And Pillay on Coega ...

Yet more from the Pillay Commission

Another of Judge Ronnie Pillay’s apparent dislikes is the Coega Project. Among the lengthy list of recommendations contained in Volume 8 is the exhortation to the Eastern Cape not to invest further monies in the Coega Development Corporation at the expense of departments which provide social services to the citizens of the Province.

“If the CDC requires further finance, then Province should seek the same from National Government by means of a conditional grant and/or from Provincial surplus.

“Means to be reimbursed by the Department of Trade and Industry and/or CDC for the R1 billion already invested (plus interest) should be initiated or the Provincial Government should take complete control of CDC.”

• Coega announced earlier this week that six auto component manufacturers were in the process of concluding investment deals worth more than R1 billion with the Coega Development Corporation that will result in a total of 2 530 people employed between July 2008 and mid 2010. The factories are to be located in the Nelson Mandela Bay Logistics Park (NMBLP) in Uitenhage.

Treasury officials are party stooges: Pillay

More from the Pillay Commission

Wide-eyed Wonder!

Officials from the Provincial Treasury were also on Judge Ronnie Pillay’s hit list.

“It is noteworthy that some of the officials presently in Treasury have been in such positions or within Treasury for a long time. Some of them display an undoubted loyalty to leading political figures who played an important part in what has gone by.

“Even some of those officials who now find themselves in other departments but were within the Treasury department in the past seem to owe their loyalty to the aforementioned political figures.

“The reason(s) for this is, at best, unclear.”