by 013NEWS Reporter | Oct 5, 2018 | News
It was a march demanding the company’s director ends his relationship with the eMalahleni Housing Company.
A law firm accused of being at the centre of the housing crisis in the eMalahleni area has distanced itself from the alleged looting spree taking place at the eMalahleni Housing Company.
The Neuhoff Khoza Attorneys in Model Park suburb, east of town said they know nothing of corruption taking place at the public institution and that director Desmond Khoza told them that the housing company is being run “in an open and transparent manner”.
Khoza is a board member at the controversial eMalahleni Housing Company.
The eMalahleni Housing Company, a supposed government rent collecting agent, is led by embattled CEO George Xaba, whom the residents accuse of being opposed to the area being a “rent to buy” settlement because he wants to continue “enriching himself” from the R3.7 million that is collected monthly from the tenants.
ALSO RELATED: Sweating George Xaba has meeting with angry residents collapsing
Other than the embattled Xaba, the public company has six board members, including Hezel Zitha from the provincial human settlement department, Cosatu leader Thabo Mokoena and Khoza who is allegedly representing the Law Society.
Khoza has been serving on the eMalahleni Housing Company board since 2012.
Neuhoff Khoza Attorneys’ director Desmond Khoza.
In their memorandum of demand, the marchers said that the law firm “is the very same one that was paid the money to do the transfer of the very same land” to developer Themba Sgudla and then at the same time legally advised the eMalahleni Housing Company to oppose the transfer in court.
“This is prima facie evidence that this law firm is corrupt and complicit in grand corruption and stealing from the poor,” the memorandum reads.
“This law firm is the one enabling the corrupt individuals who call themselves a board of directors to continue to steal from the poor and enrich themselves from the suffering of the people of eMalahleni, who so desperately need shelter for their families,” it said.
ALSO RELATED: George Xaba accused of enriching himself from poor people’s plight
Themba Sgudla and Bhuti Mamba addressing the marchers outside the Neuhoff Khoza Attorneys office in Model Park Thursday mid-day this week. PIC 013NEWS/ZK.
The marchers in their demands want Khoza to resign from the eMalahleni Housing Company board within a space of 24 hours and they also want the law firm to take “visible and tangible action” against Khoza “in the form of him being relieved from his position as partner in the firm”.
Marchers also vowed to picket outside the Chicken Licken franchises that the law firm owns across the eMalahleni area and even take the extra mile of going to the Bar of Attorneys “to demand that the firm and all its directors be struck of the Bar”.
But Henri Neuhoff, another law firm director, distanced the firm from the allegations.
He said Khoza has denied the allegations when they spoke to him and “firmly maintains that the affairs of the eMalahleni Housing Company are conducted in an open and transparent manner, and more specifically so for the benefit of the community”.
He said that he could not be in office on Thursday mid-day to receive the memorandum from the marchers as he was in Tshwane and didn’t “want to be involved in altercation”.
“I was away because I was busy in Pretoria and also I don’t want to be involved in the altercation of Khoza and the people,” he said when he spoke to the 013NEWS reporter Friday morning.
(edited by ZK)
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by 013NEWS Reporter | Oct 3, 2018 | News
It says it’s only 10 months since Cyril Ramaphosa took over the country yet nothing had changed.
The Democratic Alliance has a petition against tax and fuel rises and were encouraging South Africans to sign it, it said.
The party said it was concerned that South Africans were getting poorer due to the hikes and that this was the seventh increase in just 10 months.
“It is a vote of no confidence in Cyril Ramaphosa’s ANC and its ability to fix our economy, make life easier for South Africans and create access to jobs for those without work,” Mpumalanga leader Jane Sithole said.
She said that:
– Unemployment is at a record high.
– The Rand is weak.
– The cost of living has gone up.
– Income Tax has gone up.
– VAT has gone up.
– Electricity has gone up.
– Food has gone up.
“The ANC cannot continue to blame these fuel price increases on international markets,” Sithole said.
“The reality is that almost a third of the cost of petrol per litre goes directly to the government,” she said.
Motorists will now pay nearly R17 for petrol and R15.65 for diesel.
Fuel prices in South Africa will be between R4 and R7 more expensive than in Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland and Lesotho.
The DA says they will do the following when they take over government:
– Stop reckless economic policies.
– Cut the size of the Cabinet from 35 to 15 ministries.
– Introduce an economic austerity plan to bring down government spending.
– Take action to make sure government stops the massive losses on state-owned enterprises like SAA and Eskom.
– Fund revenue shortfalls by cutting wasteful expenditure, and not adding taxes.
“The ANC cannot continue to pick the pockets of South Africans to deal with their inability to manage the economy. The people of South Africa cannot continue to fund ANC corruption. It is time for the change that creates One South Africa For All,” Sithole said.
(edited by MLM)
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by 013NEWS Reporter | Oct 3, 2018 | Crime
The incident happened at around 10 at night.
A 51-year-old man was murdered while watching TV in his Mbombela home, police have said.
Spokesman Colonel Mtsholi Bhembe said the man died this week Tuesday night after three suspects entered the home, shooting and killing him.
He said the victim whose name is not yet disclosed “was in the sitting room watching TV when the trio stormed in”.
“A fight ensued between the victim and the suspects resulting in shots being fired,” Bhembe said.
He said he was shot in the upper body “and was later certified dead at the scene by paramedics”.
“His wife came out from the bedroom and discovered that her husband was lying in a pool of blood and then called for help.
“Security guards arrived shortly thereafter and discovered that the suspects had already fled the scene,” he said.
He added a TV set that had been stolen from the house was discovered in nearby bushes, saying they were now investigating a murder and house robbery and have launched a manhunt for the suspects, however, no one had been arrested as yet.
Anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of the three men should call the cops on 082 318 9843.
(edited by MLM)
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by 013NEWS Reporter | Sep 28, 2018 | Lifestyle
For a period of 3 billion and 300 million years, this earth’s surface has supported life.
The earth’s surface is currently doing away with its species, from animals living on ocean floors to those on land as well as in the air and this has a bad effect on the ecosystem.
This poses a great threat to human beings too, who are currently the major cause for the loss of animal lives.
Experts say we are now on the 6th earth mass extinction, following the last five mass extinction many years ago which claimed 99% of the earth’s species.
They say when too many species die out too quickly it creates a domino effect capable of bringing down the entire ecosystem.
The ecosystem as a whole supports life on the earth surface.
A 2016 study published in the journal Science said the current sixth mass extinction is killing off large ocean dwellers (like sharks, whales, giant clams, sea turtles and tuna) in shockingly greater numbers.
65 million years ago, the earth experienced another mass extinction, which wiped out dinosaurs.
Each of the previous extinctions wiped out between 50 and 90 percent of all species on the planet.
A 2017 study calls the loss of wildlife a “biological annihilation” and a “frightening assault on the foundations of human civilisation”.
Previous extinctions were often linked to asteroids or volcanoes, but this one is man made. This includes deforestation for farming, industrial pollution, settlement and infrastructure.
Species are disappearing up to 114 times more quickly than they did during previous mass extinctions.
(edited MLM, with Caxton Media)
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by 013NEWS Reporter | Sep 28, 2018 | Business
Government celebrates World Tourism Day this week with a string of events.
The department of tourism has called on all South Africans to protect the environment and do tourism as it contributes vastly to job creations.
“The power of tourism touches every sector you can think of,” South Africa Tourism boss Sisa Ntshona said.
“It touches from construction to forest,” Ntshona said.
“And it brings overseas exposure to the door steps of small businesses. And that’s the beauty of it, we can get the economy growing,” he said.
World tourism day is aimed at appreciating tourism as the main channel in economic growth and development, he said.
The 2018’s Tourism Month activities are annual celebrations giving “insight” on the importance of this sector to the economy of South Africa.
This year’s theme is: Tourism and the Digital Transformation, highlighting the necessity for increased investments in digital technologies to create an environment for innovation and entrepreneurship in tourism’.
Tourism minister Derek Hanekom stated that what needed to be done is to ensure that as tourism grows the people should also benefit.
“It is about the environment and the people. Without people and the participation of the people, the environment will not be protected,” Hanekom said.
“If the environment is well protected, there will be more tourists, more jobs and more opportunities,” he said.
(edited by NN)
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