Portia Anyamba, a 59-year-old former South African Air Force brigadier-general, has been sentenced by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee to six months' imprisonment, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $9,500 fine. She pleaded guilty to acting as an agent of South Africa and making false statements in her security clearance application. An investigation by the FBI and the US Department of Energy Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence revealed Anyamba was operating in the US under South Africa's direction and control. While working as a program management operational specialist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a US Department of Energy facility, Anyamba regularly communicated with an intelligence officer from South Africa's State Security Agency. She met with this individual and another South African affiliate in Knoxville, Tennessee, and was later intercepted by FBI personnel with a laptop prior to another planned meeting. During her application for a US government security clearance, which would have granted her access to classified information, Anyamba falsely stated she had no contact with foreign nationals or representatives of a foreign government in the past seven years. She also instructed her references not to mention anything about the embassy due to sensitivity regarding foreign connections. Terence G Reilly, special agent in charge of the FBI Nashville field office, stated that Anyamba knowi
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Johannesburg's electricity debt problem extends beyond impoverished areas, with City Power's latest figures indicating that significant unpaid bills are concentrated in affluent suburbs, businesses, and commercial hubs. Service delivery areas like Randburg, Roodepoort, and Hurst Hill each owe over R1 billion, while the inner city alone accounts for R3.67 billion of the utility's R13.3 billion debt. Alexandra township's outstanding debt of R718.7 million is considerably lower than several other supply areas. The debt is spread across residential customers, businesses, and large power users. Reuven follows with R2.37 billion in total debt, and Hurst Hill with R2.2 billion. Other major debt hotspots include Roodepoort at R1.28 billion, Randburg at R1.23 billion, and Lenasia at R1.2 billion, with Midrand recording the lowest at R634.7 million. City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena stated that debt reporting is based on service delivery center boundaries, which include a mix of residential, business, and industrial customers. Electricity theft significantly impacts City Power's finances and infrastructure, with overall electricity losses estimated at 29.87%. These losses, comprising technical and non-technical factors, mean City Power still pays Eskom for the lost electricity. Technical losses are due to aging infrastructure and network inefficiencies, while non-technical losses are largely caused by illegal connections, theft, and meter bypassing. These activities cost the utilit
Hundreds of Malawians have been sleeping at the Malawi high commission in Pretoria, South Africa, since the beginning of the week, awaiting buses to transport them home. Approximately 500 stranded individuals were at the embassy, with many expressing frustration over the limited bus capacity. One woman, traveling with her baby, shared her mixed feelings of excitement to return home and disappointment when buses fill up before she can board. She mentioned arriving in South Africa by bus earlier this year and was told to return home following recent protests, despite not being in immediate danger. Yusuf Mustafa from the Institute for Islamic Services, who has been providing food to foreigners at various embassies, noted a significant increase in people at the Malawi embassy, particularly children and pregnant women. He reported that out of about 500 people, only 300 received food on a recent morning. DA ward councillor Shimmy Mashamaite stated that Malawians, including mothers with young babies, arrived from different provinces after being instructed by landlords to leave their homes, sometimes with only 30 minutes' notice.
Johannesburg's Mayor Dada Morero and his mayoral committee have assured residents that the city's financial situation will not lead to a widespread service delivery collapse. This comes after National Treasury announced that Johannesburg would not receive its almost R4 billion equitable share grant this month. Morero stated that funds are available to pay essential debts, including R1.4 billion to Eskom by mid-July and approximately R960 million to Rand Water this month. He also mentioned that the municipality has regularized R1.8 billion in irregular and wasteful expenditure, with a further R6.4 billion under consideration. While acknowledging that financial management is "okay" and not in a crisis state, Morero noted that more needs to be done to manage cash flow and revenue performance. Finance MMC Loyiso Masuku attributed the city's challenges to previous administrations, stating problems began "from 2016." However, former mayor Herman Mashaba dismissed these accusations, blaming both the ANC and the DA for years of neglect and political instability. Morero also addressed the Pikitup backlog, attributing it to a cash flow issue that has since been resolved, and discussed a R3.2 million debt issue at Thuso House, which he said was due to a two-year administrative delay. He highlighted a positive Moody's review and a R3.8 billion loan from the German Development Bank, while also engaging with Treasury for more lenient recovery methods.