Pretoria News Weekend 2023-01-07

The Tshwane Emergency Services has called on motorists to remain vigilant and avoid placing themselves at risk by attempting to cross flooded low-water bridges ahead of the expected weekend rains. Spokesperson and deputy chief Charles Mabaso cautioned residents, and in particular motorists, to remain alert after two separate incidents of flooding were reported to emergency services in the north of Pretoria as of Thursday afternoon. According to Mabaso, emergency services received reports of flooding around Pretoria North and the Gezina area along Steve Biko Street and Johan Heyns Drive, following a cloudburst on Thursday afternoon. In the first incident, he said a motorist was reportedly trapped and had their vehicle stuck in water. A similar incident took place on Steve Biko Street, but thankfully the motorists managed to walk out…

A JUDGE once said love is blind, but divorce opens your eyes. In yet another application by a divorcing spouse for the other to forfeit their half of the pension money due to allegations of cheating, a judge ordered against the forfeiture. This was because neither the husband nor the wife had a clean record when it came to cheating. The husband received this bad news last week, when the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, dismissed his appeal against an earlier finding by the lower court that his wife was entitled to half of his pension as part of their divorce settlement, as the couple were married in community of property. The Regional Court in Vereeniging had earlier found that both parties were to blame for the breakdown in their marriage.…

POOR services rendered by the City of Tshwane’s crematorium, located in the west of Pretoria, are forcing bereaved families to transport the remains of their loved ones to nearby towns for cremation. Funeral undertakers anonymously told the Pretoria News that the situation at the city crematorium was causing inconvenience to their businesses, and impacting negatively on families. While some undertakers declined to comment because they didn’t want to burn bridges with the city, others admitted to opting to use alternative or private services due to poor service at the Pretoria west crematorium. Santie Snyman, of Santie Snyman Begrafnisdienste, said she had long decided to ditch the Tshwane municipal-run crematorium, and was using one in eMalahleni. She said undertakers were expected to be at the cremation site at…

WATCH this space. These were the words of President Cyril Ramaphosa when asked about the imminent Cabinet reshuffle. Ramaphosa was re-elected ANC president following the party’s 55th elective conference, which began at Nasrec in December and concluded in Bloemfontein in the early hours of yesterday. He was speaking during the ANC Presidential Golf Day at the Bloemfontein Golf Club, hosted as part of the party’s 111th anniversary celebrations held in the Free State capital. Ramaphosa is forced to reshuffle after key Cabinet ministers were not elected into the national executive committee (NEC) at the first leg of the conference late last month at Nasrec. Ramaphosa emerged victorious for his second term, beating Dr Zweli Mkhize for the position. Among those ministers not included in the NEC are Public Enterprises Minister…

DRIVEN by passion and believing in hard work, Norman Chirumiko has not made epilepsy his misery. He makes a living by making and selling beds and picnic blankets for dogs. Born and raised in Cosmo City, he started his business in 2015 after losing his part-time job. Chirumiko said he knew he had to make a plan and not let his disability stand in his way. He said his mother had always been his greatest inspiration: she taught him to never give up. He said as someone living with a disability, it was difficult to get a job, especially if you did not have a qualification. He then saw the need to start his own legacy using his creative mind and his hands. He started sewing dog beds and picnic…

A new year and a fresh face – this is the state of the 30th Avenue Pierneef Bridge in the Moot, Pretoria, which now has a mural done by a local artist. The bridge is the latest in an ongoing project of a group working together to bring a brand new face to this old suburb, known as The Moot Project. The project came to life in July last year when Hennie Mostert and Johan Oberholster joined forces. Oberholster, after recovering from a debilitating bout of Covid-19, relinquished his management position at the University of Pretoria and thus had more time on his hands to become involved in community work. As a result, he arranged to repaint the play apparatus and anchor poles and gates in the neighbourhood play…