Privatising Eskom a mistake - SACP
Johannesburg - It would be a major strategic error to privatise Eskom in any way, the SA Community Party said on Sunday. In a statement, ...
Privatising Eskom a mistake - SACP
Privatising Eskom a mistake - SACP
Privatising Eskom a mistake - SACP
Don't speculate about 2010 bribe individuals - Mbalula
Don't speculate about 2010 bribe individuals - Mbalula
Johannesburg - Ongoing media speculation about government paying a bribe to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup played into the hands of those s...
Do you believe your fellow countrymen or the Americans? - Mbalula
Do you believe your fellow countrymen or the Americans? - Mbalula
Johannesburg - Sports and Recreation Minister Fikile Mbalula took to Twitter on Sunday to defend the South African government. This was ...
Suzelle, Zuma and heart-wrenching ad dominate YouTube this week
Suzelle, Zuma and heart-wrenching ad dominate YouTube this week
President Jacob Zuma mocks the opposition, Suzelle DIY forces Tim Noakes to eat koeksisters and a tear-jerking video went viral in South A...
WATCH: South Africans searched these 5 terms on Google this week
WATCH: South Africans searched these 5 terms on Google this week
Our hosts, Jennifer Sanasie and Nick Pawson , take you through the top five searched terms on Google in South Africa. Find out what new...
WATCH: The 'Animal Sound Man' gives us a demo!
WATCH: The 'Animal Sound Man' gives us a demo!
UP NEXT WATCH: 5 best moments from Nhleko’s Nkandla report WATCH: The 'Animal Sound Man' gives us a demo! 2...
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Privatising Eskom a mistake - SACP
Johannesburg - It would be a major strategic error to privatise Eskom in any way, the SA Community Party said on Sunday.
In a statement, after the conclusion of the party's three day central committee meeting in Johannesburg, the SACP said separating power generation from transmission would compromise the ability to effectively manage the network.
"[This is] particularly at a time when fine-tuning is required owing to the current tight margins of supply. No less important, the hiving off and commercialisation of transmission will weaken the ability to direct energy to areas of greatest need," the party said.
"Furthermore, apart from any ideological considerations, selling off parts of Eskom at this time when the global market value of energy producers is at rock-bottom and when, in the case of Eskom, any private buyer would benefit both from a low price and the future fruits of the current massive Eskom infrastructure spend."
Privatisation would also result in significant increases in the cost of electricity for households and industry.
The SACP said Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown and acting CEO Brian Molefe accepted invitations to interact with the central commitee in regards to Eskom.
"These inputs underlined a far-reaching congruence on our strategic perspectives on Eskom and the required short- and medium-term interventions to address Eskom’s immediate challenges," the party said.
The party said the current financial challenges facing Eskom were not impossible to overcome. It supported an approach where Eskom took on more bond debt, rather than selling off equity, because doing so would compromise the strategic management of Eskom in the public interest.
"The SACP calls on government, in line with the ANC’s NEC lekgotla resolutions, to clearly reaffirm the central role of Eskom in any future energy build, including nuclear, as well as the importance of Eskom remaining active in the field of alternative energy sources," it said.
"Minister Brown and the CC [central committee] agreed that none of the above perspectives detract from the imperative of getting Eskom’s own house in order. The SACP calls on government to deal decisively with the plundering of Eskom resources by private sector suppliers of coal, diesel and much else with the connivance of some within Eskom itself."
The party criticised the politics of money and factional control of "membership cards and attendance records" entrenching itself in many branch structures, especially in its ally, the African National Congress.
"This behaviour is, in effect, a betrayal of the national democratic revolution and of the values of our movement."
Nkandla
The central committee noted the tabling of Police Minister Nathi Nhleko's Nkandla report on Thursday.
"It is important to remember that this is a report that is responding to a request from a parliamentary committee and it must still be thoroughly debated in Parliament," it said.
"The CC does not wish, at this point, to enter into a debate on the merits or otherwise of security requirements and financial responsibilities."
However, the SACP did reiterate that the cost of the security upgrades to the President Jacob Zuma's residence were unacceptable and clearly "there had been gross inflation of both the scope of the work and the costs involved".
"In part, this has been due to the failure of government to implement a 2003 cabinet decision to establish clear norms and standards for residential upgrades for sitting and former state presidents," the SACP said.
"This open-endedness has clearly been exploited by unscrupulous private contractors and by state officials manipulating supply chain processes. This failure must now be corrected as a matter of urgency - we cannot have a repeat of this embarrassment in the future."
Don't speculate about 2010 bribe individuals - Mbalula
Johannesburg - Ongoing media speculation about government paying a bribe to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup played into the hands of those seeking to tarnish South Africa's good name, Sports Minister Fikile Mbabula said on Sunday.
In a statement, Mbalula said: "We reject these falsehoods with the contempt they deserve. As a government and people of South Africa we are enjoined to combat such propaganda against our country.
"Accordingly, we appeal to all our people, media included to desist from speculating on names of individuals who may or may not be implicated in the allegations."
There was no immediate comment on reports that SA Football Association (Safa) president and new Nelson Mandela Bay metro mayor Danny Jordaan knew about a transfer of $10m around the time South Africa won the bid to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
But, Jordaan reportedly said it was not a bribe.
According to a report on Independent Online, Jordaan said: “I haven’t paid a bribe or taken a bribe from anybody in my life. We don’t know who is mentioned there [in the indictment].
“And I don’t want to assume that I am mentioned.
“They can ask all the executives of Fifa that I have engaged with,” said Jordaan, adding: “During my tenure as CEO at the 2010 World Cup Organising Committee, I was bound by regulations set out in the Schedule of Delegated Authority (Soda).
“Under that authority, I could authorise payments of a maximum of R1m.”
Jordaan said South Africa won the 2010 World Soccer Cup bid on 15 May 2004 and the $10m was only paid by FIFA to Concacaf in 2008.
“How could we have paid a bribe for votes four years after we had won the bid?”
Concacaf payment
According to IOL, this was the first time South Africa had confirmed paying money to a football association led by former Fifa vice-president Jack Warner, one of the officials arrested and indicted this week by the FBI in the US in connection with alleged corruption.
Jordaan, who was the 2010 LOC chief executive, said that the $10m was paid to the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) in 2008 as South Africa’s contribution towards their football development fund, according to the report. Warner was at the time president of Concacaf.
South Africa is alleged to have promised to pay Warner $10m for his support for the 2010 bid. It was not possible to pay the money from SA government funds, so the money was allegedly deducted directly from a $100m payment Fifa made to South Africa to help finance the hosting of the tournament, thereby concealing the alleged bribe.
Mbalula called on all those involved in the bidding and hosting of the 2010 Soccer World Cup to avoid expressing comments that could only play into the hands of those seeking to perpetuate negative stereotypes against South Africa and Africa.
"Whatever the motive of those involved, nothing can detract from the fact that the hosting by South Africa of the 2010 Fifa World Cup, the first on the African continent, remains one of the most beautiful spectacle and successful tournament[s] the world has ever witnessed in Fifa's history," the minister said.
"We frown upon any insinuations made in the indictment by the US authorities that suggest that the government of South Africa or any of its citizens have been involved in any wrongdoing without substantiating the allegations, let alone naming the alleged co-conspirators."
Government refused to allow the reputation of South Africa to be tarnished unduly without affording the country and its citizens an opportunity to respond to any allegations made.
"We view this as an attack on our sovereignty," he said.
"We wish to reiterate our earlier communicated position that the government of the Republic of South Africa and the local organising committee have not expended funds in the amount of $10m towards bribery of anyone to secure the rights to host the 2010 Fifa World Cup."
Any inferences drawn from the statements attributed to Jordaan which sought to insinuate that government's position was contradictory was "not only misleading but mischievous at best".
"We affirm our position that no public funds have been utilised to pay any bribe or to commit any unlawful acts," Mbalula said.
Do you believe your fellow countrymen or the Americans? - Mbalula
Johannesburg - Sports and Recreation MinisterFikile Mbalula took to Twitter on Sunday to defend the South African government.
This was as media speculation continued regarding an alleged bribe paid by South African officials for the country to secure the right to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
Earlier on Sunday, comment was not immediately available on reports that SA Football Association (SAFA) President and new Nelson Mandela Bay metro mayor Danny Jordaan knew about a transfer of $10m around the time South Africa won the bid to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
But, Jordaan reportedly said it was not a bribe.
Jordaan did not respond to calls for further clarity on Sunday or a text with questions.
Mbalula, after first posting a statement he made earlier on Sunday regarding the allegations, tweeted late on Sunday afternoon: "Do you believe your fellow countrymen or the Americans? #FIFAarrests".
Mbalula, who has forged a reputation for regularly expressing himself on Twitter, over the next two hours defended the government and South Africa against the allegations.
According to a report on Independent Online, Jordaan said: “I haven’t paid a bribe or taken a bribe from anybody in my life. We don’t know who is mentioned there [in the indictment]."
“And I don’t want to assume that I am mentioned."
“They can ask all the executives of Fifa that I have engaged with,” said Jordaan, adding: “During my tenure as CEO at the 2010 World Cup Organising Committee, I was bound by regulations set out in the Schedule of Delegated Authority (Soda). “Under that authority, I could authorise payments of a maximum of R1m.”
Jordaan said South Africa won the 2010 World Soccer Cup bid on 15 May 2004 and the $10m was only paid by FIFA to Concacaf in 2008.
"How could we have paid a bribe for votes four years after we had won the bid?”
According to IOL, this was the first time South Africa had confirmed paying money to a football association led by former Fifa vice-president Jack Warner, one of the officials arrested and indicted this week by the FBI in the US in connection with alleged corruption.
Jordaan, who was the 2010 LOC chief executive, said that the $10m was paid to the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) in 2008 as South Africa’s contribution towards their football development fund, according to the report. Warner was at the time president of Concacaf.
South Africa is alleged to have promised to pay Warner $10m for his support for the 2010 bid. It was not possible to pay the money from SA government funds, so the money was allegedly deducted directly from a $100m payment Fifa made to South Africa to help finance the hosting of the tournament, thereby concealing the alleged bribe.
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Suzelle, Zuma and heart-wrenching ad dominate YouTube this week
President Jacob Zuma mocks the opposition, Suzelle DIY forces Tim Noakes to eat koeksisters and a tear-jerking video went viral in South Africa this week.
Jennifer Sanasie takes you through South Africa's top trending videos of the week.
[MUST WATCH] President Zuma jokes about Nkandla in Parliament
President Jacob Zuma downplayed demands that he address Nkandla and release the Marikana report during his response to the presidency budget vote debate on Wednesday. Zuma spent about five minutes mocking opposition MPs, who frequently raised questions about his Nkandla home. Watch. SuzelleDIY - How to Make a Pizza out of Cauliflower
SuzelleDIY showed everyone how to make pizza out of cauliflower in her usually quirky way, this time with special guest, Banting diet expert, Tim Noakes. She then forced the no-sugar-no-carbs professor to eat a koeksister.
"The Man and the Dog"
And the tear-jerking video of the week goes to this video, A Man and a Dog, which is an Argentinian video about the importance of organ donation. Try to watch this video without shedding a tear.
WATCH: South Africans searched these 5 terms on Google this week
Our hosts, Jennifer Sanasie and Nick Pawson, take you through the top five searched terms on Google in South Africa. Find out what news stories had South Africans looking for more information this week.
Follow all our latest videos by subscribing to our YouTube channel here and our Instagram feed here.WATCH: The 'Animal Sound Man' gives us a demo!
WATCH: The 'Animal Sound Man' gives us a demo!
29 May, 12:52 PM
William Jafta, affectionately referred to as the 'Animal Sound Man', has become a social media sensation with his lifelike impersonations of various animals. William joined us in studio for a demonstration of this unique skill! Watch.
William can often be found performing in Greenmarket Square, as well as on trains around Cape Town. The money he raises goes towards finding food and shelter for Cape Town's street kids - a cause close to his heart.
Follow all our latest videos by subscribing to our YouTube channel here and our Instagram feed here.
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