Malema asked Sars 'rogue unit' boss for help . Economic Freedom Fighters president Julius Malema, through his attorney, once approached the former South African Revenue Service executive at the centre of the "rogue unit" saga, Johann van Loggerenberg, for help with his tax affairs. Malema and Van Loggerenberg also met at The Sheraton hotel in 2010, where the Sars executive attempted to explain in great detail why the narrative in a so-called intelligence dossier Project Snowman, that a rogue unit was operating at the tax service, was false. During the meeting, Malema was recorded saying he accepted Sars's facts showing the narrative of the unit was false.

Public Protector asks De Lille to respond to nepotism, supply chain allegations . Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has sent a letter to Public Works Minister Patricia de Lille, asking her to answer to allegations of nepotism and interference with supply chain processes. It recently emerged that De Lille's sister, Cynthia Jeffreys, had resigned from the Department of Public Works for "ethical reasons". Mkhwebane's spokesperson said the investigation was in its early stages, but that a letter had been sent to De Lille to request information.

Former Free State agriculture heads explains why he didn't grant Treasury an exclusive probe ... . Former Free State agriculture department head Peter Thabethe told the judicial commission of inquiry into State capture that he did not have the authority to grant National Treasury permission for an exclusive investigation into the controversial Estina dairy farm project. The controversial project was meant to see 100 black emerging farmers receive five cows each as part of an empowerment scheme.

Intelligence watchdog 'lost' truckloads of information related to the Sars 'rogue unit' drama . A trove of intelligence, documents and other datasets handed to the inspector-general of intelligence by the former head of the South African Revenue Service's investigations unit in 2014, and which allegedly proves the extent and scope of the conspiracy against the taxman, has been lost. These datasets, which include a range of documents, recordings, private correspondence and messages, as well as briefing documents, were handed to the then IGI Faith Radebe and her team by Johann van Loggerenberg, then the head of Sars’s High-Risk Investigation Unit on September 29, 2014, after two meetings between the IGI and Sars representatives.

Zondo commission sends Zuma 80 questions about evidence given against him – report . The Zondo commission of inquiry into State capture has sent former president Jacob Zuma 80 questions about the evidence given against him in its hearings, according to a report. The questions include queries about former finance ministers Nhlanhla Nene and Pravin Gordhan’s firing, and the proposed nuclear deal with Russia. Zuma removed Nene from his Cabinet on December 9, 2015, and the impact on the financial market was immediate.

Environment government’s most important Ministry – Oppenheimer . The Environment Ministry is the most important ministry in the government, former mining luminary Nicky Oppenheimer said at this week’s tenth Oppenheimer Research Conference. “Environment is at the forefront of everybody’s mind, and we in South Africa are unbelievably blessed with the environment in which we find ourselves. The beaches, the flora, the fauna. We are blessed almost beyond understanding,” the former De Beers head and member of the Anglo American founding family stated.

SABC to receive R2bn lifeline from government . The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) will receive R2.1-billion from Treasury on Monday October 7, 2019, Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Stella Ndabeni Abrahams said. The minister on Friday briefed media on the funding allocation to the national broadcaster, which recently reported a loss of R482-million for the year ended March 31, 2019.

SABC to receive R2bn lifeline from government . The South African Broadcasting Corporation will receive R2.1-billion from Treasury on Monday October 7, 2019, Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams said. The minister on Friday briefed media on the funding allocation to the national broadcaster, which recently reported a loss of R482-million for the year ended March 31, 2019. The SABC has sought a R3.2-billion cash injection from Treasury, but has had to meet eight preconditions before any approval can be granted. The SABC has only met five of the eight conditions. Two of the preconditions have been partially met and one has not been met at all. Treasury has agreed to allocate R2.1bn to the broadcaster. The remaining R1.1-billion will be approved when the other conditions are met, Ndabeni-Abrahams said.

Railway Safety Regulator is 'reckless' for allowing Prasa trains on tracks – transport union . The United National Transport Union (UNTU) believes that the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) is reckless for allowing Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) trains to stay on the tracks.

The un...

Mantashe says former chair of Central Energy Fund resigned, was not fired . Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, has written to the former chairperson of the Central Energy Fund, Luvo Makasi, to say he accepts that he resigned voluntarily and was not fired...