Several energy companies are recruiting former Eskom executives allegedly to gain an unfair competitive edge, benefit from insider trading, and position themselves for billions of tenders at the power utility.  According to insiders and industry sources, the growing trend raises questions about an alleged revolving door phenomenon involving former Eskom bosses, the power utility’s failure to enforce the government’s restraint of trade policy, and threatens the credibility of the state-owned company’s procurement processes.  Former Eskom Group CEO Brian Dames,…

In a landmark ruling with far-reaching implications for international law, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered Israel to stop genocide against Palestinians, punish soldiers who commit genocidal acts, and facilitate humanitarian aid in Gaza.  The court sitting in The Hague, Netherlands, ruled in South Africa’s favour on Friday, January 26, and ordered the Zionist state to preserve evidence of genocide and submit monthly progress reports on measures taken.   However, the highest court in the United Nations (UN) system…

On the eve of the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg in August, Chinese President Xi Jinping met his South African counterpart, President Cyril Ramaphosa. After the pomp and ceremony at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, the two leaders and their ministers announced a raft of bilateral agreements across many fields.  One of the agreements, signed by South African Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza and Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, allowed South African farmers…

The appearance of South African journalist Redi Tlhabi and governance commentator Chris Maroleng before the US Congress’ Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa illustrates a growing trend of Africans’ readiness to sell their countries in exchange for a comfortable stay in the West.  The trend repeats itself on the media front. The Africans are enlisted to parrot fixed narratives calculated at undermining foreign policies of their respective countries in relation to the East, especially China and Russia.    The submissions by Tlhabi,…

Ten years ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled an economic and infrastructure blueprint to promote connectivity and boost trade and development. To date, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has transformed and improved the lives of millions of people across more than 150 participating countries worldwide. On the BRI’s 10th anniversary, it’s perhaps fitting to retrace Xi’s thought process and the steps taken since its launch in 2013.  In the book series Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, the BRI…

The South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg has declared Gauteng’s R526 million medical waste tender invalid and set it aside.  In a ground-breaking judgement on Thursday, November 30, Judge Ahmed Cajee found that the disputed tender awarded by the provincial Department of Health a few weeks ago had lapsed.  The provincial health department awarded Tshenolo Waste (PTY) Ltd and Phuting Medical Waste Management (PTY) Ltd the multimillion-rand contract following several extensions and questionable processes, now the subject of a legal…

Gauteng’s R500 million medical waste tender lapsed two days before the provincial health department requested validity extensions from the bidders, the presiding officer said.  Judge Ahmed Cajee said his calculations showed that the tender’s 90-day validity period expired on November 17, 2022 – not November 17 – as claimed by all parties in their court documents.  Buhle Medical Waste, the incumbent service provider, has applied for an urgent interdict to stop the department from implementing the award of a disputed…

Four villages have rejected Roads Agency Limpopo’s (RAL) R8 million project awarded to corruption-accused company, Ndhuna Civils, saying they wanted the road to be tarred and not re-gravelled endlessly.  The communities of Ga-Mokgwathi, Daniel, Lekgwareng and Dzumeri in Mopani took a resolution to bar Ndhuna from the site in separate tribal meetings last month, according to the chairperson of the D3187 Mokgwathi-Dzumeri Road task team.  Wilfred Machethe told African Times that residents agreed that Ndhuna and RAL must not touch…

Senior Gauteng Department of Health officials have been accused of fixing a R526 million medical waste tender to benefit their preferred bidders at approximately double the price.   Acting head of department Arnold Malotana, acting director for health care risk and medical waste Edgar Motha, and Sheriff Lecholo, assistant director for contract management in the supply chain unit, allegedly manipulated procurement processes to secure the contract for two companies in July last year.  The provincial health department awarded Tshenolo Waste (PTY)…

Embattled North West Public Works and Roads HOD Moss Kgantsi is under siege from heavily armed service providers who are baying for his blood over alleged meddling in procurement processes. According to sources and eyewitnesses who spoke anonymously, a group of contractors stormed the department’s provincial headquarters in Mahikeng on more than one occasion this week.  They demanded an audience with Kgantsi about maintenance tenders, especially grass-cutting contracts.  The aggrieved group accused him of using the province’s Expanded Public Works…