Johannesburg – The ANC is “unfazed” by a report that President Jacob Zuma was part of a broad corruption scheme intended to benefit the party in perpetuity, it said on Friday.

“We are unfazed. There is nothing new in the report,” spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said.

“This is an old concoction of a campaign that never dies, that seeks to discredit the leadership of the ANC.”

He said the ANC urged anyone with proof of such allegations to come forward.

“People peddle lies in public to drive vindictive agendas against President Zuma. Nothing of credible note has been presented so far.”

Kodwa said the party would be going against its own moral code if it allowed itself to benefit from corruption.

Beeld newspaper reported on Friday that the graft case against Zuma carried “utmost gravity”, and that he was part of a broad corruption scheme intended to benefit the ANC in perpetuity.

The case against Zuma was strong and would also show that the ruling party was meant to be an “eternal beneficiary” in an “extended scheme of corruption”, senior National Prosecuting Authority prosecutor Billy Downer, who wanted to prosecute Zuma, wrote in a memorandum in 2009.

The memo was addressed to then acting national director of public prosecutions Mokotedi Mpshe, according to the newspaper report.

A month later, Mpshe dropped the corruption charges against Zuma.

On Friday, Mpshe declined to comment on the report.

“I have no comments until the matter is heard in court,” he said in an SMS.

Presidency spokesperson Mac Maharaj has yet to respond to e-mailed questions sent to him earlier on Friday.

In the memorandum, obtained by Beeld, Downer wrote that the case against Zuma carried “utmost gravity”.

He said the Scorpions investigation originated in the arms deal probe, but that the ultimate investigation and the basis of the indictment was only fractionally related to the deal.

Benefitting from the scheme

Downer wrote that, in reality, it was an “overriding and pervasive scheme of corruption”, designed to be of extraordinary duration and ultimately to keep Zuma indefinitely on the payroll of the company of his former financial adviser Schabir Shaik.

Both Zuma and the ANC would benefit from the scheme.

“The mode of conferring benefits on Zuma extended to the ANC and Zuma in his capacity as the highest office-bearer of the ANC which was also to be an eternal beneficiary in the extended scheme of corruption,” Downer reportedly wrote.

“To accede to the representations in a summary manner would abandon all the ground won by the expense of extraordinary effort and resources and with the approval of the highest courts in our country.

“A retreat for no good reason at this stage would not be explicable, understandable or defensible.”

Mpshe announced on 6 April 2009, that the charges against Zuma would be dropped because there was a political conspiracy against him.

Shaik was found guilty of corruption and fraud in 2005 He was sentenced to 15 years in jail, but served only two years before being released on medical parole.

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Johannesburg – An 8-year-old boy is missing after being swept out to sea in Schulphoek, Hermanus, on Friday, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said.

The boy was washed out of a tidal pool during the incoming tide, NSRI Hermanus station commander Henk Henn said.

“It is believed that the child was with friends in the tidal pool at the time of the incident, which may have happened at around 13:00.”

“[A] rescue helicopter was activated to assist in an extensive search in very rough sea conditions, but despite the extensive air, sea and shore search no sign of the child has been found and the child is missing,” said Henn.

The police dive unit would continue with the search.

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Johannesburg – Johannesburg Mayor Parks Tau will on Friday visit the people who were left homeless after a fire erupted at the Kya Sands informal settlement, the City said.

Tau would visit the area to determine how the city could assist the displaced residents, spokesperson Nthatisi Modingoane said in a statement.

Tau would be accompanied by Housing MMC Dan Bovu, Health & Social Development MMC Nonceba Molwele and Environment, Infrastructure & Services MMC Matshidiso Mfikoe.

The fire swept through the informal settlement on Thursday afternoon, razing over 500 shacks and leaving around 2000 people homeless. Eight people were treated on the scene by paramedics for smoke inhalation.

The fire was extinguished after 19:00.

Johannesburg emergency services spokesperson Nana Radebe said no fatalities were reported.

“We are still working on the figures. Today [Friday] we will continue with lists where people must fill in their names so we can determine exactly how many people were affected.”

The dozens of displaced people, whose homes were destroyed in the fire that erupted on Thursday, took shelter at a church overnight.

“The Judah Africa Church in Kya Sands accommodated many people but some went to stay with their relatives,” said Radebe.

“Church volunteers and emergency services personnel cooked for them and blankets were handed to them. But we are still asking people to donate blankets by calling 011 286 6009.”

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Johannesburg – A man from Potchefstroom who was quarantined after showing signs of haemorrhagic fever has died, the North West health department said on Friday.

Spokesperson Tebogo Lekgethwane said in a statement:  “According to specialists, the cause of death is septicaemia [blood poisoning], disseminated intravascular coagulation [blood clots] and multiple organ failure due to overwhelming bacterial infection.”

The 72-year-old man went to hospital on Wednesday complaining of fever, weakness and coughing and other symptoms of haemorrhagic fever.

He was transferred to the Klerksdorp hospital’s highly infectious disease unit from Potchefstroom hospital on Thursday morning.

“Blood investigations from both Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp hospitals were done to determine the actual diagnosis,” Lekgethwane said.

“The patient was treated for the identified bacterial infection in his blood while awaiting blood results from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases to rule [out] haemorrhagic fever.

“The outcome of the blood results showed negative… [for] HIV, Congo fever and malaria.”

High fever

Lekgethwane previously said infection control measures were strengthened and the man and hospital staff had been placed in quarantine.

The national health department on Thursday reportedly denied that the man was being treated for Ebola.

Spokesperson Joe Maila reportedly told eNCA that the man was being treated for a high fever unrelated to Ebola.

“What we know is that a person came into the hospital with fever and this person has never been outside of South Africa,” he was quoted as saying.

The symptoms of Ebola include high fever, weakness, diarrhoea, vomiting and unexplained haemorrhaging.

According to the World Health Organisation, the Ebola virus disease has killed more than 3 500 people in West Africa since the start of the year.

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Johannesburg – One of three awaiting-trial prisoners who escaped from the Belfast police cells was re-arrested, Mpumalanga police said on Friday.

Skhumbuzo Mthethwa, 21, was re-arrested on Thursday night at a hideout in Siyathuthuka Location, said spokesperson Leonard Hlathi.

Mthethwa, who was awaiting trial for alleged theft and two other prisoners escaped on Saturday.

“Mthethwa together with Petros Mamaru, 24 and Lucky Sibuyi, 24, escaped through an opening which was cut from the steel roof in the exercise area of the cell,” said Hlathi.

The search was continuing for Mamaru, accused of double murder, and Sibuyi, of armed robbery.

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Johannesburg – The ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) called on the National Prosecuting Authority on Friday to appeal the suspended sentence imposed on a border officer found guilty of rape in Mpumalanga.

“The ANCWL is calling on the National Prosecuting Authority to appeal the suspended sentence and ensure that justice is served, especially to safeguard our children,” it said in a statement.

Dalton Zulu Nyambi, 50, who pleaded guilty to raping the 13-year-old during a drinking spree in 10 September 2013, was handed a six-year suspended sentence by the Boschfontein Regional Court on Wednesday.

“This essentially means if he does not commit any criminal act for the next five years he will see no jail time for his deplorable actions,” the ANCWL said.

Its president Angie Motshekga said on Friday that the case was a “travesty of justice”.

“This is a case where an older man manipulated a young girl, fed her alcohol illegally and took advantage of her,” said Motshekga.

“According to our law, this is the rape of a child and the perverted old man should go to jail. It is disgusting and shocking that he can get away with this.”

The age of sexual consent in South Africa is 16.

The ANCWL said it was concerned about recent incidents “where the justice system appears to be failing our women and children in some cases”.

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Johannesburg –  A spokesperson for the Western Cape police said on Friday that equipment used to manufacture Mandrax was confiscated from a house in Old Crossroads in Cape Town.

Spokesperson Tembinkosi Kinana said the police made the discovery after they were tipped off by a man they had arrested for possession of an illegal firearm.

“On arrival, the police discovered that this was a drug laboratory.”

A suspect escaped through the back window of the house before the police gained entry, he said.

No arrests were made and the police were investigating a case of dealing in drugs.

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Johannesburg – The Gauteng department of co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) said on Friday that a co-ordinated and multi-faceted approach to water management, infrastructure improvement and secured power supply was needed to solve Gauteng’s water supply problems.

Spokesperson Motsamai Motlhaolwa said the problems were discussed at a water stakeholder meeting in Johannesburg by the department of water affairs, Gauteng Cogta, Gauteng municipalities and Rand Water.

“Going forward, the meeting agreed that improved planning and increased co-ordination among the different stakeholders is important and that water conservation, management and efficient use must top the provincial agenda,” he said in a statement.

Many parts of Gauteng last month had no water or an interrupted water supply for up to three weeks.

Water losses

Cogta MEC Jacob Mamabolo said: “As we speak right now, water supply has been restored across all areas in Gauteng and we are keeping a close eye on the situation.”

The problems included illegal irrigation, water losses, water leakages, ageing infrastructure and the inability to efficiently treat and use effluent.

These were compounded by intermittent power cuts caused by cable theft.

Mamabolo urged people to use water sparingly.

Rand Water said it would plan better to meet growing demand.

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Johannesburg – Telkom [JSE:TKG] has issued retrenchment letters to 105 staff members, the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) said on Friday.

“This was surprising to us as Telkom had reported that 302 management staff had taken voluntary severance packages and others had taken voluntary retirement packages,” it said in a statement.

“The target that Telkom wanted to achieve was 223, which meant that with 302 having been allowed to exit through severance packages they had over- achieved their target of 223…

“Secondly, there were still 168 vacancies available, yet Telkom had issued these 105 managers with letters of forceful retrenchment.”

CWU demanded that Telkom retract the letters.

Telkom spokesperson Pynee Chetty said its restructuring was undertaken with “a commitment to consult and engage with all our labour representatives, at the appropriate and necessary junctures”.

“Telkom has begun feedback discussions with organised labour, including the CWU,” he said.

“These discussions are ongoing and it would not be appropriate to discuss any potential content, prior to the conclusion of those discussions.”

The CWU said it had raised concerns with CEO Sipho Maseko about a number of issues, including employment equity in relation to retrenchments.

“With the current process of retrenchment of management staff in all divisions, the majority of positions that are not affected are those of whites, while the black majority is being retrenched,” the union claimed.

“Those who are lucky to make the cut are misplaced in favour of his [Maseko’s] white staff.”

The CWU called for Maseko’s resignation.

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