Latest news with #R400
The Citizen
3 days ago
- The Citizen
EMPD arrests two for drug offences in Tsakani
EMPD arrests two for drug offences in Tsakani Tsakani – The EMPD Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) apprehended two men in separate incidents for drug-related offences in Tsakani on July 9. According to Zweli Dlamini, the CoE spokesperson, officers on patrol witnessed the deal take place and pounced on a 43-year-old man. 'He was arrested and charged with dealing in drugs. The officers confiscated the illicit substances, estimated to have a street value of R400. 'In a separate incident, officers followed up on information about a drug peddler operating at the Tsakane Shopping Centre. On arrival, they caught the 26-year-old man with an illicit substance with an estimated street value of R200,' explained Dlamini. 'His stash was seized, and he was charged with possession of drugs.' Both suspects were detained at the Tsakane Police Station and will soon appear in the Tsakane Magistrate's Court. ALSO READ: EMPD nabs man in Tsakani for skipping court after firearm charge ALSO READ: Suspect caught with 4.4kg of dagga in Tsakani following police tip-off At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
4 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
City spends R28 million on foreign national accommodation as eviction plans unfold
Foreign nationals inside Wingfield tent. Image: Ian Landsberg Documents citing the eviction of foreign nationals from Wingfield Tent in Kensington and Paint the City in Bellville have revealed that its upkeep has cost state organs, including the City and the Department of Home Affairs, R28 million in maintenance since its inception. In an affidavit by Cape Town mayor, Geordin Hill Lewis, revealed that it cost the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and other government departments over R400 000 per month for the running cost of Wingfield Tent and over R240 000 per month for Paint the City. In the court documents shared with Cape Argus, spreadsheets, including the eviction application, details of the foreign nationals' places of residency and other particulars were clarified. 'I attach hereto FA23' an excel spreadsheet. Demonstrating the total costs that have been incurred by the DHA to date. As appears therefrom an amount of approximately R28 m has been expended by the state in accommodating the respondents,' said Hill-Lewis via his affidavit. 'The City sourced, supplied and initially paid for the rental of the tent at the Wingfield site. This was done on an expedited and urgent basis during April 2020. 'The City thereafter received a negative audit finding by the Auditor General regarding its expenditure to its expenditure at Wingfield. The expenditure was objectionable for two reasons.. 'To date an amount of over R15 million has been expended by the DHA on the cost of Wingfield alone. The current monthly spend at Wingfield is at least R424 905.00.' He suggested that rental for the Wingfield tent was R356 500.00, mobile toilets R31 500 and generator and fuel cost 36 905.00. Hill-Lewis said in Paint the City, the rental of the tent was R221 829.90 per month and mobile toilets and cleaning cost R26 946 60. 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 ✕ 'I am advised by the DHA that to date an amount of R7 million has been expended by the DHA on the costs of Paint City property and which amount continues to increase by at least R248 773.70 per month,' he stated The City in collaboration with the City, Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson and Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber made an eviction application for the occupants of the tents. According to the documents, respondents (the occupants), are to be evicted within 30 days of the court's order and if they do not vacate, the Sheriff and police will be authorized to remove them and any structures they occupy. The responding parties have fifteen days to file answering affidavits after notifying their intention to oppose and failure to respond will result in the application being granted without opposition on October 8. The documents further outline that Paint the City has 340 individuals whose gender distribution are predominantly male and female individuals, with nationalities primarily from Burundi, Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the site currently has 150 documented and 190 undocumented. Paint City measures approximately 29,000 m² and has a marquee tent of 960 m² while Wingfield measures 133,616 m² and has a marquee tent of 2,000 m² and both properties were initially used for emergency accommodation during the COVID-19 lockdown. The court document cites that the occupation has led to illegal taxi ranks and other unauthorised structures around the properties. Approximately 160 individuals occupy the Wingfield site, while around 200 are at Paint City and the living conditions are poor, with issues related to hygiene and safe. Earlier this month, the refugees said the plans to evict them were against their human rights and that they continued to live in squalor and that their tent was damaged, in what they believed was an attack. The DHA did not respond to Cape Argus queries. Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel. Cape Argus
The Citizen
13-07-2025
- The Citizen
Ward committee member, municipal driver nabbed for diesel theft in Umbumbulu
TWO men, a Ward 96 committee member and an eThekwini Municipality water tanker driver, were arrested in Sawpits, Umbumbulu, for allegedly siphoning diesel from a municipal water tanker recently. Also read: Man arrested for cable theft in Isipingo The arrests follow an investigation by the city's Integrity and Investigations Directorate, which had received several reports about municipal truck drivers offloading diesel at a private property in the area. The operation, led by the director of the unit, Jimmy Ngcobo, resulted in the discovery of multiple 25-litre containers filled with diesel at the scene. The fuel was allegedly being resold for R400 per container to a local truck owner. 'The culprits were found in a private house offloading diesel. It is clear that they have been frequenting this property. The containers were confiscated and handed over to the police for evidence,' said Ngcobo. A criminal case of diesel theft was opened at the Umbumbulu police station. The suspects, who also allegedly attempted to bribe officials with R50 000, have since appeared in court. Ngcobo commended the community for reporting the illegal activities. 'We are dealing with fraud and corruption activities, and we are in pursuit of other culprits. This is a clear misuse of municipal resources,' he said. He confirmed that the suspects had previously been under investigation for allegedly selling water directly from municipal tankers. The municipality has reiterated its zero-tolerance stance on the abuse of public resources and continues to clamp down on corruption within its structures. Members of the public are encouraged to report fraud and corruption by emailing [email protected] or by calling 0800 20 20 20. For more South Coast Sun news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and get news delivered straight to your inbox. Do you have more information pertaining to this story? Feel free to let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or you can contact our newsroom on 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
12-07-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Company paid R20m retention fee despite missing deadlines to complete Limpopo road for 3 years
It is likely that a further R15 million will need to be paid before the road is finished. The Roads Agency Limpopo (RAL), a subsidiary of the Limpopo department of public works, roads and infrastructure, is being investigated for paying a contractor a R20 million retention fee for a project that has missed completion deadlines for more than three years. RAL is responsible for the construction of roads in Limpopo. A retention fee is described as a percentage of the contract value, which is held by the employer as a security for the quality of the workmanship and material. It is usually paid months after the successful completion of a project. R20m paid despite missed deadlines Through its acting CEO, Makhitha Chesane, RAL confirmed that the R20 million payment was made to the company. He said forensic investigations are at an advanced stage. The money was allegedly paid to a company called Amawakawaka Projects. The company is said to have been contracted to convert a 29km road from gravel to tar in Sekgosese in the Greater Letaba local municipality, budgeted to cost R400 million. However, only R3.5 million is left, with two bridges and nearly 10km left to be tarred. ALSO READ: Roads Agency Limpopo probes irregular expenditure An expert in the construction industry, who asked to speak anonymously, said that for each 1km, the government must be prepared to pay about R15 million. Project manager says he's done nothing wrong The R20 million was allegedly paid to the company during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in the 2021-22 financial year. The road project starts in Morobeng and ends at Wholesale Plaza in the Sekgosese area. It was expected to be completed in August 2022, but the deadline was missed several times. The payment was allegedly facilitated by the project manager, Musa Ndlovu, and his principals at RAL. Ndlovu refused to comment, claiming that although he believes he has done nothing wrong, he would prefer to first give his reasons for signing off the payment to his bosses before speaking to the media. The payment remained undisclosed for three years and only came to light during a meeting of the Greater Letaba local municipality on Wednesday. ALSO READ: R100m budgeted to fix Limpopo roads In 2022, President Cyril Ramaphosa was shown the project by former premier Stan Mathabatha, RAL officials and ANC ward councillors. The former CEO, Gabriel Maluleke, resigned from RAL after a protracted court dispute with the agency. His employment contract officially ended on 31 December 2024, with RAL setting aside his dismissal and suspension. Mathabatha, who is now the Deputy Minister for Land Reform and Rural Development, promised Ramaphosa that the project was on track and would be completed before the August 2022 deadline. Investigation underway Asked for comment, RAL CEO Makhitha Chesane said he only became aware of the payment on 4 July 2025, when he was inspecting the site. Chesane said he had to report the matter to the MEC first. 'RAL cannot tolerate corruption. We are just waiting for the outcome of the forensic investigations to apply consequence management,' he said. At the project site, Premier Phophi Ramathuba confirmed that forensic investigations into the project were underway. She said the money paid to the contractor was part of the forensic investigations, launched by public works MEC Ernest Sebataolo Rachoene when he took over the department on 18 June 2024. ALSO READ: Work begins on rail link between Gauteng and Polokwane A few months after Rachuene joined the department, several RAL board members resigned. A new board was appointed months later. 'I have instructed MEC Rachuene and Chesane to investigate all the brouhaha taking place at the project. They must see if the relationship between the contractors and RAL is mendable or irreparable. If not, I give them only four weeks to appoint new contractors and new engineers to complete the project within a period of 12 months,' Ramathuba said.
The Citizen
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
#MandelaMonth: Ink for impact for Durban North baby home
A TATTOO shop on Mackeurtan Avenue is gearing up for a week of fundraising for The Baby Home Durban North. Fine Line Tattoo and Piercing co-owners Etienne Louw and Sheldon Shaw said that from Monday, July 14 to Friday, July 18 (Mandela Day) they will raise funds for the home by donating 80% of any line work tattoo booked on the day. 'We are passionate about giving back and since 2017 we've raised more than R100 000 for various charities. This year we decided to do it over a week rather than a specific day to give people more time to book. It is wonderful that this all coincides and ends on Mandela Day,' explained Louw. 'While we've decided what charity to support, this year we decided to put it out to the public to nominate a charity. We put up a post on our social media account and the very first, coincidentally, was from Cat van der Merwe, a former apprentice, who now runs the Wild Orchid Tattoo Studio. Also read: Make your 67 minutes count: Support these 5 Durban children's homes this Mandela Month 'She nominated the baby home and subsequently there were more votes for the Baby Home Durban North. She is also collaborating and raising funds out of her studio in Westville. What we've put out is that people can book any line work tattoo of their choice with a 3x3cm (R400), 5x5cm (R600) and 7x7cm (R800). You don't need to choose from a specific set. Eighty percent of the funds raised will go towards the baby home,' he said. Jo Teunissen, who runs The Baby Home Durban North, which provides love, care and a safe environment for vulnerable and abandoned babies, said she was blown away by the tattoo shop's generosity. 'We are so thrilled to have been chosen as this year's beneficiary. I actually met Cat at last year's Adoption Ball and it feels like we are doing something right to be nominated. This means so much to us and my entire family will be booking a spot to get inked. I encourage people to get involved and support this cause,' she said. To book a spot, contact them on 087 700 2695 or WhatsApp 064 934 2176. You can also email [email protected]. For more from Northglen News, follow us on Facebook , X or Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
