Cape Times 2022-06-24

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo said it was unfair that banks can simply give a client reasonable notice of termination before shutting down accounts. This was a recommendation in the final part of the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector. His recommendation follows the landmark ruling made by the Equality Court that granted Sekunjalo Group an urgent interdict, with costs, barring Nedbank from closing any of the companies’ accounts, protection to clients could soon be offered in the form of new laws. The commission recommended that existing laws need to be amended, or new laws should be enforced, allowing clients an opportunity to defend themselves, before a bank in South Africa can shut down a person’s account. The…

A SMALL group of actors, together with collaborators inside and outside of the state, were central in conspiring to redirect the country’s resources from the state for their own gain by showering politicians with gifts, home upgrades and even buying them luxury furniture. In his final report, made public on Wednesday night, state capture commission chair Justice Raymond Zondo painted a picture of how some of the country’s state-owned entities (SOE) were used to cement the ties between politicians and the private actors. His report also details how politicians received gratification to influence decision-making structures of the state. This, he said, happened at several SOEs and government departments where the Guptas and Bosasa were awarded contracts. Zondo said state capture was a manifestation of a conflict of interest. “Private…

CHIEF Justice Raymond Zondo has criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa for accepting donations from Bosasa and other undisclosed donors, despite saying he was unaware of their identities. In Part 5 Volume 2 of his final report on state capture, Justice Zondo said it was of concern that Ramaphosa had known there was corruption emanating from individuals who donated money to the ANC and contestants in the party’s internal campaigns. The report read in part: “Various ANC leaders have been implicated by witness testimony. “There has also been substantial evidence that the party was a bene- ficiary of state capture, as it received pay- ments from third parties alleged to have corruptly acquired government contracts. “In his own statements, Ramaphosa conceded the existence of corruption … and state capture, and the role…

WESTERN Cape Judge President John Hlophe’s legal team said they were vindicated by the ruling of the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, which has granted him leave to appeal against his potential impeachment. Barnabus Xulu SC said they were confident the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) would come to a different ruling, but that they also intended taking the Minister of Justice to court for prejudicial treatment relating to costs not being awarded. “We are vindicated by this ruling. We believe, for reasons advanced in our application that the SCA will come to a different decision, which eventually will clear our client and give clarity to this long outstanding matter. The shocking thing is that our client legal team have been refused their fees, whereas the Concourt judges’ legal team…

FOR the first time since the Farmgate saga made global headlines, President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Namibian counterpart Hage Geingob are expected to share the same platform and preside over the signing of several bilateral agreements during the third session of the Bi-National Commission (BNC) in Windhoek. The meeting, to take place from June 28 to July 1, comes amid mounting pressure on both presidents to reveal details of the theft of about $4 million (more than R61m at the time) “concealed” in furniture at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm in February 2020, by a gang of Namibian nationals, assisted by Ramaphosa’s domestic worker. The men, including the alleged mastermind, Imanuela David, allegedly fled to Namibia where they spent their loot buying properties including guest houses, among other things. Ramaphosa is…

THE country’s overstretched health-care system could be in for another disease outbreak after a monkeypox case was confirmed in a 30-year-old Joburg man with no recent travel history. The first case was made public yesterday at the time the government scrapped the remaining Covid-19 curbs, including the wearing of masks, restricted gatherings and international travel. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) confirmed that contact tracing had started to identify any additional linked cases of monkeypox in South Africa. NICD spokesperson Sinenhlanhla Jimoh said: “Monkeypox is a rare viral infection in humans. “Since May 2022, monkeypox has been reported in more than 3 000 individuals from several European countries, the US, Canada, Australia, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. “This is the first multi-country outbreak of monkeypox and is…