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IOL News
32 minutes ago
- IOL News
DA accuses Simelane of corruption during heated budget vote
Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane reminded the DA of its public representative, who was allegedly accused of murdering her sister, whom the party never suspended nor issued a press statement. Image: Hunk Kruger / Independent Newspapers Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane on Wednesday complained of being tried in public by the DA in order to degrade the work she was doing in government. Simelane maintained that she was not amazed by what was happening to her because a person stands in front of a judge when charged with an offence. 'I am undergoing a trial without being charged. You are trying me in public because you think this is the only way to degrade the work I am doing,' she said. Simelane responded to the DA's blistering attacks during the budget vote for her department. The DA, which had its former deputy minister, Andrew Whitfield, dismissed for taking a trip to the US without authorisation from President Cyril Ramaphosa, has vowed not to vote in support of the budgets of departments left by compromised ministers and deputy ministers. On Tuesday, the DA claimed that Simelane was under investigation after it laid charges with the SAPS for the alleged theft of more than R700,000 by fraudulently billing Eskom when she worked for a company named Vitrovian. Speaking during the debate, DA MP Luyolo Mphithi said the Human Settlements Department was saddled with a catastrophic collapse of governance across its several housing entities. Mphithi recalled that Simelane was previously accused of receiving a R575,600 'loan' from Gundo Wealth Solutions, linked to the unlawful investments of municipal funds into the VBS Mutual Bank, while she was the mayor of the Polokwane Municipality. 'It seems that the president does not at all take issue with the fact that a person accused of corruption sits in his Cabinet and will have to look after the budget with R30 billion set aside for South Africans,' he said. Mphithi also said that although the department's budget and department have many challenges, it would under normal circumstances be supported. 'However, we are faced with a minister who has corruption allegations against her and has not been accountable to the South African public, which makes it difficult for us to support this budget,' he said. Mphithi's colleague, Conrad Poole, was more brutal. He took to the podium as he took jabs at Simelane. Poole said that when Simelane was accused, she should be in the dock before a judge and not be an MP entrusted with R33 billion of taxpayer funds. 'I certainly would not bet any money on this minister doing anything to clean up shop. If the allegations of corruption are true, she would rather buy coffee shops. She may, in fact, be planning to convert the Department of Human Settlements for her grand relaunch of her 'coffee' enterprise. 'We cannot trust that the precious taxpayer money allocated to this budget will be implemented or cared for by this compromised minister, who was only redeployed to this department under the darkest of clouds. She simply cannot be trusted with R33 billion of hard-earned taxpayer funds meant to house the vulnerable, when her failures are so stark and so many,' Poole said. In response, Simelane reminded the DA of its public representative, whom she identified as Msebenzi Radebe, who was allegedly accused of the murder of her sister, whom the party never charged. 'In 2016, when I managed to place charges against him, it was only then that the DA suspended him. Even on my calls to get the DA to get a statement of murder against my sister, they did not. In 2019, three years later, she died. 'So good, you can find the nearest door to the police station. Where it matters, you don't even know where the door is,' she said. Simelane insisted that the investigation was about accountability. 'I availed myself of accountability. Now the investigation is done, and you reported the case, but you now can't wait for the investigation to conclude. I fear I am going to disappear after this. I mean really,' she said. ANC MP Albert Seabi pleaded with Simelane not to be distracted by the amount of noise, no matter how loud it may be, including the noise about an allegation not tested in court. 'You have our support minister because of your strong work ethic, your dedication, your diligence, and your consistent commitment to transparency, accountability, and transforming the sector,' said Seabi. Although some of the opposition parties indicated they would not support the budget, they did not launch any personal attacks at Simelane. EFF MP Babalwa Mathulelwa said they rejected the budget not because 'we are extortionists like the DA'. Mathulelwa said the rejection of the budget was based on the empty promise wrapped in inflation and false hopes. She said the department's budget was increased in nominal terms. 'It does not build more homes. It does not address the ever-growing backlogs, and it certainly does not restore the dignity of our people. It does not speak to housing backlog, which now exceeds 2.3m units,' Mathulelwa said. ActionSA's Malebo Patricia Kobe said they rejected the budget not because of who occupies the office, though it was deeply concerning that Simelane was under investigation for questionable VBS loans. 'The budget fails to honour the dignity of millions still waiting for a place to call home,' Kobe said. Rise Mzansi's Makashule Gana maintained that 'I will debate the budget and resist the temptation to debate or play the woman'.
The Citizen
41 minutes ago
- The Citizen
Proudly SA launches online store – here's how to list your business on it
There are currently 30 categories on the website, and more are expected to be added. Proudly South African has launched an online store where buyers can buy locally made products and services. The online store, supported by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic), is an initiative to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country. The online store, Shop SA, currently lists 300 businesses and 1 000 products that customers can purchase. The store was officially launched in Sandton on Tuesday. Proudly SA CEO Eustace Mashimbye said they are still in the process of listing more businesses, and after the vetting process, they will have approximately 500 businesses. ALSO READ: Government to launch online stores: How much do you think a South African dress would cost? How to list your business To list your business on Shop SA, you need to be a Proudly SA member. Businesses that are members of the organisation have been vetted and approved by Proudly SA to use their logo, signifying that they meet certain local content, quality and ethical standards. Being a member offers various benefits, including access to events, expos, workshops, and conferences organised by Proudly SA. Another benefit that has been added is getting to list your business on the online store. Members can go to the organisation's website and register to have their business listed. Those who are not members would need to apply. However, there is a process that Proudly SA follows before giving your business a membership. Vetting of the business Mashimbye explained that before listing products and services online, they need to be vetted. First, at least 50% of the production cost must be incurred in South Africa, and there must be a 'substantial transformation' of any imported materials. Quality is of importance; therefore, 'the product or service must be of a proven high quality'. 'The company must be environmentally responsible and adhere to production processes that are environmentally friendly and acceptable. Services must demonstrate a willingness to recycle and reduce their carbon footprint,' he added. ALSO READ: How your bank can help when online purchases go wrong Categories on the online store He added that there are currently 30 categories on the website, and more are to be added as businesses sign up. Courier services will be handled through Bobgo and their partners for door-to-door delivery. This will take between three to five days. However, he stated that as time goes on, they will be looking at reducing the delivery time. Apart from door-to-door delivery, there are more than 4 000 nationwide drop-off points. They are looking to export in the future, introduce loyalty programmes, expand their list of courier services and implement other initiatives. How ordering on the online store works Ordering on Shop SA is no different from ordering on any other online store. A customer will select the product or service they want, make payment, and an order notification will be sent to the vendor via the system. The vendor will need to confirm stock levels. If the customer has purchased from a single vendor, the courier will collect the parcel and deliver it to the designated delivery address or drop it off at the pick-up point. If the customer has purchased from multiple vendors, the vendors will need to ship the items to the warehouse; therefore, the courier will collect the items as a single shipment for delivery. This will be at no extra charge to the customer. The return shipment is booked by the customer at their own expense. The item is returned to the vendor, who will then need to approve or decline the return. Potential job creation Minister of dtic, Parks Tau, speaking at the launch, said campaigns like 'Buy local to create jobs' are important in shifting consumer choices and institutional procurement behaviours. Research by Proudly SA indicates that if every household redirected just 10% of their annual spend to local goods, it could create up to 120 000 new jobs. He added that the introduction of export functionality will enable local manufacturers to capitalise on the opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), a market with a projected GDP of $3.4 trillion and access to 1.4 billion consumers. 'South Africa's ecommerce market itself is also growing, expected to reach R225 billion by 2025, with increased internet penetration and digital payment infrastructure expanding rapidly. It is critical that local producers benefit from this growth and do not get left behind.' NOW READ: Four trends for e-commerce retailers to follow
IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
US demands on exemption from South Africa's BEE requirements yet to be discussed with Ramaphosa
The Freedom Front Plus delegation in Washington last week. Image: Facebook/FFPlus FF Plus leader Corné Mulder says he has yet to brief President Cyril Ramaphosa on claims that the Trump administration has demanded that US entities be exempted from all Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) requirements as a precondition for normalising bilateral relations with South Africa. There are more than 600 US companies based in South Africa. Mulder made the claims as a FF Plus delegation returned from the US where they met with senior White House officials. This demand is part of a broader set of conditions that include addressing farm attacks, condemning the "Kill the Boer" chant, and ensuring fair market compensation for land expropriation. According to Mulder, the White House officials expressed concern that these conditions have not been adequately addressed. In May President Cyril Ramaphosa and his delegation embarked on a working visit to the US to meet with US president Donald Trump to help reset strained relations between the two countries and secure a favorable trade deal after a fallout over the International Court of Justice (ICJ) case against Israel that had been instituted by South Africa. Mulder, who held a press briefing on Wednesday, said the delegation is committed to normalising relations between South Africa and the US and described Ramaphosa's visit with Trump in May as 'premature'. "We have a clear understanding of the US Administration's expectations," Mulder said. "The delegation has undertaken to communicate these pre-conditions to both the South African government and the broader public in the interest of transparency, accountability, and the restoration of strong bilateral ties,' said Mulder. Mulder added that they had not gone to the US to complain. He said that discussions on claimed genocide did not arise and they did not meet with the 50 white Afrikaners that were granted refugee status by the Trump administration. Southern African Agri Initiative chairman Theo de Jager, and National Employers' Association CEO Gerhard Papenfus were part of the delegation. According to business group Sakeliga's CEO Piet le Roux, this development marks a substantial escalation in international pressure against South Africa's 'race-restrictive economic policies'. "The international backlash against BEE and other race-restrictive policies of the South African government is set to escalate further in the coming months and years," Le Roux said. Le Roux noted that the US demand elevates race-restrictive legislation beyond domestic affairs to the level of international economic and diplomatic relations This could lead to a ratcheting up of US-led bilateral or multilateral pressure opposing restrictive legislation in South Africa. Speaking on BEE, De Jager said there was only one way to avoid economic migrants and that was by improving their livelihoods. "The principle here is that there must be equal citizenship…there must be respective property rights and there must be an environment where we can also do business. 'They (Trump administration) said to us that they had heard us on the BEE matter, that it is a non-trade tariff barrier and they said that they would not restore any trade relationship if these preconditions are not adhered to. 'The biggest war of our generation is poverty and hunger and the only way we can deal with that is to create wealth…So we are gradually losing investment because of the likes of BEE and the threat to expropriate your property without compensation. You cannot invest in a country where you are not safe. 'We need an environment that will safeguard investment whether you are black or white. As Afrikaners we don't have access to production financing anymore. We need that kind of access,' said de Jager. Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) spokesperson Chrispin Phiri told IOL that the group was pursuing its "own agenda". "Our experience is that State actors do not use non-state actors as intermediaries; therefore, Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) visit and subsequent pronouncements will be viewed as nothing more than their ambitions," he said. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya did not respond to questions on how the South African government would react to the US demands. However, Ramaphosa has previously indicated that he would not back down from implementing BEE policies. "BEE is not holding back the economy, but rather the concentrated nature of our economy is," Ramaphosa said. He defended using racial designations as a means to address economic disparities, although he acknowledged that this might not be necessary in the future.
