Innholdsfortegnelse for 2025-05-09 i Daily News

THE number of registered spaza shops that actually have been issued with licences was just 6%, Small Business Development Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams said on Wednesday. She said that a total of 87 407 spaza shops have been registered since the registration process closed. “Out of that, 54 583 are owned by South Africans while 32 824 are owned by non-South Africans , with only 5 456 receiving licences,” she said. She released the statistics the question-and-answer session in the National Assembly, when ANC MP Cristopher Malematja asked how many spaza shops had been registered since the expiry of the deadline for their registration. She told MPs that the process of registering spaza shops was the competency of the municipalities. “The numbers that I'm presenting here are numbers that…

KWAZULU-Zulu Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi continued to maintain his innocence over a probe by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) regarding his conduct, which remains shrouded in mystery. The investigation stemmed from an allegation that Mkhwanazi had allegedly interfered in the 2023 arrest of a senior Correctional Services official in Richards Bay. On Tuesday, Mkhwanazi convened a meeting with station commanders and other senior police officials at the Durban Centre Jesus Dome in Mayville. During this closed-door gathering, Mkhwanazi addressed his leadership team, urging them not to yield to external pressures and to always prioritise doing the right thing in their work. “Are you afraid to be told that you are a commander who does not want to arrest people? I made a decision at one stage that you…

Orlando Pirates defender Tapelo Xoki has downplayed the significance of his team’s recent dominance over Kaizer Chiefs, insisting that their focus is squarely on the performance required in tomorrow’s Nedbank Cup final. The Soweto giants meet in a sold-out clash at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, with kick-off set for 3.30pm. This will be the second cup final for the Buccaneers this season, and a chance to complete a treble under coach Jose Riveiro, who is leaving the club at the end of the campaign. A win would mark Pirates’ third consecutive Nedbank Cup title and sixth overall trophy since Riveiro’s arrival in 2022. Despite the momentum favouring Pirates, having defeated Chiefs in both league encounters this season, Xoki insists that past results are irrelevant when it comes to finals.…

Sharks coach John Plumtree is without Springboks Ox Nche, Lukhanyo Am, Jordan Hendrikse and Grant Williams for tonight’s United Rugby Championship clash with the Ospreys in Durban (7pm kickoff), but the good news is they that they are expected back soon. The Sharks host the Scarlets next week, and if they win these two home games against the touring Welsh sides, they will bank a home quarter-final, possibly against local rivals, the Stormers. Before the playoffs there is the second Springbok alignment camp of the year, and Plumtree feels this should provide a gap for his injured Boks to recover for the quarter-finals. Scrumhalf Williams is nursing a neck complaint, flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse has a sore back, centre Am has a knee issue, and loosehead prop Nche has the flu.…

THE pre-trial conference into the murder of well-known rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes (pictured below) and his friend chef Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane will commence on June 12. Judge Jacqueline Henriques who is presiding over matter at the Durban High Court confirmed the adjournment after the five accused appeared briefly before her yesterday. The former acting director of public prosecutions in KwaZulu-Natal, Advocate Simphiwe Mlotshwa, instructed by attorney Sibusiso Dlamini, would be representing all five accused in a matter that has drawn much media attention and public interest. Advocate Lawrence Gcaba, the KZN deputy director of public prosecutions, confirmed Mlothshwa and Dlamini’s appointment during proceedings. Forbes and Motsoane were shot and killed outside Wish restaurant in Durban on Florida Road on February 10, 2023. The five accused, Lindokuhle Thabani Mkhwanazi, Lindani Zenzele…

‘ DESPITE being defeated by the Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party in three recent by-elections in KwaZulu-Natal, the ANC national leadership said it still had confidence in the reconfigured provincial body led by Jeff Radebe and Mike Mabuyakhulu. Speaking on the sidelines of his meeting with the provincial leadership in Durban yesterday, ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said although the party was concerned that former president Jacob Zuma’s party snatched three wards from them in the recent by-elections, it was not a train smash as the ANC managed to win a ward from the IFP and retained some of its wards. “The situation is fluid. “There is no complete erosion of the ANC's support in these recent by-elections because while we lost some, we have won others. Despite by-elections losses, the comrades…

SOUTH Africa is in deep crisis. The scale of unemployment, the collapse of public services, the precipitous decline of major cities, and pervasive corruption have left many people disillusioned. The ANC, once the bearer of our democratic hopes, has squandered much of its legitimacy. It would be naïve to deny these failures. But amid this bleak domestic reality, there is one area where South Africa has stood firm and offered rare global moral leadership: its unwavering support for the Palestinian people. That principled stance, culminating in the genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, has resonated across the globe and reminded many of what ethical internationalism can look like in an age of cynicism. It is precisely because of this moral clarity that William Gumede’s recent call…

Kaizer Chiefs assistant coach Cedric Kaze says the team is comfortable with the underdog label ahead of tomorrow’s Nedbank Cup final against Orlando Pirates. . The Nedbank Cup final kicks off at 3.30pm and will be played in front of a sold-out crowd at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. With Pirates currently on a five-game winning streak in the Soweto Derby, all the anticipation for the Sea Robbers to make it a sixth win in a row. Kaze, however, has embraced his team not being given a chance. “I’m very happy to come into this game as an underdog,” Kaze told the media in Durban on Wednesday. “And we know what are our chances, we played them not long ago. We feel it is a privilege to play them two…

Mamelodi Sundowns took a significant step toward sealing their eighth consecutive league title after a commanding 3-0 win over Chippa United in their Premiership clash on Wednesday night. The emphatic victory allowed the Brazilians to restore their 12-point lead at the top of the table over second-placed Orlando Pirates, who had earlier edged Golden Arrows 2-1 at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Tuesday. Now just four points away from mathematically securing a record-extending 18th top-flight crown, Sundowns remain firmly on course for a historic season, with the possibility of adding a second CAF Champions League title also still alive. Head coach Miguel Cardoso praised his players’ determination and composure after what marked their 21st win from 25 league outings this season. “Every match that finishes 3-0 looks like flowers were coming…

THE Umbilo Business Association (UBA) is concerned about the repercussions the removal of homeless people and drug addicts will have on the businesses and residential areas adjoining Albert Park. The eThekwini Municipality recently conducted a clean-up operation of the eyesore Albert Park and fenced off the area so that residents could reclaim the park and put it to good use. Drug addicts and homeless people had created makeshift shelters in the park - a problem that the municipality had been grappling with for more than a decade. Ian Campbell-Gillies, a representative of the Umbilo Business Association, said that over many years the SAPS and Metro pursued an 'unconscionable policy of chasing homeless/addicted/ criminal communities from one part of Durban to another'. “It was not entirely their fault; the ANC's centrist…

FRUSTRATED Grade R teachers in KwaZulu-Natal have spoken out against the province's Education MEC, Sipho Hlomuka, after he claimed that all outstanding salaries for Grade R educators were settled. The teachers, however, have vehemently denied this statement, accusing the MEC of misleading the public. During a media briefing on Wednesday, convened by KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli, Hlomuka announced that the department had finally cleared all outstanding payments for Grade R teachers, whose salaries were supposed to have been settled by April. He stated that the issue was due to the failure to renew contracts for Grade 1 teachers before the financial year ended, which had delayed payments. "In terms of the educators for Grade 1, there was a challenge because we did not renew their contracts before the end of…

Technology has been a force for good and bad. Sadly, we have hyped mostly the good and shied away from highlighting its negative elements. As a result, our society is less informed about the real impact of technology. Leaders and communities often adopt technologies without fully understanding the true cost, risks and implications of embracing technology. Throughout my career as a technologist, storyteller and analyst I’ve always felt the need to have conversations with an intention to better inform our society. I have a view that society often adopts tech without fully understanding its real implications. This is partly because the technology ecosystem is offered in a way that grants you limited freedom to choose. It creates an impression that you have a choice, however that choice is often…

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro is not entertaining any talk of personal glory as his side prepares to face Kaizer Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup final at Moses Mabhida Stadium tomorrow. The Spaniard, who joined Pirates in 2022, has led the Soweto giants to five trophies in less than three years – three MTN8 titles and two Nedbank Cups – and could add a sixth this weekend. A win would also make it three Nedbank Cup titles in a row under his leadership, an unprecedented feat in the PSL era. However, Riveiro has made it clear that the focus is not on individual achievements. “Yes, we want to win it once again, but not because of Riveiro,” he said. “There is nothing more special with this one than there was…

ORLANDO Pirates assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi might as well have been playing mind games on Wednesday when he downplayed his side’s favourites’ tag. But the reality is that the Buccaneers are under more pressure to win the Nedbank Cup than arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs. The much-anticipated high-stakes battle of the last silverware of the eventful 2024/2025 season will be played at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban tomorrow, starting at 3.30pm. Chiefs have had a very poor season, and since they have not beaten Pirates under the tutelage of outgoing Spanish coach Jose Riveiro, only serious optimists would expect them to win on Saturday. Pirates on the other hand, have had a great campaign, winning the MTN8 for a third time running, reaching the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League, chasing…