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- South African Mineral and Energy Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe has denied corruption in court papers responding to allegations by a losing bidder in a power tender. This is according to Bloomberg which reports that Director-General Thabo Mokoena confirmed that he and his deputy met Aldworth Mbalati, executive director of DNG Energy, at Kream Restaurant in Pretoria in November, but denied they tried to secure a bribe. Mantashe denies that he was involved in the evaluation of the bids for emergency power, the lion’s share of which went to Karpowership.
- The European Union and the UK opened formal antitrust investigations into Facebook Inc.’s classified-ads service Marketplace, ramping up regulatory scrutiny for the company in Europe. This is according to BizNews Premium partner The Wall Street Journal. Both the European Commission and the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority said Friday they are investigating whether Facebook repurposes data it gathers from advertisers who buy ads in order to give illegal advantages to its own services, including its Marketplace online flea market.
- South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize is considering resigning over an investigation into a tendering scandal, two people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. Mkhize has been under scrutiny after the Health Department awarded a R150m ($11m) contract to Digital Vibes, a company controlled by two of Mkhize’s former aides, to help communicate the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. The departure of Mkhize, who’s considered a potential successor to Ramaphosa, would leave the president with two crucial vacancies in his cabinet. Ramaphosa said on Thursday that he would make an announcement only when he sees fit.
- The South African Medical Association (SAMA) has warned that thousands of doctors will leave the country ahead of the planned introduction of the National Health Insurance (NHI). The not-for-profit group, which represents the interests of more than 12,000 medical doctors in South Africa, said that its members cannot support the NHI in its current form. A survey conducted by SAMA showed that as many as 38% of its members plan to emigrate from South Africa due to the planned introduction of the NHI.