• Editor’s note: Livestream above courtesy DStv 403.

GEORGE – Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema is to address a rally on land expropriation on Friday afternoon in George, Western Cape. 

CIC @Julius_S_Malema will address the EFF #LandExpropriationRally under the following details:

Date: 06 April, 2018
Venue: Thembalethu Stadium, George
Time; 14h00 pic.twitter.com/FwieBjPwTq

— #RIPWinnieMandela (@EFFSouthAfrica) March 29, 2018

Fighters coming in numbers, making their way into the Thembalethu Stadium, George for the #LandExpropriationRally #Izwelethu #Asijiki pic.twitter.com/s8diAj1eAy

— #RIPWinnieMandela (@EFFSouthAfrica) April 6, 2018

Earlier, a case in which he is accused of contravening the Riotous Assemblies Act by urging his supporters to invade land was postponed in the Mangaung Regional Court in Free State. 

In June 2016 he told supporters to occupy land because it was taken from black people by force.

Earlier in the week, Malema failed to appear in the Newcastle Magistrate’s Court on similar charges. He was represented by his legal team and that case was postponed again.

The EFF has been alleged to have been behind a number of land grabs in the recent weeks, with community members saying their local EFF leaders had told them to seize unoccupied land. 

The ANC adopted a resolution last year that land should be appropriated without compensation, sparking a land-reform debate nationally. 

READ: Ramaphosa: ‘We are not going to steal land’

The public will be able to weigh in on the parliamentary review of section 25 of the Constitution, dealing with land, between May and June and give their input on the government’s plan to expropriate land without compensation.

In a statement, Parliament said its joint constitutional review committee would this month publish an advertisement for oral and written submissions.

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Former ANC MP and arms deal activist Andrew Feinstein has said ahead of the start of former president Jacob Zuma’s corruption trial that there is “overwhelming evidence” of his guilt.

“The reality is that Jacob Zuma should find himself in jail,” Feinstein told AFP ahead of Zuma’s court appearance on Friday on 16 corruption charges relating to the arms deal that dogged much of his presidency.

Feinstein has campaigned for more than a decade for Zuma’s corruption case to come to court.

Zuma will attend the brief preliminary hearing at the High Court in Durban, ahead of a trial that could send him to jail.

Crowds of Zuma’s loyal supporters and political opponents are expected to rally outside the court, where a large police presence is planned to prevent clashes.

Read: Zuma will have plenty support from ANC members when he appears in court

The former president is accused of taking bribes from French arms maker Thales over a contract worth $5bn during his time as a provincial economy minister and then deputy ANC president.

Thales, which supplied naval vessels as part of the deal, will also be charged with corruption and company representatives expected to appear in court alongside Zuma.

A history of scandals

Zuma is accused of illicitly pocketing a total of R4 072 499.85 from 783 payments handled by his financial adviser Schabir Shaik.

A key plank of the prosecution case is a fax signed by Alain Thetard, a manager at the South African affiliate of Thales, which was then called Thomson-CSF.

The fax allegedly describes the agreement reached with Zuma. Thales declined to comment to AFP on the case.

Zuma, who came to power as president shortly after the charges were first dropped in 2009, has always denied any wrongdoing.

Shaik was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2005 based on the same accusations, but a much-criticised 2016 inquiry absolved Zuma of any blame.

Zuma claimed that the inquiry proved that “not a single iota of evidence (shows) that any of the money received by any of the consultants was paid to any officials”.

While president, Zuma was dogged by the arms deal allegations – though his nine years in office were also tarnished by multiple other corruption scandals.

The DA led a tenacious campaign for the charges to be reinstated and for Zuma to be brought to court.

Last month, National Prosecuting Authority head Shaun Abrahams ordered that Zuma be charged with fraud, corruption and money laundering.

‘They are still after me’

The ANC forced Zuma from office in February largely due to his mounting legal challenges and scandals, and it has distanced itself from its former leader.

The party has asked members not to rally outside the court when Zuma appears, but it seems unlikely that the call will deter his die-hard supporters.

Also read: Zuma loses ANC support for looming corruption trial

When he previously stood in the dock during his 2006 rape trial, his supporters hurled obscenities at his young accuser as she arrived and left the court.

The rape case was subsequently dismissed.

Zuma, 75, who has been largely muted since his resignation, broke his silence to claim that he was being victimised.

“They are still after me. Even after I have left, they are still after me,” he said during an Easter church service.

Zuma’s successor Cyril Ramaphosa has vowed to crack down on government corruption, which he has admitted is a serious problem.

Campaign groups are hoping that the case could set a benchmark for future prosecutions.

“The arms deal wasn’t just about small bribes, it launched the bullet and we watched that bullet in slow-motion ripping through South African democracy in the last 15 years,” said Hennie van Vuuren of the Open Secrets anti-graft association.

Sydney – Former Australia cricket vice-captain David Warner on Thursday said he will not be challenging his 12-month ban for ball-tampering and would strive to be a better teammate and role model.

His decision, just hours before a deadline, followed a contrite Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft also accepting their sanctions on Wednesday.

Warner and Smith were last week suspended from international and domestic cricket for a year, while opening batsman Bancroft was exiled for nine months over the incident during the third Test in South Africa that shocked the sport.

The trio had until late Thursday to tell Cricket Australia whether they accepted their punishment or would opt for a hearing, as is their right.

“I have today let Cricket Australia know that I fully accept the sanctions imposed on me,” Warner said on Twitter. 

“I am truly sorry for my actions and will now do everything I can to be a better person, teammate and role model.”

Like Smith and Bancroft, Warner had held a tearful press conference on his return to Australia last week to accept responsibility for his part in the scandal that also saw coach Darren Lehmann quit.

But he pointedly evaded questions about whether the ball-tampering plot was his idea, whether it was the first time, who else was aware of it and whether he had been made a scapegoat.

He had not commented further since taking to social media a day later to confirm he was seeking advice on whether to challenge the ban.

Warner, 31, is seen as having the most at stake, admitting he was “resigned to the fact” he may never play for Australia again after being identified as the mastermind of the plan to use sandpaper to scratch the surface of the ball.

Smith was charged with knowledge of the potential ball-altering plot, but Warner was charged with developing it and instructing Bancroft to carry it out.

Since the scandal erupted, Warner and Smith have both lost a lucrative Indian Premier League contract and been dumped by sponsors.

The Australian Cricketers’ Association on Tuesday called for the bans to be reduced, arguing the punishment was disproportionate to previous ball-tampering cases.

ACA president Greg Dyer also said the contrition expressed by players had been “extraordinary” and should be taken into account, urging a relaxation to allow the men to return to domestic action sooner.

With the World Cup and an Ashes series in 2019, supporters of the players believe they need to be playing state cricket to be in the type of form that could warrant selection.

I have today let Cricket Australia know that I fully accept the sanctions imposed on me. I am truly sorry for my actions and will now do everything I can to be a better person, teammate and role model.

— David Warner (@davidwarner31) April 5, 2018

Property mogul Pam Golding passed away at the age of 90 on Tuesday.

She was the founder of Pam Golding Property Group.

Golding died peacefully at her home in Wittebomen in Constantia, Cape Town, according to a statement from the Golding family.

Golding began her property empire in 1976, a time when the real estate industry was described as “male-dominated”.

“She quickly identified a niche in the market for a discreet and professional property agency in South Africa, in the process building a reputation for selling the country’s most luxurious homes and building integrity, trust and respect of the Pam Golding Properties brand,” read the statement.

Golding then opened up an office in London in 1986 and eventually expanded the business further abroad with her son and chief executive Dr Andrew Golding.

The company now has over 300 offices in Africa, Germany, France and Mauritius.

Last year, the property group received recognition as the Best Real Estate Agency in South Africa and Africa at the International Property Awards in Dubai.

It is the most awarded real estate company in South Africa and has won the award for Best Estate Agency in South Africa 10 times since 2005.

The company has been run by Dr Andrew Golding since she retired a few years ago. However, she remained the company’s Lifetime President.

“Admired and respected by clients and dearly loved by colleagues, agents and staff alike, her natural warmth and sincere interest in everyone she encountered were trademark characteristics which endeared her to all,” said the statement.

Golding is survived by sons Peter and Andrew, daughter Jilly and 10 grandchildren.

JOHANNESBURG – Former president Thabo Mbeki on Tuesday recalled the first time he met the late Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. 

eNCA’s Xoli Mngambi spoke to Mbeki at the Thabo Mbeki Foundation in Johannesburg on Tuesday night.

Mbeki said the young Winnie was very committed to the struggle.

“The first political picture of her was probably one taken during the trial of her husband and others. It showed her holding up a poster that read “We stand by our leaders”, Mbeki said.

Asked what it was like to lead the ANC with strong vocal members like Madikizela-Mandela, Mbeki said at that time the party was unified, with members who had a high political consciousness. This had, unfortunately, deteriorated over time.

WATCH: The cost of freedom was high, including for Mama Winnie’s family

Mbeki stressed that the decades-long political experience of leaders like Madikizela-Mandela should not be lost to the leaders of today and the future.

You can watch the interview with Mbeki in two parts below. 

EXPLAINER: What does an official funeral in SA entail? https://t.co/4aNSNtgEuB

— eNCA (@eNCA) April 3, 2018

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