‘Time-wasting fee': Escort ‘extorts R70k' from man who refused her services
The man had made telephonic contact with the woman on Friday to inquire about her services. However, he had second thoughts, declined to make a booking and ended the conversation. He then started receiving threatening messages from the woman, who demanded money she called a 'time-wasting fee'.
According to Reaction Unit SA (Rusa), whom the man contacted for help, the man initially refused to make the payment. 'The extortionist forwarded him pictures from his social media accounts and threatened to contact his family and inform them he attempted to solicit the services of an escort,' said Rusa spokesperson Prem Balram.
'The victim thereafter made three payments totalling R70,000 into three different bank accounts provided by the woman. The client [contacted] Rusa on Monday after he received demands for further payment of R25,000.'
Balram said the man's bank accounts were depleted.
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Daily Maverick
an hour ago
- Daily Maverick
‘Sick to my stomach' — Minister Macpherson lays criminal charges against suspended IDT CEO, spokesperson
Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson has laid criminal charges against suspended Independent Development Trust chief executive Tebogo Malaka and spokesperson Phasha Makgolane, vowing to 'win the war' after a brazen attempt to suppress a corruption investigation. Macpherson laid the charges on Thursday afternoon at Cape Town Central Police Station, a day after Daily Maverick published footage showing Malaka and Makgolane offering investigative journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh R60,000 in cash to shut down a probe into corruption at the IDT. Earlier communications with Makgolane included offers of monthly R100,000 payments and even the opportunity to nominate contractors for lucrative tenders. 'It made me sick to my stomach and left me in disbelief,' Macpherson said about the footage. He emphasised his personal commitment to combating wrongdoing, saying he would 'personally open cases against those accused of criminality because I must lead from the front'. The charges include corruption, bribery, collusion and multiple breaches of fiduciary duties under the Public Finance Management Act. The affidavit cites sections 3, 4, 12, 13 and 20 of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act and calls for a broader investigation into other possible crimes stemming from the incident. Lerato Modisana, spokesperson for the IDT, said: 'As previously indicated, the IDT Board is actively considering the matters raised in the recent media coverage. We fully acknowledge the seriousness of these allegations and the heightened public interest they have generated. 'At this point in time, there are no additional developments we can share publicly. Once the Board has concluded its internal processes and is in a position to report on verified outcomes, a formal communication will be issued and we will ensure that all relevant stakeholders, including the media, are informed when the time is right.' Macpherson's affidavit calls for wide probe The minister describes the actions of Malaka and Makgolane as 'an assault on the institutional framework of government' and 'an attack on not only the free press but on our democracy'. In the affidavit, he states that the CEO and spokesperson acted 'in unison, both equally complicit in attempting to bribe Mr Myburgh, rig tender processes, commit corrupt activities and elicit payment for a favour'. He added that Makgolane, as the IDT spokesperson, had knowledge of the scheme but failed to disclose it, despite an obligation to do so. Hawks asked to step in The minister has formally requested that the case be transferred to the Hawks and treated with urgency. He also asked the police to investigate: Whether other journalists were similarly approached; The coordination of funding of a disinformation campaign to discredit himself, IDT board chairperson Zimbini Hill and his department; The use of fake news articles, fabricated voice notes and call logs, and bot-driven anonymous accounts to spread lies; The role of politically connected individuals and public commentators in amplifying this misinformation; and Any additional acts of corruption linked to attempts to silence the media and obstructive oversight. 'There is clearly a network of individuals in the IDT who guarantee outcomes in exchange for cash,' Macpherson said. Rot exposed The bribery attempt stems from Myburgh's investigation, published in October 2024, into a R836-million PSA oxygen plant tender. A PwC forensics report, released to the department and the Hawks last week (but not yet publicly available), confirmed that the IDT awarded contracts to unlicensed companies and recommended disciplinary action against Malaka for procurement irregularities, missing documentation and a deliberate disregard for the process. 'Under Ms Malaka's leadership, the IDT operated without the most basic governance and risk controls,' Macpherson said. 'The environment of impunity has now spilled beyond tenders into attempts to manipulate the media and obstruct public accountability.' The offer to Myburgh, giving him the option to nominate contractors for IDT tenders, spoke to how 'rotten' the supply chain process was in the IDT from start to finish. The minister noted that even before he assumed office he was aware of the 'serious and long-standing allegations surrounding the IDT'. He described it as 'an entity in crisis, a state institution meant to serve the public but instead consumed by dysfunction'. Fallout at the IDT The IDT board met last night to understand what processes will unfold with regards to the disciplinary case against Malaka. Macpherson detailed the conditions of her suspension, saying: 'There are conditions that were attached to her suspension. One of those was that she may not leave Gauteng without permission of the board and that she may not speak to anyone from the IDT. 'I think it's safe to assume that those two [conditions] may have already been violated by her being here (Cape Town) the day after with an official from the IDT.' The bribery attempt, involving Malaka and Makgolane, took place at a wine farm near Stellenbosch. Makgolane's position is 'peculiar', according to Macpherson, since he is personally contracted to the CEO, which complicates disciplinary action. Meanwhile, the newly appointed IDT board, tasked with cleaning up the embattled entity, has been instructed to audit all contracts issued under Malaka, trace the money flows and pursue anyone complicit in wrongdoing. Lifestyle audits of the executive are also under way, Macpherson said, adding a joke about the potential impact: 'I'm just worried there might not be many executives left by the time they finish.' He also revealed that one or two resignations have already been submitted from the department, 'from people who didn't want to commit to [the process]', implying a direct link between the audits and these departures. E-procurement systems were also being fast-tracked to curb manual interference in IDT tenders. The 'best sanitiser' In the wake of these events, Nicki Gules, head of news at News24 and a member of the South African National Editors' Forum, praised Myburgh's decision to go public on SAfm this morning. '[He] did what he could to protect himself, and he did the best thing. He made this public. The best sanitiser is daylight,' she said in the interview. She called the attempted bribe deeply troubling and not necessarily rare, and urged journalists to record any attempts to influence or bribe them. She also underlined the importance of adhering to the Press Code as the ethical roadmap for journalists: 'We cannot, I mean, certainly cannot take any inducements to stop an investigation of any sort.' Winning the 'war' Macpherson believes this case is not isolated and forms part of a larger scheme involving political networks, pointing to what he called a 'well-paid and well-organised' campaign to shield criminal actors from scrutiny and undermine institutional accountability. 'It is even more shameful that political parties such as ActionSA and the EFF helped to shield those accused of corruption by endorsing these false reports. South Africans should be demanding answers from them on how they benefited from this campaign,' Macpherson said. He specifically called out 'dubious reporting' by The Star newspaper and a discredited TimesLIVE opinion piece earlier this year, which was later retracted, as part of the disinformation offensive against reform efforts at the IDT. This afternoon (Thursday), ActionSA posted on X that it would host a discussion on TikTok LIVE at 7pm today, led by MP Mika Ngobeni, about the minister's 'offensive and racist remarks'. Despite facing what Macpherson describes as 'fierce resistance', he believes the tide is turning. 'We have the upper hand and we are winning the war against them.' He has urged the public not to look away from wrongdoing and to 'speak up and bring that information to us'. He committed to personally shielding journalists, whistle-blowers and honest officials who expose corruption.
TimesLIVE
2 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Judgment permitting filming police in public key to accountability: legal expert
The recent court judgment which stated filming police in a public place is not a crime underlines the role of the public in holding police accountable and that exercising oversight is lawful and protected. This is the comment by a director of law firm Fluxmans, Myron Mer, after a judgment by the Johannesburg high court in a case brought by attorney Shaun Jacobs who succeeded in his application for damages for unlawful arrest and detention. In March 2019, Jacobs came home from work one evening to find a police roadblock set up outside his property in Kempton Park. He went inside, put his things down, picked up his phone and walked back out, not onto the street but to the boundary of his garden and began recording what was going on. He was not rude or aggressive towards the officers but when they saw he was recording a video of the scene, and especially their vehicle, one of the officers pounced on him and arrested him without explaining his rights and what he was arrested for. He spent more than 24 hours in detention. Jacobs took the matter to court, suing the minister of police and the Ekurhuleni metro police, arguing his arrest was unlawful and violated his constitutional rights. Judge Mpostoli Twala agreed, finding the arrest and detention unlawful. The court awarded Jacobs R250,000 in damages, R100,000 for the unlawful detention and R150,000 for unlawful arrest. Mer said the compensation was not the main takeaway in this judgment. 'The ruling sends a broader and significant message, namely ordinary South Africans, not just accredited journalists, have the right to question police conduct and to record it. However, and importantly, as long as they are not physically obstructing operations,' Mer said. In his judgment Twala said citizens were entitled to ask questions and entitled to explanations from law enforcement officers in respect of their conduct. 'That cannot be regarded as interference with the execution of their lawful duties,' Twala said. Mer said civil rights advocate Mukhethwa Dzhugudzha called it 'a vital safeguard for the public', pointing out that the right to record was part of a bigger picture, in particular freedom of expression under section 16 of the constitution. The ruling came as public trust in law enforcement is strained. 'The Independent Police Investigative Directorate has received hundreds of complaints in recent years about excessive force, unlawful arrests and abuse of power. 'Against that backdrop, the judgment underlines the role of the public in holding police accountable and confirms that exercising that oversight is a lawful and constitutionally protected act,' Mer said. However, the police can stop a member of the public if they physically block them from doing their job. 'But quietly recording from a safe and lawful position, that's not a crime.' Mer said while the case brought personal vindication for Jacobs, for the rest of the country it was a reminder that rights do not vanish when confronted with a badge and a uniform.
Eyewitness News
3 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
Macpherson opens criminal case against suspended IDT CEO Malaka
CAPE TOWN - Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson has opened a criminal case against the suspended CEO of the Independent Development Trust (IDT), Tebogo Malaka. This follows a video captured by the Daily Maverick online publication showing Malaka and the IDT's spokesperson offering a journalist a R60,000 bribe to stop investigating and reporting about her. Last week, Macpherson released the findings of a forensic investigation that indicated Malaka had a hand in the irregular award of tenders worth over R800 million for the supply of oxygen to more than 50 State hospitals. Speaking outside the Cape Town Central Police Station on Thursday, Macpherson said he believes it's incumbent on his office to report Malaka's conduct to the police and to respond to public outrage. "This oath does not allow me to tolerate corruption. It does not allow me to make excuses for wrong doing, and every action we take, whether releasing forensic reports, suspending officials or opening criminal cases, it is about building a state that is capable, ethical and trustworthy. It's believed Malaka also offered journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh in on future tenders of the IDT if he stopped reporting about the entity. Macpherson is of the view this indicates a broader net of criminality within the entity, which is intended to build and maintain State infrastructure such as schools and clinics. "There's clearly a network of individuals in the IDT who guarantee outcomes in exchange for cash," said the minister.
