, Best Collaboration and the coveted category, Best Male Artist of the Year.

At the Metro FM Music Awards the legend took home wins for Best Collaboration Song, Artist of the Year, Best Hip Hop Artist and Best Male Art.

Later AKA was honoured at the BET Hip Hop Awards with the Global Visionary Award and was nominated in the category, Best International Flow.