Whistleblower gunned down after flagging dodgy multimillion-rand home affairs tender

News24  07 November 2022

• Marumo Eric Phenya was gunned down just three weeks after he reported a conspiracy to commit murder case.
• The murdered whistleblower flagged tender corruption at the Department of Home Affairs.
• He uncovered irregularities involving a company that provided IT solutions to the department.

Businessman Marumo Eric Phenya was killed in a hail of bullets after receiving death threats when he blew the whistle on a dodgy multimillion-rand tender at the Department of Home Affairs.

Last month, Phenya was found dead in the driver's seat of his bullet-ridden white Land Rover in Roodepoort. 

The 57-year-old, who was on his way home after dropping his children at school, came under attack around 07:30 by two men at the traffic lights on Hendrik Potgieter Road. They fired 10 shots from a 9mm pistol before fleeing the scene on foot.

Phenya continued driving until his vehicle came to a standstill on an island on the side of the road, where police found him.

The incident is being treated as a possible assassination. His killers remain at large.

Phenya's death comes three weeks after he opened a case at Honeydew police station relating to conspiracy to commit murder.

Gauteng police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili told News24 that Phenya opened the case on 31 August 2022.

"The family is finding it very difficult to come to grips with this tragic and violent loss," said Chad Thomas on behalf of the family.

Thomas, who works for IRS Forensic Investigations, said Marumo received death threats after the company he worked for flagged alleged tender irregularities.

"Mr and Mrs Phenya received threats via telephone, and men arrived at their house when they were not home. These threats were reported to SAPS," said Thomas.

Foursight IT Business Solutions, of which Phenya's wife is a director, was contracted to provide IT solutions to the home affairs department.

They reported an alleged dodgy deal involving another IT company with links to a senior government official working at the department.

Thomas said the government official was suspended, pending disciplinary proceedings, at which the Phenyas were testifying.

The spokesperson for the department, Siya Qoza, told News24 it had appointed a forensic investigating firm to probe a complaint by the whistleblower, which was wrapped up last month.

"The forensic investigating firm submitted its final report to the department on 6 September 2022. A case was opened with the police ... Disciplinary action was also instituted against the employee," he said.

Qoza said the employee, whose name is known to News24, was placed on precautionary suspension, but he later resigned.

"The department has placed a marker on his profile, which means that he won't be able to re-enter the public service."

The criminal investigation is still under way.

www.samigration.com

Zimbabwe braces for influx of citizens as special permits expire in SA 

News 24. 07 November 2022.

• The Zimbabwean government has set up subcommittees to handle returning citizens.

• A majority of Zimbabweans do not qualify for other visas in SA, the government said.

• The Gauteng High Court is yet to hear two challenges against the cancellation of the ZEP.

The Zimbabwean government says most people living and working in South Africa under the  Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) system do not qualify for critical skills permits, and it is preparing for an influx of returning citizens.

The permits were meant to end on 31 December 2022, but the Department of Home Affairs extended them by a further six months, to give Zimbabweans more time to apply for other visas.

By end of October, fewer than 10% of ZEP holders had applied for the available mainstream visas.

An estimated 180 000 ZEP holders will be affected by the 30 June 2023 deadline set by South Africa.

"Cabinet would like to inform the public that mass deportations of undocumented Zimbabweans were expected from South Africa following the expiry of Zimbabwe Exemptions Permits, which South Africa had granted them," Zimbabwean Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa told journalists in Harare.

She added:

Most ZEP holders do not qualify for the outlined critical skills visas, hence the low uptake.

The Zimbabwean government had set up a committee to look into the transport and logistics of returnees, documentation, security, reintegration support, health, education and resource mobilisation, Mutsvangwa said.

The government would allow those returning to bring as many households appliances as they could without paying duty, but they would only be allowed one duty-free vehicle each.

Currently, there are two cases yet to be heard by the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria before Judge Colleen Collis and two other judges. 

Simba Chitando of African Amity mounted a legal challenge against the home affairs department over the cancellation of the permits. The Zimbabwe Immigration Federation is also challenging the department.

www.samigration.com

SA's dismal e-Visa service may soon get professional help – but it could take a while

Luke Daniel , Business Insider SA

07 Nov 2022

• South Africa's e-Visa system was launched to make applications easier and quicker through an online platform.
• But the system has been marred by delays and technical challenges.
• VFS Global, which already works with South Africa's Department of Home Affairs to facilitate the processing of visa applications, could soon be roped in to help the ailing system.

South Africa's e-Visa system, meant to simplify the process for travel to the country, has been marred by delays and technical challenges. Now, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is in talks with a private company, already heavily involved with visa admin, to help out.

"The decision to introduce the e-Visa was informed by observable benefits of this system. It is reliable, client-friendly, and convenient for visa applicants, airlines, trading partners and Home Affairs officials," announced Minister Aaron Motsoaledi in December 2019.

The testing phase of South Africa's e-Visa system, which included Kenya, China, India, and Nigeria, was due to be completed by March 2020. Two years later, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the e-Visa system had been officially launched to include 14 countries.

But the e-Visa launch was met with criticism from potential travellers and South African tourism businesses.

The online platform was unstable and difficult to navigate, a far cry from a world-class system which would be inviting to tourists, said Rosemary Anderson, national chairperson of the Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa. The same concerns were voiced by IBN Immigration Solutions, which said its branch in Kenya had tried to use the online system, with no luck.

Foreign tourists trying to use South Africa's e-Visa system have described it as "slow, unreliable, and inefficient" in several online complaints, some as recent as August. More recently, Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu admitted that the expansion of the e-Visa system was hamstrung by a huge backlog and needed "a lot of work".

VFS Global, which already works with South Africa's DHA, along with more than 60 other governments around the world, to facilitate the processing of visa applications, has confirmed that it is assisting in developing a better e-Visa system.

"Many governments and ministries, they are also looking to digitise their visa services. They want to move out of the physical application pack [and are] getting into the e-Visa space, and we are already there as a market leader in terms of providing an end-to-end e-Visa solution," said Hariprasad Viswanathan, VFS Global's head in Sub-Saharan Africa, during a media briefing on Wednesday.

Viswanathan added that the company had already developed functional e-Visa systems for several countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He also confirmed that VFS Global was planning to test a new and improved e-Visa programme in South Africa.

"We are in the process of doing a pilot," Viswanathan told Business Insider SA, adding that while VFS Global was engaging the DHA on a new pilot programme, the process was not at an advanced stage and no timelines could be given.

"We have still not implemented that [as] we are waiting for official approvals from the department of home affairs. We're still in progress with them. Once we've implemented [the pilot], we could tell you how soon it can be expanded. With our expertise, we do feel that it will be a simple process… [but] we are not able to provide the complete details around its implementation."  

NKOANA-MASHABANE: SAPS TO ACCESS HOME AFFAIRS FINGERPRINT DATABASE IN GBV FIGHT

Nkoana-Mashabane said this system will help police with identifying alleged perpetrators of crime much quicker.

JOHANNESBURG - Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said the government will soon be introducing a system that will allow authorities to do fingerprint checks across different databases.

Nkoana-Mashabane said this system will help police with identifying alleged perpetrators of crime faster.

The minister was speaking during a media briefing on Monday where the government outlined its progress in implementing the national strategic plan on gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide.

Two years ago, President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into effect the national strategic plan on GBV and femicide.

The plan is a multi-sector approach for government institutions to work together to combat GBV in the country.

Nkoana-Mashabane said allowing police access to the Department of Home Affairs records is one of several measures the government has embarked on to create a victim-centered police unit.

“We are introducing a system that enables the identity of arrested individuals to be verified using their fingerprints it is then they are checked against the Department of Home Affairs records.”

Nkoana-Mashabana said the government has also increased the number of care centres for abuse victims and signed a policy framework with the Department of Basic Education to deal with issues of GBV and those affecting the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer community in schools.

“As part of our efforts to ensure women do not stay in toxic relationships because they are financially dependent on men, we have prioritised the creation of women in all government programmes.”

The Presidency is set to host a two-day GBVF summit in Midrand, at the Gallaghers Estate on Tuesday.

$8.5bn from rich countries: SA to spend most of the money on electricity infrastructure

S'thembile Cele. 07 Nov 2022

South Africa’s government will invest the bulk of an $8.5 billion (R152 billion) climate-finance deal being offered by wealthy nations on bolstering its energy supply.

An investment plan published Friday envisages 90% of the funds being used to decommission coal-fired power plants in tandem with developing renewable-energy generation, strengthening the transmission grid and modernising the electricity-distribution system. The rest will go toward the development of green-hydrogen and electric-vehicle industries.

The funding, pledged by the US, UK, the European Union, Germany and France, was unveiled at last year’s United Nations-led climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland. The investment plan comes the week before world leaders gather at the follow-up summit in Egypt. The so-called Just Energy Transition Partnership is expected to serve as a prototype for similar deals with coal-dependent, developing nations such as Vietnam, Indonesia and India.

“The plan takes its direction from South Africa’s energy and climate policies,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a foreward to the plan. “These policies reflect our determination to diversify our energy mix and ensure that our transition to a low-carbon economy contributes to our efforts to tackle inequality, poverty and unemployment.”

South Africa is the world’s 13th-biggest source of greenhouse gases, with 45% of its annual 452 million tons of emissions coming from electricity generation. The package is key to closing many of the nation’s old and malfunctioning coal-fired plants and replacing them with renewable sources.

“South Africa’s commitment to tackling climate change is long-standing and unwavering. It is borne out of the understanding that although developing economies have made little contribution to global warming, we must all contribute our fair share to addressing it,” he said. “A just energy transition can attract investment, create new industries and jobs, and help us to achieve energy security and climate resilience.”