Day: June 22, 2022

Transport Minister Mbalula to inspect the progress on N12 National Roads in Wolmaransstad

The Minister of Transport, Mr Fikile Mbalula, will visit Wolmaransstad in the North West Province to inspect the progress on N12 National Roads through Wolmaransstad, Klerksdorp and Potchefstroom under the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality.

Earlier this year on 11 March, the Minister visited the town of Wolmaransstad to inspect the pothole-riddled N12 national road. This part of the road was under the provincial government, and the National Department of Transport put it under the South African National Roads SOC Limited (SANRAL) for the necessary and immediate fixing.

SANRAL deployed construction teams and specialists to attend to the matter as quickly as possible following the Minister’s call. About R45 million was set aside to maintain the road.

This will be the Minister’s second visit to the region to report on progress regarding commitments made after the Presidential Imbizo held in Mahikeng – for the National Department of Transport and SANRAL to fix some of the roads in consultation with the province.

Members of the media are invited to attend. The Minister of Transport and SANRAL’s Regional Manager will take media interviews on-site.

Source: Government of South Africa

Statement by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the handover of the final Part of State Capture Commission Report, The Union Buildings, Pretoria

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo,

Minister in the Presidency, Mr Mondli Gungubele,

Secretary of the Commission, Prof Itumeleng Mosala,

Director-General in the Presidency, Ms Phindile Baleni,

Colleagues,

Members of the media,

Fellow South Africans,

Today we receive and publicly release the final part of the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector.

The Commission was appointed to investigate the corruption that took place during the state capture era.

State capture was an assault on our democracy and violated the rights of every man, woman and child in this country.

Through the various reports released by the Commission, we have come to understand what happened, who was involved, and what effect state capture has had on our state, our economy and our society.

Close on six years have passed since former Public Protector Adv Thuli Madonsela released her ‘State of Capture’ report.

The State of Capture report presented evidence of the abuse of power and of how public institutions were repurposed to enable corrupt activities to take place.

Recognising that this evidence required far more extensive investigation, Adv Madonsela included among the remedial action in her report that a judicial commission of inquiry be established to investigate state capture.

The formal handover today of this final report represents the fulfilment of the remedial action set out in the State of Capture report.

The work of this Commission is a vital part of our effort to deal with state capture.

The report is far more than a record of widespread corruption, fraud and abuse; it is also an instrument through which the country can work to ensure that such events are never allowed to happen again.

As a nation, we owe a great debt of gratitude to the Chairperson of the Commission, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, for the monumental task that he and the evidence leaders, the investigators, the lawyers and the researchers have all undertaken over these past four years in the service of their country.

I also wish to thank the Secretary of the Commission Prof Itumeleng Mosala and the other Commission staff for the valuable contribution they have made to the national effort to confront state capture.

I wish to thank the many people who gave evidence before the Commission, and to the whistle-blowers, academics, investigators and journalists whose work contributed to uncovering many of the matters before the Commission.

I wish to acknowledge the critical contribution of Adv Thuli Madonsela, whose courageous and unflinching investigation set in motion the process to uncover these misdeeds.

The submission of the final report today brings to an end the work of the Commission and marks the fulfilment of the weighty mandate given to Chief Justice Zondo in January 2018.

In line with the directive of the High Court, within four months from this date, I will formally present to Parliament the full report of the Commission together with an indication of my intentions on the implementation of the Commission’s recommendations.

We have arranged for the administrative work needed to secure the archive of the work done by the Commission, and ensure relevant institutions have access to the extensive evidence it has collected.

This final report will be available tonight for download on the Presidency website, as was the case with the previous reports.

This report provides us with the opportunity to make a decisive break with the era of state capture.

I call on you, one and all, to support the measures that all the structures of state will take to return our country to the path of integrity, transformation and progress.

I thank you

Source: Government of South Africa

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA — Ethiopia is refuting reports of a fuel shortage in the embattled Tigray region.

A European Union official visited Tigray this week, and on Tuesday said a lack of fuel is preventing delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid. However, a spokeswoman for Ethiopia’s prime minister told VOA that the idea of a fuel shortage in Tigray is a myth.

European Union Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic said Tigrayans have suffered enough due to a continuous aid blockade.

He said at a news conference in Addis Ababa on Tuesday that the number of trucks bringing food to the regional capital, Mekelle, has almost reached the level necessary to cover the basic humanitarian needs of the people of Tigray.

However, he said the aid effort needs more fuel so that humanitarian workers can deliver assistance to all in need.

“There’s need to lift restrictions, especially on the provision of fuel. More fuel is needed because without it, even this food assistance that comes to Mekelle cannot reach rural areas where the needs are highest,” Lenarcic said. “So now we have a situation, where humanitarian houses in Mekelle are full, but the people out there in the countryside are still hungry.”

The conflict that began in November 2020 between the Ethiopian federal government and the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front has forced thousands to the brink of famine and left millions more in need of food aid.

Lenarcic also urged Prime Minister Ahmed Abiy’s government to lift financial restrictions he said are hampering the provision of basic services, such as payment of salaries to humanitarian workers and hospital employees who have gone without pay for one year.

“I fail to see the military rationale being the blockade of electricity, banking services,” Lenarcic said. “On the contrary, we believe that these services should be restored without delay, because they are primarily destined to the civilian use, and the lack of these services aggravates the humanitarian situation in that region.”

However, the Ethiopia federal government denies any blockades, especially on fuel.

A spokeswoman for Abiy, Billene Seyoum, said data available indicates that last week alone, three fuel tankers carrying over 137,500 liters of fuel arrived in Mekelle.

Seyoum said that, in total, more than 920,000 liters of fuel have been sent to the region since April.

“So, the myth of fuel shortage is a TPLF hidden agenda to enhance mobility of its army in preparation for another round of conflict. Hence, there are no fuel sanctions and such claims need to be reviewed with clarity on the reality,” Seyoum said.

On its Twitter account, the Tigray External Affairs Office insists the level of aid being allowed into Tigray does not meet the region’s needs. It says between April and early June, just over 770,000 liters of fuel have been allowed into Tigray.

In a text message to VOA, TPLF spokesperson Getachaw Reda accused the Abiy government of misrepresenting facts. He said the fuel shortage in Tigray is as vicious as creating unnecessary checkpoints or other obstacles aimed at hindering humanitarian access.

Source: Voice of America