Innholdsfortegnelse for 2023-01-07 i Pretoria News Weekend

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…

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…

South African-Congolese singer-songwriter, producer and entrepreneur Tresor has once again teamed up with global star Drake to make music. This time around Tresor, along with his star producer Batundi, is a co-writer and producer on Popcaan and Drake’s new single, We Caa Done. The award-winning pop star and the supremely talented Batundi previously collaborated with Drake on last year’s hugely successful dance album, Honestly, Nevermind, where they co-wrote six songs on the album. Before that, they co-produced Drake’s afrobeats-leaning hit single Fountains featuring Tems. Popcaan, a Jamaican DJ and singer-songwriter signed to Drake’s OVO Sound record label, also released a music video for the new single. Shot at a location in Turks and Caicos Islands, the video sees Drake and Popcaan partying it up in a coastal town and features…

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.…

The Khoekhoe Saga, a new seven-part series on SABC2, will unpack the history of the Khoekhoe nation. It is set to debut on January 8 and is presented by Rehane Abrahams and Jolene Martin. For many years they were believed to be extinct, wiped out by disease, a myth perpetuated by the colonial powers and the apartheid regime. This landmark series uses a modern interpretation of historical records by historians, rock art, and excavations from archaeologists to reveal a new narrative. It’s a story of the survival of one of the oldest cultures in the world, which faced an unexpected threat to its way of life in 1652 when the Dutch East India Company set up a refreshment station at the Cape.…

GLEN Volmink is lying in his bed in his bedroom in Plantation, Boksburg. His eyes crease with pain. His lower legs are swathed in bandages. His life since Christmas Eve has been an endless cycle of bed and hospital every day to have his dressings changed – with plenty of painkillers. “I have no quality of life, he says. But he is alive. Across the road, less than 70m away, the Brits family is preparing to bury four children: Jamel Eales, Sebastian Brits, Gerrie Brits and Adrian Brits. Jamel’s boyfriend, Ivan de Lange, also died. Volmink’s next-door neighbours, a father and a son, are dead. Across the road, a husband, wife and their son are dead. In the street behind, a father and a son. Volmink’s tenant, Zimbabwean Luckson…

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…

WITH the new school year kicking off in Gauteng on Wednesday, the related shopping is in full swing, and parents have to dig deep into their pockets. At Sammy Marks Square in Pretoria, the stores were packed with parents trying to get all the necessary items for their children. An outlet that stocks uniforms and some stationery from Grades RR to 12 around all provinces for primary and high schools was abuzz with children and parents. Sinah Masha, a pensioner, said she had started saving for her grandson’s uniform and stationery since last year. She said she spent about R1 000 for the uniforms and shoes and had budgeted R650 for stationery. “I managed to buy trousers, T-shirts, socks and vests. We are just adding here and there because…

BUCKLE up, South Africans, because you are in for a wild ride in 2023. If renowned tarot card reader Ursula Wania is right, we all face a challenging year ahead. Wania, an astrologer, numerologist, and certified theta healer, successfully predicted the election of US president Bill Clinton, the break-up between Prince Andrew and Fergie, and the choice of the new South African flag before the elections. Wania has been reading cards for more than 25 years. These are her predictions: “South Africa will change some of its laws. This happens so that the ANC still maintains some power, even when they are no longer the ruling party after the next election. “Many people will leave South Africa. “People will want to break free from having to rely on government, and…