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US President Donald Trump publicly announced SA leaders will visit him in Washington DC next week, but President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office says they are awaiting formal confirmation from the White House.
EFF leader Julius Malema says his party must put South Africans first when it comes to jobs, regardless of language, connections or background.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has urged supporters to remain loyal to the party even when it disappoints them, in the same way Kaizer Chiefs fans stand by their team through defeats.
“Kaizer Chiefs supporters don’t abandon their team when it is beaten,” Mbalula said during a door-to-door campaign in ward 24 at Freedom Park in Soweto before a by-election set for May 14.
“Even if they lost yesterday, the fans still have hope. What I love about Chiefs supporters is their loyalty. They’re resolute. You [ANC supporters] must be the same. We will fix it [ANC].”
Mbalula, known for controversial speeches, told residents the ANC is committed to rebuilding and delivering change where it governs.
“We must work for the people. Where we govern, things must change. It must be visible that the ANC is in charge and we are making progress.”
The campaign comes at a crucial time for the party, which lost its majority in the 2024 general elections after three decades of dominance.
Warning about what he called external threats to its survival, Mbalula rallied supporters to defend the ANC at the polls.
“We must defend this freedom. It’s tough out there, the enemy is after us. If there is no ANC, who will defend us? The enemy wants to destroy the ANC. Let’s show them on May 14 we’re not going anywhere.”
The by-election is one of several tests of the ANC’s grassroots support as it battles to reclaim lost ground in municipalities in Gauteng.
The DA and the EFF’s court case to block the 0.5 percentage point VAT hike from kicking in on May 1, now being argued in the Western Cape High Court, is a critical test of how parliament relates to executive decisions.
Chaos erupted at Walter Sisulu University in Mthatha on Tuesday when a third-year male student was killed and another wounded when they were shot, allegedly by their residence manager. According to reports, students approached the manager to confront him about their grievances
President Cyril Ramaphosa has praised Johannesburg’s visible policing, saying the city was crime-free during a recent late night walkabout.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the public fallout between EFF leader Julius Malema and his former deputy Floyd Shivambu is fiction — believing the two are secretly pulling the strings on Jacob Zuma.
The National Consumer Commission (NCC) has announced a recall of certain Mercedes-Benz GLE (167) models citing safety concerns linked to a high-voltage starter generator fault.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile says the defiant DA’s fate in the government of national unity (GNU) will be determined by the end of Monday.
EFF leader Julius Malema has doubled down on his party’s radical stance on land reform, vowing an EFF in government would expropriate farms without compensation and hand them over to farm workers.
Justice minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has stepped in after the state’s failure to build a strong case led to the acquittal of Nigerian televangelist Pastor Timothy Omotoso and his co-accused. The outcome has ignited public outrage, raising concerns about the prosecution’s handling of the case.
ActionSA will reconsider its decision to enter into the government of national unity (GNU) should the DA leave government, the party said while warning the ANC there will be consequences if it reneges on its agreement to reverse the VAT increase. ActionSA’s parliamentary leaders held a media briefing on Thursday after the National Assembly sitting on Wednesday which saw the budget passed with the help of the Herman Mashaba-led party.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has drawn a line in the sand, telling the ANC caucus the DA had defined itself outside of the government of national unity (GNU).
The ANC has vowed to stand firm against international pressure, including threats from US President Donald Trump and lobbying efforts by Afrikaner organisations, over its land reform policies and South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The DA has condemned the Constitutional Court's decision to dismiss AfriForum’s bid to have the apartheid-era song Kill the Boer declared hate speech, warning the ruling risks deepening societal divisions.
Former SAA board member Yakhe Kwinana says she thought she was being kidnapped when armed police stormed her home wearing balaclavas during her arrest.
On Friday, Africa witnessed history as Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah became Namibia’s first female president. She is also the first woman to lead a country in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).At her inauguration, the 72-year-old said she was elected based on merit, not gender.
Key state witness in the Joshlin Smith kidnapping trial, Lourentia Lombaard, told the court on Monday she had been beaten by people working with police to give information on the child's whereabouts.
Health minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi isn’t mincing words. Speaking on World TB Day, he warned: “If you don’t want to have TB, just stop breathing. As long as you breathe you will definitely get it — that’s how big this problem is.”
The trial of Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla on public violence-related charges is set to begin in November. Zuma-Sambudla appeared before the Durban high court on Thursday ahead of a pretrial conference.
Build One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane is hoping President Cyril Ramaphosa will later this year visit the US to mend trade ties between the two countries.
Former accused-turned state witness Lourentia Lombaard says Joshlin Smith's mother Racquel “Kelly” Smith confessed to her that the person who took the girl wanted her “eyes and skin”. Lombaard was testifying in the Western Cape High Court sitting in Saldanha Bay on Monday.
Finance minister Enoch Godongwana didn’t take kindly to being called “rogue” in parliament after defending his decision to increase VAT. He clashed with DA MP Mark John Burke over accusations that he ignored the Treasury’s advice on the controversial tax hike.
EFF MPs have criticised social development deputy minister Ganief Hendricks for allegedly using artificial intelligence to answer parliamentary questions.
The high court sitting in Saldanha Bay on Tuesday heard contradictory claims of Racquel “Kelly” Smith’s parenting and state of mind after the disappearance of her daughter Joshlin Smith in February 2024.
Two witness testified on Tuesday: Kelly Ziggers, whose mother had employed Smith as a domestic worker and social worker Siliziwe Mbambo.
At 06:45 on Tuesday, Ekurhuleni Emergency Services received a report of a severe bus crash on the R21 heading OR Tambo International Airport.
At least 12 people have died after the bus overturned at the R21/R24 split, causing major traffic delays and lane closures.
South Africans will soon learn how their finances will be affected as the government scrambles to address the budget crisis.
Finance minister Enoch Godongwana is set to deliver the national budget speech on Wednesday after the budget was sent back to the drawing board last month when parties in the government of national unity (GNU) rejected a proposed VAT increase.
KZN police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi's contract with the police service is set to end in a year, and he says he intends to complete his term and go home.
Solidarity, the mainstream Afrikaner movement, will embark on a month-long tour of Europe, asking world powers to put pressure on the South African government to rethink certain reform laws.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says what AfriForum and Solidarity trade union are doing in the US is sowing divisions in South Africa. The Afrikaner rights group and Solidarity are visiting Washington after President Donald Trump's executive order regarding refugee status for certain South Africans.Addressing the media on the sidelines of the annual Basic Education Lekgotla in Ekurhuleni, Ramaphosa slammed the two organisations for their visit to the US.
The department of social development has acknowledged that its system poses a security risk, after a wake-up call from first-year computer science students at Stellenbosch University who alerted them to fraudulent activities and vulnerabilities in the system.
Black South Africans earn the lowest wages, below the national average and 21% of what their white counterparts earn.
In a first for democratic South Africa, the 2025 budget speech has been postponed to March 12. We hear the reactions of various parties on the announcement and the finance Minister Enoch Godongwana explains the contentious issues on the table.
The defence ministry says the defence force can defend the country against invasion, despite financial challenges. Minister Angie Motshekga also suggested that older government staff be let go for early retirement to help cut costs.
Illegal borehole drilling in Johannesburg is causing problems. Recently, drilling in Killarney led to water and soil leaking into a tunnel, forcing Gautrain to suspend service between Park Station and Rosebank.
Gautrain CEO Tshepo Kgobe said the tunnel is 50 meters underground, and the drillers reached 45 meters before hitting it. He suspects an unregistered company was responsible.
Debating the recent state of the nation address, the MK party (MKP), UDM, and Rise Mzansi said President Cyril Ramaphosa must look elsewhere, other than the US, to do business.
The search and rescue operation to assist illegal miners believed to be trapped underground at the abandoned Rand Lease mine in Roodepoort has been temporarily halted due to safety concerns. Johannesburg emergency management services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi elaborated on the conditions faced by rescuers and the time frame of the operation.
Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, who recently left the EFF, says President Cyril Ramaphosa is no puppet of white supremacy. Ndlozi spoke to SABC News for the first time since remaining silent after being banned from attending the EFF’s crucial conference in December.
While not letting President Cyril Ramaphosa off the hook for failings in the provision of service delivery at home, there have been moments where he defiantly stood firm on the global stage in high-stakes situations, representing South Africa and the African continent with a mature approach.
South Africa "will not be bullied," President Cyril Ramaphosa said, referencing global political shifts and tensions during his State of the Nation address on Thursday.
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has called for an investigation into lobby group AfriForum for “pursuing treason” after it said it would approach the US to target South African politicians on the land issue.
EFF leader Julius Malema has voiced his frustration at Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s response to President Cyril Ramaphosa, saying: “He can’t address us like that."
EFF leader Julius Malema says the party is on the verge of entering the government of national unity should the ANC boot out the DA.
Mineral and petroleum resources minister Gwede Mantashe has scoffed at US President Donald Trump's threat that the world’s largest economy will withdraw aid to the South African economy, saying South Africa could leverage its minerals in kind.
The ANC argued for free alcohol at the state of the nation address (Sona) as the majority of MPs raised concerns about how comfortable the City Hall would be for them as the venue for the event. The National Assembly was meeting ahead of the Sona, which will be delivered by the president next week.
Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla has been released with a warning. The daughter of former president Jacob Zuma appeared before the Durban magistrate's court on Thursday where she faces charges relating to the July 2021 unrest. Zuma-Sambudla said the charges against her were malicious and politically motivated, aimed at settling the current regime's political scores with her father.
DA leader John Steenhuisen has criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa for not consulting the government of national unity (GNU) partners before signing the Expropriation Bill. Steenhuisen said despite the challenges in the GNU, the DA was is not exiting. The DA leadership was briefing the media on Tuesday after its first federal council meeting of 2025
Traditional healer Makhotso Mofokeng, known as Gogo Maweni, has been granted bail of R5,000 by the Protea magistrate's court. She is charged with assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, for an incident in 2019. The bail was granted despite the court being told she withheld critical information relating to her previous convictions in her first appearance, which include fraud. In her affidavit Mofokeng says the complainant is known to her.
The EFF laid a corruption charge against public works minister Dean Macpherson at the Pretoria Central police station on Wednesday. According to the EFF, the minister allegedly interfered in the tender affairs of the Independent Development Trust (IDT). The IDT is mandated to support all spheres of government with social infrastructure management and programme implementation.Speaking outside the police station, EFF secretary-general Marshall Dlamini said the party has enough “evidence to prove the minister was involved in tender interference at the IDT”.
Controversial blogger Musa Khawula will remain in custody after his appearance in the Randburg magistrate's court on Tuesday. He faces charges of crimen injuria and contempt of court. According to the NPA, Khawula has two pending matters.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the ANC's plan to reconfigure its provincial executive committees (PECs) in Gauteng and KZN will not affect government work. This means that Panyaza Lesufi will remain as Gauteng premier of the province while S'boniso Duma is likely to continue as Economic Development MEC in KwaZulu-Natal. During a media briefing on Monday, Mbalula said the national officials must put forward the proposal for reconfiguring the two provinces within a week.
A manhunt has been launched for the alleged illegal mining kingpin who surfaced from shaft 11 in Stilfontein last week. By Thursday, 78 bodies had been retrieved and 246 illegal miners were rescued. However, the true extent of the tragedy continues to unfold. According to police statement, police officials aided the kingpin to escape from custody after surfacing from shaft 11 last week. The kingpin, known as Tiger, was never booked into any police station where some illegal miners are being kept. He was also never admitted to a local hospital for medical care.
Day five of the Judicial Conduct Tribunal hearing the sexual harassment allegations against Eastern Cape Judge President Selby Mbenenge continued on Friday. The judge's secretary, Andiswa Mengo, continued her testimony, saying the judge allegedly sent her a video of his private parts, calling it a python. If Judge Mbenenge is found guilty, he could be impeached from his position as Judge President.
TimesLIVE provides an update on the rescue operation of illegal miners at the Stilfontein mine in the North West.
We hear the gruelling conditions faced by rescue personnel involved in the operations which started on Monday. Members of the South African Police Service also provide an update on the the arrest of alleged ringleaders and the continuation of Operation Vala Umgodi.
Audio gathered by TimesLIVE senior reporter Isaac Mahlangu.
Two suspects accused of the murders of Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane have been denied bail for the second time the Durban magistrate's court on Wednesday. The applicants again applied for bail on the basis of “new facts”. However, looking at the evidence in totality, magistrate Vincent Hlatshwayo, found there were no new facts in the case.
The matric class of 2024 who sat for the National Senior Certificate achieved a pass rate of 87.3%, up from 82.9% the year before.
The Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training, Umalusi, has approved the release of the November 2024 National Senior Certificate (NSC) exam results.
Umalusi held a media briefing on Monday ahead of the results' release on Wednesday.
The Johannesburg magistrates court has ordered that the five accused arrested at the property of former president Nelson Mandela on Wednesday not be named before an identity parade is conducted.
While five suspects were initially arrested, only four appeared on Friday. The grandson of the former statesmen did not appear but remains a suspect.
ANC Youth League leader Collen Malatji has suggested the reinstatement of the death penalty for those convicted of raping children.
Kwaito pioneer Doc Shebeleza, whose real name was Victor Bogopane, has passed away at the age of 51, his family confirmed in a statement following a prolonged illness. In June 2024, the legendary artist was reported to be hospitalised after a health scare.
ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa is advocating for the processing of South Africa’s mineral resources in the country and the export of finished products rather than raw materials.
This is a heartfelt tribute to the life of Winnie Khumalo, who passed away on January 7 after a brief illness. In 2009, she rose to prominence with her hit album I Just Wanna Live My Life, which sold an impressive 25,000 copies. Her legacy continues to shine through her daughter, Rethabile Khumalo, who has proudly followed in her mother’s musical footsteps
Mosquito activity is on the rise, but an entomologist says there's no need for panic — chances are, you may not even be their type.
The high court in Pretoria has dismissed with costs the Information Regulator's urgent application to prevent the education department publishing the 2024 matric exams results in media such as newspapers.
The regulator citing concerns about the violation of matriculants' right to privacy. Concerns the court says were not brought to its attention by pupils.
The urgency of stopping the publication of the 2024 matric results in the media came under the spotlight in the Pretoria high court on Tuesday.
The regulator is seeking an interdict against the release of the results in the media, citing concerns about the violation of matriculants' right to privacy.
The department says the urgency is self-created.
Gauteng finance MEC Lebogang Maile has dismissed claims that the country’s economic hub will be on the verge of bankruptcy by June this year.Speaking at a media briefing on Tuesday Maile addressed these concerns, providing clarity on the matter.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says its supporters in the Western Cape have no land and no freedom, blaming the DA for abandoning them.
Gauteng recorded 387 births on New Year's Day - 31 of which babies were born to teenagers aged between 15 and 19.
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) plans to mobilise “progressive parties to lead the country”, warning against the DA.
Opening up about her diabetes, former National Assembly speaker Baleka Mbete urged younger people to take better care of their health.
From a year of seismic political shifts to entertainment that put the country on the global map—or left us cringing—to criminals who continued to undermine the rule of law, our multimedia team revisits the stories that defined 2024.
Public servants who fail to report statutory rape are equally “secondary raping” children, says Limpopo premier Phophi Ramathuba.
Concerned about children abandoned by fathers, DA federal chair Helen Zille told women “your responsibility is not to get pregnant as soon as you can”.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile acknowledged that the government's economic challenges in reducing the cost of living persist.
Police rescued a kidnapped Pakistani businessman and arrested a 46-year-old female suspect for murder and kidnapping on Monday in Sebokeng, Gauteng.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has urged men to stop viewing women as possessions, saying the mentality of thinking they own women because they provide material items contributes to gender-based violence (GBV).
The Border Management Authority (BMA) and Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) held a media briefing at OR Tambo International Airport on Thursday to address operational updates and their plans to ensure seamless movement of travellers during the peak holiday season.
Johannesburg’s emergency services are on high alert as severe thunderstorms and possible flooding are forecast for the city as 80% rain possibility hits the province.
The deadline for spaza shops and other small food outlets to register their businesses has been extended to February 28. This was announced during a press briefing on Wednesday by ministers leading the multidisciplinary team in government responsible for the national response to instances of food-borne illnesses and illicit trade.
Frustrated by long patient wait times at a Limpopo hospital, premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba delivered a stern warning to staff that failure to assist patients promptly would result in dismissal.
MKP chair Nathi Nhleko and secretary-general Floyd Shivamvu have told journalists why they think the party has a case of vote fraud against the IEC.
Gauteng finance and economic development MEC Lebogang Maile briefed the media on the progress of the registration of spaza shops in Gauteng. This as the 21-day deadline issued by President Cyril Ramaphosa looms.
South Africans are happier and the country has changed for the better since the MK Party was established, says party leader Jacob Zuma.
MK Party (MKP) leader Jacob Zuma has warned his party will take its case of alleged vote rigging to international courts if local courts do not rule in its favour, which he says may result in the party being told to govern with immediate effect.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile has warned South Africans against registering businesses for illegal foreigners, asking authorities to act against such actions. Mashatile said the government wanted South Africans to own most shops.
KwaZulu-Natal police boss Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has vowed to make a good example of disgruntled taxi owners blocking roads and confiscating keys from vehicles.
EFF leader Julius Malema says he never met my father, and he never saw the need to know him. Malema opened up about his childhood during the recent Hustlers Corner Podcast hosted by broadcaster and businessman DJ Sbu.
Malema also touched on the difficulties of dealing with his mother's epilepsy.
EFF leader Julius Malema threatened his former deputy Floyd Shivambu that he will spill the beans should he be pushed.
EFF leader Julius Malema says the MK Party has made it its mission to recruit leaders of his party and the EFF has now excluded MK from an EFF march.
Vodacom 'Please call me' service inventor Nkosana Makate is confident his case is solid and that the ConCourt will bring the R9.4m matter to finality.
Gauteng finance and economic development MEC Lebogang Maile says officials will have to work within the 21 days granted by the president to help spaza shops with registration. Maile was briefing the media on the provincial government’s strategy to help spaza shop owners to register their businesses. The MEC outlined the requirements for successful registration for business owners, both local and foreign.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says spaza shops implicated in the deaths of children from food poisoning must be closed with immediate effect
Police say they will not go underground and endanger their lives to rescue as many as 4,000 illegal miners in North West as those underground are said to be armed.
EFF leader Julius Malema says he’s outgoing president of the party rubbishing claims that he is a “dictator”. If he is not re-elected in leadership next month Malema will go back to farming.
EFF leader Julius Malema says MKP president Jacob Zuma is inviting him to a fight and he is not scared.
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The Presidency says Durban and its beaches are ready to welcome thousands of tourists ahead of the festive season.
Water and sanitation minister Pemmy Majodina says South Africans are using too much water, adding the country's water is safe to drink.
The Pretoria high court has ruled that one of the five men accused in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, Mthobisi Mncube, be transferred from C-Max prison to a facility closer to his place of origin or any maximum-security centre that may be convenient. The court however dismissed Fisokuhle Ntuli's application to be moved out of solitary confinement.
The duo are on trial with three other accused for the murder Meyiwa in Vosloorus in 2014.
“We’re intervening,” says Deputy President Paul Mashatile as children die of poisoning allegedly sold by spaza shops, saying the government must not be too lazy to regulate food.
MK Party leader Jacob Zuma claims Western countries weakened the ANC so it could be helped by other parties to govern.
The home affairs department says it will criminally charge Chidimma Adetshina and her mother for identity fraud after they failed to justify their documents.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the DA is disrespecting the ANC and the president will do what home affairs minister Leon Schreiber wants “when pigs fly”.
Health minister Aaron Motsoaledi confirmed a toxicology report has revealed the organophosphate Terbufos caused the deaths of six children in Naledi, Soweto, earlier this month.
Motsoaledi, other ministers led by the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJoints), held a media briefing on Monday as part of government’s response to recent incidents of food poisoning in the country.
ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa described party “careerists”, ill-discipline and factionalism as the biggest threats to the party. He told members the party needs to do introspection as it has become its own worst enemy.
Police say more arrests in the mass murder of 18 people in Lusikisiki last month are imminent as they continue to search for more suspects and, ultimately, the mastermind behind the tragedy.
Currently five men have been arrested in connection with the murders.
Police minister Senzo Mchunu and national police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola were briefing the media on updates on the investigation on Thursday.
Quizzed by a DA MP on whether he was going to resign after his “failures”, minister Blade Nzimande retorted that apartheid would not return.
During his maiden Budget speech in 2019, former Finance Minister Tito Mboweni introduced an Indigenous Aloe Plant, which remains one of his most memorable addresses.This speech exemplified his unwavering belief in the resilience of South Africans.
Public protector Kholeka Gcaleka has accused Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s husband David Skosana of threatening the chapter 9 institution’s CEO Thandi Sibanyoni over the payment of Mkhwebane's gratuity.
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EFF leader Julius Malema says ANC secretary-general is “a sellout of note, always ready to destroy his own in defence of white supremacists”, adding that President Cyril Ramaphosa was deliberate in not putting his signature on the GNU agreement.
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ActionSA’s Nasiphi Moya has been elected as Tshwane's new mayor.
She received 122 votes, while the DA's former mayor Cilliers Brink received 86. This was announced on Wednesday during a special council meeting.
SA Communist Party general secretary Solly Mapaila says with the government of national unity (GNU) “our country is back in the hands of the Boers” and the GNU is unjustifiable.
Security and law enforcement agencies are monitoring a nationwide strike over “anger regarding prevailing economic crises”.
SAPS is adding more police officers in communities, aiming for one officer for every 220 people.
Two months since taking reins at the police ministry, Senzo Mchunu says police are upping the standard of policing, and criminals “must surrender or be made to surrender”.
Snowfall outside the winter months is historically not a rare occurrence in South Africa, says the SA Weather Service.This was according to experts at a media briefing on Tuesday at the Pretoria Press Club.
Police minister Senzo Mchunu says police would struggle to fight crime if communities did not actively join hands to fight criminals. We speak to a crime analyst on ways to limit vulnerable citizens dying like flies.
Dr Chris de Kock unpacks the ways crime can practically and effectively be solved.
Police minister Senzo Mchunu says weapons SAPS are confiscating from criminals includes military weapons.
Dr Khanyisile Litchfield-Tshabalala, cultural and African spirituality expert, unpacks why South Africans are battling with the rise of sangomas, why they too experience pain and grieve even though they have spiritual powers and what encourages the rate of people consulting sangomas.
Minister Gayton McKenzie says it is cold outside the government of national unity and he is happy to be led by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Dr Khanyisile Litchfield-Tshabalala, cultural and African spirituality expert unpacks why South Africans are battling with the rise of sangomas, why they too experience pain and grieve even though they have spiritual powers and what encourages the rate of people consulting sangomas.
The DA’s Cilliers Brink has been removed as mayor of Tshwane through a motion of no confidence on Thursday.
The motion was carried by 120 council members versus 87 who voted against.
The basic education department will not fill vacant teacher posts and needs money urgently to fund teachers in the system, but the minister says no retrenchments are expected.
Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi has urged the ANC to form an alternative structure to pressure the education department now that it is in the hands of the “enemy”.
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Sport, arts and culture minister Gayton McKenzie, artists Yvonne Chaka Chaka and Khanyo Mapumulo chat to TshisaLIVE at the DStv Delicious rehearsal session.
Creative Nestlings is bridging the gap by providing creatives with the access to knowledge and opportunities they often lack in partnership with YOCO and V&A Waterfront Artist Alliance is providing emerging creatives with support, financial management, guidance and access to resources to help build sustainable businesses.
The series of workshop for creatives will take place in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. The Durban workshop will take place in 21 September 2024.
We speak to Creative Nestlings Dillion s Phiri and Loco's Marcello Schermer.
The ANC will deal with its members who plotted with MK Party (MKP) leader Jacob Zuma to defeat the party, leading to the MKP’s surprising election performance.
Deputy president Mashatile has pushed for the law to be amended to allow police to shoot freely in violent situations and says there is nothing to analyse as criminals are killing cops. He has told justice minister Thembi Simelane to look into reviewing and amending the legislation.
Bongani Baloyi on Thursday announced he has decided to deregister his party, Xiluva, with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to join the MK Party led by Jacob Zuma.
Acting President Paul Mashatile says criminals have become brazen, undermining the state to the point where 39 police were killed on duty the 2023/24 financial year.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared war against gangsters, construction mafias and extortionists, commending police who killed criminals in a shoot-out.
Rhodes University has temporarily suspended part of its academic programme, including formal undergraduate lectures, tutorials, and practicals, on Friday during severe disruptions to its municipal water supply.
KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi says if you are issued with a gun licence, defend yourself — because if you surrender, criminals will use your firearm illegally, possibly to kill someone else.
Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke reported that 2.6 million households have experienced burglary over the past five years.
A crime analyst has warned that if crooks are let off the hook over protection money extortion they may even take over the state.
Last week concerning news of protection money being extorted from vulnerable individuals and businesses in Mthatha made headlines.
In Kraaifontein, Cape Town, a pensioner selling food on the street was shot dead for refusing to pay protection money.
Independent crime analyst Dr Chris De Kock says there should be strict application of the law. “If this thing carries on, we can easily slide into the type of situation that you have in Haiti, where gangs and criminals literally take over even the state. If we don’t want to go there, we will have to fight all these organised criminals.”
While former EFF deputy president's move to the MK Party has hurt the EFF, MKP deputy president John Hlophe his deployment was on merit, not to destroy the EFF.
“He [Shivambu] is a very experienced politician, he is sharp like a razor,” said Hlophe.
Shivambu's resignation from the EFF has caused turmoil in the party, with leader Julius Malema lashing out earlier this week and repeatedly referring to “betrayal for personal gains”.
Former EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu says he is not in the business of pleasing the egos of those who feel betrayed.
Shivambu was announced as the MK Party's national organiser on Thursday at the party’s media briefing.
He spoke to the media for the first time after his departure from the party he helped start. Shivambu said the opposition should put aside their “very strong egos”.
“We should unite all the progressive forces into a common agenda because this thing of small parties [is] not sustainable for the future of black people in South Africa. When you have multiple of these, they end up being fiefdoms of individuals.”
Earlier this week EFF leader Julius Malema addressed his party members in Gauteng after Shivambu’s shock exit, and repeatedly said the party had been “confronted by betrayal of our struggle for economic freedom in exchange for personal gains”, telling prominent members to speak up during the party’s “testing moment”.
ActionSA’s Nobuhle Mthembu has been elected as the new speaker of the City of Johannesburg. Mthembu received 180 votes to the DA’s Nonhlanhla Sifumba's 68. This was announced during an extraordinary council meeting on Wednesday.
The silence of popular EFF members during former deputy leader Floyd Shivambu's resignation has irritated party leader Julius Malema.
Malema read a section of the party’s constitution which obliges members not to be silent when the organisation is being “attacked”.
Malema’s rant comes after Shivambu defected to Jacob Zuma’s MK Party. Shivambu and MP Mzwanele Manyi resigned last week.
It's expected that other party members could also leave.
Leaders who are usually vocal but who have been silent about the latest developments since Shivambu’s departure include Dali Mpofu, who is associated with Zuma as his advocate, and Mbuyiseni Ndlozi. There have been rumours that they are among those who intend to leave the EFF.
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a type of bacteria that infects your stomach. It can cause sores and inflammation in the lining of your stomach or the upper part of your small intestine. For some people, an infection can lead to stomach cancer. The disease is a pressing public health concern across Africa.
EFF leader Julius Malema says Floyd Shivambu will be replaced by Sinawo Tambo in Parliament.
This comes after Shivambu last week announced his sudden departure from the party to join the MK party.
Malema also said Mwzanele Manyi who also left the EFF will be replaced by Nazier Paulsen in parliament.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula believes former EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu will not last in Jacob Zuma's MK Party, saying he would likely suffer from a “cabinet reshuffle”.
Gospel legend Rebecca Malope is grateful for sustaining minor injuries after falling on stage at Zanele Mbokazi-Nkambule's funeral over the weekend.
Speaking to TshisaLIVE reporter Kgomotso Moganedi, the gospel legend said it was embarrassing for her and her late friend would have laughed if she was alive.
The EFF will find it very difficulty to grow, says Prof Susan Booysen, after founding member and deputy president Floyd Shivambu turned his back on the red berets and headed to the MK Party (MKP).
South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi believes the biggest injustice to victims of Marikana massacre 12 years after the miners’ deaths has been a “failure” to initiate a criminal investigation against former president Jacob Zuma and former minister of police Nathi Mthethwa.
Friday marked 12 years since 34 mineworkers were killed by police during a strike outside Lonmin Mine in Marikana, in North West.
Speaking to TimesLIVE reporter Sinesipho Schrieber Vavi he was disappointed that politicians who led the state at the time faced no legal consequences for the massacre.
EFF deputy president and founding member Floyd Shivambu has quit the party to join the MK party.
A memorial service was held on Tuesday at the Oasis of Life Family Church in Daveyton for veteran actress Connie Chiume, who died aged 72 on August 6 after a short illness. Fellow Black Panther Dr John Kani reminisces on the time he and Chiume arrived in the United States to shoot Black Panther. Actor Ownen Sejake described Chiume through a poem. A funeral service will be held on August 15 at the same venue.
The ANC has forwarded finance MMC and regional chairperson Dada Morero's name as the party's candidate for the executive mayor of Johannesburg.
This comes after embattled Johannesburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda submitted his resignation on Tuesday morning.
Morero’s nomination was announced during a media briefing by the ANC in greater Johannesburg held on Tuesday afternoon.
Miss South Africa Mia le Roux is deaf but can hear thanks to the hearing implant she received through donations from her community.
Four armed men robbed school pupils, parents and teachers of their belongings during an award ceremony in Motherwell, Gqeberha.
Home Affairs says its planning to press criminal charges after alleged fraud in Miss SA contested's citizenship.
Police minister Senzo Mchunu is concerned recent crimes in the country are leading police to undocumented foreigners.
Sexual corruption happens and people often don’t even know when it happens, says Zakhona Mvelase of African Women Against Corruption Network, which is a partner in a new documentary on the topic.
“Sexual corruption is a gendered form of corruption that disproportionately affects women and girls when those entrusted with authority abuse it to obtain sexual favours.”
To raise awareness about sexual violence and abuse of power, German Development Co-operation (GIZ) South Africa, in partnership with African Women Against Corruption Network, will launch a documentary titled “Rising Voices: Unveiling Sexual Corruption in South Africa” on Thursday.
Mvelase, a founding director of the network, says anyone is a potential victim of sexual corruption and not enough is being done about the injustice.
This month is the 68th commemoration of women’s month to highlight challenges faced by women, such as oppression.
The principal of Pretoria High School for Girls, Phillipa Erasmus, has been placed on precautionary suspension for three months amid a racism allegations probe at the school. This was announced on Tuesday by Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane.
TimesLIVE reporter, Shonisani Tshikalange spoke with EFF Tshwane spokesperson Tshegofatso Mashabane who also called for the suspension of the principle and deputy principle.
Tshikalange also spoke to some parents.
The principal of Daveyton Skills School will face a disciplinary hearing after the report on the investigation into the death of two pupils at a discipline camp fingered her.Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane and Thembekile Graham, a project leader from Seanego Attorneys, presented the investigation findings on Tuesday.
Siphamandla Peterson, 15, and Sibusiso Sibiya, 17, drowned in April this year at Hennops River. Sibiya was trying to save Peterson but they both drowned.The report found the principal ignored the department's procedure and policies when organising the trip.
City of Johannesburg finance MMC Dada Morero says the metro management would start a process of reviewing R200 prepaid electricity charge after outcry from residents.
The municipality says it was willing to review the price with a view of decreasing it by R50. But this could only be implemented in January.
The municipality would however have to find at least R80m to cover the shortfall should it decrease the amount to R150.
According to Morero, the City was forced to introduce the surcharge to prepaid customers after Eskom withdrew the subsidy it previously offered to City Power.
The MMC was in conversation with SundayTimes politics reporter Kgothatso Madisa.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has assured South Africa will not change its stance on Palestine despite partners in the government of national unity (GNU) holding contrary positions on the war being raged by Israel.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says the “private sector needs to take on the responsibility of opening up opportunities for unemployed South Africans”.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has responded to EFF leader Julius Malema’s accusation during the debate on Ramaphosa's opening of parliament address that he is a "sellout".
In his opening of parliament address on Thursday, Ramaphosa announced that the seventh administration will continue with the implementation of the NHI, saying that he was confident of ensuring buy-in from opposing role players.
MPs in at least four parliamentary committees where there was no interpretation provided for languages besides English and Afrikaans did not take kindly to the failure.
Convicted killer Luyanda Botha has failed to have a decade-old attempted rape case against him struck from the court roll.
Botha appeared in the Wynberg magistrate's court on Tuesday where he is on trial for the alleged attempted rape of a 21-year-old nursing student in 2014.
The former postal office worker is serving a life sentence for the rape and murder of 19-year-old University of Cape Town student Uyinene Mrwetyana in 2019.
Former EFF MPs Kenny Motsamai and Patrick Sindane have joined the Patriotic Alliance (PA). This was announced by the party’s deputy president, Kenny Kunene, at a press briefing on Thursday. The former EFF members expressed dissatisfaction with the EFF's stance on illegal immigrants.
The high court in Pretoria found that some of the Life Esidimeni deaths were negligently caused by former Gauteng health MEC Qedani Mahlangu and former mental health director Dr Makgabo Manamela.
Judge Mmonoa Teffo, who headed the inquest, handed down judgment on Wednesday afternoon.
The inquest was investigating who was responsible for the deaths of 144 patients in 2015 and 2016.
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) says the strike by Gautrain workers will continue indefinitely if no meaningful offer is made.
The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) initiated mediation between Numsa and the Gautrain operator, Bombela Operating Company, to resolve the strike which began on Monday.
The mediation will take place on Wednesday.
The electricity minister says there is plenty of electricity but [ordinary] people cannot afford it amid tariff increases.
He said the ministry will be aggressive in tackling energy poverty.
He told the media the country has reached “energy poverty” where people can’t afford the cost of electricity. His comments come after 100 days of no load-shedding.
Born in KwaMashu, Kwa-Zulu Natal, Zakes Bantwini is demonstrating that dreams can indeed come true as he conquers the world.The renowned South African global artist, producer, and Grammy winner celebrated a 20-year milestone in his phenomenal career in the music industry. Bantwini hosted a special 20th-anniversary concert at the Durban ICC on Friday.
It was unfair for postpaid customers to pay a service fee while prepaid customers were excused, says City Power after imposing a R200 monthly charge for residents.
The order received backlash from the public amid tough economic times.
Dad of bright third-year student opens up on the pain of losing his beloved daughter as killer gets hefty sentence. Oscar Magomani still has one of the last messages his daughter Karabo Maluleke sent him shortly before her disappearance and murder.
Gauteng ANC head of elections Lebogang Maile says they are not in a coalition with the DA and would not be bullied by the party.This follows yet another standoff with the DA in Gauteng over the creation of a provincial government of unity on Monday.
Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi delayed the announcement of his cabinet for the second time in eight days on Monday.Lesufi initially postponed the announcement on June 23 after receiving a call to do so from national leadership.
DA leader John Steenhuisen says the party did not join the government of national unity (GNU) for positions but to ensure the voice of DA voters will be heard for the first time in every cluster.
The combination of portfolios they negotiated ensures they've achieved this end, he said.
The MK Party says the GNU is a sellout deal by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who shut out the MK Party and “black parties” like the EFF in talks.
The party had been clear that they would never work with the ANC if Ramaphosa was at the helm.
Impeached judge and now MK Party parliamentary leader John Hlophe says the party will remain above “petty politics” and serve the people who have elected them as they take up their seats as MPs. Hlophe was speaking to media after the swearing in of 58 party members in the National Assembly on Tuesday.
Political Analyst Dr. Sithembile Mbete discusses various elements of the question and ultimately explains why the May 29 election was free and fair. She explains what it would take for an election to be substantively not free and fair and some of the intriguing elements of seat allocation in the landmark May 29 election.
After being sworn in for a second term as president, Cyril Ramaphosa said parties in the government of national unity (GNU) will have to agree to create jobs and work towards economic growth or they will be removed.
The GNU parties are the ANC, DA, IFP, PA and GOOD.
Ramaphosa took oath of office before Chief Justice Raymond Zondo at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. He is expected to announce his cabinet soon.
About 28-million, or 47%, of South Africans rely on social grants. The most recent official unemployment rate is 32.9%, which does not include jobless South Africans who have given up job hunting.
“We are going to get everyone in the GNU to work to create jobs. I am going to make sure that happens” Ramaphosa said.
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EFF leader Julius Malema announced on Thursday night that his party would contest for the parliament speaker and committee chairperson posts. Malema says these were among the party's wishes and decisions, which he expressed in his meeting with ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday morning. The CIC was speaking during a media briefing in Cape Town ahead of parliament's sitting on Friday.
Alan Winde was re-elected for a second term as premier of the Western Cape on Thursday. He received 26 out of 42 votes. The ANC's candidate, Muhammad Khalid Sayed, received 14 votes. Two ballots were spoilt. The election of the premier took place by secret ballot. Winde's election followed the swearing-in of members of the provincial legislature, who took their oath to serve the public. Winde thanked the chamber after his election and promised to serve the province's citizens.
The health department says a second person has died of Mpox less than 24 hours after minister Joe Phaahla provided an update on the spread of the infectious disease. The latest death was a 38-year-old male patient from KwaZulu-Natal. In Gauteng a man living with HIV tested positive for Mpox on Wednesday. This brings the total number of positive cases in the country to six and two deaths in five weeks.
Reneiloe Seemane, better known as Whistle Girl, is now grown up. She has a BA and is completing an LLB.In 2020, a video of Seemane dancing while blowing a whistle went viral on social media. This won the hearts of many South Africans as some dubbed it as an “iconic” moment for amapiano. She was 19 at the time. In 2024, Seemane is 23 and has a BA degree and working towards an LLB. Speaking to TimesLIVE, Seemane said she wants to make education fashionable and the reason she decided to study law was because of the video in 2019.
ActionSA says some parties who form part of the Multi-Party Charter of SA, previously known as the moon-shot pact, have breached their agreement by going into coalition talks with the ANC. The party says it has withdrawn from the charter for this reason. This was announced on Thursday during a briefing by the party on the outcomes of a two-day ActionSA senate meeting. Party leader Herman Mashaba says one of the commitments when entering the MPC agreement was not to entertain negotiations with the ANC.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the protest outside the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg is based on disinformation. The ANC is holding a national executive committee meeting at the hotel after the elections outcome. The party dropped to about 40%, losing its outright majority in parliament.
What was meant to be a simple pretrial hearing in the Thabo Bester matter turned into a lengthy outburst from the man at the centre of the saga when he used the proceedings as a platform to raise issues around his case.
Associate professor and voting behaviour specialist, Collette Schulz-Herzenberg of the department of political science at Stellenbosch University, says the decline in participation is a concern. The national average stood at 58.6%.
Also weighing in is political expert Asanda Ngoasheng also weighed in, saying another reason some citizens didnt vote is that opposition parties have not convinced them enough that they are a good alternative.
A low voter turnout was also cited as a challenged for ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, who party got below 50% for the first time in 30 years.
The state has reconsidered its decision to charge a second accused person to join former National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula in the dock.
Mapisa-Nqakula stood alone in a bright blue dress when her matter returned before the Pretoria magistrate's court, where a second accused was expected to be charged with her. She could head to trial alone as the state has decided not to charge any other accused persons.
ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula says the party is not afraid to sit on the benches of parliament following the party's results in the 2024 general elections.
The MK Party has called for a rerun, not only a recount, claiming voting irregularities in the 2024 election process. This was announced during an impromptu media briefing at the IEC’s national results operation centre on Saturday evening. More than 20 parties are also contesting the elections alongside the MK Party.
Party leader and former president Jacob Zuma, as well as party members addressed the media.
Discussions on electing a president and a new government must be completed in the next two weeks. Democracy Works Foundation chairperson Prof William Gumede says an “outlier” coalition government without the ANC is possible.
The party that ushered the country into democracy and freedom, and independently governed South Africa for the past 30 years will need an alliance with another party or other parties to make up the 10% support it lacks to meet the threshold to remain in government.
The ANC garnered 40% of the vote in the 2024 national elections with just over 6.3 million votes. Its loss in support has been attributed to former president Jacob Zuma’s new MK Party and voters' dissatisfaction with the "glorious liberation movement".
Its not a given that the party with the majority will anchor a coalition government. Gumede, says President Cyril Ramaphosa’s job is on the line, coalition partners will come with demands.
The MK Party has made it clear it will not work with an ANC which has Ramaphosa at the helm of the government.
Last year the DA signed a pre-election agreement with smaller parties with a common goal of toppling the party of Nelson Mandela. Its Multi Party Charter partners, such as the IFP, Freedom Front Plus, ACDP and ActionSA, lagged far behind in voter support and did not reach double digit margins to make up the more than 50% needed to form a government. DA leader John Steenhuisen pledged loyalty to the charter after its partners' disappointing results. The parties are expected to meet soon.
At the IEC national results operation centre PA leader Gayton McKenzie suggested the ANC be excluded from a new government.
Gumede spoke to us about the prospects of a coalition without the ANC and the negotiations for President Ramaphosa’s job.
EFF leader Julius Malema says the MK Party was successful in the elections because the people who supported former president Jacob Zuma had no other “home” after he was removed from office and therefore ended up going to his party.EFF leader Julius Malema says the MK Party was successful in the elections because the people who supported former president Jacob Zuma had no other “home” after he was removed from office and therefore ended up going to his party. He said those were voters borrowed by the EFF, as President Cyril Ramaphosa was not an option.
Malema also spoke on their, saying they had done very well. Regarding potential coalitions, Malema said he would work with both the MK Party and the ANC.
Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader Gayton McKenzie says the party is eyeing the home affairs department to deal with illegal foreigners. Speaking to the media at the IEC's result operation centre in Midrand, McKenzie said the party will receive nine seats in the National Assembly, which will decide who becomes president.
Build One South Africa (BOSA) leader Mmusi Maimane has suggested that coalition talks be open to the public. Speaking to the media at the IEC's results operation centre in Midrand on Saturday, Maimane says coalition talks should be conducted in parliament to allow for transparency. BOSA has 0.4% of the votes nationally. Maimane says he has been receiving phone calls from political parties wanting to talk about coalitions.
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ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba says his party has played a huge role in bringing the ANC down. Mashaba addressed the media at the IEC results operation centre on Friday. He says ActionSA is grateful that the ANC no longer has a majority to push its agenda.Action SA is currently sitting in eighth place with 1.1% of the national vote.
The ANC will look at its principles and what its voters want when it enters into a coalition to govern the country, the party said as total control slipped through its fingers.
ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu said coalition talks — or co-operation discussions, as she prefers to say — will begin only when the numbers have been finalised. The ANC has been in complete control of government since the dawn of democracy in 1994, with its continuous electoral decline since the 2009 elections likely to lead this year to a coalition government at the national level.
From what executive party members such as Fikile Mbalula, Naledi Pandor and Nomvula Mokonyane have been saying, the party did not prepare for a coalition government. The party’s stance was that such an arrangement would disrupt the progress of transformation.
By Friday afternoon, about 66% of the votes had been captured, with the ANC stagnant in early forties since Thursday morning. Just more than 30% of the votes still need to be captured.
DA leader John Steenhuisen says it is too early to discuss coalitions. He said they would wait for the counting to conclude before they would decide who to go into a coalition with, but that their priority is the 10 parties that formed the Multiparty Charter for South Africa (MPC).
The DA leader also shared his views on the Electoral Commission of South Africa's performance during the elections, saying their performance was a disaster.
Steenhuisen was speaking to media at the IEC results operations centre in Midrand on Friday.
Police minister Bheki Cele says 50 people were arrested from Monday to voting day Wednesday for disrupting the elections. Speaking to media at the IEC results operations centre in Midrand, Cele said they would appear in various courts on Friday. Cele said KwaZulu-Natal remains tension-free with vote counting still under way, despite earlier threats by members of the MK Party if they don't get two-thirds majority.
TimesLIVE brings you what went down on the first day of capturing the 2024 general election results.
uMkhonto we Sizwe Party's (MKP's) Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla says the party went into the elections as underdogs. Speaking to TimesLIVE on the floor of the results operating centre, Zuma-Sambudla said no-one had faith in the party.
ANC first deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane says they remain hopeful for an outright majority.The ANC sat in the early forties in percentage terms on Thursday afternoon as the results kept coming in. They were at 42.31% nationally after 43.49% of the votes were captured by 8pm. The DA followed at 24.61% and new entrant uMkhonto we Sizwe was third with 9.38% in the preliminary results. More than 60% of the votes still need to be captured.Before the elections the governing party maintained it would get an outright majority, with Mokonyane earlier this week saying opposition parties would be defeated.
Youth speak about a massive voter in the 2024 general elections at the Gauteng Legislature.
ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe blames tribalism for the MK Party's performance so far in the elections, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal. Former president Jacob Zuma's party is performing strongly in the province with 42.3% of the vote vs 20.1% for the ANC so far.Speaking to media at the results operating centre in Midrand on Thursday, Mantashe said he was not surprised by the MK Party's results in KwaZulu-Natal.
Rise Mzansi Gauteng Premier Candidate marked her x in Wendywood in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
The common sentiment among young voters at the John Orr Technical High School voting centre in Milpark, Johannesburgis that the governing party must dip below 50% for it to deliver on its promises.
Rethabile Nkoko, 24
Said this should have been her second vote but she was voting for the first time. She graduated in 2022 (graphic design), received an internship but has not been able to find a job. Her older sister graduated in 2017 but is also unemployed. She complained about the cost of living and service delivery. Nkoko said its time to give another party a chance.
Thabang Moloisi, 24
“The state of service delivery and our standard of living has gone down. I want to see change. They’ve had 30 years to do something but only a few things improved.
“I am hoping seeing their percentage of votes change will force them to pull up their socks. I don’t want to say it is only corruption because sometimes they do deliver”
This is his third year working and he said most people don’t have this benefit.
Lethukuthula Simelane
“Corruption is out of control. I want it to change”.
He is in his fourth and final year of HR studies at the University of Johannesburg (UJ).
Sifiso Sithole
“I am voting for economic freedom because they voted for freedom (political) in 1994 and we must give young people a chance."
He is doing his third year of LLB studies at UJ.
Thobeka Nkosi, 32
Said she believes her vote can make an impact.
“I am working under a contract. I am hoping the party that governs will make us permanent.”
Bongani Sekgala,
The engineering student at Wits University said it is time for change.
“These yellow parties playing with us, we need change in this country. We want to see our country going forward”.
He complained about massive corruption in the National Student Financial Aid Scheme and unemployment.
“This is no longer the ANC of Solomon Mahlangu, of Oliver Tambo or Peter Mokaba. The ANC we see now is corrupt to the core. We need something new”
Muzi Zimu, 23
Complained about inequality, water, electricity, safety and education challenges.
“We are voting from the premise of 'Mandela set us free'. He did not set us free. He might have put us at a certain place but that is not freedom”
Minister of justice and correctional services Ronald Lomalo says prisoners have a right to participate in elections as voting is for everyone, including those behind bars — despite public perception that prisoners should be disenfranchised from voting. Lamola was speaking to the media at the Kgosi Mampuru correctional services centre in Pretoria, where prisoners cast their votes on Wednesday.
TimesLIVE also spoke with some prisoners who shared how they felt about casting their votes and what change they hoped to see.
As the sixth administration of the ANC-led government comes to an end, ANC member Naledi Pandor says voters must re-elect Cyril Ramaphosa as president because a coalition would force the party to agree to different ideologies.
Pandor, who serves as minister of international relations and co-operation in Ramaphosa’s cabinet, said: “The ANC has created a very different South Africa, a much better South Africa.”
Many of the party’s executive members have faith in their leader, Ramaphosa, to continue the governing party’s work.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) will later this week announce a new government. Counting of votes will begin on Wednesday night when voting concludes.
Voter support in national elections has been on a constant decline for the governing party since 2009. They won 57.5% of the votes in the previous elections, but it is anticipated to weaken further, with some projecting a coalition government.
ANC first deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane says the party is facing its most critical election since the dawn of democracy, against a united voice calling for regime change.
She took a jab at media for not speaking about the gains of democracy but casting aspersions on the ANC which she said was on a path of renewal and"totally emancipated nation".
Mokonyane was speaking at an ANC Women's League national day of prayer gathering in Katlehong southeast of Johannesburg on Sunday.
The governing party has rolled out its big guns to lure voters to help keep it in government. Former president Thabo Mbeki, who had not campaigned for the party since he was president, was roped in last month to convince voters why the party should stay at the helm of government. Former president Kgalema Montlantle, former deputy presidents David Mabuza and Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, and former deputy president and National Assembly speaker Baleka Mbete were among those who hit the ground to campaign for the ANC.
The party's former president, Jacob Zuma is opposing the ANC. He was suspended for campaigning for the newly formed uMkhonto Wesizwe Party, which is named after the ANC's military wing. Analysts have said the ANC has suffered a loss of support because of Zuma's new political formation.
The elections are being held on Wednesday, which has been declared a public holiday. Special voting began on Monday.
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme plans to begin paying allowance directly into university students bank accounts by September as it heads to court to cancel contracts with irregularly appointed direct payments to service providers.
NSFAS held its first media briefing on Monday since the appointment of administrator Freeman Nomvalo in April by higher education minister Blade Nzimande.
Born without hands, Lesego Marema has captured the hearts of thousands with her viral videos on Tik Tok, showcasing her incredible ability to navigate life using only her feet.
Campaigning for his party, President Cyril Ramaphosa said only 100,000 people died of Covid-19 in SA compared to other countries. He asked the potential voters to clap hands because his party-led government that provided the R350 SD grant.
He was in the North West making efforts to lure voters for next week when South Africans head to the polls.
“Remember Covid times?” asked Ramaphosa in isiZulu, “you seem to have forgotten it. We had to shut down everything, it was a tough decision. Two-million people lost jobs.”
Cellphone data has revealed communication between two of the accused in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, Mthobisi Prince Mncube and Fisokuhle Ntuli, on the day the soccer star was killed.
Cellphone data analyst Gideon Gouws told the Pretoria high court on Tuesday that the pair made contact from their cellphones at least three times on October 26 2014.
ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa says he signed the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill to “end apartheid in healthcare”. Under the new law private and public health services will be integrated in phases.
“We are taking forward the work started by Nelson Mandela. Only the ANC can do that, no other party can remove the vestiges of apartheid,” Ramaphosa told supporters at an election meeting at the Bokamoso Sports Ground in North West.
To ease the burden on public health services the government is roping in the private sector.
In his newsletter this week, Ramaphosa said: “The NHI aims to use the respective strengths and capabilities of the private and public health sectors to build a single, quality health system for all.”
Government healthcare services cater for 84% of the population, which results in inferior services such as patients waiting more than three hours on average before they see a nurse or a doctor.
The NHI is expected to be funded through taxes and special contributions.
The legislation has drawn much criticism.
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse said the president ignored the public input on the bill before he signed it.
The DA said the NHI will not bring equality in the healthcare system. In its current form, it lacks the necessary investment to provide accessible and quality healthcare as mandated by the constitution. The DA also warned of possible serious corruption and mismanagement. The burden of funding would be disproportionately placed on taxpayers.
The EFF rejected the bill, saying the health system does not need “an NSFAS-style funding system to resolve the crisis of debilitating healthcare”. It also warned of corruption by politicians and the private sector.
Build One South Africa’s Mmusi Maimane said on the Sunday Times Politics Weekly podcast the NHI is a populist move timed for the May 29 election.
Former president Jacob Zuma's bid to make a return to parliament was scuppered on Monday when the Constitutional Court ruled he is ineligible to stand for election and upheld the Electoral Commission of South Africa's (IEC) urgent appeal.
Thousands of Rise Mzansi supporters gathered at the Ruimsig Stadium in Roodepoort on Sunday for the party’s final rally ahead of the May 29 general elections.With many experts predicting a coalition government after the elections, Rise Mzansi national chief organiser Makashule Gana told TimesLIVE they will focus on coalitions once they know the results.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says he is satisfied with the way in which the government, disaster management personnel and other stakeholders handled the multistorey building collapse in George. Ramaphosa, cabinet ministers and diplomats from various neighbouring country's visited the site on Thursday.
He also assured affected parties, whether bereaved families or victims in hospital, that they would be compensated.
Two graduates from the Cyber Excellence Academy, Gontse Motloung and Teven Kunene, enrolled in the institution because they were once hacked online. The academy, together with Takenote IT Solutions, offers a free cybersecurity programme to address growing demand for cybersecurity professionals in South Africa. The programme runs for a year, and students learn about cybersecurity, providing them with the knowledge, skills, and expertise necessary to thrive in the digital landscape. Speaking to TimesLIVE, Motloung says she studied engineering, but after her National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) account was hacked, she decided to enrol in the programme.
Police minister Bheki Cele has committed to finding the killers of five-year-old Ditebogo Junior Phalane who was shot during a hijacking in Soshanguve at the weekend. Cele along with police management visited the family on Tuesday.
The police ministry also unveiled policing interventions to be deployed in the area to combat escalating violent crimes.
The George municipality has confirmed six of the deceased at the collapsed building have been positively identified.
At least 20 people are still unaccounted for as the death toll rises to 32 after the collapse of the partially built building on Monday last week. The municipality says they are striving to fast-track the process of identifying the deceased. Additionally they have called on families to come forward to assist with the positive identification of individuals who are missing or deceased.
The EFF’s Mbuyiseni Ndozi says his party’s friend, MK Party leader Jacob Zuma, must go home and rest because he had his chance in government for two decades.
Ndlozi asked what the former president would do now that he could not do while he was president.
Zuma was president from 2009 to 2018 in what critics have dubbed "the nine wasted years".
He is planning to return to government as president to “fix things” and drastically change South African laws. They could be homophobic. Zuma has questioned the legalisation of same-sex relationships, referring to it as a disgrace. He would exile teen parents to Robben Island. Every matriculant would go to university to join the army. Those are some of the rules he proposes if elected.
EFF leader Julius Malema had said they welcome Zuma into the political space, warning him of challenges of forming a political party.
The EFF were strong critics of Zuma during his tenure as president when corruption allegations regarding his Nkandla homestead came to the fore. That was until Malema had a tea party with Zuma in 2021.
Election analysts such as Dawie Scholtz and Wayne Sussman say the EFF has been a victim of the MK Party, losing voters to it.
Thousands of staff members and beneficiaries of various non-profit organisations (NPOs) in Gauteng are facing persistent funding issues that have left many on the brink of shutting their doors.
This has been an ongoing issue for the past two years.
We hear from two affected parties: a social auxiliary worker and disabled young woman about how the funding crisis has affected their operations and lives.
The Department of Employment and Labour in the Western Cape are still trying to locate the owner of the multistorey building that collapsed in George on Monday. The departments chief inspector in the province David Esau, says the owner was issued with a subpoena but has not responded.
This emerged during a multidisciplinary briefing at the disaster site by employment and labour minister Thulas Nxesi, who appealed to the owners to step forward.
Western Cape local government and environmental affairs MEC Anton Bredell says though the 48-hour mark is approaching since the collapse of a multi-storey building under construction in George, search and rescue operations will continue. Bredell said a possible move to a recovery phase will be determined on Thursday morning.
Volunteers have come to the aid of the multidisciplinary emergency personnel who have been working tirelessly to rescue the remaining 39 workers.
Sunday Times deputy Mike Siluma speaks to the CEO of the Vaal Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Xola Sithole about how the SEZ is boosting the economy of Gauteng.
Deputy editor of the Sunday Times Mike Siluma speaks to the chairperson of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) Sochayile Khanyile.
Business Day Political Editor Hajra Omarjee speaks to MEC for Finance Jacob Mamabolo about his role as Gauteng government head of treasury and what has been achieved since he took over.
EFF leader Julius Malema says voters should not drink alcohol on voting day and then vote.
Malema told supporters to “bury” the governing ANC on May 29 and “remove a criminal in the Union Buildings”. He said “the real freedom is coming on May 29, what was missed in 1994 is going to be achieved in 2024”.
The elections are highly contested with new parties and independent candidates stepping on to the electoral stage to offer South Africans solutions to the country’s problems.
The state in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial has been accused of not sharing documents timeously. The defence in the Pretoria high court on Thursday complained about the introduction of documents and additional evidence by the state during proceedings.
Advocate Zandile Mshololo, who is representing accused No 5 Sifisokuhle Nkani Ntuli, told the court she was given incomplete documents and not enough time to consider additional information.
State prosecutor advocate George Baloyi refuted the claims.
Former president Thabo Mbeki wants the country to convene for a national dialogue after the election to tackle what he called counterrevolution which has been making the democratic government fail since 1994.
Mbeki diagnosed what has paralysed the democratic state led by the ANC since 1994 and called for an inclusive dialogue with civil society organisations, politicians, businesses, labour and others to discuss a way forward for the country.
Mbeki attributed failure of the democratic government to sabotage in state-owned enterprises such as Eskom.
Will there be change in the way the governing party is governing? Mbeki says they will try to change.
He also touched on the country’s ability to deal with unrest.
The former head of state is touched by the quality leaders the liberation movement is attracting.
It's something that has been on Mbeki’s mind of a while. Last year he alleged deliberate attempts to make the government fail. Recently he’s been consistent, saying there are people within the governing party who don’t have party values but are there to steal. Last year Mbeki said there is a process to ensure the government does not succeed, referring to crime and state owned enterprises.
TimesLIVE speaks to a survivor of an assassination ,where he was shot 14 times and lost two of his friends.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula told supporters in the Western Cape there are benefits they will be excluded from, such as getting jobs without experience required, because they are governed by the DA and not voting for the ANC.
Mbalula said ANC supporters in the province choose to gallivant on voting day while DA supporters come out to vote for their party.
He reminded supporters of the ANC's 2.5-million jobs promise if it remains in power.
The ANC has put an end to entry-level jobs requiring experience and the Western Cape is an exception because it is led by the DA, he said.
Last year the government said previous work experience would no longer be a requirement for entry-level government jobs and it has since advertised some vacancies that require no previous work exposure.
Official unemployment figures indicate at least 32.1% of citizens are without jobs.
All Citizens Party (ACP) leader Dr. Senathi Fisha says after 30 years of democracy, it's time for a female president. Fisha is one of the few females contesting the national elections on May 29. The ACP was founded in Ga-Matlala A. Thaba in Limpopo by Fisha. She spoke to TimesLIVE Fisha, reflecting on 30 years of democracy and why she thinks monarchies should lead the country and not political parties. Dr. Fisha is a clinical psychologist, president of Fisha Health Group, and president of the Fisha Foundation.
The survivors of the Usindiso building fire and shack fires in Johannesburg marched to premier Panyaza Lesufi's office on Friday with a letter of demands. More than 70 people died in the fire on August 31. The survivors were moved to a temporary shelter in Denver, close to the Johannesburg CBD. A commission of inquiry was established to investigate the fire's cause and the frequency of hijacked buildings in the Johannesburg CBD. The marchers' demands included better living conditions and an end to xenophobic attacks.
Former ANC president Thabo Mbeki says he has not put aside his grievances with the ANC and the party will have to get the criminals out.
Campaigning for the party in Soweto on Thursday, Mbeki acknowledged problems within the ANC and said the party would attend to them. Mbeki told the media that the ANC must be transformed and has the potential to fix unemployment, poverty and crime.
He asked with residents in Soweto to vote for the party next month, saying he knows people have complaints about the party but promising those would be dealt with and the ANC would do the right thing.
Mbeki has been a critic of the party’s failure to renew itself, saying last year that he could not campaign for “an ANC led by criminals” as he spoke at Unisa where he is chancellor. At the time, Mbeki said he couldn’t convince people to vote for the party because of its failure to renew itself. He has been outspoken about the party’s failures.
This was his first active participation in an election campaign since he was president. He said he will been seen more on the election campaign trail.
The South African Human Rights Commission has slammed the Eastern Cape health department, Eastern Cape Liquor Board and the South African Police Service in relation to the Enyobeni tavern tragedy. Twenty-one young people died during school end-of-year celebrations at the tavern. Presenting the commission's report on the investigation into the tragedy on Thursday, commissioner Nomahlubi Berlinda Khwinana also blamed the Buffalo City municipality for failing to protect the victims.
About 700 government officials have been found guilty of corruption in the past five years, according to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). National Director of Public Prosecutions advocate Shamila Batohi and NPA executive committee members held a media briefing on Wednesday. Batohi said in complex corruption cases guilty pleas are rare.
EFF leader Julius Malema claims load-shedding will be implemented when vote counting starts and votes will be stolen.
When counting starts after the May 29 national and provincial elections, stage 6 load-shedding will be implemented, according to Malema. “They must find you ready, that’s why I’m telling you this, I’m preparing you. I know these crooks. These people can’t be trusted,” he said.
“There is a tendency of increased outages when we start counting after dark and those seem to be manufactured. They seem to be deliberate action to trip the grid for purposes and reasons unknown to us. So we are making contingency plans.â€
It has been almost a month without load-shedding.
Despite criticising the Electoral Commission of South Africa for “stupid mistakes”, Malema on Friday expressed confidence in the commission.
Two days later, however, while addressing Reiger Park community members in Ekurhuleni, Malema said load-shedding would be back when votes are being counted.
In February he said: “The reality is no election is going to be rigged and if you feel defeated before even putting up a fight then give up. We have solid election structures including highly trained party agents.”
EFF leader Julius Malema says the language criminals understand is violence and police should fight fire with fire so offenders live in fear.
He said the rate of crimes such as murder, gender based violence and rape is staggering and criminals have declared war on law-abiding citizens. "Today law-abiding citizens are scared ... Criminals are in charge. It has to be the other way around" he said.
He is promising to fight crime by ensuring there are no fewer than one-hundred-thousand boots on the ground should the EFF win the May 29 national and provincial elections.
Electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says the 26 days of no load-shedding so far has nothing to do with the elections and has cautioned against the big improvement being used as an “electioneering tool”.Briefing media on Monday, he urged the public to avoid the noise and look towards a further reduction in load-shedding intensity.
Cellphone data analyst Gideon Gouws confirmed communication between the five men accused of murdering football star Senzo Meyiwa.
The evidence ties in with that of previous witness, police cellphone analyst Col Lambertus Steyn. Gouws was asked to analyse data downloaded from Bongani Ntanzi and Sifisokuhle Ntuli's cellphones to check if there was any communication between them and the other accused.
However, his evidence did not reveal data indicating that one of the accused had communicated with singer Kelly Khumalo in 2014, which Steyn had previously testified.
Home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi says they have ordered surveillance drones, speed boats and handheld biometric devices to help manage the country's porous borders.
South Africa's land borders cover about 4,700km. Insufficient security and the poor state of fencing make the borders insecure, with foreigners entering illegally and allowing other acts of criminality.
Speaking on SABC on Sunday, Motsoaledi said they have employed technology to deal with undocumented foreigners and crime syndicates at the borders.
"We have ordered 18 drones to be used at the borders, four speed boats and 500 handheld gadgets that can identify you by your fingerprint," he said.
In 2019, two months before national and provincial elections, then defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said they would use drones and rely more on technology at borders to tackle the influx of undocumented immigrants.
The Roodepoort magistrate's court has postponed the case against six suspects charged with the murder of Kaizer Chiefs player Luke Fleurs to April 19. The suspects face charges of murder, robbery under aggravating circumstances, possession of an unlicensed firearm, possession of unlicensed ammunition and defeating the ends of justice. The suspects are aged 21 to 36 and will apply for Legal Aid. On Friday Gauteng National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane told the media outside court the state has a strong case.
Chris Hani's widow Limpho says whoever becomes president after the May 29 general elections should not have a bloated cabinet. She was speaking during an event in Ekurhuleni on Wednesday commemorating her late husband's death. She questioned the role of some deputy ministers.
From April 12 e-tolls will no longer exist, and Gauteng road users will no longer be required to pay for the service.
This was announced during a media briefing on Wednesday held by the department of transport, with the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) and Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi.
During the briefing issues of how the process will unfold and what it will entail were addressed by the various stakeholders. This includes outstanding debt and the ongoing use of tags as a payment method.
Electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says the intensity of load-shedding is dropping. He briefed media on Tuesday to give an update on implementation of the energy saving system. Stages 1 and 2 load-shedding accounted for half the power cuts South Africans experienced so far this year.
Police minister Bheki Cele says South Africa's prisons hold almost 14,000 foreign nationals and more than 144,000 South Africans. He was briefing the media on Sunday to provide an update on successes achieved by the police service in response to serious and violent crimes and how crime intelligence has improved. Cele said the prison stats indicate it is not true that foreigners are the main perpetrators of crime.
With less than two months to go before the May 29 elections, EFF leader Julius Malema says he is prepared to give the EFF vote to the ANC nationally if it doesn't get 50%. He was speaking to JJ Tabane on the Frank Dialogue podcast. Malema said he will have one demand - the ANC must make EFF deputy leader Floyd Shivambu finance minister.
Former National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula was granted R50,000 bail after her first appearance before the Pretoria magistrate's court on Thursday. The former speaker faces 12 charges of corruption and one of money laundering. In her affidavit read by her lawyer, advocate Graham Kerr-Phillips, Mapisa-Nqakula said she believed the state’s case against her was weak.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) hosted the signing of the Electoral Code of Conduct and ballot paper draw at Gallagher Estate in Midrand on Thursday ahead of the May 29 elections.
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba on Wednesday announced the top 10 politicians his party would prosecute if it was elected into government after the May 29 general elections. Mashaba announced this in Saxonwold, Johannesburg, outside the former Gupta residence. He said two years after the Zondo commission submitted the final state capture report, nothing has been done to bring those implicated to justice.
Rise Mzansi led a picket on Tuesday at the labour and employment department in Pretoria. The party believes the age limit for government programmes is discriminatory against people aged 35 and older who are looking for employment or to improve their skills.The National Youth Commission Act and the National Youth Policy set the definition of youth at 35. Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi says the government is disconnected from the lives of ordinary South Africans.
The Pretoria high court on Tuesday dismissed with costs the urgent application by National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to interdict law enforcement authorities from arresting her during corruption investigations.
Last month the National Prosecuting Authority’s Investigating Directorate (ID) conducted a search and seizure operation at Mapisa-Nqakula's home in Bruma, Johannesburg. The operation was was linked to an investigation into alleged corruption reportedly involving her tenure as minister of defence and military veterans from 2012 to 2021.
A popular radio station based in KwaZulu-Natal, Gagasi FM, is consulting with its attorneys after former presenter Penny Ntuli disclosed the station offered her a monthly salary of R2,800.
Ntuli's declarations led to the station being lambasted and labelled as exploitative.
The station dominated social media trends this week as Ntuli lifted the lid on why she declined to renew her contract at Gagasi FM.
Gagasi FM business development lead and spokesperson Khulekani Shandu told TimesLIVE the station management was in talks with their legal team about Ntuli’s public statement in which she disclosed the salary offer.
Cellphone records, vehicle tracking and CCTV footage have allegedly linked the five men accused of killing Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and his friend Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane to the crime.During bail application proceedings at the Durban magistrate's courts on Wednesday the state presented its version of events and evidence. Detective Bob Pillay from the police's organised crime unit provided an affidavit revealing that the getaway car used for the murders was found two months later during another murder investigation. There had been an attempt to set the vehicle on fire.State prosecutor advocate Lawrence Gcaba read out Pillay's affidavit to the court records
The announcement of the closure of Educor institutions Damelin, CityVarsity, Icesa City Campus on Friday has shocked the sector and left students and parents in limbo Students at the Damelin College in Braamfontein have been left in the dark about the deregistration of Educor colleges by the higher education department. According to the department these Educor institutions had not submitted annual financial statements in 2021 or 2022 or complied with the law. TimesLIVE Premium spoke to various students at Damelin Braamfontein campus on Tuesday, with most saying they hope they will be reimbursed for the funds they have paid the institution.
The Electoral Court on Tuesday ruled the Electoral Commission of South Africa's (IEC) registration of the newly formed MK party was not unlawful.
The ANC filed an application challenging the MK party's registration, arguing the IEC contravened the law by allowing the party, to supplement its registration application after it had already been rejected.
Aurum Institute director for tuberculosis (TB) and monitoring Sicelo Dlamini says TB can be easily controlled and treated. On World TB Day, March 24, the focus was on the theme “Invest in action to end TB”.
ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina says the party's parliamentary caucus will comment on the raid by the Hawks at the house of National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula when there are “proper findings”. The National Prosecuting Authority's (NPA) Investigating Directorate (ID) on Tuesday conducted a search and seizure raid at her house in Bruma, Johannesburg.
IEC says it’s working with the security cluster to ensure peaceful elections amid threats to stop voting.
The commission made a presentation to the home affairs committee in parliament on Tuesday on its readiness for the elections. Several committee members raised concerns over intimidating remarks made by the new kid on the political block, the MK party, after it said if its leader Jacob Zuma was not allowed on the ballot paper there would hell to pay. Its youth leader Bonginkosi Khanyile said there would be no elections. It further threatened that it would not accept “elections of losing”.
Minister in the Presidency Khumbuzo Ntshavheni said there was no discussion in cabinet on intimidation threats but assured people that South Africa would not be intimidated.
On other matters, the commission admitted that court challenges close to elections worried it but did not take issue with parties and people going to court to ventilate their rights.
It said this year has the most people on the voters' roll at 27,782,477 and it was pleased with the number.
The highly contested election will be on May 29. The IEC said all would ready because preparation started 18 to 24 months ahead of voting day. The next task is to print the millions of ballot papers and boxes but all will be done by the May 8.
On load-shedding: “There is a tendency of increased outages when we start on counting after dark, and those seem to be manufactured, they seem to be deliberate actions to trip the grid for purposes and reasons unknown to us. So we are making contingency plans.”
Investigating Directorate members raided the home of National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula on Tuesday morning.
The ANC will remain in government after the elections, said the party’s secretary-general Fikile Mbalula just before another mic-snatching drama transpired after the singing of Wenzeni uZuma.
“The ANC governs and I can tell you when we wake up on May 30 the ANC will still be government” he said in KwaZulu-Natal.
He was delivering a keynote address at the party’s arts and culture sub-committee engagement with the creative industry which promised to deal with the exploitation of artists.
After Mbalula delivered his address it was time for a song, but the one sang was not the kind members liked.
“Wenzeni uZuma?” (what has Zuma done?) sang an ANC supporter on stage, but his singing barely lasted 10 seconds before Cultural and Creative Industries Federation of South Africa president Joy Mbewana seized the microphone and sang another song.
Wenzeni uZuma, is often sang by former president Jacob Zuma’s loyalists to annoy his political enemies.
ANC MP and programme director at the event Thandi Moraka said disruptions would not be tolerated.
The first microphone-grabbing drama happened this weekend in KwaZulu-Natal in the presence of Zulu King Misuzulu KaZwelithini and President Cyril Ramaphosa. ANC provincial chair Siboniso Duma snatched the microphone from Zulu traditional prime minister Thulasizwe Buthelezi, who was about to introduce the king. He had criticised the provincial government’s treatment of King Misuzulu.
Support for the ANC has been declining since the 2009 elections. A further decline is expected in this year’s elections.
The MK party has announced 81-year-old former president Jacob Zuma as its presidential candidate in the national and provincial elections.
They do not want any engagements on the topic, said the party’s youth leader Bonginkosi Khanyile.
Zuma has ambitions of being president again to “fix things” but the constitution will not allow him. There has been resistance from the party against such obstacles with interim spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndlela last month saying: “If the people want Jacob Zuma on the ballot that’s what will happen. Zuma will be on the ballot and will lead the country.”
Zuma served two terms when he was president.
MK party leader in KwaZulu-Natal Visvin Reddy recently warned if the party is not on ballot papers there will be civil war and no elections will take place.
A pastor representing some religious leaders in the province threatened the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) that should it not “give” the party a two-thirds majority, anarchy would prevail. He made the remarks in Zuma’s presence.
President Cyril Ramaphosa last week warned those who threaten instability if things do not go their way in the elections will be arrested.
The candidate list the MKparty submitted to the IEC was leaked last week by an IEC official, which hinted at the party’s announcement of Zuma in the No 1 position on the list, ranked according to party hierarchy.
Zuma was suspended by the ANC for campaigning for the MK party. The ANC will make a decision on his future after the elections.
Sifiso Mkhwanazi has been found guilty by the Gauteng High Court sitting in Palm for killing six Johannesburg sex workers.
On Wednesday Judge Cassim Moosa found Mkhwanazi guilty of six counts of murder, six of rape, six of defeating the ends of justice, and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Three of the four suspects alleged to be involved in the disappearance of six-year-old Joshlin Smith, have abandoned their bail applications. Additionally, the state withdrew charges against accused number four, Phumza Sigaqa.
The accused, who are charged with kidnapping and human trafficking appeared in the Vredenburg magistrate’s court on Wednesday.
Joshlin’s whereabouts remain unknown. She was reported missing on February 19 in Saldanha Bay.
MK Party leading member Jacob Zuma says if voters don’t vote for his party and “liberate” black people that would be the last straw and he would give up the cause.
He would wash his hands of his attempts to free black South Africans.
He is the number one candidate for the MK Party, according to a leaked list, ranked according to party hierarchy, that was submitted to the IEC. He is also an ANC member who was suspended in January.
Zuma has been campaigning for the new party, saying its purpose is to free black people, arguing that the country’s laws are anti-African. Some of his controversial ideas include sending pregnant teenagers to Robben island and imposing anti-gay laws which he has always stood by, despite apologising for his homophobic views in 2006.
Zuma was speaking at a Cape Town church, Shekinah Healing Ministries, on Sunday, where he confirmed being one of the masterminds behind the formation of the new political party.
Despite his ambitions to be president he is constitutionally forbidden from being head of state again as he served his two terms.
Leader of the MK Party Youth League Bonginkhosi Khanyile says Springbok captain Siya Kolisi is not a hero to black people. Speaking on the Hustlers podcast with DJ Sbu, Khanyile insinuated Kolisi makes black people slaves of “white propaganda”.
Pule Morake and Johannes Tshabile had known each other their entire lives. The two men lived kilometres apart as children, grew up together and even competed in the same sports tournaments.
However one became a detective within the South African Police Service while the other became one of South Africa's most wanted serial rapists.
ANC Youth League leader Collen Malatji says “the ANC pays you for being born, pays you for living, pays you to go to school, pays you to go to university and gives your mother water and electricity”.
He was speaking at Alexandra Stadium in Johannesburg, praising the governing party’s efforts but lamenting youth unemployment as one of the party’s challenges. He suggested minerals should be used to solve the social and economic challenges.“It can’t be that the youth of this country remain the face of poverty when they live in a country blessed with raw materials”.
Collen Malatji, the ANC Youth League president, says the ANC will win 100% of votes, and post elections if President Cyril Ramaphosa fails to deliver on promises, the youth league will “overthrow him and [ANC secretary-general] Mbalula” because the league are “not cowards”.
The party has been on a constant decline since the 2009 national elections. It received 57.50% in national voter support at the last general elections (2019). And those in the know anticipate its further decline in this year’s elections. But not according to Malatji, who believes his party will get a whopping “100%” this year in voter support, leaving its opponents with 0%.
He said he told President Ramaphosa their youth league was not peaceful.
Malatji demands young people’s social and economic challenges, such as unemployment, be resolved after elections. Failing which, if Ramaphosa and Mbalula don’t address their grievances, they will be pushed aside.
“If the SG and president of the ANC don’t deliver on our demands we will remove them and install ourselves and lead the country.”
Relief, happiness and a sense that justice had been served.
This is how some of Johannes Tshabile's victims described their feelings after the hefty sentence handed to the serial rapist.
Tshabile was sentenced to 11 life terms for rape and a cumulative 363 years for attempted murder, theft, and robbery with aggravating circumstances among other crimes last month.
The 43-year-old man terrorised women in Wolmaransstad for nearly six years between December 2012 and May 2018 and was at some point considered South Africa's most wanted serial rapist.
His victims ranged from 15 to 65 years and he would carry out some offences with an unknown accomplice who committed similar offences with him.
Three brave survivors of Tshabile's crimes have opened up on their violent encounter with him in an exclusive interview with TimesLIVE Premium.
Those who threaten instability should things not go their way in the elections will be arrested, says President Cyril Ramaphosa.
A few fiery supporters of the MK Party have promised violence.
Supporters of the new kid on the political block have been “sending a clear message” to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) and the courts that should the ANC win its court battle against the party or should their party not get a two-thirds majority in the elections, anarchy would prevail to the point “there will be no elections in the country”.
African Democratic Change leader Visvin Reddy said if the MK Party is not on ballot papers there would be civil war and no elections would take place.
Another fiery threat was made, in former president Jacob Zuma’s presence, by a KwaZulu-Natal religious leaders' representative who threatened to shut the country should the MK Party not win the election.
Last month Daily Maverick quoted MK Party spokesperson interim spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndlela saying: “If the people want Jacob Zuma on the ballot, that’s exactly what will happen. Zuma will be on the ballot and will lead the country,”.
Zuma served as president for two terms.
The constitution says: “No person may hold office as President for more than two terms, but when a person is elected to fill a vacancy in the office of President, the period between that election and the next election of a President is not regarded as a term.”
The MK Party, which suspended ANC member Zuma has been campaigning for, was dragged to court by the ANC. The governing party argued its logo and trademark were stolen from the ANC’s military wing Umkhonto we Sizwe.
The elections will take place on May 29, which was declared a public holiday by Ramaphosa.
Four suspects appeared in the Vredenburg magistrate’s court on Thursday in connection with the disappearance of six-year-old Joslin Smith from Saldanha Bay.
The suspects, who include her mother face charges of human trafficking and kidnapping.
MEC for police oversight & community safety in the Western Cape Reagen Allen said more charges might be added and further arrests made.
ANC regional task team co-ordinator in Ekurhuleni Jongizizwe Dlabathi has expressed his disappointment in the speaker of the Ekurhuleni council Nthabiseng Tshivhenga. This comes after a fight broke out in council chambers last week during the sitting called to debate an ActionSA motion of no confidence in Ekurhuleni mayor Sivuyile Ngodwana. Objects were thrown around and a water bottle landed on Tshivhenga, who left the building.Briefing the media on Tuesday, Dlabathi said the speaker didn't use her authority and responsibility to preserve decorum in the council.
The national minimum hourly wage increase from R25.42 to R27.58 entrenches apartheid’s cheap black labour, says The Casual Workers' Advice Office (CWAO).
The 8.5% increase, 2.5% higher than the latest inflation rate, came into effect this month. It was announced last month by employment and labour minister Thulas Nxesi.
While Cosatu welcomed the hike, activists at the CWAO said that alone should “raise suspicions, given the federation’s consistently anti-worker politics”.
“The national minimum wage is not helping to lift affected workers out of poverty because few workers are receiving it. Worse, bosses are using the low minimum as an incentive to lower the wages of workers who have been earning well above it. The national minimum wage was never intended to challenge the system of cheap black labour. It was meant to entrench it,” it said.
“Who made the law that a man can date another man? Who will women be left with?” asks former president Jacob Zuma.
Zuma is against legalisation of same-sex relationships and said if people vote for the MK Party the “laws people never supported” will be prohibited. He said he wants African law instead of Dutch law.
He was addressing MK Party supporters in Magonqo near Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal on Sunday.
Zuma said he “does not understand what the word democracy means” and had to ask his supporters for a definition.
The constitution forbids discrimination on the basis of sex, gender or sexual orientation.
The MK party, which is only a few months old, is registered with the Electoral Commission of South Africa, and claims it is aiming for a two-thirds majority in the elections.
The party came into the spotlight when Zuma announced in December he would vote and campaign for it but remain an ANC member.
The ANC suspended him last month after what secretary-general Fikile Mbalula called “vitriolic attacks” on the party.
Zuma is at the forefront of the new political formation’s campaign and has been a key speaker at its rallies.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the ANC's cadre deployment policy has produced “some of the best directors-general” in government departments over the years. Mbalula briefed media at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Thursday.
The ANC had to hand over its cadre deployment committee meeting minutes to the DA by 5pm on Monday.Last week, the Constitutional Court dismissed an application by the governing party to appeal a Supreme Court of Appeal decision for it to hand over meeting minutes from 2013
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said on Wednesday the MK party's target of a two-thirds majority in May's election is just a pipe dream.
Mbalula was addressing the ANC's rally in Msinga north of KZN.
The secretary-general said former president Jacob Zuma failed to amass a two-thirds majority when he was the ANC president.
He spoke candidly about the ANC’s disappointment with Zuma establishing the MK party.
Finance minister Enoch Godogwana on Wednesday says tax revenue collection streams such as sin taxes will increase in 2024/2025. Alcohol products and tobacco products saw increases. The Minister also announced government spending which includes education, health and job creation programmes.
Convicted murderer and rapist Thabo Bester has complained that prison is denying him his own clothing, calls and diabetic food.
Bester and his girlfriend Nandipha Magudumana, with seven co-accused, face charges ranging from fraud to violation of a corpse and arson.
Bester, Magudumana and one other accused are in custody while the rest are out on bail.
His legal representative told the court about Bester’s unhappiness in prison, including that he is diabetic and needs suitable food. He refused breakfast on Wednesday on those grounds.
He was also refused phone calls, including on Tuesday, the day before he appeared in court.
Bester’s lawyer said he would prefer to wear clothing of his choice, not prison clothes.
The Free State High Court postponed the case to June 5.
A black member of the DA in Tshwane said she wants apartheid back, the system that controlled black people with racist laws enshrining white supremacy.
Olgar from Hammanskraal said the Tshwane CBD, which is governed by the DA, is dirty.
She was speaking to SABC News as the DA launched its manifesto this weekend. She claimed to be part of the DA leadership in Tshwane.
The legacy of apartheid continues to be prevalent in almost every corner of South Africa with economic and social inequality and the country ranked as one of the most unequal in the world.
Black people bear the brunt of apartheid and colonialism. They have the highest unemployment rate among all the racial groups and are not able to afford private school education.
When contacted, the DA said it was puzzled by the member’s comments. The party said it would follow up and this article will be updated with its comments.
Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi said the provincial government will borrow money from a national government financial institution to pay the R12bn e-toll debt to the South African National Roads Agency). Lesufi was briefing the media on Tuesday morning after his state of the province address (Sopa) on Monday. During his speech Lesufi said e-tolls would be scrapped, keeping a promise he made during his Sopa in 2022. The premier said engagements with national government about scrapping e-tolls were not easy.
Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi says the process to switch off e-tolls in the province will begin by the end of March.
He was delivering his State of The Province Address on Monday at the Nasrec Expo centre.
Over the past few years, government has indicated several dates and deadlines for the scheme to be scrapped and missed them all.
Lesufi says the minister of finance Encho Godongwana will make the annoucement during the budget speech
Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane says the grade 6 pupil who allegedly shot a school principal was also allegedly intending to shoot two other teachers. Chiloane visited the school in Germiston after the incident on Friday.The MEC said the pupil was allegedly planning to shoot the principal, deputy principal and a teacher.According to Chiloane the pupil was a "troublesome" child.
The principal is in hospital recovering.The teenager will appear in a local magistrate’s court soon to face an attempted murder charge.
Arguments, misunderstandings and provocation remain the main causes of murders in South Africa. Police minister Bheki Cele released the crime statistics for the last quarter of the 2023/24 financial year on Friday. Cele said 7,710 murders were reported between October and December. More than 1,100 were because of arguments, misunderstandings or provocation.
President Cyril Ramaphosa told DA leader John Steenhuisen he was hurt by his “inherently racist, humiliating, degrading and demeaning” remarks.
He was responding to comments Steenhuisen made last month while expressing discontent with Gauteng crime wardens, referring to them as “drunkards”. “What did [Gauteng premier] Panyaza Lesufi do? He took your tax money to buy ill-fitting Pep stores uniforms for untrained cadres and pretended they were 'crime wardens'. What kind of person pulls a drunkard out of a shebeen, gives him a uniform and a weapon and then unleashes him into a community?”
He was criticised for the comments at the time, but earlier this month Steenhuisen said he stood by what he said, adding his children also shop at Pep stores.
Concluding his response to debate on his state of the nation address in parliament, Ramaphosa said he was disappointed with Steenhuisen’s comments.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says some people started their own businesses with the R350 social relief grant they get from the government.
He was speaking in parliament on Thursday in response to the Sona debate after his address last week. He told MPs how the grant saved people from poverty. The president was explaining how his government “over the past five years has been reducing poverty and inequality”.
Ramaphosa said through the grant system his administration has been able to reduce poverty (inherited) from the apartheid system.
The president did not give examples of the people who started their own businesses with the grants.
The grant was introduced during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, which laid bare South Africa’s state of poverty. It has not been increased since but has been extended to March 2025.
EFF leader Julius Malema is calling for the deployment of South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in a peacekeeping mission to be “withdrawn with immediate effect”. Malema says the deployment is “out of order” and should be stopped until South African soldiers are “fit and proper”.
President Cyril Ramaphosa authorised the deployment of 2,900 SANDF members as part of South Africa's fulfilment of its international obligation to the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) mission to support the DRC.
Malema was speaking during a media briefing on Thursday.
Western Cape premier Alan Winde has criticised ANC and boasted about his province’s achievements “where ANC had failed”: from employment, education, policing and crime.
Winde said the governing-ANC has “dismally failed the citizens of this country”. He said the ANC cannot keep the lights on or trains running, deal with corruption, does not know how to grow the economy or create jobs and cannot pay Sassa grants to the vulnerable.
He referred to the DA as a party that “gets things done”, saying it is busy saving South Africa.
The DA has governed the Western Cape province since April 2009, after an outright majority in that year’s general elections.
The last published labour force survey during ANC’s tenure in the province suggests that unemployment stats in the first quarter of 2009 in the ANC-run Western Cape had the lowest unemployment rate of the nine provinces at 18.4%. The worst province at the time was Eastern Cape at 28.4%. According to the latest published quarterly labour force survey, the now DA-Western Cape has the lowest official unemployment rate at 24.5%, the worst hit province being the Eastern Cape with 42.4%.
Speaking in parliament Winde said: “It is in this province Mr President [Cyril Ramaphosa] where jobs are created. We have the lowest unemployment rate in the country.”
The 2008 NSC matric pass-rate in the Western Cape (the last time ANC governed for a full-year) stood at 78.7%, topping all the other provinces, Eastern Cape performed the worst at 50.6% that year. Last year Western Cape achieved the number five spot at 81.54%, while the worst was Northern Cape with a 75.84% pass-rate.
The province appears in several archives as the best-run province and its municipalities are ranked the best in the country.
Winde said the DA will make a “massive difference and save South Africa” once Ramaphosa announces the election date. The president is expected to announce the 2024 election date later this month.
Hundreds of supporters gathered at OR Tambo International Airport on Wednesday for the arrival of Bafana Bafana. Bafana exceeded expectations, finishing third in this year's Africa Cup of Nations, beating Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties. Earlier, South Africa lost to Nigeria in a nail biting semi-final in the tournament.Supporters gathered in the early hours on Wednesday, some coming from as far as Limpopo.
ANC Youth League president Collen Malatji says the private sector should remove work experience as a requirement for entry level jobs to address the high unemployment rate.
In September last year government said previous work experience would no longer be a requirement for entry level government jobs and it has since advertised junior level vacancies that require no previous work exposure.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has repeatedly called on companies to get rid of work experience for young people applying for entry level positions at their firms.
Malatji was speaking in parliament on Tuesday as political parties gathered to debate last week’s state of the nation address by Ramaphosa. He focused on unemployment and programmes for youth development.
Deputy chairperson of the National Council of Provinces Sylvia Lucas says load-shedding isn't the end of the world.She was speaking in parliament on Tuesday morning during the debate about the state of the nation address (Sona). After the Sona last Thursday Eskom announced stage 3 load-shedding minutes after President Cyril Ramaphosa said the end of blackouts is within reach. Speaking in Afrikaans, Lucas told MPs that as soon as the president discussed an end to load-shedding in his SONA address Eskom announced Stage 3 loadshedding, she says this is sabotage.
DA leader John Steenhuisen on Monday officially laid criminal charges against Deputy President Paul Mashatile at the Cape Town Central police station. This after media reports implicated Mashatile in alleged corruption dating back to when he was MEC for human settlements in Gauteng. Steenhuisen delivered a charge sheet detailing the allegations which have been investigated in articles by News24.
EFF leader Julius Malema says he won’t let “mediocre” people lead the party, and has outlined criteria for party leadership and MPs.
Merit will be a key factor for EFF MPs who want to return to parliament. The party's MPs must motivate what they have done in parliament to be reinstated. They must have matric, specially if they are the youth, which Malema insists should constitute 40% of MPs. It will not apply to older MPs such as Nokulunga Primrose Sonti and Makoti Sibongile Khawula.
“There will be those exceptional cases, but not of young people. Me and you had an opportunity to go to school,” Malema told party delegates in KwaZulu-Natal.
Malema said they will raise the bar for representation. The party's councillors, mayors and MMCs will be required to have post-matric qualifications.
The 2007/2008 global financial crisis, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, state capture, the July 2021 unrest and the Covid-19 pandemic are to blame for South Africa not reaching its potential, says President Cyril Ramaphosa.
These, and gender-based violence, are factors that have held the country back, he said.
Bearing the brunt are millions of resilient citizens who mostly rely on social grants. About 28-million South Africans receive social grants, including the R350 social relief of distress grant.
Motorists and consumers have struggled to meet the cost of living as fuel prices ballooned over the past decade. The alarming unemployment rate and inflation also did not make it easy for South Africans, with more than 18-million now living below the poverty line.
Ramaphosa's tenure began in 2018 when former president Jacob Zuma resigned after what was termed “nine wasted years”.
At the time, Ramaphosa was seen by many, including analysts, as a beacon of hope who would turn the country around. He seemed to have pressed all the right buttons and raised optimism after his maiden state of the nation address (Sona) when he promised to build a decent society for all. Quoting late musician Hugh Masekela's song ‘Thuma Mina’, Ramaphosa appeared to be the light at the end of the tunnel.
During his Sona on Thursday, he spoke about why life is “more difficult for South Africans”.
During his state of the nation address (Sona) on Thursday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted the story of Tintswalo, a child born in 1994 who had grown up in a society that was worlds apart from the South Africa of her parents, grandparents and great-grandparents.Ramaphosa delivered the Sona ahead of national and provincial elections to be held later this year. The president switched between the official languages when he said Tintswalo had been enrolled in a school for which her parents didn't have to pay fees. He also said that, with the help of the government, Tintswalo had been provided with a child support grant to meet her basic needs. There have been mixed reactions to the story from many young South Africans born at the dawn of democracy.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says the end of load-shedding is within reach, and part of the plan is receiving help from the private sector.The president delivered his state of the nation address (Sona) on Thursday, the last Sona for the sixth administration. He says 14,000km of transmission lines will be built and private investors will be approached to invest. Ramaphosa says government is reforming the energy sector to make it more competitive, sustainable and reliable for the future.
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos says he's proud of the players after their defeat to Nigeria in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) semifinals. Bafana lost 4-2 to the Super Eagles in a penalty shoot-out. This was the first time since 2000 that South Africa has reached the Afcon semifinals. Broos says Bafana Bafana defeated Cape Verde playing bad football and lost to Nigeria playing good football.
A survivor of the Usindiso building fire says if the firefighters had started extinguishing the blaze earlier, many people from the building would have survived. The commission of inquiry into the deadly fire in the Joburg CBD continued on Wednesday with new witnesses taking the stand. Maditaba Ramotoso moved into the building in 2019. She told the commission things started going wrong when shacks were erected on the ground floor of the building.
With government saying there are no funds to employ doctors, qualified unemployed doctors say the government should bail out the health sector as with Eskom and other public entities.
Dr Sanelisiwe Shozi who studied at the University of KwaZulu-Natal has been without a job since the beginning of 2023 and has been looking for employment in government. He feels the state is not willing to help the sector: “This is not an issue of finance, it’s an issue of horrible mismanagement of funds from government.”
An unemployed doctor from Tsomo, Eastern Cape, spoke anonymously to TimesLIVE. He was sent by the government to study medicine in Cuba. He returned to Eastern Cape to complete his internship because he says he wanted to fulfil his promise to serve rural people. He dismissed reports that doctors do not want to work in rural areas.
According to South African Medical Association Trade Union (Samatu) which represents doctors throughout the country, as of January there were 825 unemployed doctors. Deputy president of Samatu Dr Nkateko Mnisi said they are concerned that there are no funds, as this compromises health as a public commodity.
“There’s been many public entities that have found themselves at risk and have been bailed out; we speak about entities such as Eskom, such as SAA. Is the health of our community, is the health of South Africans not important? I feel it is highly important and we urge that government and our leaders take action to bail out healthcare.”
The union, as well as the other unemployed doctors, dismissed a claim by the health department that young doctors reject rural employment. Last month the department said: “Several vacant posts are in rural areas, places that some prefer to sit out for a year, rather than venture into unfamiliar territory. This is a yearly problem where some young doctors reject rural placements using a variety of reasons.”
The Health and Allied Workers Indaba Trade Union (Haitu) also released a statement rebuking the health department for “lying”: “The health department must be strongly condemned for shamelessly padding lies and for scapegoating junior doctors for their own joblessness.”
Presenting the health department budget vote last year, minister Joe Phaahla said the health sector is underfunded, citing the Covid-19 pandemic and load-shedding.
“The 2023/24 budget allocation for national department of health shows a decline of R4.4bn, from R64.5bn in 22/23 to R60.1bn in 2023/24.”
Finance minister Enoch Godongwana, will table the national budget speech later this month. The ministry said “the budget allocation aims to strike a balance between growing the economy and supporting the vulnerable amid limited resources”. The ministry asked the public to share suggestions on the budget and submit their views.
Rise Mzansi has announced its national chairperson Vuyiswa Ramokgopa as its Gauteng premier candidate for the 2024 national and provincial elections. Founded in October 2023, this will be the first time the party contests elections. Speaking to party members on Tuesday at Joubert Park in the Johannesburg CBD, Ramokgopa said no one is coming to “save” the people of South Africa and Rise Mzansi are the leaders they have been waiting for.
A survivor of the Usindiso building fire says most residents who survived know the City of Johannesburg was aware of what was happening inside the building. The commission of inquiry into the deadly fire in the Joburg CBD continued on Monday, with new witnesses taking the stand.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter "brought load-shedding and then left". Mbalula was briefing the media on the outcomes of the party's national executive committee lekgotla. Recently De Ruyter did an interview giving advice to his incumbent Dan Marokane. Mbalula said his advice was filled with ideology and politics.
Sthembiso Lawrence Mdlalose, who allegedly set the Usindiso building on fire in August, is expected to return to the scene to point out how the incident happened.The blaze in the Johannesburg CBD claimed the lives of more than 70 people. Mdlalose briefly appeared in the Johannesburg high court for a second time on Thursday.
A witness to the alleged assault of a colleague by their employers who unleashed a dog on him, says he fears for his life. This is according to the testimony of Constable Grigory Maleasenya, who took the stand at the Groblersdal magistrate's court in Limpopo on Wednesday. Piet Groenewald and his son Stephan, are facing charges of attempted murder.
Police minister Bheki Cele and justice minister Ronald Lamola were in attendance.
ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa says opponents want to deprive his party of the ability to change people’s lives.
“The strategy of our opponents is to consolidate anti-transformation forces through things such as coalitions or pacts,” he said after an ANC lekgotla in Ekurhuleni.
The ANC maintains it will achieve a decisive victory and does not have a "plan B", despite observers predicting the party will fall below 50% in this year’s elections. It believes a coalition would be disastrous at national level, with secretary-general Fikile Mbalula saying coalitions have not worked and have delayed progress. Ramaphosa said the legotla agreed that they will "campaign for a clear majority to ensure stability and sustain progress" in the country.
Ramaphosa said opposition parties are “hard at work to reverse the gains of freedom made over the past 30 years.
“Their main objective is to stop transformative and developmental programmes and to reverse gains made in improving the quality of lives of the majority of our people.”
Ramaphosa said opponents are encouraging the creation of breakaway groupings to erode ANC support. “Often these groupings start as small factional groups in the ANC, but when the movement pushes back they mutate into opposition parties.”
The ANC on Monday suspended its former president Jacob Zuma for contravening the party's constitution by publicly announcing he will campaign and vote for the newly establish MK Party.
Ramaphosa said an election date would be announced soon.
A survivor of the Usindiso building fire in the Johannesburg CBD, Busisiwe Mhlebi, has told the commission of inquiry into the deadly fire on August 31 2023 she woke up in hospital two days after the blaze to hear her teenage daughter had died. The commission, chaired by retired Constitutional Court judge Sisi Khampepe, is investigating the cause of the fire that killed more than 70 people. Mhlebi said she jumped from the fourth floor with her partner and two-year-old child on the day of the fire and her daughter stayed behind. Another survivor, Nqobile Tshabalala, said firefighters waited 20 minutes before they started extinguishing the fire.
for unemployed people.
“There is a strong case for a permanent form of a targeted income support grant for the unemployed within our fiscal constraints.”
Ramaphosa said discussions should continue among the ANC national executive committee (NEC) about interventions to tackle poverty.
During the release of the party’s January 8 statement Ramaphosa boasted about what he called one of ANC’s great achievements to “tackle poverty head-on”, which is that “28-million people rely on social grants”. The general household survey suggests social grants are an important income source for more than 50.2% families in the country.
The latest unemployment figures, which do not include those who have given up job hunting, suggest at least 31.9% South Africans are jobless, making the country one of the worst-hit by unemployment in the world. According to StatsSA about 18.2-million people live in extreme poverty.
Despite the staggering numbers, Ramaphosa told his NEC extreme poverty has been significantly reduced by the R350 social grant. He was speaking at the party’s lekgotla on Monday.
Speaking in parliament last year when he replied to a debate on the presidency budget vote, Ramaphosa appealed to the private sector to employ jobless young citizens and provide them with experience and skills.
At last year’s lekgotla Ramaphosa suggested careers that would get the youth employed were agriculture, marine and nautical science, electrical, civil and mechanical technologies.
“If we are able to address the scourge of unemployment, these skills should be promoted”.
Religious leaders in KwaZulu-Natal sent a message to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), threatening that they will “shut the country for good” and reject the IEC outcomes if they “don’t give MK party a two-thirds majority”.
A pastor, named by the party as Vader Maluleke, said to be representing some religious and traditional leaders, took the stage at a MK rally, saying: “If the 2024 elections don't give [MK party] and Nxamalala a two-thirds majority and the ANC remains in power we are going to close South Africa for good.
“We want to say to the IEC you better do it the right way or we are coming for you.”
When contacted Maluleke could not divulge the details of the religious and traditional leaders he was representing.
People gathered in KwaXimba near Cato Ridge outside Durban as former president Jacob Zuma addressed the crowd. He said the MK party is the only party they should vote for if they want change for the better.
Zuma asked pastors to pray so the party achieves a two-thirds majority “to fix the land of our ancestors”.
Zuma has been campaigning for the new political formation and said he would vote for the party but remain an ANC member.
The ANC national executive committee on Monday suspended Zuma's ANC membership.
The high court in Pretoria on Tuesday heard a statement from Simphiwe Buthelezi which alleged accused number two in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, Bongani Ntanzi, was a known hitman and gun supplier for hitmen around the country.
Buthelezi was an associate of Ntanzi’s in the supply of illegal weapons and ammunition who later worked with police to track him down.
Lead investigating officer in the case, Brig Bongani Gininda, read the now deceased Buthelezi’s statement in court.
The horrifying statistic that a child goes missing every few hours is the tip of the iceberg as only those brought to the attention of authorities are accounted for.
This is according to Dr Shaheda Omar, director of the Teddy Bear Foundation for Abused Children, who explains why children go missing and what we can do about it.
For syndicates, abducting defenceless children is an easy option to generate income, she says. Children are trafficked for a variety of purposes, including child labour and organ harvesting. At other times the reason may be random.
Omar says law enforcement and the home affairs department need to clamp down on illegal border crossing.
“We need to look at how the legislation can be tightened and there needs to be accountability,” she said.
The City of Ekurhuleni is looking to transform the metro into a digital city. This means citizens will no longer have to stand in long queues to pay for services but will rather do it at the click of a button using the e-Siyakhokha system on the MyEkurhuleni App. The city has been working to implement the app since 2016. Its main purpose is for citizens to lodge complaints about service delivery and paying for services. Speaking to TimesLIVE, chief information officer Moloko Monyepao explains how the app works.
The commission of inquiry into the Usindiso building fire in the Johannesburg CBD in August has heard firefighters at the scene lacked adequate resources to deal with the blaze. Wynand Engelbrecht, who has more than 50 years' service as a firefighter, testified on Wednesday. Engelbrecht said though the city employed enough firefighters and support staff, it had been unable to place them on the scene on time with adequate resources.
After receiving 17 nominations over the past five tears, Trevor Noah has finally won his first Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Series with The Daily Show with Trevor Noah at Monday night's 75th annual awards ceremony. Noah has had a great start to the year. He was nominated at the Golden Globe Awards for Best Stand-Up Comedian in Television and is also nominated for the Grammy Awards Best Comedy Album. During his acceptance speech he thanked all the Africans who joined him when the Daily Show started in 2015.
The education quality assurance council Umalusi says 11 people have been arrested for allegedly selling fake matric certificates. Umalusi was briefing the media on Monday about the 2023 matric examination results. CEO Dr Mafu Rakometsi said an official in the department of higher education was arrested for allegedly selling a matric diploma for cash.
A total of28-million South African citizens, or 47% of the population, rely on social grants.
ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa has hailed the governing party’s efforts to “tackle poverty head on”.
He was referring to the monthly R350 social relief of distress grant government introduced in 2020 which about 10-million people receive and other social grants such as old age pension and child support grants from which 18-million people benefit.
He said the party’s approach to tackling poverty has been two-pronged: “First through the social wage, which involves a range of social and economic interventions, including expanding access to quality basic services, and second through direct transfers to households in the form of social grants.”
This year South Africans will head to the polls to vote for national and provincial governments.
As part of campaigning, a week ago Ramaphosa threatened that the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and social grants were likely to disappear should the ruling party lose power. He was lambasted for using scare tactics as part of electioneering.
ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa has thanked the youth for excelling in making the amapiano music genre a global sensation. He was delivering the ANC's January 8 statement at the Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga over the weekend. Ramaphosa said he is learning how to dance to amapiano.
The EFF says confirmation by Fikile Mbalula that President Cyril Ramaphosa was begged by the ANC not to resign is a sign he’s lost interest in leading the country.
Mbalula on Sunday told supporters in Barberton, Mpumalanga, that Ramaphosa was at one point ready to resign but the party stopped him.
“He was about to resign. We stopped him and told him we would relieve him when we want.”
Ramaphosa’s leadership was questioned after the 2020 theft of foreign currency at his game farm in Limpopo which came to light in 2022. On June 1 2022, former State Security Agency (SSA) director-general Arthur Fraser lodged a criminal complaint against Ramaphosa and accused him of concealing the crime. Charges included defeating the ends of justice, kidnapping the suspects, interrogating them at the farm and then bribing them.
Opposition parties grabbed the opportunity to attack the president. The ATM submitted a motion in parliament for the National Assembly to initiate an inquiry into Ramaphosa on the grounds of alleged violation of the constitution or the law, and misconduct.
Three months later a panel of three legal experts concluded Ramaphosa had a prima facie case to answer. With the focus on the Union Buildings, Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said: “President Ramaphosa is not resigning based on a flawed report, [nor] is he stepping aside.”
As part of the build-up to the ANC's 112th anniversary celebrations, Mbalula last Sunday told supporters in Mpumalanga the party had begged Ramaphosa to stay.
In February last year EFF leader Julius Malema in a press conference said the president had already resigned and he was informed by a person who wrote the president’s speech: “If we were to conduct raid now in his offices or homes we are going to find a resignation letter. You have a president who’s there by body but the soul is gone.”
City of Joburg management announced on Thursday the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Lilian Ngoyi (formerly Bree) Street in Johannesburg's CBD, which was damaged by an explosion in July last year, will cost R196m. The cause of the explosion was linked to methane gas. During a media briefing in August, the city had estimated the repair project would cost R178m.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the party's former president Jacob Zuma is “as good as gone” and he has made his ANC exit complicated, but formal processes will follow and the party is preparing itself for “war”.
Zuma said in December he would vote and campaign for the newly registered MK party but would remain an ANC member.
Mbalula said the ANC is preparing for Zuma’s departure: “We are preparing for a bigger - not a battle, but war - and we are confident we will emerge out of that.”
Mbalula was speaking on SABC’s Unfiltered show on Tuesday.
ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe says Fikile Mbalula, the party's secretary-general, said things he shouldn’t have said about the Nkandla “fire pool” saga. Mantashe said leaders should count their words or catch fire.
This after Mbalula claimed the party protected former president Jacob Zuma by lying that the swimming pool at his Nkandla homestead is a fire pool and a necessary security feature.
When Zuma was president and the public protector at the time, Thuli Mandonsela, his home cost R3.9m, the governing party went guns blazing, defining the pool as a fire pool used for security reasons to fight fires.
On Sunday Mbalula conceded the party lied to protect Zuma, who recently said he has lost patience with President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Higher education, science and innovation minister Blade Nzimande has dismissed allegations that he, the SACP and National Student Financial Aid Scheme board chairperson Ernest Khosa received kickback payments from service providers contracted by the scheme. The allegations, with leaked recordings, were made by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) last week. Nzimande convened a briefing on Monday to challenge the claims.
DA leader John Steenhuisen says the party is preparing legal charges against minister of higher education Blade Nzimande after allegations about his involvement in receiving kickback payments from service providers contracted by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
Last week the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) released leaked audio recordings which suggest Nzimande, NSFAS board chairperson Ernest Khosa and the South African Communist Party (SACP) received million of rands in kickbacks in relation to the awarding of the scheme's controversial new allowance direct payment system.
ANC deputy president Paul Mashatile says the party's leadership is rebuilding and renewing the organisation.He was speaking to the media outside Church on the Hill in Mbombela at the weekend. Mashatile was attending a church service. The party turns 112 years old on Monday, and members are celebrating the birthday in Mpumalanga before the main rally this coming weekend. Mashatile said the ANC will never fall.
Remember when the governing ANC justified the R3.9m pool at former president Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla as a fire pool and not a swimming pool? Well, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula now says that was a lie to defend Zuma.
At the time, the government justified the so-called fire pool as being solely for security reasons, arguing it could be used to fight fires. The building cost and its justification sparked controversy.
On Sunday, while delivering a keynote address in Barberton, Mpumalanga, Mbalula conceded that the party had misled parliament to defend its president at the time.
“We went to parliament and opened an ad-hoc committee and said a swimming pool is a fire pool. The police minister [Nathi Nhleko] was sweating seeing that this was lies — because it's difficult to explain lies. People have lost their careers because of that thing,” he said.
EFF leader Julius Malema says former president Jacob Zuma is in denial that the governing party is dead and if EFF members “try what Zuma did to the ANC” they’ll be expelled.
Zuma said in December he would vote for the newly registered MK party. Malema says if Zuma had decided to vote for the EFF it would have been a “serious boost” for them, but voting for “non-existent things is not going to help us” displace the ANC.
“There’s no rescuing it [ANC], he will just kill himself with a heart attack.”
If EFF members support the MK party they will be expelled, Malema said.
The Department of Correctional Services says Oscar Pistorius is a parolee as of Friday. Pistorius was granted parole in November last year nearly 11 years after killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's day in 2013. He will be under the supervision of the correctional services and will be subjected to parole conditions until his sentence expires in December 2029.
He was a people’s person but was only discovered days after he died. Mthobeli “KCi” August’s family say they are distraught after his death.
“We called him on Christmas Day and couldn’t reach him, to realise the time we couldn’t reach him he was in trouble.”
The former Umhlobo Wenene FM presenter’s death was announced on the evening of December 29, soon after his body was discovered in his Johannesburg home. He was 47.
His friend Luphumlo Ngcayisa addressed rumours surrounding KCi’s death, saying the public should wait for experts to confirm the cause of his death.
Ngcayisa said forensic experts suspect “it might have been a panic or heart attack”. He said “it appears as though he had stepped out of the bath and they suspected it could have been a panic or heart attack. It looked as though he was reaching for his phone and that is when he fell.”
KCi won the hearts of many of the station’s listeners when he was moved to the afternoon drive slot in 2005, playing his hilarious skits and prank calls. He was known for his witty humour, distinctive style of presenting and closeness with fans on and off air.
On Thursday he was remembered in a memorial service as a pioneer of prank calls and skits on radio.
KCi was fired from the SABC radio station in 2007 after he refused to play the station’s playlisted songs. His supporters demanded his comeback and he was reinstated to his afternoon drive slot in 2012. A year later he was made to co-host his Masigoduke afternoon drive show with Luyanda “Luks” Gidane, which fans saw as a demotion. The usually bubbly KCi was reserved during co-hosting.
He will be buried on Saturday at his hometown of Adelaide in the Eastern Cape.
An unexpected coalition, an election date, a new sports star, astrologer and sangoma Rod Suskin throws the bones on what lies ahead for South Africa in 2024.
Last year he predicted a good sports year and so it was as South Africa shone internationally, with Banyana Banyana performing magnificently in the Fifa World Cup, the Springboks winning the Rugby World Cup and the Proteas reaching the semifinal of the ICC Cricket World Cup.
Some things never change and Suskin says load-shedding and the economic situation are not looking any better in 2024.
Political parties will contest national and provincial government elections. He sees the elections being held on April 22 and 23 and despite the governing ANC saying it doesn’t want coalitions, Suskin sees an unexpected party forming part of government.
He said this year we will see a new star emerge who will carry South Africa's hopes to the Olympic Games.
A memorial service for veteran playwright and musician Mbongeni Ngema was held at the Playhouse theatre in Durban on Wednesday. Ngema died on December 27. His brother Nhlanhla Ngema penned a tribute letter describing how the veteran playwright’s legacy will continue to resonate through the melodies of his songs and power narratives.
Mbongeni Ngem was born in 1955 in Verulam KwaZulu-Natal, he started his career started his career as a theatre backing guitarist.
He wrote the musical Sarafina! and co-wrote Woza Albert!, both of which won numerous awards.
Ngema also became a household name for writing hit songs, including Stimela sa se Zola.
Ngema died on December 27 at the age of 68, in a statement shared by his family its understood in a head-on collision while returning from attending a funeral in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape.
When Vusi Nova visited Zahara on the Thursday before she died he had hoped the songstress was getting better.
“I walked in there as usual, she was in a private [hospital] room sitting without all those pipes. She had removed them and was smiling,” he said.
“I said to her: 'Don’t ever do that again, don’t ever scare us like that ever again.' We sat there and we spoke as normal”.
Vusi was a close friend of Zahara’s . “I said to her: 'Bulelwa, from now on I am going to guard you and make sure you eat well.' When I left that day I kissed her on the forehead and I said ‘I love you’ and she said ‘I love you’.
“I left that hospital believing that when I arrive the next day they’ll be telling us to pack her clothes and discharge her. The very same night I found out she got worse and that was so devastating.”
Zahara was laid to rest on Saturday in her hometown of East London. She died on December 11 after being hospitalised for liver-related complications.
Industry colleagues, family and friends gathered at the East London International Convention Centre on Friday for the memorial service of Bulelwa Mkutukana, the award-winning singer known as Zahara. Zahara died on December 11, a few weeks after being admitted to hospital.
Zahara’s producer has shared an unreleased song the late star recorded.
Mojalifa “Mjeks” Thebe said: “This is the last song me and Zahara did in studio; the real song is an up-tempo high-spirited song.
“I feel Zahara knew what was coming and she prophesied and made a song that is saying thank you to all of you.”
On the song Zahara sings in isiXhosa, thanking fans for their support.
“She was saying goodbye,” Thebe said. He did not mention when or if the song would be released.
Zahara had a title for what would be her next album, Still I rise.
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) is on an undercover mission to arrest officials and motorists guilty of bribery.
Last week it arrested nine officials for fraud and corruption in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal after complaints from members of the public.
The corporation has again warned corrupt law enforcement officials that they will find themselves behind bars if they solicit bribes. Motorists are also not exempted from punishment.
Speaking on Eyewitness News, RTMC CEO Makhosini Msibi said: “We don’t only want to arrest the traffic officers, we also want to arrest those who participated in the commission of the crime because you, as a motorist, have the responsibility to refuse to pay a bribe.”
RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane said the corporation conducts such operations throughout the year.
Electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says in the short term the load-shedding outlook is “upbeat”. He provided an update to the media on Thursday morning on the country's electricity grid. Ramokgopa says South Africans can't celebrate an end to load-shedding just yet as most businesses and industries are closed for the festive season. The country is experiencing much lower demand during this period while unplanned outages are also below 12,500MW.
The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party speaks to us about its political formation. The party does not yet have a policy but it's hoping to prioritise load-shedding, deal with illegal foreigners and land expropriation.
“We are coming from the background that when the ANC from the [19]60s was in trouble, uMkhonto weSizwe was formed to help to steer the ship of the ANC,” said acting secretary-general Thanduxolo Gorbachev Dyodo.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has threatened legal action against the name of the new party, saying uMkhonto weSizwe belongs to the ANC.
Dyodo rejected Mbalula’s warning, saying they can meet in court and “Mbalula is not happy that South Africans are getting a better life”.
uMkhonto weSizwe will take suggestions from the public to formulate what it should stand for.
The party claimed it had registered 2-million members since the announcement on Saturday when former president Jacob Zuma said he will vote for the party. However, Dyodo is not “100% certain” about the numbers.
Zuma's role in the party is a mystery, but Dyodo said Zuma is an “elder they are consulting”. The party was registered with the Electoral Commission of South Africa in September and is led by its acting president Jabu Khumalo.
He said the party does not have sponsors as sponsors are distancing themselves from it.
Bafana Mahugela, the man accused of murdering Kirsten Kluyts, says the only crime he committed on the day of her murder was taking off her clothes. He appeared at the Alexandra magistrate's court on Monday and Tuesday for his bail application.Mahugela told the court he is not a criminal.
Underestimating former president Jacob Zuma’s announcement that he won’t be voting for the ANC would be foolhardy, says political analyst Dr Ongama Mtimka.
Zuma announced at the weekend he will no longer vote or campaign for the party he once led and has been a member of for more than six decades. Instead he will vote for the Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party in next year’s elections. However, he pledged to die an ANC member.
Mtimka says Zuma’s behaviour is in contravention of ANC rules, but the party in KwaZulu-Natal has been strategic in responding to the announcement.
“I have decided that I cannot and will not campaign for the ANC of [president Cyril] Ramaphosa. It is not the ANC I joined, it will be a betrayal to campaign for the ANC of Ramaphosa. My conscience will not allow that.” Zuma said as he called for South Africans to vote for the MK party
“We have noted what he has said, what he has announced, and that is as far as we are prepared to go at this time,” said President Cyril Ramaphosa in response to the announcement.
She could die at any time, Zahara's family was told as they watched the heart rate machine while praying
The sister of Bulelwa Mkutukana — better known as Zahara — broke down recalling the star’s words, “I’m dying”, two days before being admitted to hospital.
Lumka Mkutukana said she was called by her sister before she was admitted to hospital. Zahara suspected she had bile reflux.
Two hours after the family visited her in hospital on Monday, they were called back to the hospital and told by doctors to watch the heart rate monitor as the star could die at any time.
Her brother hugged her on the ICU bed while Lumka covered herself.
When the heart rate machine beeped, Lumka knew Zahara had passed on.
The popular singer died on Monday after liver complications.
Her sister was giving tribute during a memorial service in Randburg, where Zahara’s fans and friends gathered to honour her.
As fans and friends gather in Johannesburg to honour songbird Zahara, some fellow stars admitted “we’ve been unkind to Zahara”.
Popularly known as Zahara, Bulelwa Mkutukana, died on Monday evening after being admitted to a Johannesburg hospital just over two weeks ago with liver complications.
On Thursday a memorial service was held for her at the Rhema Church in Randburg, in northwest Johannesburg. Stars reflected on the late star's life. Media personality Somizi Mhlongo recalled how he first met Zahara and apologised for a joke he made about her during the South African Music Awards.
Somizi had implied Zahara was already at the bar (drinking) at the SAMA after party.
"Spinach", as Zahara was known by those who she grew up with, was the most awarded artist in the country. Her albums sold like hot cakes. At the age of 21, Zahara composed her most popular song Loliwe. When she released her debut album in 2011, which went platinum in 13 days and double platinum in 17, selling 100,000 copies, she won the hearts of many South Africans and people beyond the country's borders.
Born Bulelwa Mkutukana in the Eastern Cape on November 9 1987, Zahara started singing as a street performer in East London. She began showing a love for music at the age of 6 and was appointed the lead singer of a Sunday school choir in her hometown Phumlani. Zahara was spotted by TK Nciza of TS Records, who signed her to his label. She gained fame in 2011 when her debut album Country Girl went platinum in only 13 days and double platinum in 17 days, selling more than 100,000 copies in South Africa.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the ANC's political opponents are “bewitching” his party.
Mbalula was welcoming back to the ANC alleged former EFF members.
He told the crowd they should defend “the people’s movement” ... “2024 is our 2024, we are going to defend freedom and we will defeat our enemies”.
Mbalula alleged more than R1bn has been raised as part of efforts to defeat the ANC, alleging opponents of the ruling party are on a mission to bribe ANC veterans such as Mavuso Msimang, who recently left the party.
“They are forming a lot of political parties to defeat the ANC. They put a lot of money to support this project. Roger Jardine is a project and that project will be defeated,” he said.
Former FirstRand Group chairperson Roger Jardine launched his political party, Change Starts Now, on Sunday.
Mbalula said their opponents are trying to take the country back and fight social transformation.
“People who will defeat the ANC are not yet born. What will defeat the ANC is to allow wrong things to happen in our organisation and we fold our arms.
“We’ll never be defeated by the EFF, it's very weak. Malema is selling you dreams thinking he’ll enter the Union Buildings — never, it won’t happen.”
Mbalula then repeated promises the ANC has been making for years on youth job creation, water delivery and load-shedding. Despite the promises it seems the party has not yet found the formula for tackling joblessness and rolling power cuts which it had vowed to end by this month.
Minister Blade Nzimande has complained he is being called too often to account in parliament.
The minister of higher education, science and innovation was appearing before a parliamentary portfolio committee at its last meeting for this year.
Nzimande said being called “too much” to account to the committee does not give him and his team enough time to do their work.
Committee chair Nompendulo Mkhatshwa said the minister must direct his concerns to the chair of chairs.
EFF MP Mandla Shikwambana did not take kindly to the minister's complaint, telling him to “stop policing the committee”.
Nzimande explained the negative effect on him and his team of having to appear before them frequently. “It poses certain challenges on our side, If I don’t raise it here, where do you expect me to raise it? In a rally?”
The minister asked to be released early from the meeting as the president required him to discuss NSFAS issues at a special cabinet meeting.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile says the purpose of public servants is to serve the people and not think of self-enrichment. He was giving the keynote address at the anti-corruption summit held at the University of South Africa on Friday. The world is observing International Anti-Corruption Day on December 9.
Higher education, science and innovation minister Blade Nzimande says perhaps National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funding allocation should be prioritised according to certain degrees and programmes based on the country’s needs.
But before this “discrimination”, as the minister called it, there should be a large college sector that can absorb students who don’t get funding for university education.
The minister was in parliament tabling the department’s state of readiness for the 2024 academic year.
NSFAS, government’s bursary scheme, aids students who lack financial access to higher education.
For students in the “missing middle” - households earning within the threshold of R350,000 to R600,000 a year - the minister said they should be on a mixed system of a loan and a bursary. He said his preference was for PostBank to handle loan systems for the missing middle.
“We have raised R3.8bn and our figures tell us that money will go a long way in addressing the missing middle”
Last month thousand of students were left in limbo by the financial scheme when they did not receive their allowances. NSFAS blamed the universities' data management systems for the payment failures.
“Merit and the ANC are not mutually exclusive and we can prove it,” says minister in the Presidency for women, youth and people with disabilities Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. She was speaking in the National Assembly on Tuesday about the National Youth Development Agency (Nyda) Amendment Bill. The bill provides for additional Nyda board members and a limit of two successive terms. Members will have to make financial disclosures and issues related to board meetings and Nyda funding are also addressed. The DA, FF Plus and ACDP oppose the bill.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the party has never procured posters from Ezulweni Investments.It was revealed last week that the ANC faced liquidation after it allegedly failed to pay its debt to KwaZulu-Natal printing and marketing company Ezulweni for supplying the party with election campaign material in 2019. Mbalula was briefing the media on Wednesday and said Ezulweni did not render any services to the ruling party.
MPs met to discuss the financial management of the National Assembly on Tuesday, with opposition parties fuming over an alleged secret R1.8m salary hike for secretary to parliament Xolile George.
Demanding answers, they claimed the salary differed from the R2,604,661 annual package that was advertised. According to the Sunday Times, George earns a whopping R4.4m. National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and NCOP chair Amos Masondo hiked George’s salary by R1.8m.
Recommendations contained in the 2023/24 First Quarter Report; 2022/23 Annual Report; draft 2024/25 Annual Performance Plan and 2022/23 Annual Report of Parliamentary Budget Office were tabled in parliament.
The recommendations include that: vacancies be filled with speed; broadcasting of parliamentary proceedings be accessible to all South Africans, not just on paid TV channels; and MPs must go to communities and not just work behind computers.
The restoration and reconstruction of parliament was also a hot topic, with MPs sharing passionate views about the speed of rebuilding parliament.
Former president Thabo Mbeki says the Brics bloc of countries needs to properly define its main purpose. He was speaking to Russia Today in an exclusive interview on Monday. In August South Africa held the fifth Brics Summit and recently Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, the UAE and Argentina joined the bloc.
The Constitutional Court has ruled on Monday that independent candidates will need 1,000 signatures to partake in an election. The apex court gave a judgment on an application brought forward by One South Africa, challenging the number of signatures required to contest an election. According to the Electoral Amendment Act signed into law in 2023 after a ConCourt ruling of 2020 that independent candidates can contest elections, independents and political parties must garner 15% of the votes required to obtain a seat for the region they are contesting.Delivering two judgments by ConCourt, justice Jody Kollapen said chief justice Raymond Zondo's judgement.
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba says under his government the private sector will flourish to give South Africans success and upward mobility. He was speaking at the party's 2024 election campaign launch in Ga-Ramotse in Hammanskraal during the weekend.
Cyril Ramaphosa, Jacob Zuma, Julius Malema, Mmusi Maimane, Helen Zille and John Steenhuisen rank as the top politicians in the country, according to a recent polling.
The IRR says President Ramaphosa and EFF leader Malema are the only politicians doing well and who could grow their support even more.
According to the Institute of Race Relations’ survey, the ANC is polling at 46.5%, followed by the DA at 26.1%, EFF at 11.6% and IFP at 9.4%.
The ANC would resort to undemocratic means in an attempt to continue to govern if they were to lose the 2024 elections, the opinion poll suggested.
Many poll participants (28.8%) cited not trusting any political party as their reason for not voting. Fifteen percent said they cannot get to the voting station, another 15% found politics distasteful.
Political parties, trade unions and members of the public marched from the Johannesburg CBD to Constitution Hill on Wednesday in solidarity with the Palestinian people. The world marked International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian People on Wednesday amid Israel's war with Hamas.ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula told marchers Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested and the International Criminal Court should “do the right thing”.
The Institute of Race Relations’ (IRR) data suggests “all talk of racism and colonialism is by politicians trying to find excuses for their failures”.
About 67% of participants in a recent study voted in favour, saying politicians use racism and colonialism as a cover up for their failures.
Hermann Pretorius, the IRR's head of strategic communications, warned politicians not to use apartheid, racism and colonialism as political tools as voters are fed up.
President Cyril Ramaphosa recently blamed apartheid for the country’s lack of well-qualified engineers and town planners.
In September social development minister Lindiwe Zulu blamed apartheid for the fire in a Joburg CBD building.
Co-operative governance minister Thembi Nkadimeng has blamed apartheid spatial planning for government's service delivery failures.
Pretorius said the blame on apartheid by politicians is worrying.
The survey was conducted in a sample size of 604 people last month.
The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) says an accident that claimed the lives of 11 workers and left 75 others injured at Impala platinum mine in Rustenburg on Monday could have been avoided. Amcu president Joseph Mathunjwa said such a mechanical fault should have been addressed/avoided with regular maintenance.
Implats CEO Nico Muller and minister of mineral resources and energy Gwede Mantashe also addressed the media on what they knew so far and what formal processes needed to be followed going forward.
Minister of sports, arts and culture Zizi Kodwa has announced new awards for the creative industry. Kodwa was briefing the media on Tuesday.He says the awards ceremony will be held in towards the end of March or early April next year. Meanwhile, the minister has appointed an independent board for Netball South Africa and a new board for Boxing South Africa.
Energy analysts say we’re experiencing higher stages of load-shedding than what Eskom announces.
They cite municipalities adding more hours to Eskom schedules so that stage 6 may be a stage 8 when municipalities add their hours.
Chris Yelland, Lungile Maskele and Liziwe McDaid say the schedules don’t align with what is being implemented.
On ending load-shedding in December, Yelland says it’s unpredictable as breakdowns are unplanned and politicians are making empty promises before the elections.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula on Monday backtracked on his claim that load-shedding would end next month. A few months ago, on several occasions, Mbalula was adamant load-shedding would end by December.
In January, during the ANC’s 111th anniversary celebrations, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced five “urgent priorities to put citizens first”. These included eradicating corruption, ending load-shedding, expropriating land and building an inclusive economy.
Last week Eskom announced the implementation of stage 6 load-shedding, blaming depleted emergency reserves.
A scuffle ensued between a prison warder and some of the accused in the Senzo Meyiwa trial during a tea break at the Pretoria high court on Monday. It is alleged the scuffle began after some of the accused failed to follow instructions given by warder Vusi Jele, who instructed them to sit as they normally do during proceedings.Those involved included accused 3, 4 and 5, Mthobisi Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa and Fisokuhle Ntuli.
“President Cyril Ramaphosa is a sheep in the midst of wolves in the ANC, sometimes I wish to ruffle him up”, says ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula.
Mbalula believes his party leader is too much of a good person and said it sometimes frustrates him).
“He is a good and kindhearted person in the ANC. Sometimes I want to shake him up with a klap, but then I remember he is older than me.”
Patriotic Alliance leader Gayton McKenzie says under a PA government people will be forced to go into the army at the age of 18. He was speaking at the party's 10th birthday celebrations at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto at the weekend.
Black Friday buyers did not waste time on Friday as more than 160,000 transactions were made by 10am. At Woodmead Retail Park, queues were more than 2km long with people having arrived from 4.30am to get their hands on special offers. This is what people in the queues had to say.
Johannesburg Emergency Services (EMS) says its members have recovered the body of an unidentified woman at the Klip River.Media liaison Xolile Khumalo says the emergency services are uncertain whether it is one of the bodies of two young people who drowned in the river.
The committee investigating the conduct of EFF MPs who stormed the stage in parliament during the state of the nation address (Sona) in February wants the party members to apologise, be banned from parliament and not receive their salaries.
If the recommendations succeed, EFF leader Julius Malema, deputy leader Floyd Shivambu, secretary-general Marshall Dlamini, Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, Vuyani Pambo and spokesperson Sinawo Tambo will not get, at most, a month’s salary.
They stormed the stage earlier this year while President Cyril Ramaphosa was delivering the address.
Johannesburg Emergency Services (EMS) say residents must stay hydrated and avoid sitting, standing and playing in the sun.Gauteng is experiencing a heatwave, with temperatures predicted to reach a high of 32ºC on Wednesday.Joburg EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said residents should avoid direct sunlight between 11am and 3pm The South African Weather Services says the heatwave is expected to last until the end of this week with chances of thunderstorms on Thursday.
Stage 4 load-shedding was implemented at 2.31am on Wednesday until further notice. Eskom said this is due to insufficient emergency reserves and generation capacity as a result of four units not returning to service as planned.
The power utility said it will monitor the system and communicate should any significant changes occur.
ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina says Benjamin Netanyahu's Israel is not “the Israel of Jesus”. Majodina was speaking in the National Assembly on Tuesday where a motion calling for the South African government to “close” the Israeli embassy and suspend diplomatic relations with Israel was voted on. The motion was brought by the EFF in response to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Suspend EFF members who disrupted the state of the nation address (Sona) in February because they do not take it seriously, initiator Anton Katz SC told a parliamentary hearing. He suggested they be suspended from 6th of February 2024 to 16th February 2024.
The EFF members are leader Julius Malema, deputy leader Floyd Shivambu, secretary-general Marshall Dlamini, Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, Vuyani Pambo and spokesperson Sinawo Tambo.
Katz submitted they should be found guilty of violating National Assembly rules and should apologise to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The hearing started on Monday. The members and their legal counsel walked out of proceedings yesterday when the committee rejected their applications to appoint a judge to hear the proceedings and asked for these to be postponed to January next year.
The MPs were represented by advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi.
Margaret Arnolds from the African Independent Congress (AIC) was elected unopposed as the City of Johannesburg’s new speaker of council during an extraordinary sitting on Monday. The position became vacant after the axing of Colleen Makhubele, whose membership in COPE was terminated last week.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) says 78.31% of newly registered voters are between the ages of 16 to 29. The IEC confirmed 2.9-million voters were registered at the weekend. Chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo briefed media on Monday.
EFF leader Julius Malema, other EFF leadership and their legal counsel led by advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi walked out during parliamentary proceedings on Monday.
Some of the party's MPs are in hot water after storming the stage at the state of the nation address earlier this year while president Cyril Ramaphosa was speaking.
The affected members are Malema, EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu, secretary-general Marshall Dlamini, MPs Mbuyiseni Ndlozi and Vuyani Pambo and spokesperson Sinawo Tambo.
Charges include that they threatened Ramaphosa.
On Monday their legal representative advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi applied for the proceedings to be postponed to January and for the matter to be heard by a judge.
Malema did not take kindly when the committee rejected the applications. He told the committee “no white man will persecute the EFF”.
The hearing, which is meant to establish if the members breached the Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures Act, started in parliament on Monday and continues until Wednesday.
Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says research is not absolute because it considers a period or sample. Ntshavheni was addressing the media on post-cabinet meeting outcomes.Her statements follow a Harvard report on South Africa's economy suggesting that phasing out cadre deployment and unbundling Eskom could help improve state capacity.
The Institute of Race Relations (IRR) has proposed that Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) be scrapped and replaced by a non-racial growth strategy as a means of guaranteeing empowerment.
The institute said this will see investment flowing into the country.The BEE policy is meant to economically empower black people after the injustices of apartheid and colonialism, but the institute's Makone Maja said it is not serving its intended purpose.
KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo have recorded decreases in murder rates. Police minister Bheki Cele released the second quarter crime stats on Friday. There has been a 3.1% decline in murders nationally between July and September. There were 6,945 murders during this time, including 881 women and 293 children.
The South African Electoral Commission's (IEC) chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo says the commission is not expecting any interruptions during voter registration weekend. The IEC is holding its first registration drive for next year's national and provincial elections this weekend.There will be more than 2,000 voter registrations venues across the country.
Former City of Joburg speaker Colleen Makhubele says her axing from COPE was disingenuous, and blamed party president Mosiuoa Lekota for "lying" about her.
COPE terminated Makhubele's membership on Monday after she joined the South African Rainbow Alliance (Sara), an alliance of smaller parties who seek to jointly contest next year’s elections.
She said Lekota "blatantly lied" about her involvement and the party’s involvement in Sara, including his own.
Makhubele was speaking to ENCA reporter Thami Ngubeni on Wednesday.
If you don't register to vote you will lose your voice. That's according to Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo. He was speaking to Sunday Times politics reporter Kgothatso Madisa.
Department of correctional services commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale says the outbreak of diphtheria at Pollsmoor Correctional Centre in Cape Town is ‘ under control’. At least 342 inmates and 36 prison officials have been vaccinated after an outbreak claimed the life of one prisoner. Thobakgale was briefing the media on Monday.
Rise Mzansi has announced a merger with youth-led political party Move SA, which will work with it in contesting the 2024 provincial and national elections. A registered political party as of March, Move SA has elected not to register to contest on its own, but instead will contest under Rise Mzansi. The merger was announced on Monday by Rise Mzansi national chairperson Vuyiswa Ramokgopa alongside President of Move SA David Kabwa.
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba says the party's main focus in next year's general elections is to vote the ANC out of power. He was speaking with DA leader John Steenhusien and ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula at the Southern Africa Europe CEO dialogue at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg on Thursday.
EFF leader Julius Malema took on Kenyan President William Ruto on Thursday.
Malema spoke at the launch of the Pan African Institute in Kenya.
EFF leader Julius Malema says borders between African countries to be demolished. He was speaking at the launch of the Pan African Institute in Kenya on Thursday.
ANC Youth League (ANCYL) president Collen Malatji wants the government to pay unemployed graduates a monthly stipend of R4,500, even as the National Treasury has raised concerns about the government facing financial constraints caused by growing debt. Malatji made this call while speaking at the ANCYL's 79th anniversary in Kameelrivier Stadium in Mpumalanga on Sunday.
Dr Nandipha Magudumana has been denied bail by the Bloemfontein magistrate's court. Magistrate Estelle de Lange said Magudumana didn't satisfy the court that it was in the interests of justice for her to be granted bail or that bail conditions would stop her from evading trial.
Suspended public protector advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane says she is still the public protector. This is despite her plans to return to work on Tuesday not materialising. Mkhwebane was speaking to the media on Tuesday outside the public protector’s office in the company of her husband. According to Mkhwebane’s interpretation her suspension was only effective during the parliament inquiry.
Eskom's decision to slow down planned maintenance ahead of winter has come back to haunt it as the country was plunged back to higher levels of load-shedding over the past few days.
Briefing the media on Tuesday electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said the utility was forced to ramp up repairs or risk the faster deterioration of units.
When Noluthando Khumalo from Zimbabwe first arrived in the building known as Usindiso Shelter for Women and Children in 2016, she was fleeing domestic violence from the father of her two children.This building, which she has seen morph into a dilapidated, rundown structure, was on Thursday ravaged by a fire which left over 70 people dead, among them a dozen children.
Persuade Chimuke woke up to the news of a fire in a hijacked building in the Johannesburg CBD on Thursday morning. Over 70 people lost their lives in the tragedy. Chimuke lives in hijacked building along Greene Street next to the Maboneng precinct, he is a 21-year-old Zimbabwean national, working in South Africa. His room is demarcated by curtains from the six other people who live with him in the room. His room is the smallest among them all about 2.3 meters in size.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says there is nothing new about Ace Magashule’s political party.Magashule launched the African Congress for Transformation (ACT) on Wednesday in Soweto.Mbalula says Magashule’s party has nothing to offer.The ANC secretary-general was speaking at the National Union of Mineworkers executive committee meeting on Wednesday.
Former ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule has a new ace up his sleeve called the African Congress for Transformation. Magashule announced his new political party in Soweto on Wednesday.The party includes former Hawks boss Berning Ntlemza among other former ANC members.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says men need to end toxic masculinity and treat women with respect, recognition and equality. Ramaphosa was speaking at an engagement on the prevention and combating of gender-based violence and femicide that was part of the Presidential Young Men and Boys Indaba in Soweto.
Forensics pathologist Dr Johannes Steenekamp told the Pretoria high court on Tuesday that Senzo Meyiwa’s wound was consistent with a contact shot which suggested the gun was on his body when it was fired. Steenekamp, who conducted Meyiwa's postmortem, said the cause of death was consistent with a bullet wound in the chest involving the heart and lung. Five men are accused of murdering the soccer star in Vosloorus in October 2014.
Dr Nandipha Magudumana says she was forced to leave South Africa against her will by accused No 5, Thabo Bester.
This was revealed during her bail application at Bloemfontein magistrate's court on Tuesday.
EFF leader Julius Malema is not settling for anything below 50% in next year's elections.
The party commanded 10.80% in the 2019 national elections, an increase from 6.35% in 2014.
Malema said he is gearing up to represent South Africa as the government at the Brics summit next year and plans to raise issues such as joblessness in Russia.
Some parties have distanced themselves from forming coalitions with the EFF. The multiparty charter announced by DA leader John Steenhuisen, a conglomerate of seven political parties seeking to topple the governing ANC, has snubbed the EFF.
The ANC is also gearing up for an outright majority next year. It garnered 57.50% in the national elections in 2019. Its percentage of the vote has declined since 2009.
There’s no accident involved in the failure of embattled state institutions, says Thabo Mbeki.
The former president was speaking at Unisa, where he is the chancellor, about state of the country on Thursday.
He commented on state institutions such as Eskom, the police and Transnet
Mbeki said there are greedy and corrupt people who want to ensure the state fails.
Nothing new will come out of the multiparty charter, says former president Thabo Mbeki.
Parties including the DA, IFP, FF+, ActionSA, Spectrum National Party, United Independent Movement and Independent South African National Civic Organisation seek to topple the governing ANC in next year's elections. They plan to work together to govern and have snubbed the ANC and EFF.
Mbeki says the parties have every right to oppose the ANC, but have no solutions to turn around the economy.
Former president Thabo Mbeki says he does not understand why EFF leader Julius Malema recently chanted “Kill the Boer”. He says the song is part of history but irrelevant.
Several people, including some outside the country, were up in arms last month after Malema chanted the song at his party’s 10th anniversary celebration.
EFF MP Omphile Maotwe interrogated acting public protector Kholeka Gcaleka on her report on the robbery at President Cyril Ramaphosa's Phala Phala game farm.
In July she cleared Ramaphosa of any wrongdoing in her final report regarding the theft of cash in foreign currency from his farm in Limpopo.
Gcaleka is one of eight candidates vying for the public protector position.
Thursday was the last day of the interviews. The ad hoc committee interviewed four shortlisted candidates on Wednesday and another four on Thursday.
The committee expects to deliberate on the interviews next week and submit its report to the National Assembly by the end of the month.
Section 194 committee chair Qubudile Dyantyi says the National Assembly must act with speed to vote on suspended public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s removal.
The committee concluded in its final report to the National Assembly on Tuesday that Mkhwebane must be removed. The onus is now on the full parliamentary house to vote on the document whether Mkhwebane must be removed.
Advocate Mkhwebane’s seven-year term as public protector ends on October 14. Dyantyi told the media the National Assembly must vote on the document with speed before the end of Mkhwebane’s term in office.
She was suspended last year by president Cyril Ramaphosa after he called her integrity into question.
Busisiwe Mkhwebane has been charged with misconduct by a section 194 parliamentary committee.
Mkhwebane was suspended as public protector after President Cyril Ramaphosa called her integrity into question last year.
The committee adopted a final report to impeach Mkhwebane which they will forward to the National Assembly. Her term in office ends on October 14.
The EFF and ATM rejected the report and said they would take it on review.
Chinese president Xi Jinping says China will donate R170 million in emergency power equipment and has made available R500 million to assist South Africa with the energy crisis.
The Chinese president was speaking at the union buildings on Tuesday amid his state visit.
Audio recordings of presentations by nine bidders vying for multi-million-rand student allowance payment contracts with the NSFAS reveal that CEO Andile Nongogo attended and participated in them.
This is despite Nsfas insisting to the Sunday Times last week that the process was independent, with Nongogo playing no part in deciding who was evaluated and having “no hand” in awarding the contract.
Leaked recordings of the nine meetings held in May by Nsfas’s bid evaluation committee (BEC) reveal that Nongogo – who was this week put on special leave - was invited by the BEC to the meetings as an observer.
The multiparty charter for South Africa has found common ground and agreed on three key agreements that will govern their pre-election coalition pact, according to convention chairperson Prof William Gumede.
One of the key agreements outlined by Gumede was the parties' power-sharing agreement, which includes principles on how duties and positions will be allocated. Gumede was addressing media during day 2 of the of the multiparty convention in Kempton Park on Thursday.
The Tshetsha family was told their son hanged himself at a juvenile prison, but days later they made discoveries that made them suspect foul play.
The seven opposition political parties of the Multiparty Charter for South Africa have extended an invite to join their coalition pact ahead of the 2024 national elections.According to convention chair Prof William Gumede, they encouraged parties who align with their principles to join. Adding they will be judged objectively.
The pact by opposition political parties including the DA, IFP, FF Plus, ActionSA, United Independent Movement, Spectrum National Party and Isanco, intended to unseat the ANC in the 2024 elections, which was informally known as the “moonshot pact”, has now officially been named the Multiparty Charter for South Africa. This was announced by independent chair Prof William Gumede during their multiparty convention in Kempton Park, Gauteng, on Wednesday.
Leaders of the DA, IFP, FF Plus, ActionSA, United Independent Movement (UIM), Spectrum National Party (SNP) and Independent South African National Civic Organisation (Isanco), have committed to putting their differences aside as day 1 of the multiparty national convention kicks off.
Defence attorney for accused No 5 in the murder trial of soccer player Senzo Meyiwa, advocate Zandile Mshololo, told witness Sgt Mlungisi Patrick Mthethwa that he and his colleagues failed to secure the crime scene where Meyiwa was shot in October 2014. Mthethwa, who was a junior constable at the time, was one of the first officers to arrive at the scene in Vosloorus, the Pretoria high court heard on Tuesday.
DA leader John Steenhuisen says the multiparty pact is set to rescue South Africa from the ANC and EFF.
He first announced the multiparty pact in April at the DA’s federal congress where he declared the EFF the party's number one enemy.
Steenhuisen said the multiparty grouping “will meet at the same venue where Codesa negotiations successfully mapped a way forward for our country at a time of great crisis” and said this week is a time to do so again.
The multiparty will hold a national convention in Kempton Park on Wednesday and Thursday.
You may not have water but you have a tap in your yard delivered by the ANC, says party secretary-general Fikile Mbalula.
Mbalula hailed the ANC for service delivery progress since taking control of the country.
He detailed what the party has delivered, including RDP houses, school nutrition and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme.
Mbalula said comrades must not focus on critics.
“It's very easy to be opposition. You form a political party and say what you like, but it's difficult to be government”
Mbalula was speaking at the funeral of Thabo Mabasa, secretary-general of Fezile Dabi region in the Free State.
Legal experts shared their reaction to the news, with one saying there was nothing unusual about the decision, though it was open to speculation that it was done to benefit the former president. Lawyer Julian Knight said there was “no proof the remission was given to benefit” Zuma and his inclusion in the list of offenders to be released was because he qualified for release due to the category of his offence.
Executive mayor of Cape Town Geordin Hill-Lewis, Western Cape premier Alan Winde and representatives of the SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) in the Western Cape, briefed the media on Friday morning on the resolution of the minibus taxi strike.
Hill-Lewis says the extension of negotiations with Santaco were unnecessary as the final proposal is identical to that which was drafted earlier. However, he says the resolution comes is a “relief”.
Santaco announced the end of its stayaway on Thursday night, a week after it withdrew all minibus taxis in the province.
he department of correctional services has confirmed former president Jacob Zuma reported to Estcourt prison on Friday and a “remission process has been effected”.
Correctional services commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale revealed this decision in a press briefing held with justice and correctional services minister Ronald Lamola.
The man acquitted of the murder of Bokgabo Poo has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a nine-year-old girl in Wattville, Benoni, in 2021.
Ntokozo Zikhali, 31, was acquitted last week of the kidnap, rape, murder and mutilation of Bokgabo, 4, in October last year when he was out on bail in the rape case.
Blockaded roads, vehicles stoned and burnt and threats. This is what Cape Town residents have been subjected to in the past few days during the taxi strike.
This type of violence has become a norm in protests, particularly when the taxi industry is unhappy and pulls its vehicles off the road. And when other parties don't follow suit they face the music.
Violence prevention expert Gareth Newham said very few people involved in violence in the taxi industry are arrested and prosecuted.
In the Western Cape, the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) embarked on a strike last Thursday over Cape Town’s bylaw which allows city officials to impound vehicles instead of fining drivers when they have disregarded road rules such as indicating or overloading.
Violence has since erupted in the province, with stones thrown at vehicles on roads and vehicles burnt. Santaco distanced itself from the violence and called on law enforcement to find the perpetrators.
Protesting with valid reasons or not, it has become a pattern that strikes involving taxi drivers tend to turn to violence.
Newham analysed why this happens and what could be done about it.
Transport minister Sindisiwe Chikunga says the City of Cape Town has “overreached” and “extended” legislation that already exists by adding a sanction that does not exist in the legislation on the taxi industry. Chikunga said the two acts, namely the National Land Transport Act and National Road Transport Act, are being implemented and executed incorrectly.The minister was addressing the media in Midrand on Tuesday on government’s interventions in the taxi strike called by Santaco in the Western Cape.
Police investigations will provide clarity on the circumstances around the death of 15-year-old Brian Ndlovu, a Queens High School pupil, the Gauteng education department said on Monday. According to his family, the grade 9 pupil died hours after allegedly being forced to consume a poisonous substance at school. Education MEC Matome Chiloane told media a preliminary report indicated no reports of bullying.
The South African Police Service has advertised 10,000 entry level police trainee positions for the 2024/2025 intake.
Successful candidates will be employed on contract and will have to prevent, combat and investigate crime, maintain public order, protect and secure the inhabitants of the Republic and their property and uphold and enforce the law.
They will go through three phases of training including;
Induction phase — one month at a designated police station while receiving a monthly stipend of R4500.
Basic training phase — eight months at a designated SAPS academy with a R4500 monthly stipend.
* Probation phase — trainee appointed as a member of the service undergoing the workplace exposure programme (12 months) receiving R216,033 salary per annum.
Amid a taxi strike, the City of Cape Town’s JP Smith says they won’t submit to a call by Santaco to halt vehicle impoundments.
The city has decided to impound vehicles of motorists who disregard road rules such as overloading and failing to stop when instructed to by a traffic officer, rather than issue fines.
Santaco in the Western Cape embarked on a strike on Thursday after a meeting with the city calling for the relevant bylaw to be reversed. The umbrella taxi association has vowed to protest until next Wednesday.
The City of Cape Town and Santaco will have another meeting on Monday.
The City of Cape Town and Santaco speak on the violence amid a taxi industry protest and the city lays out its plans to ensure the safety of commuters.
Santaco says the violence is unfortunate and it won’t take responsibility for it, but says law enforcement authorities must tighten their efforts.
The tensions between the city and Santaco are over a bylaw that allows officials to impound vehicles of motorists disobeying road rules instead of fining them.
Cape Town MMC responsible for safety and security JP Smith says the strike is pure economic sabotage and the taxi industry should be held financially responsible for the violence.
Commuters have been stranded since Thursday and violence has erupted on some of the province's roads. Smith said they are escorting vehicles to keep commuters safe.
Investigations into the CBD gas explosion in Lilian Ngoyi (formerly Bree) Street last month have confirmed that methane gas caused the blast. On Wednesday, Johannesburg city manager Floyd Brink said the report ruled out foul play, terrorist or illegal mining activities as possible causes.
EFF leader Julius Malema was in his element when he harshly attacked his critics for chanting “Kill the Boer, kill the farmer”.
DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille and Twitter (or X) CEO Elon Musk bore the brunt of Malema’s criticism.
Malema led the song “Dubul’ ibhunu” during the EFF's 10th birthday celebrations at the weekend. He was widely criticised, while others defended him.
Some said Malema is encouraging killings of white farmers, but he responded that the EFF had won its case in the Gauteng high court, which ruled the chant is a figure of speech referring to the system.
Police minister Bheki Cele has told the community of Riverlea to hold him accountable if they don’t see any change in the area. The minister visited the area on Monday after protests erupted after the discovery of several bodies related to alleged rivalry between zama zama groups.
Residents of Riverlea, west of Johannesburg, say illegal miners are terrorising the community. Protests erupted on Monday, a day after five bodies suspected to be zamas zamas were discovered by police. According to police, the killings are linked to two rival groups of illegal miners. The five men were shot dead.
The parliamentary committee that was to make recommendations on whether to impeach suspended public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has voted that she acted with misconduct and incompetence.
A constitutional law expert explains what it means.
University of Cape Town (UCT) Prof Pierre de Vos explains the powers of the committee, what the decision means and what Mkhwebane’s options are.
Protest action has erupted in Riverlea, Johannesburg a day after the bodies of suspected illegal foreign miners were discovered in the area. Five men sustained fatal gunshot wounds, with police linking it to a shootout between two rival groups of illegal miners. Riverlea councillor Theo Doyle says the area.
While criticising ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, a prominent Zimbabwean scholar said South Africa needs a more informed leadership and governing party.
Prof Ibbo Mandaza said he is eager to tell Mbalula to his face that he is stupid and shortsighted
Mandaza said it is ignorant to praise Zimbabwe's governing political party Zanu-PF and it reflects badly on South Africa.
Mandaza said there can be no solutions to Zimbabwe's crisis without South Africa. He said South African leaders must be more informed about Zimbabwe.
One of the numbers linked to singer Kelly Khumalo twice received calls from a phone linked to accused number five, Fisokuhle Ntuli, in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, Col Lambertus Steyn, an analyst and investigating officer from the SAPS National Cold Case Unit, told the Pretoria high court on Thursday.
Defence in the Senzo Meyiwa case argued that there were no intruders that entered the house but Meyiwa was killed by those who were with him.
Zandile Khumalo is the first witness in the rebooted trial. She denied defence advocate Zandile Mshololo and Zithulele Nxumalo’s claims and asked that it “be proven” if they had killed the former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper.
Khumalo has concluded being cross-examined and a neighbour is giving evidence.
Busisiwe Mkhwebane held a media briefing on Tuesday on issues relating to her section 194 impeachment inquiry.
Mkhwebane said she lived by God’s grace as she has received threats.
The suspended public protector’s term in office ends on October 14. Parliament is searching for a new public protector. Deputy public protector Kholeka Gcaleka has received the most nominations for the position.
Mkhwebane's husband David Skosana, who came into the spotlight after bribe-soliciting allegations, slammed ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula. Skosana said Mbalula must face him and leave Mkhwebane alone.
Skosana alleged the late Tina Joemat-Pettersson, ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina and committee chair Richard Qubudile Dyantyi tried to solicit a bribe from him.
Electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says load-shedding is unacceptable and he is disappointed it reached stage 6 last week but hopes it won’t happen again.Eskom implemented load-shedding stage 6 late last week after increased demand and generation units being on repair. Ramokgopa said they would do everything possible to avoid going higher than stage 4. However, the grid remained vulnerable, he said. During the ANC's January 8 statement, President Cyril Ramaphosa said load-shedding would be ended by December as part of “putting citizens’ interest first”. Ramokgopa said it could end even earlier than anticipated.
The Sunday Times is in possession of two WhatsApp voice recordings that cast a stark light on truck burnings that struck the country this week, described by police minister Bheki Cele as “economic sabotage”.
The truck burner caught on video was one of three people arrested this week, but the voice recordings suggest he has more to fear from his fellow gang members than from the police.
Truck attacks are organised to sabotage the state, but it has a capable security cluster, says Bheki Cele.
The police minister said 12 persons of interest have been identified regarding the attacks.
Deputy president Paul Mashatile told TimesLIVE's sister publication SowetanLIVE that the state security agency knows who is behind the torching of trucks, with Cele confirming this.
In an interview with TimesLIVE, Deputy President Paul Mashatile says he has concluded there is no plan to oust him from office after his meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday. This follows his claims that unnamed people were plotting to remove him from office by August. Mashatile says the ‘faceless people’ should be forgotten.
The chair of the parliamentary inquiry into suspended public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane's fitness to hold office insists the committee will conclude its work and report by July 28 or earlier.
Qubudile Richard Dyantyi says deadlines set won’t be prolonged any further and that Mkhwebane has done herself a disservice by “demonstrating a ‘I don’t care’ attitude”.
Mkhwebane missed last week Friday’s deadline to respond to written questions posed by the committee members and evidence leaders.
Her term in office ends on October 14 and applications and nominations for a candidate to serve a non-renewable seven-year term closed on Friday.
Speaking on behalf of the Meyiwa family, AfriForum’s advocate Gerrie Nel says they are devastated that the murder trial of the soccer star, who died in October 2014, will have to restart. TimesLIVE also spoke to Meyiwa's brother Sifiso, who says the case is now in the right hands. The trial, which is set to resume in July, will start de novo (from scratch) due to the appointment of a new judge. Retired judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng is being tipped to take over from judge Tshifhiwa Maumela.
Julius Malema says he will not join the “moonshoot pact” that seeks to unseat the ANC in the 2024 elections. The EFF leader said he did not know why his party was excluded from the “pact”, but alluded to it being because of the EFF's unwillingness to be controlled by white monopoly capital.
More than half a billion rand is paid out to victims of this kind of misbehaviour, and there is no plan to ensure police adhere to rules, says crime expert Gareth Newham.
Newham adds that accountability systems in the police are incredibly weak and deteriorating year on year, costing large amounts from the police budget to compensate for police misconduct. He says there is no clear plan presented in parliament or elsewhere to demonstrate how top police leadership will address this.
A video of Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s armed protectors surfaced on Monday showing the VIP security detail assaulting helpless civilians in broad daylight on a public road.
“Criminals are able to buy their way into the police,” says Newham as he traces back to the root of the crisis. The president is the only person who can ensure the police leadership crisis is resolved, he adds.
The incident angered some people on online public platforms. Newham says the public should not just be happy with action taken against these specific officials, whose behaviour is part of the culture in VIP protection services, but there needs to be stronger action. “Top management of VIP services do nothing to stop the behaviour.”
Newham is head of the Justice and Violence Prevention Programme at the Institute for Security Studies.
Consumer expert Wendy Knowler chats about how to handle debt collectors, as you may be paying for debts that you shouldn’t.
She explained the law that protects consumers from paying unnecessarily, but says not all old debts can be written off. Knowler explained some of the implications of all of this. She advocates for consumers to settle their debts that they are liable to pay but explains the ones they are not liable to.
Newly elected ANC Youth League members addressed their first media briefing on Monday after the league's 26th national conference at Nasrec in Johannesburg at the weekend, where its new national leadership was elected after eight years without an official national structure. Among the issues were youth representation in parliament and provincial legislatures and the league's influence in the ANC's policy-making processes.
ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa says the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) is responsible for the mobilisation of a “decisive victory” for the party in next year’s general elections. Ramaphosa was speaking at the ANCYL's 26th National Conference at Nasrec Expo Centre Johannesburg at the weekend, where the league elected its national leadership after eight years without an official national structure.
The City of Johannesburg mayor, Kabelo Gwamanda, said the living conditions in Diepkloof hostel were disheartening.
The mayor visited the hostel on Wednesday morning and assured residents that the municipality will address their service delivery issues.
The case against three G4S employees linked to the Thabo Bester matter has been postponed to next week in the Bloemfontein magistrate's court.
Twelve people have been arrested so far in connection with Bester's escape from prison in May last year.
Former ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule said he was expelled from the ANC long before his dismissal was announced. He alleged billionaire businessman Johann Rupert ordered party president Cyril Ramaphosa to expel him. Magashule was speaking to Newzroom Afrika on Monday night. He also spoke about his political future, saying he was in talks with leaders from political parties including the EFF, UDM and Patriotic Alliance.
OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush said he broke rules when he created the Titan, saying, “You're remembered for the rules you break”.
Rescuers spent days searching for the vessel, carrying five people, including Stockton, to the Titanic wreck at the bottom of the ocean.
On Thursday, OceanGate told US television channel CNN that those on board had died.
Chief justice Raymond Zondo has proposed solutions to prevent another state capture situation such as that by the Gupta family, one being the establishment of a standing anti-state capture and corruption commission. Zondo says the National Assembly and parliament failed to take steps to expose the Guptas' state capture because the ANC refused to agree to the establishment of an inquiry to investigate the allegations.
After they were attacked and their businesses vandalised by Tshwane residents on Monday, TimesLIVE on Tuesday visited Marabastad, a business area near the Pretoria city centre, to speak to immigrants who run businesses there. The vendors said they moved to South Africa for betters lives and they are not here to take money or jobs from South Africans. Residents, however, complain they are here illegally and do not pay tax.
Why was former president Nelson Mandela not called a flip-flopper, EFF leader Julius Malema wants to know.
Malema believes if he is considered a flip-flopper, then so should Mandela — for “fitting the narrative of the white establishment” and making FW de Klerk his deputy.
In an interview on the Sunday Times Politics Weekly podcast released on Sunday, Malema said there are no permanent enemies in politics and former president Jacob Zuma has never been his enemy.
“I must treat Zuma different from how Mandela treated the enemy?” Malema asked.
He was also asked about embracing the RET faction after Mzwanele Manyi recently joined the red berets and Malema confirmed he’s in talks with expelled former ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule.
In an interview with Sunday Times political editor Sibongakonke Shoba, EFF leader Julius Malema revealed expelled ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule might be joining the party. Without revealing too much, Malema said discussions with Magashule were at an "advanced stage".
During her release of audio “evidence” alleging a solicited bribe, suspended public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane laid down demands which include an immediate halt to the inquiry into her fitness to hold office.
Mkhwebane called on “all freedom loving South Africans to rise in one voice” and support her demands, saying the inquiry is a deliberate waste of taxpayers' money and President Cyril Ramaphosa has abused his power.
Mkhwebane also demanded that deputy public protector Kholeka Gcaleka must release the report about the theft at Ramaphosa's Phala Phala farm.
She made five demands before playing audio clips allegedly recorded by her husband David Skosana in conversation with late minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson, who she alleges tried to solicit a R600,000 bribe from her husband to make the inquiry “go away”.
Mkhwebane was suspended last year.
Suspended public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane released audio recording evidence allegedly implicating section 194 committee chair Richard Dyantyi, ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina and late former cabinet minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson.
The three ANC MPs are accused of trying to solicit a R600,000 bribe to make the inquiry into Mkhwebane's fitness to hold office “go away”, which would be equally shared between them.
The ANC’s expulsion of former secretary-general Ace Magashule on Monday is an indication the party has "gone off the rails", says former Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association spokesperson and expelled ANC member Carl Niehaus. He says Magashule's expulsion is a witch hunt and indicative of what happens to those whose views don't align with those of party president Cyril Ramaphosa.
The Council for Geoscience (CGS), which monitors seismic activities, says not all earthquakes have aftershocks, but they could occur in the next few days to weeks after the recent Gauteng quake.
In the early hours on Sunday, at about 2.38am, Johannesburg residents were shaken by a 4.4-magnitude earthquake.
Willem Meintjes, acting executive manager at the CGS, answered questions about the recent earthquake and more seismic activities to come. Meintjes is acting manager at the council’s scientific portfolio integrated geoscience development division. He said the council is studying the recent earthquake.
Such earth movements are common in KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape, he added.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has apologised to the community of Hammanskraal for the government's failure to provide clean water. Ramaphosa visited the area, north of Pretoria, on Thursday after a cholera outbreak in the area claimed 23 lives. Speaking to residents, Ramaphosa says they are sorry it took deaths for them to provide a basic human right and address longstanding water concerns in the area.
Busisiwe Mkhwebane says she will prove claims "implicating" chairperson Richard Dyantyi, Pemmy Majodina and the late Tina Joemat-Pettersson of soliciting a bribe to make her inquiry go away are not hearsay when she presents audio recordings.
The suspended public protector asked section 194 chairperson Dyantyi to recuse himself. Mkhwebane’s husband David Skosana opened a criminal case of extortion against the three MPs, saying they wanted bribe of R600,000 to make the inquiry into her fitness to hold office disappear
Dyantyi asked Mkhwebane to stop speaking on the issue, saying the section 194 committee is not the platform to deal with the matter.
Johannesburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda delivered his maiden state of the city address on Tuesday. During the much anticipated address, Gwamanda addressed a number of issues facing the city, including the city's finances, the energy crisis, crime and youth unemployment.
The ANC has played the role of a “Father Christmas” government which provides free services but citizens blame the party for everything, forgetting their responsibilities, says ANC SG Fikile Mbalula.
Responding to Sunday Times journalist Kgothatso Madisa on the Sunday Times Politics Weekly podcast on the prospects of next year’s elections, Mbalula said they know what to do to not drop below 50%, but the party’s achilles heel is governance.
It has become the norm to apportion the blame in every service delivery failure, mismanagement and maladministration to ANC, he said. However, “We are not in total control.”
The restoration and upgrade of the Hammanskraal water supply system is estimated to cost approximately R4bn, according to the department of water and sanitation. The City of Tswhane and the department have agreed to jointly fund the project, which is set to begin this year in a phased approach.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has again appealed to businesses to provide youth with experience and skills.
Speaking in parliament on Thursday, he pleaded with the private sector to help better the lives of South Africans. He emphasised co-operation with stakeholders such as businesses and civil society.
The unemployment rate is 32.9% for the first quarter of this year, up from 32.7% from the last quarter of 2022.
Dr Nandipha Magudumana says she should have been informed of her deportation from Tanzania and given time before being arrested. The matter is before the Free State High Court in Bloemfontein, where the home affairs department recently joined in to challenge Magudumana's abduction claims. She wants the charges against her dropped.She was arrested in April in Tanzania with convicted murderer and rapist Thabo Bester. She is accused of helping Bester escape from Mangaung prison.
Health minister Dr Joe Phaahla briefed media on Wednesday on the cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal, Tshwane, which has left at least 23 people dead.His department is still trying to determine the source of the outbreak. Phaahla said even baptism can put one at risk of cholera.
Police minister Bheki Cele delivered the quarterly crime stats for January to March 2023. Although there was a reduction in crimes such as sexual assault and robbery, murders continued to rise countrywide.
Nandipha Magudumana's urgent application to the high court in Bloemfontein, which seeks to declare her arrest and detention wrongful and unlawful, has been postponed to June 1 to allow the department of home affairs time to file opposing papers.
Magudumana was arrested in April in Tanzania with her boyfriend Thabo Bester, a convicted rapist and murderer who escaped from prison. She has been in custody since.
Minister of home affairs Aaron Motsoaledi on Monday said his department wanted to join proceedings as an interested party.
The author of Herman Mashaba’s book, Prince Mashele, says he was never paid but received a loan from Mashaba.
Mashele, a political analyst and author, has been giving media interviews, including on eNCA and Radio 702.
He made headlines after the Sunday Times reported Mashaba funded the book The Outsider: The unauthorised biography of Herman Mashaba.
Jonathan Ball Publishers removed the book from the shelves.
The department of health has warned South Africans to remain on alert amid a cholera outbreak. On May 22 the total number of confirmed cases was 51. The department has adopted a multisector response approach, which includes the National Institute for Communicable Diseases and department of water and sanitation.
Electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa visited Kusile power station on Monday to receive a status report on the measures taken to bring back the four units at Kusile by December 2023. According to Ramokgopa, they are on track to restore units at the power station, which he says is “critical” to the grid. However he says load shedding cant be stopped by the end of the year despite working hard to resolve the crisis.
Much anticipated witness in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial Zandile Khumalo broke down during her testimony on Thursday. Giving evidence led by prosecutor George Baloyi, Khumalo pointed out accused number 2, Bongani Ntanzi, as one of the intruders inside the house in Vosloorus in October 2014.
The prosecutor in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, George Baloyi, told the Pretoria high court on Wednesday next witness feared a social media “onslaught” if she testified live on camera. According to attorney representing electronic media Dan Rosengarten, the state made generalised points that she fears for her life. He said the application for a ban on the live broadcast was a publicity stunt.
Expect higher stages of load-shedding this winter, but the possibility of a grid collapse is low, say energy experts.
Higher load-shedding stages do not mean things are deteriorating, says energy economist Lungile Mashele. She adds that Eskom will experience a difficult time, but a complete blackout will not happen.
This amid speculation, including from EFF leader Julius Malema, that such an occurrence is likely and will leave the country without power for two weeks to a month.
Liziwe McDaid, strategic lead at The Green Connection, says there will be more demand on the grid and South Africans should not be naive. They should prepare for days with just a few hours of electricity, but there won't be a total collapse.
Energy expert Chris Yelland says the chance of a complete blackout, though possible, is low, and Malema's comments earlier this week that the country will experience a blackout for up to a month are untrue.
Thabo Bester’s legal team asked the court to verify if the man who appeared virtually in court on Tuesday is Bester.
The request was made by incoming legal counsel after Bester’s previous counsel officially withdrew from representing him.
The convicted murderer and rapist appeared virtually in the Bloemfontein magistrate's court from Kgosi Mampuru Prison.
He escaped from the Mangaung Correctional Centre after allegedly faking his own death in a prison cell in May 2022.
The case was postponed to June 20, the same day his partner Dr Nandipha Magudumana will appear again.
There won’t be fridges to keep the dead, says EFF leader Julius Malema on predicted stage 10 load-shedding, calling for former CEOs Brian Molefe and Matshela Koko to return to “rescue” Eskom.
Malema said SA is heading for a disaster worse than Covid-19 as stage 10 load-shedding will last for three days and up to a month.He slammed the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture as “useless”.
The commission recommended Molefe face criminal prosecution for fraud and contravening the Public Finance Management Act over irregular contracts with The New Age publication.
Koko also faces corruption charges related to Eskom.
Malema called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to step down to “avoid insurrection”.
The next state witness in the Senzo Meyiwa trial objects to her testimony being broadcast live and has requested that no sound or visual of her be taken. The media has contested the application.
President Cyril Ramaphosa appeared before the National Assembly on Thursday to answer questions from MPs on government's work amid myriad socioeconomic issues, including the energy crisis.
A political party must be run and operated by the people it represents and the EFF’s birthday celebration donations is an opportunity to do that, says the EFF.
The party is asking for donations, including livestock, and is selling gala dinner tickets before its 10th anniversary celebrations. EFF spokesperson Leigh-Ann Mathys said ticket sales are going well and anniversary preparations are on track.
She said the EFF does not have financial problems and donations to parties are not new, adding there’s never enough money for a political party.
Mthokozisi Thwala, soccer star Senzo Meyiwa's friend, told the Pretoria high court on Wednesday he could not describe the scuffle that took place in the Vosloorus home where Meyiwa was killed in October 2014.
A suspended care worker at Kennersley Park says she was told she’d infect patients with HIV if she continued working at the East London old age home where they are called “stupid blacks”.
Nomthandazo Mateane said she has been suspended indefinitely by the facility’s nursing services manager, René Wienekus. Wienekus, however, said the employee was suspended by Charisma Healthcare Solutions, an agency which provides nurses to the facility. When contacted the agency said: “Charisma does not discriminate against any people due to their medical or other status with respect to any terms or conditions of their employment.” It said there is an investigation under way into the matter and was unable to provide further details until it is concluded. It said necessary protocols guided by labour legislation were followed.
Mateane had shared her story on local news channel BCM tv-Buffalo City Metro Television.
One other worker echoed Mateane’s claims that the staff were called “stupid blacks” at Kennersley Park.
The matters are before the CCMA. The Human Rights Commission had not given details on their investigation by the time of publication, and this article will be updated once SAHRC gives comment.
On his third day on the stand, Senzo Meyiwa's friend Mthokozisi Twala told the Pretoria high court he refused to participate in or accept payment from Netflix to feature in its documentary on the soccer star. Reference to Meyiwa, which aired in April 2022, has been made throughout the trial.
Mthokozisi Twala, a friend of Senzo Meyiwa, told the Pretoria high court on Wednesday he was beaten by unknown men, with police officers' knowledge, in a bid to get him to confess to the soccer star's murder.According to Twala, he was taken to Johannesburg from his home in Umlazi, Durban, under the guise of participating in an ID parade. Instead, he was allegedly tied up and assaulted throughout the night.
The fourth state witness in the murder trial of soccer star Senzo Meyiwa took to the stand in the Pretoria high court on Tuesday.
Mthokozisi Twala, who was inside the house when Meyiwa was killed in October 2014, became friends with Meyiwa through his wife Mandisa Mkhize.
Twala told the court he was reluctant to visit the home that belonged to the mother of Meyiwa's then-girlfriend Kelly Khumalo that fateful night.
Thapelo Amad stepped down as Johannesburg mayor on the eve of council debating a motion of no confidence against him set for Tuesday. His resignation was announced by Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi on Monday night. According to Lesufi, Amad was not running from the matter.
DISCLAIMER: Please be advised that some of the content in this story contains graphic details and may be offensive to younger audiences.
Child sex ring kingpin Gerhard Ackerman was found guilty on more than 700 charges including the sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of young boys by the Johannesburg high court on Monday. The 52-year-old ran a child sex ring disguised as a massage parlour in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg. Co-accused and client at the parlour, advocate Paul Kennedy, committed suicide last year after his arrest.
The Sunday Times is in possession of leaked audio of a meeting between higher education minister Blade Nzimande and some junior and senior staff members, including the department’s director-general Nkosinathi Sishi, deputy director Lucky Masuku and spokesperson Ismael Mnisi. Nzimande is furious with his communications team for not covering him at important events.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says the International Criminal Court's (ICC’s) arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin is under consideration and the South African delegation didn’t discuss Phala Phala with Namibian President Hage Geingob.
South Africa, as the host of this year’s Brics summit in August, had invited Russian President Putin as head of a fellow Brics member state. SA, however, is under pressure to arrest Putin over alleged atrocities in the Ukraine war after the warrant issued by the ICC.
Last month international relations minister Naledi Pandor said Russia is an old friend that supported the fight against apartheid.
South Africa has remained neutral in the war but is now between a rock and a hard place as it’s obliged to arrest Putin.
Namibian President Geingob acknowledged that the Ukraine conflict should be stopped but said outsiders can only facilitate in the Ukraine situation. Ramaphosa hosted Geingob on a state visit on Thursday to discuss diplomatic and trade relations.
The two presidents were accused plotting a cover-up regarding the theft of foreign currency at Ramaphosa’s Limpopo farm. However, they did not discuss the elephant in the room, Phala Phala, according to Ramaphosa.
Parliament's oversight committee hearing into the circumstances surrounding murderer and rapist Thabo Bester's escape saw a fiery exchange between private security company G4S and DA shadow minister of justice Glynnis Breytenbach on Monday. Parliament heard about the circumstances surrounding Bester's escape, including cameras being switched off ahead of the incident, and the involvement of prison officials.
EFF leader Julius Malema says they will not allow people to be killed on the basis of their identity. Malema was speaking during a picket at Uganda’s high commission in Pretoria on Tuesday against the passing of the Anti Homosexuality Bill signed by Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni. The bill, which was approved last week by Ugandan MPs, recommends heavy sentences including the death penalty, for homosexuality.
The EFF delivered a memorandum to the Ugandan government, which was signed and received on behalf of the high commissioner, who is said to be out of the country.
In June 2011 then 17-year-old Westville Girls High School pupil Anastasia Jennifer Lite was almost became a victim of “Facebook rapist,” Thabo Bester when she agreed to meet with him at a hotel in Durban for an interview.
Lite, who currently resides in the United Kingdom where she is studying towards her MBA in Finance at the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford, told TimesLIVE Bester had been in contact with her via Facebook on June 23, 2011.
Chief justice Raymond Zondo will be conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree by Rhodes University next week.
EFF leader Julius Malema held a media briefing on Thursday where he reacted to the arrest warrant issued for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is expected to visit SA in August to attend a Brics summit. Malema also addressed the party's national shutdown held on Monday, which many have called a failure despite the EFF declaring it a success.
EFF spokesperson Sinawo Tambo says they are proud of young people's participation in the national shutdown thus far. He says the youth have always been at the forefront of change in South Africa. Tambo was speaking to the media in Pretoria on Monday during the party's planned nationwide shutdown. The EFF is calling for President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign and an end to load-shedding.
Leader of the Soweto Parliament Nhlanhla “Lux” Dlamini says he won’t tolerate “nonsense” as he counteracts the EFF’s national shutdown.
From the early hours on Monday Dlamini was on the streets in Soweto to “protect” the area during EFF leader Julius Malema’s “revolution”.
He claimed several bottle stores were bombed in the area. He said his home was bombed and he accused the EFF of wanting to kill his family.
Just a week after his marriage, deputy president Paul Mashatile is at the centre of a drama allegedly involving an ex-girlfriend who is now being investigated by the police.
A representative opened a criminal complaint on Mashatile's behalf against the woman, alleging she wanted to kill the deputy president. The woman approached his wedding venue last week, getting as far as the gate, to confront Mashatile.
Full story in the Sunday Times.
EFF leader Julius Malema says protesters must fight fire with fire on Monday.
Malema is not fazed by opponents condemning the planned shutdown.
Lungile Phenyane is running for all six DA leadership positions - TimesLIVE reached out to her to get a sense of what informed her unusual route to the potential top.
“We’re ready for Phoenix”: EFF leader Julius Malema says protesters must not be outnumbered.
He said this ahead of his party’s planned shutdown of the country next Monday, calling for President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign and an end to the crippling electricity crisis.
Malema referenced the Phoenix massacre in July 2021 in which at least 36 people were killed in the unrest.Parties such as the DA and ANC called for a peaceful shutdown and condemned people provoking violence.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the poor will be most affected by the EFF’s planned national shutdown on Monday, March 20. The ANC is not against any march, he says, but frowns on shutting down economic activity and lawlessness. This after the EFF warned businesses to close their doors or risk being looted. He was briefing media on Wednesday about the ANC’s Tshwane people’s march planned for March 17.
DA leader John Steenhuisen wants the EFF to withdraw threats “sent” to businesses to accommodate their shutdown next week.
The DA says it will approach courts to interdict the red berets against illegal actions they may embark on during the shutdown.
The EFF is planning to take it to the streets next Monday calling for President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign and for an end to load-shedding. When party president Julius Malema announced the shutdown he said: “We are not threatened by security and if they want to violate our rights they will find us ready.”
Gauteng police commissioner Lt-Gen Elias Mawela says police are “prepared” and will “be on the ground” during the planned national shutdown.
Water and sanitation minister Senzo Mchunu says the government is delivering practical plans to address Gauteng's water-shortage crisis. He was briefing the media on Tuesday on outcomes of his meetings with Gauteng municipalities and executive mayors on water services in the province.
Among interventions implemented to address the crisis is increasing Rand Water's bulk water-supply system, which commenced in February 2023.
Residents including schoolchildren and the elderly are calling on law enforcement to take action and hear their pleas to tackle issues plaguing the gang-ridden area. Residents were speaking at the Westbury recreational hall on Tuesday during the ministerial crime-prevention imbizo on gangster violence in and around the Sophiatown policing area. Among those in attendance were Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi, police minister Bheki Cele and MEC for community safety Faith Mazibuko.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced changes to the national executive on Monday which saw him appoint ANC deputy president Paul Mashatile as his second in command and former Tshwane mayor Kgosientso "Sputla" Ramokgopa as electricity minister.
Advocate Dali Mpofu had a hard time with former public protector Thuli Madonsela at the section 194 inquiry into suspended public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office.
Mpofu was uncomfortable with Madonsela changing her affidavit statements, saying some pages were not signed by the commissioner of oaths. Madonsela said her first statement had typos, that she had to amend it and make corrections and was alone with no commissioner of oaths when she made the amendments.
The committee said Mpofu must prove if it’s law that each page should be signed by a commissioner of oaths in which he referenced.
Madonsela said Mpofu fabricated lies about the affidavits.
Syndicates are brazenly touting licences for sale on social media despite several arrests at driving licensing testing centres in Gauteng last year. In this audio, a man tells an undercover reporter that he will write the test of behalf of his son. Full story in the Sunday Times.
EFF leader Julius Malema says President Cyril Ramaphosa “will never take responsibility” for the failures of Eskom because he is being controlled by a faction of the ANC. This comes after Ramaphosa appeared to distance himself and the government from the responsibility of supplying citizens with power after a constitutional challenge on the load-shedding crisis.
Malema added the party was now distancing itself from the failed entity after corruption allegations by former CEO Andre de Ruyter, who called the power utility a “feeding trough” for the ANC.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) says citizens can register for the 2024 national and provincial elections.
IEC senior manager for electoral matters and acting deputy chief electoral officer for electoral operations Granville Abrahams said there is concern about decreasing voter participation.
Abrahams said instead of citizens resorting to social media or protests to raise their voices, voting is the most important platform to decide who will represent the country. It is an opportunity that comes every five years.
Speaking about the credibility of the elections, Abrahams said South Africa “probably” has the most transparent electoral system in the world and explained the transparency process that will take place in the elections next year.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the party will take legal action against former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter for allegations he made about corruption in the troubled power utility at the hands of the ANC.
Mbalula called on De Ruyter to prove his allegations, adding that De Ruyter, who resigned with immediate effect soon after the explosive interview, was using the party as a “scapegoat” for his “failures” as CEO of the power utility.
Finance minister Enoch Godongwana has announced that embattled state-owned entity Eskom will receive R254bn in debt relief. Tax incentives to encourage investment in renewable energy were also announced when Godongwana delivered the 2023 budget speech in the National Assembly in Cape Town on Wednesday.
A KwaZulu-Natal mayor is in hot water after an audio clip in which he demands to be consulted on hiring, distribution of contracts and makes sexual explicit comments to a female official surfaced.
Abaqulusi mayor Mncedisi Maphisa is heard banging tables — in what seems to be a meeting with senior officials — lamenting the employment of people without his involvement and tender contracts that are allegedly awarded without his knowledge.
The new electricity minister will report directly to President Cyril Ramaphosa and cabinet, and will only be tasked with dealing with the load-shedding crisis.
The governing party hopes to end load-shedding by the end of 2023 and has taken the step of appointing a minister of electricity. The move was announced by the president in the state of the nation address.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said the party's national executive committee supports the decision to appoint the new minister.
Eskom has implemented stage 6 load-shedding indefinitely.
The president had also announced that neighbouring countries are being approached to assist with the supply of electricity.
The City of Tshwane's council speaker Murunwa Makwarela held a media briefing on Tuesday regarding the resignation of mayor Randall Williams last week. Makwarela said the processes to elect a new mayor would start soon.
Airbnb host Que Dlamini trended after cancelling a booking on the day of the guest's check-in because she got a better offer.
The video left social media users fuming at the weekend. In the video she said a customer refused to be refunded for a booking made a week before and wanted to check-in.
The host cancelled the booking after receiving a better offer from another customer.
She told TimeLIVE the video was taken out of context and has negatively affected her business.
Director and attorney at Dubazana Attorneys Ntabiseng Dubazana explained the legalities involved in cancelling a guest's booking and steps the guest can take.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has denied a state funeral for slain hip-hop artist Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes, the office of Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, said on Thursday.
The parliamentary committee conducting an inquiry into suspended public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office and her legal counsel fought over the resumption of proceedings.
Mkhwebane’s legal team, led by advocate Dali Mpofu, was unhappy about the inquiry resuming as it has not been paid by the public protector's office. It was also unhappy about witness Bianca Mvuyana not making an affidavit. Mpofu asked Mvuyana if she had opted not to make an affidavit as communicated to the legal team and she denied not wanting to make an affidavit.
A shouting match ensued between Mpofu, chairperson Qubudile Dyantyi and some MPs.
The family of the rapper who was assassinated on Friday night extended support to AKA’s friends who were with him during his last moments.
His father Tony Forbes appealed to the public to stop making dangerous statements.
EFF leader Julius Malema has made scathing claims, saying police leadership is working with iinkabi (hit men) and claimed this has been confirmed.
He lambasted police leadership and President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Malema said what happened to rapper AKA, who was fatally shot in Durban on Friday night, will never be known because police are in cahoots with criminal syndicates.
“May AKA’s soul haunt all those who’ve made it difficult for him to live long,” he said.
Rapper AKA, real name Kiernan Forbes, has died.
TshisaLIVE confirmed that the 35-year-old rapper was shot dead outside a popular restaurant on Florida Rd in Durban.
Police confirmed that a 35-year-old male and his bodyguard had been shot dead on Friday.
Sona was suspended briefly on Thursday evening after the EFF and ATM refused to allow President Cyril Ramaphosa to address them.
The drama started just as Ramaphosa was about to deliver the house’s most important address, the EFF and ATM continuously raising points of order before being kicked out.
EFF leader Julius Malema said Ramaphosa had no right to convene the house after taking it to court over the section 89 ruling that he has a case to answer over the Phala Phala theft allegations.
National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula suspended the house briefly after some EFF members surged on to the stage (where the president was sitting) as they were being thrown out.
Tshwane University of Technology hosted a special memorial service for third-year student Ntokozo Manyenzi Xaba at the Soshanguve South campus on Thursday.
Xaba, a final year integrated communication student, was found dead with multiple stab wounds at the university’s Ekhaya Junction residence in Pretoria on February 2.
Parliament says it will take all necessary steps to ensure the state of the nation address (Sona) is successful.
The house has budgeted more than R8m for its most important annual occasion.
It is set to take place in Cape Town on Thursday from 7pm, with parliamentary speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula saying it's all systems go for President Cyril Ramaphosa's address.
Load-shedding hit South Africans hard this and last year, but it will not be a factor in parliament on Thursday as Eskom has undertaken to exclude it from power cuts that night.
EFF leader Julius Malema and attorneys for his bodyguard Adriaan Snyman argue that the magistrate in the case against them, in which Malema is accused of illegally discharging a firearm, should be disqualified.
They made a recusal application against Twanette Olivier in the East London regional court on Thursday.
AfriForum brought the case against Malema after he allegedly fired an illegal firearm at his party’s 2018 birthday celebrations. Footage of the event was viewed in court on Wednesday.
When a state witness was questioned by Olivier, Malema became angry, saying she was “prosecuting them”. Thereafter, the EFF leader and Snyman’s legal team filed the recusal application, arguing that the magistrate had asked leading questions. It was heard on Thursday and refused.
Malema and Snyman also face charges of illegal possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition and three counts of contravening the Firearms Control Act.
The South African tourism department briefed the media on Thursday after reports emerged of a proposed three-year sponsorship deal with English Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur worth nearly R1bn. Acting CEO of SA Tourism Themba Khumalo said the proposed deal is aimed at attracting tourists to SA to aid the country’s economic recovery.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the EFF is seeking relevance with its planned shutdown and President Cyril Ramaphosa is not going anywhere.
At the weekend, the EFF announced plans for the “mother of all shutdowns”, calling for Ramaphosa to resign and saying it is dissatisfied with the state of the country.
Mbalula also refuted reports that deputy president David Mabuza has quit.
“No one is going to intimidate us. South Africa will come to a standstill.”
EFF leader Julius Malema is resolute that President Cyril Ramaphosa must resign as the red berets gear up for the “mother of all shutdowns”.
Malema said South Africa will come to a standstill on March 20.
He said: “We are not threatened by any security and if they want to violate our rights they will find us ready.”
Rising costs of living, unemployment, crime and corruption are among the motivations for the shutdown.
Newly elected executive mayor of the City of Johannesburg Thapelo Amad from the Al-Jamah party was sworn in at the Johannesburg Council on Monday.Amad said his administration would seek to address the city’s finances, water security issues, the electricity crisis and service delivery
EFF leader Julius Malema said it is time for his party to politically educate society about the principles of a socialist government.
Malema said the EFF is gearing up to govern from next year.
South Africa will hold general elections in 2024, and analysts and polls suggest the governing party’s voter share will decline.
Malema was speaking to journalists in Johannesburg after the EFF’s plenum.
The Johannesburg city council elected Thapelo Amad as mayor on Friday after the ousting of Mpho Phalatse.
Phalatse was removed from office on Thursday in a motion of no confidence.
The murder trial of Flavio Hlabangwane, who put body parts of his girlfriend in a fridge, might be shortened as he intends to make further admissions after a confession.
The trial resumed on Thursday in the high court sitting in the Palm Ridge magistrate's court. He pleaded guilty to murder, defeating or obstructing the administration of justice, and violation of the corpse of Tshepang Pitse in November 2021.On Thursday, the best friend of the deceased testified of the abusive nature of the relationship between Hlabangwane and Pitse.
Voicenote recordings sent to Thulisiwe Lubambo were played in court where the accused was alluding that their friendship and her interference in their relationship was upsetting him.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says the economy is hungry for people skilled in certain disciplines, and “if we are able to address unemployment, these skills should be promoted”.
The youth unemployment rate stands at 59.6%, but the president encouraged citizens to attain skills that maximise chances of employment and endorse creativity and innovation.
South Africans will have to endure a little longer. Economists predict an increase in interest rates while the Central Energy Fund expects fuel prices, except diesel, to rise.
Senior economist at Investec Annabel Bishop predicts a 50 basis points interest rate increase on Thursday because of high inflation. Inflation was recorded at 7.2% in December, down 0.2% from November. The inflation rate is still above the South African Reserve Bank’s target range of 3% to 6%.
Last year the repo rate was hiked six times. Bishop says things might slow down this year.
DA chief whip Siviwe Gwarube said the party would not be deterred from its march to ANC headquarters Luthuli House due to the ongoing energy crisis, among other issues. This despite ANC Youth League (ANCYL) members saying they would defend their headquarters at all costs. National organiser of the ANCYL Task Team Tlangi Mogale said the DA should direct its demands to Eskom.
The inquiry into suspended public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office will summon former public protector Thuli Madonsela before parliament.
The section 194 committee met on Tuesday for “housekeeping” before it resumes critical witness testimonies on Monday.
Mkhwebane is expected to bring her own witnesses. She had asked for some to be summoned, including President Cyril Ramaphosa and her predecessor. Madonsela had declined to appear before the inquiry and is said to be preparing a response. The committee decided it would not call Ramaphosa.
It will also summon Bianca Mvuyana, an investigator in the office of the public protector.The committee has set itself a timeline of drafting a report by March and a decision on Mkhwebane’s fate by the end of April.
Mkhwebane’s term in the public protector role ends in October this year and she has a month to convince the committee that she should not be suspended.
Limpopo health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba has defended her actions after being recorded scolding a manager at a clinic in Polokwane. The MEC said she could not pretend to be satisfied if she arrived to witness a chaotic situation at a clinic. Ramathuba said she won't be put off from making unannounced inspections.
Load-shedding should never have reached the level it has, says President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Eskom has been implementing rolling power cuts for more than 10 years, but these have reached a peak since late last year, with the power utility reportedly considering permanent stage 2 and 3 load-shedding.
As he closed the ANC Free State elective conference in Mangaung on Sunday, Ramaphosa revealed the government's plans to keep the lights on, which include bringing back engineers who had left the utility.
The owner of Sheba, the eight-year-old Bengal tiger that escaped from a 11.5ha farm where she had been hand-reared, has urged the government to reconsider the laws governing ownership of exotic animals in South Africa.
Rassie Erasmus told the Sunday Times of the emotional stress and trauma he had to endure from the public after Sheba’s escape, which made international headlines this week after the fence to her enclosure on Erasmus’s plot in Walkers Fruit Farm, south of Johannesburg, was cut. Erasmus claimed it was an aggrieved former employee.
The community banded together as a frantic three-day search for the predator followed, which ended in Erasmus shooting the animal early on Wednesday morning after she ventured to a nearby farm, about 3km from her enclosure, posing a threat to the lives of residents and livestock.
Former ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule appeared briefly in the Free State High Court on Friday on charges related to a R225m asbestos tender, before the case was postponed again.
The charges stem from when he was Free State premier.
The case has been marred by postponements and Magashule told media the National Prosecuting Authority is “wasting time” and he has not stolen a cent from government.
Rassie Erasmus, the owner of eight-year-old Sheba, a Siberian tigress which escaped from his 20 acre plot in the Walkers Fruit Farm area of Midvaal, south of Johannesburg, has opened up about the events leading up to the predator’s escape last weekend.
Erasmus spoke to TimesLIVE on Friday about raising two big cats, the chain of events leading to Sheba’s escape and the amount of “guts” it took for him to track, shoot and kill the big cat, which he had hand-reared from a cub, on Wednesday morning.
Erasmus, who would not reveal his age but said he was close to his 60s, said he was a businessman who was against the idea of owning tigers.
“I never got them. My mom got them. Big cats were one of her passions. She was an animal lover, like myself. "
Young people should be groomed to improve production in the country to free it from the crisis it is in, says the founder of the South African Council for Graduates.
Thamsanqa Maqubela, who believes the youth can build the economy, vouches for “careers of the future”, adding that his organisation assists youngsters with the Life After Matric Programme (Lamp).
The programme addresses challenges in the school system, focusing on grades 9 to 12. He says going to university is not the only route pupils can follow, as opportunities are endless.
Festive season road fatalities statistics for 2022/23 revealed a 13.9% decrease. Transport minister Fikile Mbalula attributed the numbers to increased police visibility and mass public awareness campaigns. Mbalula said the decline was a good start, but more had to be done.
Johannesburg Water is faced with increased water demands due to high temperatures and rolling stage 6 blackouts. Spokesperson Puleng Mopeli says although they have backup systems, these are taking strain. Residents are urged to use water sparingly and to adhere to water restrictions.
Reacting to judgment in the President Cyril Ramaphosa and former president Jacob Zuma court case, former ANC member Carl Niehaus said the judiciary will lead the country to collapse.
Ramaphosa had applied to the Johannesburg high court to set aside his prosecution as unconstitutional and unlawful. He asked the court to interdict any “further steps” in pursuing the prosecution and to excuse his appearance in court on January 19, as demanded by the former president.
Zuma filed a case against Ramaphosa, arguing he is an “accessory after the fact” in relation to charges Zuma is pursuing against prosecutor Billy Downer and journalist Karyn Maughan.
The court granted Ramaphosa the interdict which means he does not have to appear in the dock on Thursday. Jacob Zuma Foundation spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi said their suspicions were vindicated by the appointment of three judges instead of one. Manyi had said the appointment of a full bench confused and intrigued the foundation.
Education quality assurance body Umalusi is calling for action to be taken against education officials involved in helping pupils to cheat, among other irregularities, during the National Senior Certificate examinations. Addressing the media on the release of the 2022 matric results, the education body said it was concerning that officials were assisting pupils to cheat. This comes ahead of the release of matric results on Thursday.
Amid rising costs, South Africans will have to dig deeper and pay at least 18.65% more for electricity while not receiving more power.
Eskom had applied for a 32% price hike to energy regulator Nersa last year and was approved for 18.65% and 12.74% increases for the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 financial years, respectively.
Dawie Roodt, founder, director and chief economist at the Efficient Group, says the state should be taking on Eskom’s debt instead of citizens.
Liz McDaid of Outa said the government is not doing enough to get renewable energy on board and South Africa needs a more forward-looking energy minister who can fast-track its implementation.
Mark Swilling, professor of sustainable development at the Centre for Sustainable Transitions at Stellenbosch University, says Nersa had resisted Eskom increases for many years.
Jacob Zuma Foundation spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi believes Jacob Zuma’s legal counsel has demolished Cyril Ramaphosa’s arguments in court and says he is abusing presidency resources.
The former president filed a case against the president arguing that Ramaphosa is an “accessory after the fact” in relation to charges Zuma is pursuing against prosecutor Billy Downer and journalist Karyn Maughan.
Ramaphosa wants the court to set aside the prosecution as unconstitutional and unlawful. He has asked for an interdict to prevent any “further steps” in pursuing the prosecution and to excuse his appearance in the criminal court on January 19, as demanded in Zuma’s summons.
The president argues that Zuma brought the case with the ulterior purpose of ruining his chance of being re-elected president of the ANC.
Former ANC member Carl Niehaus says he wants the president removed immediately.The interdict application judgment was reserved for Monday.
Former ANC member Carl Niehaus said the right thing for President Cyril Ramaphosa to do is to stand trial in former president Jacob Zuma’s private prosecution bid against him.
The two-part matter is being heard at the Johannesburg high court on Thursday.
Eskom announced it will escalate load-shedding to stage 6 starting at 9pm on Tuesday until 5am on Wednesday morning.
It said stage 6 nightly load-shedding will then be implemented from 4pm to 5am and stage 4 from 5am to 4pm until further notice.“
Seven units tripped on Tuesday, of which three have returned to service.“In addition, the return to service of three other units has been delayed.
Unit 1 of Matla power station will be shut down tonight to repair a boiler tube leak,” the power utility said on Tuesday.
The Johannesburg high court will on Thursday hear President Cyril Ramaphosa’s bid to interdict former president Jacob Zuma’s case against him.
Mzwanele Manyi, Jacob Zuma Foundation spokesperson, alleges suspicious moves by the justice system in the matter and says it seems as if there is an unspoken rule that Zuma must never win anything.
On the eve of the ANC conference, Zuma initiated a private prosecution of Ramaphosa. The former president accused Ramaphosa of “being an accessory after the fact in the crimes committed by, among others, advocate [Billy] Downer, namely breaching the provisions of the NPA Act”.
The interdict application brought by Ramaphosa argues that the case brought by Zuma is unconstitutional and unlawful, and the president wants to be excused from appearing in the dock on January 19.
The health ministry says the immunity of South Africans, from vaccination and natural immunity, against dominant variants of Covid-19 remains strong. This was announced during a highly anticipated Covid-19 situation update by the department after the first positive case of the new sub-variant XBB.1.5 was confirmed in South Africa last week.
Political analyst Ntsikelelo Breakfast says only time will tell if the ANC is serious about promises made at its anniversary celebrations.
The party held its 111th anniversary celebrations in Bloemfontein at the weekend, where President Cyril Ramaphosa outlined its priorities for the year.
This year’s ANC theme is “The year of decisive action to advance the people's interests and renew our movement”.Parties have only this year to rally support for next year's provincial and national elections. On Sunday Ramaphosa said the ANC will surprise the doubters in the polls.
President Cyril Ramaphosa sent a strong message about ANC renewal and says all members will have to come to the party.
Ramaphosa said ANC renewal is non-negotiable and every member is expected to support the call.
Ramaphosa made several promises at the party’s 111th anniversary in Manguang based on its 2023 priority tasks.
Eradicating corruption, ending load-shedding and building an inclusive economy are some of the party’s plans for this year.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) and the national health department are anticipating a nationwide outbreak of measles when schools reopen for the 2023 academic year.
This as the number of measles cases being detected across South Africa is rising daily, with more than 300 lab confirmed cases to date.
Principal pathologist at the NICD’s centre for vaccine and immunology Dr Kerrigan McCarthy says prevention and control of a measles outbreak can be achieved only through vaccination. Child health specialist at the national health department Dr Lesley Bramford says the department has launched outbreak responses on both a local and broader level, with vaccination campaigns under way in affected provinces.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says his party wants to create much-needed jobs for all.
He was closing the ANC’s 55th national conference in the early hours on Friday.
Ramaphosa said issues that came out of deliberations included accelerating land reform, prioritising safety and security for South Africans and ending gender-based violence and femicide.
My Only Story, an award-winning South African podcast by Investigative journalist Deon Wigget in collaboration with News24, has inspired the launch of Operation Nemo, a high-level police investigation into a network of sexual predators preying on top athletes in some of South Africa's most elite schools.
Operation Nemo, is a collaborative investigation between the police, Wo+Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA), lawyer Ian Levitt and investigative journalist Deon Wiggett — who has been covering sexual abuse in schools intensively for the past two years in his podcast, My Only Story.
TimesLIVE spoke to Wigget and investigation head colonel Heila Niemand, a specialist in child protection with specialist FBI training and now stationed at the national organised crime office in Pretoria, about the operation and how it came about.
The number of people killed as a result of the Boksburg bridge explosion on December 24 had risen to 37 on Wednesday.
Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi said the police notified the Gauteng provincial government that additional body parts were found around the area of the incident.
Of the 37 people that have been killed, 12 are healthcare workers (10 government employees and two agency staff), all stationed at Tambo Memorial Hospital.
The provincial government said the number of hospital staff members who were injured during the incident is 35, and not 13 as previously communicated. The 35 injuries are inclusive of those who died.
A farmer who “mistakenly” sent a racist WhatsApp rant to a group of his farming community in the West Rand has blamed his malaria medication for threating to kill the “k*s” who broke into his home.
Abel Erasmus, 52, of Vleikop in Randfontein said he was heavily medicated on Christmas Eve when he posted a voicenote in Afrikaans and repeatedly referred to black people as “houtkop k*s”, whom he was going to shoot in the private parts if they ever set foot on his property again.
Expelled former ANC member Carl Niehaus will be hosting a Twitter Spaces tonight at 7pm, whereby listeners can engage him on the formulation of his proposed 'political movement'.
Neihaus recently announced his intentions to formulate a ‘political movement’ aimed at furthering the goals of the radical economic transformation agenda in SA.
In a one-on-one interview with TimesLIVE, Niehaus, who was a member of the ANC for 43-years, says that his proposed political formation stems from, what he preserves to be, the ANC’s failures to live up to the core ideologies upon which the party was formed.
Niehaus was expelled from the ruling party last month after a disciplinary hearing in which he “failed to show remorse”. He tendered his resignation from the ANC two weeks later.
At the time he said his expulsion was suspended as he had filed an application to appeal the decision.
In this interview Niehaus is particularly critical of President Cyril Ramaphosa and what he considers to be Ramaphosa’s role in liberalizing the message of the ANC to make it more palatable for “white monopoly capital”.
He clearly outlines his distaste for Ramaphosa and the direction the ANC has taken under Ramaphosa's leadership. “Ultimately, I believe my fellow comrades in the ANC will see the way and eventually leave the party,” he said.
ANC MPs who disregard party orders will face the music and be disciplined, says newly elected secretary-general Fikile Mbalula.
The ANC ordered MPs to vote against adopting the section 89 Phala Phala report in parliament which found Ramaphosa may have a prima facie case to answer. Those who defied the order were Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Mervyn Dirks, Mosebenzi Zwane and Supra Mahumapelo.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to reshuffle his cabinet after the January 8 statement.
On the cabinet reshuffle, Mbalula said they did not want people “who sleep on the job” and should the president bring in “sleepers”, the party will not agree to it.
Before the January 8 statement, the ANC will resume its national conference in a hybrid manner for two days after it was adjourned in December.
Astrologer and sangoma Rod Suskin goes into details explaining what South Africa can expect in the new year.
Based in Cape Town, Suskin teaches a three-year diploma in astrology. He says he can foresee the future because of his sangoma and astrologer experience. He said the same way it can be predicted when a plant will become into flower so can be done for the complicated human experience.
In 2020 started the Covid-19 pandemic which hit the whole world causing many deaths, in 2022 Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine affecting several countries globally in different aspects. Suskin said astrologers always knew war and an epidemic was coming.
He speaks specifically about what South Africans can brace themselves for this year.
One of the stressors that caused headaches for South Africa in 2022 was load shedding. Suskin speaks of saviors that will come to the rescue this year.
He had predicted Cyril Ramaphosa would retain his president job after the ANC elective conference in December but would be in for a bumpy ride this year.
There is no doubt the 2022 news year has been filled with drama involving well-known South Africans.
Singer Kelly Khumalo, disbarred advocate Malesela Teffo, EFF leader Julius Malema, DA leader John Steenhuisen, police minister Bheki Cele and transport minister Fikile Mbalula are among those who have had dramatic moments this year.
In some cases they could have made valid points, but their approach was overly dramatic.
We recap some of 2022's dramatic moments through an audio compilation.
Hospital staff relive the chaos that followed the Boksburg gas tanker tragedy on Christmas Eve
Lizette Lancaster, researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, says a failure of policing of what South Africans consider “petty crimes”, such as house break-ins and robberies, can have dire consequences, as crime syndicates look to score easier and bigger paydays. She says the spike South Africa has seen in kidnapping cases may be a side-effect of this.
On average 82 kidnappings are being reported daily in South Africa.
While kidnap for ransom cases are considered chilling, Lancaster suggests that the spike in kidnapping cases may be linked to theft and hijacking syndicates branching into new territories upon seeing the success kidnapping syndicates are having in the country.
The highest ransom paid in South Africa [that we are aware of] was the R72m paid by businessman Nazim Moti, for his four sons.
Crisis Group senior consultant for Southern Africa, Piers Pigou, agrees that greater emphasis needs to be placed on policing what South Africans have come to consider petty crimes, before criminals have a chance to organise.
He says that should we fail to halt syndicates at their inception, all South Africans, from different races, areas and, importantly, pay scales, could become a target of kidnapping.
There’s never a dull moment in South African politics. Local government issues dominated the headlines with the Joburg and Ekurhuleni mayors facing the axe. Mmusi Maimane also staged a comeback by starting a new party. And the governing party elected a new leadership.
The state capture report was finally released and it tainted some politicians giving their opponents something to poke them about.
Those fingered in state capture were not the ones who's image was tainted, the theft of cash at the president's farm in Limpopo had everyone talking and weighing in on Cyril Ramaphosa integrity. It was also a year where his party, the ANC, elected its new top leaders.
Johhanesburg Mayor Mpho Phalatse, former president Jacob Zuma, EFF leader Julius Malema and DA leader John Steenhuisen are also among those who dominated the news.
Hundreds of families have been living in community halls in and around Kwa-Zulu Natal after heavy flooding ravaged the province in April this year, leaving families destitute and even washing away infrastructure.
According to the KZN provincial government, more than 4,000 people lost their homes in the floods, which caused an estimated R17bn in damage. One of those affected by the devastating floods was Ntombezintle Zulu from Umlazi Durban. Zulu shared her experience of spending almost 8 months in a community hall after losing everything. Zulu's wish to not spend Christmas in a community hall came true on December 14 when when the KZN government announced that it would be relocating families at her shelter.
The 42-year-old single mom of says she is relieved that she will be able to have space to spend Christmas alone with her children after being in a shelter for most of the year.
In late November, the KwaZulu-Natal finance department said R1.1bn in flood relief from National Treasury had been allocated. Social development received R48.5m to support and protect flood victims in mass shelters.
Disclaimer: the name of the subject of this story has been changed to protect her identity.
As the ANC gears up for campaign season ahead of the 2024 national elections, newly re- elected party president and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa remains untouched by the allegations levelled against him by former spy boss Arthur Fraser.
Fraser laid criminal charges against Ramaphosa in June 2022 for alleged money laundering, kidnapping and corruption in connection with the alleged theft of $4m from the head of state’s Limpopo farm in 2020. The charges led to a section 89 independent panel being formed to investigate the allegations, a parliamentary debate and a subsequent vote by MPs to determine if an impeachment process ought to be initiated against the president, with the saga following him into the ANC’s 55th national elective conference. Despite the panel's report finding the president may have acted unconstitutionally and the scandal hogging headlines in the second part of the year, Ramaphosa seems to have walked away relatively unscathed. In this wrap of the Farmgate saga, we consider how we got here and what implications the Phala Phala scandal will have on the president’s political future.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is addressing delegates on Tuesday, day 5 of the ANC national elective conference at Nasrec, south of Johannesburg. He said the conference will be adjourned until early January.
The ANC was expected to announce the names of its 80-member national executive committee (NEC), but this will no longer be done on Tuesday afternoon.
The party installed its newly elected top seven leaders on Monday. Ramaphosa was re-elected for a second term as president, beating his political rival and former health minister Zweli Mkhize.
The governing party elected its top 7 leaders on Monday and we spoke to prominent party members about their take on the leaders.
Minister in the presidency Mondli Gungubele, former deputy president Baleka Mbete, National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and human settlements minister Mamoloko Kubayi are thrilled about the composition of the new top brass.“
The future of the country is brighter now, I feel like a 12-year-old,” Gungubele said.“
The ANC is strong, the ANC lives, the ANC leads,” said Mbete. There were confusing moments at the conference but she is excited about the outcome.
University of Pretoria senior politics lecturer Dr Sithembele Mbete gives an analysis of the 55th ANC National Conference top 7 results. She touches on major questions that arose at this year’s conference, the emergence of women leaders and what re-elected party president Cyril Ramaphosa should focus on in his second term.
The ANC top 7 announced on Monday that it will be a case of boots on the ground immediately.
Political analyst Dr Sithembile Mbete speaks on what’s to follow at the ANC conference and weighs in on the group elected to lead the ruling party.
The governing party announced Cyril Ramaphosa president, deputy president as Paul Mashatile, national chairperson is Gwede Mantashe, secretary-general is Fikile Mbalula, first deputy secretary-general is Nomvula Mokonyane, second deputy secretary-general is Maropene Ramokgopa, while the new treasurer-general is Gwen Ramokgopa.
The party is holding its national elective conference in Nasrec, Johannesburg where it has elected the new top brass and will elect a new national executive committee.
Cyril Ramaphosa’s re-election as ANC president is a neutral indicator, according to political analyst and commentator Eusebius McKaiser.
McKaiser believes Ramaphosa has already proven in his first term that he is unable to save the ANC from itself.
Overall the race for the top position was tight. Former health minister Zweli Mkhize received 1,897 votes to Ramaphosa’s 2,476. As the rest of the room burst into applause for a relatively subdued Ramaphosa, the delegates from the KwaZulu-Natal branches were deathly quiet.
Since the beginning of the ANC’s 55th elective conference, questions have swirled around whether Ramaphosa could retain the top spot while in the shadow of the Phala Phala scandal and if his allies within the party could secure positions within the party’s incumbent NEC.
McKaiser outlines the relationships of the incumbent top seven and what those ties will mean for their reign.
Outgoing ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe says anyone found to have tried to bribe delegates attending the 55th national conference in Nasrec will face the wrath of the party.
“We can no longer just leave these things to be allegations that fly out there and (waiting for) the ANC to redeem itself is not seen to be taking some form of investigation,” he said.
Updating the media on day three of the much anticipated national conference, Mabe was asked to respond to media reports of allegations that there had been a free flow of money during the conference.
City Power on Saturday afternoon confirmed getting a request from SAPS NatJoints to exclude the Nasrec precinct from power cuts for the duration of the ANC conference.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said: “The exclusion is to assist security operations in the area due to the presence of high security risk persons such as the president of the country, deputy president and government ministers."
Day 2 of the ANCs 55th elective conference ran until the early hours of Sunday as the party finalised its credential checks and floor nominations.
As day 3 begins, the party is gearing up to begin the voting process.
Sam Mkokeli, Business Day columnist and Arena Holdings contributor, outlines the outcomes of day 2 of the conference and breaks down what we anticipate from day 3.
The ANC will by Monday announce its new "top seven" leadership which will run the governing party.
The ANC held a nomination meeting for top party positions into the early hours of Sunday. Several members were nominated from the floor and some declined — including Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who had embarked on a campaign to be the party and country’s first woman president.
Former cabinet minister Nomvula Mokonyane had overwhelming support at the meeting.
Despite attempts by the ANC’s electoral committee to curb the practice, party leaders appear to have dished out cash to buy votes at the elective conference.
One delegate who said he witnessed such incidents reported that some delegates were given R10,000 while others were offered jobs.
TimesLIVE caught up with several delegate on day 2 of the ANC’s 55th national conference in Nasrec in the south of Johannesburg. Delegates shared their views on nominations and party leadership structures.
ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe has urged party delegates attending the conference where leaders will be elected to be disciplined.
The conference had a rocky start as President Cyril Ramaphosa was disrupted while delivering the political report on Friday. Delegates mainly from KwaZulu-Natal sang ‘Phala Phala, wenzeni uZuma?’, meaning ‘Phala Phala, what has Zuma done?’.
After a caucus on Saturday some factions of the party came out chanting “Akabuyi” ("He's not returning"), referring to Ramaphosa, while others were adamant the president will be elected for a second term.
The ANC is limping into day two of its 55th national elective conference, having postponed the bulk of day one's activities.
On day 2 delegates will be engaged in a plethora of closed-room sessions, debates and voting processes.
Sunday Times political reporter stationed at Nasrec Zimasa Matiwane outlines what we can expect on day 2 of the conference, how the voting process works and what stumbling blocks are expected. Business Day’s political editor, Hajra Omarjee, also gives her prediction for the all-important presidential vote.
Speaking at the ANC's 55th national conference, party president Cyril Ramaphosa divisions existed within the party. He called for the renewal of the movement.
ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa found himself struggling to speak above supporters of former president Jacob Zuma as the party's elective conference finally got underway.
The start of the conference was delayed by several hours as delegates tried to register. Many groups from out of town only arrived in Johannesburg on Friday morning.
As proceedings got underway around 16:30, Ramaphosa took to the stage and Zuma walked into the hall with a large contingent from the KwaZulu-Natal region.
The KZN group continued to sing as Ramaphosa began speaking, trying to drown out his words.
At one point, a group shouted "Load shedding! Step aside!" while others chanted "Change!"
Despite the ANC's 55th elective conference running seven hours behind schedule, party spokesperson Pule Mabe says the delay is due only to administrative issues in registering delegates.
Suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule has put his hopes in delegates at the party's national conference to reverse a decision that bars him from standing for any position this weekend.
According to the ANC election committee rules, Magashule is disqualied from standing because he is suspended and has been charged for corruption.
But on Friday Magashule said delegates attending the conference will decide his fate.“
I am the ANC, I was born in the ANC and no-one will expel me from the ANC,” Magashule said at Nasrec, the conference venue.
One of the first tasks that the incoming leadership that will be elected at the 55th ANC national conference at the weekend will be to decide whether to discipline the defiant MP’s who voted in favour of the section 89 panel report on Tuesday.
“Our cadres who did not follow the party line the NEC concluded that we should not use discipline again to stifle debates in the ANC,” said outgoing ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe.
Mabe was on Friday addressing the media on the outcomes of a special national executive committee meeting that took place on Thursday ahead of the start of the highly anticipated national conference.
On the eve of the ANC’s elective conference, former president Jacob Zuma initiated a private prosecution of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
He has been summoned to appear in court on January 19 to face a charge of being an “accessory after the fact” in the same private prosecution Zuma is pursuing against prosecutor Billy Downer and journalist Karyn Maughan for disclosing a document concerning Zuma’s medical state.
The charge will likely lead to calls by Ramaphosa’s political opponents that he must “step aside” in line with the ANC’s step-aside rule and not stand for president of the ruling party. In terms of the rule, when an ANC member is charged with a serious criminal offence, they should step aside from their position.
In a statement issued in the early hours on Friday the presidency said Ramaphosa rejected the prosecution “with the utmost contempt”.
Tourism minister Lindiwe Sisulu and the EFF's Godrich Gardee purportedly shared notes regarding the ANC's plans ahead of parliament's debate on the section 89 vote on Phala Phala.
In a leaked audio, a man, supposedly Gardee, can be heard asking a woman, seemingly Sisulu, about her whereabouts and whether she had arrived in Cape Town for the debate. He also asks whether she will "stand up or chicken out".
Sisulu responds, saying they have just left an ANC caucus meeting
An astrologer and sangoma says Cyril Ramaphosa will return as president after this weekend’s ANC elective conference.
However, Rod Suskin foresees Ramaphosa struggling next year as political battles rage against him.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is in the hot seat on Tuesday when MPs vote in parliament on whether to adopt the section 89 independent panel’s Phala Phala report, a process that will decide whether he will face impeachment proceedings.
National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula declined requests to reconsider her decision to not allow a secret ballot to be used for the voting procedure.
Nontuthuzelo Fose went missing on December 7. The next day her daughter Millicent received a worrying message.
She spoke to TimesLIVE.
“Sesigqibile ngaye, mlibaleni umama wenu, asoze nimbone kwakhona” the message written in isiXhosa read. It is translated as: “We are finished with her, forget about your mother. You will never see her again.”
Fose, who resides in Gauteng, went missing after heading to Queenstown in the Eastern Cape. She was travelling to Queenstown to prepare for her son’s welcoming from initiation. Her son is still in the mountains. She apparently reached Cofimvaba, about 80km east of Queenstown.
The family opened a case with police in Queenstown, but when they returned to check developments in the case, there was no case opened and no case number.
Police in the Eastern Cape were contacted by TimesLIVE but have not confirmed whether a case was opened, and if not, why.
Missing Children South Africa said there is no waiting period for reporting a missing person.
An IT businesswoman’s whistleblowing on alleged irregularities in a R119m Home Affairs department security systems contract and her testimony before an internal disciplinary hearing of a senior official led to the murder of her husband.
TimsLIVE Investigations can reveal that two months before Marumo Phenya was gunned down in Roodepoort on 17 October, he and his wife, Johannah Phenya, owner of Foursight Business IT Solutions, received a chilling telephone call warning them that a hit had been taken out on the couple.
The caller, identifying himself as Xolani, urged the couple, who were celebrating their 16th wedding anniversary in Greece, to meet with him.TimesLIVE has been given exclusive access to a recording of the call.
Recently recruited police officials will start combating crime over the festival season, says Gen Fannie Masemola.
The police commissioner said his department received 523,666 applications for 10,000 posts.
He outlined his department's focus areas for the festive season. They include gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide, intensifying efforts to combat aggravated robberies, enhancing border security and enforcing legislation, bylaws and road safety.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared Tuesday December 27 a public holiday in lieu of Christmas Day falling on a Sunday.
Parliament was due to debate the the section 89 Phala Phala panel's report, but instead the discussion has been postponed to December 13. The delay will ensure that the debate happens just 4 days before the ANC's elective conference, in which the party hopes to elect its leaders.
Political analyst and lecturer at UKZN, Dr Fikile Vilikazi, says that parliaments delay and Ramaphosa's Constitutional court bid are significantly timed. She suggests that they may be a tactic to ensure he retains popularity ahead of the conference. However, she also warns that if Ramaphosa is re-elected in 2024, under the shadow of the Phala phala scandal, SA's taxpayer may be required to foot another hefty legal bill.
The EFF held a press conference on Monday to state its position on developments in the country. As expected, Malema shared the party's views on the recently released section 89 independent panel report findings on the 2020 burglary at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm. Malema said the party welcomed the report’s findings and that decisions relating to Ramaphosa's fate would be made in the upcoming National Assembly debate on the report. According to Malema, deputy president DD Mabuza was a suitable candidate should Ramaphosa be removed.
If you have heard words such as “damning”, “crisis”, “upheaval” or “uncertainty” in relation to the Phala Phala report and the fate of President Cyril Ramaphosa you are not alone.
Sunday Times presidential correspondent Amanda Khoza provides clarity on the saga. She explains how we got here, the crux of the report, the president's response to the allegations and what South Africa can expect.
The South African Blood Service (SANBS) is calling for blood donations ahead of the festive season. Its communications officer, Khensani Mahlangu, says the holiday period is a difficult time for the service as major blood drives do not take place.
The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) is reviewing a monthly HIV-prevention injection.
Prof Adrian Puren, executive director at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) and head of the Centre for HIV and STIs at the institute, chats about how HIV medication has improved and provides details about the injection.
The independent panel investigating the 2020 Phala Phala case involving President Cyril Ramaphosa handed their long-awaited report to the speaker of the National Assembly Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula on Wednesday.
Mapisa-Nqakula said decisions based on the findings would be decided on by the National Assembly guided by its rules and processes.
Belinda Magor, whose WhatsApp voice note calling for black women’s uteruses to be removed and black men to be burned, was arrested and charged with crimen injuria on November 25, after the Azanian People’s Organisation (Azapo) laid charges against her.
Director at Malcolm Lyons & Brivik, Tzvi Brivik, explains what crimen injuria is, how similar cases have played out in the courts and predicts the kind of sentence we might expect to see as a result of the charges.
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) are investigating a voice note in which a woman launched a scathing attack on black people in the country in her opposition to the banning of pit bulls.
The voice note began circulating on social media last night after it was leaked from a WhatsApp group called Pitbulls be my voice.
TimesLIVE has been able to establish the identity of the woman who posted the voice note and spoke to her at length.
Police minister Bheki Cele delivered crime statistics for the second quarter, July to September 2022, of the 2022/23 financial year. In this period there was a double-digit increase in crimes against women and the highest number of assault cases reported to the police in five years.
Members of Gauteng emergency medical services (EMS) were left scrambling on Monday night when they came under fire from an angry mob who attacked and killed a patient in an ambulance in Atteridgeville, Tshwane.
Members affiliated to the Public Servants Association (PSA) joined a nationwide strike by members affiliated to several public service unions on Tuesday. Unions belonging to Cosatu, the South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu), and the Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa) marched to Treasury to hand over their memorandum.
Chief negotiator at the PSA, John Teffo, who was present at Tuesday’s strike, said they have reverted to their initial 10% wage demand.
The government unilaterally offered a baseline 3% in the public service. Teffo said a phase 2 and indefinite strike might be imminent should their demands not be met.
ANC Electoral Committee head Kgalema Motlanthe announced the names of the contenders who could lead the governing party.
In the official list of the 17 top six runners, there are only two women, and they arevying for the same position. This means in the six positions contested only the deputy secretary-general position might be held by a woman, either Nomvula Mokonyane or Febe Potgieter.
However, the party said it will allow nominations from the floor during the national elective conference next month.
The party said no-one declined nominations and no-one pulled out.
President Cyril Ramaphosa and former health minister Zweli Mkhize are the only contenders for president. The party will hold its national elective conference from December 16 to 20.
After the Supreme Court of Appeal's (SCA) dismissal of former president Jacob Zuma’s appeal on the legality of his medical parole — a decision resulting in Zuma having to serve another 13 month in jail on his contempt of court conviction — legal expert Ulrich Roux outlines how he got to this point, what the ruling means for Zuma and what legal avenues are available to him.
He can still challenge the SCA ruling in the Constitutional Court. Roux says given Zuma's past dealings with South Africa's legal system, it is likely he will follow this course of action — but his chances of a different verdict are "slim to none".
Political analyst Prof Susan Booysen adds that while imprisoning Zuma may result in further riots, not holding him to account sets a dangerous precedent for dealing with corrupt officials.
Tumelo Madlala's cross-examination continued in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial on Friday. He told the court the intruders on the night Meyiwa was killed spoke Zulu when they made their demands.
Madlala explained the phone calls he made after the Bafana Bafana goalkeeper was shot.
He was the soccer star’s childhood friend and has been grilled in court this week about selling Meyiwa's pictures to Netflix and not sharing the money with Meyiwa’s widow and child, with defence advocate Zandile Mshololo, representing one of the five accused, saying he betrayed his friend.
The case in the Pretoria high court has been postponed to Monday, when a new witness is expected to take the stand.
Calls to ban the pit bull breed of dogs have been mounting after the fatal mauling of an eight-year-old who was playing in the yard at his home in Mangaung in Free State last weekend.
Spokesperson for the Pit Bull federation of South Africa Lins Rautenbach, said many people are misinformed about the breed, and this has consequences for society, as experienced with maulings.
The National Council of SPCAs' public relations officer Keshvi Nair encouraged owners who are overwhelmed with their pit bulls to surrender them, adding the breed has limitations.
A 20-year-old grade 11 pupil from Qalabotjha Secondary School in Vlakfontein, Lenasia South, was stabbed on Thursday and died later that afternoon.
A 21-year-old fellow grade 11 pupil was arrested.“
According to information at our disposal, a fight allegedly broke out among a group of boys in the afternoon outside the school. Unfortunately, a pupil was allegedly stabbed in the chest during the fight,” said Gauteng education department spokesperson Steve Mabona.
The United Kingdom says it’s ready to roll out the red carpet for President Cyril Ramaphosa and first lady Tshepo Motsepe’s historic state visit next week.
Briefing the media on Wednesday British high commissioner to SA Antony Phillipson said Ramaphosa’s visit next week Tuesday and Wednesday is a hugely significant moment for both countries.
On Monday evening South Africa celebrated the happy reunion of eight-year-old Abirah Dekhta, who was kidnapped on November 4, when the driver of the lift-club that takes her to school was held at gun point. Abirah was found alive and physically unharmed on Monday evening after police recovered her from a shack in Khayelitsha. But research shows that kidnappings, particularly kidnapping for ransom, has become big business in SA over the past for years.
Abirah's father, Aslam Dekhta, say the 11 days his family spent without Abirah were full of worry and among the worst of his life. He says, he will also be making another plan to get his child to school every day to ensure nothing like this ever happens to her again.Abirah’s story is still a happy one. Over the last four years, kidnappings in SA have become increasingly deadly.Graeme Hosken, investigative reporter for TimesLIVE and Justin Naylor MD at IToo, an insurer who provides kidnapping for ransom insurance for Hollard, explain why this is.
A letter stating requests from watching brief advocate Magdalene Moonsamy, representing Senzo Meyiwa's then girlfriend singer Kelly Khumalo, was opposed in the Pretoria high court on Monday. At the start of the trial in April, Moonsamy was asked to leave the court room because Khumalo is a potential witness in this matter. The state and both defence counsels opposed the letter.
Former cabinet minister Nomvula Mokonyane bashed “evil” comrades who “lose their balls” and publicly criticise the president close to elections.
This after several ANC comrades, including former presidents Thabo Mbeki, Kgalema Motlanthe and Jacob Zuma lambasted President Cyril Ramaphosa for his leadership.
The deputy secretary-general hopeful says she will make Ramaphosa “look good”. The ANC will elect its top party leadership at its elective conference next month.
The ANC has backtracked on its plan to charge media houses for space at its 55th national conference in December.
Treasurer-general and acting secretary-general Paul Mashatile on Thursday told TimesLIVE the party had reconsidered the proposal which was met with criticism.
Public servants affiliated to the Public Servants' Association (PSA) are expected to embark on a nationwide strike on Thursday over wage increases and other demands. Union members, who last received raises in 2019, are demanding a 6.5% increase against governments 3% offer said to be implemented this month. According to the PSA's John Teffo, a second strike is in the pipeline if their demands are not met.
As the Wednesday deadline looms to name and shame on social media those owing a Cape Town bar for alcohol they bought on credit, an attorney has warned the venue could find itself in hot water.
Saint Champagne Bar and Lounge stunned social media users at the weekend when it threatened to publish the identities of indebted customers and what they owe. Prime Time, also in Cape Town, followed suit with a 12-hour notice to those who owe it money.
However, director and attorney at Dubazana Attorneys, Nthabiseng Dubazana, says the venues could find themselves in trouble if they publish names and pictures.
Johannesburg Emergency Management Services are on high alert after a South African Weather Service warning of disruptive conditions in parts of the country, including Gauteng. High-risk areas include informal settlements and low-lying areas. Weather forecaster Kgolofelo Mahlangu says the rain could result in interference to municipal services, road closures and damage to infrastructure. Johannesburg Emergency Management Services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi advises residents and motorists to be on high alert.
Saint Champagne Bar & Lounge in Cape Town says it is owed thousands by customers. The business says it will release the names and photos of those who owe it payments on social media if they don’t cough up by Wednesday’s deadline.
Busisiwe Mkhwebane says she is being held against her will in the section 194 committee hearing. On Tuesday the suspended public protector told the impeachment hearing her legal team would not be available to represent her at the inquiry until Monday, but the committee ruled to continue despite her grievances.
On Wednesday the committee is hearing testimony from a witness in the public protector’s office. Mkhwebane asked the committee to give reasons if it continued without her legal representatives, which it had not done.
After heated deliberations, the section 194 committee probing public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane's fitness to hold office concluded it would continue, despite Mkhwebane’s legal counsel only being available from Monday.
On Tuesday the suspended public protector had to defend herself after her legal team had walked out last week. Committee MPs asked her to clarify why her lawyers had abandoned her.
EFF leader Julius Malema described the MPs as apartheid beneficiaries, the children of colonisers and apartheid dictators.
Mkhwebane’s legal team, led by advocate Dali Mpofu, walked out after he said the inquiry was illegal. This after the committee rejected a postponement request.On Tuesday the suspended public protector said her counsel had not withdrawn from proceedings.
The team had asked for an adjournment pending a court review of the inquiry.
Traditional prime minister to the Zulu monarch and nation Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi on Tuesday addressed controversy about an Anglican Church ritual that was performed during a ceremony on Saturday at which President Cyril Ramaphosa recognised Zulu king Misuzulu kaZwelithini. Buthelezi said if anyone was to blamed for the ritual it should be him.
Advocate Dali Mpofu walked out of Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s impeachment inquiry hearing.The section 194 inquiry is investigating whether the suspended public protector is fit for office.
Mkhwebane said she did not give a mandate to her legal team to withdraw.
EFF leader Julius Malema said if the inquiry goes on as if it is business as usual, his party would also withdraw.
The drama erupted after committee chairperson Qubudile Dyantyi told the team their application for an adjournment was declined.
Mpofu deems the inquiry illegal.
Finance minister Enoch Godongwana says his department is adopting the highest standard of transparency in the tendering process to reduce looting and corruption.
He said this as he mentioned R43-billion that was budgeted for but not spent on fixing or building infrastructure every year.
Godongwana was delivering his medium-term budget policy statement, or mini-budget, speech on Wednesday afternoon.
The minister said the budget for the next three years is focused on restoring service delivery.
His department will support the police over this time to recruit new constables. Police minister Bheki Cele has on several occasions complained that not a single police station in the country has enough staff.
Godongwana said talks are ongoing over the Social Relief of Distress Grant of R350 a month which has again been extended.
Finance minister Enoch Godongwana delivered the budget on Wedneday.
He said national government agreed with Gauteng to hand over e-tolls to the provincial government.
Finance minister Enoch Godongwana on Wednesday presented the midterm budget policy statement in parliament in Cape Town.
Suspended public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane wants to return to work and feels she is being victimised by not being allowed to do so, her attorney Dali Mpofu argued in court on Tuesday.
Mpofu said the court and President Cyril Ramaphosa have a duty to protect Mkhwebane.
He was at the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday to appeal against the judgment dismissing Mkhwebane's urgent application to return to work.
On his health, if he gets a position in the ANC again, former president Jacob Zuma said, “Looking at me, am I in the bed lying in hospital?”
Zuma had scathing comments on President Cyril Ramaphosa but commenting on their relationship he said, ‘we talk, if we meet we talk’. Chief justice Raymond Zondo and his “pathetic” commission were not spared criticism.
The former president was briefing the media this past weekend in Sandton, Gauteng.
Slamming the party’s “renewal”, former president Thabo Mbeki cited claims of “criminal” ANC members who have izinkabi (hitmen) on their payrolls.
He challenged the party to choose its leaders carefully in its December elective conference and alleged there are candidates who want to enrich themselves.
Mbeki said he has been going around the country to visit the party’s branches.He reacted to the amendment of the Electoral Act, warning that “candidate MPs will get killed” as a result of the change.
Mbeki was delivering a keynote address this past weekend at the Strategic Dialogue Group AGM in Marks Park in Johannesburg.
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday night announced key reforms to prevent state capture happening again.
The South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) has warned that the Electoral Amendment Bill puts South Africa's democracy at risk, and says the government and parliament are to blame.
On Thursday, the National Assembly passed the bill, with 232 MPs voting in favour. Ninety-eight voted against and three abstained.
Civil society organisations have called on parliament to reconsider it, arguing the bill will sabotage democracy.
In 2020, the Constitutional Court ruled that the Electoral Act was unconstitutional, affirming the bill.
The trio investigating whether there is a need to further probe Phala Phala claims started their 30-day work on Wednesday. ATM and UDM leaders Vuyolwethu Zungula and Bantu Holomisa say Cyril Ramaphosa is unfit to be president.
Zungula says Ramaphosa is using intimidation tactics to scare those investigating the Phala Phala affair. ATM had asked parliament speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to establish a Section 89 inquiry into the theft of cash from Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm.
Holomisa outlined the focus of the inquiry and said Ramaphosa has been a disappointment.
The leaders say 30 days is too long for the investigation.The panelists are retired chief justice Sandile Ngcobo, retired high court judge Thokozile Masipa and advocate Mahlape Sell. If the panel finds there is a need for further investigation, Mapisa-Nqakula said an ad hoc committee will be established.
There seems to be no end in sight for Gauteng's water woes as the province's water system continues to take strain. SA Water Chamber CEO Benoit Le Roy says the system collapse and continued water crisis is due to leaking municipal infrastructure. The crisis is worsened by the load-shedding and high temperatures that come with climate change. Among some of the solutions to the crisis is the diversion of funds into the water distribution system. However, Le Roy notes the fixing of the infrastructure could take years.
The judge presiding over former president Jacob Zuma’s arms deal-related trial has indicated he is considering recusing himself.
Judge Piet Koen has given the parties until November 3 to file submissions in this regard, and has adjourned the trial to January 30 next year.
The judge first raised the issue of his possible recusal on Monday when the state argued the trial should proceed in early November. This was opposed by Zuma’s lawyers, who pointed to the fact their client had lodged an appeal with the Constitutional Court against Koen’s ruling, in a “special plea” by Zuma, that lead prosecutor Billy Downer had “title to prosecute” him and any allegations of bias should be dealt with during the trial.
In that ruling he also dismissed Zuma’s complaint that Downer had “leaked” court documents containing Zuma's confidential medical records to journalist Karyn Maughan.
Zuma has initiated a private prosecution against Downer and Maughan, and indicated he will again fight to have Downer removed from the trial on the basis he cannot be prosecuted by someone he is prosecuting.
The DA on Thursday presented draft legislation to stabilise coalition governments after the 2024 national and provincial elections. The five-point plan is aimed at prioritising service delivery while reducing party political fractiousness. According to DA leader John Steenhuisen, the draft legislation is not to fix the party's problems with coalitions, but to “fix to a South African problem with coalitions”. It is time South Africa’s electoral legislative framework catches up with the state of the country’s democracy, he says.
Water outages in Johannesburg have severely affected its residents, with the city facing stage 2 restrictions as reservoir storage remains strained. Public hospitals in the city are among those affected by the outages as they battle low pressure due to constraints in Johannesburg Water’s network.
A doctor from Helen Joseph Hospital spoke to TimesLIVE about the impact of the outages on the hospital’s ability to provide healthcare. According to the doctor, the major issues are sanitation and infection control, which have greatly impacted patients and hospital personnel.
Supporters of the national sex workers’ movement Sisonke demonstrated outside the Johannesburg magistrate’s courts on Tuesday to call for the urgent decriminalisation of the industry ahead of the first appearance of a 21-year-old suspect accused of killing six women believed to be sex workers.
Sisonke spokesperson Katlego Rasebitse said the murders of the women was a “massacre”. Rasebitse said the killing of sex workers would continue if the decriminalisation of the industry was further delayed by law makers.
After the country’s record 33 day run of load shedding, Eskom restored normal supply for just one day before implementing rolling blackouts, hitting 126 days for this year alone.
Using information supplied by the popular load shedding notification app Eskom Se Push, independent data specialists The Outlier has developed a Load Shedding Tracker that shows when and how often the country has been purposefully plunged into darkness as Eskom tries to keep the grid balanced and stable.
In this episode of the motoring podcast, Business Day and TimesLive motoring journalist Phuti Mpyane sits down and chats with Kumbi Mtshikazi, Papi Mabele and Mpho Shami - the country’s top automotive influencers. We ask what is automotive influencing? How it all began? Where is it going?
When former president Jacob Zuma appears in court in his arms deal-related fraud and corruption trial, he sits in the dock at the Pietermaritzburg high court.
On Monday lead prosecutor in the case Billy Downer and seasoned News24 journalist Karyn Maughan found themselves sitting in that very same dock on the first day of Zuma’s “private prosecution” of them. This follows allegations that they broke the law when Downer “leaked” court documents to Maughan which disclosed his private medical condition. Zuma sat with his lawyers.
Both Downer and Maughan have filed applications — to be heard by a civil court judge — in a bid to have the charges dropped, both claiming an abuse of process.
The two applications, it emerged on Monday, will now be heard together in early December — and the private prosecution will be put on hold until the outcome of those, in early February.
The SA Institute for Race Relations (IRR) is taking action against the Expropriation Bill, saying it’s aimed at punishing people who have not committed any crime.
Gabriel David Crouse, analyst and head of campaigns at the IRR, says land should be privatised, as the government has proved itself incapable of running the agricultural sector. He says expropriation without compensation will cripple the economy.
The controversial bill was passed in parliament last month.The organisation is taking action against the bill as it believes it is unconstitutional and "destructive".
There has been much debate around safety in SA’s tourism industry after the killing of a German tourist during a botched attempted hijacking near White River in Mpumalanga on Monday afternoon.
Stakeholders have weighed in on the matter, including the German Embassy.
Spokesperson for the embassy Dr Christopher Schmidt said he would understand traveller reservations to visit SA, but said they should read safety and security information about the country they are visiting to be aware of risks and move around in a sensible manner.
ANC provincial chairperson Panyaza Lesufi won with 38 votes to 22 for the DA's Solly Msimanga securing the position of Gauteng premier. Lesufi was appointed during a special house sitting in the province's legislature on Thursday. During his acceptance speech, Lesufi spoke about how he would lead and how he aimed to continue the work of former premier David Makhura.
A question raised by a commissioner triggered EFF leader Julius Malema to slam a judge for “not knowing basic concepts”, causing a tense moment.
Judge Mpho Catherine Mamosebo is the only candidate contesting to be a judge member at the electoral court as the Judicial Service Commission looks to fill positions in the country's superior courts.
During a briefing to outline her plan to save the City of Johannesburg, former mayor Mpho Phalatse said her administration had previously warned that the ANC would not willingly give up on its “biggest cash cow” — the city's R77.7bn budget. Phalatse, who was ousted last week, said the decision to remove her was unlawful and this would be proved in court.
South Korea and the U.S. military conducted rare missile drills and an American supercarrier repositioned east of North Korea after Pyongyang flew a missile over Japan, one of the allies' sharpest responses since 2017 to a North Korean weapon test.
Nuclear-armed North Korea test-fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) farther than ever before on Tuesday, sending it soaring over Japan for the first time in five years and prompting a warning for residents there to take cover.
The White House National Security Council called North Korea's latest test "dangerous and reckless" and the U.S. military and its allies have stepped up displays of force.
South Korean and American troops fired a volley of missiles into the sea in response, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Wednesday, and the allies earlier staged a bombing drill with fighter jets in the Yellow Sea.
EFF leader Julius Malema asked judge Elias Matojane, who ruled former president Jacob Zuma’s parole unlawful, how society would benefit if an 80 year old man was incarcerated.
According to the data gathered by University of Johannesburg's (UJ) Gross National Happiness Index, a somber mood has gripped the nation.
UJ developed the first real-time Gross National Happiness Index, making use of Big Data to track the sentiments of South African’s. Index founder associate prof Talita Greyling, says the emotions Anger, Disgust and Fear. The negative emotions displayed outstipped those tracked as a result of the devastating and well publicized KZN floods.
The happiness index tracker now shows that these intense feelings of anger have now morphed into feelings of sadness and fear, raising concerns around a decline in mental welfare. South African Federation for Mental health, Project Leader Michel’le Donnelly, confirms that prolonged exposure to negative emotions like sadness and fear, do increase the risk of mental health problems such as anxiety, depression of post traumatic stress disorder.
With the recent repo rate hike, homeowners have to pay extra towards their loans but an expert says when economic times are tough it is the best time to buy property.
Economist at Investec Lara Hodes explains the repo rate, while FNB property market analyst John Loos explains the relationship between the repo rate and buying property. Loos shared property buying tips during these tough economic times.
For those buying to rent, Loos says it’s not just about affording the bond.
Calls have been growing for healthcare facilities to be exempt from load-shedding as SA continues to face rolling blackouts. The load-shedding has affected the provision of healthcare and has hit patients and hospital personnel. Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa of the SA Medical Association, speaking on this, says in times of crisis the most vulnerable need to be protected.
Health minister Joe Phaahla briefed the media on Friday on the impact of load-shedding on healthcare facilities, including hospitals. He said they are in talks with stakeholders on load-shedding exemptions and progress has been made in some hospitals. These include hospitals in major cities and tertiary hospitals. The minister also outlined the department's plans to ensure hospitals can provide reliable and efficient services.
Acting public protector Kholeka Gcaleka is satisfied President Cyril Ramaphosa’s leaked comments did not violate provisions in the executive code of ethics.
For the first time President Cyril Ramaphosa has provided some context in the theft of foreign currency from his game farm Phala Phala. He explained where the money came from, but he’s in the dark on why a case number was not provided.
Phala Phala came into the spotlight after former spy boss Arthur Fraser alleged Ramaphosa tried to conceal the theft of cash at his farm in Limpopo.
ATM leader Vuyo Zungula posed a question to Ramaphosa: why did you not report the crime in Phala Phala like all citizens? What message does it send to the nation when the president faces allegations of money laundering, kidnapping and torture on his farm, refuses to take the nation into his confidence and won’t account to parliament?
The president denied allegations of money laundering but left other accusations hanging.
The president answered various questions on the rising cost of living, land expropriation and Eskom, among others.
EFF leader Julius Malema and MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi were found not guilty and acquitted of an assault charge in the Randburg magistrate's court on Thursday. The court found the pair, who were charged with assaulting police officer Lt-Col Johannes Venter at the funeral of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in 2018, had no intention to assault Venter.
The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has announced its preferred candidates for the party’s top position, and appealed for Cyril Ramaphosa to be respected as long as he is president, or until December 16.
The party will hold its 55th national elective conference from December 15 to 20 at Nasrec, Johannesburg. The party’s new leadership will be announced on December 16.
Several ruling party members have put their names forward for leadership positions.
EFF leader Julius Malema has made scathing accusations about President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Malema claimed Ramaphosa received R1bn from “white people” to be president, and alleged Eskom planned to completely turn off electricity in the country.
Malema reiterated that Ramaphosa must vacate office as things “have worsened” under his leadership.
The party leader was addressing the crowd at a Heritage Day event in KwaZulu-Natal this past weekend. He said the EFF must rule KZN in 2024.
A school principal from Brits in the North West was found dead on Sunday in Ga-Rankuwa, near Pretoria.
Suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule says the asbestos corruption case is a tactic to prevent him contesting ANC positions in December. But Prof Ongama Mtimka says though he may be disadvantaged, he has not been a strong force in the ANC, which has a right to protect itself from people who bring it into disrepute.
Magashule repeated claims made in the Free State High Court where he and his 15 co-accused face fraud, corruption and money laundering charges stemming from the irregular awarding of a R255m asbestos tender. The case was on Friday postponed to January 20 2023.
The owner of the truck involved in last week’s horrific Pongola crash, Sabelo Perry Masinga, told TimesLIVE his driver may have misjudged the situation. Masinga said the camera in the cabin of the truck which faces the driver was blocked so they could not see what the driver, 28-year-old Sibusiso Siyaya, was doing. A report by the Road Traffic Management Corporation found Siyaya overtook many vehicles, an action prohibited by no overtaking lines.
“It can never be feasible to keep the lights on at all cost, because there is a limit to the cost that you will be able to bare," says independent economic and energy analyst Tshepo Kgadima.
While unpacking Eskom's recently announced, power purchase programme strategies aimed at securing 1000MW to bolster constrained generation capacity, Kgadima said that the plan was scant on details. He said that the plan payed little mind to the cost South African consumers would be expected to pay for energy. Criticizing Eskom's requested 32.02% electricity price increase from the National Energy Regulator (Nersa), he added that SA will fall into an exorbitant amount of debt, while tryin to bail out Eskom.
Kgadima said that the plan seemed as if Eskom expected Nersa and by extension the South African consumer, to throw money that they do not have at the ongoing energy crisis.
Speaker of parliament Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is confident her panel candidates for the Phala Phala probe are fit for the job but conceded it was unfortunate that one of the trio's questioned objectivity was missed by her parliament team.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on all the fuss around Apple Watch Ultra’s release in SA.
"The current Eskom - working as best as it can- isn't even managing to improve the standard of the existing machines," says Associate at the Electricity Systems Research Group of UCT, Hilton Trollip.
Worsening power cuts forced President Cyril Ramaphosa to cut short his overseas tour to deal with troubles at home. However, this move raises questions around, what the presidency's role is in bringing an end to loadshedding.
Ramaphosa made the decision to return after "an urgent virtual meeting with all the relevant ministers and officials," his spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said on Sunday afternoon.
In the first installment of SA Energy Explained, Trollip, explains that corruption and malmanagement is primarily responsible for the dilapidated state of Eskom's power fleet.
He holds that government and the presidency cannot palm-off the blame, of SA's current crisis, onto Eskom.
Is the presidents availability on home-soil an act of solidarity or critical to bringing an end to the crisis? Who should be working on restoring normality to the grid, and what does political posturing and corruption around the energy crisis do to towards bringing the problem to a speedy conclusion? Trollip addresses all these questions and more.
Advocate Dali Mpofu applied for the chairperson of suspended public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s impeachment inquiry to step aside as he is “unfit” for the role.
Mpofu alleged Qubudile Dyantyi is biased, bullies him and Mkhwebane and has pre-judged the proceedings.
He also complained about the chairperson’s “most embarrassing chairpersonship” when Mpofu asked for a postponement last week.
Mpofu is unhappy after Dyantyi refused some of their requests and allegedly shouted at him during the inquiry.He also wants the DA’s Kevin Mileham, who “tortured” him, out of the committee.
Eldorado Park residents are living in fear. There have been at least 13 murders in three weeks, allegedly due to drug territory wars.
Community activist Chenelle George says crime in the area is out of control and residents have camped outside the police station since Monday last week as they feel their demands are not being met and they are not being taken seriously by the government.
According to police minister Bheki Cele, no police station in the country has enough staff.
Demands for an increase commensurate with the rising cost of living and interventions to address the safety of law enforcement officials prompted a march on the Union Buildings on Tuesday by the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru).
Popcru members have rejected the government's 3% wage increase offer, saying they want a 10% hike backdated to April 2021.The union, representing police, correctional services officials and traffic officers says the government should honour the last leg of the three-year wage agreement signed in 2018.
The government was allowed to exit the final year of the three-year deal after proving its need to rein in bloated salary costs.
They are also calling for increases in their danger and clothing allowances, as well as the R250,000 death grant awarded to families of police officers who are killed. Tshwane metro police are monitoring the march.
DA Leader John Steenhuisen on Tuesday addressed the nation on the electricity crisis and how to tackle Eskom's collapse. In his address, Steenhuisen said the party was proposing that President Cyril Ramaphosa dissolve the National Energy Crisis Committee and instead appoint an outside industry expert to help the country deal with the crisis.
Eskom announced on Monday it has launched three programmes to procure much-needed power for the national grid, as part of the broad measures to address the load-shedding crisis.
Load-shedding will be reduced to stage 5 at midnight on Monday after the return of some generation units.
Beleaguered power utility Eskom implemented stage 6 rolling blackouts on Sunday, putting sharper focus on SA's continuing energy crisis.
In a brief statement, Eskom said after the tripping of a generation unit each at Kusile and Kriel power stations stage 6 load-shedding had to be implemented.
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With 15,319MW of capacity unavailable due to breakdowns and 7,210MW on planned maintenance, Eskom has extended stage four loadshedding until Sunday morning.
Malesela Daniel Teffo, the former advocate in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, has been struck off the roll.
The Pretoria high court ruled in favour of a Legal Practice Council (LPC) application on Friday, with Teffo in absentia.
Deputy president David Mabuza says all options have been considered and government remains the only instrument to ensure a reliable electricity supply and to “taking the land back to the people”.
While SA faces ongoing load-shedding, Mabuza said Eskom is stabilising power stations to restore a reliable electricity supply accessible to all.
Witness Tumelo Madlala identified the second accused in the Meyiwa murder trial as the second intruder who entered the Vosloorus home where soccer star Senzo Meyiwa died in 2014 in the Pretoria high court on Thursday. When pointed out by Madlala, Ntanzi appeared to give a nervous smile.
Madlala had yesterday testified that he was “annoyed" at being in the same room as the man who allegedly killed Meyiwa.
Tumelo Madlala, the state's third witness in Senzo Meyiwa's murder trial, told the Pretoria high court on Wednesday that he tried to stop blood flowing from the soccer star's gunshot wound while rushing him to hospital. Madlala was among those at the Vosloorus house on the day the Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates goalkeeper was killed in 2014.
Advocate Dali Mpofu and chairperson Qubudile Dyantyi were at each other’s throats on Tuesday.
The drama started when Mpofu asked for a postponement of the impeachment inquiry due to preparing for court proceedings against suspended public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane.
Sunday Times legal reporter Franny Rabkin explains Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s situation.
The suspended public protector's urgent court application to immediately return to work came after the DA appealed against a Western Cape High Court judgment that her suspension by President Cyril Ramaphosa was unlawful. The presidency will challenge the judgment in the Constitutional Court.
Deputy public protector Kholeka Gcaleka has also entered the fray to keep Mkhwebane out of office, instructing lawyers to intervene in the urgent matter.
Rabkin explains the implications of Mkhwebane’s court battles and those of her opponents and what's likely to happen.
A "sudden tripping" of three Kendal power station units has led to stage 4 load-shedding starting at 10am on Tuesday.
This will be in force until 5am on Thursday, said Eskom.
A day ago, the electricity utility had envisaged the country could move from stage 3 to stage 2 from Tuesday.
Despite a high court ruling that her suspension is invalid, the fight is not over for suspended public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane as court battles continue.
Mkhwebane was suspended in June and has been back and forth with court cases and also before the section 194 inquiry into her fitness to hold office.
Counsel for accused one to four, advocate Zandile Mshololo, told the Pretoria high court on Friday that inexperienced police officers were the first to attend the murder scene of soccer star Senzo Meyiwa. During cross-examination of state witness Sgt Mlungisi Mthethwa, it was revealed that he and his colleagues did not inspect the crime scene and left it unattended while they went to a hospital to find Meyiwa.
The second state witness in the murder trial of soccer star Senzo Meyiwa Sgt Patrick Mlungisi Mthethwa took to the stand at the Pretoria high court on Thursday. Mthethwa’s testimony highlighted more discrepancies in the high-profile murder case. One of which was the order of arrival of certain police officials at the crime scene, including first state witness Sgt Thabo Mosia and the late Brig Philani Ndlovu.
Some MPs rejected President Cyril Ramaphosa's offer to come to parliament on September 29, saying they are being taken for a ride. Members want him to appear to answer questions as a matter of urgency and say the delay is unacceptable.
EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu proposed that parliament subpoena the president before it continues with the oral session.
When Shivambu raised his hand several times during discussion of the item, speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula refused to acknowledge him.
“Are you that desperate Nosiviwe?” Shivambu asked Mapisa-Nqakula as he was removed from the virtual platform after an altercation. Mapisa-Nqakula said it was utter disrespect to be called by her name in parliament.
ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina, accepting the president’s proposal, said the party was not defending him.
The Automotive Transformation Fund was introduced to create black-owned enterprises in the Automotive industry. What is it all about? Who is involved?
Phuti Mpyane chats to Jabulani Selumane the CEO of the Fund.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on what Elon Musk though of the ‘Lord of the Rings’ prequel.
A statement by deceased Brig Philani Ndlovu was read into the record as hearsay evidence to be used during cross-examination of the first state witness in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial in the Pretoria high court on Tuesday. Judge Tshifhiwa Maumela ruled in favour of the defence, saying it was in the interest of justice that the statement be read for the first state witness Sgt Thabo Mosia to respond. Mosia had testified he was called and assigned to the crime scene by Ndlovu.
Eskom's enforced power cuts will be implemented from Tuesday — and daytime outages are back.
Stage 2 load-shedding kicks in from 4pm until 10pm on Tuesday night.
This will be followed by daily cuts between 5am to 10pm until Saturday.
“Have you ever been raped? Do you know someone in your family who was raped?”
These questions were posed by protesters who marched to police minister Bheki Cele’s office in Pretoria on Tuesday to call for his ousting.
The march was organised by the DA and supported by Action Society’s Ian Cameron.
As motorists expect fuel decreases from Wednesday, Investec chief economist Annabel Bishop says SA could reassess oil and gasoline imports to lower prices.
The Automobile Association (AA) called on government to urgently review the fuel price and find a sustainable solution to mitigating rising fuel costs, failing which citizens would be at the mercy of fuel price hikes.
The high court in Pretoria on Monday heard the application for a special entry regarding the alleged irregularities relating to the state's alleged non-disclosure of the so-called second docket in the murder case of soccer star Senzo Meyiwa. The application was brought by counsel for accused 5 advocate Zandile Mshololo, who said the second docket contains crucial information in the trial, including alleged contradictory statements by the first state witness Sgt Thabo Mosia.
Canadian police are hunting for two suspects in a stabbing spree that killed 10 people and wounded at least 15 others, mostly in a sparsely populated indigenous community, early on Sunday.
The stabbings across 13 crime scenes were among the deadliest mass killings in modern Canadian history and are certain to reverberate throughout the country, which is unaccustomed to the mass violence more commonly seen in the US.
One is as old as one feels, so goes the saying, but according to Pule Mabe, as long as you are not Thabo Mbeki’s age, you are young.
The ANC’s national spokesperson has suggested that people under 50 should be considered “youth”.
This is revealed in a leaked recording of last week’s special ANC national executive committee (NEC) meeting convened to update members of the body on nomination and election processes for the party’s 55th national conference scheduled for December as well as guidelines leading to the event.
In the leaked clip, Mabe can be heard addressing the ANC’s proposal to have 25% of the NEC positions reserved for young people.
On Thursday, at Kalafong Hospital the day began with heated confrontations between the EFF and Operation Dudula members.
“I don’t have to answer to you. You are rude, but perhaps ... when you look at me, you [think you see] ... a kitchen lady.”
These were the words of an angry defence minister, Thandi Modise, directed at DA MP Dean Macpherson during Wednesday’s sitting of the National Assembly.
Macpherson had said “you won’t rebuke Putin” to Modise, who was answering a parliamentary question about her recent attendance of the 10th Moscow Conference on International Security.
President Cyril Ramaphosa answered questions virtually from MPs on Tuesday, including challenges of illegal immigration, criminality and SANDF deployment.
Ramaphosa said Limpopo health MEC Phophi Ramathuba raised an important issue that is being debated and also said government is making progress on combating criminality.
Proceedings were delayed as EFF members wanted Ramaphosa to first answer questions on the Phala Phala matter. Party members made points of order throughout the session, and Malema told the president to keep quiet when a point of order is raised.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on reactions to Faf De Klerk’s controversial yellow card against Australia.
The Equality Court has dismissed AfriForum’s "dubul’ iBhunu" ("Shoot the Boer") case with costs.
The organisation had taken the EFF to court over the singing of the song, allegedly by party leader Julius Malema and MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, arguing it is hate speech and contributed to farm murders. Several witnesses took the stand including Malema and AfriForum's Ernst Roets.
Limpopo health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba has been captured confronting a foreign national scheduled for surgery at a hospital in the province.
She is heard telling the patient her country must take responsibility for her health issues and not SA, adding that Zimbabwe president Emmerson Mnangagwa does not contribute to Limpopo's health budget.
EFF leader Julius Malema says the continued stay of finance minister Enoch Godongwana in office spits in the faces of rape victims.
The party has called for Godongwana to step down after sexual misconduct allegations were made against him.
Malema said there were no divisions in the Zulu royal family and welcomed the new King Misizulu KaZwelethini, saying EFF leaders would pay the kingdom a visit.
Hawks head Lt-Gen Godfrey Lebeya on Tuesday hosted a media briefing at which he gave an update on cases the directorate is working on, among them the July 2021 unrest. He also outlined milestones achieved since his appointment in 2018. Lebeya also spoke about challenges the unit is facing, such as insufficient investigators.
A witness in the parliamentary inquiry into suspended public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane's fitness to hold office gave the head of her legal team, advocate Dali Mpofu, a hard time on Monday.
Testifying before the section 194 committee on Monday was Busani Baloyi, a former COO in the public protector's office who had several altercations with Mpofu who was not happy with how she answered questions.
When MPs posed questions to Baloyi, Mpofu told the DA’s Kevin Mileham to shut up and reminded the chair that “this is not a shebeen”.
As trade unions plan to shut down the country on Wednesday, Saftu (South African Federation of Trade Unions) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi says one of the demands is for the R350 grant to be increased to R1,500 for the unemployed.
Lowering of prices, stepping aside of the entire government of Eskom and the ANC, and land distribution are some of the key demands.
Vavi said the shutdown is a start of the total emancipation of the working class from poverty, inequality and oppression. “We’re not aiming at just having a one-day strike.”
He echoed former president Thabo Mbeki and EFF leader Julius Malema’s warnings of a “civil war”.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on Pitso Mosimane opening up about alleged discrimination and sabotage in football.
Police minister Bheki Cele delivered the crime statistics for the first quarter — April to June 2022 — of the 2022/2023 financial year. In this period sexual offences decreased, while murder remained high. According to Cele, violent crimes against women and children were at alarmingly high and unacceptable levels.
Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi is likely to set the cat among the pigeons for saying he supports a “strong review” of the law that banned corporal punishment in schools.
The use of corporal punishment in schools was outlawed in 1996.
He made this view known during a meeting of parents of pupils of Fred Norman Secondary School in Johannesburg on Tuesday following an incident where a teacher told a pupil’s granny that she “did not like coloureds”.
City of Tshwane mayor Randall Williams came under fire over allegations that he attempted to flout municipal procurement processes by pushing for a contract to refurbish two of the city’s aged power stations, at a cost of R26bn, to be awarded without going on public tender.
A recording of a meeting with his subordinates has been made available to TimesLIVE. Williams first tells officials who seemed discontent with the process of awarding the tender that they have no power to oppose it.It is then decided that reports should be reworded to do “everything” to get the project approved.Some officials are heard warning the mayor against the tender — “we are gonna get into trouble”.
Opposition parties on Wednesday briefed the media on the action they plan to take against President Cyril Ramaphosa regarding the Phala Phala scandal.
Widows and families of miners who died in the Marikana massacre have messages and questions for President Cyril Ramaphosa.
MPs weighed in on President Cyril Ramaphosa being summoned to appear before the section 194 committee inquiry into public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office.
Mkhwebane’s legal team, led by advocate Dali Mpofu, asked the committee to summon Ramaphosa, saying a refusal to do so would be "blatantly unfair".
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on Tbo Touch debating the most appropriate way to pay tribute to someone who has died.
The Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein on Monday heard an appeal regarding former president Jacob Zuma’s medical parole. The court heard several submissions from various parties including the department of correctional services, Zuma’s legal counsel and counsel for one of the respondents in the case, the DA. One of the submissions brought under the spotlight was the issue of the redacted medical records of the former president.
A female teacher had to be escorted out of a Johannesburg school by police on Monday after angry parents tried to forcibly remove her for telling a pupil’s granny she “did not like coloureds”.
A parent shouted “you racist pig” as the educator left the Fred Norman Secondary School in Ennerdale, Johannesburg, in a police vehicle.
During an ugly confrontation between the teacher and a Grade 11 pupil’s grandmother on Friday, the teacher told her: “I will never wake up liking coloureds like you because you guys are rude; you guys don’t have manners.”
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on the return to stage of an iconic production remembering the Marikana Massacre
Police minister Bheki Cele briefed parliament on plans to combat "zama zamas" and crime. He suspects human trafficking is related to illegal miners. He also mentioned police understaffing.
The subject of zama zamas has been a hot topic after the arrest of 350 in connection with the gang rape of eight women in Krugersdorp. Fourteen suspects have already appeared in court.
Seven more suspects linked to the rapes of eight women in Krugersdorp last month are expected to appear in court on Thursday, bringing the number of arrests for the attack to 14.
Proceedings were delayed as an age assessment is being done on an alleged zama zama (illegal miner) who says he is a minor.
ANC national executive committee member Nomvula Mokonyane led a protest outside the Krugersdorp magistrate's court, attended by supporters of the ANC, ActionSA and the LGBTQI+ community.
EFF leader Julius Malema has chastised the people of the Eastern Cape for voting ANC despite service delivery failure.
Premier Oscar Mabuyane should be “rotting in jail” for corruption in the province, he alleged.
Malema spoke on several issues, including GBV, farmgate, impeaching President Cyril Ramaphosa and ukuthwala.
“SA, you get the government you deserve. If you want a president of a gangster you’ve got one, but if you want one to liberate you from poverty you have to change your vote.”
Malema said there is enough money in the country, “it’s there even under the mattress”, but SA needs a caring government. He slammed service delivery in the province.
The seven men accused of killing Zimbabwean Elvis Nyathi were granted R3,000 bail each in the Randburg magistrate’s court on Friday. Nyathi was killed in a mob attack during unrest in Diepsloot in April over increased crime in the area, allegedly committed by foreigners.
A recent study shows SA is the most dangerous country in which to drive. Residents in Greymont, Johannesburg, a local security company and a councillor reported a huge hole in a main road to the Johannesburg Roads Agency and Johannesburg Water several times before it swallowed a car four months later.
At 13 years old, Cass Collier left swimming when he discovered his passion for surfing.
Cass Collier attributed his 41-year journey in the ocean to his father who taught him how to swim when he was just nine years old. At the time, SA was still racially segregated but this did not prevent the two from doing what they loved.
Mayhem broke out at Soweto school on Friday after the arrest of a Grade 9 pupil for allegedly stabbing to death a Grade 10 pupil over an alleged incident of bullying.
Gauteng education department spokesperson Steve Mabona said Thaba-Jabula Secondary School in Pimville had to be dismissed early after parents arrived demanding the release of the arrested boy while pupils began fighting among themselves.
A fearless nurse managed to calm a gunman inside a Cape Town hospital by hugging him and chatting until he agreed to be sedated.
“I walked towards him and hugged him,” said Sister Diane Seale from New Somerset Hospital where Jaun-Paul Carl Malgas allegedly shot dead two patients and a policeman on Saturday night
“As I entered the second floor, I noticed a body on the floor in the corridor, but my eye caught the patient with the gun in his hand. I walked straight to him and made eye contact.
“I escorted him into a cubicle. He told me to close the door. That also afforded our staff [the chance] to attend to the policeman who had been shot. I felt I could calm him down a bit.
“Though I noted two patients had been shot and were deceased, there were still two patients who were alive that I needed to save. I kept him seated, standing in front of him, so that these patients were kept out of harm’s way,” Seale told health department officials who shared her comments on Wednesday.
Three years ago judge president Phineas Mojapelo found that the display of the apartheid flag was a form of hate speech after the court considered the matter brought by the Nelson Mandela Foundation and SA Human Rights Commission. Today, the debate continues as Afriforum heads to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in Bloemfontein, in an attempt to overturn the equality court ruling that declared the display of the flag a form of hate speech. AfriForum campaign officer Ernst van Zyl said while the group and its members do not display the flag, it is taking the matter to court because it believes there is an important distinction between free speech and hate speech. The lobby group holds that allowing the banning of unpopular symbols such as the old SA flag, will open up precedent for other forms of free speech to be limited.
Former EFF secretary-general Godrich Gardee says it is painful knowing that while searching for his daughter, he drove past the house where she was possibly held captive and raped.
“It’s very painful to know I have been passing the place where everything happened without knowing. While we were busy with the search and rescue in bushes and mountains, we were passing the place where she was held and suffered so much abuse,” he told TimesLIVE in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.
Sentencing proceedings in the case of murder mastermind Ntuthuko Shoba were postponed in the Johannesburg high court on Tuesday due to outstanding pre-sentencing reports. Shoba was found guilty in March this year of orchestrating the murder of his girlfriend Tshegofatso Pule in June 2020.
Former domestic worker Ntombizodwa Merriam Mahlangu obtained her BA degree in Human and Social Studies from UNISA in 2018 and now wants to help other helpers achieve the same success. Now, Mahlangu is launching a non-profit company, Help One Helper, to help others like her. Through this initiative, she aims to empower helpers such as domestic workers, gardeners, nannies and handymen to achieve their full potential and change their lives for the better. This entails providing information on how to enrol at varsity, providing career guidance and financial assistance.
Stage 2 load-shedding will be implemented from 5pm to 10pm on Tuesday, with the possibility of higher stages should any breakdowns occur during the day.
DA leader John Steenhuisen says the consequences of the war between Russia and Ukraine will be felt most by SA’s poorest during the winter. The price of staple foods, including maize and cooking oil, have been on the rise due to restrictions on Ukrainian exports through its ports. Steenhuisen warned that it will get worse before it gets better.
Eskom’s Phillip Dukashe has resigned as permanent group executive for Generation. The ailing power utility announced the resignation on Monday afternoon, calling Dukashe "a true, loyal asset to Eskom and the country." Rhulani Mathebula will act as Generation Executive while the recruitment process is in order. Mathebula was group executive for generation before Dukashe's appointment and has a history as power station GM.
EFF leader Julius Malema and police minister Bheki Cele were among the speakers on Saturday at the funeral of Hillary Gardee, who was found dead after allegedly being shot in the back of her head. Cele said: “She had tough, bad last hours.” He said he would return to the family to provide more details. “It's a scary story.” Malema urged Cele to be on the same side as him and oppose bail on Monday.
The funeral service of Hillary Gardee is under way in Kamagugu in Nelspruit on Saturday. Hillary’s aunt, Shariffa Gardee, explained what they know about her disappearance and murder. “She was nowhere to be found and her phone was switched off,” her aunt said. On Friday police arrested a 39-year-old man in connection with Gardee’s murder. Police say they are cracking the case.
There have been growing calls from civil groups, activists, pupils and parents for the implementation of progressive school uniform guidelines for LGBTQIA+ pupils across South African schools. School uniform policies have previously been focused on affordability and accessibility. The current uniform policies are draft guidelines which allow departments and schools at a provincial level to interpret them in the way they see fit, which can be problematic if non-discriminatory guidelines are included.
A Soweto man who raped his neighbour’s 11-month-old puppy has been sentenced to eight years behind bars by the Roodepoort magistrate's court.
Mojalesa Mofokeng was found guilty of bestiality.
During a visit to the Gardee family home, EFF leader Julius Malema said he could not guarantee what would happen if he was to find those responsible for the murder of postgraduate student Hillary Gardee, 28, daughter of former EFF secretary-general and attorney Godrich Gardee.
Eskom anticipates its “old and unreliable” system will be unable to handle the demand for power this winter.
COO Jan Oberholzer said they will try their best to keep the lights on but SA should not count on it.
The power utility implemented stage 2 load-shedding on Tuesday.
It is too late to avoid the impact of climate change which, according to experts at the Centre for Environmental Rights, can already be felt across the country.
After SA experienced devastating flooding in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape which devastated infrastructure, displaced thousands and led to the deaths of 435 people, President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the flood-stricken areas. He said the flooding was a result of climate change and SA would need to improve its disaster response.
According to Centre for Environmental Rights climate advocacy lawyer Brandon Abdinor and environmental futures and strategist researcher and consultant Prof Nicholas King, the president was correct
Is the ANC too far gone to modernise? That was the framing question of this episode of Eusebius on TimesLIVE, in which ANC member Chrispin Phiri articulated his critique of his party’s suboptimal internal electoral processes.
Eskom has set up a team to review the latest state capture report which found that former president Jacob Zuma played a key role in helping the Gupta family capture the entity.
Eskom board chair Professor Malegapuru Makgoba said on Friday that state capture and its agents had caused immense harm to the entity over many years.
Motorists with expired driving licences will face the music from May 5. “There will be no further extension of the grace period,” transport minister Fikile Mbalula said on Thursday. There are currently 1.3-million motorists with expired licences yet to be renewed.
The first witness in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, Sgt Thabo Mosia, told the high court in Pretoria that there was no evidence of tampering at the crime scene where the soccer player was killed in October 2014. The place in question was the home of the mother of singer Kelly Khumalo, Meyiwa’s girlfriend at the time. Mosia, a forensics expert, detailed what occurred during his visits to the home, including the evidence he collected and the people present.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has told parliament there will measures to strengthen oversight and accountability for funds allocated for flood relief. Ramaphosa said the funds must be spent effectively and briefly outlined how they will be monitored.
The Ukraine-Russia conflict will mark two months on Sunday. We look back at SA’s stance and hear from a Ukranian citizen in the capital Kyiv.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary of what you had to say about the president’s pledge that no money meant for relief in KZN will land up in the hands of the corrupt.
Operation Dudula has long held that it is not a xenephobic or violent movement and that it is being greatly misrepresented by the media and certain politicians.
Operation Dudula again formed a major feature of SA's news cycles following a death in Pimville in Soweto on Monday.
A group of people, allegedly South African residents of Pimville, together with Operation Dudula members from the community, marched on Monday to protest against continuous power outages due to cable theft. The group alleged that they could trace the theft to a group of undocumented foreign nationals, who live in the area. During a community march to confront the foreign nationals Kgomotso Vincent Diale, a father of two, died in circumstances which are under investigation by police.
Following Diale’s death Operation Dudula leader Nhlanhla 'Lux' addressed community members in Soweto, reiterating that the organisation and the people of the community are not vigilantes’ but that they have been misbranded by media houses.
In an attempt to allow Operation Dudula to clarify its mission, aims and purpose TimesLIVE allowed a national executive member and representative from the organisation, Nango Enoch, to outline their intentions and debunk what the movement believes to be misconceptions spread by the media.
Police minister Bheki Cele was in Soweto on Wednesday April 20 2022 following violent clashes and shootings in Kliptown and surrounding areas earlier this week, after a march sparked by cable theft in the area and a lack of adequate policing to deal with such crimes.
Load-shedding will be reduced to stage 3 at 10pm and remain in force until Friday, Eskom said in an update on Wednesday afternoon.
Speaking at a press briefing, Eskom group executive for generation Philip Dukashe said load-shedding would be reassessed on Friday. The briefing came shortly after the power utility announced load-shedding would be ramped up to stage 4 for the remainder of the week.The rolling blackouts are due to a loss of generation capacity as a result of unplanned breakdowns of risk units that were unable to be maintained as planned over the wet and cold Easter weekend.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday evening that cabinet had resolved to declare a national state of disaster to provide relief to KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape which had been extensively damaged by floods.
Nearly 4,000 homes had been destroyed in KwaZulu-Natal and more than 40,000 people had been displaced by the floods.
A new sub-lineages of the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 has been discovered by Researchers in Botswana and South Africa. The WHO announced that the sub-lineages have so far been identified in four people in Botswana and 23 in South Africa. Outside Africa, the BA.4 and the BA.5 sub-lineages have been confirmed in Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom.At this stage researchers say that little is known about the sub-lineages known as BA.4 and BA.5, but that we ought not to worry, because hospitalization, infections and death figures have not spikes.
While Eskom says it is still on track to suspend load-shedding at 5am on Friday, it has warned of the possibility of load-shedding next week. Eskom said the planned suspension of load-shedding is due, in part, to the lower demand expected over the weekend, however the power utility said the power system remains fragile. According to Eskom, it will undertake opportunity maintenance during the low demand weekend to address some risks on running units.
Following the still mounting death toll, which has now surpassed 300 people, and the announcement late last night that the recent flooding in KZN has officially been classified as a Provincial Disaster, disaster relief NGO Gift of the Givers Chairman and Founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman offered a statement on what the foundation is doing and where it is still in need of aid.
President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the flood-ravaged areas of KZN on Wednesday to assess the damage caused by the recent heavy rains in the province. Ramaphosa was accompanied by several government officials at provincial and national level.
Eskom CEO Andre De Ruyter says the power utility has come to an arrangement with the eThekwini district leadership and has suspended load-shedding in the area. KwaZulu-Natal is dealing with devastating flooding that destroyed homes and crucial infrastructure and killed dozens. De Ruyter emphasised in a media briefing on Wednesday morning that unplanned outages and system failures are “uncomfortably high” and that two decades of sub-par maintenance has left the utility in a difficult position, with a generation capacity shortfall of 3,518 megawatts. De Ruyter outlined how neglect for the inclusion of new generating capacity over the past two decades has hamstrung the utility into resorting to load-shedding to conduct routine maintenance. He said Eskom is working tirelessly to bring load-shedding to an end.
As heavy rains have wreaked havoc in parts of KwaZulu-Natal, scenes of collapsed roads, sinkholes, flooded homes and washed-away infrastructure stream onto social media platforms. Forecaster with WeatherSA, Wayne Venter, explained that it is normal to see a Cut-Off Low (COL) pressure system during this time of the year. A COL is a system that develops south of South Africa, and usually lasts up to 6 days. A COL moves slowly over a region leading to heavy rainfall in confined area's. However, Venter points out that the amount of rainfall associated with this particular system has lead to record amount of rainfall seen over the past 24hr period in the KZN region. Venter also provides the services predicted forecast for the next two weeks.
Group CEO Andre de Ruyter and members of the Eskom management team provided an update on system challenges. A number of issues were addressed, including generation capacity, maintenance plans and effects of heavy rains in KwaZulu-Natal on the province’s power capacity and in the rest of the country.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on the R350 social relief of distress (SRD) that have not been collected from the first and second cycles at the SA Post Office (SAPO).
The corruption and fraud trial of former president Jacob Zuma was again postponed in the Pietermaritzburg High Court. According to judge Piet Koen, this was to allow the finalisation of his appeal process before the Supreme Court of Appeal. Zuma has continued attempts to have state prosecutor advocate Billy Downer removed from the trial.
The trial of five men accused of footballer Senzo Meyiwa’s murder has been postponed for legal representatives to consult their clients after the disclosure in court on Monday that the state has evidence from people who require witness protection. The former Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates goalkeeper was shot dead in October 2014 in what was described as a botched robbery in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg, in the presence of his girlfriend Kelly Khumalo, her mother Ntombi, sister Zandi, Zandi’s boyfriend Longwe Twala and his friends Mthokozisi Twala and Tumelo Madlala. Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa and Sifisokuhle Nkani Ntuli are charged with murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, possession of firearms without a licence and possession of ammunition.
A new trend that has resulted in school pupils being hospitalised has prompted authorities to issue warnings against “space cakes”. These are edible treats containing cannabis or other dangerous substances — generally baked by pupils who sell them to other children — that have been gaining popularity. Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi on Sunday issued an alert saying he was “concerned with the ongoing trend of learners consuming ‘space cakes’”.
A delegation of government officials including Police Minister Bheki Cele and Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi visited the informal settlement of Diepsloot on Friday to address residents after a wave of protests this week. Cele assured residents that the police were dealing with the cases related to crime especially murders in the area. Dr. Motsoaledi said the issue of undocumented foreign nationals entering the country's boarders is an ongoing issue that is being addressed by the department and that a boarder management authority would soon be launched.
Police minister Bheki Cele and national police commissioner Fannie Masemola visited Diepsloot where community members are threatening to shut down the area. One person was burnt to death in an alleged mob attack on Wednesday night.
A witness from the SANDF took to the stand in the assault trial of EFF leader Julius Malema and MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi in the Randburg magistrate's court on Thursday. The pair are charged with assaulting a police officer at the funeral of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in April 2018 and pleaded not guilty.
On Wednesday, April 6, EFF leader Julius Malema, alongside other party leaders, led the EFF picket dubbed “Land Day” at businessman Johann Rupert's farms in Stellenbosch. According to Malema, they had come to address white monopoly capital.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on EFF picketing outside Johann Rupert's farm in Mpumalanga and Western Cape
One of the candidates for the two Constitutional Court vacancies, judge David Unterhalter, on Tuesday admitted that he made a mistake when he decided on a matter that came before the Supreme Court of Appeal last year and the Constitutional Court this year.
The last candidate to be interviewed for a vacancy in the Constitutional Court, judge Owen Rogers, said on Tuesday he thinks the court of 11 justices is too small and too important to allow anything along the lines of a quota to determine who is part of it. Rogers, who is a judge in the Western Cape High Court, and four other candidates were interviewed by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) for two vacancies in the apex court.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary of Fana Mokoena’s calls for a united Africa to save the country from collapse
Strong competent should be appointed in positions of authority in SA's courts, rather than "paying lip service" to the issue of gender transformation.This is according to Judge Fayeeza Kathree-Setiloane, who didn't hold back when she was questioned what message would sent out to South Africans should she be appointed judge in the Constitutional Court.During her interview with the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) for one of two Constitutional Court vacancies on Tuesday Kathree-Setiloane was showered with well-wishes from a number of her interviewees - including EFF leader Julius Malema.
Co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has defended government’s decision to terminate the national state of disaster amid fears a fifth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This as some parts of the world battle new variants and the fifth wave. Asked if this had been a wise decision and what it would mean for the country, Dlamini-Zuma said the state of the disaster could potentially come back into effect.
Advocate Alan Dodson, 61, would not be drawn into justifying how his appointment as a Constitutional Court judge would relate to transformation. Questions around the fact that he is a white male applying to fill one of two vacancies in the highest court in the land, featured prominently during his interview for the post in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
The Eastern Cape department of education was ordered by the Makhanda high court to ensure all public schools in the province have textbooks by the end of last month. Department spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima told TimesLIVE that by the end of Tuesday all schools would have textbooks. Khula Development Forum, represented by the Legal Resources Centre, took the department to court over its failure to deliver textbooks to pupils.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on the Jacob Zuma Foundation saing the recent ruling by the Supreme court of Appeals is "disappointing but not unexpected".
President Cyril Ramaphosa appeared at the SA Human Rights Commission hearings into the July 2021 unrest on Friday. Ramaphosa accounted for his administration's response to the unrest and detailed the reformative actions taken by the state in the aftermath of the unprecedented events.
ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) president Bathabile Dlamini was on Friday sentenced to a R200,000 fine for perjury, of which half was suspended.
If she does not pay, she faces four years’ imprisonment, of which two are suspended for five years.
This after the Johannesburg magistrate’s court recently found her guilty of perjury.
Deputy president David Mabuza appeared before the National Assembly on Thursday to answer questions from MPs on a variety of topics including the national Covid-19 vaccine rollout, problems facing Eskom, and concerns of military veterans. During the Eskom-related questions, to his surprise the deputy president was asked about his visit to Russia, which he emphasised was purely for medical reasons. Mabuza also provided information on the government's plans regarding the closure and repurposing of coal mines.
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday appointed Gen Sehlahle Masemola as the new national police commissioner.
Ramaphosa expressed confidence in Masemola, saying he believed he was fit and proper to make SA a safer place.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on justice minister Ronald Lamola welcoming proposed recommendations to criminalise forced and child marriages in SA..
The motion of no confidence in cabinet ministers brought by the DA has failed. There were two motions of no confidence debated in parliament on Wednesday evening. The motion brought by the African Transformation Movement (ATM) was postponed as some MPs were not happy with the open-vote system.
Sibongile Mani, a Walter Sisulu University education honours degree student, has been sentenced to five years in jail for the theft of more than R800,000 in National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funds.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary of Herman Mashaba speaking on whether Mbali Ntuli will be joining ActionSA
Operation Dudula members in Tshwane marched to businesses in the largely industrial suburb of Rosslyn to hand over a memorandum against the employment of illegal foreigners.
Talking to TimesLIVE, members emphasised the movement was not xenophobic and that one of their requests was for foreign nationals to acquire proper documentation when residing and working in the country.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on Transport minister Fikile Mbalula cautioning against buying electric cars due to Eskom’s load-shedding.
The fate of perjury convicted ANC woman’s league president Bathabile Dlamini in the party lies in the hands of the party’s national officials led by party president Cyril Ramaphosa.
ANC treasurer-general, Paul Mashatile on Monday announced that the party’s highest decision making body, the national executive committee (NEC), had resorted to tasking the top six to attend to matters arising from Dlamini’s conviction.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on Nando’s latest advert educating parents about gender identity, new pronouns and the importance of diversity and inclusivity.
On Friday the Johannesburg high court found Ntuthuko Shoba guilty of the premeditated murder of his pregnant girlfriend Tshegofatso Pule.
Pule was killed on June 4 2020 by convicted murder Muzikayise Malephane, who is serving a 20-year jail sentence.
Shoba will be back in court for sentencing on May 10.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on Energy and mineral resources minister Gwede Mantashe caught apparently sleeping during a parliamentary sitting.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary of Tito Mboweni calling for the creation of a state bank
Acting chief justice Raymond Zondo on Thursday afternoon held a media briefing after his appointment as chief justice by President Cyril Ramaphosa this month. Zondo was asked questions about the position, which he said was a special honour.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba and EFF weighing in on the department of international relations and cooperation's (Dirco) decision to return to court to argue its case over a R50m donation to Cuba.
It has been a bad few week for the air transport industry.21 March, the world watched in horror as China Eastern flight MU5735 plummeted out of the sky with none of the 132 people on board having been found alive. This right after a five-day air travel suspension, from 12 to 16 March, of South African airline Comair and a subsequent landing gear incident, 19 March, which delayed a Comair owned British Airways flight from Gqeberha to Cape Town. Naturally, these events have left some questioning the safety of air travel and particularly the safety of Comair’s British Airways.
The EFF was accused of "protecting drug dealers" after party members on Wednesday accompanied 59-year-old Victor Ramerafe, a former branch secretary, to open a criminal case against Operation Dudula frontman Nhlanhla Lux Dlamini over an alleged drug raid the group conducted at his home on Sunday.
Masks are no longer mandatory outdoors, as announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday. Renowned SA scientists Shabir Madhi and Salim Adbool-Karim support the scrapping of masks outdoors, and opposition parties have also had their say about the new regulations
The Electoral Commission (IEC) on Tuesday launched a joint voter registration campaign with Wits University to encourage young people to cast their votes in future elections.
The campaign will include other tertiary institutions throughout the country, to boost youth participation in the polls.
The latest data by the IEC shows that only 26-million South Africans are registered to vote. The commission hopes to increase this number by getting more youths at the polls.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on Kulula.com offering refund options to passangers affected by the five days Comair grounding.
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday announced that masks were no longer necessary in an outdoors setting. Addressing the nation, Ramaphosa said masks would still be required inside public transport, offices and malls but "not when we are walking in our streets or in an open space, exercising outdoors or jogging or attending an outdoor gathering," he said. These changes come as government prepares to lift the state of disaster. Ramaphosa said the country was ready and better prepared for what lay ahead in the next chapter of Covid-19. "We are now learning to live with the Covid-19 pandemic," he said.
Hundreds of e-hailing operators parked their vehicles on Tuesday when they embarked on a three-day strike as drivers called for their demands to be met, including the regulation of the industry by government. Drivers who convened in Pretoria marched to the department of trade and industry and the Union Buildings to hand over a memorandum of their demands.
Drivers are calling for an end to the unregulated industry, fair pricing and the vetting of drivers, among other issues.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on UDM leader Bantu Holomisa slamming ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile, following his remarks to public protector Busiswe Mkhwebane amid an investigation over President Cyril Ramaphosa's leaked audio.
28 years into democracy and the SA education system still faces many issues including lack of and poor infrastructure, budget cuts, overcrowded classrooms, lack of learning material and resources etc. TimesLIVE looks at some members of civil society who have made it their mission to help redress some of these issues.
On March 21 1960 South African police gunned down unarmed anti-apartheid activists gathered in Sharpeville, near Johannesburg, who were protesting against the pass law system. The massacre led to the deaths of 69 people and at least 180 others were seriously wounded. This moment in our history marked a turning point in the nation's struggle for freedom. Now every year in March we celebrate Human Rights Day to commemorate what it cost to secure equal basic human rights and dignity for all. While many South Africans don’t feel that their human rights are protected and prioritised, Africans living in our country, our neighbours, feel they have been scapegoated and it is South Africans who are trying to strip them of their human rights and dignity. Listen to the opinions of South Africans, foreign nationals, journalists and experts, including advocacy director in the Africa division at Human Rights Watch, Carine Kaneza Nantulya, and executive director of Amnesty International SA, Shenilla Mohamed.
On Friday the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) heard from women who took a Clicks advert to court. The witnesses told the SAHRC the advert is belittling. The case was dismissed by the Western Cape equality court last week.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on the Shoprite Group announcing that beneficiaries of the grant can now collect their payments at its 1,286 supermarkets across SA.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary of UDM leader Bantu Holomisa weighing in on anti-immigrant protests that have turned violent
President Cyril Ramaphosa answered questions in the National Assembly on Thursday. Among them were expected questions on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to which Ramaphosa answered that SA's stance was for dialogue, mediation and negotiations. He was also asked questions on the economic affects the war would have on SA.
The SA Human Right Commission inquiry into racial discrimination in the advertising industry continued on Thursday. Jamela Robertson, CEO of the Commission for Gender Equality outlined the kind of representation that would help achieve desirable results for society, focusing on gender and race.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on UDM leader Bantu Holomisa says extension of the national state of disaster is an abuse of power and that his party plans on opposing it.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on Home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi saying by-laws on licensing of spaza shops in SA should be enforced without fear or favour.
The National Assembly's debate on the affect of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Sa’s economy saw a heated discussions among MPs during the sitting. Various points were brought up including the president's stance on the invasion and the long-term affect of the war on developing nations such as SA.
The SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) said it is engaging with Pfizer about the report regarding vaccine side-effects that made the rounds last week.
VaccineSideEffects trended on social media last week after a “leaked” document detailing adverse health events experienced by people after receiving the Pfizer vaccine.
The regulator reassured South Africans that the Covid-19 vaccines are safe.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on FlySafair defending its R3k single flight tickets from Johannesburg to Cape Town amid Comair’s grounding
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba called for the arrest of the killers of the University of Limpopo lecturer Prof Mohamed Saber Tayob, saying they should be apprehended before they get a chance to kill someone else.
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba says the killers of Limpopo University lecturer Mohamed Tayob should be apprehended before they kill someone else.
EFF head of political education Dr Mbuyiseni Ndlozi appeared at the South African Human Rights Commission’s national inquiry into racism and discrimination in the advertising sector. Ndlozi gave detailed accounts of racism within the sector, including in expenditure and ownership.
The National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) is expected to meet on Monday.
On the agenda includes the scrapping of wearing masks in outdoor areas.
Speaking to TimesLIVE before the NCCC meeting, Wits professor of vaccinology Shabir Madhi said some Covid-19 rules serve very little value and motivates why there is no longer a need to wear a mask outside.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on the health department announcing vaccine booster changes for people who got vaccinated with one shot of J&J.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary of a petition calling for President Cyril Ramaphosa to fire underperforming ministers from his cabinet.
Raymond Zondo will ascend to the Chief Justice position after he was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday. Zondo was interviewed for the position along with Constitutional Court justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, Gauteng judge president Dunstan Mlambo and president of the Supreme Court of Appeal justice Mandisa Maya. All candidates were interviewed publicly by a panel of Commissioners from the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) last month. The JSC recommended Maya for the Chief Justice position, but the final decision lay with the President. The presidency said Ramaphosa expressed his intention to nominate Maya as deputy chief justice. This nomination process will be guided by the Constitution
Duma Gqubule with the Centre for Economic Development and Transformation discussed this year's national budget as a guest on Eusebius on TimesLIVE.
He argued that the government's projection of an economic growth rate below 2% over the next few years will result in greater levels of unemployment which, in turn, will increase social strife in South Africa. One of several government mistakes, argues Gqubule, is to focus relentlessly on keeping the debt level as low as possible, and slavishly obsessing about inflation targeting. Although anathema to some economists, Gqubule made a passionate case for why an ambitious stimulus package is necessary in order to unlock economic growth within the economy. If, for example, we were to enjoy another commodities windfall, he argues, that income should be used to stimulate growth, and to unlock jobs rather than to quickly pay off our national debt.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on DA proposing that undocumented foreigners in SA should be given amnesty to both leave, re-enter or apply for visas in the country.
Ten SA students who are studying in Ukraine arrived at OR Tambo international Airport in Johannesburg on Thursday. They fled Ukraine, now in its third week of war with Russia. The students, their families and the department of international relations and co-operation spoke to journalists at the airport.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on how stage 6 load-shedding can affect you?
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary of higher education Blade Nzimande speaking about the key job skills needed in SA right now.
Eskom provided an update on Wednesday morning on the system challenges it is facing. The power utility implemented stage 4 load-shedding from 9am on Wednesday until 5am on Friday. Load-shedding will then be lowered to stage 2 until Monday morning, if all goes according to plan. Eskom COO Jan Oberholzer apologised to citizens for the negative economic impact. The power utility said it might have to implement stage 6 load-shedding this week if it runs out of diesel and water.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary of claims Chippa United owner Chippa Mpengesi could run challenge Danny Jordaan for the safa presidency
Eskom has announced it will implement stage 4 load-shedding from 9am on Wednesday until Friday.
“It is with a great deal of disappointment that Eskom has to inform the public that further failures overnight of generation units has necessitated the implementation of stage 4 load-shedding starting at 9am,” said Eskom spokesperson Sikhonathi Mantshantsha.
This will be in force until 5am on Friday.
In his weekly newsletter on Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the Russia-Ukraine conflict should be resolved through mediation. This after the country abstained from voting on a UN resolution reprimanding Russia last week and appearing conflicted on what stance to take. Head of politics and international relations at Rhodes University, Dr Siphokazi Magadla, said it's not a matter of supporting one country over the other but supporting the country’s principles.
Public clinics and pop-up sites offer Covid-19 vaccination and booster shots. The city initially had 12 sites during the launch of the vaccination rollout in May last year.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on employment and labour minister Thulas Nxesi setting aside R551m for a job creation project aimed at assisting 19,921 beneficiaries.
Stage 2 rotational power cuts will be in place from 5pm on Monday afternoon, says embattled power utility Eskom.
Initially, Eskom said the power cuts would kick in from 9pm on Monday, but this was changed just 20 minutes later.
Spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha said the cuts were due to “multiple generating unit failures in the past 24 hours”.
KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala said the provincial government reprioritised R10 million which is aimed at offering assistance to affected businesses.
Grants for a single applicant will be capped at R20,000. The grant is aimed at assisting more than 500 businesses across the province.
Former president Jacob Zuma has weighed in on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, saying President Vladimir Putin felt provoked and was justified in his response.
The former president's namesake foundation issued a statement, days after SA abstained from voting in favour of a UN resolution to reprimand Russia.
He said it would have been “remiss” of him not to share his opinion on the tensions as a senior member of the ANC who is committed to the liberation of South Africans.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on Gift of the Givers announcing that it will provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary of Mmusi Maimane predicting “freedom” for Zimbabwe in 2023
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on former DA MP Phumzile Van Damme reacting to the newly introduced internet censorship bill.
Legal scholar, political analyst and author Prof Richard Calland joined Eusebius McKaiser to debate SA's abstention from a UN resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Justice and correctional services minister Ronald Lamola appeared before the SA Human Rights Commission hearing into the 2021 July unrest on Thursday. Lamola gave a detailed account of the unrest, including the efforts made by his ministry to deal with the unrest from the time it erupted to now, as we approach the one-year mark.
The UN General Assembly on Wednesday overwhelmingly voted to reprimand Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, and demanded Moscow stop fighting and withdraw its military forces, an action that aims to diplomatically isolate Russia at the world body. But SA was not among the 141 of the assembly's 193 members that voted in favour of the resolution. The department of international relations and co-operation said SA is not taking sides.
Mineral resources minister Gwede Mantashe responded to the latest state capture report implicating him, saying he will take it for judicial review. He also maintained that the Bosasa sponsored security upgrades at three of his properties were innocent.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on the DA and UDM reacting to the third volume of the state capture report released this week.
KwaZulu-Natal deputy judge president Isaac Madondo handed down judgment in the Pietermaritzburg high court on Wednesday on the civil matter related to three applications brought before the court regarding King Goodwill Zwelithini's will.
The third volume of the state capture commission implicates prominent individuals like former president Jacob Zuma and Gwede Mantashe in corruption.
The chairperson of the commission and acting chief justice Raymond Zondo said authorities would likely uncover corruption if they pursued further investigations into the allegations levelled against Mokonyane and Mantashe.
Former president Jacob Zuma has rejected the finding of the state capture inquiry that he “accepted gratification” from controversial state contractor Bosasa, which “held and sought to obtain contracts with government”.
The finding is contained in part 3 of the state capture inquiry report, officially handed to the presidency on Tuesday.
In a statement released early on Wednesday morning, the Jacob Zuma Foundation said the former president rejected the findings as he asserts he was not afforded an opportunity to be heard.
Sakhisizwe Property Stokvel was established in June 2019 and has become one the top-performing stokvels and is growing rapidly, enabling members to invest in high-yield properties in order to receive returns on those investments. Sakhisizwe, which connotes with the building of a nation, primarily consists of two types of investments. Known as "Owner’s Club", the first type of investment allows members to put money together and purchase a particular property for the purpose of gaining rental income. This way, members also benefit from the appreciation of that property. The second type of investment provides funding for other investors, enabling members to benefit through interest.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on Actor and former EFF MP Fana Mokoena criticise arts and culture minister Nathi Mthethwa, saying he must be held responsible for the stress caused to artists who rely on events for their livelihoods.
Army chief Gen Rudzani Maphwanya appeared before the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) as the commission continued its second leg of hearings into the July 2021 unrest and looting. Maphwanya gave detailed accounts of why and how the defence force was deployed during the unrest.
The SA government has been issuing conflicting statements on its stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. But Wits international relations associate professor Malte Brosig says SA and other developing countries can leave taking sides to the big boys despite SA being part of Brics.
ActionSA’s Bongani Baloyi opens about not having plans to be a local mayor again if the partys wins 2024 elections.
ActionSA’s Bongani Baloyi opens about not having plans to be a local mayor again if the partys wins 2024 elections.
Don’t have time to read? Listen to a summary on why ActionSA unit resisted the budget and what the coalition parties had to say about their commitment to the residents of Tshwane.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on Thulas Nxesi saying the proposed National Labour Migration Policy (NLMP) will introduce quotas on the total number of documented foreign nationals with work visas that can be employed in agriculture, hospitality and tourism, as well as construction, along with other sectors.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on the labour department in Limpopo warning people against paying 'agents' to submit their application on their behalf and expecting preferential treatment.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on Defence minister Thandi Modise saying identifying criminal suspects by their nationalities is not xenophobic.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on a petition calling on government not to get involved in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Thousands of Africans studying in the Ukraine are desperate to leave after the Russian invasion of the country. TimesLIVE spoke with two African students who are stranded in the city of Vinnytsia.
Walking the talk. Getting his hands dirty. Putting his money — or the city's, really — where his mouth is. On Wednesday morning, he arrived in a hybrid Toyota Prius in time for a clean up at nearby Joe Slovo Park. After urging residents to work with city teams to keep their communities clean — and he promised to do this every week of his five-year tenure, if necessary — he bent down to pick up a grubby tissue. His gloved hands filled a garbage bag with litter in just 20 minutes. Cape Town’s 35-year-old mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, gives new meaning to the old clichés as he breaks the stereotype of a privileged white male.
Hill-Lewis has spent his first 100 days in office working to help more Capetonians have the safe and nurturing type of environment that he did growing up in Edgemead, a suburb across Table Bay from the mountain.
Podcasts and similar audio content from the Arena Holdings group, publishers of the Sunday Times, Business Day, The Times, Sowetan, etc. News-orientated editorial content
Keywords: podcast, multimedia, politics, entertainment, news and views, economy, South Africa
Economist Michael Sachs says affluent households are pushing a trend of high consumption and the private sector could rather help build the country for the public good.
In a press briefing on Thursday, the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa) announced that Eskom’s tariff increase for the 2022/2023 financial year will be 9.61% and not the requested 20.5%. Energy consultant Liz McDaid suggests that Eskom and government need to to make changes for improved power generation in SA .
Treasury director general Dondo Mogajane has defended the 2022 Budget amid criticism that it has not gone far enough to create jobs.
The SA Human Rights Commission heard evidence from community leaders from Soweto and Alexandra as they continued their hearings into the unrest and looting in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal in July 2021. Soweto community leader Themba Makhubela addressed several issues relating to the unrest including the police being incapable of dealing with the unrest and protecting citizens.
Podcasts and similar audio content from the Arena Holdings group, publishers of the Sunday Times, Business Day, The Times, Sowetan, etc. News-orientated editorial content
Keywords: podcast, multimedia, politics, entertainment, news and views, economy, South Africa
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on Robert Marawa’s reaction to the Nelson Mandela Bay water crisis
Finance minister Enoch Godongwana tabled his 2022/2023 budget on Wednesday afternoon. Senior economist at FNB Siphamandla Mkhwanazi says it was a positive budget for the consumer.
Finance minister Enoch Godongwana delivered his maiden budget speech before a joint sitting of parliament on Wednesday afternoon.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on police response to a syndicate caught planning a heist in Joburg.
Don't have time to read? Listen to a summary on One SA Movement leader Mmusi Maimane weighing in on immigration job quotas
Former State Security Agency (SSA) minister Ayanda Dlodlo is before the SA Human Rights Commission on Tuesday afternoon. The former minister said the SSA provided daily warnings regarding imminent unrest to SAPS. Dlodlo told the commission that her former department warned security departments about the unrest seven months before it occurred. The SAHRC is on its second leg of the investigation into the July 2021 looting and violence.
Tembisa Hospital was temporarily closed on Wednesday after a fatal shooting left patients and staff in a state of shock, the Gauteng health department said.
The second day of the AfriForum vs EFF members court case for singing “Kill the Boer” resumed in the Gauteng high court in Johannesburg on Tuesday morning. Ernst Roets from AfriForum, author of the book Kill the Boer: Government Complicity in SA’s Brutal Farm Murders, is continuing with his testimony. Roets said it's alarming there is no national outcry when black people make racist comments but “hell breaks loose” when white people do so. AfriForum has gone to court over the singing of the song dubul’ ibhunu (“kill the Boer”) by EFF leader Julius Malema. AfriForum is arguing this was hate speech.
AfriForum's case against EFF members for singing “Kill the Boer” started in the Gauteng high court in Johannesburg on Monday. Ernst Roets from AfriForum, the author of the book Kill the Boer: Government Complicity in SA's Brutal Farm Murders, read some sections of the book and answered questions in the court. AfriForum is taking the party to court over the singing of the song “dubul' ibhulu” (“kill the Boer”) by party leader Julius Malema. AfriForum is arguing that this was hate speech. The secretary-general of the EFF, Marshall Mzingisi Dlamini, said the case was a waste of time and state resources and Roets was in court to “promote his book”.
Eskom will implement stage 2 load-shedding from 9pm on Monday to “conserve and replenish” emergency reserves.“Further breakdowns could force Eskom to implement load-shedding sooner or to extend the load-shedding beyond Tuesday morning,” the utility said in a statement.Eskom said that, since midnight, it had lost a unit each at Camden, Kusile, Duvha and Matla power stations.
Acting chief justice Raymond Zondo says he is being accused of being pro-Ramaphosa without facts. Zondo is the final candidate being interviewed for the chief justice position. Other candidates include Constitutional Court judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga, Supreme Court of Appeal president Mandisa Maya and Gauteng judge president Dunstan Mlambo.
Chief justice hopeful Dunstan Mlambo wants modernisation and innovation in SA courts. Mlambo was the third candidate interviewed for the position. He said the delay in delivering judgments is unacceptable.
On Wednesday Supreme Court of Appeal judge president Mandisa Maya was in the hot sit as she vies for the chief justice position. Maya is the only woman ever nominated for the position. She mentioned some of the issues she wants addressed.“DNA samples go stale or get lost. With DNA evidence, in as many as 50% of those cases, convictions will be achieved,” Maya said
Eskom has again implemented load-shedding. This time it will last for five days until Monday next week. “This load-shedding is necessary due to a shortage of generation capacity following breakdowns of two more generating units during the night,” the company said. Eskom provided a virtual update on Wednesday morning. The power utility’s leadership said the problems are due to funding and the management of issues.
The case against 11 military veterans charged with kidnapping has been postponed to May to allow them to file representations.
In a wide-ranging interview on Eusebius on TimesLIVE, former Midvaal mayor Bongani Baloyi explained why he did not vote for his now former party, the DA, in last year’s local government elections.He was at pains to explain to the host, Eusebius McKaiser, how he slowly started feeling estranged from the DA after policy shifts that did not resonate with his political and personal convictions. In particular, he says, the abandonment by the party of using race as a proxy for disadvantage entrenched his conviction that there is a lack of empathy from the party, including the leader John Steenhuisen, of the lived experiences of black people.
If you test positive for Covid-19 but are not showing symptoms, you do not need to go into isolation. This is among a number of new measures put in place on Monday night after a special cabinet meeting earlier in the day. Another new rule announced as part of the adjusted alert level 1 regulations was the return to full-time, non-rotational schooling.
Meeting Sicelo Mbata for a hot tea ( I have to mix these meals up) is akin to taking a masterclass with a highly evolved spiritual guru. I thought I was going to talk wildlife conservation and our relationship to nature with a remarkably adept story teller. I had gleaned that much from my speed reading of his book Black Lion – Alive in the Wilderness co-authored with Bridget Pitt. What I got was a crash course in living and dying. And more importantly how to do those things well. The tea, the delightful little buccelato cake from Tortelino D’Oro and the sumptuous seasonal cherries that pop in your mouth like small love bombs were incidental and offered up in my dining room as Sicelo and Bridget rushed around Joburg on a whistlestop publishing tour.
In this episode of Eusebius on TimesLIVE, he explores the claim by some critics of Neil Young that the rock star has abandoned his commitment to free speech. Young’s music was taken off Spotify after he gave them an ultimatum to either kick podcaster Joe Rogan off their platform for disseminating false information about vaccines or to remove his music if they were not prepared to censure the popular podcast host. They sided with their biggest money-making podcaster.
Interestingly, many have argued that Young’s ultimatum to Spotify constitutes intolerance towards those who happen to hold a different view. McKaiser links the Neil Young case study to an aspect of the debate about minister Lindiwe Sisulu’s column in which she attacked the judiciary, the constitution and the rule of law. Some of her defenders also claimed her critics had abandoned any respect for freedom of speech. In this episode, McKaiser argues it is both unhelpful and inaccurate to claim that speech rights are at issue in these debates. He explains how the real issue is about whether the content of Rogan’s podcast and of Sisulu’s columns are reckless or harmful. While we can disagree on the latter issue, argues McKaiser, it is not correct to frame such criticism of Rogan or of Sisulu as a slide towards authoritarianism.
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The Gauteng high court sitting in Johannesburg on Thursday heard testimony from convicted murderer Muzikayise Malephane on how he killed 28-yer-old Tshegofatso Pule in June 2020.
Malephane is testifying in the trial against the alleged mastermind of the murder and Pule’s boyfriend, Ntutukho Shoba.
KwaZulu-Natal education MEC Kwazi Mshengu visited the Dassenhoek High School in KwaNdengezi after four pupils were stabbed in class by robbers on Wednesday. Mshengu highlighted the need for community members to play their role in helping schools deal with such crimes.
Only 200,000 first-year students will be admitted to public South African universities this year, and that is not even a quarter of the number of applications these institutions received. Thandi Lewin, acting deputy director-general for university education at the department of higher education & training, says the demand for higher education is growing. Earlier this week, the Sunday Times reported that nine universities received more than a million applications for this year. That is for the 26 public universities in the country.
The killer and state witness in the Tshegofatso Pule murder case, Muzikayise Malephane, took to the stand to continue his testimony about the events before the death of Pule on June 4 2020. During his detailed account, Malephane admitted to threatening the alleged mastermind of the murder, Ntuthuko Shoba, from his jail cell.
EFF leader Julius Malema has come up with a theory about what may have caused the fire that gutted parts of the National Assembly building in Cape Town. Addressing the media in Johannesburg on Tuesday, Malema shared his belief that negligence led to the blaze that ripped through the building earlier this month. He said he believes rats that inhabit the parliamentary precinct ate electrical wires and that caused the spark.
EFF leader Julius Malema believes ANC national executive committee member Ronald Lamola is not ready to be party deputy president. Malema was reacting to Lamola’s apparent interest in contesting for the position of ANC deputy president at the party’s national elective conference in December. Lamola recently called for “new blood” to swell the leadership ranks of the ANC.
Justice and correctional services minister Ronald Lamola announced the 2021 matric results of prison inmates on Monday. Lamola said 147 inmates passed out of the 191 who registered to write matric last year. He said eight of the schools achieved a 100% pass rate, and “82% of our pupils qualify to register at university or college.” The minister was at Barberton Correctional Centre in Mpumalanga.
How should white people respond to their positionality in a world in which anti-black racism proliferates? How should men respond to their positionality in a world in which patriarchy proliferates?
What does it mean to be an ally of black people? What does it mean to be an ally of women? What are the true requirements of ubuntu, and what action steps should be taken by allies to truly be productive in helping to smash racism and patriarchy.
This episode of Eusebius on TimesLIVE examines both male privilege and white privilege. It features Sue de Groot, deputy features editor of Sunday Times. We explain our respective unearned privileges and engage critically on the wider issues that flow from there.
Education expert and University of Johannesburg associate professor Nicky Roberts says the matric class did well, especially given they experienced a full year of Covid-19 and associated disruptions. Basic education minister Angie Motshekga announced that the pass rate went up marginally to 76.4%. “We are seeing stability in the system and we are improving over time,” says Roberts. She says matric starts at conception and she would like to see more investment in early childhood development.
ANC employees have slammed the party’s leadership for blaming new party funding legislation for its non-payment of salaries. At a press conference on Friday, chairperson of the ANC staff representative committee Mvusi Mdala said the party had challenges paying salaries before the Political Party Funding Act came into effect.
The matric class of 2021 achieved a 76.4% pass rate, up from 76.2% the year before.Basic education minister Angie Motshekga released the results at an event on Thursday night.
Centre for the Advancement of Science and Mathematics Education (CASME) director Henre Benson says the 2021 grade 12 academic year improved from 2020. Benson says learning losses and the affect of Covid-19 on learning was reduced this year. Basic education minister Angie Motshekga is expected to announce the grade 12 class of 2021 results on Thursday evening.
Education minister Angie Motshekga had breakfast with the top grade 12 pupils from public schools for 2021. The minister will announce the grade 12 results pass rate on Thursday evening, while exam results will be released on Friday."This is a class that got the best of Covid," the minister said. 2020's pass rate was 76.2%, a 5.1% drop from 2019.
Eskom’s proposed tariff hike of 20.5% for its next financial year, which is set to kick in from April 1, has South African’s united in outrage. We asked a sample group of South African citizens, how much they are currently spending on electricity and what they think about the increase.
EFF leader Julius Malema visited restaurants in Johannesburg to assess the employment ratio of locals and foreign nationals as a part of the party’s initiative to challenge exploitive labour practices in SA. The party said Malema will engage with business owners in the hospitality industry nationwide.
The court order referring alleged parliament arsonist Zandile Mafe to Valkenberg Psychiatric Hospital for 30 days of mental observation was set aside by the High Court in Cape Town on Tuesday afternoon. Mafe is to be released and detained at a normal correctional services facility pending his formal bail application.
Eusebius discussed Black Consciousness, liberation theology and white liberals with Harvard University doctoral candidate and author Panashe Chigumadzi. In this latest episode of Eusebius on TimesLIVE, Chigumadzi starts off by explaining why it is important for black people to not be distracted by anti-black racism, puzzling through the conundrum that racism cannot be avoided in analysis and activism but that, nevertheless, aspects of the justice project requires white people to do work on and amongst themselves without the presence of black people.
Terry Pheto talks about living in the moment and doing the things you dream of right now.
25% to 30% of all people who contract and survive Covid-19 will continue to suffer from Long Covid, which is the persistence of Covid-19 symptoms three months from the time a person stops being infectious.
Long Covid cannot be formally diagnosed and there is no way of telling who will suffer from the ailment.
Thanks to the research done by SA's scientific community however, we can tell you why your body isn't recovering. TimesLIVE sat down with Prof Resia Pretorius to discuss what Long Covid is, its symptoms, the physical reason behind it and the efforts that are being made to diagnose and treat the ailment
Political analyst and head of the political studies department at the University of Cape Town associate professor Zwelethu Jolobe says despite the ANC NEC clearly articulating how a renewed party should look, it's not capable of taking its subordinates along with it. "The problem we have here is that we have an organisational environment that enables corruption," Jolobe says.
MEC for Human Settlements, Urban Planning and CoGTA, Lebogang Maile, has written a formal letter to the Speaker of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, Councillor Vasco Da Gama, requesting the Speaker to provide the MEC with a comprehensive report on the collapse of the council meeting of 13 January 2022.
The Pretoria high court on Thursday found the Aarto Act and its amendment, on which the planned demerit system for traffic offences is based, inconsistent with the constitution. Consequently, judge Annali Basson declared the Aarto Act and the Amendment Act “unconstitutional and invalid”.
Media personality Siv Ngesi has joined the thousands of people expressing their outrage over Limpopo Health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba's recent school visit address where she advised the girls to open their book and close their legs.
A video of the Limpopo Health MEC went viral on Twitter after Ramathuba visited Gwenane secondary school in Sekgakgapeng on Wednesday to monitor the first day of the new academic year.
Speaking to TshisaLIVE, Dr Ramathuba hit back at "Twitter parents" and those lambasting her, saying not only did the naysayers use the video clip without context, they have chosen to be ignorant about the factors that make teenage pregnancy the scourge it is in rural areas and townships.
The Limpopo Health MEC clarified that her full address had direct messages for both girls and boys.
Acting chief justice Raymond Zondo addressed the media in response to an opinion piece attributed to tourism minister Lindiwe Sisulu, published on the news and information website IOL, on December 7 2021, entitled: “Hi Mzansi, have we seen justice?”
In his public address on Wednesday, Zondo said Sisulu had no facts to back up her criticisms of the judicial system and that the piece as a whole was outright insulting.
He said the attack was unwarranted and pleads with the ruling party to take action against the minister for what he considers unacceptable behaviour.
Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi says there are about 700 pupils who have not yet been placed in public schools across the province, a big improvement on last year. “Last year almost 35,000 pupils were not placed. This year there are fewer than 700 who need to be placed,” Lesufi said on Wednesday when inland pupils returned to school.
In this week’s edition of Eusebius on TimesLIVE, Eusebius McKaiser offers some initial insights, as TimesLIVE contributor and analyst, into part one of the state capture report.
The Cape Town magistrates court has remanded alleged parliament fire arsonist Zandile Mafe to a mental institution for observation for a period of up to 30 days to established if he is fit to stand trail. This after the State provided evidence that the accused suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. The 49 year old was arrested on January 2 2022, near the parliamentary prescient after a devastating fire had broken out in parliament.The official cause of the blaze has not yet been established, but the state has charged Mafe with 2 counts of arson, possession of an explosive device, destruction of essential infrastructure and now a schedule 6 charge of contravening the Terrorist Act.
Alleged arsonist Zandile Mafe, who stands accused of setting fire to parliament buildings last week, was accompanied by new, high-level legal representation in the form of advocate Dali Mpofu, former national chairperson of the EFF. Mpofu told the court Mafe has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. After this revelation, the state requested that Mafe be committed to a mental institution for 30 days’ observation to decide whether he is fit to stand trial. Mpofu said Mafe would refuse government-provided meals as a form of protest if he was not granted bail.
ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on the government to finalise vaccine mandates. He says for the economy to operate fully, everyone must be vaccinated against Covid-19. He reiterated the importance of vaccination.
The EFF held a “Siyabonga” (“thank you”) rally in Durban's People's Park on Saturday to thank its KwaZulu-Natal supporters for their support. In the 2021 local government elections, the EFF secured 150 seats and 8.64% of the vote in the province — up from 59 seats and 3.46% in the 2016 election.
When the ANC officially opens the party’s leadership race, Limpopo will campaign for Cyril Ramaphosa to win a second term. The premier of Limpopo and ANC provincial chair Stan Mathabatha told the party’s January 8 celebrations on Saturday that the province was fully behind Ramaphosa. Mathabatha said Ramaphosa had led the ANC well and that it was not jumping the gun in calling for his second term.
Police minister Bheki Cele told journalists that someone deliberately shut down the power at the ANC gala dinner on Friday while President Cyril Ramaphosa was thanking the business community for its financial support.
ANC deputy president David Mabuza addressed the crowd at Mankweng Cemetery in Limpopo at a wreath-laying ceremony for the late ANC Youth League president Peter Mokaba. Mabuza reiterated the words of the province's premier Stanley Mathabatha that it is not the party that is corrupt, but individuals within the party who are. “We will correct ourself and get rid of unwanted elements," Mabuza said.
ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa is in Limpopo gearing up for the ANC January 8th statement on Saturday. Other ANC leadership figures, including deputy president David Mabuza, chairperson Gwede Mantashe and treasurer-general Paul Mashatile are also in the province garnering support for the ANC's 110th birthday celebrations. Ramaphosa says he is determined that the land will be returned to the people of the country.
Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday walked out of what was supposed to be a memorial lecture in memory of Lilian Ngoyi. According to ANC Women's League (ANCWL) secretary Meokgo Matuba, Ramaphosa left because of failure to comply with Covid-19 regulations.
Australians on Wednesday said they were unhappy with the decision to grant world No 1 men's tennis player Novak Djokovic medical exemption from Covid-19 vaccination to enter the country and play in the Australian Open Grand Slam tournament. “I think it's a disgrace. We've all done the right thing, we've all gone out and got our jabs and our boosters and we have someone that's come from overseas and all of a sudden he's been exempt and can play,” said Melbourne local Christine Wharton. On Thursday, the government reportedly cancelled Djokovic's visa to pacify public anger over the decision to give him medical exemption from vaccination.
The ANC is not getting any prayers from the clergy in Mokopane, Limpopo ahead of its birthday celebration but rather a strong dose of the "shame" that its governance has subjected South Africans to. Religious leaders on Thursday greeted President Cyril Ramaphosa with fierce criticism of the ANC as an organisation and its governance under his leadership.
Jacob Zuma Foundation spokesperson and former Government Communications Information System (GCIS) CEO Mzwanele Manyi has responded to being implicated in the state capture inquiry report, claiming the commission “got it all wrong”. He said he is being targeted for being Zuma’s spokesperson.
EFF MP Floyd Shivambu has taken aim at President Cyril Ramaphosa for praising the City of Cape Town’s response to the fire in the parliamentary precinct on Sunday. Taking to social media, Shivambu implied the extent of the damage caused by the fire contradicted remarks made by the president about the city being “one that works”.
The case against alleged parliament arsonist Zandile Christmas Mafe has been postponed. Multiple charges have been brought against Mafe including theft, arson and housebreaking.
The Presiding Officers of Parliament have noted with distress yet another flare up of flames on the roof of the National Assembly Building in Cape Town. The almost two-day brave and courageous battle by firefighters against the flames that gutted various buildings of Parliament suffered a set-back when flames suddenly flared up from the roof of the Building this afternoon.
President Cyril Ramaphosa was one of many who took to the podium to bid farewell to the late Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu at his funeral service held on Saturday 1 January 2022.
The South African Council of Churches and the Anglican Church of Southern Africa hosted an inter-denominational and interfaith memorial service in celebration of the life and six-decade service of the late Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu at the Cathedral Church of St Alban in Pretoria on Thursday.
TimesLIVE has compiled a review of the year that was 2021 in terms of the biggest news stories — from the arrest of former President Jacob Zuma to the July unrest and looting to the death of the longest ruling Zulu monarch, King Goodwill Zwelithini.
Mourners and religious leaders of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa gathered at Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu's Soweto house to celebrate his life and legacy. Tutu passed away at the age of 90 on Sunday. Speakers included leaders of the church and Johannesburg mayor Mpho Phalatse.
The Desmond Tutu Foundation briefed the media on Sunday after the death of the archbishop.
Desmond Mpilo Tutu Born: October 7, 1931 in Klerksdorp was known for his charisma and his love for peace and humanitarianism. Desmond Tutu's influence globally remains formidable.
The foundation sent its condolences to Mama Leah and the Tutu family. “We are devastated that the Arch is no longer with us, but his passing has strengthened our resolve to spread his warmth and compassion even further afield,” the foundation said.
On December 31 2019, little did we know that a novel virus that would greatly disrupt our lives had already emerged in the city of Wuhan, China. The question of how the virus emerged still linger. It has now been two years since the emergence of Covid-19. We speak with Infectious diseases epidemiologist Prof Quarraisha Abdool Karim about the some of the lessons lessons learnt from the pandemic thus far.
Comedian and actress Celeste Ntuli has spoken about how expectations that men should provide money in relationships can be damaging to the fight against GBV.
It has become apparent HIV/Aids is no longer as threatening as it was 40 years ago when the world was introduced to the human immunodeficiency virus. Perhaps this can be attributed to the work of scientists and the discoveries, innovations and research around HIV/Aids over the years. Prof Quarraisha Abdool Karim, associate scientific director at the Centre for the Aids Programme in SA (Caprisa), speaks to TimesLIVE about SA scientists’ efforts to curb HIV/Aids.
One of this year’s most tragic moments was the July looting and destruction of businesses in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng after the incarceration of former president Jacob Zuma. The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) started its National Investigative Hearing into the unrest in November. Nivashni Nair, senior reporter at TimesLIVE, tells us what happened during the hearing.
The transgender community in South Africa continue to face many battles along their journey to medically transition. One of the greatest challenges is the inaccessibility to funding to cover the high costs of treatments, and most importantly gender reassignment/affirming surgery which is pivotal part of the transitioning process.
Sunday Times columnist Prof William Gumede argues that political parties should either be willing to introspect after the recent local government elections or “close shop”. He appeared on Eusebius on TimesLIVE, responding to a sustained critique of his recent work by veteran ANC leader and activist Mavuso Msimang. Msimang had accused Gumede of “intellectual paucity” for speculating about the reasons why many voters had this time not chosen to vote ANC.
As SA observes the Day of Reconciliation on Thursday, the legacy of apartheid continues to work against national unity. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was set up to build unity in the rainbow nation, but some believe its work was futile. Former TRC commissioner Yasmin Sooka says the blame should be directed at the state, not the commission, as it had completed its task. She spoke to TimesLIVE.
Jacob Zuma Foundation spokesperson Zwanele Manyi confirmed that the former president Jacob Zuma has filed leave to appeal the high court's rulings to set aside his medical parole, ordering him to go back to jail.
Veteran ANC leader and activist Mavuso Msimang has critiqued the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa in a frank discussion with TimesLIVE contributor and analyst Eusebius McKaiser.
In order to explain how Pastor Melisizwe Monqo and his wife Siphosihle Pamba operated, we need to delve further into the audio recordings which were revealed in the high court during their murder trial. If you haven’t already, please visit the explainer video we have produced on this matter to give you an overview of the case.
The Gauteng education department is hopeful that 4,712 grade 1 and 8 pupils will be placed by the end of Friday. Department spokesperson Steve Mabona said of the 335,091 grade 1 and 8 online applications received by noon on Friday for the 2022 academic year, 278,029 applicants had submitted proof of residence to enable the department to facilitate their placement.
Health minister Joe Phaahla said the Omicron Covid-19 variant is highly transmissible but cases don’t seem severe. He said Omicron is accounting for 70% of infections in Gauteng but there is no need to be alarmed. “Weekly cases in Gauteng have increased by more than 400%,” he said.
The minister was addressing the media on Friday morning.
With the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV) increasing in SA, more people are using mobile technology like applications to help in the fight against GBV. Apps have become an important stakeholder in this fight, allowing people access to emergency services and information.
The attempt by the ANC to push through the Constitution 18th Amendment Bill to allow land expropriation without compensation fell flat on Tuesday. However, according to founder and president of the Free Market Foundation Leon Louw, the bill was unlikely to benefit dispossessed black South Africans and would instead have made them victims of state-sanctioned land seizures. The governing party, with only 200 members in attendance at the National Assembly sitting, managed to garner 204 votes in favour of the controversial bill. It needed 267 for the bill to pass. Louw suggested the bill is unnecessary. He said government could furnish black South Africans with title deeds for land the state owns and which black South Africans already occupy.
National director of public prosecutions Shamila Batohi said gender-based violence and corruption are key priorities for the National Prosecuting Authority. She briefed the media on Monday morning.
Twenty-eight day old Eastern Cape twins sold by their mother for R50; a 13-year-old girl sold for R30,000 by her stepmother, who runs a Bible study group in Heidelberg. These cases, currently before the Eastern Cape and Gauteng courts, are among scores feeding SA’s allegedly booming human trafficking trade.
Mampho Brescia is glamorous. Even in a pair of shorts whilst tucking into some edamame beans, she exudes a worldly glow that speaks to her global outlook.
The fact that she can break into Japanese and Italian with breezy insouciance adds to the general effect. She has a kind of Old Hollywood presence, as if she is glimmering on a silver screen. She’s also damn fine company. I meet her for lunch in Hyde Park at So Yum for dim sum and a tutorial in how to be a global citizen while staying true to your roots.
The failure by government to provide feedback on November 3 to small truck operators regarding the employment of foreign national truck drivers working in SA resulted in the blockade of the N3 highway near Van Reenen on Friday. Several sources within the trucking fraternity told TimesLIVE Friday’s truck protest followed a memorandum of demands handed to transport and labour ministers Fikile Mbalula and Thulas Nxesi on October 25 during a protest on the N9 and N10 highways outside Middelburg in the Eastern Cape.
Recently SA scientists discovered the B.1.1.529 variant of coronavirus, named Omicron by the WHO. B.1.351 (Beta), the first variant of concern in the world, was discovered by SA scientists in May last year, just two months after Covid-19 was first detected in the country. Prof Thumbi Ndung'u, director for basic and translational science at the Africa Health Research Institute, and Dr Ahmad Haeri Mazanderani, a clinical virologist at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, attribute the accomplishments to HIV research.
Social development minister Lindiwe Zulu appeared before the SA Human Rights Commission on Wednesday. She outlined to the commission how her department helped the most vulnerable after the unrest. The minister said, “Sassa in KwaZulu-Natal issued food vouchers to 5,518 destitute families to the value of R3,862,000, benefiting more than 16,554 individuals”.
The world has been fighting HIV and Aids for 40 years, with world leaders hoping to end the public health threat by 2030. Despite the strides made in the fight against the virus, there are still many challenges in the way of achieving this global vision.
The SA Human Rights Commission continued its national investigation into July's unrest and riots on Tuesday. National police commissioner Gen Khehla Sitole and KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi gave evidence. Sitole told the commission that anyone who wanted to find him during the crisis could have found him.
The head of hospital services at the Gauteng Health Department, Dr Freddy Kgongwana, says the province is well equipped for a Covid-19 fourth wave. He said the province' hospitals has 4,407 beds and is well equipped with oxygen tanks. He said the province's hospitals have 4,407 beds and are well equipped with oxygen tanks.
The emergence of a new Covid-19 variant known as the Omicron has rocked the world. TimesLIVE podcasts brings you a round-up of all you need to know regarding the new variant, including what is known about it, the politics of travel bans implemented against SA, and the readiness of the country to deal with the new variant of concern.
President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation on Sunday night. His address comes a few days after the announcement of a newly detected Covid-19 variant identified as B.1.1.529, given the name Omicron by the World Health Organisation.
A leaked audio recording has shed light on how Ace Magashule’s former PA refused to implicate her ex-boss when she was interrogated by Hawks investigators in connection with the Free State asbestos case.
This explains why the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) removed Moroadi Cholota from the witness list and intends to charge her alongside Magashule.
The recording reveals that Cholota asked the Hawks investigators and an FBI agent why the state had made her a witness without consulting her. The interview took place last month in Baltimore, US, where she is studying.
Thembisa Mdoda Nxumalo has survived a year of repeat hospitalizations for long COVID - here she tells us what she has learnt from the ordeal and her second chance at life!
The decision to release former president Jacob Zuma on medical parole will come under scrutiny in the Pretoria high court on Tuesday. The questions are to come from the DA, AfriForum and the Helen Suzman Foundation. Zuma’s spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi, provided comment on the matter.
The SA Human Rights Commission is in its second week investigating the July unrest that affected parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. Before the commission today were national police commissioner Gen Khehla Sitole, Gauteng provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Elias Mawela and former defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula. Mapisa-Nqakusa said she was not happy with the SAHRC insisting she appear before the panel on Monday despite attending an emergency.
A small coffee shop in Fourways is quietly establishing itself as a community hub, uniting people, paying it forward and increasingly making good things happen for growing numbers of people. The DC Coffee Company in Pineslopes is the brainchild of Neil and Samantha Golding, who have not only built the business from the ground up, but see it as “living the dream that makes us happier than we ever thought possible”. The couple's coffee shop runs as an NPO, which allows people to donate and redeem coffee and food vouchers from strangers. Neil explains how the idea works and how it came about.
This week the SAHRC heard from victims, community forums and representatives of businesses affected by the July riots.
An 18-year-old matric pupil survived an alleged kidnapping attempt in Johannesburg on Friday, the Gauteng education department said. Department spokesperson Steve Mabona said the Sandringham High School pupil was on her way to school when a white Chevrolet sedan with four male occupants reportedly drove towards her and one of them allegedly attempted to pull her into the vehicle.
Eskom group CEO André de Ruyter says clear evidence has emerged of sabotage at the Lethabo Power Station in the Free State. This comes after the collapse of a power pylon which “fell uphill” on Wednesday onto a second distribution line, knocking out both lines. De Ruyter said there was evidence that the pylon supports had been cut. There was no erosion observed on the structure.
Melanie Veness, CEO of the Pietermaritzburg & Midlands Chamber of Business, says the July riots were part of a plan to overthrow the government. She says they were well planned.
In this first Afrikaans interview on Eusebius on TimesLIVE, McKenzie dodged bullets from Eusebius McKaiser who engaged him on his decision to form coalitions with the ANC in municipalities. McKenzie criticises both the DA and the ANC, but attempts to offer justification for why the ANC is preferable to work with despite its shoddy governance record.
Refugee Mkhize, one of the July unrest victims, has told the SAHRC that no-one helped them during the Phoenix killings, which have been labelled by many as a “massacre”. He hopes for justice and to regain trust in the police and courts.
The embattled power utility said the electricity system was “severely constrained” after the failure of five generating units. Five generation units at various power stations had failed throughout yesterday. Load-shedding would be required to be implemented at very short notice, Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha said.
Opposition parties the DA and EFF held press briefings to update the public and supporters on their ongoing coalition talks, including the progress and outcomes of negotiations so far. The briefings revealed there was much tension arising between the different parties.
Sham Maharaj of the Phoenix Ubuntu Forum has told the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) that what happened in Phoenix, KwaZulu-Natal, was not a massacre but killings. The commission is on day two of its hearing about the unrest and looting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in July.
The aunt of slain 17-year-old Sibahle Nguse has called for justice after he was shot dead during the civil unrest which gripped parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in July.
It's day one of the South African Human Rights Commission hearings into the July unrest. The commission says it has invited communities affected, members of the business fraternity, state officials, and cabinet ministers to testify in the next three weeks.
The Acting Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Nicolette Bell has declined to prosecute Emile and Eben Etzebeth as there are no prospects of a successful prosecution against the two men.
Dr Shaheda Omar once said, “rescuing child trafficking victims is nothing short of a miracle.” And with the human trafficking of small children on the rise, SA could use more miracles.
Finance minister Enoch Godongwana presented the 25th Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) on Thursday afternoon. Economists, including Investec chief economist Annabel Bishop, paid close attention to what the minister had to say about the country's debt projections. Bishop identifies debt and credit ratings agency downgrades as elements that continue to pose a very real threat to SA's potential growth.
Finance minister Enoch Godongwana has opted to “practise tough love” regarding struggling state-owned enterprises (SOEs), saying their performance will have to drastically improve before receiving any further bailouts from the government.
The head of the Centre for Vaccines & Immunology at NICD, Dr Melinda Suchard, says there is no maximum time period to get another jab, but as time goes on your antibody levels may decline. SA is vaccinating with the Johnson & Johnson jab, a one-doser, and the Pfizer two-dose vaccine.
SA's rotational power cuts were not “blackouts”, Eskom boss Andre de Ruyter said on Wednesday.
And he was insistent that this was not just a matter of semantics.
Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter said on Tuesday that he was not going to be stepping down, despite growing criticism of ongoing load-shedding across SA. The Black Business Council and the National Union of Mineworkers have been among the most vocal critics calling for De Ruyter to resign. But speaking at a briefing on Tuesday, De Ruyter said there had been no conversations between himself and the parastatal's board regarding him leaving.
South Africans have been expressing their discontent with the ANC in different ways. Despite being unhappy with how the party does things, for some it is still their preferred choice. Dr Mbali Dhlomo-Sibiya, senior social psychology lecturer at Unisa, explains why people remain attached to political groups despite discontent and poor performance.
The pain and trauma of model Reeva Steenkamp’s murder and former Paralympian Oscar Pistorius’s prison term have been dragged back into the media spotlight yet again, as it emerged that convicted murderer Pistorius’s, has qualified for parole. The law states that a convicted prisoner are eligible for parole after serving half their sentence. In 2015, the Supreme Court of Appeal overturned Pistorius’s culpable homicide verdict and convicted him of murder and sentenced him to 13 years and five months in Atteridgeville Prison in Pretoria. This meant that, after he was resentenced by the Supreme Court of Appeal for shooting Steenkamp through a locked toilet door, killing her, Pistorius would be eligible for early release in March 2023.However, this calculation failed to take into account that Pistorius had already served just over 500 days before the sentencing, which could validly be added to his time served. Reeva Steenkamp parents' lawyer and spokesperson Tania Koen, said the family was not emotionally prepared for parole talks, so soon.
Eusebius invited fellow columnist and veteran journalist and editor Peter Bruce to discuss the local government election results. They explored a number of themes, including how the electoral hegemony of the ANC has been dislodged and what the political implications are. They also discussed the realities facing the DA and the EFF, that the electoral data clearly demonstrates that the two biggest opposition parties are not immune to voter discontent.
Serial killer Rosemary Nomia Ndlovu was sentenced to six terms of life imprisonment in the Johannesburg High Court sitting in Palm Ridge on November 5. The pre-sentencing proceedings saw several witnesses take the stand including distraught relatives of Nldovu’s victims.
Come spinning with Big Zulu they said. No, not on a stationary bike in a gym with a trainer whooping and fist pumping. But rather -spinning - as in somewhere in the peri-urban hinterland outside Joburg, at the Lido Conference Centre no less. Where you take your clapped out 80s BMW, install a V8 engine and then do things to the tires, the steering and the handbrake that were definitely not specified in the owner’s manual. It’s loud, it’s fun, it’s verging on the insane and it’s where the spectacularly successful Big Zulu gets to relax.
“If we are to make this a new and better era, we, as leaders, must put aside our differences and work together in the spirit of partnership, co-operation, collaboration and common purpose in the people of SA. ”So said President Cyril Ramaphosa, speaking during the official announcement of the final 2021 municipal election results in Pretoria on Thursday evening.
A whooping 66 municipalities will have coalition governments at the helm after South Africans did not give any party outright majority victories in them. This was revealed by the Electoral Commission of South Africa on Thursday where it declared the final local government elections results.The hung council make up just over 30% of the country's 213 municipalities. IEC chairperson Glen Mashinini said the election, in which 12.3 million people voted, was "free and fair".
In a press briefing by Julius Malema on Thursday afternoon, the EFF leader said the party would not be approaching any political parties in the hopes of forming coalitions, but that they are open to talk with all parties.
EFF leader Julius Malema held a press conference on Thursday afternoon to discuss his party's performance in the local government elections. In the briefing, Malema outlined his feelings on the EFF performance, how the party plans to approach coalition talks, the disappointing voter turnout and who he feels is to blame, and what comes next for the party.
Founder of One South Africa Movement, Mmusi Maimane, spoke to Eusebius McKaiser about how his exit from the Democratic Alliance as their leader has allowed him to grow, including his new "lit" persona on Twitter.
Maimane criticized his former party, the Democratic Alliance, for "preaching tolerance" while not being tolerant itself.
Founder of One South Africa Movement, Mmusi Maimane, spoke to Eusebius McKaiser about how his exit from the Democratic Alliance as their leader has allowed him to grow, including his new "lit" persona on Twitter. On Eusebius on TimesLIVE, he also critiqued the current electoral system, and explained why reform is crucial to improve governance. Maimane confirmed that he will return to formal politics next year and remarked that he is "not coy" about his political ambition. He explained why and how the results of the Local Government Elections bolster his intuitions about the limitations of the parties that are currently dominating South African politics.
As political parties begin to consolidate their grip on various municipalities, one thing that DA leader John Steenhuisen does not want, “is to form unstable coalitions.”
“We are not going to rush into any knee-jerk reactions or hasty decisions. This needs to be a deliberate decision that goes the distance over the next five years,” said Steenhuisen on Wednesday.
Speaking shortly at the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) results centre in Pretoria, Steenhuisen outlined the party’s coalition negotiation processes saying: “The metro’s have been characterised by instability and what we are going out there for, is a stable coalition that is going to be able to deliver services and last that distance.”
The ANC said on Wednesday it is not desperate to form governments of coalition in several municipalities across the country after not being able to win with outright majority.
The party has maintained that despite a poor showing at the local government elections, it will not be going into coalition negotiations from a position of weakness.
ANC has dipped below 50% mark nationally in this election and is heading towards losing several of its municipalities.
DA leader John Steenhuisen on Wednesday told the media that early predictions showed that the party will again govern the City of Cape Town for another five years. “We can confirm that we will govern the City of Cape Town with our own majority. We predicting that it will be around 58% of the vote, so the voters of Cape Town have given the DA another five years in office to carry on delivering to them there,” said Steenhuisen.
The City of Johannesburg is likely to have a government of coalitions that will exclude the ANC if ActionSA has its way. On Tuesday night the political party held its senate meeting on coalitions where it was decided they should consult with their voters — in a similar fashion to that of the Political Dialogues — to get a mandate on which party they should get into bed with. TimesLIVE understands that when these consultations take place, ActionSA will tell its voters they should pick “anyone but the ANC”.
With the finalisation of results 71% completed, the time to assess the effectiveness of the Electoral Commission’s (IEC) 2021 local government election rollout is upon us. A post-voting satisfaction survey conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) suggests most South Africans who took the time to go to the polls were happy with their voting experience.
Tshwane’s executive mayor Randall Williams cut a confident figure at the Electoral Commission of SA’s national results operation centre in Pretoria on Monday. He is so buoyant in his belief that no party will dislodge the DA from governing the highly contested Tshwane metro, that he cannot wait for the elections to end so that he can go back and resume implementing the plans he started when he took over in November last year. During the local government election campaign, several parties were eying Tshwane, which the ANC lost to the DA in 2016 by a small margin. The DA received 43.15% of the votes while the ANC got 41.25%.
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba believes his new political party is doing well in its first electoral race. ActionSA boasts fourth spot in Gauteng, following the ANC, DA and EFF respectively. The party has earned 6% of the area's votes thus far. While it is still early in the counting process, Mashaba said his party has done well despite hurdles out of their control. He highlighted his distaste with the way the Electoral Commission (IEC) has handled Monday’s local government elections, saying the party has had four run unpleasant run-ins with the commission.
The National Results Operations Centre (ROC) is hard at work counting, but unfortunately there are not as many votes to count as were anticipated. Paul Berkowitz, director of The Third Republic, said this year’s voter turnout is the likely to be the lowest SA has seen since its first democratic elections. The complete official figures on voter turnout have not yet been made available, but despite only dribs and drabs of figures available, each press conference has seen concern around voter turnout and voting hurdles take center stage, with the Electoral Commission bearing the brunt of criticism for the poor showing.
Here is what has been happening on the ground.
The IEC has apologised to the Change Party for an error on the proportional representation (PR) ballot papers in Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg. According to reports, the party’s president Lesiba Molokomme raised the matter with the commission after it was discovered that the party’s name had been replaced with that of another party on the PR ballot papers in both metros.
The Electoral Commission reports that as at 10.30am this morning, 27% of the 64,502 results expected had been finalised. This status is in line with expected result capturing process. It is estimated that 90% of results would be finalised by evening. The balance of 10% would take another 24 hours to complete.
The IEC noted the announcement by Eskom that the national electricity grid is under severe pressure and there may be a need to load-shed in the course of the day.
The IEC gave an update on the progress of the local government elections. Although voter turnout has been said to be low across SA, it has been an eventful election day, with protests of service delivery also taking place in parts of the country. Some South Africans used the day to express their dissatisfaction with service delivery, with some choosing not to vote.Earlier a reporter in Soweto was arrested by SAPS for allegedly interfering with the work of the IEC, he was later released.
Police watchdog Ipid is investigating a case of assault against an Eastern Cape police officer who is accused of dragging DA federal council chair Helen Zille out of the Fernwood Park Primary School voting station in Bethelsdorp on Monday.
An internal police report indicated that Zille had opened a case of assault against the police after the incident.
Despite most areas starting election day on a good footing, there were some communities protesting about service delivery and interruptions which may have disrupted the voting process. The IEC addressed some of these disruptions during a media briefing on Monday afternoon. Lecturer in the department of political and international studies at Rhodes University, Thapelo Tselapedi, says voting is a political tool for change on service delivery.
SA’s 2021 local government elections have got off to a fair start, with more than 99% of the 23,148 voting stations opening on time and getting under way with the voting process as planned. Unfortunately, in a briefing given by the Electoral Commission of SA's (IEC's) chairperson Glen Mashinini halfway through voting day, the commission highlighted a few cases of electoral tampering and malfeasance which it said were being dealt with by the authorities. IEC CEO Sy Mamabolo says they are aware of all the cases raised by Mashinini and that they are being addressed. He added that the IEC and authorities are looking sternly upon cases of electoral tampering and that those found guilty face a jail term of up to five years.
In an update provided by the IEC on Monday afternoon, the electoral body said the elections had got off to a positive start with more than 99% of the 23,148 voting stations opened on time to kickstart voting in the 2021 Municipal Elections.
However, the IEC outlined several problem it is looking into, including cases of community protests preventing the opening of voting stations, a presiding officer in the eThekwini Metro allegedly stuffing marked ballots into a ballot box, a hailstorm delaying the opening of some voting stations and more.
Police were forced to remove a television journalist and a cameraman from a polling station in Orlando East, Soweto after they allegedly interfered with the work of the presiding officer at that station.
The department of home affairs has continued to come under criticism for the discrimination of non-binary people, especially transgender people. This is in relation to the process of changing one's legal markers, including name and gender, on various legal documentation. This is the unfortunate reality of a Johannesburg pupil who has had to put many life events on hold due to not being able to get her new legal documents and certificates.
SA’s rare and endangered succulents, some hundreds of years old and growing only on specific mountain slopes, are being wiped out by poachers. Plant poaching, warns World Wildlife Fund SA (WWF SA), as well as private nursery owners and collectors, have exploded in the country since January, with international organised crime syndicates involved. Botanists and environmentalists warn that while poaching syndicates, which are linked to plant collectors in Thailand, China, Taiwan and South Korea, in the past targeted limited but very specific plants, they now target hundreds of succulent, aloe and cycad varieties.
In a wide-ranging discussion on Eusebius on TimesLIVE, ActionSA's mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, Herman Mashaba, engaged Eusebius on his vision for Johannesburg.
The deputy chief electoral officer at the Electoral Commission (IEC), Mawethu Mosery, outlines how the commission ensures fairness in its processes.
The deputy chief electoral officer at the Electoral Commission (IEC), Mawethu Mosery, is urging voters to educate themselves on how to identify their candidates. He mentions some of the identifiers to look out for on ballot papers.
Independent Media has released its report on the investigation into the alleged birth of decuplets by a Pretoria woman and it wants the government to explain what happened to the 'Thembisa 10'.
The Gauteng Provincial Government notes a report released by the Independent Media group in which very serious allegations are made against medical practitioners, nursing staff and hospital management.
Vuyo Mhaga, spokesperson to Premier David Makhura says that the province plans to take legal action against the media house.
It is now widely understood that receiving the COVID-19 vaccine is the most successful measure to combat the disease and set world economies back on a growth path. However, an ongoing study by a team of well-being researchers, called the Gross National Happiness Today Project, indicates that vaccine attitudes globally are on the decrease. Director of the project and well-being economist at the University of Johannesburg, Professor Talita Greyling, explains some of the projects findings.
Eusebius McKaiser, host of Eusebius on TimesLIVE, challenged Cricket South Africa's Lawson Naidoo to explain what value forcing Protea's players to take the knee has if it is not voluntary. Naidoo conceded that the moral and political value of symbolism is diminished when it is mandatory.
Cricket South Africa's (CSA) Lawson Naidoo admits to Eusebius on TimesLIVE host, Eusebius McKaiser, that the CSA board did not consult with the team before instituting its new policy directive, which requires that the Proteas take a knee before their matches in a show of solidarity against racism.
We spoke to independent election analyst Dawie Scholtz, who unpacked the significance of this year’s local government elections.
Former president Jacob Zuma has lost his bid to have lead prosecutor Advocate Billy Downer removed from his corruption trial. Pietermaritzburg high court judge Piet Koen said Zuma’s application — that Downer had no title to prosecute in the matter because he was biased — was incorrect in both law and fact.
SA Special Risk Insurance Association (Sasria)’s delays in paying multimillion-rand claims for the rebuilding of food cold storage infrastructure damaged in the July violence are spiking food prices. Bearing the brunt of rising costs, say food price experts, are the poor.
In an interview with TimesLIVE, ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba said he will not work with the governing party in any coalition or government structure, calling the party "the devil".
In an interview with TimesLIVE, ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba expressed his views on the battle between his party and the IEC saying what the IEC "is doing" is not only affecting ActionSA but the voters.
On the eve of local government elections DA leader, John Steenhuisen, has revealed that his party was willing to work with just about any political party in coalitions, including the ANC, just as long as they are not the EFF