Innholdsfortegnelse for 2025-06-20 i Daily News

EFF leader Julius Malema and the top leadership of the party are expected to return to KwaZulu-Natal to attend the mass funeral of members who were killed in a bus accident this week. Ten party supporters died and scores of others were injured when their bus collided with a long-haul truck near Vryheid, north of the province, on Monday night. They were returning from the party’s Youth Day commemoration rally, which was held at King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi. Malema’s return to the province was confirmed by the party’s provincial secretary, Vukani Ndlovu, yesterday. According to Ndlovu, the party’s top leadership would attend. “We are expecting our Commander-In-Chief, Julius Malema, and the top national leadership to honour the funeral of our departed fighters.” He said the funeral will take place…

A group of Wentworth homeowners bordering the Jacobs Industrial area, where a factory was gutted by a fire, said they were concerned about their safety. According to a report from the eThekwini Municipality, two firemen sustained second-degree burns, and six people were rescued by firefighters on Monday. The factory, located on Brooklyn Road, manufactures shoes and sandals. In December 2019, a significant portion of the building was destroyed by a fire and has since been rebuilt. In 2018, a fire also destroyed another portion of the premises. During attempts to extinguish the fire on Monday, an explosion erupted from the main structure, and although no firefighters were inside, two members were injured, said Gugu Sisilana, spokesperson for the municipality. “An extension of the same factory on the northern side, used…

Five men have each received eight life sentences and 15 years imprisonment for the murders which occurred at the Glebelands Men’s Hostel in Umlazi in 2023. The convicts. namely Bongile Mabele, Siyathemba Mthwana, Nkosayikhethi Njeya, Bongani Mboyiyana, and Sibusiso Mkhonde, were sentenced at the Durban High Court this week. They were each convicted on eight counts of murder, joint possession of a prohibited firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition. On June 3, 2023, the deceased - Phakamani Lukhozi, Thamsanqa Shongwe, Mpilo Khumalo, Bongani Mkane, Lungani Sikhobi, Yandisa Msungubali, Nkululeko Lukhozi, and Mxolisi Mthethwa - were shot and killed while they were socialising at a hostel residence. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, confirmed that the accused and deceased all resided at the hostel. Ramkisson-Kara said: “The accused were friends…

Mamelodi Sundowns are gearing up for their biggest Fifa Club World Cup challenge tomorrow, when they lock horns with Borussia Dortmund at the TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio (6pm SA time kick-off). Despite being deemed underdogs in this high-stakes encounter, the South African champions are brimming with confidence, ready to make their mark on the global stage. Zimbabwe international Divine Lunga, one of the stand-out players when Sundowns secured a crucial 1-0 victory against South Korea’s Ulsan HD in their opening Group F match, said Dortmund are the “big guns”. Lunga, who was a surprise inclusion ahead of the seasoned Aubrey Modiba against Ulsan, is acutely aware of the formidable reputation of their opponents, but is unfazed by the challenge ahead. Lunga has received great praise in Zimbabwe’s media since…

After a frustrating United Rugby Championship campaign, where injuries derailed his participation in crucial matches for the Sharks – including the semi-final against the Bulls – Eben Etzebeth is ready to put all his energy into the Springboks’ season. The centurion played a small part in the URC after a concussion and recurring symptoms kept him on the sidelines for a couple of months, before a calf strain and a knock kept him out of other games. The Sharks bowed out at the semi-final stage at Loftus Versfeld, and although he could not be part of the match, Etzebeth is fired up to get the international season going. He says he is cleared of the concussions, and will approach the international season fresh and injury-free. “I’ve recovered from everything... it’s…

Proteas Women big hitting all-rounder Annerie Dercksen looked eager to sink her teeth a little into the West Indies in the upcoming T20 series. Dercksen is coming off a somewhat dull ODI series, having not enjoyed the same level of success with the bat as she did in Sri Lanka. But the conditions in the Caribbean were something different entirely, and so too, the situations she batted in. Dercksen scored her maiden century against Sri Lanka in the final game of the tri-series last month, but said she had to play a more high-risk style of batting against the Windies. Regardless, the Proteas claimed the ODI series 2-1, with a comfortable 166-run victory via the DLS method in the deciding match this week. The 24-year-old’s bowling has been sharp during…

Former uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) secretary-general Floyd Shivambu has revealed that his removal from the position was due to a fake intelligence report claiming he wanted to overthrow party leader Jacob Zuma. Shivambu made the revelation during a media briefing at the Mhulu Hotel in Midrand, Johannesburg, where he also announced plans to consult with South Africans on forming a new political party. According to Shivambu, the fake intelligence report alleged that he was accumulating supernatural powers to make people disappear and was plotting to dethrone Zuma as party leader. However, Shivambu rejected the report with contempt, stating, “It was extremely bizarre and a fake intelligence report that I was about to overthrow Zuma and that I had supernatural powers to make people disappear.” Shivambu claimed that Zuma was surrounded…

The Transport Department is racing against time to wipe out backlogs totalling more than 700 000 outstanding driving licence cards to be printed after its printing machine broke down in February, when its electronic cards were damaged. Responding to sets of parliamentary questions from parliamentarians from Rise Mzansi, EFF and MK Party, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy said the driver's licence card machine has now been fixed and is currently dealing with the backlog of driving licence cards that must be printed. “As of 15 May 2025, the backlog count is estimated at 733 000 cards,” said Creecy. The backlog was down from 747 748 outstanding cards recorded on May 2. The machine has had major breakdowns totalling 129 days from 2022/23 to date, with only 38 days recorded in the…

THE ball is now with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) advocates to give Judge Nompumelelo Radebe a convincing argument that Inkosi Albert Luthuli was killed by apartheid operatives, not a goods train as it was found soon after he died in 1967. Since the beginning of the inquest at the Pietermaritzburg High Court on April 14 advocates Ncedile Dunywa, Annah Chuene, Siyabonga Ngcobo, and Xolani Msimango have led an array of witnesses with evidence. Those who testified included SAPS members, Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) officials, scene reconstruction and simulation experts, forensic analysts, medical evidence, family members of Chief Luthuli, anti-apartheid activists, and friends of Luthuli. Former justice minister Jeff Radebe also testified. The matter was postponed from June 11 to October 13, where the advocates would be given…

Damian de Allende has this strong urge to end his illustrious career under Table Mountain for the Stormers. With his contract in Japan set to run until the end of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, the Springbok inside centre pinned his hopes on staying fresh and healthy to have his international swansong at the tournament Down Under. If everything goes according to plan and he can help the Boks to a third title in a row, he will look to move back home to have one last hurrah in the blue-and-white hoops of the Cape side. “A third World Cup win would be great to finish off a long career,” De Allende said this week during the Bok camp in Johannesburg. “I have about two seasons left in…

Teams built on unyielding defence often find the sweetest victories, proving that the fewest goals conceded translate into the most valuable points. South African football has been graced by a remarkable blend of emerging young stars and battle-hardened veterans, each rising to the occasion this past season. Together, they’ve formed the backbone of their teams, standing resolute as the last line of defence. After a season fraught with fierce battles and narrow margins, we turn our attention to five defenders whose performances have shone brightest to have earned their place in the conversation for the Premier Soccer League Defender of the Year... Nkosinathi Sibisi – Orlando Pirates The Orlando Pirates defender stood as a steadfast pillar in the Buccaneers’ backline, playing a crucial role in what became one of their…

Former Absa board member Sipho Pityana has raised serious concerns regarding the independence of the South African Reserve Bank (Sarb), urging for a formal investigation into what he described as “cosy relationships” between key figures in the banking sector. Pityana’s remarks come on the heels of a Pretoria High Court ruling that has cast doubt on the conduct of Sarb’s Prudential Authority (PA) during his controversial nomination process as chair of Absa Bank in 2021. It found that the PA acted unlawfully by adopting an informal process to review Pityana’s nomination, as prescribed by the regulations in place under the Banks Act. The ruling vindicated Pityana and exposed opaque interactions between the regulatory body and external parties. Pityana sought a declaratory order against the PA, claiming they had operated outside…

WHEN Aiden Markram walked in to open the batting alongside Dean Elgar in Potchefstroom almost a decade ago, there had been a lot said about his potential, with many dubbing him the next Graeme Smith. After all, Markram had led the South African Under-19s to World Cup glory a few years prior, and sent the country into a state of happiness. On that day in Potchefstroom, Markram’s 97 on debut further gave the country hope that it had found its next run machine, one that could potentially reach the heights that Smith achieved in his career. For the next couple of years, he would prove himself against India and Australia at home, bringing up big centuries as he solidified his place as a Test-match opener. However, a couple of years…

Following Mamelodi Sundowns’ 1-0 win over Ulsan HD in their Fifa Club World Cup opener this week, coach Miguel Cardoso went to great lengths to explain the inclusion of veteran playmaker Themba Zwane in the starting XI. This was the first time that Zwane had started a match since the Portuguese mentor Cardoso arrived at Sundowns. For the greater part of Cardoso’s stewardship at the Brazilians, Zwane was recovering from an injury sustained in October 2024 while on Bafana Bafana duty. The national team stalwart returned to action in April 2025, four months after Cardoso’s appointment in mid-December last year. There was a massive outcry from Sundowns’ supporters after Cardoso left the 35-year-old Zwane on the bench in both legs of the CAF Champions League final, which they lost 3-2…

Thembinkosi Lorch continued his resurgence with another eye-catching display for Wydad Athletic Club, even as the Moroccan giants fell 2-0 to Manchester City in their opening Fifa Club World Cup fixture on Wednesday night. Facing the former English champions in their group-stage opener, Wydad were always in for a tough night, but the 31-year-old South African winger emerged as one of the few bright sparks in an otherwise frustrating outing. The former Orlando Pirates star looked lively from the outset, offering an attacking threat both wide and on the inside, and remained one of Wydad’s more consistent outlets throughout the 90 minutes. The result leaves Wydad with plenty to do in their remaining group-stage fixture if they are to keep their tournament hopes alive, but Lorch’s individual performance gave South…