Business

5 important things happening in South Africa today

Staff Writer

 ·30 Nov 2022

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

• Guards steal diesel:  Two security guards employed by a company contracted by Eskom to protect the Port Rex power station in East London were arrested on Monday for allegedly stealing almost 6,000 litres of diesel valued at R146,000. “Through internal investigations, it was established that the security guards permitted a vehicle to collect the stolen diesel from the site during the night shifts, for which they were paid in return,” said Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha. [News24]

• Hawks arrests: The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) made 827 successful arrests in the second quarter of 2022, with 217 convictions. Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya noted that drugs, corruption and fraud accounted for the bulk of Hawks arrests – ranging from cash-in-transit robberies, theft of fuel from Transnet pipelines, drug trafficking, human trafficking, corruption, commercial crimes, organised crimes, cybercrime and money laundering. [Mail and Guardian]

• Crime concerns in the Western Cape: Gang-related violence was one of the leading causes of murders and attempted murders in the Western Cape between July and September, with 252 murders committed over the period, according to the most recent quarterly crime statistics. The province recorded 1,050 murders between July and September – an increase of 3.9% year-on-year, with the bulk of the murders being committed in Cape Town. [News24]

• JRA mess: Amid investigations into the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) CEO’s qualifications – where it was found that he lied about his degrees – the JRA has also been accused of lowering the qualifications requirements for the CEO role and offered a salary that exceeded the highest allowable package (earning R3.5 million per month) to accommodate the current head. The JRA CEO has been put on paid leave pending an investigation, earning around R290,000 a month. [Daily Maverick]

• Markets: The South African rand gained on Tuesday (29 November) as the dollar faltered in global markets amid hopes of a potential easing of strict Covid restrictions in China after protests in the world’s second-biggest economy. On the domestic economic front, data from Statistics South Africa showed South Africa’s official unemployment rate fell slightly to 32.9% in the third quarter from 33.9% in the second quarter. On Wednesday (30 November), the rand was trading at R16.95/$, R17.56/€ and R20.33/£. Brent crude is trading at $83.90 a barrel. [Nasdaq]