News snippets from around the world.

Zondo: Guptas bagged R15.5 billion in unlawful contracts, mostly from Eskom, Transnet

The state capture commission of inquiry has found that the Gupta criminal enterprise benefitted by R15.5 billion from irregular and unlawful contracts. It, however, conceded in the final report published last Wednesday that the amount did not represent the full loss suffered by the state as a result of the Gupta-related capture.

https://ewn.co.za/

Phone and SIM card change planned for South Africa

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has proposed tying the biometric data of South Africans to their SIM cards in a move to clamp down on fraudulent activity. In practice, this means that fingerprint mapping, facial recognition, retina scans and biometric data could all be tied to a person’s SIM card, and by extension, their phone number, which has led to concerns about increased surveillance and additional avenues for identity theft.

https://businesstech.co.za/

Eskom security guards and taxi driver caught stealing cables

Eskom has criticised two security guards that were contracted, and a taxi driver after they were caught in a mini bus full of copper cables at a warehouse in Germiston, Gauteng. The incident reportedly happened on 18 June and all three were arrested.

www.thesouthafrican.com/

Covid-19: mask rule may be gone, but Phaahla advises people to remain cautious

For the first time in more than two years, South Africans are free to ditch their masks in public places, following the government’s repeal of all Covid-19 regulations last Thursday. People should, however, not be embarrassed to continue wearing masks, said Health Minister Joe Phaahla.

www.news24.com/

South Africa ready to host events again, after remaining Covid-19 regulations scrapped

South Africa’s interlinked tourism, hospitality, and events sectors are expected to boom on the back of government repealing the last remaining Covid-19 regulations. South Africa has no more regulations governing the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a repeal notice gazetted by Health Minister Joe Phaahla last Wednesday. Face masks are no longer required in public-use indoor spaces and on public transport. Travellers entering the country don’t have to be vaccinated against Covid-19 and won’t need to produce a negative test result either. Social gatherings aren’t limited to certain numbers of attendees.

www.businessinsider.co.za/

Committee looking into Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office to start its work in July

Parliament’s Section 194 enquiry committee into the fitness of nowsuspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane to hold office, is expected to commence its work with witness statements on July 11. Mkhwebane was suspended by President Cyril Ramaphosa a few weeks ago, in accordance with guidelines set out in Section 194 of the Constitution. During the inquiry, Mkhwebane will be able to state her case and will also be entitled to legal representation. The chairperson of the committee, Richard Dyantyi, says the committee anticipates working until the end of September.

www.sabcnews.com/

Zondo says Magashule, Zwane pushed ‘Gupta agenda’ with Vrede project, recommends criminal probe

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has recommended that former Free State premier Ace Magashule, ‘Gupta Minister’ Mosebenzi Zwane, and Tony Gupta be investigated over the Vrede dairy farm project, which he condemns as a ‘complete disaster’. He also suggested that they be sued to recover money lost as a result of their alleged conduct in relation to the alleged scam. Said Zondo: “Reading the perspective of beneficiaries, as presented in affidavits and oral evidence, one gets the impression that the locals were taken for a ride. They were duped… and persuaded to sell the cattle on the basis that the government would donate dairy cars to them, but that never happened. From this perspective, Estina used the fairytale Indian connection (Paras) to milk more than R250 million… from the government, which deliberately, or with gross negligence, blindly pumped money without asking questions or looking as to how it was spent.”

www.businessinsider.co.za/

Crime in SA: Healthcare workers carry a heavy burden

Murders, rape, and gender-based violence (GBV) are a part of daily reality in South Africa — and trade unions representing most health care providers have had enough. They say that health workers face the brunt of this violence, working within an already-stretched healthcare system. According to the country’s latest crime statistics, for the period between January and March this year, 1,107 more people were killed year-on-year — an increase of 22 percent. Speaking to Health-e News, South African Medical Association (SAMA) spokesperson Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa said that crime had become a health crisis, negatively impacting the public healthcare system.

https://health-e.org.za/

China plans to have every single comment reviewed before it’s published on social media

China may soon review every single comment before it goes out on social media, sparking fears of further censorship in a country that already has one of the world’s most restrictive media environments. Last Friday, China’s internet watchdog published a new set of draft rules on its website, instructing content platforms to review all online comments before they are published and to report any ‘illegal and bad information’ found, to the authorities.

www.businessinsider.co.za/

Monkeypox hits SA: Concerns over disease being used to stigmatise gay and bisexual men

With cases of monekypox mostly involving individuals who self-identify as men having sex with men, there is concern that the disease is being used to stigmatise gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM). This comes as the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, confirmed that South Africa’s first case of monkeypox had been identified.

www.iol.co.za/

Meta promises it will build a new ad-targeting algorithm that doesn’t discriminate against people

Meta has reached a settlement with the US Department of Justice, promising to build a new ad-targeting system. The DOJ accused Meta of letting advertisers discriminate against people based on race, sex, and more. Meta has until December 31 to replace its current system with a new, non-discriminatory one.

www.businessinsider.co.za/

Government sued for selling SAA for R51

South Africa’s government and national airline are being sued by a little-known investment firm, which wants the sale of a majority stake in the carrier scrapped and re-run due to a lack of transparency. This year’s acquisition of 51 percent of South African Airways (SAA) by the Takatso Consortium – made up of a local jet-leasing company and a private-equity firm – for just $3 (R51 at the time) was ‘unlawful and constitutionally invalid,’ according to documents filed at the High Court in Cape Town by Toto Investment Holdings Pty Ltd. The filing is the first legal action against the sale, which has drawn criticism from the National Treasury, opposition parties and media in part due to the lack of proceeds for the taxpayer. The airline had been a drain on government finances for a decade, receiving numerous state bailouts before entering bankruptcy proceedings in 2019.

https://businesstech.co.za/

CPI figure hits five-year high for May

Soaring fuel and cooking oil prices have pushed the annual consumer price (CPI) inflation to a five-year high of 6.5% in May. The rate, which was 5.9 percent in April and March, has broken through the upper limit of the South African Reserve Bank’s monetary policy target range.

https://ewn.co.za/

Ombud says 38 percent of South Africa’s 26 million credit consumers are in breach

There are 26 million credit active consumers, and in the fourth quarter of last year, 38 percent of those consumers were either in arrears or in an adverse status on their accounts.

www.dailymaverick.co.za/

Fuel thieves siphon off millions from Mpumalanga Eskom power station

A sophisticated crime syndicate – in cahoots with Eskom officials, police and trucking companies – is stealing fuel by exploiting a design flaw at the Kriel Power Station in Mpumalanga. And it all has to do with a weighbridge on the wrong side of a gate.

www.dailymaverick.co.za/

Stemming global financial crime requires public and private cooperation

The Covid-19 pandemic and other recent crises have increased reliance on digital banking and e-commerce and increased financial uncertainty and insecurity — cultivating a fertile ground for financial crime such as money laundering, fraud, corruption, and tax evasion. In addition to threatening the stability of domestic and international economic systems, the flow of illicit finance often supports malignant activities such as terrorism, sexual exploitation, human trafficking, environmental crime, drug smuggling, cybercrime and more.

www.forbes.com/

Violent crime surging in New York, Los Angeles: report

Six major cities in the USA, including New York and Los Angeles, are already on track to surpass last year’s staggering rates of violent crime, data shows. Reports of homicide, rape, assault and robbery are on pace to break 2021 levels halfway through the year — with a 25.8 percent surge in violent crime in the Big Apple atop the list, according to a review of NYPD statistics. A total of 189 murders were recorded in New York City as of last Sunday, the latest date of available data. That’s down more than 13 percent from 218 on the same date a year ago, but rapes, robberies and felony assaults are all up: 15.4 percent, 39.7 percent, and 19.6 percent respectively.

https://nypost.com/

Ryanair drops Afrikaans ‘prove you are South African’ quiz after backlash

South Africans abroad have welcomed Ryanair’s decision to drop the Afrikaans test, which ‘from a sociolinguistic perspective was absurd’‘’, said Conrad Steenkamp, CEO of the Afrikaans Language Board. “There are 20 million people who understand Afrikaans, which means that the remainder of the population wouldn’t be able to take the test,” Steenkamp told Daily Maverick. South Africa has 11 official languages. About 12 percent of the population speak Afrikaans as a first language, while 25 percent speaks isiZulu. Anyone who failed the test was refused travel and refunded the cost of their ticket. Ryanair initially defended the test, saying it received a fine for every passenger found to have travelled on a fake passport.

www.dailymaverick.co.za/

Hidden cameras inside NYC subway cars tested to fight crime

The MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) in New York City has added some new weapons to its transit crimefighting arsenal: surveillance cameras hidden in dozens of New York City subway cars. NYC Transit President Richard Davey has confirmed that there are two cameras per car, installed on 65 cars, to start. If the pilot programme is successful, the hidden cameras may eventually expand to the agency’s entire fleet. The cameras won’t be monitored around the clock, but are, instead, intended to be used by cops to pull evidence of incidents happening below ground.

www.fox5ny.com/

R1 million reward offered for arrest and conviction of security guard’s killers

G4S Cash Solutions has launched a national hunt for the killers of a security guard in Randfontein and is offering a R1-million reward for the successful arrest and conviction of the suspects. The incident took place last Monday, at Middelvlei Engen Petrol Station in Randfontein. The security guard, who cannot be publicly named, came under attack, and one of his alleged killers was caught on CCTV surveillance footage, which has been made public.

www.iol.co.za/

What it’ll take for the Guptas to face corruption charges in SA

Now that Rajesh and Atul Gupta have been arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), there is a great deal of speculation as to when the brothers may ultimately set foot on South African soil to face charges of money laundering and other financial crimes. The brothers are the alleged kingpins behind state capture in South Africa — the massive corruption and repurposing of state organs for private gain during the ruinous reign of their friend, former president Jacob Zuma. They fled South Africa for Dubai in April 2016.

www.moneyweb.co.za/