AmaBhungane’s Dewald van Rensburg discusses the awarding of Eskom’s multibillion-rand emergency power tender with SABC Radio’s Stephen Grootes.

Eskom’s multibillion-rand emergency power tender

Justice Sisi Khampepe handing down the Constitutional Court ruling in the contempt case against former South African president Jacob Zuma.

210629 ConCourt Ruling: Zuma Guilty of Contempt

The City of Johannesburg’s tainted sale of Kgoro Central, the “most important piece of undeveloped real estate in South Africa”, cheated municipal coffers of at least R280-million but seems to have made some politically-connected people rich.
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Joburg’s R280-million ‘crime scene’

When amaBhungane began looking into the collapse of the R291-million Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant project, we initially focused on Edwin Sodi, the quintessential tenderpreneur. But soon our sources were pointing towards Sodi’s dead business partner, Rudolf Schoeman Jnr and his company CMS Water Engineering. What we found was that this little-known company from the North West had left a trail of destruction across four provinces and a billion rand’s worth of critical infrastructure projects incomplete. This is DEADLY WATER, the first podcast from the amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism. (Warning: explicit language). Sign up for our newsletter and get new episodes delivered to your inbox: https://amabhungane.org/#newsletter 

Credits: 
A special thanks to Bertha House in Cape Town for giving us access to their Media Lab to record this podcast. Thanks to Bart Fouche, who provided the voice of our sources, Charles Leonard and Tsholanang Rapoo, who did the initial recordings, as well as the Soundwaves Podcast Training programme and Sold Gold Podcasts, who provided technical advice.


Read the article here: https://amabhungane.org/deadly-water-the-life-and-death-of-a-tenderpreneur-part-1/

Deadly Water Ep. 1 — The Life and Death of a Tenderpreneur

On paper, CMS Water Engineering was a highly successful, black-owned company securing water and wastewater engineering projects across the country. In reality, Rudolf Schoeman Jnr. was diverting projects to his own white-owned company while employees were being roped into what they suspected was an ever-growing bribery scheme.


Recap: In 2019, CMS Water Engineering won a R291-million contract to refurbish the Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant in Tshwane alongside infamous tenderpreneur Edwin Sodi. The project failed and was suspected of playing a part in the outbreak of cholera in 2023, which killed 47 people. But sources in the water industry said this shouldn’t have come as a shock: by the time CMS landed the Rooiwal contract, it was already notorious in North West. In part 2 of our investigation we explore the underhanded tactics that allegedly helped CMS rise to the top of the dirty water industry and the towns that paid the price for its ambition.

Read the investigation here: https://amabhungane.org/deadly-water-part-2-a-trail-of-destruction-across-north-west/

Credits: 
A special thanks to Bertha House in Cape Town for giving us access to their Media Lab to record this podcast. Thanks to Bart Fouche, who provided the voice of our sources, Charles Leonard and Tsholanang Rapoo, who did the initial recordings, as well as the Soundwaves Podcast Training programme and Sold Gold Podcasts, who provided technical advice.

DEADLY WATER : A trail of destruction across North West

Timing is everything. In 2019, CMS Water Engineering had just been awarded the R291-million Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant project alongside tenderpreneur Edwin Sodi. And the Schoemans chose this moment to go to war with the company’s B-BBEE partner majority shareholder. As feuds between family members and business partners tear CMS apart, critical infrastructure projects across four provinces grind to a halt. This is Episode 3 of Deadly Water: the dominoes fall.

Credits:
A special thanks to Bertha House in Cape Town for giving us access to their Media Lab to record this podcast. Thanks to Bart Fouche, who provided the voice of our sources, Charles Leonard and Tsholanang Rapoo, who did the initial recordings, as well as the Soundwaves Podcast Training programme and Sold Gold Podcasts, who provided technical advice.

Deadly Water: The dominos fall

Critical repairs to the Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant outside Hammanskraal ground to a halt in 2022, after one of the joint venture partners, CMS Water Engineering, ran out of money.
AmaBhungane’s investigation shows that in the months before, CMS boss Rudolf Schoeman Jnr spent millions trading gold and on a strange scheme to export lamb from Kenya to Kuwait. 
While CMS secured contracts alongside major players in the water industry –  like Edwin Sodi and Khato Civil’s Simbi Phiri – Schoeman was allegedly descending into a haze of drugs and alcohol. 

Credits:
A special thanks to Bertha House in Cape Town for giving us access to their Media Lab to record this podcast. Thanks to Bart Fouche, who provided the voice of our sources, Charles Leonard and Tsholanang Rapoo, who did the initial recordings, as well as the Soundwaves Podcast Training programme and Sold Gold Podcasts, who provided technical advice.




Deadly Water: The land of Lamb and Gold

Rudolf Schoeman Jnr built a R2-billion empire off the back of the country’s crumbling water infrastructure. By 2022, CMS Water Engineering was itself imploding as contracts were cancelled, and angry business partners and creditors came knocking at its door. The big one – the R291-million contract to repair the Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant near Hammanskraal – was cancelled in August 2022. But Rudolf, ever the maverick, had one more card to play. He had just secured a R368-million contract from the one place that should have known better: the national department of water and sanitation.


Credits:
A special thanks to Bertha House in Cape Town for giving us access to their Media Lab to record this podcast. Thanks to Bart Fouche, who provided the voice of our sources, Charles Leonard and Tsholanang Rapoo, who did the initial recordings, as well as the Soundwaves Podcast Training programme and Sold Gold Podcasts, who provided technical advice.




DEADLY WATER Ep.5: A zombie in the water industry

AmaBhungane's Drew Forrest reads our latest investigative piece "Gupta Minyan".
To read it -> http://amabhungane.co.za/article/2018-07-19-the-gupta-minyan-and-the-r647-million-transnet-scam

PODCAST: The “Gupta Minyan” and the R647-million Transnet scam

They Sold Us A Dead Dream

Extracts of an interview with Regiments director Niven Pillay in October 2017. During the interview Pillay claimed that he had discovered the payments Regiments made to three letterboxes – Homix, Forsure and Fortime – after his co-director Eric Wood left the company. We pressed Pillay to show us evidence, but instead we received a written statement from Regiments chairman Litha Nyhonyha accusing us of pursuing a racist agenda.

Regiments interview about payments

Extracts of an interview with Regiments director Niven Pillay in October 2017. During the interview Pillay claimed he was completely unaware of the millions Regiments paid to Salim Essa’s letterbox companies, blaming the payments on former director Eric Wood. At the time Wood told us Pillay was aware of and approved all payments.

Regiments Divorce

Extracts of the 17 minute phone call received from Kuben Moodley, the director of Albatime, in October 2017. Moodley called amaBhungane reporter Susan Comrie after receiving questions from regarding “business development” payments that Regiments made to Albatime. (WARNING: The recording contains strong language. We have redacted the names of companies and individuals as these allegations have not been tested.)

Kuben Moodley interview

702's Ray White discusses the case with amaBhungane reporter Susan Comrie.

The Money Show

Why the US is gunning for bankers who brought Mozambique's economy to its knees

“I hope the information dam is going to burst now… The only way the #PIC can survive with any integrity and credibility is if those processes are opened up". 
AmaBhungane’s Sam Sole discusses the #PICInquiry  with Bruce Whitfield.

It was a strategy to rescue Independent Newspapers – Sam Sole (amaBhungane)

Mazibuko Recording

20190529 Adv Sandile Nogxina Interview

Ray White on 702Breakfast chats to the amaBhungane managing partner Sam Sole on the Public Protector exposé.

Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa

702 interview with Sam Sole: How SSA instructed Public Protector on Reserve Bank mandate

George Seitisho, the acting deputy director-general in the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) called the meeting to discuss the R13-billion Community Work Programme (CWP) which provides work and training to 264 000 people across the country.

Meeting 2017

2017 Meeting "fake news"

2017 meeting, cellphones must be turned off

Voicenote_Eskom Spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha on Deloitte and Eskom settlement.

Voicenote From Eskom Spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha

Interview on SAFM Sunrise with Stephen Grootes (via SABC). Link: http://www.safm.co.za/sabc/home/safm/schedule/details?id=302e24a1-1d1b-4330-9f4b-abeb161f4afa&title=SAfm%20Sunrise

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SAfm Sunrise, 29 Jun Mediated conversation: VBS scandal

Rica Judgement

Justice Madlanga J findings

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Craig McKune xplains how information was sourced for the #Steinhoff investigation. Via amaBhungane.org

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