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CORRUPTION NEWS

The looters living it up from Prasa millions

Image: Ashraf Hendricks/GroundUp By Ra’eesa Pather and Qiqa Nkomo for Open SecretsFirst published on GroundUp This is the second in a series of articles on corruption in Prasa’s dealings with front company Swifambo Rail Leasing. It focuses on the activities of Makhensa Mabunda and Auswell Mashaba, the men who orchestrated the purchase of unusable locomotives Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

The European company that profited from corruption at Prasa

Image: Flickr/GovernmentZA By Ra’eesa Pather and Qiqa Nkomo for Open SecretsFirst published on GroundUp In 2012, a deal was struck that contributed to the near collapse of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa). The Swifambo deal for 70 locomotives led to billions of rands in losses for Prasa and accelerated the decline of Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

SIU authorised to investigate Home Affairs and PRASA

Source: Special Investigating Unit President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed two proclamations authorising the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to investigate allegations of serious maladministration in the affairs of Department of Home Affairs and Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA), and improper or unlawful conduct by officials or employees of the State entities, and to recover Read more >

LOCKDOWN LIFE

Corruption means no fresh water, no explanation

Guest Contributor I have decided to quarantine in Elandskraal Village in Limpopo and unfortunately, it has become my first encounter with inhumane and corrupt leadership. As I am sending this e-mail, the residents have not had water for over two weeks, and there is no transparency or communication from the local municipality to explain the Read more >

LOCKDOWN LIFE

Rebellious kids make the job harder

Guest contributor Ever since the start of the lockdown, the biggest challenge has been getting to work on days when we have to report for duty. Otherwise we spend our days off at home. Public transport is scarce and our employer did not make provision for staff, so we have had to find our own Read more >

LOCKDOWN LIFE

Challenges beyond the virus

Guest contributor I have been speaking to a lot of people, particularly those who have to go to work. Most are employed in areas deemed as epicentres of this pandemic like Sandton and Bedfordview. Most work at retail outlets or are security guards, and some work for private retirement villages. They are exposed to a Read more >

LOCKDOWN LIFE

Fear and uncertainty in mining communities

Guest contributor I have asked people in my community and some of our mining stakeholders to illustrate briefly, in five lines, how Covid-19 has impacted their professional and personal lives, or even their mental health and well-being.  I have received a few WhatsApps, voice notes, phone calls and emails – some more detailed that others. Read more >

LOCKDOWN LIFE

Covid-19 and a tale of two countries

Pearl Nicodemus It has been seven days [at the time of writing] into the 21-day nationwide lockdown announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa and the country seems to be steadying into the stringent conditions set out by government. With almost a million recorded cases globally, many countries have gone into a tailspin, putting measures in place Read more >

LOCKDOWN LIFE

Ordinary people are real heroes too

Guest contributor As I sit here pondering about recent events and my experiences, I can’t help but enjoy this silence. Before I learned the term ‘social distancing’, my neighbourhood was fairly busy and one could hear cars and motorbikes speeding down Beyers Naude drive until the early hours of the morning. These past few weeks Read more >