President Cyril Ramaphosa says the Special Investigating Unit has provided him with two interim reports on their progress in investigating corruption related to the procurement of Personal Protective Equipment.
He was answering oral questions in the National Council of Provinces on Tuesday.
President Ramaphosa answers questions in NCOP:
Ramaphosa says investigations by the South African Revenue Service show that by the end of September, there were 307 cases with an estimated tax revenue loss of R300 million rand.
One hundred and thirty-nine companies have been referred for potential tax evasion investigation.
Address
Ramaphosa says he will address the nation next week on government’s continuing response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The President has however dismissed reports that the country is about to go back to a higher level lockdown.
He says there are worrying signs that South Africans are not adhering to protective measures such as wearing masks and social distancing.
Ramaphosa says this is particularly serious as the country approaches the December holiday period when many people will let their guard down.
Zimbabwe trip
Ramaphosa says Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula’s trip to Zimbabwe was granted on an urgent basis.
He says this is why the request was not brought two weeks in advance as stipulated in the ministerial handbook.
Ramaphosa says the Minister’s engagement with her Zimbabwe counterpart, was part of diplomatic efforts to address instability in that country.
He says he would not say how much he knew about the African National Congress delegation accompanying Mapisa-Nqakula ahead of the travel.
Prasa
On the Prasa matter, Ramaphosa says government will deploy drones and armed response to conduct virtual patrols as part of a R900 million security plan to protect the infrastructure of the Passenger Rail Agency.
He has told the NCOP that the vandalism and sabotage of rail infrastructure is one of the worst economic crimes in the country. He says it has a direct impact on the lives of millions of South Africans who rely on the commuter rail service to travel to work or to study. He says an e-guarding solution will be introduced for the protection of critical assets such as substations, relay rooms, and communication sites.
“Part of the plan is to immediately appoint security personnel and to deploy remotely piloted aircraft systems to conduct virtual patrols of high-risk infrastructure. This capability will work together with specialised investigations and armed response.”
