Article: Nkandla fence falling apart

FENCE REPORT INACCURATE: COMPANY

A report in the Sunday Times regarding the security fence around President Jacob Zuma's Nkandla home was factually inaccurate, Betafence SA said.

According to the report, less than two years after it was erected, the multi-million rand high-security perimeter fence was falling apart.

The newspaper said it had visited Nkandla and found parts of the fence entirely broken and other sections patched with logs and other objects.

The president's 8.9ha private homestead in KwaZulu-Natal was surrounded by two rings of 3m-high fence -- an internal fence that cost R8.2m and the outer fence, which was collapsing.

The contract to install the fence was awarded to Durban businesswoman Thandeka Nene whose company secured work worth R98m on the project.

However, the contract was cancelled due to non-performance and given to Betafence Projects, at R9.2m for the job, the newspaper reported.

Mike James, general manager of Betafence SA, said: "We just want to issue a correction of the facts regarding the Sunday Times article, written by Bongani Mthethwa.

"In the article Betafence SA and Betafence Projects were referred to inaccurately without any request for comment from either the publication or the journalist prior to going to print but we would like to place on record the actual facts."

He said the fence depicted in the article was not a Betafence product, and was not installed by Betafence.

"In the article it referred to two security fences, however the article stopped short of giving full details of both fences," James said.

The outer perimeter fence, depicted in photographs, was the fence that was in a state of disrepair.

"This was not a Betafence product. This was ClearVu, manufactured by Cochrane Steel of Johannesburg. By failing to mention Cochrane, the article creates the false impression that this is a Betafence product," said James.

"The inner high security fence, which is not in question in this article, nor is it depicted in any of the images, was designed and manufactured by Betafence SA and installed by Betafence Projects."

Source : Sapa /aw
Date : 23 Nov 2014 23:37
 
MickeyD said:
FENCE REPORT INACCURATE: COMPANY

A report in the Sunday Times regarding the security fence around President Jacob Zuma's Nkandla home was factually inaccurate, Betafence SA said.

According to the report, less than two years after it was erected, the multi-million rand high-security perimeter fence was falling apart.

The newspaper said it had visited Nkandla and found parts of the fence entirely broken and other sections patched with logs and other objects.

The president's 8.9ha private homestead in KwaZulu-Natal was surrounded by two rings of 3m-high fence -- an internal fence that cost R8.2m and the outer fence, which was collapsing.

The contract to install the fence was awarded to Durban businesswoman Thandeka Nene whose company secured work worth R98m on the project.

However, the contract was cancelled due to non-performance and given to Betafence Projects, at R9.2m for the job, the newspaper reported.

Mike James, general manager of Betafence SA, said: "We just want to issue a correction of the facts regarding the Sunday Times article, written by Bongani Mthethwa.

"In the article Betafence SA and Betafence Projects were referred to inaccurately without any request for comment from either the publication or the journalist prior to going to print but we would like to place on record the actual facts."

He said the fence depicted in the article was not a Betafence product, and was not installed by Betafence.

"In the article it referred to two security fences, however the article stopped short of giving full details of both fences," James said.

The outer perimeter fence, depicted in photographs, was the fence that was in a state of disrepair.

"This was not a Betafence product. This was ClearVu, manufactured by Cochrane Steel of Johannesburg. By failing to mention Cochrane, the article creates the false impression that this is a Betafence product," said James.

"The inner high security fence, which is not in question in this article, nor is it depicted in any of the images, was designed and manufactured by Betafence SA and installed by Betafence Projects."

Source : Sapa /aw
Date :23 Nov 2014 23:37
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How does this make it any better for Betafence?? So we're looking at the outer fence, correct? The 98M cancelled contract one? Would Mr James then care to point out where exactly his 8,2M inner fence is, or were huge gaping holes it the spec? There is certainly no evidence of it in the Sunday Times photographs.
 
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Judging from the litter, I'd say the zoomsters place isn't a kraal but rather a pigsty.
 
It doesn’t look like the fence is falling apart. It looks more like the section was removed. The contractors will not be liable for the damage.
The residents of Nkandla should repair it at their own expense.
 
LaraC said:
It doesn’t look like the fence is falling apart. It looks more like the section was removed. The contractors will not be liable for the damage.
The residents of Nkandla should repair it at their own expense.
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And fined for not maintaining a key asset.
 
Fulcrum29 said:
The same woman which was caught in the Seychelles and which are still awarded with government tenders?
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Businesswoman Thandeka Nene believes she was arrested in the Seychelles because of the construction work she did at the president’s Nkandla residence.

She pleaded guilty to two fraud charges in the Seychelles, reportedly linked to a failed seven billion rand fraud scheme.

The Bonelena Construction company owner has denied any wrongdoing, saying she wants answers about the case.

Nene says she only pleaded guilty so that she could return home to her family in time for Christmas.

Nene’s Bonelena Construction company reportedly scored the most lucrative of the Nkandla tenders.

But the high-flying businesswoman – who counts President Jacob Zuma’s wife MaNtuli as a friend – comes from humble beginnings.

She started her career as a maths teacher at Edendale Technical School.

It was while working there that she and her family started a construction company – and won a tender to build toilets.

“I think she was brave enough to leave the nest where you are used to, and then you go and face another challenge,” said Edendale Teacher Nompi Mdletshe.

“One of the good things I remember about her was that she was a God-fearing lady. Very sharp, very intelligent and very brave,” commented Kholeka Khuzwayo, another teacher at Edendale.

“What’s good about her is that there’s nothing that came to her the wrong way because she’s very straight. You know, as I’ve said before, she’s a strong believer,” added Edendale principal Fano Ngubane.

Bonelena Construction has won multiple government tenders to build roads and hospital accommodation, and to renovate courts, but its most high-profile contract was for construction at President Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla homestead.

It reportedly amounted to R80 million.

Despite that tender, Bonelena Construction went into liquidation – and had to be bailed out by the Independent Development Corporation.

The company’s future now looks even more uncertain following Nene's arrest and conviction. She insists she was wrongfully charged.

“I’m not a criminal, I’m a businesswoman. I couldn’t even steal R100," she protested.

"I’m a God loving person who happened to build the President’s house.”

Nene’s lawyers say she was arrested because her business associate Raymond Frank Mnisi was in possession of a draft cheque that authorities in the Seychelles believed was false.

They’ve handed over a hand-written statement from Mnisi, in which he exonerates Nene of any involvement in obtaining that cheque.

They also say the charges against her were trivial and that she agreed to plead guilty and pay a nominal fine so that she could return home.

The Department of Public Works has not responded to requests for comment on Nene’s conviction, or revealed whether it will continue to work with her company.

http://www.enca.com/south-africa/nene-points-nkandla-connection-reason-arrest
 
When Bonelena, a firm nominated to do the major work at Jacob Zuma's Nkandla homestead, was liquidated the IDC intervened to keep the firm going.

Just who is Thandeka Nene – and what is her hold over state institutions?

Nene was the sole member of Bonelena Construction CC, one of two building firms nominated by the public works department to do the major work on the security upgrade at President Jacob Zuma's Nkandla homestead.

Documents regarding the controversial development obtained by amaBhungane show:

* When Bonelena was liquidated, the state-owned Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) intervened to keep the firm going, providing extra funding when the prospect of recovering its loans appeared doubtful;

* When Bonelena's failure to meet deadlines led public works to cancel the contract, exposure in court of Project A – the department's code name for Nkandla – was a large concern for the department. Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi also intervened, leading the department to backtrack and reach a compromise with Nene; and

* She had such high-level access that when part of the work was awarded – supposedly erroneously – to the other main contractor (See "Nkandla's money mine", Page 4), the public works' deputy minister intervened and the architects were obliged to write her a grovelling apology for their error.

IDC to the rescue
Documents obtained by amaBhungane relating to the June 2012 liquidation of Bonelena suggest the IDC went to extraordinary lengths to rescue Nene, who at that stage owed the corporation nearly R20-million.

She had concluded a loan agreement with the IDC in February 2011.

In April 2012, the public works project manager cancelled the Nkandla contract with Bonelena, citing repeated failures to reach agreed construction milestones.

Nene and her lawyers refused to accept the cancellation, arguing it was unlawful and unfair, as she had completed 95% of the work.

In May 2012, a Durban car-hire firm, Reebib Rentals, applied to liquidate Bonelena over R190000 it was allegedly owed. A final winding-up order was granted in the High Court in Pietermaritzburg on July 18.

Lobbying
Meanwhile, Nene was lobbying vigorously to overturn the contract cancellation. Her lawyers wrote to the department threatening legal action and she refused to hand over the keys to the Nkandla site so that another contractor could take over.

She also wrote to the new minister, Thulas Nxesi, on June 15 2012, noting: "I have great respect of the president … and take cognizance of the security measures of the project."

She wrote to him again on July 20, noting: "We have received phone calls and text messages from creditors threatening to approach the media. We have also received phone calls from the media inquiring as to the nature of the project and the payment delays. We have not commented and will not be held liable for any resultant reports that may surface as a result of the media."

Earlier, the Durban public works regional office had written to the Pretoria head office warning about the possible fallout for Zuma – referred to as "the Principal".

"The severe implications of cancelling the contract is expected to end in court cases between the contractor and the department. This will result in all the project information being subjected to public scrutiny," the regional office said.

"This is an unacceptable risk to this office and could result in political fallout that could possibly influence the Principal's political position very negatively."

Nxesi pays up
The letters had the desired effect. On July 31 2012, a teleconference was held with Nene and her lawyer at one end and the minister and his senior department advisers at the other. An urgent agreement was reached to pay Bonelena about R7-million.

Neither Nene nor her lawyer disclosed that the company had already been placed in final liquidation.

Bad faith?
In September 2012, after the money had already been paid out, one senior official, Gerard Damsta, expressed outrage at discovering this.

In an email to the department's chief legal adviser, he wrote: "I have learnt today with great shock and disappointment … that Bonelena was provisionally liquidated on 4 June 2012 … This means that Bonelena negotiated with the employer [the minister and others from the department of public works] … when it was already not in a competent position to have done so …

"The conduct of Ms Nene in all of this is what I need your legal expertise for …

"Can it be labelled as fraudulent? Bad faith?? … What recourse does [the department] have under these circumstances?"

But, instead of fraud charges, Nene got a rescue package from the IDC to take her company out of liquidation.

Good money after bad?
According to a report by liquidator Eugene Nel, the IDC proposed and funded the rescue scheme.

On top of its R20-million, the corporation agreed to put up a further R10-million to pay the liquidators, fund the payout of preferred creditors (such as banks and the South African Revenue Service) and offer concurrent creditors – such as Reebib

Rentals – 50c of every rand owed.
According to Nel, the offer was generous as the company's financial position was so dire that, if it was simply wound up, preferred creditors would have got a reduced payout and there would have been nothing at all for others.

The IDC insists that the decision to assist Bonelena to exit liquidation was "not influenced by politics whatsoever".

IDC public relations manager Mandla Mpangase told amaBhungane it viewed the liquidation as "erroneous" and that Bonelena had existing contracts "based on which the IDC will recover its money".

"Bonelena continues to honour its repayment arrangement with the IDC."

He declined to give details but the liquidation report suggests Bonelena will have to score some sweet new deals to be able to repay the loan.

Security?
At the date of the provisional liquidation, Bonelena owed about R32-million to creditors, of whom the IDC was the largest, with R20-million owed to it.

The liquidators judged two contracts – a prison upgrade and a school building project – were worth keeping the company solvent for.

However, the IDC's security was calculated at only R11.5-million – not a major comfort when its R20-million loan was pushed up to R30-million to secure Bonelena's release from liquidation.

In return for the cash injection, the IDC demanded that a quantity surveyor and an accountant appointed by the IDC should be given full access to help to manage the company.

AmaBhungane's attempts to communicate with Nene for clarity on the current state of the company were fruitless.

Other friends in high places
The public works documents obtained by amaBhungane provide other evidence of Nene's clout, despite officials and contractors complaining about the company's performance.

When Moneymine was allocated work that had been earmarked for Bonelena, Public Works Deputy Minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu got involved and ordered that the decision be reversed.

The architects were obliged to write to the department and the deputy minister apologising for the error, saying: "We meant no disrespect."


http://mg.co.za/article/2013-07-12-00-nkandla-idc-splashed-r10m-on-bailout
 
Thandeka Nene is a multimillionaire businessperson from Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal, who is known for her love of the finer things in life.

She loves luxury cars and beautiful mansions registered in the name of her company Bonelena.

Nene is said to frequent the swish Beverly Hills hotel in Umhlanga, where she mingles with other Durban business personalities.

A former teacher, she established Bonelena Construction Enterprises and Projects in 2005. She was thrust into the spotlight when it emerged that she was the major contractor in the security upgrade at President Jacob Zuma's compound in Nkandla.

From the contract she signed in 2010 she stood to clinch R91-million.

The company has completed 17 projects, mainly tenders from the department of public works – most of them schools – ranging in value from R3-million to R35-million.

The married mother of three entered the construction business with her sister, Cindy Mahlalempini, when they formed a partnership, Ntshantsha Construction, in October 2004.

The next year they formed their own companies – Nene started Bonelena and Mahlalempini formed Sthembokuhle Construction.

In various documents to the department of public works she says that Bonelena is owned and directed by "a black professional woman". She boasts that she obtained excellence awards certificates from the department of education in 2006 and a Master Builders Association five-star health and safety award in 2009.

Bonelena's website lists Nkandla as one of its projects, saying that "through the reputation that we have gained in the industry Bonelela was appointed to build the ... presidential home".

Nene's property portfolio includes two mansions in Umhlanga Rocks, worth R2.6-million and R2.9-million. A third property worth about R600 000 is located in Palm Estates, also in KwaZulu-Natal.


http://mg.co.za/article/2013-07-12-00-ex-teacher-chalks-up-the-contracts-builds-nkandla
 
Controversial Nkandlagate contractor Thandeka Nene, who was fingered by the Special Investigating Unit and the Public Protector for scooping a cool R78 million in inflated costs, has reinvented herself as a “mentor’’ for emerging construction companies 'wanting to make money out of government contracts'.

Yesterday, Nene – who the SIU said received R1.8 million for a fence she never built as part of her payments for work on the R246 million security upgrade – addressed about 150 representatives of existing and wannabe township businesses who had attended her workshop on “SMME opportunities and the national development plan’’.

Nene’s Bonelena Construction and Projects, along with Pamela Mfeka’s Moneymine Investments, received the lion’s share of the R155 million paid by principal agent Minenhle Makhanya. The SIU is trying to recover the millions from Makhanya through a high court application.

Makhanya, in turn, has gone to court to join Mfeka, Nene and other contractors as co-defendants to face the recovery bid. Makhanya’s application goes back to court on January 26, but Nene has yet to be served.

Yesterday’s event was hosted by Nene’s Buono African Pty Ltd, a holding company which lists construction, finance, energy and mining, farming and property development as among its interests and boasts of 'the Nkandla project as being among its leading government contracts'.

“Through the reputation that we have gained in the industry, Buono Africa was pointed (sic) to build the current South African president’s presidential home,’’ states an orange block on Buono’s company profile, which was distributed at the seminar.

Nene, who comes from Durban’s KwaDabeka township, was clearly in her element as she regaled enthralled delegates on her achievements in the male-dominated construction industry, saying she had 'studied engineering and project management' while working as a teacher ahead of her leap into the industry in 2005.

Nene said she had faced serious opposition and skepticism, even being asked “what do you want here – your place is in the kitchen’’ by a consultant on site early in her career.

She said she had made up for her lack of experience by studying concrete strengths and other technical plans the night before going on site in her early days and had proved to her workers that “I knew my stuff’’ in that way.

Looking rather fetching in a zip-front, red two-piece suit and some serious heels, Nene said 'she was studying towards her MBA and upgrading her construction company’s grading.'

She skirted the Nkandla issue, instead saying that she had taken a hammering financially during a fall in construction business between 2010 and 2012.

Nene said she was “still standing’’ because “my foundations are solid’’ and 'claimed divine intervention on her behalf'.

Deputy Minister of Small Business Elizabeth Thabethe had initially been billed to address the seminar, along with National Planning Commissioner Elias Masilela and speakers from Absa and other institutions involved in funding and promoting small business, but she pulled out of the event.

In an interview during the lunch break, Nene consistently refused to discuss Nkandlagate, beyond confirming that she had not been served a summons by Makhanya’s legal team.

She also refused to discuss the attempt by her creditors to have Bonelena liquidated.

Nene said the seminar followed an earlier one in Joburg, where she now runs a second office, and that she planned to hold similar events next year.

“This is my way of giving back. People are excited about learning how to do business. We had more people here than we could accommodate,’’ said Nene, who cut short the interview for an impromptu photoshoot with workshop participants who were lining up for a moment with 'Sis Thandeka'.


http://www.citypress.co.za/news/nkandlagate-contractor-gives-back-community/
 
The corruption and apathy in South Africa at the moment is beyond belief.

Makes one want to dodge paying any form of taxes :mad:
 
dualmeister said:
The corruption and apathy in South Africa at the moment is beyond belief.

Makes one want to dodge paying any form of taxes :mad:
Click to expand...

One of the best reasons to leave the country - ANC can no longer steal your taxes
 
Ancalagon said:
This is what you get when you use a BEE contractor.
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Especially one who made this statement:

Nene said she had faced serious opposition and skepticism, even being asked “what do you want here – your place is in the kitchen’’ by a consultant on site early in her career.

She said she had made up for her lack of experience by studying concrete strengths and other technical plans the night before going on site in her early days and had proved to her workers that “I knew my stuff’’ in that way.

African engineering.....you study civil engineering in one night. Even better than Grace Mugabe who took two months for her doctorate/degree.

Haha, Africa at it's best.
 
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