Daily news update: Mkhwebane impeachment, Nelson Mandela Bay water crisis and eThekwini municipality debt

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Daily news update – 27 August

Mkhwebane impeachment: Dali Mpofu may apply for Section 194 inquiry chair’s recusal

Advocate Dali Mpofu, acting on behalf of suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, has told Parliament that they may apply for the recusal of Section 194 Committee chairperson, Qubudile Dyantyi.

This comes after Mkhwebane’s latest rescission application was dismissed by the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) on Wednesday, with the apex court ruling that “no case has been made out for rescission”.

The ConCourt ordered Mkhwebane to pay the costs of the application in her personal capacity, after finding that her legal bid constituted an abuse of court processes.

The Public Protector had filed a second rescission application in a bid to reverse the ConCourt’s 6 May ruling, which cleared the way for the impeachment process against her to go ahead.

New ANC KZN leadership to meet with Jacob Zuma this weekend in ‘historic visit’

The newly elected leadership of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal is set to visit former president Jacob Zuma this Sunday at his Nkandla homestead.

In what has been billed as a “historic visit” by the party, the ANC in the province says it wants to meet with Zuma to seek guidance and wisdom from him.

This follows the senior party leaders’ visit earlier this month, to former president Thabo Mbeki at his foundation’s offices in Johannesburg.

At the time, ANC KZN chairperson Siboniso Duma said their engagement with Mbeki formed part of efforts of organisational renewal and unity.

Interventions to prevent Day Zero in Nelson Mandela Bay are starting to yield positive results, says Mchunu

Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu says government has made progress with its drought relief measures in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality to tackle the metro’s water crisis.

Mchunu on Friday briefed the media in Pretoria on the state of water supply in the country.

The minister said the Department of Water and Sanitation’s interventions in the metro to prevent taps from running dry were starting to yield positive results.

“Since we intervened in the metro around April, there has been progress. The municipality is even improving on compliance in a number of areas and we have been able, up to now, to avert Day Zero.

PICS: Assets worth R75 million seized from former top cop in ‘blue lights’ corruption case

The National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) has restrained the assets of former South African Police Service (Saps) officials facing fraud and corruption charges in the infamous R191 million “blue lights” criminal case.

The case, which involves former high-ranking Saps officials, Kgomotso Phahlane and Deliwe De Lange, is in connection with a corruptly awarded contract by Saps to a service provider – Instrumentation for Traffic Law Enforcement – for the supply and fitment of blue lights and sirens to Gauteng police vehicles in 2017.  

PICS: Sheriff seizes ‘movable goods’ worth R43 million belonging to eThekwini

eThekwini Municipality has been left red-faced after computers, telephones and vehicles were seized from its offices by the Sheriff of the Durban High Court.

On Thursday, the Sheriff carried out a warrant of execution by the court which ruled that it should attach “movable goods” belonging to the municipality worth R43 million. The items are set to be put up for auction to raise the money.

Babita Deokaran murder: Gauteng Health CFO, Tembisa Hospital CEO suspended

The chief financial officer of the Gauteng Health Department Lerato Madyo, and the chief executive officer of Tembisa Hospital Ashley Mthunzi have both been suspended with immediate effect.

The Gauteng Provincial Government made the announcement on Friday.  

It said the two officials were being placed on suspension to ensure that their presence in the office does not impede the investigation of the serious allegations pertaining to the improper procurement and payment of service providers at Tembisa Hospital.

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