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President Cyril Ramaphosa has spoken out about a number of key issues facing the country right now, including allegations of corruption that have been brought against government officials and the country’s public transportation system.
Speaking to parliament in an oral question-and-answer session on Tuesday (October 27), the president also flatly dismissed rumors that South Africa is returning to a hard lockdown, but said there are worrying trends related to Covid- infections. 19.
KwaZulu-Natal premiere on Sunday Sihle Zikalala He said a return to a strict lockdown is at stake, unless the country sees a decline in the number of daily coronavirus cases.
However, Ramaphosa said no decision has been made on a stricter lockdown, although the issue was not completely ruled out. The president said he received a report Tuesday about Covid-19 infections but has yet to study it.
He said that after studying the report, he will address the nation, probably next week, about the situation and the way forward.
Ramaphosa noted that the government is beginning to see signs that are worrying, including super spreader events.
“As South Africans, we must adhere to the measures that the medical advisory committee has proposed to us,” he said.
“In the next few days, possibly next week, I will be able to address the people of South Africa about what we have to do now in light of what we are going through,” he said.
“I don’t want to be an alarmist. The rumors that we are going to level 3 are simply not true. If we ever get there, I will be the one to let the nation know where we are and where we are going. “
Lockdown fraud
Ramaphosa was asked to speak about how the government was dealing with various reports of corruption and procurement irregularities related to the coronavirus lockdown in the country.
In response, the president said the government has established a “fusion center” that brings together nine law enforcement agencies to share information and resources and ensure a coordinated response.
“On July 23, 2020, I issued a proclamation to the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) to investigate Covid-related mismanagement and illegal conduct at any state institution during the national state of disaster.
“The SIU is currently investigating 932 matters under the issued proclamation, and all of these matters are in different stages of investigation.”
Ramaphosa said that the SIU, to date, has provided two interim reports, describing the progress of the investigations, including where the investigations have been completed.
Reports of the SIU’s investigations will be made public once all the necessary process has been completed and there is no risk of jeopardizing ongoing investigations, he said.
“On August 5, 2020, the Cabinet established a ministerial team to compile and publish details of all Covid-related contracts awarded by the state.
“These have already been published on the website of the National Treasury and will be updated monthly. The South African Revenue Service has established a Covid-19 project team to investigate and audit cases. “
Ramaphosa said that some of its reportable results highlight that, at the end of September 2020, there were 307 cases with an estimated loss of tax revenue of R300 million.
There are 139 companies referred for a possible investigation for tax evasion, he said.
“The increase in serious business crimes and incidents of corruption in Covid-19 acquisitions have meant that we are accelerating the establishment of additional Special Commercial Crime Courts and increasing the capacity of existing ones.”
New district model
Ramaphosa said the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) and the National Treasury are working on a strategy to jointly support dysfunctional municipalities across the country.
He added that all the country’s municipalities will be aligned under the new District Development Model that is being led by the Minister of Cogta, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
“This approach ensures that district municipalities and their local municipalities receive evidence-based support programs that focus on critical performance areas, such as financial management, service delivery and infrastructure, governance and administration,” he said.
Ramaphosa said this new model, combined with other interventions such as a ‘municipal systems improvement grant’, will make an important contribution to solving some of the key capacity challenges facing many municipalities.
Public transport
Ramaphosa acknowledged that the country’s public transportation system, specifically its rail infrastructure, was in poor condition and that the government was working to fix it.
“The ongoing damage, sabotage, theft and vandalism of rail infrastructure is one of the worst forms of economic crime in this country,” he said.
“It has a direct impact on the lives of the millions of South Africans who depend on commuter train services to travel to work or study.”
Ramaphosa said that the railroad is a key part of the country’s new economic recovery plan and that the government will take decisive action to improve safety on these lines.
The National Treasury has granted approval of R900 million for the implementation of the PRASA Security Plan to combat theft and vandalism of the railway infrastructure.
“Part of the plan is to immediately appoint security personnel and deploy remotely piloted aircraft systems conduct virtual patrols of high-risk infrastructure. This capability will work in conjunction with specialized investigations and armed response.
“The plan will also involve creating an internal security capacity for armed response, control room operations and increasing the number of physical security officers,” he said.
Ramaphosa said that an electronic protection solution will also be introduced for the protection of mission-critical assets, such as substations, relay rooms and communication sites, with early warning security technology and defensive security systems.
“The plan will also introduce specialized investigations with legal support and access to criminal laboratories,” he said.
“We believe that this ability will improve the quality of investigative reports and lead to a better prosecution rate.”
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