Latest news with #R204
The Citizen
22-07-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Corruption claims lives and sparks protest in Ekurhuleni
The suspected assassination of a corruption buster has reignited protests and public outrage in Ekurhuleni. City of Ekurhuleni forensic audit head Mpho Mafole was shot and killed on the R23 highway near Esselen Park. Picture: Facebook On Monday, 30 June, City of Ekurhuleni forensic audit head Mpho Mafole was shot and killed on the R23 highway near Esselen Park. It did not take long before his death was labelled an assassination. Rumour has it that the forensic investigator had discovered what caused a R2 billion shortfall in the city's budget. In fact, it was not what, but who was responsible for the shortfall because of their illegal actions of deleting electricity charges on just over 1 600 municipal accounts. And for identifying the culprits, he was killed. The South African Federation of Trade Unions did not beat about the bush in describing Mafole's death an assassination: 'Mpho Mafole was assassinated. This was no robbery or random act of violence.' Ekurhuleni's biggest township, Tembisa, mobilised for a shutdown of the area yesterday. ALSO READ: Ekurhuleni mayor to suspend electricity tariff hike after protests in Thembisa The reason for the protest? An electricity surcharge ranging from R110 to R204 per month for all households and businesses in the municipality – except for indigent households. Is there a link between the R2 billion budget shortfall that led to the suspected assassination of the auditor and the introduction of the electricity surcharge? No-one has officially made that link, but it does not take a rocket scientist to connect those dots. The last time Tembisa went on what was then called a total shutdown, it resulted in severe destruction of municipal properties and infrastructure. There was even a change in leadership at mayoral level because the then DA mayor Tania Campbell was accused of responding too slowly to the frustrations of residents, especially with regards to electricity tariffs. ALSO READ: Thembisa protest turns violent: Ekurhuleni mayor calls urgent meeting as residents and police clash Some of the municipal buildings and infrastructure that was burnt down because of those protests has not even been repaired and the city is back in the same standoff. There is a reason a lot of people accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of being his usual self in appointing a commission of inquiry to investigate the alleged corruption in the ranks of the South African Police Service. His usual self in that he wants a prolonged investigation, which is preceded by a period of inaction such as the one the country is in right now as it awaits the finalisation of the terms of reference for Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga to begin his investigations and, even then, the outcome isn't guaranteed to root out corruption. There is nothing more dire and more pressing than the assassination of the lead corruption buster in a metropolitan municipality. If Ramaphosa and his Cabinet are serious about fighting corruption, a R2 billion shortfall that results in the assassination of a top government official should warrant a response so immediate and severe that the country is left in no doubt about the seriousness of government in fighting corruption. Residents can be blamed for using violence in ensuring that they are heard, but the truth is the people with all the power in the equation are those in charge. ALSO READ: Soccer star's 'special treatment' after deadly crash concerns grieving mom [VIDEO] The shortfall in the budget – due to corrupt officials writing off electricity bills on accounts – is within the control of government. Passing that on to residents as a surcharge is not only disingenuous, but it also simply gives criminals behind government desks the right to continue with their corrupt acts. It is only when there are direct responses to the deaths of people like Mafole and Babita Deokaran that those who continue to loot government funds will think twice before doing it. Justice for residents isn't only when killers are convicted, it is ensuring that they do not suffer for the corruption of government officials.
TimesLIVE
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
FIA reduces penalty for swearing after driver backlash
The maximum penalties for drivers swearing has been reduced by 50% while stewards will also be given more discretion on deciding penalties, the governing FIA said on Wednesday. Competitors in Formula One and rallying have been at loggerheads with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem over a crackdown on bad language during events. Ben Sulayem said last month that he was considering 'improvements' to rules. World championship rally drivers had made a breakthrough in April when they reached a compromise to divide events into a controlled zone and an uncontrolled one, with the change now being implemented across all events sanctioned by the FIA. The FIA said the base maximum penalty has been reduced from €10,000 (R204,466) to €5,000 (R102,232) while stewards will have the option to fully suspend a penalty if it is the first offence by a driver or a team. Moreover, stewards will be able to differentiate between 'controlled and non-controlled environments'. Controlled environments include press conferences while tracks or rally stages are uncontrolled environments. 'As a former rally driver, I know first-hand the range of emotions that are faced during competition,' said Ben Sulayem, who is up for re-election at the end of the year. 'I have led an extensive and collaborative review with contributions from across the seven FIA world championships, FIA member clubs and other motor sports organisations. 'The improvements the FIA announced today to Appendix B will ensure we continue to promote the best of sportsmanship in motorsport, while also giving stewards effective guidelines to act against individuals who may bring the sport into disrepute.' Appendix B covers stewards' penalty guidelines, setting out punishments for misconduct including words, deeds or writings that might have caused moral injury to the FIA or motorsport in general. Mitigating circumstances will also be considered while the abuse of officials will now result in sporting penalties instead of fines. Formula One Stewards chair Garry Connelly said the new changes would give stewards guidance to 'differentiate between on- and off-track issues'. 'Drivers are looked up to as role models by young fans and are rightly seen as ambassadors for the wider world of motorsport,' said Ronan Morgan, president of the Drivers' Committee. 'How they act really does matter but it is important to recognise that there is a difference between what is said during a race and in a press conference.' Last season, Red Bull's triple world champion Max Verstappen was punished for his language in a press conference at the Singapore Grand Prix in September.
Zawya
30-01-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Stats SA updates its inflation basket
Stats SA has updated its consumer inflation basket for the first time since 2022, including items like rosé wine, air fryers and streaming services to reflect changes in spending habits. Patrick Kelly, head of price statistics at Statistics South Africa, said it was difficult to gauge what impact the update would have on upcoming inflation releases given subtle shifts in the weighting of some items. Consumer inflation currently sits at the bottom of the central bank's target range, which has allowed it to cut interest rates at its last two meetings. Another rate cut is expected this week. The update involved adding 71 products to the basket, removing 53 and reorganising 29 through merging, splitting or reclassification, the statistics agency said on Tuesday, 28 January 2025. There are now 391 items in the basket, down from 396 previously. Housing and utilities, food and non-alcoholic beverages, and transport continue to have the biggest weightings in the basket. Statistics South Africa's Kelly said the weight of the food and non-alcoholic beverages category had risen while it had fallen for housing and utilities, suggesting the overall impact on headline inflation was likely to be muted. The changes were informed by the results of a 2022/23 household income and expenditure survey. The survey showed real average annual household income fell to about R204,000 in 2023 from R206,000 in 2015. It also highlighted persistent racial disparities more than three decades after apartheid ended, with more than 45% of Black African households spending less than around R25,000 annually, showing they experience the worst financial constraints. All rights reserved. © 2022. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
