Hawks reel in R1 billion and GNU partners gun for Justice minister

Here’s what is happening in and affecting South Africa today:

• Hawks conduct busts worth R1bn in first quarter: Lieutenant-General Godfrey Lebeya, head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), reported over the weekend that in the first quarter of the 2024-2025 financial year, the unit handled 18,461 cases, totaling 752,712 charges and exceeding R1 billion. Of these cases, 5,616 involved 11,972 individuals in court, and 1,788 cases were referred to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for prosecution decisions. [The Citizen]

• GNU partners gun for Justice Minister: Two of the ANC’s GNU partners, the DA and GOOD party, have their sights set on Justice Minister Thembi Simelane over her alleged involvement in the VBS Bank scandal. ActionSA has called for an investigation by the Public Protector. A joint News24 and Daily Maverick investigation shows that Simelane, while Polokwane mayor, used a R575,600 loan from Gundo Wealth Solutions to buy a Sandton coffee shop. Gundo, owned by Ralliom Razwinane, brokered the municipality’s illegal R349 million investment into VBS. [News24]

• Lotto corruption probe picks up pace: A Soweto man charged in a multi-million rand lottery fraud case has appeared in Kimberley court over a fraudulent lottery payment to a Northern Cape non-profit. The grant, intended to support gender-based violence (GBV) victims and raise awareness, was awarded by the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) to the Kgatelopele Foundation. Not many of the people implicated in stealing money from the NLC have faced justice. These arrests may signal this is about to change. [GroundUp]

• Didiza hits back at Steenhuisen: Former agriculture minister Thoko Didiza criticized her successor, John Steenhuisen, for claiming to expose misconduct that she says was already addressed and investigated during her tenure. City Press reported over the weekend that Steenhuisen uncovered that R500 million meant for Onderstepoort Biological Products was unaccounted for. Didiza said it was inappropriate for Steenhuisen to make definitive statements while investigations are ongoing, as it implies the previous administration did nothing to address the issues. [Times Live]

• Markets: The rand was stable on Monday, ahead of local economic data releases this week that could give hints on the health of the local economy. On Tuesday (27 August), the rand was trading at R17.71 to the dollar, R23.52 to the pound, and R19.76 to the euro. Oil is trading at $81.28 a barrel. [Reuters]