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| COEGA CEO Earns more than Mbeki |
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| Written by Enviroadmin |
| Monday, 24 May 2010 22:18 |
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The details of Silinga’s remuneration emerged as the commission’s chairperson Judge Ronnie Pillay questioned chief financial officer Paul Leese, on the financial “ins and outs” of the corporation. The commission heard that inclusive of a salary and bonuses, Silinga earned in the order of R1,183 million for the 2004/5 financial period. Last year the National Assembly approved a total remuneration package of R1117199 a year for Mbeki. Coega blames the media for bad publicity Image took a beating, says Silinga By SABELO NDLANGISA THE Coega Development Corporation spent about R800000 paying lawyers who represented it in the Pillay Commission – and Coega boss Pepi Silinga estimates the legal costs might go over R1 million. Silinga revealed this while responding to questions during a the meeting of the Legislature’s economic affairs oversight committee yesterday. He defended the company’s decision to spend so much money on lawyers for the commission appointed to probe the finances of the Eastern Cape government. He said it would have taken the company’s six managers about two months to sit and file answers to the questions. Silinga also told the committee that Coega’s image had taken a beating from the bad press it received during the commission’s open hearings on the company’s use of public funds. At the time, the Daily Dispatch reported that Coega had received R800 million in state funding since its inception, but had written off huge chunks of that investment. Bernard Levenstein, a project accountant leading evidence before the commission, said only R163m of that money was an asset to the province. Silinga told the oversight committee that “the media” had reported the evidence as a fact and never told Coega’s side of the story properly. “Our image in the media took a beating even before we could lead evidence. When we led evidence, there was very little coverage.” Potential investors were jittery after reading the reports. Silinga said this hurt Coega so badly that he had to fly out of the country to assure foreign investors who were “concerned” about being associated with Coega. He singled out the SABC saying it was “biased and unfair”, and that Coega had complained to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission. Coega was pursuing the matter further even though the SABC had “apologised about getting the facts wrong”, he said. During the Pillay Commission, there was also a dispute about whether Coega accounted to the Eastern Cape Development Corporation or provincial Department of Economic Affairs. Silinga yesterday said a court case was under way to decide the matter. Nevertheless, he said it was still necessary that Coega be held accountable for the public funds it received. Economic Affairs MEC Mbulelo Sogoni said while the ownership of Coega seemed “elusive” and “not straightforward”, his view was that it was a subsidiary of the ECDC. Pillay Commission ready to begin probe into East Cape corruption MAKHAYA KOMISA Bhisho – “The Pillay Commission which was appointed by premier Nosimo Balindlela two months ago to investigate corruption and fraud in the Eastern Cape Province is ready to go,” her spokesman Masiza Mazizi said yesterday. Mazizi said staffing of the commission “had been addressed” and the commission is now ready to start. He said advocate Phillip Zilwa had been appointed evidence leader, replacing advocate Kessie Naidoo. Mazizi said John Papadakie had been appointed chief investigator. He said the office of Balindlela would, through provincial Director-General Dr Sibongile Muthwa, second officials to the commission in order to provide it with support. “A meeting of the commission will be held on Wednesday this week for the swearing in of the rest of the staff by chairman of the commission, Judge Pillay,” said Mazizi. The officials will sign their employment contracts during the swearing in. Mazizi said that Balindlela would soon be notifying the public through the media to make submissions to the commission. He said the public would have about a month to lodge their submissions. -- ECN Top team probes Coega bridge collapse By Max Matavire THE department of labour has appointed a technical team headed by a professional civil engineer to investigate what caused a section of bridge at the Neptune interchange near Coega to collapse last week. If any negligence or non-compliance with labour regulations is found, those responsible will be prosecuted. Thursday’s collapse of the bridge – being built by Ibhabhatani Joint Venture, a consortium of three construction companies – killed two people and injured 20. Concrete was being poured into the formwork when it collapsed. There were 48 workers on the site at the time. Of the 20 injured, only one is still in hospital with a neck injury. He is in traction to relieve pressure on his neck. A five-men Parliamentary delegation of the labour portfolio committee yesterday visited the construction site and met some of the workers who were injured. Delegation leader Salie Manie said the task team would analyse the technical report on samples taken off support work now covered by the concrete. Their detailed report would form the basis of the formal investigation, he said. According to the national labour department, the presiding inspector of the investigation will then submit a written report to the provincial director of public prosecutions, indicating contraventions, if any, in terms of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. “The director will then decide whether to institute criminal proceedings.” The labour department said preliminary investigations had revealed two different designers were involved in the construction process. These were AGE Coega Joint Venture, which are the advisors to the Coega Development Corporation and Stefanutti Bressan Civils, as the constructors. “The investigation further reveals the employer is registered with the Federated Mutual Employees’ Association and also complies with the unemployment insurance fund,” the department said. Sworn statements have been taken from five witnesses and further statements would be obtained from the workers who were injured. All affected parties have been asked to submit certain documents which could assist in the investigation. “The department is taking the matter seriously and the minister has given instructions that the investigation be finalised without delay,” said the labour department. Mr Manie said at the site his team came to establish the cause of the accident and to make “certain recommendations” to the department of labour, depending on the outcome of the investigation. “We are also going to visit the families and relatives of the dead and the injured. We want to see whether there are lessons to be learnt from this incident,” he said. “We are going to make a worker safety recommendation regarding this site and workers should raise their grievances,” he said. |
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