Category Archives: South African News

eNCA | IN PICTURES: Fashion dominates Durban July

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DURBAN, South Africa – Combining high fashion with sport, nearly 50,000 racegoers marked the 120th anniversary of Africa’s biggest horse race on Saturday at a packed course in the South African coastal city of Durban.

The annual “Durban July” handicap race attracts one of the continent’s most fashion-conscious crowds, with the trackside glamour and party atmosphere often threatening to overtake the horse action.

“Me and my friends always come here for the entertainment and fashion, we know nothing about horses and betting,” said Thina Thusi, a 31-year-old public relations manager from Johannesburg.

“We usually start planning for this day from February — the clothes to match perfectly, plus travel arrangements and entertainment,” she said. “It requires a lot of money.”

The race, held at Greyville racecourse on the first Saturday of July, traditionally attracts a host of South African celebrities and politicians keen to be seen at one of the country’s biggest social occasions.

President Jacob Zuma is usually a regular at the race, surrounded by loyal ANC party supporters and wealthy business leaders who pay thousands of dollars for access to the powerful elite.

But the ANC held a major conference in Johannesburg this weekend, keeping Zuma away and depleting the political contingent at the track.

Among the crowds was renown fashion follower Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba, as well as Bongi Ngema, who is one of Zuma’s four wives, King Letsie III of Lesotho and many television personalities.

‘A national day’

For fans, the race combines a fun betting opportunity with old-world charm and South Africa’s exuberant modern social culture.

“Everyone wants to be at the Durban July, It’s like a national day, the country comes to a standstill,” said Gill Mostert, spokeswoman for Gold Circle, the country’s racing and betting company.

“Fashion has always been a big part of the Durban July, even in the 1900s. People of all ages, even grannies from old-age homes, set out to dress well and have fun.”

This year’s theme — The Colour of Magic — saw participants experimenting with multi-coloured outfits and outlandish hats, vying for best-dressed prizes.

Ladies in high heels and men in tuxedos and designer suits paid limited attention to the horses, as champagne and buffet lunches were served in dozens of plush marquees lining the trackside.

As live music drifted across the course, models dressed by top South African designers such as Terrence Bray sashayed down makeshift runways at several fashion shows.

The first recorded race event in South Africa took place in 1802, since when the sport has developed into a major gambling draw.

Saturday’s 12 races were expected to attract 200-million rand ($15 million/13 million euros) in bets from punters nationwide.

According to Imagine Racing magazine, a win in the race “places a horse in an elite group of equine champions and paves the way for a potential stud career”.

Tourism officials said the event generates about $20 million in revenue for the city of Durban.

AFP

eNCA | ANC’s National Policy Conference day two wraps up

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JOHANNESBURG – The second day of ANC’s National Policy Conference has focused on saving the organisation and rebuilding branches.

Nearly four thousand delegates converged at Nasrec in Johannesburg to debate policy issues.

READ: ANC delegates don’t sing from same songbook

The first two days have focused on internal issues which are driving factional battles ahead of the party’s December elective conference.

ANC delegates have spent day two of the party’s policy conference behind closed doors and behind wire fences.

They’ve even been barred from talking to journalists.

In the closed sessions unity and organisational renewal were on the agenda, a continuation of Friday’s opening address by President Jacob Zuma

READ: Let’s go hunt investment as a pack, Mkhize urges business

ANC Treasurer-General Zweli Mkhize said, “We’ve broken down the whole conference into 11 commissions. About 350 plus minus people in each side so that there’s maximum participation. So that discussion is going on for today and up till tomorrow.”

According to delegates inside the closed meeting, NEC member Fikile Mbalula told the conference that the ANC does not belong to one individual, though he did not indicate which individual he was referring to. Delegates have set aside two days to discuss organisational issues before tackling party policy.

ANC NEC member and Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe also presented a report on the National Development Plan, but he was rather cagey about whether radical economic transformation was mooted for future inclusion in the national strategy document.

READ: President Zuma ‘hit all the right buttons’: Mokonyane

“It’s part of the commissions that is going to be discussed from Monday to Wednesday. Not only economic transformation but all the policy areas – social transformation; peace and stability; communication and the battle of ideas; and international relations in this conference.”

On Sunday the conference is expected to continue discussions around the ANC’s renewal in the face of stagnating membership and an unhappy electorate.

eNCA

News24.com | #ANCPolicy Conference LIVE: ‘Being dragged to court is counter-revolutionary’ – Zuma

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ANC conference kicks off with battle of the songs 

The first day of the ANC’s much anticipated policy conference kicked off with a battle of songs between the Eastern Cape and a much larger group, made up of several provinces, which tried to drown out their call for a “change”.

It all began with various groups entering the Nasrec Expo Centre’s hall six, singing traditional songs from the party’s liberation days – “Oliver Tambo bamb’isandla sam [Oliver Tambo hold my hand]” and “ANC kuzo lawula wena, nalapha kuzo lawula wena [ANC you will rule, even here you will rule]”. 

However, as more and more groups started to fill the hall, songs celebrating current particular leaders could be heard from the different regions.

The North West group sang a song praising its premier, Supra Mahumapelo – “silamulele Supra [Help us Supra]” – while a louder, larger group on the other side of the hall began singing “Zuma, Zuma wethu“.

The Eastern Cape branch then began singing “Thuma mina Oliver Tambo, siyababona bayoyika [Send me Oliver Tambo, we can see that these ones are scared]”.

While singing this, the group made soccer gestures with their hands, signalling a change was needed, and began moving toward the large pro-Zuma group from KwaZulu-Natal, North West, Free State, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the Women’s League. 

eNCA | IN PICTURES: Seen at the ANC’s NPC

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JOHANNESBURG – The who’s who of the African National Congress (ANC) was present as the 5th National Policy Conference officially got under way  at Nasrec, south of Johannesburg, on Friday.

For many it was a chance to see the expressions on the delegates’ faces as they began the five-day process of tackling the party’s policies. 

President Jacob Zuma 

Deputy President and ANC presidential candidate Cyril Ramaphosa

Minister in the Presidency and ANC national executive committee member Jeff Radebe

ANC national chairperson and Speaker of Parliament Baleka Mbete

ANC veteran and presidential candidate Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma

ANC veteran Winnie Madikizela-Mandela 

ANC veteran and former Speaker of Parliament Frene Ginwala

ANC Women’s League president and Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini 

Water and sanitation minister Nomvula Mokonyane 

eNCA

News24.com | Zuma warns ANC conference delegates against ill-discipline, factionalism

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Johannesburg – President Jacob Zuma has warned against ill-discipline and factionalism in the ANC during his opening address at the party’s policy conference in Johannesburg.

Zuma took swipes at African National Congress leaders who he said had become primary conveyors of negative information about their own movement.

“We need to look at the issue of ill-discipline in various forms, including public utterances, attacking the movement by ANC leaders and members, instead of handling matters within the organisation and finding solutions within the organisation.”

This “irresponsible perpetual negative messaging by our own people has a negative impact on the economy”, Zuma said.

#ANCPolicy Conference LIVE: ‘Being dragged to court is counter-revolutionary’ – Zuma

He said the conference needed to discuss how to balance self-criticism with a need to protect the organisation and provide leadership.

“We need a space to resolve problems in a more organised manner.”

Zuma also suggested that those speaking out against the ANC were furthering certain interests and agendas.

He cautioned ANC delegates against, what he said was, the cancer of factionalism.

“Slate politics [is] another manifestation of factionalism,” Zuma said, adding that slates had cost the ANC many good and capable members.

Zuma called for unity during the party’s fifth policy conference.

He said discussions should be informed by unity, which was the rock upon which the ANC had been founded.

“We were taught this by the founding leaders of the movement. Unity must be the thread that keeps this movement and our country together.”

Listen to our politics editor Mahlatse Gallens as she speaks to South Africa’s sharpest political minds.

Listen on iTunes here.

eNCA | Discontent, frustration in spotlight at ANC policy conference

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JOHANNESBURG – President Jacob Zuma called on delegates at the ANC’s National Policy Conference (NPC) to discuss the growing discontent within the party.

Opening the conference in Nasrec, south of Johannesburg on Friday, Zuma said the ANC had faced several challenges over the past few years.

“There has been a development of some negative tendencies, which have caused frustration and disillusionment among the membership and nation at large. This policy conference is called upon to look in(to) this and emerge with recommendations… and redirect to its core mission and character,” said Zuma.

Zuma condemned ANC members for speaking out publicly against the party.

The party leader also blamed the country’s economic downturn on a constant negative narrative.

“We also need to look at the issue of ill-discipline in various forms… attacking the movement by ANC members and leaders instead of handling matters within the organisation… Some members have become primary conveyors of negative messages about their own movement,” said Zuma.

WATCH: Zuma calls for unity

The president told members this year’s policy conference had to address South Africa’s slow economic growth.

“At the time of the budget in February the economy was expected to grow at a low 1.3 percent in 2017. Given the current difficulty, even this low growth rate may not be achieved. Our deliberations… will need to look at what needs to be done… over the next five years.”

Zuma also said allegations of state capture needed to be investigated.

He said prolonging such investigations had tainted the image of the ANC and its leadership.

READ: ANC policy conference unlikely to achieve much

“We support the establishment of a judicial commission of inquiry to look into the matter.

“At a political level, this debate requires a thorough… analysis of the South African political economy so that we can understand what is meant by state capture.

“We need to know which business interests have sought to influence the ANC and its government over the years, with what impact and what must be done to end the said capture.”

ANC National Policy Conference 2017 Discussion Document Organisational Renewal by eNCA.com on Scribd

eNCA

eNCA | UPDATE: Department of Basic Education website still down

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• Editor’s note: This article is updated each time new information becomes available.

JOHANNESBURG – The Basic Education Department website was hacked on Wednesday, and gruesome images were posted along with a message to “the government, the American people and the rest of the world”, the department said.

“The people who breached the website have since posted gory pictures of decapitated corpses, some of whom are children,” the department said.

According to the department, the message on the website was: “Hacked by Team System DZ. A message to the government, the American people and the rest of the world. Is this the humanity that you claim, or is life irrelevant to Muslims? Do not imagine that these actions against Muslims will pass you and we will forget what you did to the Arab and Muslim peoples all over the world. I love Islamic State”.

The department distanced itself from the images and have taken down their website.

“We distance ourselves from the brutal images that incite hatred and violence. We have taken immediate steps to have the images removed from our website and to investigate how the website has been hacked.

“In this regard we have contacted State Information and Technology Agency (SITA) that is responsible for a security system to deal with the hacking as a matter of urgency,” the department said.

“We are currently working together with SITA to deal with the hack and reclaim the website. We also condemn such acts in the strongest terms.

“In the meantime, we appeal to members of the public to be patient with us as we have since taken down the website while working to restore it. An investigation is underway to establish the source of the hack.”

The website remained shut down on Thursday.

DBE spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said investigators were making progress to fixing the site and they are hopeful that it would be up and running soon.

Members of the public who need information usually kept on the site should contact the department directly on their customer service line, 012 357 3000 or via email on info@dbe.gov.za.

African News Agency

eNCA | Stalwarts planning to boycott ANC conference

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* Editor’s note: This live event will be broadcast live on eNCA.com and is expected to start at 11.30am.

JOHANNESBURG – The African National Congress is heading into its national policy conference a divided party.

And now its veterans are planning to boycott the summit.

They’re expected to make known their reasons for the boycott at a media briefing on Thursday.

READ: ANC vets’ conduct no example for younger generations: Mthethwa

One of their grievances is the party’s apparent snubbing of their calls for a special stand-alone conference.

The veterans have also expressed concerns over state capture reports, calling for direction from party leaders.

ANC veterans have also called for President Jacob Zuma to step down.

eNCA