Innholdsfortegnelse for 2025-07-08 i Daily News

THE IFP in KwaZulu-Natal is poised to reclaim Nongoma Local Municipality following the resuscitation of its relationship with the EFF in the province. The EFF’s two councillors were expected to back the IFP’s motion of no confidence against both NFP mayor Mshangane Ndabandaba and ANC Speaker Babongile Sithole. The motion meeting was scheduled to take place yesterday. The meeting will be chaired by the municipal manager Mpumelelo Mnguni as the Speaker was affected by the motion. Mnguni confirmed the motion, saying he hoped by the end of business yesterday, the proceedings would have been completed and there would be new leadership if the motion succeeded. He said the motion was filed by the IFP. The EFF was reportedly angered by both the ANC and the NFP’s failure to remove the…

Now that the dew has settled on the Springboks’ iffy performance against Italy, the players and coaching staff have a different perspective on what panned out in the 42-14 win at Loftus Versfeld, and it is hardly doom and gloom. Those were the wise words of squad newcomer Thomas du Toit, who added that not enough credit has been given to a plucky Italian side that came hard at the Boks and slickly executed a well-constructed plan. Du Toit is fresh from a dream season in England in which he won three trophies with all-conquering Bath, while reaching new heights in his personal game, including scoring 10 tries, a record in the Premiership for a prop. “I would not say we have had a wake-up call,” Du Toit said. “It…

Novak Djokovic said it was “good to break the curse” in front of Roger Federer after coming from a set down to beat Alex de Minaur and reach his 16th Wimbledon quarter-final on Monday. Djokovic looked sluggish and unusually tentative in the early stages of his last-16 clash against the Australian 11th seed on Centre Court, but eventually found his rhythm to win 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. The victory keeps the seven-time champion on course for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title — a feat that would crown his extraordinary career. If he wins the title on Sunday, the 38-year-old Serb would also equal Federer’s men’s record of eight Wimbledon crowns. The retired Swiss great was watching from the royal box as his long-time rival endured his toughest test of…

Mamelodi Sundowns have officially confirmed the departure of five players as part of their off-season squad reshuffle, following their early exit at the Fifa Club World Cup in the United States. The reigning Betway Premiership champions announced on Monday that Sanele Tshabalala, Thabang Sibanyoni, Sifiso Ngobeni, Lucas Suarez, and Sipho Mbule have all left the club, as preparations intensify for the 2025/26 season. Goalkeeper Sanele Tshabalala, who joined Sundowns in 2020, leaves without having made a senior appearance. The 25-year-old goalkeeper was part of several title-winning squads but failed to crack the first-team pecking order and will now look for opportunities to revive his career elsewhere. Striker Thabang Sibanyoni, a product of the club’s development system, exits after spending much of his time out on loan. Despite showing promise during…

Abdeslam Ouaddou is an African through and through — and he firmly believes that African-born coaches have the competencies to lead the continent’s biggest football teams. Ouaddou is the new head coach of Orlando Pirates, the South African giants who famously won the country’s first CAF Champions League title in 1995. As such, expectations are high for him to awaken a sleeping giant, and to deliver domestic and continental success for the first time in 13 and 31 years respectively. The 46-year-old Moroccan, who earned 68 caps for his national team during his playing career, says he is ready for the challenge. Although he was largely unknown in local coaching circles before a recent stint at Marumo Gallants, many assumed he would bring his own trusted lieutenants to Pirates. Instead,…

After a five-year hiatus, Samthing Soweto, real name Samkelo Lelethu Mdolomba, makes his return to the music scene with the release of his highly anticipated second album, Touch Is a Move: Good Morning. The album is deeply rooted in his personal philosophy, echoing a rule from games played in childhood: once you touched a piece, you had to make the move, no hesitation, no take-backs. The second phrase, Good Morning, echoes a ritual Soweto initiated in 2023, a daily greeting to his online audience that has fostered community ties. Together, these themes frame an album dedicated to exploring the weight of words and routines in our lives. The journey of Touch Is a Move: Good Morning unfolds like a day in Soweto, beginning at dawn's early light and gracefully transitioning…

IT IS A WIDELY held view in the horseracing industry that there are no racing certainties. Anita Akal is a long-time action photographer focused on horseracing, and has bucked that trend. Akal, 82, has been on the money with her shots for over half-a-century, having covered a large majority of KwaZulu-Natal horseracing meetings in that time. Always perched somewhere near the winning post, Akal counts capturing the final strides of thoroughbreds’ powerful finishes as a sight to behold. And having a ringside seat in Africa’s most prestigious race, the Hollywoodbets Durban July, she believes was a privilege. Saturday’s race marked the 54th consecutive occasion that Akal photographed the July, and she has not lost none of her verve or vitality. Her image of jockey JP van der Merwe driving…

The Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) has firmly rejected the long-awaited Section 59 report, which on Monday found positive and glaring alleged racial bias and discrimination by medical health schemes against black health professionals. Presented by panel chair Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, the report found systemic procedural unfairness and a deeply entrenched power imbalance that over the years has disproportionately and negatively impacted black medical professionals. The inquiry commissioned by the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS), launched in 2019, scrutinised practices by medical aid schemes such as Discovery, Medscheme and the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) between 2012 and 2019. “We confirm the findings and recommendations in the interim report, that the procedure followed by medical schemes when they claw back monies allegedly owed by practitioners or when they investigate instances…

Chelsea’s young side are targeting a place in the final of the Fifa Club World Cup when they take on Fluminense in the last four on Tuesday, with the Brazilian team marshalled by former Blues defender Thiago Silva, who is still going strong at the age of 40. Silva was already a veteran when he signed for Chelsea in 2020 before going on to have an impressive four-year stint at Stamford Bridge. One of the finest centre-backs of his generation, Silva arrived after eight years at Paris Saint-Germain and, in his first season at Chelsea, won the Uefa Champions League. He played 155 games for the London club and left 12 months ago after helping oversee the development of some of the young talents now featuring regularly under Enzo Maresca.…

Wiaan Mulder broke numerous Test cricket records on yesterday with an unbeaten 367 on Day 2 of the second Test between South Africa and Zimbabwe at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. The 27-year-old now holds several historic milestones: the highest score by a player in their first match as captain, the highest score by a player away from home, the highest ever score by a No 3 batter, the third-highest Test score by a captain, the best strike-rate for a triple century, the fifth-highest Test score in history, and the highest Test score by a South African. One of the records that appeared to hold personal meaning for Mulder — or perhaps even caused a twinge of regret — was surpassing Hashim Amla’s 311, which previously stood as the highest…

Belgian sprinter Tim Merlier edged Italy’s Jonathan Milan at the line to win stage three of the Tour de France in Dunkirk yesterday, as Mathieu van der Poel retained the overall lead. The largely flat 179km route from Valenciennes to Dunkirk — skirting the Belgian border — was marred by a series of crashes, the most serious involving Jasper Philipsen, who withdrew from the race with severe abrasions and a suspected fracture. Three further crashes followed, including two in the finale, one of which involved Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel. Despite the chaos, main contenders Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard avoided trouble and finished safely in the main group, remaining in second and third place overall behind Van der Poel. Belgium had more to celebrate when national champion Tim Wellens crested…

Chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police, Ian Cameron has called for an urgent parliamentary debate following explosive allegations of meddling and political interference in the SAPS. The allegations were made on Sunday by KwaZulu-Natal Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who has fingered police minister Senzo Mchunu, his close associate Brown Mogotsi and Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection, Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya, as key tenets to the alleged interference in police operations, including disbanding a task team investigating political killings. “This was done without the authority of the National Commissioner, nor I, as a Provincial Commissioner, was ever informed,” Mkhwanazi said. “Five of these dockets had instructions to arrest perpetrators, but nothing has been done; they are sitting in an archive in his office in Pretoria. God knows why.” During a marathon…

The SAPS has confirmed that an urgent investigation is under way following the circulation of a widely viewed video on TikTok, which appears to show a uniformed police officer allegedly under the influence of alcohol while on duty. The video depicts members of the public confronting the officer alongside other SAPS members. According to police spokesperson, Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone, the North-West Provincial Commissioner has taken a serious view of the footage and the allegations it contains. “The Provincial Commissioner who is on record as saying that ill-discipline and intemperate behaviour by members shall not be tolerated, views the video including the allegations in a very serious light and has instructed the District Commissioner to immediately investigate the allegations, which if indeed true amounts not only to serious misconduct, but also…

Eastern Cape Judge President Selby Mbenenge said the claims by a judge’s secretary that he tried to solicit oral sex from her in chambers never happened, and that the allegations were malicious and hurtful. Judge Mbenenge took the stand yesterday in the Judicial Conduct Tribunal’s sexual harassment probe against him. Judge’s secretary Andiswa Mengo claimed that Judge Mbenenge had made unwanted sexual advances towards her. These include that on either November 14 or 15, 2022, he called her into his office and tried to solicit oral sex from her by attempting to open the zip of his pants. In defending these allegations, Mbenenge said that he hoped that he did not need to answer to these allegations, as they were all lies and never happened. He said that if proper…

In 1994, South Africa inherited an economy that was structurally designed to exclude the vast majority of South Africans. Apartheid’s distorted policies had created a dual economy: one of wealth and privilege and another of poverty and exclusion. This calculated economic strategy, structured along racial lines, created white-owned mines, farms, and factories. At the same time, many black South Africans languished on the fringes of the economy in an underdeveloped informal sector. Their meaningful participation in our nation's wealth was further eroded by discriminatory laws that restricted Black South Africans from owning land, accessing quality education, and entering skilled professions. These economic distortions, which were implemented over hundreds of years, continue to plague our nation today as we grapple with one of the highest levels of economic inequality in the…

The tragic passing of star Liverpool forward Diogo Jota has been a stark reminder of how we often perceive our sporting idols as objects, not people. It took a conversation with Liverpool legend Michael Owen to prick my conscience. Asked what the potential implications of Jota’s death alongside his brother André Silva were to Liverpool, Owen chose instead to focus on what it meant to those closest to him. He chose to focus on the pain felt by those mourning the loss of a father, son and husband — of a mother who has just lost two sons. And he has a point. No matter how many songs Reds fans sing in his honour next season, or what grand gestures are planned in the 20th minute of matches to pay…

Kaizer Chiefs’ goalkeeper Brandon Petersen says they must “suffer now, enjoy later” as they endure an intense pre-season camp in The Netherlands. Chiefs have been in Apeldoorn, in the east of the country, since Friday, working hard through demanding training and gym sessions. “It’s now pre-season, where we lay the foundation,” Petersen told the Chiefs’ media team. “It’s when we suffer and sweat now, so that we can shine later.” It’s the second consecutive pre-season camp Chiefs have held in Europe, after touring Turkey last winter. Following a season in which their preparations only delivered the Nedbank Cup, Chiefs are leaving nothing to chance in the Netherlands, aiming to challenge for everything next season. They are putting their money where their mouth is — not only through intense training sessions,…