AfriForum intensifies fight against NHI after NCOP approves the bill
AfriForum said it was ready to wage the fiercest battle yet against the National Health Insurance (NHI) after the bill completed the last round of parliamentary approval.
The civil rights organisation said it had sent a letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa, demanding that he refer the bill back to the National Assembly.
The letter emphasised the dangers of the NHI and warned the president that AfriForum would not back down while he turned his back on the health of South Africans. Furthermore, the organisation approached opposition parties about joint legal action against the NHI, should the bill be passed into law.
Delegates from eight of the nine provinces voted in favour of the bill in the latest session of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), with only the Western Cape’s delegates voting against it.
Louis Boshoff, AfriForum’s spokesperson on NHI, said the organisation was expecting the approval due to the ANC’s absolute majority in the NCOP. Ramaphosa had a constitutional obligation to have a bill that raised any concerns with him be sent back to be revised, while the Constitutional Court could, ultimately, rule on the constitutionality of a bill.
Eskom warns customers not to fall prey to electricity advert scams on social media
Power utility Eskom has warned citizens that there were several electricity adverts on social media aimed at scamming customers to part with their hard-earned cash.
The scammers falsely advertise prepaid electricity for the municipality and/or Eskom on Facebook, X or WhatsApp. They would normally offer 600 units for R300 and 2000 units for R400, which makes it attractive to unsuspecting customers.
Eskom acting general manager for security Botse Sikhwitshi said: “The scammers utilise money market, e-wallet or CashSend payments for the unsuspecting customers to send money as these transactions are hard to trace. To convince the customer to make a payment, the scammers would provide 20-digit recharge pins with the last three digits blanked out.
“The unsuspecting customer will be told that the last three digits will only become visible when the money is received. Once the customer pays the money, the scammer will go and withdraw such deposits, after which the customer will either be given the last three digits that do not work, or the scammer just disappears.”
Competition Commission recommends that merger of SKG Properties Fund and Elixir Trust be approved.
The Competition Commission has recommended that the tribunal approve the proposed transaction whereby SKG Properties Fund II intends to acquire all the beneficial rights and interests in the Elixir Trust, with conditions.
The primary acquiring firm is SKG Properties Fund II, a wholly owned subsidiary of SKG Property Holdings, which is, in turn, ultimately controlled by a trust.
The various entities forming part of the SKG Properties Fund II were primarily engaged in the development and leasing of commercial, industrial and retail investment properties, including management of the properties. Relevant to the proposed transaction, SKG Group owned properties that provided office space to various tenants in Johannesburg, Gauteng, the commission said.
The primary target firm is Elixir Trust which is controlled by the Trustee of the Alchemy Property Investments Trust owns and develops property in South Africa and is the registered and beneficial owner of an undivided share in Sasol Place.
The commission found that the proposed transaction was unlikely to result in substantial prevention or lessening of competition in any relevant markets.
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