Latest news with #R12m
IOL News
03-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Tshwane deputy mayor faces allegations over R21 million unpaid municipal bills
The DA's spokesperson on finance in Tshwane, Jacqui Uys, accuses Deputy Mayor Eugene Modise of protecting a property he leases from power disconnection, despite it owing R21 million in municipal bills. Image: Supplied The DA in Tshwane has accused Deputy Mayor Eugene Modise, also the MMC for Finance, of protecting a former Morula Sun property he leases from the North West Housing Corporation (NWHC) from having its power disconnected despite it owing the metro R21.7 million in unpaid bills. Modise is the face of Tshwane Ya Tima revenue-collection campaign, which aggressively targets customers with outstanding municipal bills, often disconnecting their services. In recent months, the city has collected revenues from defaulting customers and businesses by disconnecting them from the grid. DA Tshwane spokesperson on finance, Jacqui Uys, claimed that Mzansi Resorts, formerly Morula Sun, owes the City of Tshwane R21,7m in outstanding rates, taxes, water, and sanitation charges. 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 Next Stay Close ✕ 'Mzansi Resorts is managed via a lease agreement with the NWHC by Mzansi Exhibitions and Events, a company owned by Tshwane Deputy Executive Mayor Eugene Modise, on the Morula Sun property in Mabopane,' she said. She said that although the municipal account is in the name of the NWHC, the lease agreement with Mzansi Exhibitions and Events specifies that Mzansi and Gold Rush Pty (Ltd), which leases a portion of the property, are liable for the city's bill. Uys said: 'In a recent City of Tshwane Finance oversight meeting, the DA raised concerns on the high outstanding municipal debt of the NWHC. This prompted city officials in the meeting to cite the NWHC's claims that they cannot settle their bills as their lessees do not pay their rent.' The controversy surrounding Modise's company comes after the DA in the North West province last week exposed that Modise owes the NWHC more than R12m in unpaid rent for its property. Modise has outright denied owing the entity, saying he would not allow political gimmicks to damage the relationship between his party and the NWHC. He claimed his administration has revitalised the entity, curbed crime, and halted vandalism. According to him, since the lease agreement, his company has had expensive, crucial renovations and makeovers of the property. Uys said that Modise's unpaid debt to the NWHC is hindering their ability to pay the City of Tshwane, which in turn affects residents, the city's financial recovery, and service delivery. She questioned the disparity in treatment, citing examples of provincial-owned facilities having their electricity cut off for non-payment, while Modise's Mzansi Resorts seems to be exempt. Responding to the allegations, Modise hit out at Uys, saying she is 'struggling with nostalgia'. 'Mzansi does not have an account with the city, and she can take it to court and satisfy her deep hatred for African excellence,' he said. He suggested that Uys needed basic economics training, implying she has lost touch.
TimesLIVE
20-05-2025
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Sanef condemns threats to journalists who work professionally and ethically
The South African National Editors Forum (Sanef) has condemned actions of a Durban businessman who recently threatened a Sunday Times journalist who had called him for comment. Siqu Zungu allegedly threatened Sunday Times senior journalist Isaac Mahlangu when he was called for a comment for an article about him leaving a R12m penthouse owned by a Johannesburg doctor, Blaine Bloy, in which he lived rent-free for about three years before he was recently evicted. Zungu said the journalist should ensure that he gets bodyguards after writing the article about him. The businessman was evicted from a luxury Umhlanga penthouse, which he left with extensive damage, including a broken bathtub, cracked tiles and outstanding rent of more than R1m. When contacted for comment last week, he accused the publication of targeting him and said the journalist should get bodyguards. 'I am asking you to have bodyguards. Do you hear me? I am not joking. It is not a threat ... Ask Bloy who I am, he will tell you. Put out that article, but tell your company to give you bodyguards. 'You've targeted me. I will handle this myself. Maybe Bloy has not told you who I am. Maybe they have not told [you] what kind of life I live ... It's not your job to target a person like this,' he said. Slindile Khanyile, chair of the Sanef media freedom subcommittee said the organisation did not threats to journalists lightly, especially in a country where the work that journalists do and media freedom is protected by the constitution. 'So, we condemn the actions of not only this particular newsmaker, but anyone who makes it difficult for journalists to conduct their work,' she said. She added that Zungu was contacted for comment, which is one of the most important principles of journalism — to give newsmakers the opportunity to tell their side of the story and a fair opportunity to respond to allegations before a story is published. 'When journalists do that, which is something that is required by media ethics as well as the press code, and they then encounter newsmakers who make it difficult for them to do their work, it is unfortunate,' she added. She said journalists should always do the right thing even when reporting on threatening and aggressive people. 'Regardless of how a newsmaker may behave, journalists must always do the right thing by giving people the right to reply and being fair and be balanced in their reporting,' she said. The Sunday Times has reported the matter at the Hillbrow police station.
The Herald
26-04-2025
- Business
- The Herald
SIU unhappy with lack of co-operation as it probes Road Accident Fund
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) says it has experienced a lack of co-operation from the Road Accident Fund (RAF) in its investigation into the affairs of the entity. Briefing parliament's standing committee on public accounts on Friday on its investigation into the affairs of the RAF, SIU head Andy Mothibi said information provided by the RAF in response to requests from the SIU pertained mostly to a period outside that stipulated in terms of the SIU Act. Some of the requests to date had not been responded to by the RAF. 'There were instances where the SIU had to resort to opening a criminal case against a RAF executive for failure to adhere to a lawful subpoena issued by the SIU in terms of the SIU Act.' Mothibi said its investigation methodology involved a right of reply from the implicated party. 'In our RAF investigation, we noted with concern a directive issued by the RAF to its employees in respect of the right of reply, wherein employees were directed to forward the SIU's right of reply to the RAF management, such that responses to the SIU are well co-ordinated. 'We viewed this directive as having a potential to compromise the investigation and it could amount to interference,' Mothibi said. He said the SIU had engaged with RAF management to ensure it did not compromise the investigation. The SIU had directed communications to the RAF CEO Collins Letsoalo. 'We hope the CEO will consider our correspondence and respond to us as appropriate.' The SIU investigation into serious maladministration in the RAF followed a proclamation issued in 2022. Leonard Lekgetho, SIU's chief national investigations officer, said it had completed a number of investigations and was in the process of pursuing civil litigation. These included the decision by the RAF to do away with a panel of attorneys, an office building contract worth R17m per year for five years, a R12m cleaning contract and a R40m office furniture contract. The SIU also investigated 102 law firms, which included sheriffs, that received duplicate payments from RAF of about R340m. When approached with evidence, several legal practitioners co-operated with the SIU investigators by signing acknowledgments of debt The SIU had signed acknowledgments of debt to the value of R70m with actual cash recoveries to date amounting to R42m.
TimesLIVE
25-04-2025
- Business
- TimesLIVE
SIU unhappy with lack of co-operation as it probes Road Accident Fund
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) says it has experienced a lack of co-operation from the Road Accident Fund (RAF) in its investigation into the affairs of the entity. Briefing parliament's standing committee on public accounts on Friday on its investigation into the affairs of the RAF, SIU head Andy Mothibi said information provided by the RAF in response to requests from the SIU pertained mostly to a period outside that stipulated in terms of the SIU Act. Some of the requests to date had not been responded to by the RAF. 'There were instances where the SIU had to resort to opening a criminal case against a RAF executive for failure to adhere to a lawful subpoena issued by the SIU in terms of the SIU Act.' Mothibi said its investigation methodology involved a right of reply from the implicated party. 'In our RAF investigation, we noted with concern a directive issued by the RAF to its employees in respect of the right of reply, wherein employees were directed to forward the SIU's right of reply to the RAF management, such that responses to the SIU are well co-ordinated. 'We viewed this directive as having a potential to compromise the investigation and it could amount to interference,' Mothibi said. He said the SIU had engaged with RAF management to ensure it did not compromise the investigation. The SIU had directed communications to the RAF CEO Collins Letsoalo. 'We hope the CEO will consider our correspondence and respond to us as appropriate.' The SIU investigation into serious maladministration in the RAF followed a proclamation issued in 2022. Leonard Lekgetho, SIU's chief national investigations officer, said it had completed a number of investigations and was in the process of pursuing civil litigation. These included the decision by the RAF to do away with a panel of attorneys, an office building contract worth R17m per year for five years, a R12m cleaning contract and a R40m office furniture contract. The SIU also investigated 102 law firms, which included sheriffs, that received duplicate payments from RAF of about R340m. When approached with evidence, several legal practitioners co-operated with the SIU investigators by signing acknowledgments of debt The SIU had signed acknowledgments of debt to the value of R70m with actual cash recoveries to date amounting to R42m.
