Sunday, October 31, 2010

SAPS-SITA EXPOSED

R1.3m a month paid to Mr and Mrs SAPS director and deputy director's child

A consultant employed by the South African Police Service (SAPS), whose highest qualification was matric, was paid R1.3 million a month.

This was revealed by Sindi Chikunga, chairwoman of the National Assembly police oversight committee, during a hearing with the SAPS and the State Information Technology Agency (Sita) yesterday.

The consultant’s mother had been working as a director and her father as a deputy director at the SAPS, Chikunga said. Police national commissioner General Bheki Cele had on a previous occasion confirmed this.

Cele did not answer repeated calls made to him about the matter.

But, appearing before the committee a few months ago, he mentioned that the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) was investigating a married couple who had been employed by the SAPS, the wife being a director and the husband a deputy-director.

The couple owned a company that received tenders for services provided to the SAPS. The couple’s daughter, who was apparently still in school, did work for the SAPS through the company on behalf of the family.

Police spokesman Vish Naidoo said he could not confirm that the consultant mentioned in yesterday’s meeting and the daughter referred to by Cele was the same person.

Chikunga said the case was alarming and indicated the serious problems the SAPS faced. “If a matriculant earns R1.3m per month… there are serious problems.

“What special services are you going to get from a matriculant that you cannot get from someone in the SAPS? It’s concerning and shows the issues that are there and what’s going on in the department,” said Chikunga.

MPs accused the SAPS of handing over blank cheques to Sita without properly planning the use of the money. “They get allocated the money and then they say, ‘Oh, what do we need to do with it’,” said ANC MP Greg Schneemann.

Police commander Laytoa Tshabalala, the head of SAPS’s technology unit, agreed with Schneemann’s sentiment. He said he had addressed with the SAPS and Sita the “tell us how much you earn and we’ll help you spend it” tendencies.

MPs questioned the business relationship between the SAPS and Sita, which provides technological services.

ANC MP Annelise van Wyk said: “This is absolutely ridiculous. SAPS is Sita’s biggest client. There are serious concerns in the way SAPS determines priorities. I wonder whether this relationship is unhealthy.”

Tshabalala said the SAPS had had serious doubts about renewing its contract with Sita this year.

“The management of SAPS resisted giving the money to Sita. We were seriously toying with the idea to not go into business with them.”

Tshabalala, who only recently started working for the unit, said that on his arrival he was shocked at the state of the business practices.

“I was saying, it can’t be that Sita is the only (service provider). There were people who were working for Sita that came from SAPS. How is it that we allowed this mafia to run amok for so long?”

He said almost half of the consultants used by Sita were employed by the SAPS.

“It’s no point cleaning on one side and not the other. You must clean both sides,” he added. - Pretoria News


See:- Report exposes Sita
ITWEB Report - SITA exposed

Cops nepotism exposé - the news that didn't make the news

Cops put lid on nepotism

What we are not able to tell you this weekend, dear reader, is that nnnnnnn were employed in an irregular process that nnnnnnn because nnnnnnn manipulated it.

Nepotism sweeping the police force

The Sunday Independent was meant to publish an article about nepotism within the police ranks but a court interdict on Friday night stopped the story from going public. The court has also ordered the newspaper to hand in documents relating to the issue.

The SAPS resorted to a discredited and “unconstitutional” piece of legislation in a desperate bid to muzzle The Sunday Independent.

The police were granted an order interdicting this newspaper from publishing details of malfeasance and violation of laws by the SAPS Crime Intelligence – without argument – at the North Gauteng High Court on Friday night.

The Sunday Independent has taken a decision to challenge this order every step of the way.

The interdict application was brought by lawyers for Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa, National Commissioner Bheki Cele and Head of Crime Intelligence Richard Mdluli, late on Friday night and was summarily granted which did not wait for the newspaper’s lawyers before starting proceedings.

The order prevents Independent Newspapers and in particular Sunday Independent journalist Gcwalisile Khanyile from publishing any information about the police’s Crime Intelligence Unit. The Sunday Independent had planned to do a series of exposes on appointments within the Crime Intelligence Unit based on reliable information she had received from various sources.

The gagging order prohibits this newspaper from publishing any details on advertisements and appointments made in the unit.

The newspaper has been ordered to hand documents to police and is interdicted against writing further articles about the division – particularly covert appointments processes and whether or not they had been manipulated. But the order does not stop us from finding out what the police are doing to root out nepotism within their ranks.

National Police spokesman Colonel Lindela Mashigo said the order was necessary to protect the safety of operatives.

“In the environment that we are talking about (crime intelligence), it is not necessary to be in public.”

Mashigo was initially vague in his explanation. He said police would take “internal measures” and when pressed for clarity said allegations against Mdluli would be given “the necessary attention”.

When asked why he was being vague, Mashigo said: “Yes, we will remain vague until a decision is taken. At this point it remains an internal matter.”

Mashigo asked for further questions to be sent by email, for fear of being misquoted. The Sunday Independent asked whether the police do not believe that the public has a right to know when nepotism or corruption takes place in units meant protect them. Mashigo responded: “SAPS is not pro-corruption.”

He added that police would “act against irregular conduct, beyond this we are not ready to comment”.

According to the Parliamentary Monitoring Group, Advocate Premjith Supersad of the State Security Agency told the ad hoc committee on the Protection of Information Bill in May that parts of the Protection of Information Act (84) of 1982 were “outdated and unconstitutional” and “unenforceable”.

The police have defended the decision to interdict The Sunday Independent using this act, saying “the police are obliged to enforce the laws of our country for as long as they are valid”.

The Sunday Independent editor Makhudu Sefara said resorting to this legislation showed the level of desperation to keep a lid on the rot.

“If they said our claims were false and baseless perhaps they would have a point. But what they are saying is that even when we report the truth about the rot, they will use discredited legislation against us to keep their wrongs from the glare of the public. It is wrong, it is shameless and we will pursue this matter to its logical conclusion,” said Sefara.

He added that the order granted by Judge Ephraim Makgoba was too broad and too limiting.

“What the police effectively, though temporarily, did was to keep us at bay with the hope that nobody reports on the spectre of nepotism sweeping the police force. This will not last.”

Sefara said he would meet with lawyers early next week to discuss where and when to launch an appeal against the order.

Media bodies have questioned the granting of the order.

In a statement released yesterday, South African National Editors Forum said it was “disconcerting” that there “appears to have been an element of miscommunication between the lawyers representing the parties which resulted in the paper’s lawyers having to travel to Pretoria after the police lawyers had arrived at court. The paper’s lawyers arrived five minutes after the judge had made his ruling.”

National Press Council chair Yusuf Abramjee, who was at court on Friday evening, said the decision raised questions about the justice system. “We believe the story is of public interest. It’s about a very important department.”

Abramjee added: “This application puts the police in a very bad light. Police leadership should have known better. We need to ask the question, ‘What do the police have to hide?’ “ - Sunday Independent - http://www.iol.co.za/

Saturday, October 30, 2010

SA's financial burden

by Ray

Over the past few months the South African public has been informed of several additional financial and psychological burdens. We have the SABC, SAA, Water and sewage looming crisis, Eskom, Toll roads, NHI, to name a few.

Please don't get me wrong. I love this country and think we have so much potential. My only two issues are that the people in power making decisions are not held responsible or accountable, and the general public is too apathetic.

Let’s use the road death toll as an example as it can be applied to all the other failing areas. We appoint people into positions that generally fall into one or more of the following categories - no ability for the position, no work ethic, not sufficient management, not sufficient training, nepotism, political affiliations, skin colour, no experience or no moral fibre. The above may be a generalisation but they destroy the work of the few individuals that really try and make a difference in the average South African’s life. To those dedicated individuals we owe much because they carry the rest.

Let’s apply the above to the example: where is visible policing on the roads every day, the ministers getting the TV crews there every so often to boost their image. Fines are seen as revenue and that appears to be the focus.

Laws are not enforced - taxis, emergency lane driving, not using indicators, u-turns on highways, talking on cellphones and so on.

The traffic officers standards are lower than a few years ago (thank goodness for Outsurance pointsmen). They openly ask for bribes, the anti-corruption call centre number just rings, how many officers get punished, and no a slap on the wrist doesn't count. The standards of driving schools are shocking, learners can buy licences for cash or sex, often the driving school is the broker. To get fines squashed pay the officer a portion of the fine.

The booking call centres don't work. You can get the learners tests from the driving schools. Financial mismanagement is a given for government departments, but hey let’s throw some more money at them next year. Heads of department that aren't qualified for positions, managers that can focus on urgent things (and no functions and parties don't count), why don't we increase standards instead of lowering them.

This decay hasn't just happened and it’s all over our beloved country, if we want the country to move forward, create wealth and prosperity for all then let’s put the right people in the right jobs, regardless of family relations, skin colour or political affiliations. At what point does the political rhetoric and self enrichment stop, so that the average citizen can be put first.

While there appears to be no political will to rectify the situation (lip service does not count), a fish always rots from the head. When you enter public office you make the choice to serve South Africans, there is never any justification to steal, accept bribes etc. Ordinary South African citizens should start focusing on what’s important for our well being and that of future generations, actively take part to make South Africa great. You owe it to your children and other fellow South Africans. At what point does the financial and psychological burden become too great for the average South African and they stop seeing advantages in our country and look elsewhere?

Rising above crime

Inspired by the birds, one man built a thief-proof house without alarms, electric fencing, or security beams in crime-ridden South Africa.

Eileen Mijlof stands by her burglar-proof home in Cape Town. Her husband came up with the idea for the design after watching squirrels and birds sitting in trees.

Friday, October 29, 2010

SA's white farmers Trek to Eastern Europe

The number of commercial farmers in South Africa have plummeted from a high of 85,000 in 1994 to 11,600 today. The numbers become even more of a shock given the number was approximately 13,500 a few months back.

The mostly White, Afrikaaner-Boer farmers find themselves increasingly marginalized in a society that views them as “land barons”, a government that looks to expropriate their land, and “war like conditions” which include a corrupt police force. “The increase in armed attacks, robbery and theft of farm products and implements holds serious financial implications for agriculture in our country. This high crime rate is experienced by the industry as economic sabotage,” said Agri-SA.

In addition to the loss of commercial farmers, more than 1 million black African farm workers have become unemployed and have had to move their families to squatter camps. In total, approximately 5 million people have been displaced.

Now the last of SA's white farmers are about to depart for greener pastures in Georgia, Eastern Europe. Watch Georgia go from strength to strength as South Africa sinks into poverty and starvation.


"Most would like to stay but they were being chased by crime, corruption, water pollution and an unfriendly government," deputy secretary Bennie Van Zyl said, adding that "no government department at this stage was not a threat to the farmer."

"This is a great opportunity for farmers, because the government in Georgia knows that, without commercial farmers, the country can't go forward... commercial farmers are (a country's) biggest asset. It's a pity our government doesn't have this approach."

Georgia needs expertise as it wants to uplift its agricultural sector which was destroyed by socialism and communism about 70 years ago.

How many Blacks died under Apartheid?

BY Vusile Tshabalala (a black journalist)

At the start of the year 1900, the number of (Black) African South Africans was found to be 3,5-million according to the British colonial government census. By 1954, our (Black) African population had soared to 8,5-million — and by 1990, there were a full 35-million of us — all carefully managed, closely policed, counted, shunted around in homelands and townships — and all of us chafing and griping under the suppressive yoke of the Afrikaner Broederbond’s rigid racial segregation system.

During apartheid, our (black) population grew apace however because we also had the benefit of the Broers’ medical knowledge and their excellent agricultural skills.

Our population growth and our average life expectancy in fact showed us (black)Africans in South Africa to be in better than average health when compared to other Africans on the rest of the continent: in the decades prior to the official policy of apartheid, (which was started in 1948), the average life expectancy of black African South Africans was only 38 years.

However, during the last decade of the apartheid era from 1948 to 1994, our average life expectancy had risen to 64 years — on a par with Europe’s average life expectancy. Moreover, our infant death rates had by then also been reduced from 174 to 55 infant deaths per thousand, higher than Europe’s, but considerably lower than the rest of the African continent’s.

And the (black) African population in South Africa had by then also increased by 50% percent. (source: “a crime against humanity: analysing repression of the Apartheid State”, by Max Coleman of the Human Rights Committee).


Deaths due to political violence during Apartheid - from 1948 - 1994

Max Coleman’s authoritative book analyses all deaths due to political violence from 1948 to 1994 in South Africa and Namibia.

According to the HRC statistics, 21,000 people died in political violence in South Africa during apartheid – of whom 14,000 people died during the six-year transition process from 1990 to 1994. The book lists the number of incidents, dates, and those involved.

This includes SA Defence Force actions, for instance the 600 deaths at Kassinga in Angola during the war in 1978.

Of those deaths, the vast majority, 92%, have been primarily due to (blacks) Africans killing (blacks) Africans — such as the inter-tribal battles for territory: this book’s detailed analyses of the period June 1990 to July 1993 indicates a total of 8580 (92%) of the 9,325 violent deaths during the period June 1990 to July 1993 were caused by Africans killing Africans, or as the news media often calls it, “Black on Black” violence – hostel killings, Inkatha Freedom Party versus ANC killlings, and taxi and turf war violence.

The activities of the Civil Cooperation Bureau as outlined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, were also included in these figures.

The security forces caused 518 deaths (5.6%) throughout this period.

And again, during the transitional period, the primary causes of deaths were not security forces nor white right-wing violence against blacks, but mainly due to “black-on-black necklace murders”, tribal conflict between the ANC-IFP, bombs by the ANC and PAC’s military wings in shopping centers, landmines on farm roads, etc.

After Apartheid:

Violent deaths from 1994 to 2000: The SA Police reports that a total of 174,220 people died violent deaths, from crime-related violence, between 1994 and the year 2000.

The full report,
Murder in South Africa: A Comparison of Past and Present

So my question is this:

“Did Apartheid ever kill as many Africans as are now being killed?"

The Killing Fields of Post-Apartheid South Africa
THE SOURCE: August 2001
http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/321.htm

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Where is the liberation?

by Peter

I recently read a full speech by a Member of Parliament detailing the reasons why the new media bill was required. Very convincing stuff – all of which we have heard repeatedly over the last couple of months.

The alarming thing though, is that this was the speech given by Connie Mulder in 1977 when the Nats implemented exactly what the ANC is doing now.

If we analyse critically the issues that have risen since 1994, the only conclusion is that the struggle for liberation and freedom was a farce. It was nothing more than a power struggle to change the base of wealth from an elite few whites, to an elite few blacks at the expense and sacrifice of the masses. We should hang our heads in shame.

The real acid test is to take all current employment, social, university and institutions (like the Black management Forum) and replace the word “black” with “white”. Imagine the outcry if there was a white management forum, postings of job adverts with whites only need apply tag lines, university entrance requirements with lower standards for whites, sports teams requiring a certain percentage of whites in each team..., that was apartheid and yet are all current situations save for the word white being replaced with black.

So one segregation system has been brazenly replaced by another and the base of power has simply transferred to another inept, corrupt and incompetent set of individuals who then have the audacity to proclaim that the masses have been liberated by them. The poor are arguably worse off than during apartheid. The fact is that the Nats still built houses for the blacks at a greater rate than the current government!

Blacks are still being abused and exploited; it’s just that their masters are no longer white. Maids are still black, gardeners, construction workers, miners, heavy duty labourers are still black. What has changed? Where is the liberation? What has the current ANC government done since 1994? What are the excuses?

The incredulous part for me is that black people will still consider themselves as liberated, simply because there is a black government. Zimbabwe has the grossest of human violations – far worse than during white rule and yet Mugabe still reigns supreme raping the once bread basket of the world.

If we are going to truly become a liberated country, we have to actually liberate the masses. Change has to occur materially in their lives. We need to stop making this a black/white issue and concentrate on making it an accountability issue. It seems Africa has not learnt any lessons whatsoever and wherever “liberation” has occurred, decline on an unprecedented scale has occurred soon after because the so-called liberators had only one real agenda: power.

The current activities of the ANC are case in point. People will continue to flog the apartheid horse (which is beyond dead) as their excuse for what is going on. If only we could be mature enough to realise that the problem is that this country is being mismanaged by people who have no motive other than to enrich themselves. To quote Oscar Wilde: Democracy is the bludgeoning of the people, by the people, for the people.

ANC’s smoke and mirrors

What’s becoming of us? Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma - as he is now referred to by his mouthpiece, the SABC - expressed his deep pride and satisfaction in the performance of the South African Team at the Commonwealth Games.

I was taken aback by Gedleyihlekisa’s profound pronouncement, having been of the opinion that our team performed piss poorly, but then, I have been known to be wrong on occasion and besides, standards differ. I nevertheless took the time to check and, much to my surprise, found that our medal haul at these games was the lowest since our peak in 2002.

Why then Zuma’s sense of pride I ask myself? After all this is just sport and games. Then; like a bolt of lightning it struck me; In South Africa, less is more, except when it comes to the enrichment of the ruling elite and their cronies, nothing minimalist there. In this “Bad is Good” culture it almost seems as if, amongst other things, a steady decline in all standards is the desired outcome for African governments and the ANC is desperate to take us to the nadir - to place us right at the bottom of a pile of rot.

The attitude displayed by Zuma permeates South Africa’s approach to everything despite our exceptionally high crime rate (top ten in the world), our rising unemployment (highest in the world), our falling education standards (lowest standard in Africa) and health standards (fastest rising infant mortality rate and fastest falling life expectancy in the world).

Most South Africans refuse to recognise our decent into a pit of mediocrity to the cheers of rulers and with the sound of struggle songs drowning the cries of despair. Instead of questioning our sliding standards they believe their leaders when the likes of Zuma express praise for South Africa’s under achievements.

The findings of a recent survey say that foreigners, as a consequence of the World Cup tournament, have an improved perception of conditions in South Africa. The ANC and the government in a huge public relations exercise, paid for by the taxpayer, convinced the world they were doing a good job. By shielding the visitors from reality they created a perception quite contrary to reality.

Unfortunately for South Africans, perceptions are hard to change and the plunder of resources and the curtailment of freedom can now continue unhindered. Few will believe that the ANC intends to silence dissenters and media alike with the proposed secrecy bill. Fewer still will be convinced that this nice people intend to change land ownership to facilitate future land grabs.

Fortunately the positive perceptions of visiting foreigners were not reflected by South Africans. More and more South Africans are starting to see through the ANC’s smoke and mirrors and they are realising the precipitous state of our country. A realisation that will hopefully be reflected at the ballot box starting next year’s Municipal Elections.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

'Dear Government'

Radio jock Gareth Cliff's "Dear Government" letter may have been criticised this week, but the Idols judge has done what many ordinary citizens – and journalists – have been unable to do. Not only did he get a prompt response from the Presidency to his letter but he also secured a meeting with President Jacob Zuma at the Union Buildings on Tuesday. Now his scathing attack on the government has spawned more public letters to Zuma, including one from University of the Free State head Jonathan Jansen, as well as a website, http://www.deargovernment.co.za/

Dear Government

OK, I get it, the President isn't the only one in charge. The ANC believes in "collective responsibility" (So that nobody has to get blamed when things get screwed up), so I address this to everyone in government - the whole lot of you - good, bad and ugly (That's you, Blade).

We were all so pleased with your renewed promises to deliver services (we'll forgive the fact that in some places people are worse off than in 1994); to root out corruption (so far your record is worse than under Mbeki, Mandela or the Apartheid regime - what with family members becoming overnight millionaires); and build infrastructure (State tenders going disgustingly awry and pretty stadia standing empty notwithstanding) - and with the good job you did when FIFA were telling you what to do for a few months this year. Give yourselves half a pat on the back. Since President Sepp went off with his billions I'm afraid we have less to be proud of - Public Servants Strikes, more Presidential bastard children, increasing unemployment and a lack of leadership that allowed the Unions to make the elected government it's bitch. You should be more than a little worried - but you're not. Hence my letter. Here are some things that might have passed you by:

1. You have to stop corruption. Don't stop it because rich people moan about it and because it makes poor people feel that you are self-enriching parasites of state resources, but because it is a disease that will kill us all. It's simple - there is only so much money left to be plundered. When that money runs out, the plunderers will raise taxes, chase and drain all the remaining cash out of the country and be left with nothing but the rotting remains of what could have been the greatest success story of post-colonial Africa. It's called corruption because it decomposes the fabric of society. When someone is found guilty of corruption, don't go near them - it's catchy. Making yourself rich at the country's expense is what colonialists do.

2. Stop complaining about the media. You're only complaining about them because they show you up for how little you really do or care. If you were trying really hard, and you didn't drive the most expensive car in the land, or have a nephew who suddenly went from modesty to ostentatious opulence, we'd have only positive things to report. Think of Jay Naidoo, Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi and Zwelinzima Vavi - they come under a lot of fire, but it's never embarrassing - always about their ideas, their positions, and is perfectly acceptable criticism for people in power to put up with. When the media go after Blade Nzimande, Siphiwe Nyanda and the President, they say we need a new piece of legislation to "make the media responsible". That's because they're being humiliated by the facts we uncover about them daily, not because there is an agenda in some newsroom. If there had been a free press during the reigns of Henry VIII, Idi Amin or Hitler, their regimes might just have been kept a little less destructive, and certainly would have been less brazen and unchecked.

3. Education is a disaster. We're the least literate and numerate country in Africa. Zimbabwe produces better school results and turns out smarter kids than we do. Our youth aren't usemployed, they're unemployable. Outcomes-based-education, Teachers' Unions and an attitude of mediocrity that discourages excellence have reduced us to a laughing stock. Our learners can't spell, read, add or subtract. What are all these people going to do? Become President? There's only one job like that. We need clever people, not average or stupid ones. the failure of the Education Department happened under your watch. Someone who writes Matric now hadn't even started school under the Apartheid regime, so you cannot blame anyone but yourselves for this colossal cock-up. Fix it before three-quarters of our matrics end up begging on Oxford Road. Reward schools and teachers who deliver great pass rates and clever students into the system. Fire the teachers who march and neglect their classrooms.

4. Give up on BEE. It isn't working. Free shares for new black partnerships in old white companies has made everyone poorer except for Tokyo Sexwale. Giving people control of existing business won't make more jobs either. In fact, big companies aren't growing, they're reducing staff and costs. The key is entrepreneurship. People with initiative, creative ideas and small companies must be given tax breaks and assistance. Young black professionals must be encouraged to start their own businesses rather than join a big corporation's board as their token black shareholder or director. Government must also stop thinking that state employment is a way to decrease unemployment - it isn't - it's a tax burden. India and China are churning out new, brilliant, qualified people at a rate that makes us look like losers. South Africa has a proud history of innovation, pioneering and genius. This is the only way we can advance our society and economy beyond merely coping.

5. Stop squabbling over power. Offices are not there for you to occupy (or be deployed to) and aggrandize yourself. Offices in government are there to provide a service. If you think outrageous salaries, big German cars, first-class travel and state housing are the reasons to aspire to leadership, you're in the wrong business - you should be working for a dysfunctional, tumbledown parastatal (or Glenn Agliotti). We don't care who the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces is if we don't have running water, electricity, schools and clean streets. You work for us. Do your job, don't imagine you ARE your job.

6. Stop renaming things. Build new things to name. If I live in a street down which the sewage runs, I don't care if it's called Hans Strijdom or Malibongwe. Calling it something nice and new won't make it smell nice and new. Re-branding is something Cell C do with Trevor Noah, not something you can whitewash your lack of delivery with.

7. Don't think you'll be in power forever. People aren't as stupid as you think we are. We know you sit around laughing about how much you get away with. We'll take you down, either at the polls - or if it comes down to the wire - by revolution (Yes, Julius, the real kind, not the one you imagine happened in 2008). Careless, wasteful and wanton government is a thing of the past. The days of thin propaganda and idealized struggle are over. The people put you in power - they will take you out of it. Africa is tired of tin-pot dictators, one-party states and banana republics. We know who we are now, we care about our future - and so should you.


Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Murder-Gang slaughter defenceless woman

PROFESSIONAL dog trainer Mandy Pestana was alone when she entered her Linbro Park home and was attacked and viciously murdered by three men who were waiting for her after having broken in through the roof.

As she tried to run from them, she was grabbed from behind by a man who used a knife to slit her throat yesterday. The gang then escaped with a stash of goods.

Residents of the quiet area, described as a collection of residential smallholdings “where the horses outnumber the people”, are shattered by the violent attack.

Nico Nel, treasurer for the Alexandra cluster and former chairman of the Linbro Park Community Policing Forum, said Pestana is believed to have gone out dog training yesterday morning. She returned home and put her eight dogs into the kennels on her property before going out again, probably to do some shopping. She got back home, where she lived alone, just before noon.

Nel said the gang of three had targeted her home while she was out. They managed to lift some roof tiles and gain entry to the house. “I imagine they waited for her to come because they needed the doors open to carry the loot away.”

When she did arrive, they carried out what Nel describes as “the very efficient slaughter of a defenceless woman”.

He said Pestana is believed to have lain dead in her home for more than six hours before she was discovered by her domestic worker.

Nel is personally offering a R20 000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killers. He has since received numerous other pledges for the reward, which is currently growing.

People wanting to contribute towards the reward can e-mail alert@linbro.co.za

Anyone with information regarding the murder is asked to contact Crime Line at 32211 or Nel at 084 608 2026.

Police communications officers contacted for information regarding the murder this morning were unable to provide any details.

Monday, October 18, 2010

2010 World Cup debt trail


Feefa, codenamed "Operation Rob The Darkies Blind", also known as the World Cup, Blatter and his gang, with the help of its accomplices the SA government, made off with around $2-billion in profit, while its victims – the South African taxpayer – are around $1-billion poorer.

South Africa spent about $4-billion, of which it may recoup about $2.7-billion. Either way, Fingers and his gang walked away with their two billion. In other words, the South African government was suckered into burning $1.3 billion it didn’t have.

Meanwhile the government is adamant that hosting the World Cup was the right thing to do, despite half the country being unemployed and a third living in abject poverty. And yes, they could have used that R40-billion to build 700,000 RDP houses.

Another classic case of the incompetance of the ruling party. When will they be bought to book? And what has happened to Danny Jordaan? Where is he now?

Fifa's World Cup debt trail - www.fin24.com

Fifa is facing a string of legal suits in South Africa for nearly R1bn in unpaid debts for services provided before and during the World Cup.

The world soccer governing body has not paid about R240m for the buses that transported spectators and the security supplied by police after private security firms pulled out of the games over pay demands.

Host cities are also threatening to sue for unpaid bills amounting to more than R500m for work Fifa allegedly demanded be done around stadiums.

And last week, top executives from the SA Football Association (Safa) went cap in hand to Fifa's headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, asking for about R60m used to buy hospitality packages.

This comes three months after the end of Africa's first World Cup, which was held in June and July.

Transport parastatal Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) entered into a R174m agreement with Fifa's Match Hospitality for the provision of buses to transport fans.

Now Fifa faces a R148m lawsuit over the ­unpaid transport bill.

According to Prasa, Fifa was ­expected to settle the bill by ­August 31, but has so far only paid R26m.

Prasa spokesperson Nana ­Zenani said the entity "formally asserts that the matter is in the hands of its legal team".

Zenani would not comment on the agency's next move.

Prasa subsidiary, bus operator Autopax, acquired 570 new buses for R1.4bn for the World Cup.

Fifa spokesperson Pekka Odriozola said they wouldn't comment on the transport bill and referred enquiries to Match.

Match legal adviser Veruschka September confirmed that it ­contracted Prasa to deliver a ­complete bus transportation solution for the benefit of Match's clients during the World Cup.

Financial trouble

September said Prasa had filed a claim against Match, which it is disputing in a private arbitration forum.

However, the police ministry has ruled out a legal challenge to force the Local Organising Committee (LOC) to settle the R90m bill for securing Ellis Park and Soccer City in Johannesburg, Cape Town's Green Point and Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

About 1 300 police officers, mainly trainees, were called to ­secure the stadiums after Stallion Security guards protested over low wages.

"There are no intentions for ­legal pressure or litigation to ­settle the matter because we're confident it will be settled," said police ministry spokesperson Zweli Mnisi.

Mnisi said the department's ­engagements with the LOC "were ongoing, open and mutual".

Last month, police minister Nathi Mthethwa told Parliament the bill was sent to the LOC but police had used their own budget to pay officers.

Meanwhile, Safa president Kirsten Nematandani and chief executive Leslie Sedibe travelled to Zurich last week to ask for ­reimbursement, arguing that the association would not ordinarily have spent the money had it not been for the World Cup.

Nematandani said Safa bought the tickets under the impression that it would receive the profits of World Cup ticket sales.

But Fifa and Safa have since agreed to open a trust account for the windfall that will be ­channelled towards development programmes.

The move to ask Fifa to pay the R60m was seen as an ­indication that the association was in financial straits.

But Nematandani denied this.

"If we were broke, we would have closed shop a long time ago and would not have been able to send Bafana to Sierra Leone on a ­chartered flight and our national under-23 team to Iran," he said.

He added that Fifa had agreed to give Safa the 37 sponsored ­buses that carried national teams to the games.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

World Cup Votes For Sale

FIFA's "For the Good of the Game" and "whatever's in it for me"
two senior committee members offered to sell their votes for cash.

It is less than two months before Fifa executive committee members will vote in a secret ballot to decide who has won the right to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

But Fifa now finds itself investigating claims of World Cup vote corruption, after Sunday Times journalists filmed two members prepared to accept money in return for votes.

But Amos Adamu (pictured below), one of the two men involved in the scandal, has denied any wrongdoing.
Adamu told the Sunday Times he had been talking about business in Nigeria after the World Cup and said that his vote was not for sale.

The Fifa ethics committee will this week begin an investigation into a Sunday Times expose of two members of the 24-man Fifa executive committee, Amos Adamu from Nigeria and Reynald Temarii from Tahiti, who is the president of the Oceania Football Confederation.

Posing as English-based lobbyists for an American consortium wanting to take the World Cup to the USA, they secured tape and film evidence of Adamu telling reporters in London that he wanted $800,000, to be paid to him personally, to build four football pitches in Nigeria.

The deal was sealed last month in Cairo when Adamu gave his "guarantee" he would vote for the US in 2018. At the time it was still bidding for 2018. Adamu asked for the payments to be made through a relative who has a business in Europe. He also pledged his second preference for the US in the 2022 contest, but could not give his first. "I've already given my word to some other bid," he said.

What is serious for FIFA is that both men told undercover reporters that they had been offered cash to vote for other bidding nations.

The London Sunday Times, which published videos on its website, says Temarii wanted $2.3 million to fund a soccer academy in Auckland. The FIFA vice president also boasted that Oceania had been offered between $10 million and $12 million by supporters of two unnamed bidding countries.

Adamu’s position looks particularly precarious as he asked the $800,000 for a personal football project to be channelled through a family company. Press Association Sport spoke to Adamu today but the Nigerian terminated the phone call when asked about the allegations.

Reporters spoke to six senior FIFA officials, both past and present, who offered to work as fixers for England's World Cup bid. They all suggested paying huge bribes to FIFA executive committee members.

Among potential fixers who met the reporters were two FIFA committee members. Amadou Diakite (pictured left), on the referees' committee, advised the reporters they should offer bribes of $1m and he would make the introductions

In Paris, the other serving official offered himself for hire for up to £300,000. Slim Aloulou, chairman of the FIFA disputes resolution committee, told the reporters they should not pay "peanuts" suggesting bribing members 1 million pounds each member.

An investigation by London's The Sunday Times also uncovered allegations that supporters of two countries competing to host the World Cup have offered up to £750,000 a vote for personal "projects".

Former FIFA delegate Ahongalu Fusimalohi, who served for years as FIFA executive member for Oceania, warned that the failure of the England bid to offer such deals would be its downfall:

Fusimalohi is reported to have said: ‘England have got every reason why they should host the World Cup but they don’t strike the deals. You’ve got 24 members making that decision.

'Globally, if you don’t come up with something - although it’s corrupt it’s only corrupt if you get caught - these people will go all over the world to get it at any price. It’s sad but it’s true.’