Flash Briefing: Red notice for Guptas FINALLY issued; public service wage dispute; Winde dismisses Fritz

  • After months of legal proceedings, international criminal police organisation Interpol has issued red notices for the Gupta brothers – Atul and Rajesh Gupta – related to fraud and money laundering allegations. The charges are centered around the Free State Department of Agriculture and payment of R24.9m to Gupta-linked entities. A red notice is a formal request to members of Interpol to apprehend and hold a suspect pending an extradition process. According to the National Prosecuting Authority, this will assist the state in extraditing the brothers to face trial in South Africa.
  • South Africa’s public service unions say their dispute with the government over public sector wages is far from over, and that strike action has not been ruled out. The unions expressed disappointment with the Constitutional Court ruling which dismissed their application to force the government to pay the third year of a negotiated wage agreement. The apex court found that the agreement was unlawful and invalid, thus giving the government authority to renege on the multi-billion rand deal. Unions say the ruling makes negotiating with the government over wages more difficult, as there is a breakdown of trust. Public Service and Administration Minister Ayanda Dlodlo is meeting with unions this week.
  • Western Cape Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz has been removed from his position, following the conclusion of an independent report into allegations of sexual misconduct. “The investigation report was submitted to me on Sunday evening,” Premier Alan Winde said. “He has therefore been removed, in line with the powers vested in me by the Constitution.” Winde said the independent probe found “sufficient credibility”” in the allegations of sexual misconduct and alcohol abuse. “I am extremely angry at what appears to be verifiable incidences of serious sexual misconduct by him, in circumstances which in and of themselves were inappropriate,” Winde added.
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