State capture inquiry begins

TNA received 20 times more govt ad spend than other newspapers, inquiry hears

JOHANNESBURG - The New Age received more in government ad spend compared to other media houses, contrary to Mzwanele "Jimmy" Manyi's evidence that the newspaper received only five percent of the budget.

The state capture commission's evidence leader Advocate Vincent Maleka interrogated Manyi's evidence at the commission on Monday and broke down the numbers per newspaper advertising.

Manyi had earlier compared TNA to the SABC and Ads24, an arm of the Media24 group.

Manyi said from the total budget of R194 million 2011/ 2012, the SABC received R68 million, followed by Ads24 which received almost R18 million, Avusa (now Tiso Blackstar) got R11 million, television news channel eTV got R8 million, and that TNA got R8 million.

TNA received under under five percent of the advertising budget, said Manyi.

Maleka said the comparison of the media houses is not "well founded" and that Adspend24 included many publications such as City Press newspaper.

"If you were to test what City Press as a newspaper received through government revenue, you would not look at the total group owned by Naspers, you will look at City Press only, correct?" he asked Manyi.

He replied and said City Press received most of the money at Media24.

"Check the figures properly Mr Manyi. The ad spend received by City Press was R199 323,00. These are your GCIS figures...we know that City Press has been a long established publication way before 2011/2012... compare that with what TNA earned that same year. TNA earned 20 times more from government business. We now know from your evidence that TNA earned R8.7m from GCIS. Correct?"

Manyi replied yes, but added that Maleka is comparing "apples to pears" because City Press was a weekly newspaper, while TNA was a daily publication.

This prompted Maleka to move on to compare TNA with other daily newspapers.

"You attempt to run away from a paper by paper comparison. Look at the other daily newspapers. You told the chairperson about the Daily Sun [Media24 newspaper] which you said had the biggest circulation...it earned R8 778. The Times daily publication received R183 000 while The Star got R97 000."

Manyi looked unsettled, and claimed that Maleka was taking a "mechanical approach".
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More at: https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics...-than-other-newspapers-inquiry-hears-18273787
 
Manyi: SA has always been captured

This is according to former government communications head Mzwanele Manyi, who returned to the state capture commission of inquiry on Monday after addressing the commission two weeks ago without any legal representation.
"…Then chairperson, a very important point… because we are talking about the [state] capture here, it is my contention that actually, there has never been a time where the state has not been captured… there has never been a time," said Manyi.
"Not only has the state been captured, even the laws have been captured," he added.
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More at: https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2018-11-26-manyi-sa-has-always-been-captured/
 
However, Manyi said he could not remember the details of the meetings.
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He said he did not listen to ex-finance minister Nhlanhla Nene's evidence, and that he "lost concentration" as Gordhan testified last week.
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How convenient, testifies like a typical criminal who remembers everything but the bits he is unable to explain away
 
he really lives in an alternative fact universe...listening to his testimony...Gupta sponsored echo chamber crap...he produced publication coverage and GCIS spend on them, The Age in particular..when interrogated on the figures, that he produced...oh no can not be done, as it does not true reflection on the historical redress that he was driving...WTF?
 
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/art...-jabs-unravel-mzwanele-manyis-one-sided-show/

Maleka cited other examples of the allocation to individual newspapers while the Guptas scored millions in that first year: The Times: R183,379, The Herald: R255,000, The Citizen: just over R240,000 and The Star at R97,000.

Remarked Justice Zondo: “The difference is vast. Do you acknowledge that the difference is vast?”

Manyi concedes, but states this was justified as government was frustrated by inaccurate and highly critical reporting across the mainstream media.

“On any comparative basis, these are daily papers which had been in business for quite some time and all of them got less than R200,000 per year. Yet TNA, in its first year in business, got more than R8.5-million of that,” states Maleka.
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:mad:
 
Mantashe tells inquiry Oakbay wanted ANC to 'put pressure' on banks

Johannesburg - ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe has told the Zondo Commission how Oakbay Resources executives begged the party to step in when Gupta-linked companies’ bank accounts were closed by country’s big banks.
Mantashe, who was testifying on behalf of the ruling party, said the former Oakbay CEO Nazim Howa pleaded in a letter to meet with party’s top officials to discuss the closure of Oakbay bank accounts.
Howa emphasised the issue of possible job losses if the the decision of the big four banks was not reversed and how it would make it hard for the company to do business.
In 2016 the country’s big banks, FNB, Absa, Standard Bank and Nedbank decided to cut ties with the Guptas.
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More at: https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics...-wanted-anc-to-put-pressure-on-banks-18285458
 
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/art...tigation-into-grossly-negligent-gigaba-brown/

As Eskom released its interim integrated results in Johannesburg on Wednesday, Parliament’s public enterprises committee unanimously adopted its hard-hitting State Capture inquiry report. Former public enterprises ministers Malusi Gigaba and Lynne Brown had been “grossly negligent in carrying out (their) responsibility”, said the report that showed how those responsible for Eskom’s governance and finances had manipulated legislative, regulatory and ethical prescripts. It recommended not only law enforcement investigations, but also for the ex-ministers to report to the Zondo commission – alongside former Eskom board chairpersons, including Ben Ngubane, Zola Tsotsi and Zethembe Khoza, and one-time executives like ex-CEO Brian Molefe and ex-CFO Anoj Singh.
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Many sad details: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/art...bout-zumas-dangerous-liaison-with-the-guptas/

Former Cabinet minister, advocate Ngoako Ramatlhodi, was fearless, unapologetic and straight as he told the State Capture inquiry that he was fired as a minister – twice – for refusing to give in to former president Jacob Zuma and the Guptas.

This long-time ANC NEC member and former private secretary to the late former ANC president, Oliver Tambo, also laid bare how Zuma and an unrelenting faction within the highest decision-making body of the party rode roughshod over everyone else by drowning them out.
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The paralysis of the NEC was so mad, especially during Zuma’s second term as party president, that many dissenters among the 80-odd members who disagreed simply shut up and resigned themselves to the status quo.

“We could not understand this grip the Guptas had on Zuma. They were like a python wrapped around him.”
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Maleka cited other examples of the allocation to individual newspapers while the Guptas scored millions in that first year: The Times: R183,379, The Herald: R255,000, The Citizen: just over R240,000 and The Star at R97,000.

Remarked Justice Zondo: “The difference is vast. Do you acknowledge that the difference is vast?”

Manyi concedes, but states this was justified as government was frustrated by inaccurate and highly critical reporting across the mainstream media.

“On any comparative basis, these are daily papers which had been in business for quite some time and all of them got less than R200,000 per year. Yet TNA, in its first year in business, got more than R8.5-million of that,” states Maleka.
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ANC's argument is that all the money gets pumped into Gupta newspaper and television channel because they publish balanced press. However you can't say you allocate let say 90% of the budget to Gupta media. All marketting is about how many people watch that channel. If no one watches Gupta TV or reads the New Age then you can't pay the same amount in marketting that you would pay to established newspapers with large readerships. I know of no one whe reads New Age. If you as the buyers never took into acocunt readership then there is a huge problem with that. Who audited the Gupta newspaper and TV income. I would think all income that was disprorportionate to readership should be investigated for money laundering. This is common sense.
 
I'm just wondering where Dudu Myeni is in all of this. Has she been subpoenaed yet for her role in the SAA cluster####?

Myeni, Brown and Gigaba need to be dragged to this enquiry.
 
Sneeky said:
I'm just wondering where Dudu Myeni is in all of this. Has she been subpoenaed yet for her role in the SAA cluster####?

Myeni, Brown and Gigaba need to be dragged to this enquiry.
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That's exactly what Parliament has recommended to the Zondo Inquiry: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/art...tigation-into-grossly-negligent-gigaba-brown/

Parliament’s public enterprises committee unanimously adopted its hard-hitting State Capture inquiry report. Former public enterprises ministers Malusi Gigaba and Lynne Brown had been “grossly negligent in carrying out (their) responsibility”, said the report that showed how those responsible for Eskom’s governance and finances had manipulated legislative, regulatory and ethical prescripts.
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The report names “as possibly having acted in ways that undermined good governance and the company’s financial performance” various ex-Eskom board chairpersons like Ben Ngubane, Zola Tsotsi and Zethembe Khoza, board members like Mark Pamensky and executives like ex-CEO Brian Molefe, ex-chief financial officer [Anoj] Singh, ex-acting CEOs Collin Matjila, Matshela Koko and Sean Maritz.
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[snip] and former SAA board chairperson and executive of the JG Zuma Foundation, Dudu Myeni. The Zondo commission should consider subpoenaing them.
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Gordon_R said:
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/art...e-anc-support-pravin-gordhan-its-complicated/
The Zondo Commission is now the Ground Zero of our pre-election politics, with claims inside the venue being loudly fought through protests outside the Braamfontein building. Furious attacks are being levied upon those who are testifying under oath, with political players fearing damage either to them personally or to their short- and long-term interests. At the same time, there has been speculation about why Luthuli House in general, and President Cyril Ramaphosa in particular, have remained silent in the face of the fiercely personal attacks on State Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan and his family. The ANC has now confirmed that it will respond to those attacks, and to the attacks on the commission itself, on Thursday. Their response will be closely watched by those attempting to sift the tea leaves carried on the currents of the ANC’s internal dynamics.
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So Thursday has come and gone a few times already... anything concrete from our Prez or LootfreelyHouse yet?
 
Jeezuz wept ...the ANC response is "it's Trumpism" :ROFL::ROFL::ROFL: . That's the best they could do?
...and the Prez reckons "it is the task of South Africans to "support and defend" Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan".
**** ...Juliarse must be shaking in his boots. I'm sure he won't attack the honorable minister or the commission ever again :ROFL::ROFL::ROFL:

Thanks for the headsup anyway @surface. Was worth it even if for no reason other than a good laugh
 
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