Latest news with #MECs
The Herald
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald
Make the police act: bus company CEO's shocking letter to Ramaphosa
No-one in your government has been held accountable for this continued failure. No-one has been disciplined for allowing criminals to terrorise innocent people while millions in public funds were wasted fighting against justice. Our plight is shared by millions of South Africans. Criminals are winning everywhere. There are mafias operating in broad daylight, in the construction industry and elsewhere. Our fight has not only been for Intercape and its passengers, but for every person and business that has the right to be protected from criminals. As an aside, your government tried to convince the court that we were acting out of self-interest. The judge had to put them straight and found that this 'unfounded assertion' was merely 'used by the SAPS as an excuse for not performing their constitutional duties'. The court's exasperation was clear when it found that '[i]t boggles the mind why it is so difficult for a law enforcement agency to appreciate that when armed assailants take potshots at moving buses, deleterious consequences inevitably ensue'. We have faced apathy and retaliation, while the criminals, the ministers, the MECs, and the SAPS generals continue to fail in their constitutional duties with impunity. The courts have already conducted the inquiries. The evidence is before you. Mr President, please hold your ministers, commissioners, and MECs accountable. Fire them. Recover the wasted money from them personally and use it to protect the citizens of this country. These legal victories achieved by Intercape thus far are a testament to our determination to safeguard our passengers and to hold the South African government and police accountable for its blatant disregard for human lives and the rule of law. However, these victories offer little comfort when the violence continues, and justice remains elusive. Mr President, I urge you to uphold your oath of office. Restore order. Enforce the law. Take decisive action against those who have failed the people of South Africa. Surely, your vision of 'all are equal before the law' must also apply to those within your government. Intercape is but one example of the cost of inaction. The true burden of your leadership failures is borne by every citizen in this country. Sincerely, Johann Ferreira CEO, Intercape Ferreira Mainliner TimesLIVE
IOL News
07-05-2025
- Health
- IOL News
Premier Ntuli demands accountability amidst KZN's government crisis
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli. Image: Supplied IN A BID to get his KwaZulu-Natal's provincial government in order, Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli has called for accountability from his MECs amid the struggles of the Department of Health and the limping-along Department of Education. Ntuli held a marathon media briefing with all members of the Provincial Executive Council (MECs) present, following its normal cabinet meeting in Pietermaritzburg on Wednesday. The briefing came as the KwaZulu-Natal Health Department, led by MEC Nomagugu Simelane-Mngadi, faced a financial crisis, having racked up an alarming R1.7 billion debt to service providers. As a result, several key health projects had to be halted, leading to a protest outside the provincial headquarters in Pietermaritzburg on Monday. The angry service providers blocked the entrance, demanding their overdue payments.' Ntuli condemned the actions of the protestors, saying, 'We also wish to condemn the barricading of the offices of the Department of Health by disgruntled service providers, on Monday. No dispute, however large, should be resolved through violence in KwaZulu-Natal. We live in a constitutional democracy and we must always use legal avenues to settle our disagreements.' Simelane-Mngadi, while addressing the matter, confirmed the R1.7 billion debt and explained that the department was cutting back on certain projects to free up funds to pay service providers. 'We are dealing with the issue, and we will cut some projects and divert the saved funds toward payments to service providers,' she said. She also mentioned that negotiations were underway with service providers, including those with monthly payments over R500,000, to spread their invoices over two months. The department's financial difficulties have caused significant disruptions to health services across the province, with several service providers halting operations due to unpaid invoices. On the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP), which had more than 1700 services, Ntuli said the 22% unpaid service providers of the NSNP, under the education department, would receive their payments on Friday, May 9. 'We are pleased to report that on April 24, 2025, at least 78% of the payments had been successfully processed. Attempts to finalise the remaining payments on April 25 and May 2 were unsuccessful. This was due to technical difficulties linked to the new financial system, BAS Version 6, said Ntuli. The department of education was also battling increased controversy stemming from the non-payment of Grade R teachers in KZN. The Daily News' report, this week, highlighted their plight after they were not paid their April salaries. Many teachers, including Nondumiso Ngcobo, a Grade R teacher at Motala Primary School in Pinetown, said the non-payment has plunged her finances into disarray. Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka said: 'It is not true that some teachers won't be paid. In terms of the educators for Grade 1, there was a challenge because, we unfortunately did not renew their contracts in time. But they have been paid." He added: "We are human beings and we make mistakes." Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
FMCSA action against 2 doctors threatens licenses of over 15,000 truckers
WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has voided thousands of medical examiner certificates issued by two Houston-area doctors, putting the livelihoods of over 15,000 commercial drivers at risk. A 'high volume' of physical examinations performed by Dr. Jenny Le (Medical Examiner National Registry No. 4762579227) and Dr. Dustin Mai (National Registry No. 7120983977) between March 2023 and March 2025 raised red flags at FMCSA, which referred the matter to the Transportation Department's Office of Inspector General, according to the agency. DOT subsequently collaborated with the FBI and the Homeland Security Department for further investigation, after which FMCSA found that Drs. Le and Mai 'failed to correctly apply required standards in determining that drivers are physically qualified to operate a CMV (commercial motor vehicle).' On Thursday, FMCSA voided 'over 15,000 unexpired Medical Examiner's Certificates (MECs) issued by Dr. Le and Dr. Mai between March 2023 and March 2025 – an action that affected 15,225 commercial motor vehicle drivers,' the agency announced on stated that while the decision does not immediately make an affected driver unqualified to drive a truck, drivers who received their MECs from the two medical examiners must get a new certificate by May 10 from an active medical examiner listed on the National Registry. FMCSA warned, however, that 'if a driver fails to obtain a new certificate by the identified date, the driver's respective state drivers licensing agency (SDLA) will initiate procedures to downgrade the driver's CDL.' 'FMCSA's primary mission is to enhance safety on our nation's roadways,' said FMCSA Chief Counsel Jesse Elison, the effective leader of the agency while it awaits formal confirmation of an administrator. 'Removing non-compliant medical examiners from the National Registry is a necessary step to maintain the integrity of the medical certification process and ensure that only qualified, properly trained professionals are certifying the physical qualifications of commercial motor vehicle drivers.'780,000 driver medical exams could be missing from FMCSA database How do trucking medical examiners stay certified? FMCSA updates guidance for truck driver medical examiners Click for more FreightWaves articles by John Gallagher. The post FMCSA action against 2 doctors threatens licenses of over 15,000 truckers appeared first on FreightWaves.
