Innholdsfortegnelse for 2025-12-12 i Daily News

There is trouble brewing for Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos after political party UDM approach the Human Rights Commission to investigate him over racially charged and sexist remarks. This comes after the Belgian voiced his displeasure with defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi, who was late for the training camp after missing his flight. Apart from Mbokazi’s tardiness, Broos was also not happy with the player’s move from Orlando Pirates to Chicago Fire. Speaking at Wednesday’s press conference, Broos said: “If you receive a call up to play for the national team to play in Afcon and the World Cup, if your coach gives you a few days more off, if you are somebody with a good attitude, you don’t even want those two days. “You are here on Monday like the…

Daily News stalwart dies Family, friends, and colleagues of newspaper editor Dennis Pather are expected to gather for his funeral service at St Thomas’ Anglican Church on Musgrave Road, Durban, tomorrow. Proceedings for the funeral service for Pather, 80, the former editor of the Daily News and various newspapers in the Independent Media stable, begin at 10am. He passed away on Sunday. Pather’s long and illustrious career in journalism is chronicled in his memoir, Copy Boy: Journey from Newsroom Gofer to Award-winning Editor. His entry into the world of journalism came shortly after a random meeting in July 1967 with a newspaper editor at an eatery in Durban’s Casbah. By the time Pather retired in 2010, the imprint he had made on the profession – mostly on broadsheets – was…

KwaZulu-Natal DA provincial leader Francois Rodgers has rejected eThekwini Municipality Mayor Cyril Xaba’s call for an intervention to compel the DA-led Public Works and Infrastructure Department to settle a R500 million rates debt. Xaba and Public Works and Infrastructure MEC Martin Meyer were at each other’s throats over the settlement of a R500 million rates bill owed by the government to eThekwini. The two have been engaged in a fierce verbal war since eThekwini shut down water and electricity in various government buildings in demand of the full settlement of the bill. Xaba reached out to Rodgers in his capacity as the Finance MEC to rein in Meyer to pay the debt; however, in a scathing open letter to the mayor, Rodgers rejected the call, accusing the mayor of selective…

“A pat on the back from the guys in the same industry as you is everything, and this award means a lot.” That was the reaction from Springboks flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu after being voted Players’ Player of the Year for 2025 by fellow players and teammates in South Africa. MyPlayers is the representative body for professional rugby players in the country, and Feinberg-Mngomezulu received the honour yesterday after being chosen by his peers. Other nominees included loosehead prop Ox Nché, hooker Malcolm Marx, loose forward Pieter-Steph du Toit, and utility back Damian Willemse. The 23-year-old enjoyed a stellar season with both the Springboks and the Stormers. Blitzboks star Donavan Don claimed the Sevens Player of the Year award, while the fleet-footed Byrhandré Dolf was named Women’s Player of the Year.…

Reflecting on 2025, Proteas Women’s coach Mandla Mashimbyi highlighted his focus on team culture as the key ingredient to their success. The 45-year-old added that creating synergy in language and work ethic across girls’ cricket, domestic cricket and the international game remains high on his to-do list for the future. When Mashimbyi took over as head coach, he immediately implemented culture camps, making his intentions clear early in his tenure. He wanted to emphasise team culture, improve it, and create a healthier environment for what was a major year for women’s cricket, with the ICC Women’s World Cup scheduled late in the year. As a result of those culture camps, the world saw a more united Proteas Women’s side — one that was stubborn, resilient and simply refused to surrender.…

Umhlanga’s beaches have been reopened to the public after the completion of repairs to a sewer pump station on Thursday. The eThekwini Municipality temporarily closed Bronze Beach and Umhlanga Main Beach following pump station failure at the Ohlange Wastewater Pump Station. The municipality stated that the failure was caused by objects obstructing the sewer infrastructure system. A video released by the municipality showed officials removing rags that had lodged inside the pump, leading to its breakdown. Bradley Singh, an eThekwini ward councillor for Umhlanga, confirmed that the beaches were open, which pleased the tourism and hospitality stakeholders. Singh was concerned about subcontractors working at Umhlanga Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) and elsewhere, who downed tools in protest of alleged unpaid fees for completed work, earlier this week. He has since…

Durban has been announced as the host city for the 5th World Slam Poetry Competition and Convention, scheduled to take place from October 5 to 11, 2026. The annual international poetry competition is expected to feature 40 elite slam poets from 40 countries, who will come together to use the power of poetry to address pressing global challenges. The event is said to be presented by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and will coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Poetry Africa Festival, a cornerstone event in the African performance poetry landscape. Siphindile Hlongwa, curator of the Poetry Africa Festival, commented on the significance of hosting the event. Hlongwa said: “While the World Slam Poetry Competition and Convention may not have the same budgets, political…

Deputy President Paul Mashatile has once again found himself at the centre of controversy, refusing to clarify his ties to alleged diamond dealer Louis Liebenberg, who gave a diamond to Mashatile’s wife. This latest development follows a scathing recommendation from the Ethics Committee that Mashatile be reprimanded and fined R10 000 for failing to disclose the diamond in the confidential section of the register of financial interests. The situation gained momentum following a thorough inquiry initiated by DA Chief Whip George Michalakis. After lodging a complaint with the Ethics Committee in March, Michalakis posed pressing questions regarding the nature of Mashatile’s relationship with Liebenberg, particularly as attention shifted towards additional gifts that might have been exchanged over the past five years. Mashatile previously indicated that he was waiting for a…

The Madlanga Commission and Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee on the KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s allegations have done the country a grim favour: they have stripped away the veneer of respectability from our public service and shown us the rot beneath. What is unfolding in those hearings was not the odd lapse or a few bad apples. It was a pattern. A culture of mediocrity, patronage and protection that has been normalised at the highest levels of state power. We are watching senior officials and political appointees stumble through testimony, offering “I don’t recall” after “I don’t know”, producing no documents when pressed, checking phones in the witness box and, in some cases, contradicting sworn statements. Former municipal managers, ministers’ chiefs of staff and senior police leaders are exposed…

Proteas Women captain Laura Wolvaardt revealed that a new-look playing XI will take the field in the upcoming three-match ODI series against Ireland Women. South Africa dominated the recently concluded T20I series, winning 2-0, after the third and final match was abandoned due to rain at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Wednesday evening. The squad will now switch focus to the ODIs, with the first of three matches set to start in East London on Saturday. The Proteas Women head into the ODI series high in confidence, having reached the final of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in Navi Mumbai last month. This three-match series will be the team’s first ODI assignment since falling short against India Women in the final. Captain Wolvaardt expressed excitement within the squad about…

Quinton de Kock and the new-ball bowlers showed off the Proteas’ bouncebackability as the visitors levelled up the five-match series at 1-1 with a 51-run victory in the second T20I in New Chandigarh yesterday. After a two-ball duck a couple of days ago, De Kock showed the fickleness of the T20 game with a spectacular 90 off just 46 balls to power the Proteas to 213/4 after being inserted on a glorious batting surface at the Yadavindra Singh Cricket Stadium. De Kock put himself right back in the frame for T20 World Cup selection, and the IPL shop window with the auction set to be held in a few days' time in Abu Dhabi, with a scintillating innings that was kickstarted with a couple of sixes off Arshdeep Singh and…

The rapid analysis of DNA evidence is bringing serial offenders to justice and transforming cold cases into life sentences. This has been made possible by the work of the NPA’s Sexual Offences and Community Affairs (SOCA) Unit developed and implemented the DNA Prioritisation Initiative, specifically targeting gender-based violence (GBV) and serial-crime matters. Forensic evidence is seen as a potent tool in South Africa’s battle against gender-based violence (GBV), serving as a scientific ‘slam-dunk’ capable of unmasking perpetrators who are unknown to their victims. Among those that have been captured as a result was serial rapist Sihle Makaula who was sentence to four life terms and 63 years’ imprisonment in the Western Cape, after his DNA linked him to a series of crimes across separate dockets. But as the National…

Captain Hook, a Cape fur seal whose life was once threatened by fishhooks, has been successfully rescued and rehabilitated. In a heart-warming turn of events, the seal has now made his public debut on the stage at uShaka Sea World. Named fittingly for his unfortunate encounters with fishing gear, Captain Hook’s story reflects the dedication of wildlife rescuers and the indomitable spirit of nature. Amanzimtoti’s Beach Superintendent, Jace Govender, with assistance from the KZN Stranding Network members, rescued the seal in July. The KZN Stranding Network and marine animal experts had monitored him after settling in the surf at eManzimtoti, Durban South. He had evaded capture until his eventual rescue. Captain Hook was admitted into the care of the Saambr Animal Care team. At the time, he was two-and-a-half years…

As a show of unity, various sectors in KwaZulu-Natal marched from King Dinuzulu Park to the Durban City Hall yesterday in protest against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF). The mass action served as yet another call to men and society to reject and put an end to #SilwisananeChilo in communities. #SilwisananeChilo denotes a campaign launched by the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government, and led by Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli, to combat GBVF. Ntuli said the coalition was significant as it included spiritual leaders, the taxi industry, civil society, business leaders, and non-government organisations, who had expressed a shared commitment to tackle the issue head-on. “We are saying no to gender-based violence in KwaZulu-Natal,” Ntuli said. “This scourge is quite prevalent. In particular, eThekwini, is leading in terms of the statistics. uMgungundlovu is…

Bafana Bafana assistant coach Helman Mkhalele has stressed the importance of starting their AFCON campaign with a victory, saying that will set the tone for the rest of the tournament. Bafana will return to the continental showpiece — to be held in Morocco from December 21 to January 18 — as dark horses, having been on an upward trajectory that includes qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. While Hugo Broos’ men and the rest of the nation share the belief that they should improve on their third-place finish from the last edition in Ivory Coast and aim to go all the way in Morocco, they remain grounded and cautious. Bafana are planning to take it one game at a time, starting with their opening match against Angola on December…

It may be a stretch to suggest that the Sharks’ clash with Saracens in Durban this weekend is a warm-up for next year’s Springboks versus England Test, but there will nevertheless be a host of players from both sides involved in that fixture. Saracens are mid-table in the English Premiership but, like the Sharks, are expected to climb the ladder now that their international players have returned from the November Test window. The Sharks will field the likes of André Esterhuizen, Siya Kolisi, Ethan Hooker, Grant Williams, Makazole Mapimpi and Bongi Mbonambi, while Saracens welcome back heavyweight England (and British & Irish Lions) players Maro Itoje, Ben Earl, Elliot Daly, Owen Farrell and Jamie George. They also boast a new sensation in teenage wing Noah Caluri, who made his England…

Sekhukhune United have had an inconsistent start to the Betway Premiership season, but despite the ups and downs, the team has shown enough quality to remain competitive among the league’s top sides. Heading into the season, Babina Noko had clear ambitions and strengthened their squad with several new signings. While they haven’t consistently met the high expectations set by their early performances, the team has demonstrated resilience and quality, keeping pace with the league’s demands. The race for the league title has been highly competitive, and with the Christmas break upon the teams, there is no clear frontrunner. Orlando Pirates have threatened to run away with the top spot, but their true test will come when the season resumes next year. Despite recent struggles, Sekhukhune closed out the calendar year…