Category Archives: South African News

News24.com | Body of woman found in her bed with a note saying: ‘Stop assaulting inmates’

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The body of a 22-year-old woman was found in her bedroom in Reitspark, Welkom, on Sunday, with a note next to her body reading: “Stop assaulting inmates.”

According to police spokesperson Brigadier Motantsi Makhele, her hands were tied up and she had strangled marks around her neck.

“An open wallet with cards [and a] driver’s license was found next to her body.”

It is unclear what the motive of the killing was, but ” the police are investigating a case of murder”, Makhele said.

Anyone with information leading to the arrest of the suspect can contact Detective Warrant Officer Jerry Lenyane of Welkom detective services on 083 426 8343.

News24.com | ANC wishes Zuma well if reports of him taking ill were ‘to be true’

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It seems the ANC is just as surprised as most people by news reports that former president Jacob Zuma had taken ill and is undergoing treatment in Cuba.

The party’s national spokesperson, Pule Mabe, told journalists on the sidelines of the last national executive committee (NEC) meeting of the year, taking place in Benoni on Sunday, the party had no knowledge of the news.

“Well, like yourselves, we’ve seen media reports that suggest the health of the former president of the ANC might be ailing. If that was to be true, we of course wish him well and a speedy recovery,” said Mabe.

According to weekly newspaper Sunday World, Zuma was in Cuba seeking treatment for an illness linked to an alleged poison plot from 2014.

This despite the National Prosecuting Authority declining in September to investigate claims of him being poisoned, saying there was no evidence such an act had taken place.

The former ANC leader and South African head of state is also said to be struggling with memory loss.

Zuma also missed a scheduled appearance at the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture in November, claiming he was sick.

It was also reported last month he was hospitalised for a week in November for an unknown ailment.

Zuma, who often attends the ANC’s NEC meetings in his capacity as former leader, was not present.

He was also not present when the High Court in Pietermaritzburg dismissed his and French company Thales’ bid for a permanent stay of prosecution in a corruption case relating to the arms deal.

Issues of national importance

While the ANC refused to give exact details on the NEC’s agenda, Mabe said the state of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and happenings at local governments across the country would form part of the debates.

The NEC meets on the back of the national carrier SAA undergoing voluntary business rescue, Eskom struggling to keep the lights on, the ANC winning back control of the City of Johannesburg, while the Gauteng province has placed the City of Tshwane under partial administration as well as seeking legislation to tighten how coalitions run municipalities in the country.

“It’s the political overview, already given by the president of the ANC … looking at a number of topical issues of national and international interests, whether it’s the state of our SOEs and our relations with other countries, whether it’s in the region or beyond the region,” said Mabe on Sunday.

He said the NEC’s views on such matters would be communicated on Wednesday when the party shares its NEC outcomes.

Mabe added the NEC would also discuss how it managed coalitions.

“All of our members are looking at this gathering and want us to communicate the outcomes of this gathering with a level of certainty.”

News24.com | UPDATE: Orkney mining rescue operation expected to take three days

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The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has called for “drastic action” to improve the safety standards and procedures at mines, as four mine workers are trapped and feared dead in a mine in Orkney.

Rescue teams are currently on site, but it is estimated that it will take three or four days to rescue the workers due to rocks continuing to fall underground, the NUM said in a statement.

The mine workers became trapped at the Tau Lekoa mine in Orkney after “seismic activity” on Friday afternoon.

NUM spokesperson Livhuwani Mammburu confirmed the incident, saying the seismic activity took place at 12:00 on Friday.

As a result, five mine workers were trapped, although one was rescued immediately after. He suffered serious injuries and was rushed to hospital, Mammburu said.

READ | Four mine workers trapped, feared dead in Orkney

“Earlier [on Friday] the proto team was able to communicate with the four mine workers who are still trapped underground, but later they were no longer responding,” the statement reads.

NUM president Joseph Montisetse told eNCA a team was working around the clock to rescue the trapped workers. The incident has left the union “deeply worried and concerned”, he said.

“The NUM strongly believes that it’s necessary to compel the mining industry to comply with safety standards and procedures… We call on the state to hold the industry fully accountable for its failures and adopt a no-nonsense approach when it comes to mine deaths.”

News24.com | 202 Joburg firefighters dismissed after illegal strike

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Around 200 firefighters have reportedly been dismissed from the City of Johannesburg after an unauthorised strike.

The dismissal is due to an illegal strike by union Demawusa earlier this year, according to a report by eNCA.

The dismissal was confirmed to News24 by Demawusa spokesperson Dion Makhura. However, the union has received no official communication from the City, he said.

A strike in July followed accusations by firefighters that Emergency Services Management were not adhering to the National Health Act. Some of the firefighters were also reportedly forced to live in an unsafe building. 

During the strike, firefighters refused to attend to emergency calls made to the Jabulani, Johannesburg Central, Ivory Park and Rosebank fire stations, citing that some of the allocated duties assigned to them as basic life support officers were in fact duties to be performed by the intermediate life support officers. The firefighters also requested around the clock escorts from the JMPD when responding to emergencies, News24 previously reported. 

City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi confirmed that 202 employees were dismissed for a range of charges, including gross insubordination, dereliction of duties, acting in a manner that is in breach of their employment contact or job description, acting in a manner that is unlawful, and bringing the name of the City of Johannesburg into disrepute, following an illegal strike.

“During July 2019 it came to the attention of the City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services management that several of its employees … were participating in an unprotected strike,” Mulaudzi says in a statement.

The City then issued an issued an ultimatum for employees to return to work immediately, failing which they would be dismissed. However, after the strike, some firefighters did not return to work and the City obtained a court order from the Labour Court, which interdicted the striking firefighters from illegal action. In September, the City suspended 230 firefighters.

“We want to reassure our residents of the City of Johannesburg that we will continue to render effective professional emergency services at all times,” Mulaudzi adds.

“It’s a very difficult situation we find ourselves in as an organisation [and] we are doing our best to make sure that service delivery is not disrupted.”

Standby staff will be recalled if necessary, along with volunteers and overtime staff.

The dismissed firefighters have seven days to lodge an appeal.

News24.com | Drivers’ licences allegedly sold for as much as R8 600 a pop, Hawks nab 10 Limpopo officials

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The Hawks arrested 10 Limpopo testing station officials on Thursday for allegedly selling drivers’ licences.

According to the unit, the 10 people, who include a senior licensing officer, three examiners, two clerks, a cashier, an instructor, a general worker and a middleman were arrested at the Malamulele and Mutale testing stations.

READ | Hawks bust 7 in Cape Town for fraudulent learner’s, driver’s licences

“The Hawks’ serious corruption investigation team, in collaboration with Road Traffic Management Corporation centre, embarked on a project-driven investigation aimed at addressing allegations of corrupt activities at the testing stations in the province,” Hawks spokesperson Captain Matimba Maluleke said.

“The Hawks’ investigation revealed that the driving licences were sold at a minimum of R8 600 per applicant.”

The 10 people are expected to appear in the Malamulele and Mutale magistrates’ courts on Friday.

Gold and Foreign Exchange Position

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Publish Date: 2019-12-06
Category: Markets Data
Author: Financial Markets

The attached document represents the Gold and Foreign exchange Position over a period of time published by South African Reserve Bank and updated at the end of each month.

Any enquiries can be directed to Jack Mkhatshwa at +27 12 313-4264.

Attachments:

News24.com | WATCH | Metro cops allegedly assault Pretoria woman who was ‘too scared’ to pull over

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A video circulating on social media shows a woman allegedly being manhandled by a number of Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) officers at a petrol station in Lyttleton, Pretoria, late on Tuesday night. 

According to civil society activist Yusuf Abramjee, the woman was alone and didn’t want to pull over in the dark fearing fake cops. She drove to a nearby petrol station where the officers proceeded to manhandle her. 

In the video, the woman exits her white VW Polo at around 23:25 as the metro officers approach her vehicle. She is then pulled toward a TMPD kombi by three male and one female officers. The seemingly distressed woman resists and appears to be calling for help. 

READ | IPID’s cover-up of police brutality in SA

A man wearing a yellow T-shirt and baseball cap attempts to intervene but is kept at a distance by one of the officers. 

The woman is then thrown to the ground by one of the officers, handcuffed and loaded into the police vehicle. 

TMPD spokesperson Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba confirmed the incident to News24 on Friday. 

“We as the department are aware of the video and the incident that took place on the mentioned date and times and we can confirm that those members seen in the video are TMPD members,” Mahamba said.

“At this stage, [an] internal investigation is continuing and we have since obtained statements from the affected members. We can also state that the case is at an advance stage and we will be able to comment further after the chief of police has studied the docket opened and pronounced on the next step afterward.”

The identity of the woman is as yet unknown. 

News24.com | EFF: ‘DA helped to bring in rejected and corrupt ANC through the back door’

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After the ANC reclaimed the Johannesburg metro, the EFF accused the DA of participating in the re-establishment of what it calls a “corrupt government”.

The ANC’s Geoff Makhubo became the new Johannesburg mayor on Wednesday after the DA’s Herman Mashaba resigned from the position in October.

While the ANC only had 121 seats in the council, Makhubo still managed to bag 137 votes, meaning several smaller parties voted for him as did some DA councillors.

According to the EFF, three DA councillors voted for Makhubo instead of their own candidate, Funzela “Funzi” Ngobeni. The DA with 103 seats only managed to get 101 votes, while the EFF, with 30 seats in the council, received 30 for its candidate, Musa Novela.

Reacting to the outcome of the vote, EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu said the DA had participated in re-establishing an ANC government in Johannesburg.

READ | DA on councillor who voted for ANC’s Geoff Makhubo: ‘It’s an outright betrayal, but we won’t go on a witch hunt’

“Our conscience is clear that we did not form part of establishing a corrupt government here in Johannesburg,” Shivambu said on Wednesday.

“What has just been established here, it looks like with the participation of the DA, is a corrupt government of looters who are going to loot this city.”

In a statement, the EFF said it noted with sadness the ANC had won the mayoral race, and again blamed the DA for the result.

“It is evident from the results that the DA caucus, together with other smaller opposition parties, voted for the corrupt ANC. The DA’s three council members aided Geoff Makhubo of the corrupt ANC to become the mayor,” EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi claimed.

“This is a sad day indeed for the residents of Johannesburg who in 2016 voted the ANC out of the metro. The opposition parties, together with the DA, have now brought the same rejected ANC through a backdoor.”

Ndlozi expressed appreciation for the “unity” displayed by the EFF caucus, which he inferred, had not voted for the ANC.  

“They voted as a single, united and disciplined force of the left. This demonstrates the EFF as the only stable and united political party that our people can rely on for many gains.

“We will remain in the opposition benches. We are not scared of the DA-aided corrupt ANC. The EFF is the only party that can take the ANC head-on. We will take them toe-to-toe on both the ground and in the boardrooms. We shall never retreat to hold them accountable, exposing at all times their parasitic and greedy ways.”

Shivambu echoed these sentiments, saying the EFF had not sold out and would never have voted for Makhubo whom he described as an “extremely compromised and extremely conflicted” person.

News24.com | Tutu admitted to hospital for ‘stubborn infection’

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Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu was admitted to hospital to receive treatment for a “stubborn infection”, his wife, Leah, confirmed on Wednesday.

According to a statement from the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, Leah said her husband was hospitalised several times in recent years for the same infection.

Tutu, who turned 88 in October, has been open about his fight against prostate cancer.

He was also passionate about supporting treatment initiatives for tuberculosis after he contracted the disease as a child, News24 previously reported.