SIU takes on tender billionaire, and Ramaphosa in China

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

• SIU looks to reclaim R390 million from PPE tender billionaire: The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has filed an application seeking to cancel a nearly R600-million PPE contract between Red Roses Africa and SAPS from a dodgy and overpriced personal protective equipment (PPE) procurement during the Covid-19 state of disaster. The SIU accuses businessman Robert Gumede of playing a crucial role in the alleged misconduct, requesting the tribunal to order Gumede, Red Roses, and Blessing Qwabe to repay R390,754,000 plus interest within 30 days if their application is successful. [Daily Maverick]

• Ramaphosa in China: President Cyril Ramaphosa has arrived in Beijing, China, on a state visit and to attend the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit from 2-5 September 2024. The ANC’s treasurer-general, Gwen Ramokgopa, said that South Africa will not use the upcoming Forum on to extend a begging bowl to its largest trading partner but rather to deepen economic ties. The ANC delegation will hold bilateral discussions with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), during which they would explain the government of national unity after the ANC lost its parliamentary majority. [Business Day]

• 228 water tankers deployed across eThekwini: Amid severe water outages, the city of eThekwini (Durban), which has long grappled inadequate water supply, has deployed nearly 230 water tankers across the city impacted by outages. Maypr Cyril Xaba says further measures are also in the pipeline to resolve the Umgeni-Uthukela algae crisis. [eNCA]

• KZN’s deadly weekend on the roads: Over the weekend, KwaZulu-Natal experienced a series of road accidents resulting in at least 17 fatalities. Among the casualties were six supporters of the Umkhonto weSizwe Party en route to an event at Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla residence. In a separate crash on the Mooi Plaza in the Midlands, 11 people died. The provincial transport MEC Sibonsiso Duma said that this figure could be higher. [EWN]

• Markets: The rand was stable on Friday against a buoyant dollar, after the local unit hit a fresh 13-month high earlier in the day supported by improved investor sentiment. On Monday (2 September), the rand was trading at R17.82 to the dollar, R23.41 to the pound, and R19.72 to the euro. Oil is trading at $76.32 a barrel. [Reuters]