Latest news with #R2.5-million
Daily Maverick
31-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Maverick
National Gambling Board boss quits after forensic audit
The National Gambling Board's chief strategic adviser Caroline Kongwa has resigned. She earned R3.4-million last year. Caroline Kongwa, the chief strategic adviser of the National Gambling Board (NGB) for the past six years, resigned earlier this month after being informed of the findings of an independent audit. The NGB regulates the almost R60-billion gambling industry in South Africa. Audit firm TSU Investigation Services found that performance bonuses paid to Kongwa during her tenure 'were not approved in line with the NGB performance management policy and [are] thus deemed irregular expenditure'. TSU also found that expenditure relating to 'international travel' by Kongwa 'can be deemed irregular expenditure'. Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau responded to several written parliamentary questions by DA MP Toby Chance. As to whether 'disciplinary and criminal complaints' were being considered as a result of TSU's investigation, Tau said: 'Following receipt of the investigation report, the minister has appointed legal representation to advise him on the way forward. The minister is currently engaging with legal counsel on the course of action.' Kongwa was appointed joint administrator with Tumelo Baleni after the NGB's CEO resigned in April 2014. This came after the NGB was placed under administration and its board suspended by former minister Rob Davies following a forensic audit into maladministration and wasteful expenditure. All the board members resigned. The NGB has been without a board for 11 years. Baleni resigned in 2015. In response to another question from Chance, Tau said: 'The process of selecting members to serve on the National Gambling Board is under way and has not yet been concluded.' Tau's spokesperson, Kaamil Alli, did not reply to questions from GroundUp after an earlier undertaking to respond by last Friday. Kongwa's initial appointment as a joint administrator was extended several times. Despite some internal opposition, she was appointed chief strategic adviser in 2019, a position that did not previously exist. Kongwa was paid a total of R3.4-million in 2024 (including bonuses and perks). This was R800,000 more than she was paid in 2023. For context, in 2024, South Africa's deputy president was paid R3.16-million and ministers R2.68-million, excluding perks. Besides her 2024 salary of R2.5-million, other payments she received included a 13th cheque of R212,825 and a performance bonus of R510,781. In 2023, she was paid R2.6-million, including a R196,945 13th cheque and performance bonuses totalling R212,283. Kongwa's response Kongwa responded to GroundUp: 'I can confirm I tendered my resignation. The reasons for my resignation are personal and private and not for public consumption or publication in your story. 'The rest of the issues you raise are official matters and I employ you to directly engage and seek reply from both the DTIC [Department of Trade, Industry and Competition] and the NGB to verify if what your source has told you is the truth.' 'The DTIC and NGB should and are more than capable and accountable to answer for their own statements and deal with official Government business which they make public or report to Parliament. 'I unfortunately am not able to assist you any further. I hereby reserve my rights to sue if any misrepresentations are made in your publication.' Whistle-blowers A whistle-blower, who asked to remain anonymous because they feared punishment for speaking to the media, told GroundUp last year: 'I have submissions dating back to 2018 where some senior officials in the DTIC were raising reservations to some of the decisions by the then Minister [Davies], one of which was the creation of the position of a chief strategic adviser for a specific person, the current Accounting Authority [Kongwa].' Another whistle-blower, who also requested anonymity for fear of retribution, shared a letter sent to the DTIC in 2023 about the fact that Kongwa had been at the helm of the organisation ever since the dissolution of the board in 2014. The letter states: '[I]t appears that there is no interest or agility from the side of the DTIC to appoint a Board of Directors for the entity'. This had led to 'a serious gap in governance and has created a sense of authority and power by the person who has been the accounting authority [Kongwa]'. DM
Daily Maverick
15-07-2025
- Science
- Daily Maverick
Breakthrough SA research promises quantum leap into our global future
This will be an entirely novel way of managing quantum information and will have revolutionary implications – we will be able to quickly solve very hard problems in fields such as chemistry, pharmacology, logistics, finance and many more. 'Beam me up, Scotty!' A brave new South African-led study aims to solve exactly the quantum physics challenge that the fictional starship Enterprise's transporter system is designed to overcome. Unfortunately, we're not looking to dematerialise people and put them together again somewhere else, which certainly would be very exciting. What we envisage, however, is far more fundamental: we're going to show people the future – and unlock South Africa's development potential. To make the nascent field of harnessing quantum entanglement viable, we – myself, a vibrant, young team of South African researchers and select international partners, including leading scientists from China's Huzhou University, France's Sorbonne University and Australia's Monash University – aim to practically demonstrate an entirely novel way for managing quantum information. This will have revolutionary implications: with quantum computing, which will be exponentially more powerful than current technology, we will be able to quickly solve very hard problems in fields such as chemistry, pharmacology, logistics, finance and many more. We will also be able to truly harness artificial intelligence – without the unsustainably huge energy price (environmentally speaking) that we currently pay for it. In quantum communications, it will enable long-distance links, essential for a global quantum network that is fundamentally secure. Our quantum physics research, which stands to offer manifest benefits for humanity, is generously funded to the tune of R2.5-million by the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust through its annual Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award, for which I am the 2024 co-recipient. SA a potential global leader I envisage South Africa, which has no Silicon Valley of its own, becoming a leader in quantum software – much like apps on cellphones, but harnessing quantum technology. I see us creating a quantum-literate workforce that will realise our country's immense human potential and create human and economic opportunities that we cannot yet imagine. Allow me to explain. The big picture to consider is quantum as a new paradigm for future technologies. In the past decade or two, humanity has begun to harness the spooky property of quantum theory that had hitherto remained elusive: entanglement – a form of connecting particles no matter how far apart they are, enabling faster computing, more secure communications and measuring with higher precision. This is an extremely valuable resource, and I (and others around the world) believe that this promises an entirely new economy for our planet, one based on quantum technologies. South Africa has a national quantum strategy – into which significant resources are being poured – to not only move us into the quantum economy we believe is coming, but also position our country as a major global player. It's a very exciting time to be involved in this field; indeed, 2025 is Unesco's International Year of Quantum Science and Technology to celebrate the progress made so far, but also to highlight how quantum can be used to address grand societal challenges. Entanglement At the heart of this promise is an aspect of quantum called entanglement that physicist Albert Einstein himself deplored; in fact, he called it 'spooky'. Entanglement is the unusual, but proven idea that two particles can be connected and if you do something to one of them, this will be replicated in the other, regardless of the distance between them (in theory, they can be infinitely far apart). Entanglement holds enormous potential for the nascent field of quantum computing. Unlike in classical computing in which particles have only the binary, one-bit value of 1 or 0, in quantum computing, entanglement will allow particles to be 1 and 0 at the same time. This means that you can do multiple things with one bit (in quantum computing, called a qubit). Imagine going through a maze using classical computing: every time you arrive at a junction, you have to turn left or right, 1 or 0, and then choose again at the next junction and so on. With quantum computing, you can turn left and right, 1 and 0, and map out the maze's pathways many times faster. Entanglement is also fantastic for communications. Modern cryptography works on the principle of mathematical complexity – that a code is sufficiently complex that it cannot quickly be cracked – but it doesn't guarantee security. The Enigma machine of World War 2 proved that if your adversary has a machine you're unaware of, they can break your code. Quantum computers will be able to decipher mathematical codes with ease. However, entanglement offers an exciting solution, too: if I send you a particle and retain its entangled partner particle, and I change something about my particle, it will similarly change your particle. But if someone tries to intercept that message, according to the laws of physics, it will be destroyed; this will enable all communications to be fundamentally secure. Decay But, of course, all of this is easier said than done. This is because entanglement is very fragile and it begins to decay because of 'noise' – essentially, various kinds of disturbance – for example, temperature or atmospheric disturbances. To date, our efforts have been expended on trying to preserve entanglement from decay, and we have had very limited success in this regard. Think about Scotty in Star Trek, trying desperately to lock on to Captain Kirk and beam him safely back to the Enterprise; sometimes his transporter's capabilities have been tested by energy fluctuations, gravitational anomalies and other kinds of external forces. But this is where the Star Trek analogy ends. We need an alternative strategy, one that abandons the notion of preserving entanglement and asks: can we exchange information even though the link is decaying? Let's rather think of entanglement like a cellphone battery. Even though the battery is losing charge, the phone's apps will continue to work fully while there is power; the apps' functionality won't deteriorate along with the loss of charge. We have an idea on how to make this metaphor a reality: quantum topology. Essentially, topology allows us to ignore how something looks and instead focus on a feature of that 'something' that does not change. A famous example of topology is that of a coffee mug and a doughnut, which both feature one hole. Physically, they are very different, but topologically, they are the same. With the traditional alphabet (albeit including numbers), I would send you a 1 for the mug or a 0 for the doughnut, and you would receive the communication accordingly. Topologically, however, it doesn't matter how noisy the channel is, and if what I sent you has been deformed in any way, you would just count the number of holes in the information you receive: 0 for no holes, 1 for one hole, 2 for two holes, and so on. This represents a topological alphabet formed out of the topology of things rather than how they look. It has two fantastic features: it is an infinitely large alphabet, not just 0 and 1, and most importantly, it is intrinsically invariant to noise: it doesn't care how much the communication is distorted. In the quantum world, this would mean that the communication would be preserved, even though the entanglement is weakening. In our seminal academic paper in 2024, we showed that entanglement is inherently topological. What my team and I must now do is create a topological toolkit, with tools showing that topology can be used to communicate, regardless of entanglement decaying. What Einstein really disliked about entanglement is that, without measurement, objects are not real. The Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award will allow us to dispel his doubt and unlock myriad possibilities that will largely only be revealed as we go. Spooky, indeed. DM Professor Andrew Forbes is a Distinguished Professor in the Structured Light Laboratory at the University of the Witwatersrand's School of Physics, and a co-recipient of the 2024 Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award, presented on 15 July 2025. Established in 1958 by Harry Oppenheimer as an endowment trust to honour the memory of his father, Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust (OMT) has recently undergone a strategic shift to better serve the sectors it supports, namely education, social justice and arts and culture.
Daily Maverick
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
The troubled state of higher education under Nobuhle Nkabane's watch
Higher Education Minister Nkabane has been under scrutiny after controversial Setas appointments involving ANC comrades, raising questions of whether she is fit for the job. Other issues within the post-school education and training sector include inadequate NSFAS funds, accommodation woes and student debt. South Africa's higher education sector, serving more than 1.7 million students across universities, TVET colleges and CET institutions, promises quality learning, skills development and support. But each academic year opens with the same struggles – unpaid student debt, blocked registrations, and housing shortages that leave some students sleeping outside institutions. Protests have become routine, driven largely by delays and dysfunction at the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), with issues ranging from slow funding to technical failures and poor governance. It was for these reasons that Higher Education Minister Nobuhle Nkabane was brought in to steer the ship after the Government of National Unity (GNU) was formed, along with two deputies, Mimmy Gondwe and Buti Manamela. Nkabane arrived when entities such as NSFAS had been placed under administration over non-payment issues. Exploring the state of higher education and training under Nkabane: NSFAS, too broken to succeed Nkabane's first pledge was to resolve the NSFAS chaos and ensure that qualifying students received bursaries and loans. She increased university allowances by 4% while TVETs received a 46% increase. This was aimed at responding to the increased cost of living. A boost for students, helping them to buy food and other necessities. She appointed a NSFAS board of 18 members and a new acting CEO, Waseem Carrim. In 2025, NSFAS was able to fund approximately 811,011 students across various universities and TVET colleges, and offer housing to students as they worked with institutions and private landlords. However, many students experienced issues. Accommodation remains one of the biggest failures of the NSFAS; thousands of students are unaccommodated or threatened by landlords due to payment delays caused by NSFAS. In February, protests erupted at institutions such as CPUT and NMU, with students demanding urgent intervention over access to housing. Earlier this year, NSFAS admitted to owing R44-million to landlords from the Private Student Housing Association (PSHA), leaving thousands of students in limbo. Recently, students burnt the Northern Cape Urban Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College offices in Kimberley after NSFAS delayed allowances. NSFAS is still locked in a battle to exit its costly R2.5-million rent in Cape Town headquarters, a symbolic reminder of its financial disarray, while Minister Nkabane said this is being handled by lawyers. Operational cracks remain, and the recent improvements have failed to inspire confidence in the student community. MPs and students have called for NSFAS to be decentralised so that offices can be opened in universities and colleges. Looking at the abrupt calls to remove her as minister, little has been done at NSFAS to convince students that the minister has the situation in control. TVET challenges TVET colleges, often touted as a crucial solution to youth unemployment, received R14-billion in this year's budget – a slight increase from last year. But this funding boost masks more troubling realities. These institutions remain under-resourced, and quality assurance remains a recurring concern. While there have been pockets of progress, many TVETs continue to operate with outdated equipment, a lack of qualified lecturers, and poor infrastructure. Sihle Lonzi of the EFF was vocal on 3 July 2025, during the budget vote, that TVETs must not be treated as high schools; they must be promoted similarly to how universities are encouraged. To improve the TVET colleges, Nkabane signed a memorandum of understanding, aligning SA's TVET priorities with Austria's dual education model. The agreement will facilitate the exchange of vocational education delegations, foster partnerships between training institutions and companies, and enable the placement of South African students in Austrian businesses. Deputy Minister Gondwe has been conducting oversight visits in various colleges in SA. She led a campaign against bogus colleges. According to TimesLive, Gondwe said unregistered institutions of higher learning rob students of employment opportunities. This was a critical step in improving the higher education sector. Daily Maverick reported that students from Educor, a private education provider with several colleges including Damelin, CityVarsity, ICESA City Campus and Lyceum College, said they are struggling to get their certificates, while workers were forced to resign over unpaid salaries. Educor was fully reinstated after Blade Nzimande cancelled it in 2024. Non-issuing of certificates Another dark mark on higher education is the issue of student debt. Across the country, thousands of graduates are unable to collect their certificates due to unpaid fees, effectively locking them out of the job market. According to many, this isn't just a bureaucratic nuisance – it's a systemic barrier to employment in a country with a 32.9% unemployment rate. Worryingly, even those with degrees are not immune. The graduate unemployment rate is at 11.7%, according to 2025 first-quarter statistics. Daily Maverick reported that graduates from various institutions were in support of the Student Debt Relief Bill proposed by Lonzi. The bill aims to tackle the payment of university debts. Nkabane has not responded to this proposed bill. Safety on campus Another issue troubling in the sector is the safety of university campuses and TVET colleges. Multiple incidents of deaths and injuries have occurred since the start of the year, with the latest being the tragic death of a Walter Sisulu University (WSU) staff member, Sinethemba Mpambane. Sisonke Mbolekwa, a WSU student, was allegedly killed by residence manager Manelisi Mampane, after students protested against poor maintenance conditions. Nkabane confirmed that Mbolekwa was a WSU student, after she first denied that he was a student. Universities like Sefako Makgatho Health Science University in Gauteng are battling issues of lack of water, while they have no library. This was revealed during a portfolio committee meeting in Parliament. The university also 'acknowledged infrastructure limitations in some of its older residences – particularly in relation to the absence of stoves and laundry facilities', according to spokesperson Tshimangadzo Mphaphuli. Campus safety is a concern that needs attention. Nkabane has been part of programs to ensure that students are safe. She led a gender-based violence femicide programme in schools that educated on the importance of safety. State of Setas The Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas) are responsible for facilitating skills development through programmes such as learnerships and internships. Consisting of 21 different Setas ranging from agriculture to safety and security, they also disburse grants to employers and skills development providers to offer training to employed and unemployed learners. Through Setas, SA has produced more than 95,000 qualified artisans over the past five years. However, Setas have been under scrutiny due to Nkabane wanting to appoint ANC politicians as chairpersons of the 21 different boards. In 2024, Minister Nobuhle Nkabane called for nominations to appoint chairpersons of accounting authorities for 21 Setas, set to serve from April 2025 to March 2030. Leaks revealed Buyambo Mantashe, Minister Gwede Mantashe's son, was appointed, despite claims that an independent panel led by Terry Motau made the picks. Motau denied chairing it, and most panellists were from her department, raising the question of whether the panel was independent. Further, members of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education felt misled by Nkabane, with the Democratic Alliance opening a case against her. Student organisations also lost faith in Nkabane, calling for her removal as minister. As Nkabane continues to steer the higher education sector, the story of the higher education sector under her is one of missed opportunities and mounting crises. Despite bold promises and high budgets, it's a sector plagued by funding delays, unsafe campuses, uncollected certificates and political interference. DM
The Citizen
07-07-2025
- The Citizen
Stolen Pretoria vehicle recovered in Limpopo before crossing border
A luxury SUV valued at over R2.5-million, which was stolen in Brooklyn, was recently retrieved, travelling towards the Beitbridge border. An anti-smuggling operation conducted by the Limpopo provincial police saw officers recovering the SUV along the N1 highway near Polokwane on July 2. It was a collaborative effort comprising different stakeholders, including the Limpopo SAPS, Shadow Secure Security, Tshimollo Security and Investigations, and Tracker Connect. According to Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba, police acted on intelligence regarding a stolen vehicle travelling from Gauteng towards the Beitbridge border. He said the recovered vehicle matched the description of a vehicle stolen in Pretoria. 'The vehicle matching the description, a white Nissan Patrol V8 5.6, was identified and intercepted near Shell Ultra City within the Westernburg policing area. Further investigation confirmed the vehicle had been stolen in Brooklyn, Pretoria,' Mashaba said. He said the police acted swiftly and arrested the suspect driving the vehicle. 'A 51-year-old Zimbabwean who was behind the wheel was arrested on the spot and charged with possession of a suspected stolen motor vehicle.' Mashaba said the suspect appeared before the Polokwane Magistrate's Court on July 4. Provincial commissioner of police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, praised the swift recovery of the vehicle and hailed the collaboration that made it possible. ALSO READ: Tshwane slaps 713 properties with penalty rates over illegal land use Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Daily Maverick
18-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Maverick
Potential sale of SuperSport United casts yet another shadow over Premier Soccer League
The rumoured sale of the Premiership's mainstay throws a big shadow over local soccer. Although SuperSport United have downplayed reports of their sale in order to make space for the rebirth of Bloemfontein Celtic, the rumours that the club will become the latest to relinquish its top-flight status have once again cast the spotlight on the sustainability of the South African club soccer model. It is no secret that local soccer clubs generally struggle financially. Only the 'big three' – Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns – boast vast financial resources. This is mostly because of their commercial backers, though for Sundowns being owned by the wealthy Motsepe family is also a factor. But for the rest of the teams in the top division of the Premier Soccer League (PSL), it's touch-and-go to make ends meet and they rely heavily on the R2.5-million monthly grant the league gives them. These funds are part of the pool of money the league receives from broadcast rights as well as commercial partnerships. But even this is never enough to cover all the costs of running a club, such as players' salaries, leasing venues (most of the sides do not own stadiums), ensuring ample security during home games and travel and accommodation costs when playing away. Alarming situation PSL chairperson Irvin Khoza has expressed sympathy for club owners in the past, saying those who are not backed by sponsors or do not have deep pockets face a 'painful' reality. 'The value of our business is built in the all-important value of sacrifice. Ours is a puny business, where those that shoulder the burden of ownership take all the risks yet receive the least of the benefit and spoils, if there are any left,' said Khoza. In spite of growth in South African soccer, every so often there are reports of a team struggling to pay its players or being on the brink of being sold. The way this unfolds is cause for concern. Teams that do not want to earn promotion to the top-flight league by putting in shifts on the field buy their way into it through these struggling teams. The well-documented financial struggles of teams in the Premiership mean there will always be a market for this backdoor 'promotion' to the top division. Khoza has said he would prefer that it did not happen, or that a club keeps its name and remains in the same location in the event its ownership changes. The PSL, though, does not have any written guidelines in this regard. Instead, it adopts a free market economy stance. This is why teams such as Bloemfontein Celtic and Wits are no longer at the forefront of local soccer despite boasting a combined history of more than a century before they disappeared into thin air. Merry-go-round To make matters worse, both the teams that bought Wits and Celtic's premier-division status are no longer in the Premiership. Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM), who were in the second tier at the time, replaced a cash-strapped Wits in 2020. They did not last long in the premier division, turning the league into a circus with a number of regrettable incidents, including players going on strike over unpaid salaries. Midway through the 2020/21 season TTM were sold to businessperson and pharmacist Abram Sello, who changed the team's name to Marumo Gallants before the new season. In another twist, Gallants were then relegated from the Premiership in 2023, falling to the Championship. They came back ahead of the current season – again via the backdoor as the financial struggles of Moroka Swallows gave Sello the perfect opportunity to buy his way into the Premiership again. 'Why do we buy the status instead of working hard? It's a very ugly question and easy to answer. Football has got rules, the PSL has got rules, and there is no way you are going to cross the bridge without following those laws and rules,' said Sello, defending his modus operandi. 'If the spirit has been killed, many clubs did that, but it is within the framework of the law in South Africa. They [teams who have bought their way up] have never killed any spirit. Marumo Gallants will not kill any spirit when what we are doing is within the framework of the PSL and governance. If what we are doing is stepping on anyone's toes, we apologise, but we are not doing anything illegal,' said Sello. Teams such as AmaZulu have also bought the status of top-flight teams after failing to earn promotion from the Championship. Usuthu replaced Thanda Royal Zulu in the Premiership in 2017, and Mpumalanga Black Aces relinquished their status to Cape Town City the year before. TS Galaxy bought Highlands Park's status in 2020, and Celtic's went to Royal AM in 2021. Royal's four-year stay in the league was even more controversial than TTM's brief stint. The club was slapped with two transfer bans by world governing body Fifa, and it was recently expelled from the PSL after it was seized by the South African Revenue Service for tax-related transgressions by its owner, Shauwn Mkhize. Followers of soccer in the country argue that the sale of a club's status, which also allows the new owners to relocate the club they buy, diminishes the integrity of the game in South Africa and the prestige and historical significance of it. However, according to Khoza, the league's hands are tied and not much can be done when a club is insolvent and needs to be sold. Now SuperSport United, one of the most successful clubs in the PSL era, with three league titles, may become the latest to cease to exist. It is owned by pay TV channel SuperSport, a subsidiary of MultiChoice, which has been shedding subscribers to its DStv packages. SuperSport United have denied the reports, insisting that they are focused on finishing the season strongly. Considering the contributions the club has made to South African soccer since it was bought in 1994, including producing some of the country's best players, it would be a shame if SuperSport United end up leaving the Premiership. Even if it means Celtic make a comeback. DM This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.
