Latest news with #R10-million
The Citizen
05-07-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
‘Shrewdies' to make July Quartet pay big
Confederate at 40-1, Atticus Finch at 28-1 and My Best Shot at 25-1 might be decent calls. There is almost always a surprise package among the top four finishers in the Durban July, making winning Quartet, Trifecta, Swinger and Exacta bets pay handsomely. On Saturday at Greyville, the July Quartet is predicted to have a pool of R10-million. Three days before the race, the TAB pool was already nearing R1.5-million, so there's a fair chance it will exceed the target. In 2024, all four horses at the head of the July pack were priced in double figures by the bookmakers: winner Oriental Charm at 10-1, runner-up Cousin Casey at 25-1, third-placed Royal Victory at 10-1, and fourth-placed Flag Man at 14-1. The Quartet on that occasion paid a princely R24,359.60. The year before, third-placed Bless My Stars was a 33-1 shot and fourth Do It Again 16-1; in 2022, winner Sparkling Water and second Jet Dark were both surprisingly good value at 16-1 apiece; and in 2020, fourth-placed Golden Ducat at 33-1 helped swell all dividends. This week's 129th running of Africa's greatest race sees one horse, Eight On Eighteen, dominating the betting, meaning other well-fancied runners are comparative long-shots. Second and third favourites Oriental Charm and Immediate Edge are quoted at 8-1 by Betway. But, of course, they will be included in most Quartet selections and won't be pushing out the dividend. Confederate is excellent value So, in search of the real 'roughie' – or 'shrewdie' – to make Saturday's Quartet pay, we must look to deeper reaches of the betting boards. Confederate at 40-1, Atticus Finch at 28-1 and My Best Shot at 25-1 might be decent calls. In particular, Fabian Habib-trained Confederate seems excellent value on a line of form through Fire Attack, who he beat in the SA Classic but who has since had a Grade 1 win and has attained a merit rating eight points higher than him. The gelding has never been out of the first two in nine starts and has New Zealand champion jockey Warren Kennedy – on a mission back on home turf – to help him overcome a widish draw. Every punter is on a budget of some sort, so, to keep the Quartet cost down below R1,000, say, some runners more fancied than the above three will have to be left out. It's a hard game. Suggested Quartet on the Durban July, Race 7, at Greyville on Saturday 5 July: Floating banker 11; with 1,4,6,9,10,14,16 (R840)
IOL News
04-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Mathews Phosa: They did not call David Mabuza 'The Cat' for nothing
The ANC top six which emerged from the 54th ANC national conference in 2017 - deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte, secretary-general Ace Magashule, chairperson Gwede Mantashe, president Cyril Ramaphosa, deputy president David Mabuza and treasury-general Paul Mashatile. Image: Picture: Motshwari Mofokeng/IOL Former Mpumalanga premier, Dr Mathews Phosa, has paid tribute to former deputy President David Dabede Mabuza who also hailed from Mpumalanga and also previously served as premier of the province from 2009 to 2018. IOL reported on Thursday that Mabuza died in hospital at the age of 64. He served as deputy president during President Cyril Ramaphosa's first term at the Union Buildings. On Friday, as tributes continue to pour for the man nicknamed 'The Cat' in South African politics due to his survival instinct, Phosa described Mabuza as a shrewd politician who contributed significantly to South Africa. 'He was a very shrewd politician. They call him the cat, not for nothing, he had many political tricks which entertained people. It got him where he got at the end of the day,' Phosa said in an interview with broadcaster Newzroom Afrika. As tributes pour in, many people are remembering Mabuza for his skillful maneuvering at the African National Congress (ANC) 2017 elective conference at Nasrec in Johannesburg, where the then Mpumalanga premier became kingmaker in Ramaphosa's path to the Union Buildings. Widely believed to be a backer of contender Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Mabuza at the last minute threw his decisive weight behind Ramaphosa, a move which earned him the second-in-command position in South Africa. Reminiscing on the thriller conference, Phosa said Mabuza consulted him before making the tough decision. 'DD was initially standing with Nkosazana. I remember when we stood outside the conference room, he said what do I do? I said we have thrown our lot with comrade Cyril. He said he was being pulled this way and that way. I said to him it is a democracy and he had a right to choose, and he must decide and follow his heart. He supported comrade Cyril Ramaphosa," said Phosa. 'That is how the whole vote was swung against Nkosazana.' Mabuza and Phosa did not always have a rosy relationship. In 2017, IOL reported that Mabuza, then premier of Mpumalanga, lost his R10-million defamation lawsuit against Phosa, who is also former ANC treasurer-general. Former ANC treasurer-general, Mathews Phosa. Newspapers. Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Judge Bill Prinsloo in the High Court in Pretoria not only dismissed the claim, but he also slapped Mabuza with a punitive costs order. Mabuza claimed Phosa defamed him in a spy report, which was published in the media, when he was already the premier of Mpumalanga. He claimed Phosa was the author of the report in which the premier was made out to be an apartheid spy. It contained claims that Mabuza was involved in the murder of former ANC activist Portia Shabangu. She was assassinated in the 80's by the controversial head of Vlakplaas, Eugene de Kock. Phosa earlier testified that he never compiled the so-called spy report. He said an unmarked envelope was found on the veranda of his White River farmhouse. Inside the envelope was a document which later became known as the so-called spy report. 'I was shocked by its content and worried about it, as it referred to the premier. The allegations were so serious that I decided to hand it over to the ANC top structures. If the allegations were true, the report could harm the ANC leadership. Only a traitor of the ANC would hide it from them.' Phosa said he forwarded the report to then ANC secretary-general Jessie Duarte, as before this she had visited him to discuss party issues. At the end of the meeting Duarte, out of the blue, asked him 'who is this David Mabuza', he said. Former deputy secretary general of the ANC, Jessie Duarte. Image: Nhlanhla Phillips/Independent Media 'When I held office as premier of Mpumalanga, I appointed Mabuza as education MEC and he served under me as part of my executive cabinet.' After this Phosa did not hear anything until a reporter phoned and asked him whether he knew that Mabuza was going to sue him. Phosa denied that he had anything to do with the report and said his former butler, Jan Venter – who is at the centre of this dispute – lied when he implicated him (Phosa). Venter testified that he overheard Phosa 'concocting' the spy allegations against Mabuza. But the controversial butler twice switched sides. In the end, Judge Prinsloo ruled that he could not find that Phosa was the author of the document. Meanwhile, President Ramaphosa has also paid tribute to his former deputy, Mabuza. Ramaphosa conveyed his condolences to Mabuza's family. "On behalf of government and the nation, I offer my profound condolences to the late deputy president's wife, Mrs Mabuza, and their children. I extend my condolences to deputy president Mabuza's friends and the people of Mpumalanga whom he served as Premier from 2009 to 2018, and previously as a member of the executive council of Mpumalanga across a range of portfolios." He said Mabuza had a deep commitment to the liberation struggle and to the nation's development as an inclusive, prosperous, democratic state.
The Citizen
04-07-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Explosive material detected at Greyville
There's plenty to get punters excited at this year's Durban July. The words 'bombs', 'dynamite', and 'have a full go' are blared out by the marketers of Saturday's Durban July race meeting at Greyville. Just hype? A glance at the massive sums of money on offer for a wide variety of wagers suggests that the fanfare is pretty apt. It's not just a huge R15-million Pick 6 mega-pool that's on the menu. The Quartet on the July itself, Race 7 on the card, is predicted to amass a pool of more than R10-million. Tote agency TAB has bunged in a carryover of R1-million to get the big-race Quartet started and popularity of the first-four-finishers prediction is expected to do the rest. A R500,000 carryover to Jackpot Three on the day is set to push that pool all the way to R3-million. That bet kicks off at 5.40pm in Race 9 on the 12-race programme. Often the third Jackpot at a major meeting is something of an underfunded afterthought; not this time! Money, money, money Jackpot One, which starts in Race 1 – off at 11.45am – is likely to have a pool of R750,000. Jackpot Two, starting in Race 5 on the card, will have R2-million for division among the winning tickets. The first leg of Bipot One is Race 2 at 12.25pm. The likely pool there is R750,000. Race 3 at 1.05pm is the first leg of the meeting's Place Accumulator, which is expected to garner a pool of R2.5-million. Race 4 at 1.40pm is the first leg of the R15-million Pick6. Race 7 is, of course, the Grade 1, 2200m Durban July, which carries a purse of R5-million for the successful horses' owners – and the aforementioned R10-million for winning Quartet punters. The July is a designated World Pool race of the Hong Kong Jockey Club – which means there is a common, comingled tote on certain bet types for punters around the world. This results in gigantic pools and very stable approximate dividends in the race preamble. 'Expect an Exacta pool of around R5-million, Win and Place pools exceeding R10-million each, and Swinger and Quinella pools of more than R10-million,' says operator Race Coast.
Daily Maverick
01-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Maverick
After the Bell: Why wealth redistribution through taxation is our lifeline
If the flow of tax money stops, we are doomed. It is money that pays for social grants, for schools, for the school nutrition programme, for antiretrovirals, for electricity for so many people. Whenever I am feeling very worried about our country, whenever something happens that makes me really fear for our future, there is a fact I sort of cling to. One of those steadfast dynamics that really means so much. It is that despite everything, and all of our arguments about inequality and poverty daily, richer people give a huge amount of what they earn to poorer people. And we do this through tax. Considering how often we grumble and gripe about the government, it is almost a miracle. But an absolutely vital one. If this flow of money stops, we are doomed. It is money that pays for social grants, for schools, for the school nutrition programme, for antiretrovirals (ARVs), for electricity for so many people. It is also this flow of money that gives us each a huge stake in our society. I remember writing during the pandemic that one of the selfish reasons I would support a basic income grant is that it would help me sleep more easily at night. I worry a little that this flow of money is coming under a little strain. For a long time people in the government have wasted money, and wasted it big time. And so many others have just stolen it. Earlier today, it was confirmed that Brian Molefe, Anoj Singh and Siyabonga Gama have finally been arrested for their role in a locomotive contract at Transnet. When we realise the damage that has been caused at Transnet, and how it is still having an impact on us now, we must look at these three as a big part of the cause. Mind-blowing And some of the facts that we already know about them are mind-blowing. I mean, Singh was working as the finance director at Transnet for two years. During all of that time, he did not access his salary once. Being finance director at Transnet is one of the big jobs in this country; it must require long hours and intense effort. I'm talking about weekend meetings, hours spent trying to sort out the finances. And you don't access what you get paid for it once? Seriously? To my mind, just that fact alone proves he must be guilty of corruption. What else was he living on? But the real surprise in this story is that we are surprised. So many people have been shown to have stolen government money and got away with it. I mean Gama and Molefe are getting paid by the government right now. They're both Members of Parliament. I'd remind you which party they represent, but I think you know already. The examples of how people steal money just mount up. It gets to a point where, unless it is particularly crazy, you don't really notice any more. Yesterday the Sunday Times showed how currently suspended Road Accident Fund CEO Collins Letsoalo has spent R10-million on security. He had more guards than anyone apart from the president and the deputy president. Seriously, who does he think he is? Zunaid Moti? In Joburg, a city with a budget of at least R83-billion, it seems the possibilities for wastage and corruption are literally endless. It appears that the bosses at City Power have been finding jobs for their relatives despite the fact it doesn't have enough money to pay Eskom the full amount it owes. Arguments about tax I worry that arguments about tax are about to get a little more heated. SA Revenue Service (Sars) Commissioner Edward Kieswetter made important waves when he said that there was no need to raise VAT by 2 percentage points earlier this year. Instead, he claimed that, with a bit more money, he would be able to increase the tax take by R800-billion. That's a huge amount of money. An unbelievable amount of money. To do this, Sars is going to get a lot tougher; it will be going after more people and investigating cases more thoroughly. I think we'll start to hear about more disputes soon. I suspect that more often we are going to hear people who owe Sars money complaining, not about the technical and legal aspects upon which tax depends, but about a broader principle. They're going to say that their money is not going to social grants and school nutrition programmes and ARVs. They're going to say, a lot more loudly than they do now, that the money they pay to the government is being wasted. I hope that Molefe and Singh and Gama are brought into court soon. I think a State Capture case that gets to the point where a high-profile suspect ends up testifying under oath will really make everyone feel better. Once we get there, we might start to see justice being done. And that might remove some of the pressure. But money is still being wasted. And stolen. Huge amounts of it. And I don't see that stopping for a while. DM
eNCA
21-06-2025
- Business
- eNCA
Employees charge utility R3bn for overtime
JOHANNESBURG - Eskom is bleeding cash at an alarming rate. Its financial report reveals over R10-million in board fees and R3-billion in overtime was paid out. Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa was replying to a Parliamentary question from the EFF. Energy expert Mohamed Madhi said there are a number of factors relating to overtime.
