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SOAB, VROM and ROB
The two recent articles on SMNN about the SOAB investigation into the ROB/VROM departments are no surprise really to long time readers here, VROM and permits have often been a discussion as I and others have blogged about more than a few major developments. Developments like Dawn Beach, Indigo, Cupecoy, Aquarius, Rainbow and others, where permits have been questionable and environmental protection minimal or non existent. Flip blogged almost 2 years ago about how employees there were also hiring themselves out to the same developers they were approving permits for.
I have to hand it to SMMN, great job with the two stories, I'm glad someone is leaking something and I hope they leak more. Papers stacked in the toilet and damaged, papers mysteriously disappearing, people giving themselves and their family members domain land? The news stories mention that the report will be sent to the prosecutors office too, Mr. Piar, please start putting some money aside for the workload ahead.
EXCO SHOULD INVESTIGATE DOMAIN AFFAIRS—SOAB ADVISED.
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS ON VROM HEAD STRENGTHENING—DEPARTMENT HEADS MUST GO—SOAB ADVISED.
There is NO permit for the 5 story Tennis Building at Rainbow Beach Club. Will be interesting to see how this turns out.
I can't wait to read the whole report.... Will it be posted on the website? I hope so....
ROB /VROM Manipulates Figures—SOAB.
According to the SOAB report when they questioned the director of ROB he stated that the requests for permits for one building are done in stages so that the applicant would pay less legal charges. Based on test calculations conducted by the investigators they discovered that by splitting up the larger projects into small projects yielded much higher legal fees.
Upon further investigations the SOAB discovered another reason for splitting up of the bigger projects is that the smaller project on the same building would always be under the Naf. 500.000 which means the Director of ROB would be the one signing off on the permits instead of the executive council.