Programme News
20 October 2014
(Press release)
This Commission of Inquiry into the up to R70 billion Arms Deal – the Arms Procurement Commission - represents a historic opportunity to support the struggle for transparency and accountability in South Africa.
Your mandate, Commissioners, to establish the facts by holding the powerful to account for alleged misconduct means you carry a great burden. This mandate speaks directly to the...
17 October 2014
(News)
Trade and industry director general Lionel October told Swedish television that South Africa was “naive” when it came to negotiating offset agreements (known as industrial participation) linked to the 1999 arms deal.
“I think South Africa was naive and was not clear about its objectives in this programme, so the offset was badly structured,” October said in a Swedish...
16 October 2014
(News)
The R60bn-R70bn arms deal has wrought havoc on the lives of ordinary South Africans and corrupted our politics for the past 15 years. It has profited international arms corporations while weakening our democratic state institutions. The cover-up that followed the arms deal has put in place a system of patronage with the purpose of keeping alleged corrupt elites out of prison. It allows them to...
15 October 2014
(News)
A group of organisations calling for the Sereti inquiry's disbanding said a commission statement labelling them 'foot soldiers' was racist.
A group of civil society organisations calling themselves the arms deal focus group has condemned a “racist” statement, issued on behalf of the arms deal commission of inquiry.
The commission’s statement condemned a call by the...
8 October 2014
(News)
The explosive information in last week's Sunday Times - that French arms company Thales allegedly bribed President Jacob Zuma with money, gifts and travel and also made a €1-million donation to the ANC (about R14-million at today's rate) - confirms what many South Africans have believed for years. It raises further serious questions about the Seriti commission of inquiry into the...
7 October 2014
(News)
The controversial 1999 multi-billion rand arms deal was "initiated with criminal intent", the Seriti Commission of Inquiry heard on Monday.
"I submit that the rationale for the arms acquisition was illegal, unconstitutional, and fraudulent right from the inception," arms deal critic Terry Crawford-Browne testified at the inquiry in Pretoria.
"Contrary to assertions...
6 October 2014
(News)
Children of undocumented migrants in South Africa are being deprived of access to public schooling.
The country's constitution says all children have the right to an education, but a government policy says refugees must have the appropriate documents allowing them to stay in the country first.
There's no exact figure on how many undocumented migrants are in the country, as many fear...
2 October 2014
(News)
The Arms Procurement Commission says it will try to obtain transcripts of arms deal fixer Ajay Sooklal’s arbitration in which he gave details of President Jacob Zuma’s alleged involvement and will assess whether to call him in as a witness.
This follows weekend reports on how the Thales representative lavished fancy clothes on Zuma, and paid for legal fees and hotel stays in Europe....
2 October 2014
(News)
The Seriti Commission of Inquiry into the 1999 arms deal hit back at its detractors on Thursday, warning that insults against it were “criminal”.
Commission spokesman William Baloyi said in a statement: “The Commission wishes to caution members of the public and interested parties that it is a criminal offence to, inter alia, disparage or insult the Commission or its...
30 September 2014
(News)
More than 30 pressure groups want the Seriti Commission inquiring into the 1999 arms deal to be scrapped.
Instead the organisations want those accused of corruption to be investigated and prosecuted.
Right2Know spokesman Murray Hunter said: "The arms deal represents up to R70-billion that should have been spent on housing, education, health and South Africa's other pressing social needs...