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South Africa’s economy shrank by 0.7% in the second quarter of 2022, Statistics SA said on Tuesday.

This is slightly better than expected. The median expectation among economists polled by a Bloomberg survey was for a contraction of 0.8% in the second quarter.

Economic activity in the manufacturing industry shrank by 5.9%, in part due to the impact of flooding in KwaZulu-Natal, which killed more than 400 people and wrecked infrastructure in April. Manufacturing is the largest industry in KwaZulu-Natal, accounting for a fifth of national manufacturing production, Statistics SA reported.

The agriculture industry decreased by 7.7% in the second quarter, while the mining and quarrying industry shrank by 3.5%.

load-shedding took a heavy toll on industries. South Africa was hit by power outages on more than half of the days in the second quarter, according to Bloomberg calculations.

Higher interest rates also weigh on growth. So far this year, the Reserve Bank has hiked the repo rate four times - from 3.75% to 5.50%. More increases are expected in September and November.

Added to that were the knock-on effects of the Ukraine invasion, particularly higher food and fuel prices.

But the finance, real estate and business services industry continued to grow, rising by 2.4% in the second quarter.

Real GDP for the first half of 2022 was 1.4% larger than in the same period in 2021.

Last year, the South African economy grew by 4.9% as it started to recover from a 6.4% slump in 2020 due to pandemic-related lockdowns. The economy reaches its pre-pandemic size in the first quarter of 2022 – a year earlier than most expectations.

But this recovery was short-lived. The 0.7% decline in the second quarter dragged GDP back below pre-pandemic levels.

Six industries are not yet bigger than they were before the pandemic, with construction currently in the worst shape, says Statistics SA.

The construction industry is 24% smaller than it was before the pandemic.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called for the removal of Police Minister Bheki Cele from office, saying his failings are far more than just an embarrassing blot on the African National Congress (ANC) government’s report card.

The party marched to Cele’s office in Pretoria on Tuesday.

“There is no organisation, structure or business outside of the ANC government that would not have fired Police Minister Bheki Cele years ago had he been employed by them. It is only in this ANC government that a man who has presided over one of the worst violent crime waves outside of a war zone, would still be rewarded with the perks, pay and power of a Cabinet position. He is a danger to society and he must be fired. Bheki Cele must go,” said DA leader John Steenhuisen.

Steenhuisen said Cele’s failings had cost South Africans their lives, dignity and security and added that failures on his watch were an indictment on President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The DA’s march carried the backing of the more than 33 000 people who have signed the party’s petition to get rid of Cele, as well as thousands more who have signed various other petitions.

Steenhuisen said these were the people that had had to face the murderers, rapists and robbers on their own.

“They don’t have the luxury of VIP protection units or State-sponsored home security upgrades,” he added.

Steenhuisen has also accused Cele of not allowing DA governments to step up to protect the vulnerable.

He said despite Cele’s promises to combat crime, reduce the murder rate and protect women and children from gender-based violence, Ramaphosa could not bring himself to rid South Africa of its most dangerously incompetent Cabinet Minister.

“Unity in the ANC trumps everything – even the lives of thousands of South African citizens – which is why Ramaphosa didn’t hesitate for a second to offer Cele his full backing during last week’s Questions to the President in the National Assembly,” he said.

Steenhuisen also pointed to the latest crime statistics in calling for Cele to go.

“But these horrifying crime stats alone only paint part of the picture. Bheki Cele also sat on his hands throughout the July 2021 riots and did nothing to prevent this attempted insurrection, which cost hundreds of lives and an estimated R50-billion. In any functioning democracy, such a useless Police Minister would immediately be dismissed,” he said.

Former president Jacob Zuma has launched a private prosecution against News24 journalist Karyn Maughan and State advocate Billy Downer.

The charges relate to News24's publication of details of Zuma's medical condition, which were attached to court papers lodged at the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg, last year.

Zuma contends that it violated sections of the National Prosecuting Act.

He was granted medical parole by then head of the department of correctional services, Arthur Fraser, shortly after he was incarcerated in July last year.

Zuma's legal team claims Downer leaked the information to Maughan.

The summons was served on Maughan and Downer on Tuesday morning and they are to appear in the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg on 10 October 2022.

News24 editor-in-chief Adriaan Basson said the development was "clearly an attempt by Mr Zuma to bully Maughan and News24 when he knows we did nothing wrong".

"There is absolutely nothing strange or wrong about being given access to court papers that are about to be filed at court, for public viewing. Court papers are inherently public documents. This is a cornerstone of open justice in a democracy. Maughan was just doing her job and threatening her with private prosecution is a blatant and cynical attack on media freedom in this country. Maughan will continue to report on Mr Zuma's criminal cases and we will defend her to the hilt," he said.

Zuma received a 15-month sentence for contempt of court after he refused to comply with a Constitutional Court order to appear before the Zondo Commission. He was sent to the Estcourt Correctional Centre.

A month later, Brigadier Mcebisi Mdutywa wrote a letter informing prison and prosecuting authorities that Zuma had suffered a "traumatic injury" in November 2020 and needed "extensive emergency treatment" with six months to recover.

Maughan wrote about the letter because it was part of court documents that had already been filed, making it public record.

In June this year, the former president cited Downer and Maughan as respondents in his court papers and the NPA issued a nolle prosequi certificate, declaring that it would not prosecute Downer, the lead prosecutor in Zuma's corruption case.

This opened the door for the charges against Maughan and Downer.

The NPA has rejected Zuma's charges against Downer, calling it "an abuse of process" and reiterated that it has confidence in Downer's prosecution of Zuma.

"The NPA and its leadership fully support Downer as we believe that these charges are without merit. They are only designed to intimidate him in the prosecution of Zuma, and to further delay the trial. The private prosecution amounts to abuse of process. Downer will continue to lead the NPA’s prosecution team in the Zuma/Thales trial. He has the NPA leadership’s full confidence. His track record of prosecutorial integrity and professionalism speaks for itself," the NPA said in a statement on Tuesday.

The NPA added that it expects attacks on its prosecutors to intensify as state capture cases reach the courts, and that it will defend itself from "unjustified attacks and intimidation."

"Prosecutors need to act without fear or favour as they deliver on their constitutional mandate to ensure accountability for crime in our country. The people of our country, all victims of state capture, expect nothing less of members of the NPA," the statement reads.

The Cabinet lekgotla hosted by President Cyril Ramaphosa and his executive will likely formulate a plan to deal with the economic harm to citizens caused by rising fuel and food prices.

On Monday, Ramaphosa hosted the first lekgotla to be held in person in more than two years since the Covid-19 pandemic began.

Familiar faces at the meeting included ministers, premiers and directors-general of different government departments.

A lot has happened in the country and globally since the last meeting took place.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February, leading to a global food shortage and rising oil prices.

The US, European Union and UK have tightened their fiscal belts through interest rate increases to curtail inflation. The SA Reserve Bank has done the same.

The country has also experienced an increase in xenophobic attacks.

Other trends include rising crime statistics, corruption and load shedding.

While the lekgotla was under way at the Presidential Guesthouse in Pretoria, Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele said the above factors would be top the agenda at the gathering.

The most crucial was the country's economic outlook.

Load-shedding was a regular feature of South African life this past winter, and its impact on the economy was a concern, Gungubele said, adding:

"The lekgotla will look at several issues. The economic and fiscal outlook, you know that we reported in the first quarter positive indications for the economy and job creation. We are waiting with our fingers crossed for the economic statistics for tomorrow.

"One of the reasons we are concerned is that top economies have tightened their financial stuff regarding interest rates because of the inflation they are confronted with. That has an impact on emerging economies like ours," Gungubele said.

The minister added the government remained concerned about balancing the fiscal outlook while balancing spending and debt.

"How will those top economies affect our fiscal framework, which is key in ensuring we stay afloat and pay our debts and close the deficit. There will be discussions about budget pressures and expenditure pressures. Safety and security measures on economic growth."

Gungubele said the government would also be assessing the implementation of infrastructure projects.

But the most significant talking point for the meeting will be whether the government can develop a package to help alleviate pressure on citizens caused by rising fuel prices.

"For fuel, some is out of our control, but there is a part that comes from our taxation. Overall, the lekgotla is going to come up with a package on how we improve the situation," the minister added.

Union leaders in Parliament have called on the institution to null and void a tender, shrouded in secrecy, to the legislature's former secretary Gengezi Mgidlana - who was fired over allegations of maladministration.

In a statement, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) said that given Mgidlana’s history at Parliament, the contract to conduct research should be cancelled.

It has called on the Presiding Officers, led by National Assembly (NA) Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and National Council of Provinces (NCOP) chairperson Amos Masondo, to instruct the secretary to Parliament, Xolile George, to cancel the contract.

Email exchanges indicate that Mgidlana’s company, Afrocentric Markets Consultancy, was appointed to conduct research for Parliament.

The company was appointed by the Legislature Support Services (LSS) on behalf of the South African Legislative Sector (SALS) to “deliver on the project of conducting benchmarking on the legal and policy framework that regulates cooperation national, provincial and local sphere of government,” emails read.

Temba Gubula, Nehawu's secretary in Parliament, said the union believed the appointment of Mgidlana’s company to do business with Parliament was irregular and unethical.

"Mgidlana was dismissed for acts of very serious misconduct by Parliament, and that should have immediately disqualified him or his company from engaging in any sort of business with Parliament. In 2017, the union brought 13 allegations against Mgidlana, and in February 2018, the chairperson of the disciplinary hearing found him guilty on seven of the 13 charges, which included a charge of awarding himself a R71 000 ex-gratia bonus, which he didn’t qualify for. In 2019, both the NCOP and NA unanimously resolved that he be fired," he said.

Mgidlana was placed on voluntary special leave on 9 June 2017, after Nehawu levelled allegations of corruption against him.

He faced charges relating to the breach of legislation on the financial management of Parliament and provincial legislatures, the breach of parliamentary policies as well as the breach of the National Road Traffic Act.

On 1 February 2018, disciplinary charges were served on Mgidlana. A disciplinary hearing found Mgidlana guilty of seven of the 13 charges and, on 30 August 2019, the chairperson of the disciplinary hearing recommended his summary dismissal.

Parliament’s spokesperson, Moloto Mothapo, told the Sunday Times that no appointment had been made.

In an email to George, LSS sought a meeting to apprise him of Mgidlana’s appointment.

“Afrocentric Markets Consultancy has been appointed by the Legislature Support Services (LSS) on behalf of the South African Legislative Sector (SALS) to deliver on the project of conducting benchmarking on the legal and policy framework that regulates cooperation national, provincial and local sphere of government. We will approach your institution again in the next coming weeks to make arrangements to interview a sample of people relevant for this study. We will send you communication to this effect and liaise with you and your institution to get the relevant sample. We look forward to the cooperation of your institution,” the email read.

Funded by the European Union, the LSS provides administrative support for the provincial legislatures, the Speakers’ Forum of SA and other related structures.

It also helps with liaison between the National Houses of Parliament and the nine provincial legislatures.

Gubula accused Mgidlana of having a propensity to pervert due processes to achieve his personal desires.

“It is still unclear why Parliament needed that service to be offered by a service provider when there are many unemployed graduates who can be employed to do that work on an ongoing basis. It is also unclear when the tender was advertised, how much the cost of the contract is, how many other companies submitted their bids, as well as details of members of management who sat on the committee that ...

President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday that while the country’s economy takes time to recover and while the reform programme is implemented, government will continue to pursue a range of complementary interventions to support job creation.

He said there were indications that the country’s economy was showing encouraging signs of recovery, and he cited the latest employment figures, which he said provided “cautious hope”.

South Africa saw a decline in the unemployment rate for the second quarter of 2022. According to Statistics South Africa, 15.5-million people were employed in the second quarter of 2022, up from 15.4-million in the fourth quarter of 2021.

New jobs were created in trade, finance, construction and community and social services.

Ramaphosa promised that government would expand public employment and ensure social protection for the most vulnerable, alongside measures that supported private sector growth.

“The growth in employment, together with other promising signs of recovery, should encourage us to push ahead with the reforms and implement our Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan to unlock investment and growth. It should encourage all social partners to work more closely and with greater urgency and purpose to achieve faster growth and create more jobs,” he said.

He pointed that over the last few years, South Africans have had to contend with slow growth and rising unemployment. This has been worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2021 July unrest, and severe flooding in parts of the country.

He acknowledged that much more needed to be done if government was to make a significant dent in the country’s high unemployment rate.

He said the energy crisis had also damaged the economy, as well as households and businesses.

He pointed out government’s plan to remove the licensing threshold for electricity generation facilities, as well as policy reform in energy.

Ramaphosa said the structural reform process was progressing in economic growth and new investment.

He said while structural reforms were difficult, they were necessary to improve the business and investment climate.

For it to be successful, Ramaphosa stressed government’s role in reaching consensus between business, labour and civil society not only on the reforms, but on trade-offs.

“Yet, even amidst these formidable challenges, our society and economy has proven to be resilient. And indications are that our economy is showing encouraging signs of recovery,” he said.

Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busi Mavuso said Ramaphosa’s outlined plans have given her confidence that government is following through on its promises and that it was fixing the key issues that frustrated business’s efforts to grow the economy.

She said Ramaphosa clearly proclaimed that now was the time for implementation, not talk.

“He noted that business and government won’t and shouldn’t always agree. But it was clear that there are many areas that we can work together on to deliver, and his speech motivated all of us in organised business to push on with our efforts to support government to deliver,” she said.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND INVESTMENT

With infrastructure development and investment being one of the key priorities of the country’s recovery plan, Ramaphosa said he was encouraged by the growth in construction jobs.

The February budget outlined R812-billion for public infrastructure over the next three years. A 30% increase from the R627-billion for the past three years.

The Construction Industry Development Board recently noted that there had been an increase in infrastructure projects driven by State-owned enterprises such as Transnet and Eskom, but also in the metros and through the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.

According to the latest data from the Central Energy Fund, the price of 95 unleaded petrol is expected to fall by around R2.35 a litre on Wednesday. The price of 93 petrol could drop by around R2.18 a litre. Diesel looks set to be reduced by between 77c and 87c a litre.

The price of illuminating paraffin is also on track to fall by 82c a litre.

The fuel prices are usually adjusted on the first Wednesday of a month and determined by the price of oil and the rand-dollar exchange rate.

The Automobile Association (AA) says the price for 95 fuel in Gauteng looks set to drop from its current R25.42/l to R23.07/l.

"This is cheaper than the June price of R24.17/l but still significantly higher than R21.84/l May pricing. It is also way off the January pricing of R19.61/l. Nevertheless, any decrease to fuel prices is good news," notes the AA.

After hitting a high of $123 a barrel in March, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, oil prices slumped to $92 in August amid concerns about the weak state of the world economy and the possibility about a new nuclear deal between Iran and the West.

A deal would mean that Iran's crude output of 2.5-million barrels per day would no longer be under international sanctions and help relieve supply constraints that have been pushing up prices. On Friday, Brent crude oil was trading around $95 a barrel.

Meanwhile, the rand, which started August at around R16.60/$, has since crashed through R17.30 on Friday amid expectations that the US will keep interest rates higher for longer.

"Although we are expecting fuel to be cheaper in September, we remain concerned about the overall high prices which impact on all consumers. The price hikes in June and July will continue to impact the economy, and on the financial situation of all South Africans. A sustainable solution to mitigating rising fuel costs is still necessary and until that solution is found, citizens will be at the mercy of fuel price hikes," said the AA.

It wants government to review the fuel price urgently, but doesn't believe scrapping the General Fuel Levy is the solution.

"We note the calls by those who say this is a way of reducing the fuel price but in our view this will not solve the problem; it will simply force government to find alternative ways to collect the revenue generated by this tax. Instead, the structure and composition of the fuel price must be considered, along with a deeper interrogation of how government currently allocates its funds," says the AA.

The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) African National Congress (ANC) Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) said on Friday that it is inspired and has been galvanised into action following recent engagements with former Presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma.

Last week the newly elected provincial leadership, led by ANC chairperson Siboniso Duma and his deputy Nomagugu Simelane, visited Zuma at his Nkandla homestead.

Addressing the media in Durban to report on the recent PEC meeting, ANC KZN secretary Bheki Mtolo said that if Zuma and Mbeki’s contributions and wisdom were not acknowledged then the commitment to unite the ANC would remain a pipedream.

He said, in its meeting, the KZN ANC PEC committed to revive the organisation and unite members and supporters in a manner that would strengthen the ANC.

Mtolo said the party would "spread the light of unity, and respect for all our leaders for their contributions that brought us freedom and democracy”.

On the issue of social compacts with businesses, emerging entrepreneurs and labour, the PEC engaged on strategies required to sustain economic recovery for the benefit of the people in the province.

The ANC met with captains of industry under the auspices of the KZN Growth Coalition, and has undertaken to sustain engagements with all structures representing cooperatives, small, medium-sized and microenterprises, emerging entrepreneurs and business chambers.

Central to the organisation’s economic strategy is a new social compact involving all role-players, such as business, labour, community and the ANC government, for radical economic transformation.

“We remain committed towards ensuring economic empowerment of women, youth, persons with disabilities and MKMVA. Economic opportunities must be accessed by people in townships, villages and rural areas,” Mtolo said.

The PEC has also resolved to support Zuma moving forward, by ensuring visibility in all his court appearances.

“We are calling upon the ANC government to ensure that President Zuma is supported like all former Presidents. His residence must also be maintained as is the case with residences of former Heads of State,” said Mtolo.

On the issue of the Ingonyama Trust which has been receiving media attention, the PEC will consult with the Zulu King MisuZulu ka Zwelithini.

THE PEC says the ANC remains firm in its support of the King and the organisation and added that the party has not changed from its position that indigenous people have a right to access the land.

Reporting on the party’s election campaign team, Mtolo said the leadership had identified the need to revive all branches not in good standing and increase membership.

“There are many seasoned activists who are inactive. The ANC will bring them back to strengthen the ANC. We will focus on all the young people - children of a free South Africa who were born when Madiba was President. We want them to come in, grow in the ANC and inherit their movement,” he added.

As the ANC prepares for the 2024 provincial and national elections, the PEC hopes to retain support for the ANC as the leading party of government.

To achieve that, it has established an ANC election campaign team, dedicated to planning and executing campaigns.

As part of this campaign, all ANC leaders, volunteers and public representatives will be on the ground to explain the party’s policies and programmes at grassroots level, while branches will go out to mobilise support for the ANC.

The PEC also appointed Mafika Mndebele as the new spokesperson of the ANC in the province.

Mndebele is expected to lead all communication efforts aimed at bridging the gap between the ANC in the province and the media.

Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC) executive secretary Lawson Naidoo argued on Friday that South Africa’s electoral system should be determined by voters and not by political parties.

He was speaking in Johannesburg during the Electoral Reform Indaba, organised by CASAC, My Vote Counts, Rivonia Circle, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation and Defend our Democracy.

Naidoo said given the inherent conflict that political parties had in choosing "the rules of the game" – as political parties determined the electoral system in Parliament – voters were left on the margins.

He said the voter should determine the electoral system, whether through a comprehensive and satisfactory public participation process or through a referendum.

“But as voters, the electoral system is ours, it does not belong to political parties. It is there to facilitate our participation in choosing our representatives and, therefore, we should have a say in that system itself,” Naidoo asserted.

He said the country had an electoral system that detached people from what happened in Parliament and from what happened in society. He added that this was something citizens needed to turn around.

“And that is why the reform of the electoral system is such a critical aspect of allowing us to facilitate the re-engagement of people with the politics of the country. Not necessarily by becoming members of political parties but by engaging in the political discourse and being able to feel confident that when you go to the ballot box your vote does count and is going to make a difference,” he said.

ELECTORAL AMENDMENT BILL

The Electoral Amendment Bill currently before Parliament did not facilitate free and fair elections, especially for independent candidates, Naidoo also argued.

He said the current electoral system was twisted such that it did not accommodate independent candidates, and explained that the list system was unsuitable.

“The reality is that if you are going to be able to effectively accommodate independent candidates, you need a constituency system of some sort, whether it be of a single member constituency, or even as the Van Zyl Slabbert report recommended, a multi-member constituency. It creates, firstly, a closer nexus between MPs and the electorate in that constituency, and secondly it gives independent candidates a better chance of winning seats than the current system does,” he explained.

THE STATUS QUO

Naidoo said there was deep reluctance by all political parties to change the status quo, albeit for different reasons.

“The bigger parties want to hang on to the control that they have over their MPs . . . You fail to toe the party line, you will be removed from office. MPs, therefore, prostitute their oath of office to the party that puts them there rather than acting in the best interest of the people and the country,” he explained.

He added that the current proportional representation list system allowed smaller parties a level of representation that they may otherwise not have under a different system. “So they too benefit from the current electoral system.”

Naidoo highlighted that all of this was visible in the decrease in levels of confidence in elections and in the country’s democracy. He mentioned that if one looked at the statistics of voter turnout at elections in recent years, it should be a deep cause for concern for all citizens, especially young people who seems to be opting out.

He noted that in the 2019 elections, of the 9-million eligible people who were not registered to vote, 6-million of those were aged between 18 and 29 years. He supposed that number had probably increased in the three years since.

"It wasn't a good week for the ID (Investigating Directorate), it was a good week for the country. And it was a good week for the country, who was extremely patient."

These were the words of advocate Andrea Johnson, head of the National Prosecuting Authority's (NPA's) Investigating Directorate. Johnson was buoyant when she reflected on the unit's breakthrough this week following the arrests of Brian Molefe and Anoj Singh, former Transnet executives who have been linked to the Gupta family's web of state capture.

Speaking at News24's On the Record summit in Sandton, Johannesburg on Thursday, Johnson said the arrests of Molefe, Singh and two others on Tuesday was part of restoring South Africa's trust in the justice system.

Johnson was part of a panel on state capture, titled State capture and corruption: How to eat the elephant?

The panel was hosted by News24's assistant editor: investigations Pieter du Toit, and included Justice Minister Ronald Lamola, Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (Casac) executive director, advocate Lawson Naidoo, and News24's legal journalist Karyn Maughan.

Johnson noted that South Africa had been extremely patient with the NPA in the face of a mountain of evidence of state capture and rampant corruption in government.

Molefe, Transnet's former group chief executive, Singh, the parastatal's former finance chief, Niven Pillay, and Litha Nyhonyha, directors at Gupta-linked Regiments Capital, appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Palm Ridge on the East Rand on Tuesday. The four are charged with contravention of the Public Finance Management Act and fraud. They were released on R50 000 bail each.

The four men have been charged in the same case which has already led to another former Transnet group CEO, Siyabonga Gama, and others appearing in the dock.

Johnson said the NPA was on track to fulfil its promise to place nine high-profile state capture cases on the court roll by September.

This week's Transnet arrests were part of the fourth state capture-related case before the courts.

One of the four cases is the R107-million corruption matter involving Gupta lieutenants Ronica Ragavan and Pushpaveni Govender, and former mineral resources deputy director-general Joel Raphela. They were charged for allegedly looting the rehabilitation funds of the Optimum and Koornfontein coal mines.

Another case is the corruption, fraud and money laundering matter involving R549.6-million allegedly defrauded from Eskom in a contract issued to Impulse International.

Johnson said the organisation was pursuing "strategic, impactful prosecutions" and not going after low-hanging fruit.

"We have undertaken four. We have completed three. We have one to go. But we won't give you only one in September. And it's not because the ID wants to be popular. It is because it has a duty. So yes, the NPA will achieve its commitment of nine by the end of September."

State capture in the NPA

She said NPA employees implicated in state capture would be dealt with.

"There was state capture in terms of the institution. We are very alive to the fact that those individuals that were complicit will be dealt with. I came to the NPA to do what I came to do. That is the attitude of the new management of the NPA. We will feel the effects of state capture across the country and the NPA for a very long time. But, there is a real change," she added.

Johnson said for effective crime-busting, the ID should be made a permanent agency with a well-resourced team of investigators.

"We have to build a skillful, fearless legal team."

Johnson called for the ID to become a permanent unit in the NPA.

Lamola agreed with Johnson that the ID's mandate should be made permanent.

"We need to remember that when the president came in, we didn't have the ID. And the president felt that there is a need for an institution like the ID. The president gave it a term of five years, and we gave them support in terms of finances. They have th...