Latest news with #R12m
TimesLIVE
20-05-2025
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Sanef condemns threats to journalists who work professionally and ethically
The South African National Editors Forum (Sanef) has condemned actions of a Durban businessman who recently threatened a Sunday Times journalist who had called him for comment. Siqu Zungu allegedly threatened Sunday Times senior journalist Isaac Mahlangu when he was called for a comment for an article about him leaving a R12m penthouse owned by a Johannesburg doctor, Blaine Bloy, in which he lived rent-free for about three years before he was recently evicted. Zungu said the journalist should ensure that he gets bodyguards after writing the article about him. The businessman was evicted from a luxury Umhlanga penthouse, which he left with extensive damage, including a broken bathtub, cracked tiles and outstanding rent of more than R1m. When contacted for comment last week, he accused the publication of targeting him and said the journalist should get bodyguards. 'I am asking you to have bodyguards. Do you hear me? I am not joking. It is not a threat ... Ask Bloy who I am, he will tell you. Put out that article, but tell your company to give you bodyguards. 'You've targeted me. I will handle this myself. Maybe Bloy has not told you who I am. Maybe they have not told [you] what kind of life I live ... It's not your job to target a person like this,' he said. Slindile Khanyile, chair of the Sanef media freedom subcommittee said the organisation did not threats to journalists lightly, especially in a country where the work that journalists do and media freedom is protected by the constitution. 'So, we condemn the actions of not only this particular newsmaker, but anyone who makes it difficult for journalists to conduct their work,' she said. She added that Zungu was contacted for comment, which is one of the most important principles of journalism — to give newsmakers the opportunity to tell their side of the story and a fair opportunity to respond to allegations before a story is published. 'When journalists do that, which is something that is required by media ethics as well as the press code, and they then encounter newsmakers who make it difficult for them to do their work, it is unfortunate,' she added. She said journalists should always do the right thing even when reporting on threatening and aggressive people. 'Regardless of how a newsmaker may behave, journalists must always do the right thing by giving people the right to reply and being fair and be balanced in their reporting,' she said. The Sunday Times has reported the matter at the Hillbrow police station.
The Herald
26-04-2025
- Business
- The Herald
SIU unhappy with lack of co-operation as it probes Road Accident Fund
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) says it has experienced a lack of co-operation from the Road Accident Fund (RAF) in its investigation into the affairs of the entity. Briefing parliament's standing committee on public accounts on Friday on its investigation into the affairs of the RAF, SIU head Andy Mothibi said information provided by the RAF in response to requests from the SIU pertained mostly to a period outside that stipulated in terms of the SIU Act. Some of the requests to date had not been responded to by the RAF. 'There were instances where the SIU had to resort to opening a criminal case against a RAF executive for failure to adhere to a lawful subpoena issued by the SIU in terms of the SIU Act.' Mothibi said its investigation methodology involved a right of reply from the implicated party. 'In our RAF investigation, we noted with concern a directive issued by the RAF to its employees in respect of the right of reply, wherein employees were directed to forward the SIU's right of reply to the RAF management, such that responses to the SIU are well co-ordinated. 'We viewed this directive as having a potential to compromise the investigation and it could amount to interference,' Mothibi said. He said the SIU had engaged with RAF management to ensure it did not compromise the investigation. The SIU had directed communications to the RAF CEO Collins Letsoalo. 'We hope the CEO will consider our correspondence and respond to us as appropriate.' The SIU investigation into serious maladministration in the RAF followed a proclamation issued in 2022. Leonard Lekgetho, SIU's chief national investigations officer, said it had completed a number of investigations and was in the process of pursuing civil litigation. These included the decision by the RAF to do away with a panel of attorneys, an office building contract worth R17m per year for five years, a R12m cleaning contract and a R40m office furniture contract. The SIU also investigated 102 law firms, which included sheriffs, that received duplicate payments from RAF of about R340m. When approached with evidence, several legal practitioners co-operated with the SIU investigators by signing acknowledgments of debt The SIU had signed acknowledgments of debt to the value of R70m with actual cash recoveries to date amounting to R42m.
TimesLIVE
25-04-2025
- Business
- TimesLIVE
SIU unhappy with lack of co-operation as it probes Road Accident Fund
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) says it has experienced a lack of co-operation from the Road Accident Fund (RAF) in its investigation into the affairs of the entity. Briefing parliament's standing committee on public accounts on Friday on its investigation into the affairs of the RAF, SIU head Andy Mothibi said information provided by the RAF in response to requests from the SIU pertained mostly to a period outside that stipulated in terms of the SIU Act. Some of the requests to date had not been responded to by the RAF. 'There were instances where the SIU had to resort to opening a criminal case against a RAF executive for failure to adhere to a lawful subpoena issued by the SIU in terms of the SIU Act.' Mothibi said its investigation methodology involved a right of reply from the implicated party. 'In our RAF investigation, we noted with concern a directive issued by the RAF to its employees in respect of the right of reply, wherein employees were directed to forward the SIU's right of reply to the RAF management, such that responses to the SIU are well co-ordinated. 'We viewed this directive as having a potential to compromise the investigation and it could amount to interference,' Mothibi said. He said the SIU had engaged with RAF management to ensure it did not compromise the investigation. The SIU had directed communications to the RAF CEO Collins Letsoalo. 'We hope the CEO will consider our correspondence and respond to us as appropriate.' The SIU investigation into serious maladministration in the RAF followed a proclamation issued in 2022. Leonard Lekgetho, SIU's chief national investigations officer, said it had completed a number of investigations and was in the process of pursuing civil litigation. These included the decision by the RAF to do away with a panel of attorneys, an office building contract worth R17m per year for five years, a R12m cleaning contract and a R40m office furniture contract. The SIU also investigated 102 law firms, which included sheriffs, that received duplicate payments from RAF of about R340m. When approached with evidence, several legal practitioners co-operated with the SIU investigators by signing acknowledgments of debt The SIU had signed acknowledgments of debt to the value of R70m with actual cash recoveries to date amounting to R42m.
