Monthly Archives: March 2019

Chiefs responds to Khune video, refuses to rule out internal probe

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Picture by: http://www.soccerladuma.com (Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper, Itumeleng Khune)

Kaizer Chiefs has not yet investigated the circumstances surrounding a video of injured goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune partying hard – but the club has not ruled out the possibility of an internal inquiry.

The video went viral after being posted on social media. A seemingly inebriated Khune and friends are seen refusing to do what they were being asked to do as they were about to leave Moja Café in Soweto.

The goalkeeper‚ who has been ruled out of action for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury‚ is seen in the video waving his bank card while his friends ask for a speedpoint machine.

“We want to buy this bus and Moja [Café]!” screams Khune in the video as he and his friends are ushered out of what appears to be a bus.

Amakhosi spokesperson Vina Maphosa said the club “does not have a comment at this stage” and could not disclose whether or not the player would face an internal investigation.

Every matter regarding Kaizer Chiefs that is in media circulation is scrutinised internally, whether it is viral or not, and this one will not be an exception,” Maphosa told TimesLIVE.

“What if we find out after sitting through it that actually it is not necessary for the club to discuss this further internally, and I have already said in the media that the issue will be discussed internally? I can’t do that. We don’t want to preempt anything at this stage.”

Khune could not be reached for comment.

The video has divided opinions on social media. While some have slammed Khune for “keeping bad friends”, others have defended him by saying that the goalkeeper is only human and was just having fun on a night out with friends.

In response to a Twitter user who warned Khune to rethink the company he keeps, the Bafana veteran promised that he is not spiralling out of control.

“I won’t fall, my friend,” he tweeted.

Premier Soccer League clubs continue to be troubled by ill-disciplined players who abuse alcohol and other substances, often spending vast amounts of money on partying before retiring as paupers.

Source: http://www.timelive.co.za

Mabuza urges Hawks to ‘move speedily’ in the North West

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Deputy president David Mabuza has urged law enforcement officials to “move speedily” when dealing with alleged impropriety and wrongdoing in the North West.

The deputy president said this in an oral reply to questions from members of Parliament.

He was asked whether reported divisions and instability within the leadership of the ANC, as recently highlighted by the ruling of the Gauteng High Court in the matter between the former premier of the North West, Supra Mahumapelo and the ANC, have an impact on the rolling out of public employment programmes and service delivery in general.

The North West has been mired in troubles, most notably in the months leading up to August 2018, when Mahumapelo was stripped of his powers by the ANC’s NEC following violent protests by communities that demanded that he resign.

The deputy president sought to allay the concerns of South Africans and the members of Parliament by outlining the progress made by the inter-ministerial task team in stabilising the situation in the platinum-rich province.

According to Mabuza, all necessary interventions were implemented, such as ensuring “effectiveness of internal governance structures is enhanced”, “strengthening of financial controls, governance and accountability within the provincial government” and the implementation of “sound financial management systems” as well as the appointment of a new premier and provincial executive.

The deputy president went on to mention that the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation was handling 46 cases of theft, fraud and contraventions of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act of 2004 in relation to government contracts in the North West.

Expanding on the concerns of opposition MPs surrounding the cases law enforcement agencies were dealing with, Mabuza said that “all we can say is that we are urging them to move fast on these cases so that we can see action.”

He continued that “as soon as these cases are in court, then people are able to see that there is progress. So we are urging our law enforcement agencies to also move speedily in terms of attending to these cases.”

Source: http://www.news24.com

BREAKING: Phahlane arrested on new charges linked to R86m blue lights tender

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Khomotso Phlane

Former acting police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane has been arrested – this time on new charges stemming from an Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) investigation into an R86m blue lights tender.

Along with Phahlane, Major General Ravichandran Pillay the head of SA Police Service (SAPS) supply chain management, was also nabbed early on Friday morning.

They are expected to appear in the Johannesburg Commercial Crimes Court later on Friday morning on charges of fraud and corruption.

The charges stem from a 2016 tender awarded to Instrumentation Traffic Law Enforcement, owned by millionaire Vimpie Manthatha.

Last year, IPID arrested former Gauteng police commissioner Deliwe de Lange, national divisional commissioner in charge of supply chain management, Lieutenant General Ramahlapi Mokwena, Brigadier James Ramajalum and Gauteng deputy police commissioner Nombhuruza Napo on charges of corruption, fraud, forgery and uttering in connection with the same case.

De Lange was granted bail by the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in November 2018. Manthatha is Accused Number One in the matter, which was postponed to March 2019.

Phahlane and Pillay are expected to be joined to the De Lange case after making their first appearances.

Manthatha’s company, Instrumentation Traffic Law Enforcement, was awarded a contract to supply and install blue lights, sirens and radios in SAPS vehicles. Manthatha allegedly supplied fraudulent tax clearance certificates to SAPS in tender documents.

De Lange and her co-accused, who will all plead not guilty, are alleged by the State to have “failed to take the necessary steps to disqualify Instrumentation [Traffic Law Enforcement] and thereby misrepresented to the accounting officer of the SAPS and/or National Treasury that they did not have a duty to ensure the winning bidder was not awarded the contract to supply the equipment as it was not tax compliant and/or submitted fraudulent tax certificates.”

In 2011, The Star reported that the “Blue light prince, Manthatha, travelled around with his own blue light escort of Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) vehicles.

He denied this, saying he had an arrangement with the JMPD to get an escort when he hosted foreign dignitaries.

Phahlane’s woes

It is not the first time Phahlane will find himself in the dock as a result of alleged corruption involving tenders awarded by the SAPS.

In February 2018, Phahlane and his wife, Beauty, were charged with corruption, fraud and money laundering for accepting hefty kickbacks, including vehicles, allegedly in exchange for the awarding of lucrative forensic equipment supply tenders to Forensic Data Analysts, owned by Keith Keating.

In December 2017, IPID investigators raided the homes of Keating and Phahlane following nearly a year of investigation.

However, in November 2018 charges against Phahlane were provisionally withdrawn in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.

It is not immediately clear when or if these charges will be reinstated.

READ: Secret report reveals how Panday ‘bought’ the cops

In 2015, News24’s sister publication The Witness reported that Pillay, who is overall in charge of police procurement, faced possible disciplinary action for his alleged links to controversial Durban businessman, Toshan Panday.

Pillay was provided with a rental car, paid for by one of Panday’s companies, which he used while on official police business.

Panday has been accused of paying for gifts to various KwaZulu-Natal top cops in exchange for millions in SAPS tenders.

Source: http://www.news24.com