Laudium Sun threatened to call off investigation…

Following our front page coverage last Friday, of the Zwartkop Drive Thru Vaccine (ZDTV) drive, which took place at the Zwartkop Raceway, from August this year near Laudium, the Laudium Sun received numerous responses. 

In our article, we emphasized that the project was advertised as a community driven project, whereby volunteers were called from the community to assist and donations were received from the public. As such, the project was subject to public scrutiny. 

We reported that unfortunately, there were serious allegations doing the rounds that certain people who were involved in the project, benefited personally from it. For some strange reason, although funds and various items were collected from the community, there was no report back or any financials submitted for public scrutiny. To date, the community has no clue as to how much money was collected and what items were donated or bought and how much money or items had been left over. In order to protect the good name of those innocent volunteers involved in the project and the fact that the project was advertised as a community initiative, the Laudium Sun decided to ask Tayfin Forensic Auditors to investigate the allegations in the interest of transparency and public accountability. In response to our article, most residents had praise for the community project. However many could not understand why those involved in spearheading it, had become defensive after the front page article of the Laudium Sun featured. Fatima Juma, who claims to be a laser hair removal specialist and who is believed to be one of the key players in the Zwartkop vaccine project, has to date not offered to reveal financials or a report back to the community, concerning funding and donations received for the project. Instead she chose to call our article “fake” without any further comment, but a member of the community remarked to her, “I’ve heard these rumours about the organisers, and as the saying goes, where there is smoke, there is fire.” 

In what can only be described as a “bankrupt” response, one of the so called volunteers of the project, who runs a  social media platform, posted on behalf of an unknown person, “The Zwartkops Drive Thru vaccination has rejected claims that its volunteers benefitted financially from the site.

Reports in a local newspaper made the allegations based on “rumour and gossip”.

The site said in a statement: “We are considering legal action. The allegations are nothing more than rubbish spurred on by jealousy.

“We have asked the Gauteng Health Dept to consider what steps it wants to take following the baseless report.” 

Not surprisingly, the above post did not name the person allegedly making the statement and merely indicates that the statement was made on behalf of the so-called “The Zwartkops Drive Thru vaccination”. The Laudium Sun did a company search and could not find such a name registered. The Laudium Sun challenges the account holder of the platform who posted the above post, to publically state on his social media platform what his involvement with the Zwartkop Drive Thru Vaccination (ZDTV) is, who the members of the ZDTV executive committee are, how were they elected, publically give a list of all donations received by the ZDTV, including PPEs, medical equipment, cellphones, tablets, food, etc, the company and fundraising registration number of ZDTV and a full audited comprehensive report. Furthermore, it is ironic to say the least, that the ZDTV has apparently sent our front page article to the Gauteng Health Department for their consideration of what action to take against the Laudium Sun. Remember, this is the same Department whereby Babita Deokaran, the acting CFO of the Department, was to blow the whistle on the scandal of PPE tenders worth over R300 million irregularly awarded by the Gauteng Health Department. But, unfortunately she was killed before she could testify.  

Also, we challenge the author of the alleged ZDTV statement to take legal action against the Laudium Sun for our front page article last week.

To this day, residents are in the dark as to who the steering committee members of the project were when it started, who are the present members, on what basis were these people appointed and whether they fairly represent the community. Until there is a full audited report on the drive through project, surely the community cannot be blamed for listening to or believing the allegations that members of the ZDTV benefited personally. Ibraheem Dockrat of Laudium Disaster Management (LDM), who were one of the main partners of the project when it started, confirmed to the Laudium Sun, that he has not received any financial reports concerning the project. 

*As expected, a senior member of the Laudium Sun team received an anonymous threat, to stop the call for an investigation into the ZDTV project, failing which, he was warned “there would be serious trouble with serious consequences”. Our response is simple, we will not be threatened or bullied and we will not ask for the forensic investigation to be stopped.

All that Fatima Juma, who is apparently a senior member of the Zwartkop vaccine project said, was that our front page article last week was "fake". Fatima did not say when the community will get an audited report of the project. Fatima also did not say whether it is ‘fake’ to collect money or items from the community as donations and not give a report back as to how same was spent or used.
All that Fatima Juma, who is apparently a senior member of the Zwartkop vaccine project said, was that our front page article last week was “fake”. Fatima did not say when the community will get an audited report of the project. Fatima also did not say whether it is ‘fake’ to collect money or items from the community as donations and not give a report back as to how same was spent or used.