Innholdsfortegnelse for 6/21/2020 i City Press

Afro-soul singer Ami Faku’s single, Inde Lendlela, has gone gold, and the newcomer celebrated the milestone with City Press. The raspy-voiced vocalist called us to touch base and catch up on things we can expect. She also shared some of her confusion around the government-issued aid for artists during the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. “I feel as though artists haven’t received any funding from the government. I don’t feel like we are being included much. Many of the artists I have spoken to haven’t received anything. There has been money put aside, but getting it is a problem,” Faku lamented. The soul-driven singer has a ferocious strength about her sound as is clearly depicted on her inspired debut album, Imali, and this filters into her persona even when she isn’t on…

The Orange Farm community is mourning the tragic loss of three-year-old toddler Aisha Kheha. Her body was found with stab wounds by a man collecting plastic waste in an open veld on Thursday. The body had been dumped in a plastic bin. On Friday, the streets of extension 6A were filled with fuming community members, demanding that the perpetrator be caught and brought to book. Residents, who included members of the ANC Women’s League, had gathered outside Kheha’s home, singing hymns and chanting. “Who have we wronged to deserve this?” asked an emotional Athilia Vukankulu, Kheha’s aunt. “My sister and I came to South Africa to work and provide for our children, not to be killed,” said the 23-year-old from Mozambique. Kheha’s mother, Johanna Nyanjani (35), wept uncontrollably. Vukankulu described…

The Mpumalanga cooperative governance and traditional affairs department will investigate how a municipal manager in a rural Mpumalanga municipality allegedly appointed himself to be the sole administrator of a R27.3 million Covid-19 coronavirus budget. MEC Mandla Msibi (pictured) said that he was not aware that Nkomazi local municipality manager Daniel Ngwenya had allegedly been spending the Covid-19 budget without following any procurement processes and regulations. Msibi promised that his department would investigate the matter. Some Nkomazi municipality officials have been left wondering how Ngwenya has been spending the council’s money over the past two months without a bidding process, as is required for expenditure of amounts above R200 000 by the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) and Treasury regulation. In transactions lower than R200 000, three quotations must be sourced…

Men are notorious for avoiding doctors’ rooms – but during the coronavirus, when more men in the country are dying of the disease than women, today, which is Father’s Day, might be a good time to get real about men’s health. According to Friday’s statistics released by Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, 903 men have so far succumbed to Covid-19 in the country, as opposed to 832 women – and the toll the virus is taking on men is seemingly no different anywhere else in the world. Experts told City Press that the situation was a cause for concern and necessitated honest, “real conversations” between health officials and men, as well as among men themselves, particularly since June is Men’s Health Month. Numerous studies overseas have also noted the link between…

She has had to make some drastic changes in her life. After work, she doesn’t hug her baby until she’s changed and showered, takes extra precautions at work and is putting her life on the line by helping to test others for the Covid-19 coronavirus. She is terrified of endangering her son and his nanny, and is doing her best to be a good mother. While households were instructed to adhere to the country’s strict national lockdown rules during the Covid-19 pandemic, parents could have been working from home. And for the families with the internet and other resources, their children have had to adapt to being taught from home – using virtual learning. But in many cases, parents who are considered as essential workers have had to be physically…

A enigmatic fixture in local hip-hop, Don Design has teamed up with broadcaster-turned-recording artist Nomuzi Mabena – better known as Moozlie – and his long-standing friend AKA, for his debut single. He speaks to City Press in his first interview since moving from behind the scenes to the front of the microphone. Fans of AKA will be familiar with Don Design’s name and talents as a deejay, music video producer, visual creative director and the designer behind the streetwear line MondayToMonday. News of the track called Python was met with delight on social media. True to form, AKA posted a snippet, artwork and a release date on Twitter, and soon the hashtag #ReleaseThePython was trending. Moozlie also couldn’t contain her excitement around this release, and was showered with appreciation by…

Sudor Available on iOS Seven-day free trial, R149 a month thereafter One of the big debates around the Covid-19 coronavirus and being under lockdown is weight gain. You hear about it on radio and Instagram is abuzz, with fitness videos popping up everywhere. A lot of fitness content on the web is free, with those who create it often making very little or no money for their efforts. Sudor, which means sweat in Spanish, is a new global app that allows trainers a platform to make money during this financially taxing time. Co-founder Emma Heap describes the app as the “Netflix of fitness” and says it gives people “affordable access to top trainers from across the world”. With 30 trainers on the app currently, those who want to try Sudor…

Proteas fast bowler Kagiso Rabada seemingly being miscast as captain of one of the three teams in Cricket SA’s (CSA’s) innovative Solidarity Cup brought into sharp focus CSA’s none too obvious options in looking for a test skipper. Lockdown has been an opportunity for most of us to learn or achieve a lot of things – bake bread, attend Zoom meetings without being caught with our pants down, quit smoking and so on – but it’s hard to believe it’s turned Rabada into a captain. This isn’t to scoff at the leader of the Proteas’ bowling attack’s potential for influence (remember our reaction to Quinton de Kock being named ODI captain?), it’s just that no self-respecting fast bowler should be subjected to walking the diplomatic tightrope captains do, not least…

Gibraltar: Lincoln Red Imps – 2003 to 2016 (14) Latvia: Skonto Riga – 1991 to 2004 (14) Belarus: Bate Borisov – 2006 to 2018 (13) Norway: Rosenborg Trondheim – 1992 to 2004 (13) Croatia: Dinamo Zagreb – 2006 to 2016 (11) Moldova: Sheriff Tiraspol – 2001 to 2010 (10) Georgia: Dinamo Tbilisi – 1990 to 1999 (10) East Germany: BFC Dynamo – 1979 to 1988 (10) Bulgaria: CSKA Sofia – 1954 to 1962 (9) Scotland: Celtic Glasgow – 1966 to 1974 (9) and 2012 to 2020* (9) Ukraine: Dynamo Kyiv – 1993 to 2001 (9) Scotland: Glasgow Rangers – 1989 to 1997 (9) Switzerland: FC Basel – 2010 to 2017 (8) Italy: Juventus – 2012 to 2019* (8) Bulgaria: Ludogorets – 2012 to 2019* (8) Wales: The New Saints –…

Since 2016, the PSL has approved nine change of ownership deals involving clubs across the premier and first divisions. Bidvest Wits and first division campaigners Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila are the latest parties to have reached an agreement over the purchase of a top-flight status. The transaction is expected to kick in next season, subject to the PSL executive committee approving the imminent sale. However, Wits’ prospective new owner Masala Mulaudzi’s confirmation last weekend that he had acquired the status of Bidvest Wits has been met with mixed reactions. While those with a sentimental attachment to Wits argue that the move is akin to eroding the history of the 99-year-old institution, status-buying transactions are common in local football. Former coach turned club administrator Roger de Sá says people are quick to…

Football and rugby had anticipated returning to training this week, but the two sporting codes have been instructed by their respective governing bodies not to return to the field just yet. This is because the PSL and SA Rugby do not want to jeopardise their attempts to convince government that teams should get back on the training grounds. As things stand, government has not yet finished scrutinising the two sports bodies’ proposals outlining their planned return to playing protocols. Football and rugby competitions are still prohibited under level 3 of the national lockdown, but they would be granted permission if they comply under specific health and safety protocols. Sports federations were given 14 days to submit their plans after government gazetted the directives regarding professional sports under level 3 restrictions…

Many South Africans are shocked that you still get shocked about the murder of women and children and the scourge of gender-based violence in the country. In defining the nature of power, psychiatrist M Scott Peck writes in The Road Less Travelled: “Political power is the capacity to coerce others, overtly or covertly, to do one’s will. This capacity resides in a position, such as kinship or presidency, or else in money. It does not reside in the person who occupies the position or possesses the money. “Consequently, political power is unrelated to goodness or wisdom. Very stupid and very evil people have walked as kings upon earth. Spiritual power, however, resides entirely within the individual and has nothing to do with the capacity to coerce others.” On Monday, when…

There is something strangely similar between Herman Mashaba and Danny Jordaan’s time as a mayor as captured in The Accidental Mayor: Herman Mashaba and the Battle for Johannesburg and Crispian Olver’s How to Steal a City: The Battle for Nelson Mandela Bay, an Inside Account. And that similarity is fierce independence from their party factions. Like Mashaba, Jordaan was also an “accidental mayor”. And perhaps therein lies the crux of his mayoralty; he could get things done. There is a trope that permeates the narratives, and that is “independence” from the incumbent political party. Perhaps what local government needs is exactly these “accidental mayors” who are not beholden to any party. Although Mashaba was supposedly a DA mayor, he was not beholden to its protracted dithering and administrative mechanisms. He…

Do you think Winston Churchill suspected that his legacy would one day turn sour when he said that, “if we open a quarrel between past and present, we shall find that we’ve lost the future”? After being targeted by anti-racist protesters, his statue in London has had to be guarded by the police – in the UK of all places. Churchill also said history would be kind to him because he intended to write it. Many years later, young people are rewriting history, and unkindly so. In Tshwane, Paul Kruger’s statue is protected by barbed wire and a second is fence coated with knife-like razors on top, just in case someone is passionate enough to destroy the concrete. I have not seen any of Nelson Mandela’s statues defaced, but he…

It feels auspicious that Father’s Day and Youth Day fall in the same week this year. With so many challenges facing young people these days, the best gift they could get is a dad who is present to guide and support them. Yet, sadly, a survey of urban working households conducted by the Old Mutual Savings and Investment Monitor found that half the mothers in the country were raising their children on their own, and 12% received any regular financial support from the fathers. If you are a dad, take this time to reflect on your role in your child’s life and think about what you could be doing for them to provide for a better future. What letter could you write to your child today to tell them about…

From Tshwane to the Vaal and from Ekurhuleni to the West Rand, taxi commuters across Gauteng will have to find alternative transport tomorrow as operators plan for a province-wide shutdown tomorrow. The shutdown is in protest of government’s R1.135 billion relief fund announced on Friday, which operators describe as a “pittance” that would not address the affects of the Covid-19 national lockdown regulations on the industry. While national taxi body Santaco confirmed that other provinces would not take part in the shutdown, Gauteng taxi associations were yesterday and today holding extensive discussions to make the shutdown effective. Two weeks ago, taxi operators issued a directive that taxi fares would increase from R11 to R30 for a single trip from Alexandra to Sandton. However, the increases – which were scheduled to…

Lindiwe Dikana – played by veteran actress Sindi Dlathu – has enjoyed being the only leading lady in Mzansi Magic’s telenovela, The River. But that is changing. There is a new lady in town, Lindiwe’s rival, Emma, played by Lunathi Mampofu, and she is shaking things up and causing havoc. And since her debut a few weeks ago, Emma has been giving Lindiwe sleepless nights and keeping her on her toes. The 33-year-old Eastern Cape-born actress plays a competitive, vicious and delusional character who is willing to go the extra mile to get whatever she wants. And Emma wants to be at the top. But leading lady Lindiwe is not making life easy for her. “Playing alongside Sindi is intense,” says Mampofu. “She is extremely talented and her acting skills…

A senior AbaThembu traditional leader has claimed that the reason king Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo was being dethroned by his son, acting king Azenathi, was because he had picked his other son, Prince Sinethemba, as his heir. In an exclusive interview, Dalindyebo’s aide Nkosi Mfundo Mtirara told City Press that on June 12 the king informed senior AbaThembu traditional leaders that Sinethemba was his chosen heir and not Azenathi, his eldest son. Dalindyebo and Azenathi have been at loggerheads since January this year when the acting king refused to relinquish the throne as demanded by the king when he was released from prison on parole in December. Dalindyebo had served four years of a 12-year jail sentence after he was convicted in 2015 of assaulting his subjects with intent to do grievous…

Emma Skosana’s nightmare began when she consulted a doctor in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga, because she was coughing excessive phlegm, which she thought was the result of a cold. The doctor referred her to Emalahleni Provincial Hospital on May 26, where – to her surprise – she was directed to the intensive care unit (ICU) to see a physiotherapist. The next day, a sample of her phlegm was taken. On May 29, Skosana (52) received a text saying she’d tested positive for Covid-19. “I’d already realised something was wrong when they closed the door of the room [where I was being tested],” she says. “When the text came, I called someone at the hospital to tell them. A nurse wearing protective clothes came to see me and I was taken to the…

Besides the wonderful work Rucera Seethal has pointed out, there are productions for every taste. We at #Trending are particularly looking forward to Woolworths by Juliet Jenkin. It is described as follows: “An epic satirical radio play on middle class South Africa. Previously staged at the National Arts Festival in 2018, and elsewhere to resounding applause and a fair amount of wincing, this digital version tells you everything you didn’t know you knew about the bourgeoisie. “Charging through Trellidors, security estates, rhino charities, gold mines, shopping malls, rugby stadiums, game farms and bank queues, this epic choral work is a force of culture. Experience middle class white angst from the comfort of your own home.”…

From London Irish (2008-2012) “They didn’t have the money to compete with the big teams in terms of the salary cap, so they spent a lot of their money in their youth structures, which helped them to punch above their weight.” From Bath (2012-2014) “Bath had everything, and the way they shaped my coaching was to encourage players to be brave and support them in the decisions they made.” From the Kobelco Steelers (2014-2016) “When they introduced me to the team, I stood up and said about 35 words before the translator said: ‘Stop! You can only say five words and then I speak.’ That taught me to be creative about how I sell my message and have clarity about what I want to deliver. I do a lot of…

Racism should be condemned wherever it exists, including in sport. The whole idea of sport is for people to compete on a level playing field and have the best team win. Sometimes it’s not the best team, but the one with the most legitimate goals that wins. I recently read an article from the UK in which a referee was being blamed for the racial abuse hurled at a player from Dover. On September 21, Dover striker Inih Effiong was the victim of what was described as a “tempestuous National League game” in which home side Hartlepool United finished with nine men. Hartlepool manager Craig Hignett was also sent off, indicating that tempestuous may be somewhat of an understatement. Hartlepool were charged by the Football Association and fined £7 500…

If it is not about money or commanding a position in the starting XI, what exactly is it about? The answer is simple: Bafana Bafana and Bidvest Wits captain Thulani Hlatshwayo opted for Orlando Pirates because it is his “home”. City Press has learnt that Hlatshwayo – known as Tyson among his peers – wants to go to Pirates, the club he grew up supporting. “People might wonder why he snubbed Sundowns, as many players don’t think twice when Sundowns come knocking. But it’s different with Tyson,” said a source close to him. “He knows everywhere he goes he will make the team because he has proven himself. Although it was not an easy decision to make, he opted for Pirates because he regards it as his home. “The other…

President Cyril Ramaphosa seems to have two speechwriters – one who writes for the economy and one who writes for the heart. These two speeches were written separately, glued together with the finest Pritt that could be found online, and delivered to the nation on Wednesday evening. It wasn’t so much the first half – about sectors of the economy that would reopen – that was unusual. That was fine, professional and maybe a bit overdue. But then suddenly he shifted focus. He stood up straight. He was “appalled” and “shocked”. With a voice filled with emotion, he named 13 women and children who had been brutally murdered since lockdown level 3 took effect on June 1. He spoke passionately about the measures his government had put in place to…

Humble Prince In an unprecedented move, the humble Prince of Ulundi is showing some coyness after the Umzinyathi District Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal decided to rename the municipality after him. His party, the IFP, says Mangosuthu Buthelezi is still agonising over whether to accept the honour. “Prince Buthelezi has not yet reached a final decision whether to accept this council resolution,” said the IFP. Buthelezi has spent years trying to clarify his role in the liberation struggle, which he feels is misunderstood. But Siyahleba knows exactly what the outcome of this will be. Should we tell them? For crumbs Politics is about the battle for enough power to run the country. But if you follow some of our smaller political parties, you will may believe that politics is a battle for…

We need to talk. Specifically, we need to talk about your demands to suppliers for substantial discounts during these tough times. Even more specifically, we need to talk about your motivation. Your endgame, to use corporate speak. I’ll start. There are only two, as far as I can see. The first is that decreased demand is making a mockery of your targets and you have to make up the numbers somewhere, so it might as well be the small businesses that are your suppliers. Who cares about small business? It’s kitchen-heat stuff. Right? So, you put the squeeze on them for, say, R50 000 a month. Brilliant. Everyone’s happy on your end and probably looking at you with new respect, as if your acumen is showing a new dimension on…

I must confess that, when I first saw the video of Eastern Cape Health MEC Sindiswa Gomba riding in the sidecar of a three-wheeler motorbike, my initial reaction was probably the same as that of other South Africans, judging by the response on social media. I found it both comical and infuriating that “a caring government” could buy these glorified wheelbarrows to use as ambulances for rural citizens. As an activist, I was appalled that rural citizens, who are already poor and downtrodden, would be reminded of the huge inequality gap between them and their counterparts in more affluent areas where ambulances arrive minutes after a call. In their case, if it does arrive at all, it’s long after at least one critically injured passenger is already dead. By the…

The unbundling of Eskom into three separate companies may be derailed after trade union grievances over a lack of consultation have emerged, says a labour expert. The trade union Solidarity is threatening an urgent court application after three trade unions, itself included, have said employees were not consulted about the unbundling of the beleaguered power utility. Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan last year released a “roadmap” for the reform of the power supply industry, according to which Eskom would be functionally split into three separate entities before the end of the year. According to the plan, these three independent divisions, responsible for electricity generation, transmission and distribution, would be legally separated into different companies within the Eskom group by the end of next year. In March, City Press’ sister publication…

Let us know. Send an email to tipoff@citypress.co.za SUBSCRIBE TO CITY PRESS IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS AROUND THE HOME DELIVERY OF YOUR NEWSPAPER OR WANT TO SUBSCRIBE, THE DETAILS BELOW WILL HELP CONTACT CENTRE NUMBER: 0861 248 977 087 353 1300 EMAIL ADDRESS: subscribers@citypress.co.za NEW SUBSCRIBERS SMS LINE: SMS “SUBS” to 32368 SUBSCRIPTIONS WHATSAPP NUMBER 087 353 1333 Subscribe (retailers) • On The Dot Retail contact number: 0861 888 989 • On the Dot retail email address: assistance@onthedot.co.za PRESS COUNCIL City Press subscribes to the Code of Ethics and Conduct for South African Print and Online Media that prescribes news that is truthful, accurate, fair and balanced. If we don’t live up to the Code, please contact the Public Advocate at 011 484 3612, fax: 011 484 3619. You…

At SABC offices across the country, more than 3 000 staff members were stunned last week when they received emails warning them of looming retrenchments, which will affect at least 600 employees. The email was not clear about which divisions would be affected by the redundancies. But City Press has learnt that talk in the SABC corridors is that the news department and employees who are 50 and older could be the hardest hit. A 50-year-old news anchor, who has worked at the public broadcaster for more than a decade, told City Press that they were all shocked when they received the emails this week. “According to the public broadcaster’s policy, if you are aged 50 or older and you have been with the company for more than 10 years,…

Odette Jones is one of 100 staff members who have been left in the lurch by the planned closing down of the Bishop Bavin School in Bedfordview, Gauteng. The school is housed in a building belonging to the Anglican Church’s Diocese of Johannesburg and made the news this week when teachers protested management’s decision to close it down. Staff, through their legal representative Leslie Sedibe, plan to approach the labour court to challenge the termination of their employment. City Press understands that attempts have been made to try to save the school, which include discussions with the Gauteng education department this week. City Press also understands that the department decided to pull out of the negotiations with the school because its board allegedly kept on shifting goal posts and wanted…

A half-full bag of rice on a dusty floor next to a grimy pot behind a rickety old bed is the only item remaining from a government-sponsored food parcel received almost two months ago by Odirile Chose. His hope of finding something to cook to have with the rice depends on whether he gets the R350 special Covid-19 social relief of distress grant which, he said, would go a long way to ensure that he does not go to bed on an empty stomach. But it has been more than a month and an anxious wait for Chose. He does not have a cellphone and has had to rely a relative to apply for the grant on his behalf. Chose struggled to explain the anxiety – as well as the…

Stronger strains of marijuana – known locally as dagga – might not lead to more intense highs. A team of researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder gave test subjects two kinds of marijuana with drastically contrasting THC levels and found that there was no discernible difference in their intoxication levels. Subjects were asked to describe how intoxicated they felt – and to complete a series of cognitive and balance tasks – to try to measure their impairment objectively. The team found that while THC blood levels between the two groups were drastically different, both groups reported similar levels of intoxication and performed identically on the cognitive and balance tests. “People in the high concentration group were much less compromised than we thought they were going to be,” the University…

If you’re considering upgrading or purchasing a new smartphone amid the changes of lockdown living, price becomes an important factor. This month, we narrow down three mid-range handsets for you to consider, and investigate which will give you more phone for your money. Samsung Galaxy A31 – R6 999 The Samsung Galaxy A31 offers a multipurpose quad camera, large Infinity-U display, Samsung Knox defence-grade security and a whopping 5 000 milliampere hour (mAh) battery. The 6.4-inch edge-to-edge display has a wide aspect ratio that is suited for streaming, gaming, working or watching videos on its full HD Amoled screen. Despite a large screen, it is 8.6mm thin and comes in a geometric design with a glossy finish. It has a specific game booster feature to optimise gaming by adjusting the…

The programme will take place entirely on the National Arts Festival website nationalartsfestival.co.za. It will consist of a daily curated programme of shows, workshops and events; and a special virtual fringe section with multiple performances to choose from and links to shows happening outside of the festival’s secure environment. Audiences will be able to buy passes from R80 per day with a special price of R600 for an all-access pass for the entire 11 days. Virtual fringe events will be individually ticketed and there will be a free-to-browse virtual gallery area, as well as a virtual village green, where festivalgoers can browse crafts and handmade wares. The Standard Bank Jazz Festival also remains an integral part of the festival experience in the online iteration.…

The social media debate about the ban on tobacco sales during lockdown is relevant for all South Africans on several levels, whether they are smokers or not. At one level, it is about health. Do adults have the right to smoke if they choose to, knowing the risks? At another level, it is about government overreach. Does the government have the right to determine whether people choose to smoke or not, or to participate in any other legal activity, within the lockdown or outside it. And last: Is the tobacco ban effective in respect of what it seeks to achieve? It helps to separate these three broad arenas in which the tobacco debate is playing out. The first is all about the effect of smoking on individuals. The second is…

In November, Bayern Munich were beaten 5-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt in their 10th Bundesliga game of the season and slipped down to fourth in the standings – four points behind Borussia Mönchengladbach. Bayern bosses decided they needed to react. They fired head coach Niko Kovač and appointed Hansi Flick on an interim basis. Under the former Bayern player, the team started an incredible run that saw them win 19 of the next 22 games, draw one and lose just two, with the 19th victory on Tuesday away against struggling Werder Bremen ensuring an eighth consecutive league title with two games to go. After the win – courtesy of Robert Lewandowski’s 31st league goal of the season – Flick, who has since been given the job permanently, thanked his predecessor. “I…

Southern Kings chairperson Loyiso Dotwana says he is in the dark about SA Rugby’s supposed plan to take over the running of the Pro14 franchise as early as this week. With the majority shareholder of the franchise – the ironically named Greatest Rugby Company in the Whole Wide World (GRC) – having paid its players their April salaries 10 days late after hitting financial difficulties, a City Press source said there were red flags of a possible repeat this month. Another source disclosed that SA Rugby was keen to take over the running of the franchise again – a claim seemingly confirmed by Sport24 writing a story to that effect yesterday. According to the story, Kings staff have been called to a meeting tomorrow to appraise them of the decision.…

Perhaps we should start talking about the issue of women abuse from the premise that under no circumstances should women be abused or violated, that there is no justification whatsoever for the abuse and that women have a right to life. We should not be jolted into action only when a woman has been killed. We have to prevent the abuse and the killing of women. There appears to be a war between black women and society, which needs to end. We need to acknowledge openly that the lives of black women do not appear to matter. We need to be frank and accept that, by the way they are treated, we do not believe that black women, in particular, have human rights. We need to stop making excuses about…

Images of the elderly in snaking queues under the scorching Limpopo sun waiting to enter a branch of VBS Mutual Bank are permanently etched in our minds. These were the most vulnerable members of society trying to get their meagre savings out of the then beleaguered bank. Many returned home empty-handed. They’d lost their entire life’s savings, thanks to crooked bank owners and executives who – with the help of politicians and government officials – saw fit to enrich themselves with poor people’s money. Also invested in the bank were hundreds of millions of rands of public funds, which were meant to improve service delivery in municipalities. Instead, greedy municipal officials invested the funds in VBS in return for favours. The news of this week’s arrest and court appearance of…

There is something familiar about the story of the man arrested for the gruesome murder of Tshegofatso Pule. According to Sowetan newspaper, he has had his fair share of run-ins with the law, but has always avoided being sent to jail. The man was previously arrested on charges of attempted murder, attempted burglary and being in possession of a stolen vehicle. But all those charges were withdrawn for unknown reasons. This time around, he should be afraid as the public scrutiny makes the withdrawal of charges against him unlikely. But I think this case exemplifies why we are stupefied that there is so much crime and it’s somehow not stopping, despite the numerous government initiatives to tackle the problem. The criminals just keep coming back for more. The law is…

The judgment from the Constitutional Court declaring parts of the Electoral Act unconstitutional was heralded by some as ushering in a new era in electoral democracy. They argued that this declaration freed the population from the clutches of political parties, and marked the beginning of the withering of the political party system. Some even believed that the judgment meant there would soon be a new president elected directly by the citizens. Of course, the judgment was groundbreaking in many respects. For the first time since the dawn of South Africa’s democracy, individuals stand a chance of being elected and holding office in the National Assembly and the provincial legislatures. Parliament has been given 24 months to rectify this defect, but the provision only becomes relevant in 2024, which is when…

Government cannot use more than R30 billion in taxpayer funds to keep SAA alive, especially when the rest of the domestic aviation industry is in dire need of assistance to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 coronavirus-enforced lockdown. The rescue plan, described as questionable, is said to provide little that will differentiate the “new” SAA from its beleaguered predecessor, and would most likely see the new airline standing before government’s door for bailouts for some time to come. So said trade union Solidarity, which confirmed on Friday to City Press’ sister publication Rapport that it had rejected the business rescue plan for SAA, which was published on Tuesday after repeated delays. The plan was drawn up by business rescue practitioners Les Matuson and Siviwe Dongwana, who, by as late…

This month, we received two complaints from readers who paid money into the wrong account by mistake, highlighting the risk of electronic funds transfers (EFTs) and how little recourse you have when it comes to claiming money back. Ofentse used his Capitec app to send cash to his son’s Capitec account. “Unfortunately, I used the wrong account number. Upon realising the mistake, I tried to reverse the transaction through the app, but this function is not provided for by Capitec. I contacted Capitec and they confirmed the payment, however, they told me they could not reverse the money before obtaining permission from the account holder,” Ofentse says. “I was told that the account holder was not answering the phone, but they left messages for him to call. I was assured…

It is estimated that more than 138 000 individuals get married in South Africa every year. It will be interesting to see how this number is impacted by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, which has brought about restrictions on gatherings. When people want to get married, they often don’t talk about the type of marriage contract they want to enter into. This is for a number of reasons: • Some people genuinely don’t know that there are different types of marriage contracts that should be considered before walking down the aisle; • The subject is seen as taboo; and • Some people consider not getting married in community of property as a sign that they do not love one another. The taboo around discussing which marriage contract to consider is that…