The deal that got PetroSA’s CEO suspended

Susan Comrie

3 December, 2024

In April this year Xolile Sizani was brought in to save PetroSA, but after just six months as chief executive he was suspended by the board.

#TheLaundry: How Eswatini became a transit hub for Southern Africa’s money laundering networks

Warren Thompson (Finance Uncovered) and Micah Reddy

25 November, 2024

Leaked documents from the Eswatini Financial Intelligence Unit (EFIU) reveal how, in late 2018, the kingdom’s authorities began secretly investigating suspicious payments amounting to tens of millions of rands between entities linked to two politically connected businessmen.

The #Laundry: Shadow banks, part three – How RENS Kontant fed state capture laundries

Dewald van Rensburg

18 November, 2024

RECAP: In our previous instalments we delved into RENS Kontant in Transito – one of the cash-in-transit companies seemingly acting as a conduit for moving funds for a broad and exotic clientele.

Global Fund deploys inspectors to probe R800m health contract after ‘ghost contractor’ exposé

Azarrah Karrim

14 November, 2024

The Global Fund, one of the world’s largest health financiers, is sending its inspectors to South Africa in response to allegations of tender fraud linked to an R800-million contract it funded, exposed in a joint Daily Maverick and amaBhungane investigation.

Alleged tender fraud, shock ‘death’ of contractor cloud R836m oxygen plants project 

Azarrah Karrim and Pieter-Louis Myburgh (Daily Maverick)

11 November, 2024

An obscure company that won a R428-million tender to bring life-saving healthcare equipment to public hospitals may have done so on the back of allegedly fraudulent documents.

The #Laundry: Shadow banks, part two – Christo and Kotie

Dewald van Rensburg

4 November, 2024

RECAP: Up until now our series on money laundering has focused on the network around alleged money launderer Howie Baker, gold trader Andries Greyvensteyn and tobacco mogul Simon Rudland.

The 346 pesticides that cause cancer, birth defects or worse, and the fight to keep them

Susan Comrie and Onke Ngcuka

30 October, 2024

Cancer, birth defects or DNA mutations – these are some of the risks of the 346 pesticides the South African government says must be removed from the shelves by June 2025.

Advocacy: AmaBhungane and Open Secrets challenge PetroSA’s diesel contracts secrecy

Caroline James

29 October, 2024

For the past two years, PetroSA – South Africa’s national oil and gas company – has reaped enormous profits from the loadshedding crisis by buying diesel from unknown suppliers and selling it to Eskom at a profit.

The #Laundry: Shadow Banks, part one – phantom gold

Dewald van Rensburg

28 October, 2024

Recap: In Parts One and Two of this series we saw how illicit gold seemingly made its way through a system winding all the way from the Reserve Bank’s Krugerrand subsidiary through a coin-dealing pastor to exporting refineries, allegedly in.

The #:Laundry, City of Gold, part three – How “fake” mines allegedly feed the illicit gold machine

Dewald van Rensburg

21 October, 2024

Recap: In the previous two instalments of this series we tracked allegations of the rise of a colossal scam to melt down tax-free Krugerrands and employ so-called “invoice factories” to fraudulently claim back VAT.

Bizarre invoice, tax issues and political ties: company scores ‘irregular’ R150m health contract

Azarrah Karrim

16 October, 2024

The National Department of Health (NDOH) dodged legislation and regulations to grant a little-known company, Brainwave Projects SA, a R122-million contract.

The #Laundry: City of Gold, part two – A vertically integrated gold machine

Dewald van Rensburg

14 October, 2024

Recap: In Part One we saw how Zimbabwean pastor Frank Sadiqi managed to become one of the country’s biggest Krugerrand traders, buying a staggering R19-billion’s worth between late 2017 and 2020.