Latest news with #TR
IOL News
28-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Gauteng High Court rules against controversial CaseLines tender
The Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, overturned the controversial tender of the Office of the Chief Justice relating to its online case filing system. Image: Jacques Naude / Independent Newspapers The Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, has overturned the tender awarded by the Office of the Chief Justice regarding the procurement of the online CaseLines project, following the subcontract which was earlier awarded to three senior OCJ officials who had, meanwhile, resigned. The matter involved the award of a departmental tender to a company, Thomson Reuters (Professional) UK Ltd (TR), which had subcontracted to a local company whose shareholders were the three senior OCJ officials. The OCJ lodged the self-review application after it emerged that some OCJ officials who were involved in various stages of the procurement process that led to the appointment of TR as the preferred supplier of CaseLines, stood to benefit from the contract as subcontractors to TR. Meanwhile, the court this week declared the tender to be inconsistent with the Constitution, unlawful, and invalid. 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 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. Next Stay Close ✕ The interim contract between the OCJ and TR, made by an order of court in August 2023, remains effective, pending the conclusion and coming into effect of a new contract for the provision of CaseLines between OCJ and TR. The OCJ's procurement of the CaseLines software, licences, resources, support, and maintenance from TR for the implementation of the Court Online solution was, meanwhile, declared to be a sole-source service provision. In a statement issued by the OCJ, it welcomed the ruling and said the order vindicated the justice office's longstanding opposition to the impugned contract and reaffirmed the organisation's zero tolerance of fraud and corruption. 'The department looks forward to putting in place a lawful and valid contract for CaseLines in fulfilment of its mandate to provide support to the judicial system by rendering effective and efficient court administration services,' the OCJ said. The court online system, where all matters before the court are filed electronically, is currently in use in Gauteng, and it is due to be rolled out to other provinces. A procurement process was initiated in 2021 for the evidence management part of the court online system. Following a sole-source procurement process, the OCJ awarded a contract to Thomson Reuters to provide software, licences, resources, support, and maintenance for 60 months, commencing in April 2022. The OCJ later noted that the three directors involved in the tender were its employees. By then, the three directors had already submitted their resignation letters to the OCJ and were serving their notice period. Their subcontract between their company, ZA Square Consulting, and TR has, meanwhile, been cancelled. The three former employees are Nicolaas Coetzer, Nkosikhona Mncube, and Yvonne van Niekerk.
IOL News
25-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Gauteng High Court to review OCJ tender amid procurement irregularities
The Gauteng High Court, Pretoria will this week hear an application by the Office of the Chief Justice for a self review regarding a tender issued for its online court system. Image: Jacques Naude / Independent Newspapers While the Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) will on Tuesday turn to the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria for the self-review of a tender awarded by its office relating to procurement irregularities in the CaseLine project, three senior OCJ officials who had meanwhile resigned asked to intervene in the application. The matter involved the award of a departmental tender to a company - Thomson Reuters (Professional) UK Ltd (TR) - which had subcontracted to a local company whose shareholders were the three senior OCJ officials. The court online system - where all matters before court are filed electronically - is currently in use in Gauteng and it is due to be rolled out to other provinces. A procurement process was initiated during 2021 for the evidence management part of the court online system. Following a sole source procurement process, the OCJ awarded a contract to Thomson Reuters to provide software, licences, resources, and support and maintenance for a period of 60 months, commencing in April 2022. The OCJ later noted that the three directors involved in the tender were its employees. By then, the three directors had already served their resignation letters to the OCJ and were serving their notice period. Their subcontract between their company ZA Square Consulting and TR has meanwhile been cancelled. The OCJ initiated an application for self-review of the tender awarded to TR. The OCJ, through its then Secretary General, also filed an affidavit in which certain allegations and concerns about the role of the now three former employees - Nicolaas Coetzer, Nkosikhona Mncube, and Yvonne van Niekerk - were raised. The three now asked to be joined in this week's application. They do not oppose the setting aside of the main tender, but they say there are allegations being made in the OCJ's court papers regarding them stemming from the time when they still worked for this office. They maintained that these allegations are defamatory of them and done purely to bring them into disrepute and to harm their future commercial prospects. Thus, they argued, they should be part of the main application so that they could defend themselves. Judge Anthony Millar, however, said to his mind, the main review proceedings will be decided based on the record of the proceedings which are under review. 'Their position is no different from any past employee of any institution whose conduct while employed is to be considered. The right to dignity is not in issue. Either the grounds of review premised on the conduct of the applicants have merit or they do not. The application to intervene lacks any merit and must be refused.' But this is not the end of the matter, the judge said, as Coetzer in his affidavit called into question the honesty and integrity of the Secretary General of the OCJ, who had deposed to the affidavits on its behalf in the review proceedings. The OCJ called these allegations 'scandalous and vexatious,' and Judge Millar chose not to repeat the allegations in his judgment.
Time of India
19-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Kaziranga becomes 3rd most visited national park with 35% tourist surge
Guwahati: and Tiger Reserve (KNP&TR) has emerged as India's third most visited national park, behind only Periyar (Kerala) and Ranthambore (Rajasthan). The park recorded 443,636 visitors from Oct 1 last year to May 18, marking a 35% overall increase and a 25% rise in foreign tourists. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Field director Sonali Ghosh attributed this surge to high-profile visits by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, and over 60 Heads of Mission accompanied by external affairs minister S Jaishankar. She highlighted the significant 18,463 foreign visitors as evidence of Kaziranga's growing reputation as a symbol of conservation and premier destination for wildlife enthusiasts. "Kaziranga's tourism boom stems from diverse activities, improved infrastructure, high-profile visits, strategic marketing, successful conservation efforts, economic benefits, and the park's natural appeal," Ghosh said. Infrastructure upgrades including better roads, eco-friendly accommodations, and enhanced visitor amenities have made the park more accessible, she said. Under chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's leadership, Kaziranga has established itself among global tourism destinations, she added, saying, "The Assam govt has prioritised and incentivised electric safari vehicles in its recent budget." Aggressive marketing campaigns and govt-led initiatives have promoted Kaziranga as a premier destination, she said, adding that hosting major events such as the International Tourism Mart from Nov 26 to 29 last year also increased its global appeal. The park's successful conservation of the one-horned rhinoceros continues to attract wildlife enthusiasts while stimulating the local economy through job creation in hospitality, transport, and handicrafts sectors. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now She highlighted that proactive efforts have promoted off-beat tourism in buffer areas: "From cycling at Laokhowa during silk-cotton tree blooms to boat safaris across the Brahmaputra and specialised birding trails, we've focused on wellness and outdoor experiences." "A key initiative was establishing eco-shops operated by the Kaziranga Staff Welfare Society, providing markets for eco-friendly products from local Eco Development Committees," she added. The park closes for tourists from Monday until the next tourism season.
7NEWS
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- 7NEWS
Oscar Piastri and McLaren officially cleared of wrongdoing following investigation car's brake system
Formula One's governing body has concluded its investigation into gun Australian driver Oscar Piastri and his high-flying McLaren car. The Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) issued a statement on Friday, clearing the team of wrongdoing following an 'extensive physical inspection' of the car. The inspection came after McLaren's impressive 1-2 quinella at the recent Miami Grand Prix, where Piastri and his teammate Lando Norris dominated. It also follows a lot of noise from Red Bull boss Christian Horner who has repeatedly aired suspicions about McLaren's rear brake design. The 24-year-old Melburnian is currently the series leader this season after winning four of the opening six races. But Horner has been suggesting McLaren are using a secret and illegal cooling system on the rear brake drum. However, the FIA found no evidence to support those allegations. 'After the race in Miami, car No. 81 (Piastri) was randomly chosen among the 10 cars for more extensive physical inspections,' the FIA said. 'Subject to these physical inspections were the wheel bodywork assemblies. 'The following checks were carried out on all corners: The compliance of all components with TR Article 3.13. Physical checks for compliance with TR Article 11.5 on all four corners. 'All inspected components were found to be in conformance with the 2025 Formula One Technical Regulations.' It is the second time the FIA have looked at Piastri's McLaren and ticked off the car. The car was also reviewed at last year's Singapore Grand Prix. Horner first questioned McLaren's brakes last year. He again hinted that the rival team was up to something after Piastri and Norris both went past pole-sitter Max Verstappen in Miami. Red Bull's Verstappen gave up his lead on lap 13 after braking too late at the first corner, losing more ground to Norris five laps later. Verstappen could only lament his luck on the team radio: 'F*** brakes, man. Honestly useless,' he was heard saying.
Bloomberg
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
X Blocks Jailed Turkish Mayor's Account After Protests
Social media platform X blocked the account of jailed Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a rival to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan whose detention sparked nationwide protests, following a court order. Users visiting the page from Turkey on Thursday morning saw only a message that said the account 'has been withheld in TR in response to a legal demand,' without elaborating. Imamoglu's English-language account remained accessible as of 10:30 a.m. Istanbul time.
