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Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy has called on the government to undertake a "comprehensive review" of South Africa's fuel pricing regime.

This comes after the National Treasury stepped in to provide relief to South African motorists ahead of this week's fuel price adjustment by extending a cut to the general fuel levy of R1.50 per litre.

While there was still a R2.43 hike to the price of fuel on Wednesday, the price would have been hiked by almost R4 without the extension. The relief is set to last from the beginning of June to early July, after which the adjustment will be dialled back to 75 cents per litre until early August.

Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy chair Sahlulele Luzipo said in a statement that with the government's relief expected to be withdrawn in two months, a sustainable plan should be developed for long-term relief.

"We need to ask ourselves a pertinent question as to what will happen after two months when the fuel price is still high. A piecemeal review is unsustainable, in our view," said Luzipo.

Luzipo suggested that the government should consider placing domestic taxes "elsewhere", other than on the general fuel price.

So far, the government has scrapped a levy of 10c per litre that has been applied to inland 95-octane unleaded petrol, and it has also proposed that the basic fuel price be decreased by 3c per litre in the coming months.

According the the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy and the National Treasury, the extension to the cut in the general fuel levy caused the government to forego an estimated R4.5-billion in revenue.

On Wednesday, diesel prices rose by R1.10 per and paraffin rose by R1.56.

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) on Wednesday confirmed the arrests of three people involved in personal protective equipment (PPE) fraud and corruption amounting to R5.9-million.

The Hawks, as the SIU is known, arrested Mpumalanga Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs deputy director Raymond Manzini, his brother Chris Manzini and director of Gatjeni Trading Moses Ndlovu in Mpumalanga, on Monday.

They appeared at the Mbombela Magistrates Court on charges of fraud and corruption and were released on R15 000 bail each. The matter is remanded to July 28 for further investigation.

The SIU’s investigation showed that Gatjeni Trading was solely requested to quote for the supply and delivery of PPE in March 2020. However, after the contract was awarded, Ndlovu approached Chris Manzini to take over the purchase without the approval of the department.

The investigation further revealed that Chris Manzini also approached his brother to provide funding for the purchase and delivery of PPE, in contravention of the provisions of Prevention and Combatting of Corrupt Activities Act, No 12 of 2004.

“Gatjeni Trading handed an invoice to Raymond Manzini, the financial provider, for the Department to effect payment. Immediately after payment was received, a significant sum of money was transferred to Raymond Manzini’s bank account,” the SIU said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has named the 14 members that will serve five years on the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) Advisory Council, as part of government’s plan to intensify the transformation of the country’s economy.

Earlier this week Ramaphosa pointed out that the BBBEE Commission’s 2020 report revealed that most economic sectors are falling short of their black women ownership targets.

Ramaphosa said the country’s commitment to entrench and deepen economic empowerment was unwavering, adding that this was the reason why black economic empowerment was an integral part of the country’s economic reconstruction and recovery in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Eight of the Council members were female, with Ramaphosa explaining that he took into account provincial representation, sector expertise, gender and age before making appointments.

In line with legislation, members have expertise across a variety of economic sectors and come from business, trade unions, community-based organisations and academia.

Members of the BBBEE Advisory Council are:

Black Business Council CEO Kganki Matabane

Black business veteran Gloria Serobe

Academic and specialist on industrial development funding Dr Nthabiseng Moleko

South African airline executive Sibongile Sambo

Industrialist Sibusiso Maphatiane

Chartered accountant and BBBEE specialist Ajay Lulu

Senior leader in the labour movement Louise Thipe

Trade unionist and researcher Makale Ngwenya

Progressive Professionals Forum leader Kashief Wicomb

Academic, spatial development planner and businessperson Dr Lulu Gwagwa

National Economic Development and Labour Council executive council representing the community constituency Thulani Tshefuta

Competition Commission chief economist James Hodge

Director of a company in the healthcare sector Khathu Lambani Makwela

Internal auditor Irene Dimakatso Morati.

Ramaphosa extended well-wishes to the Council in their transformation efforts.

Former president Jacob Zuma’s lawyers have urged the Supreme Court of Appeal to take "judicial notice" of the deadly July unrest that followed his contempt imprisonment when it decides on whether to revoke his medical parole.

Zuma’s lawyers previously referred to the July violence that left 300 people dead and caused billions of Rands in damage in arguments to both KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg Judge Piet Koen and Supreme Court of Appeal President Mandisa Maya, as part of his corruption trial litigation. They sought to suggest that the unrest was the result of the "unconstitutional" decision to jail him for defying the Constitutional Court’s ruling that he appear before the State Capture Inquiry.

Now, to defend then National Commissioner of Correctional Services Arthur Fraser’s decision to grant Zuma medical parole, the former president’s lawyers have argued that Fraser was entitled to take into account "the public interest in avoiding a repeat of the widely reported looting which took place in July 2021" in his decision-making process.

Fraser decided to release Zuma despite the Medical Parole Advisory Board – which is made up of expert doctors – considering all the relevant medical reports and submissions by Zuma’s military doctors and finding that he did not qualify for release on medical parole.

Under the provisions of the Correctional Services Act, medical parole can only be granted to an offender "suffering from a terminal illness or condition or if such an offender is rendered physically incapacitated as a result of injury, disease or illness to severely limit daily activity or inmate self-care".

The Board stated in its findings, "From the information received, [Zuma] suffers from multiple comorbidities."

"His treatment has been optimised and all conditions have been brought under control. From the available information in the reports, the conclusion reached by the MPAB is that [Zuma] is stable and does not qualify for medical Parole according to the Act."

Zuma’s lawyers argue that this finding was merely a "recommendation" and is "non-binding".

They also contend that the Helen Suzman Foundation, Democratic Alliance, and AfriForum – which all challenged the lawfulness of Zuma’s medical parole – are "naive in the extreme but also wrong in law" to argue that Fraser was precluded from considering the July violence "in the aftermath of what was, rightly or wrongly, perceived to be the unfair denial of Mr. Zuma’s constitutional rights".

"There is a well-established legal presumption that statutes must be interpreted to promote the public interest, sometimes even at the expense of individual rights," they contend, in heads of argument filed at the Supreme Court of Appeal this morning.

"This Honourable Court will be asked to take judicial notice that such public disturbances did indeed take place in July 2021 and that an estimated 300 or more people lost their lives. That is a matter of public concern, which would ordinarily necessitate a public inquiry. Conversely, the perceived prevention of the recurrence of such an event was a legitimate and very relevant consideration for the National Commissioner to take into account."

Zuma is seeking to challenge Gauteng High Court in Pretoria Judge Elias Matojane’s ruling that he was unlawfully granted medical parole and should return to prison – without the time that he has already served on medical parole counting as part of the 15 months he was ordered to serve by the Constitutional Court.

During Gauteng Judge President Dunstan Mlambo’s interview for the position of Chief Justice, he revealed that Matojane had been repeatedly threatened after he delivered that ruling.

The judge subsequently granted Zuma’s urgent application for leave to appeal his decision, after finding that his order that the 80-year-old's time on medical parole not be considered as time served may be one of the grounds on which his ruling could be challenged, as it had a potentially adverse impac...

Justice Dennis Davis said on Monday that the absence of forensic skills among members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) impairs crime prevention in the country.

He pointed out that Police Minister Bheki Cele previously stated that many South Africans join the police owing to unemployment and not because they want to serve the country.

Davis was speaking during a University of Free State webinar with the theme “Crime in South Africa- who is to blame?”, where he pointed out that incompetent skills in the police force, relating to fingerprints and the collection of evidence, were detrimental to successful convictions.

He said the solution to the problem was an extreme overhaul of the entire police service.

He also spoke of the high levels of corruption in the police force, which he said was adding to crime.

NATIONAL PROSECUTING AUTHORITY

He did not shy away from stating that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) was gutted under Shaun Abrahams.

He questioned whether those implicated in the State Capture report, released by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, will be successfully prosecuted.

He added that without massive supplementation from the private bar and various other forensic accountant facilities he did not feel confident about the prospects.

“The NPA is an organisation which was so degraded under the Jacob Zuma era that it is going to take an enormous effort in order to resurrect it to the extent that it should be. I am deeply despondent in that regard. I should add that there are some extremely talented prosecutors and very dedicated people within the NPA, let me not be misunderstood.

“ The problem is that when you spend in deliberate terms to ensure that this is an organisation that doesn’t work, coupled with the inability of the police to do their job properly, that itself is an extraordinary problem,” Davis said.

He added that court hearings should fast-track cases, as there are currently unnecessary delays.

NATIONAL SECURITY

He pointed out that if the country had “proper national security”, it is possible that the 2021 July riots would not have occurred.

He said government would have also been aware of what was going on and many convictions would have already occurred.

“Just as with the NPA and the police, we are now reaping the consequences of State capture. That is a massive difficulty,” he added.

He also said the effects of 300 years of violence, racism, sexism and apartheid cannot be forgotten.

“There are a series of psychological issues and political reasons that we need to face head on in relation to what the consequences of apartheid were,” he said.

He stressed that the country would not win in the fight against crime when people still lived under degraded conditions and when people were failed by the State.

The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has adopted a report recommending that the National Assembly reappoint Glen Mashinini as a commissioner of the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).

This was after the Democratic Alliance (DA) proposed a different candidate, and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) abstained from voting at the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs' meeting on Tuesday morning.

It was taken to a vote, with the African National Congress's (ANC's) six MPs supporting Mashinini's reappointment and the two DA MPs supporting the candidate they nominated, advocate Carol Chaplog-Louw.

The DA's Angel Khanyile and the EFF's Lorato Tito asked that their parties' objection to Mashinini's nomination be noted in the committee's report. This report will now go to the National Assembly for adoption before Mashinini can be reappointed. Mashinini is the current IEC chair.

"As the Democratic Alliance, we reject the nomination of Mr Mashinini, and we would like to put forth a different name," said Khanyile.

"We strongly feel the previous elections were not held in a manner that was satisfactory to most of the parties that were on the ground in various VDs (voting districts)."

She nominated Chaplog-Louw.

"She (Chaplog-Louw) is currently with the IEC. She is very well experienced with the IEC, currently holding the position of chief audit executive, and other than that, she has served in various roles in the IEC."

ANC MP Tidimalo Legwase confirmed the ANC's position that Mashinini should "continue with the sterling work that he has been doing".

"Looking at the previous elections that was one of its kind, it was very difficult, but he were able to pull through under difficult conditions in a short period of time. He has proved himself over and over again that his work and his dedication towards delivering free and fair elections to our country (sic)," she said.

Mashinini's original seven-year term as an IEC commissioner expired in April. He was appointed as a commissioner in April 2015, and in September of that year, former president Jacob Zuma appointed him as the chairperson.

In February this year, the Office of the Chief Justice called for nominations to fill one pending vacancy on the IEC.

Subsequently, a panel – chaired by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo and comprising Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, Commission for Gender Equality chairperson Tamara Mathebula, and SA Human Rights Commission chairperson Bongani Majola – was convened to compile a shortlist of 12 candidates to be interviewed.

The interviews were conducted on 1 April at the Premier Hotel in Midrand.

Three candidates withdrew their applications before the interviews, and nine candidates were interviewed.

The panel then compiled a shortlist with eight candidates and referred it to Parliament, where it was sent to the committee.

The eight candidates, in alphabetical order, were:

Justice Bekebeke

Carol Chaplog-Louw

Edward Lambani

Nalini Maharaj

Glen Mashinini

Sithembile Mbete

Bongiwe Mbomvu

Mfundo Thango

Vincent Magwenya joins the Presidency as Cyril Ramaphosa’s new spokesperson from June 1.

He takes over from acting spokesperson Tyrone Seale, who has filled the role since July 2020.

Previously the spokesperson for former President Jacob Zuma from 2009 to 2010, Magwenya takes on the role with extensive experience in government communication broadcasting, journalism and public relations (PR).

“I am pleased to welcome Vincent Magwenya to the Presidency team. His experience, insight and capabilities will strengthen our efforts to effectively communicate the work of the Presidency as we undertake the work of recovery and rebuilding,” Ramaphosa said.

He served as CEO for PR company Magna Carta and his own company, Conversations Media and Communications, and was also communications director for Standard Bank Africa and Standard Bank Group’s Group Stakeholder Relations Management.

Ramaphosa thanked Seale for acting as his spokesperson.

“His capable manner and dedication to the task has been widely acknowledged and is much appreciated,” Ramaphosa said.

South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) CEO Dr Boitumelo Semete announced on Monday the termination of the use of the Ivermectin drug for the treatment and prevention of Covid-19 in South Africa.

The drug received significant worldwide public interest in 2020 as having some potential benefit in the management of Covid-19.

The Sahpra said that there was currently no credible evidence to support a therapeutic role for Ivermectin in Covid-19.

Unregistered Ivermectin products will not be allowed to be imported and health facilities will not be allowed to hold bulk stock in anticipation of prescriptions for such unregistered Ivermectin products.

However, prescribers are still expected to report on the clinical outcomes of those patients for whom treatment approval was given prior.

“Permission was granted to five importers of unregistered Ivermectin oral solid dosage forms, and health facilities were enabled to hold bulk stock, in anticipation of patient need. Individual named patient applications were still required, after prescribers had initiated use of Ivermectin. Sahpra also undertook to monitor the emerging evidence of safety and efficacy, for both treatment and prevention,” said Semete.

She added that although there had been several developments in Ivermectin efficacy, Covid-19 vaccines are now widely available.

The Sahpra has noted a decline in the number of health facilities applying for permission to hold bulk stock of Ivermectin since August 2021.

Sahpra said it would continue to monitor the peer-reviewed, scientific literature regarding the safety and efficacy of Ivermectin.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will this week announce the appointment of the new Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) Advisory Council, which will help the country to expand the frontiers of BBBEE.

The council, comprising government, business, labour and other stakeholders, was established to champion the cause of economic transformation.

“While there has been significant progress over the last two decades, there are some areas where there has been regression. We have gone backwards when it comes to increasing black management control, upscaling skills development, entrenching enterprise development and broadening procurement to give opportunities to black women and the youth,” he said.

He explained that the country’s commitment to entrench and deepen economic empowerment was unwavering, adding that this was the reason why black economic empowerment was an integral part of the country’s economic reconstruction and recovery in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ramaphosa said BBBEE would only be achieved through partnership and a shared commitment to transformation, calling on business, labour and industry to work with the council as it undertook this vital work.

He said there had been important private sector initiatives and deliberate measures by the State to facilitate greater and more meaningful participation of black people in the economy.

“Between 2017 and 2020, nearly 500 empowerment transactions were submitted for registration to the BBBEE Commission. In key sectors such as construction, property, information and communications technology, tourism and transport, black ownership has exceeded targets,” he explained.

He said that through sectoral masterplans government was driving localisation that benefited black-owned businesses.

“For example, 10 black contract growers have been established with an investment of R336-million as part of the poultry masterplan. Government has also launched a black exporters network that will connect black-owned companies in food, engineering products, auto components, beauty products and other sectors of the economy,” he added.

Last year government approved R2.5-billion in new support to about 180 black industrialists in the form of loans from the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and National Empowerment Fund (NEF) and grants from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition incentive scheme.

Over the next three years a further R21-billion has been committed by the IDC, NEF and other institutions to support black industrialists. An additional R25-billion has been committed to support black-, women-, youth- and worker-owned companies.

Ramaphosa said it was clear that much more work needed to be done to address the many challenges that black businesses faced. This included the difficulty of accessing start-up and expansion capital and the ability of small, medium-sized and microenterprises to find markets for their products.

Black women-owned businesses, in particular, encounter difficulties in taking on large-scale empowerment transactions.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has declared foreign donations totalling R2 405 387.72 for the fourth quarter of 2021/22, which makes up a whopping 95% of all donations received by the party during this time.

South Africa’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) issued the party funding fourth-quarter Disclosure Report for the financial year 2021/22, covering all qualifying donations declared by political parties for the three-month period between January and March 2022.

The IEC confirmed on Monday that all foreign donations declared by the DA were fully compliant with the Party Funding Act, as they fell within the R5-million ceiling per donor.

The DA’s total donation declaration was R2 525 387.72, with R 786 152.81 being declared as an in-kind donation from the German Friedrich Naumann Foundation, which also donated R1 713 250.80 to the party.

The Danish Liberal Democracy Programme was also declared as a DA donor, with R692 136.92 in donations to the party.

“Considering that each of these foreign donors have made repeated donations to one political party, i.e., the DA, the Commission has found it necessary to consider the cumulative value of all donations over the financial year under review. The Commission can, therefore, confirm that all the foreign donations declared by the DA were fully compliant with the Act in that they fall within the R5-million ceiling per donor. Furthermore, the donated funds were utilised for activities falling within the ambit of the law, namely policy development, and training and skills development of members of the political party,” the IEC said.

Only two political parties declared donations in this quarter, a first.

The African National Congress made a declaration of R10-million.

IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo noted that the total value of all party donations was below R30-million, the least amount declared in a quarter.

He attributed this to the end of the election cycle, noting that the more imminent the elections, the more likely that parties would receive significant donations.

Funds from the private sector are distributed by the IEC, through the Multi-Party Democracy Fund (MPDF), to political parties represented in the National Assembly or in any provincial legislature.

The IEC urges corporates and ordinary citizens to donate to the MPDF to support multi-party democracy.

ASSISTANCE TO POLITICAL PARTIES

The IEC is also urging political parties to ensure that they submit audited annual financial statements to the Commission by September 30.

The IEC is currently on a national roadshow to provide registered political parties with training on the preparation and submission of audited financial statements.

Through this, the Commission hopes to increase the extent of compliance with the party funding prescripts.