Kaya 959 Point of View with Phemelo Motene

Deadly Water (Part 2): How Corruption Poisoned North West

Loading player...
On paper, CMS Water Engineering looked like a success story: a black-owned company winning multimillion-rand contracts to fix water and wastewater systems. In reality, insiders say it was rotten at the core. The company’s director, Rudolf Schoeman Jnr, allegedly diverted projects to his own white-owned firm while staff grew suspicious of a sprawling bribery scheme. By the time CMS landed the infamous R291-million Rooiwal wastewater contract in Tshwane - alongside tender mogul Edwin Sodi - its reputation was already tarnished. The failed project was later linked to the 2023 cholera outbreak that killed 47 people. In Part 2 of the investigation, amaBhungane’s Susan Comrie joins Phemelo to trace the company’s murky rise from a small workshop in Orkney to the heart of one of South Africa’s deadliest service delivery scandals.
28 Oct 2025 5PM English South Africa Education · Careers

Other recent episodes

Oliver and Adelaide Tambo memorial lecture

Phemelo speaks to Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation CEO Natasha Allie about the 2026 Oliver Tambo Memorial Lecture theme, The Mirror, Map and Compass, and how self-awareness, ethical leadership and strategic vision can guide governance, accountability and nation-building in uncertain times.
27 Oct 3PM 7 min

SAMWU vows to continue protest over R5.4bn in City of Joburg benefits

The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) says it will continue its fight for outstanding employee benefits linked to a 2016 agreement with the City of Johannesburg. The dispute escalated on Monday when protests disrupted parts of the city, including the M1 highway, and several union members were arrested. SAMWU…
27 Oct 3PM 17 min

Israel votes in closely contested election

Israelis are voting in a pivotal election, with record turnout reported and neither major political bloc projected to secure the 61 seats needed to form a majority government. The contest is widely viewed as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership, with security and democracy central to the campaign…
27 Oct 3PM 21 min

Lula’s election comeback and fresh protests in France

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has secured a historic fourth term, defeating Flavio Bolsonaro in a runoff election, although Bolsonaro has challenged the result. Meanwhile, French unions and protest groups are calling for further demonstrations over wages, living costs and public services after nationwide rallies. Phemelo speaks to…
26 Oct 3PM 15 min

Bronkhorstspruit water contamination cases rise to 833

The number of gastrointestinal illness cases linked to contaminated water in Bronkhorstspruit has risen to 833, including 328 children, with three residents currently in hospital. The Department of Water and Sanitation says inadequate chlorination by the City of Tshwane contributed to the crisis, while officials report no deaths. Phemelo speaks…
26 Oct 3PM 18 min
All episodes