Johannesburg – Anti-corruption unit the Hawks said on Friday it had opened an investigation at state oil company PetroSA, which reported “deviations” in financial procedures that a newspaper said involved millions of dollars of irregular payments.
In an investigative report published on Friday, the weekly Mail & Guardian questioned payments made when PetroSA last year secured crude oil acreage in Ghana through the acquisition of Sabre Oil and Gas Holding.
The newspaper alleged “irregular payments” ordered by top PetroSA managers totalling R200m in what it called a “feeding frenzy” at the oil company, which explores for and produces oil and natural gas. It also sells petrochemical products.
“We are investigating PetroSA, but are not at liberty to talk about the nature of the investigation,” Captain Paul Ramaloko, a spokesman for the police’s special anti-corruption unit, the Hawks, told Reuters.
Responding to the Mail & Guardian allegations about the Sabre transaction and a separate plan to buy petrol stations in South Africa, PetroSA said in a statement that such deals often required “swift decision making and quick turn-around times”.
“In the process of increasing PetroSA’s chances of successfully closing these deals, unfortunately some deviations from our normal procurement processes have occurred,” the company said.
“These were duly declared in the annual financial report of last year,” it said, adding that its board of directors had commissioned a review and would report findings to shareholders.
The acquisition of Sabre gave PetroSA access to crude from the huge Jubilee field in Ghana.
Ghana is one of Africa’s newest oil exporters and has been attracting foreign firms. Oil production from the Jubilee field ranged from 110,000 to 115,000 barrels a day over the last 3 months, just short of the expected production plateau capacity, lead operator Tullow Oil said this week.
PetroSA said in its statement that the final price of $500m “plus contingencies” it paid for Sabre was “favourable to PetroSA”.
About a month ago, the South African government’s Central Energy Fund said an energy ministry probe had discovered “serious allegations” of top executives at PetroSA, a wholly owned subsidiary of the CEF, abusing their power.
The government has reported problems of serious mismanagement and inefficiency in many state-owned companies over the last few years, and some have also faced corruption probes.
The ANC admits successive corruption scandals have been eroding confidence.
Local media frequently denounce suspected graft in government circles and the public sector, and investigations are often announced but relatively few lead to prosecutions.
The spectre of graft has caught the attention of international investors. Global credit ratings agency Fitch downgraded South Africa earlier this year citing rising corruption and deteriorating government performance among its reasons for the move.
South Africa has slid in the influential Transparency International gauge of perceived corruption from 38th in the world in 2001 when Mandela was president to 69th in 2012.- Reuters
Rustenburg – Most parties involved in the Farlam Commission of Inquiry support a call for its hearings to be moved from Rustenburg to Pretoria, it heard on Friday.
The commission’s chairperson, retired judge Ian Farlam, was hearing oral arguments on the matter.
The commission is investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths of 44 people in Marikana last year. Police shot dead 34 striking miners while trying to disperse them on 16 August. Ten others died in strike-related violence the preceding week.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), the evidence leaders, the families of the dead miners, and the injured and arrested miners told the commission they supported the move.
Dali Mpofu, for the arrested and injured miners, filed an application for the move in February.
Local communities
He was opposed by the Bapo ba Mogale community and the royal family, represented by Karabo Kgoroeadira, and several local municipalities.
On Friday, Kgoroeadira submitted that allowing the indigenous people to attend the hearings formed part of their healing process.
Mpofu argued that the municipalities had shown little interest in the matter until now.
Kgoroeadira said a lack of information and a lack of transport contributed to the locals not attending the hearings regularly.
She said they had made a greater effort to attend since hearing that their poor attendance could affect the decision.
Lonmin already provided a bus service to the hearings in Rustenburg, and Mpofu said he hoped the mine would continue providing transport for locals if the move was granted.
Kgoroeadira told the commission the relocation could be considered as undermining the indigenous people.
“The relocation would be detrimental to the indigenous people, therefore I call for the application to be dismissed,” she said.
Travel, accommodation costs
Mpofu argued that most of the affected parties were based in Gauteng and were spending large amounts of money on travel and accommodation costs.
Some of the legal representatives, including Mpofu, were not being paid for their services.
Mpofu said the government was spending about R500 000 a month of taxpayers’ money on the commission.
If predictions were correct, another R10m would have been spent on the commission by the time it concluded its work.
The commission heard that around R300 000 a month in costs could be saved if it relocated.
Mpofu said the Commissions Act stated that a commission established by the president could sit anywhere in the country. Therefore, arguments that the move would violate jurisdiction laws were invalid.
Legal representatives for the mineral resources department also supported Mpofu’s application.
The lawyers for the families of the deceased miners told the commission that if the hearings remained in Rustenburg, their funds would be exhausted by June 2013.
This meant they might no longer be able to continue with their representation.
Human rights lawyer George Bizos SC said the withdrawal of any legal representatives would result in a negative impact and outlook for the commission.
Farlam is expected to hold discussions with Justice Minister Jeff Radebe before making a decision on the move.
The commission continues on Monday.
SAPA
By Obakeng Maje
Stilfontein-Two police officers were arrested yesterday for cable theft and appeared at Stilfontein Magistrate Court before today.
“Two South African Police Service members Warrant Officer Solomon Nkoe (48) and Warrant Officer Johan Dunhin (40) appeared before the Stilfontein Magistrates’s Court on Friday on charges of possession of copper cable” Brigadier Thulani Ngubane said.
The two officials will appear again on 17 May 2013 after being granted a bail of R500.00 each said police.
They were arrested yesterday after being found with 28,4 kg of Telkom copper cable in their possession.
“It is alleged that police went to the scrap yard to sell copper cables on Wednesday,and were paid an undisclosed amount of money” Ngubane said.
According to the information available at this stage, the members sold copper to a scrap yard branch which were later taken to the main branch.
“The owner was concerned when his employees told him that the copper cable were from police officials” he adds.
The owner then reported the incident to the police.
He instructed his employee to call the two police officials to bring back the money and collect the copper.
Police conducted an operation which led to the arrest of the two officials yesterday. Investigation continues.
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Amid looming job losses in the agricultural sector as a result of the new minimum wage, today’s budget vote, to be presented by provincial agriculture MEC Norman Shushu, is expected to touch on the restoration of jobs in the sector and investor confidence.
The province ranks among the best in the industry, especially in grape and cattle farming.
The revised sectorial determination has increased wages from R69 a day to R104, and farmers and industry stakeholders have warned that job cuts are inevitable.
For more www.thenewage.co.za
The Hawks have not made any arrests since the shooting of the well-known Kimberley diamond trader Trevor Pikwane and his wife, Johanna, on Saturday.
The couple survived the attack and they are recuperating at a local private hospital. The Hawks spokesperson Capt Paul Ramoloko said they were following positive leads.
“We also call on members of the public to assist us in this regard. If there is anyone who has information that could lead to the arrest of the suspect or suspects, we urge them to call Capt Dolf Laurens on 082 331 4700,” he said.
Formore www.thenewage.co.za
New Ajax Cape Town coach Muhsin Ertugral is confident he can turn around the club’s fortunes and help them escape top-flight relegation.
Ertugral replaced former head coach Jan Versleijen this week, on the eve of their crucial Absa Premiership derby against fellow strugglers Chippa United at Philippi Stadium on Saturday.
Versleijen stepped down, citing his disagreement with the initial appointment of Ertugral as the club’s technical director.
Now in his third spell with the Urban Warriors, the Turk took charge with Ajax in second last position in the table, ahead of the weekend fixtures, three points clear of Chippa.
“I think we can achieve a lot in four games,” Ertugral said.
“I know most of the players, and I can see the spirit will be passed over to me and the players. I need to give them the energy, the confidence. I think we can make it.
“If I had any doubts in my mind I would not have come.”
Recently appointed Chippa coach Mark Harrison, the club’s sixth manager of the season, preferred to play down the significance of the derby factor, but he was also confident they could avoid the chop.
“We have got to go do our job and that’s all we can do,” Harrison said.
“We can’t look at permutations. It’s in our hands now, and we can stay in this league.
“I don’t think in a local relegation derby there are any favourites. It’s going to be 22 players out there giving everything they have got to try and achieve three points.”
Even if they failed to pick up points this weekend, Harrison felt they were in with a chance of clawing their way out of the bottom two.
“This is just another game. You can’t go into it in a frenzy. You have to approach it as you would any other game.
“Lose, win or draw, we still have three games after this.”
-Sapa
Eastern Cape – A seven-year-old girl has died in a fire in Butterworth, Eastern Cape police said on Friday.
Captain Jackson Manatha said the girl’s body was burnt beyond recognition on Thursday evening in a commune near Butterworth Hospital.
When the fire brigade arrived on the scene, it was found the girl had been trapped in the burning house.
“The mother of the deceased girl managed to take her little baby to safety, and thought that the seven-year-old girl had escaped on her own,” Manatha said.
The mother and the baby were not harmed.
Police were investigating. – Sapa
Pic: (Lerato Semino)
By Obakeng Maje
Taung– North West police are looking for a girl who went missing on the 12th of April 2013 at Pudumoe village, near Taung.
Lerato Semino,20 went missing and police urge anyone who has any information regarding Semino’s whereabouts can contact an investigating officer.
“The missing person is a black female, aged 20 years. She went missing on the 12th April 2013 from her house in Pudimoe” police said.
The I/O in this case is WO M.R. Sediti of Pudimoe Detective Service.
He can be contacted on the following number: 053-995 9142.
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Premier’s Integrated service delivery Turn Around Strategy delivers for Chris Hani
A R1, 27 million school infrastructure renovation project is to commence at Chris Hani Secondary in Jouberton in the next few week, Office of the Premier of the North West announced at a meeting of stakeholders this week.
The renovations are part of an Integrated Service Delivery Turn Around Strategy that was initiated by Premier Thandi Modise aimed improving academic performance, good governance and extramural activities at the school. The intervention followed after the Premier’s visit to the school during the monitoring of opening of schools in January this year.
The intervention which was embraced by Matlosana Development Forum and several government departments that came on board has created a condusive environment for learning and teaching to improve academic performance,good governance and extramural activities at the school.
One hundred and seventy learners from needy households have already received school uniform and group counselling sessions through the Department of Social Development, Women, Children and People with Disabilities for learners who were struggling with drugs, alcohol abuse and other pycho-social factors.
Twenty-five parolees were deployed by the Department of Correctional Services for a clean-up campaign that improved cleaniless and are developing a food garden with the support of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. PANNAR will provide seedlings and technical skills to groups involved in the food garden.
The Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism assisted in ensuring safety against dangerous reptiles during the scraping of the school yard. The Department of Public Works,Roads and Transport provided graders and tractors for the Letsema Cleanup campaigns that were supported by the ward councillor, parents at the school and the broader community.
The Department of Education has maximized its support to the school by deploying experts to strengthen the Senior Management Team (SMT), provided text books and furniture and has fast track implementation of the National School Nutrition Programme at the school.
Peer education programmes and career guidance to learners is being conducted by Moemedi creations.
Telkom will assist with IT infrastructure and avail bursaries to identified learners while GCIS will provide strategic support on profiling and marketing service delivery initiatives of government.
Other partners who have contributed are Community Development Workers and some of the local CBOs around Jouberton.
North West University-Potchefstroom Campus has joined the partnership and committed to implementing the Ikateleng Project aimed at empowering learners with extra Physics, Maths and Accounting classes at the University every Saturday to improve results at the school.North West Premier has welcomed the recent announcement that has been made by the North West University, Potchefstroom Campus which has pledged to implement multiple programmes that will enhance learners performance and boost the morale of the SMT and Student Governing Body.
During her address delivered at the stakeholder meeting on Wednesday involving departments responsible for the Turnaround strategy, Beatrix Bouwman, Director for Community Engagement from North West University said that she is confident that
ownership of the intervention is very visible from the services that have been rendered by departments and other partners.
She added that the University will be looking at implementing programmes such as Musikhane which is focusing on cultural aspect of the community and training learners to be active. Other possible programmes are X20 which aims to improve numeracy skills of learners.
ENACTUS is an International body that support learners in accounting and they are in contact with the Team President to work out a stategy of rolling out at the school.
The University also offers the Siyafunda and Ikateleng that enables learners to have access to internet, reading labs and to excel in mathematics.
Representatives from university further announced that the partnership with Chris Hani Secondary School will bring integration between the school and communities and they will continuously research on the impact and psychological aspects of the learners.
The Chairperson of the SGB Mamane Sxaka expressed her appreciation to the intervention that has been implemented by government at the school” We are now able to walk freely since the grass that has been surrounding the school for years has been removed. We are now going to have a food garden and our children were given uniforms and will be able to work with computers to achieve good results at the end of the year” she said.
The school principal, Mandla Bothile also committed to ensure that school management team works harder to ensure that the benefit of the interventions implemented by government and its partners is translated into improved and increased pass rate at the end of the year.
Renovations and roll out of interventions at Zinele Geqe Primary school in Jouberton which Premier Modise and MEC for Education, Louisa Mabe visited during the reopening are to be rolled out in the next few weeks.
The Guardian 