Latest news with #R22
The Citizen
3 days ago
- Business
- The Citizen
Sassa slams fake ads targeting job seekers online
Sassa said it is aware of the fake job adverts circulating online and urged the public to rely only on its official website for accurate and verified information. The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) on Tuesday dismissed circulating job adverts on social media as false. The agency responded to a post on X (formerly Twitter) that falsely advertised positions for 'Finance Clerks 2025' and 'Grant Administrators (x21)', claiming salaries of R22 412 per month with no prior work experience required. Both posters directed applicants to a website not associated with Sassa or any government department. The posts listed locations such as Sassa's head office in Pretoria, as well as vague references to 'selected Sassa offices in South Africa'. Fake adverts Sassa said in a post that it is aware of the fake adverts online. For accurate Information, the agency urged the public to visit its official website. 'Please note that all official Sassa vacancies are advertised only through our official website and trusted government platforms,' it said. ALSO READ: Sassa June payments begin Tuesday: Here's what you need to know Another scam alert Last month, Postbank issued a stern warning to beneficiaries to be vigilant for scams targeting individuals who use black cards and Sassa gold cards. It said that fraudsters have been impersonating its officials and visiting beneficiaries at home to steal their cards and PINs. According to the bank, the scam reportedly involves criminals pretending to be Postbank employees, sometimes wearing branded clothing or arriving in marked vehicles, to deceive beneficiaries. Victims are reportedly told their cards need to be 'fixed' or risk losing future grant payments if they do not comply. 'Beneficiaries are then duped into handing over their Postbank grant cards and PIN information,' Postbank said. No home visits Postbank reminded beneficiaries that it does not conduct unsolicited home visits. 'Postbank will never visit your home unless you have requested that through the necessary home visits channels,' it said. It also stressed that 'Postbank will never ask you for your card PIN as that is against banking rules.' Beneficiaries are advised not to share their PINs, even with someone claiming to be a Postbank official. NOW READ: Sassa scam alert: 'Postbank will never ask you for your card PIN'
IOL News
29-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Cape Town Budget: Reduced tariffs, more pensioner relief, R40bn infrastructure
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis announces major tariff cuts and confirms the City's R40 billion infrastructure commitment during the tabling of the amended 2025/26 "Invested in Hope" budget . Image: Henk Kruger / Independent Newspapers Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has tabled major changes to the City's 2025/26 "Invested in Hope" budget, slashing proposed tariffs to ease the burden on ratepayers, while maintaining an ambitious infrastructure investment plan valued at R40 billion. Hill-Lewis said that these additional measures will complement the existing wide-ranging relief already contained in this budget He confirmed that the relief will 'bring meaningful relief to more homes, with bills lowering by up to 35% compared to the March budget for households under R7 million in value.' Responding to feedback from Capetonians, the mayor said the amended budget will result in 'meaningfully lower increases to bills' compared to the version tabled in March. 'We have listened carefully to ratepayers in higher value properties,' Hill-Lewis said. 'And do agree that not everyone in higher value homes is wealthy or cash-flush.' The city has extended the rates-free benefit from R5 million to R7 million in property value and raised the qualifying income threshold for pensioner rebates from R22,000 to R27,000 per month. 'A pensioner rebate for City-Wide Cleaning has also been included, which will offer up to 100% off this charge,' he announced. Homes valued at R1.2 million will see up to 15% lower monthly bills, while those between R5 million and R7 million could see reductions of up to 40%. According to the mayor, 'the relief will be even greater' for pensioners. Yet despite this extensive relief, the City is not backing down on infrastructure. 'We cannot cut or re-phase this City's infrastructure budget. There are no luxury or optional major infrastructure projects in this budget that are not urgently needed,' Hill-Lewis said. He added that 75% of the R40 billion budget 'will directly benefit lower-income households.' 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. 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Next Stay Close ✕ Projects include upgrades to wastewater plants, sewer and water pipe replacements, new water sources, and the ongoing MyCiTi expansion from Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain to Wynberg and Constantia. 'These are just some of the reasons why we must keep intact our South African-record R40bn infrastructure budget,' he said. Fixed charges will remain part of the system to ensure financial sustainability. 'Many costs are fixed in nature, pipelines, trucks, chemicals, cables, staff to service it all,' Hill-Lewis explained. 'These costs remain no matter how much people consume, and so fixed costs must be met with a portion of fixed revenue.' He stressed the importance of fairness in how the city funds services. 'We cannot sustainably run a city where a R50 million household makes the same fixed contribution to water and sanitation infrastructure as a R500,000 household. Let's call that what it is, regressive taxation, and we oppose it.' On electricity pricing, Hill-Lewis confirmed that from July, the per-unit charge will decrease. 'This is made possible by discontinuing the 10% cost embedded in electricity prices that previously paid for city-wide cleaning.' Hill-Lewis dismissed reports of skyrocketing increases, stating, '97% of ratepayers won't experience the often-repeated +20% increase in monthly bills, and virtually no one will experience a 30% increase on any reasonable household consumption scenario, let alone the fabled 40% of a recent clickbait report.' He concluded by reaffirming the City's long-term vision: 'We are well on the path of raised infrastructure investment, together with ratepayers whom we most warmly thank for their contributions, we are truly on the path to building a city of hope for all.' IOL News Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
Eyewitness News
29-05-2025
- Business
- Eyewitness News
City of Cape Town introduces 'relief measures' after uproar over hikes
CAPE TOWN - Capetonians have until June 13 to share their input on the City's draft budget for 2025/26. The City of Cape Town has tabled expanded rates relief measures and other changes to the proposed 'Invested in Hope' budget. Compared to the March tabled draft budget, the city is extending the first R450,000 rates-free benefit to all homes up from R5 million to R7 million property valuation. Pensioners will also benefit from a discount in municipal rates by raising the upper qualifying limit from R22,000 to R27,000 monthly household income. Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis highlighted some of the other amendments made to the March draft budget. "We are significantly reducing city-wide cleaning charges for all residential properties under R20 million in value compared to the tabled March budget. We are also including a pensioner rebate for the city-wide cleaning tariff for the first time. We are also reducing the fixed water charges for property value bands between R1 million and R25 million," said Hill-Lewis. He added that the changes were made after studying inputs from concerned Capetonians. "It is most welcomed that the city and the public have had an honest conversation about the direction of the Mother City, which we are working here to build into a city of hope for all. Today's amendments include measures to reduce some of the tariff proposals made in March and further extend Cape Town's social relief net to even more homes and families," said Hill-Lewis.
The Citizen
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Sars official testifies against company linked to blue lights corruption case
The accused are facing charges of fraud and contravention of the Tax Administration Act, involving an estimated R19 million. The high-profile South African Revenue Services (Sars) tax fraud trial involving businessman Vimpie Phineas Manthata, his company Instrumentation for Traffic Law Enforcement, and co-accused Judy Rose, resumed in the Palm Ridge Magistrate's Court on Thursday. The matter was postponed on Wednesday for further trial. Blue lights corruption trial The trial started on Monday, with the state leading its evidence in chief through a senior official from Sars. The second witness from Sars took a stand prior to the adjournment and is expected back in court to be cross-examined by the defence attorney. Charges Manthata is facing charges of fraud and contravention of the Tax Administration Act, during the 2018/2019 tax assessment period, to which an amount of approximately R19 million is involved. He is charged along with his company, Instrumentation for Traffic Law Enforcement and Rose, who is employed as a bookkeeper in the company. ALSO READ: Court dismisses application by 'blue lights' corruption accused to bar media coverage Saps fraud Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) spokesperson Henry Mamothame said the accused are also facing corruption charges in a separate corruption case relating to an alleged irregular contract within the South African Police Service (Saps), valued at approximately R191 million. A further payment of R22 million was stopped as a result of the investigation into the matter by the ID and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid). 'Manthata and Rose are out on R10 000 bail each,' Mamothame said. Denel corruption In a separate matter, two former Denel senior officials have been given time to study the docket before their next appearance in court for corruption Former Denel Board of Directors Chairperson, Lungisani Daniel Mantsha, and his co-accused Zwelakhe Nhlanganiso Ntshepe, a former Group Chief Executive Officer, appeared in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crime Court last week. Mamothame said the matter was postponed to 30 July 2025. 'The case was postponed for them to familiarise themselves with the contents of the docket and compare it to the docket disclosures provided by the state in a USB, to that of the original docket, prior to the start of the trial. 'Their R30 000 bail was extended and they are expected back in court when the matter resumes,' Mamothame said. ALSO READ: Ex-Denel chairperson, former CEO to study docket of corruption
The South African
22-05-2025
- Business
- The South African
Major SA retail group introduces fully RECYCLABLE potato bags
These eco-friendly potato bags are available at over 1 400 Shoprite, Checkers, and Usave stores across the country, marking a significant step toward reducing packaging waste. Traditional potato bags have long posed a recycling challenge. Although they resemble paper, they contain a moisture-resistant inner lining that couldn't be processed by South Africa's recycling facilities. As a result, an estimated 18 600 tonnes of potato bags ended up in landfills in 2023 alone. Worse yet, according to studies by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the cost to build a recycling plant specifically for this type of material was estimated at R30 million. The turning point came from an in-house leadership development programme run by the Shoprite Group in collaboration with the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS). Through and Action Learning Project, five employees took on the challenge of finding a sustainable alternative. 'What appeared to be a straightforward task quickly revealed deep supply chain complexity,' the Shoprite Group said. 'Potato bags require an inner wet-strength layer to absorb any moisture – a specification set by industry body, Potato SA – which made them incompatible with standard recycling processes.' Over six months, the team mapped the entire production and recycling chain, engaging with stakeholders across the board – including packaging manufacturers, recyclers, and even waste pickers. After evaluating numerous alternatives, including international options and even potential reuse in construction, the team found none were viable for the local market. The breakthrough came when Billerud, a Swedish paper supplier and one of the country's top three providers of potato bag material, learned of the project. The company developed a new semi-wet-strength paper that is fully recyclable using South Africa's existing infrastructure. Although the first attempt failed, a revised version met all technical and recyclability requirements. This new recyclable potato bag has also passed shelf-life tests. As a result of this innovation, the Shoprite Group's recyclable, reusable or compostable packaging on the whole will increase from 88.9% to 90%. 'Beyond environmental benefits, the change also creates economic opportunity,' the Group added. 'If adopted industry-wide, the new bag could unlock more than R22 million in potential income for South Africa's informal waste pickers.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
