Innholdsfortegnelse for 2022-06-28 i Pretoria News

Police in Witbank have recovered a Toyota Corolla, which was hijacked earlier this month, and confiscated false registration plates, toy guns and tools believed to be used in committing burglaries. Residents of the Pivott Court flats in Witbank gave police information about a suspicious vehicle, Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said. According to reports, the vehicle was alleged to have been used in “some dodgy dealings”. Officers rushed to the scene and examined the vehicle, which was found to have false number plates. “It was revealed that the car was hijacked in April 2022 in Witbank. (Police) found some tools believed to be used by suspects when committing burglaries as well as another set of false number plates, two toy guns and vape (electric cigarette) equipment. “The vape equipment…

Though many people concede that social media plays an essential role in disseminating vital information, there is also a deep-rooted belief that it has a negative impact on mental health. It is no secret that social media is contaminated with a lot of opinions and criticism that can come across as vile. In many cases celebrities fall victim to atrocious comments when they share an opinion or a picture. Media personality Nandi Madida turned to Twitter to share how people should perceive social media and how crucial it is not to take everything that happens there to heart. “To any person struggling with social media ... social media is not necessarily real. They’ll be trolls, liars, opinion makers, etc. “But it is paramount to understand that you cannot in any…

A RURAL Limpopo high school managed to move from an under-performing 39% matric pass rate to highest in the district for three years in a row, against all odds. Worried by the pass rate and meeting the matric pass target set by the Department of Basic Education, the principal and deputy principal of Makgongoana Secondary School in Mankweng implemented learner support tools using a community development programme, “Tools for Life”. The initiative began when the school’s deputy principal, William Ramodike, who is also a Zion Christian Church pastor, attended a pastor empowerment seminar in Midrand by the non-profit organisation, Scientology Volunteer Ministers. “At the seminar I was introduced to a free life skills community development programme called ‘Tools for Life’,” said Ramodike. “The programme trained me to handle study…

CONSTANT power outages implemented by Eskom have been blamed for dead bodies not being properly frozen at Ga-Rankuwa state mortuary. The bodies are also released in a bad condition to the bereaved families. This disheartening state of affairs at the government mortuary was painted by the DA provincial spokesperson on health, Jack Bloom. He had inquired from Gauteng Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi about steps taken by her department to remedy the situation. Bloom, who posed written questions to Mokgethi in the Gauteng legislature, said some funeral operators have complained that bodies from the state mortuary were brought to them in a poor state, causing more grief to the affected relatives. Mokgethi, however, denied that there was record of a decomposed body that had been received. This, she said, was despite…

THE death of 21 teenagers at an East London tavern should serve as a wake-up call to authorities, regarding the awarding of liquor licences to establishments in residential areas. On Sunday, South Africans woke to shocking news that 21 teenagers died under mysterious circumstances at an East London shebeen, known as Enyobeni, in Scenery Park. The horrific scene, where the dead were all under the age of 18, was too much for Police Minister Bheki Cele to handle. He broke down in tears. While the police investigation into the cause of the murders is ongoing, there are immediate interventions that should be implemented by the Eastern Cape Liquor Board and the police to ensure that such an unfortunate incident does not occur again. Action needs to be taken against the…

A NATO summit this week is unlikely to see a breakthrough to overcome Turkey’s opposition to Sweden and Finland’s membership bids as Ankara takes an unrushed approach to negotiations, according to Turkish officials and Western diplomats. In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Sweden and Finland applied for Nato membership in what would be a historic enlargement of the Western defence pact. But Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan surprised allies by opposing it last month over what he called the Nordic countries’ support for terrorist groups. Any membership bid requires approval of all 30 members of Nato, whose leaders convene in Madrid on on Wedneday and Thursday in what some had billed as a stage to seal a deal. Turkish negotiators are not concerned with deadlines imposed by foreign allies…

Lakhimpur Kheri: A female tiger that has turned man-eater, mauled a 14-year-old boy to death in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh, officials said yesterday. The victim, Suraj Singh, had gone out to graze cattle on Sunday. His half-eaten body was later found in the forest area. Singh is the 20th victim of the tigress in the past two years. Forest officials said that three elephants have been deployed for combing the area and eight cages had been baited. Camera with sensors hadalso been put up. Dudhwa Tiger Reserve field director Sanjay Pathak said the tigress had turned into a man-eater and orders were out to tranquilise the big cat. | IANS…

The Hague: A tornado ripped through a Dutch city yesterday, killing at least one person and injuring 10 others in the first fatal twister to hit the country for three decades. The whirlwind left a trail of destruction through the south-western seaside city of Zierikzee, blowing roofs off four homes and sending debris into the air. Images on social media showed debris thrown high into the air on a column of rotating wind. Others showed a large white funnel of cloud extending from the base of a darkened sky, as people stopped their cars or left restaurant tables to watch. The Netherlands experiences several tornadoes a year, but the last fatal one was in 1992. | AFP…

Rome: Italy’s second-richest man, Leonardo del Vecchio has died after building an optical empire that saw him buy up major brands like Ray-Ban, Persol and Oakley. He was one of Italy’s most successful businessmen, building an international company that helped turn eyeglasses into a coveted fashion accessory. He was worth $27 billion, according to Forbes. Born May 22, 1935 in Milan to a poor family, he spent part of his youth in an orphanage and began working as a teenager He founded his company, EssilorLuxottica, in 1961, supplying the optical industry with components. A decade later, he made the strategic decision to control all parts of the production process. He saw the advantage of partnering with fashion design brands, including Giorgio Armani, branched out into retail and snatched up…

South Africa 284 Marizanne Kapp smiled. That’s a rare thing, but so is a Test century. With arms aloft, she turned to the change-room, her smile matched those of her teammates, who all stood, rightfully and applauded, one of the best Test knocks by a South African player. It was a much-needed one too, because when Kapp arrived at the crease SA’s position was a precarious one. Having been inserted by England captain Heather Knight, the Proteas, playing their first Test in eight years, struggled against the new Dukes ball, which was being used for the first time in a women’s Test match. The visitors lost openers Andrie Steyn and Laura Wolvaardt in the opening hour and by the time Kapp arrived at the crease, the Proteas had slumped to…

Wales assistant coach Stephen Jones says the non-achievement of the Welsh teams in the United Rugby Championship has no bearing on how the national team will perform against the Springboks in Pretoria on Saturday. Jones, who played over 100 games at flyhalf for Wales, says the Welsh players carry no baggage from their failed URC campaign into the three-Test series against the Boks. “How we went in the URC has no psychological bearing on this series, none at all,” said Jones, who was on the field for the British & Irish Lions when they lost the vital second Test to the Boks in Pretoria in 2009. “The last six games between Wales and South Africa have been very close and the majority of our guys were here with the Lions…

Chief Justice has sold his soul , I will lay charges against him, vows ex-Prasa boss FORMER Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) CEO Lucky Montana has vowed to lay criminal charges against Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, accusing him of “deliberate” violation of the law, abuse of power, “criminal conduct and disgraceful conduct”. Montana said Justice Zondo had used this commission to “effectively protect the real criminals among us and consolidated their power”. The former Prasa boss’s offensive comes days after Justice Zondo handed the last instalment of the state capture report to President Cyril Ramaphosa, which implicated him in alleged wrongdoing. The final report addresses the alleged capture of public entities such as the State Security Agency (SSA), SABC, Prasa, and the Estina Dairy Project. However, in the wake…

A 52-YEAR-OLD attorney appeared in the Rustenburg Regional Court yesterday for allegedly stealing R700 000 from Road Accident Fund (RAF) beneficiaries. Betty Diale was practising as an attorney during the alleged commission of the crimes between 2009 and 2011. The National Prosecution Authority’s (NPA) regional spokesperson Henry Mamothame, said the RAF had received several complaints from claimants whose payments were deposited into Diale's trust account. “The claimants alleged that the said money did not reach them after the payout and henceforth, reported to the police for investigation,” Mamothame said. In June 2021, Diale was arrested and charged with six counts of theft, and released on warning. Her matter was been postponed to August 4, for pre-trial conferencing. “Investigations into that matter are complete, and advocate Theo Moetaesi is…

The NORTH West has recorded a 41% increase in children aged between 10 and 14 giving birth in health-care facilities. In response to a question by the DA in the provincial legislature, the Department of Health revealed that they recorded 153 deliveries from girls aged between 10 and 14 from April 2020 to March 2021. It increased to 216 deliveries for the same period in 2021/2022. During the same period, the department noted an increase of almost 17% in deliveries from girls aged between 15 and 19. Between April 2020 and March 2021, 8 806 deliveries were recorded, increasing to 9 424 deliveries between April 2021 and March 2022. The DA’s spokesperson on Health in North West, Gavin Edwards said the party was troubled by these statistics. “Teenage…

ON JUNE 18, we were glued to our television sets witnessing an epic upset in a game of rugby between arch rivals, the Stormers against the Blue Bulls. It was a game where guts and glory by a Stormers team from down south triumphed over a much vaunted and much hyped team from up north, the Blue Bulls. It was what was traditionally called the North and South rivalry. What was supposed to be a memorable occasion here down south is now being used as a stick to hit out at the union’s administrators in an article by Mike Greenaway on June 21. This is grossly inappropriate and quite despicable to play domestic politics in such a manner, which detracts from the euphoria of a groundbreaking victory. The writer goes…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy yesterday urged world powers to do their utmost to help end Russia’s invasion by the end of the year, as G7 leaders planned new sanctions and vowed to support Kyiv “as long as it takes”. US President Joe Biden and his peers from the Group of Seven rich nations, meeting in the Bavarian Alps, pledged to tighten the economic screws on Moscow over its February 24 invasion of its neighbour. The leaders put on a show of unity over Ukraine, even as the fallout from the war intensifies with soaring energy and food prices driving up global inflation. “We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” the G7 said in a statement on…

AnglophonE separatists in Cameroon have killed at least seven people and carried out scores of kidnappings since January, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said yesterday, in a further condemnation of alleged abuses by the rebels. “Armed separatist groups are kidnapping, terrorising, and killing civilians across the English-speaking regions with no apparent fear of being held to account by either their own leaders or Cameroonian law enforcement,” Ilaria Allegrozzi, the HRW’s senior central Africa researcher, said in a report. A conflict in Cameroon’s Northwest Region and Southwest Region has raged for nearly five years, pitching government forces against anglophones campaigning to secede from the majority French-speaking state. The rights watchdog said rebels had killed at least seven people, injured six more, raped a girl and kidnapped as many as 82 people since…

KARACHI: Pakistan’s aviation regulator has made masks mandatory on domestic flights given a gradual rise in the number of Covid-19 cases, it said yesterday. The order comes a day after Pakistan’s biggest city, Karachi, reported that its Covid-19 positivity ratio rose to 21% compared with a national rate of 2.8%. Pakistan has had very few Covid-19 cases over recent months and had done away with almost all precautions. But over the past 24 hours, the national Covid positivity ratio rose with 382 positive cases and two deaths. A month ago, the ratio was 0.54% with 79 positive cases. | Reuters…

LONDON: Vodafone is helping get strawberries and cream to tennis fans at Wimbledon. The telecoms giant is teaming up with Hugh Lowe Farms – who have been supplying the Grand Slam for 30 years – to aid efficient deliveries of the 1.5 million strawberries eaten annually at the event via its Internet of Things tech. Crops of the berries – which are prone to disease – have been fitted out with monitors so they can be given the best possible care. Lorries tasked with transporting the harvest will be kitted out with IoT technology to track the goods. They will also give organisers understanding of temperature and damage done with in transit.…

SAFA vice-president Ria Ledwaba has claimed that the association’s president Danny Jordaan is not the right man to lead South African football forward. The 70-year-old retained his position after securing victory in the election on Saturday. Jordaan accumulated a total of 186 votes while Ledwaba received 27 and Solly Mohlabeng of Safa Gauteng managed just eight, all of which ensured a further four years of Jordaan at the helm. Following his victory, Jordaan will now serve a third term as the president of Safa, a position he has held since 2014. Ledwaba shared her post election thoughts with members of the media and expressed her displeasure at the outcome of the Safa National Elective Congress. "I don’t think he (Danny Jordaan) is good for our football, I believe he has…

THE Road Accident Fund (RAF) came under the spotlight yesterday when three Mpumalanga judges raised concerns about its ability to function, and asked how and when it would up its game. The president of the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court, Judge Francis Legodi, his deputy, Judge Sheila Mphahlele, and Judge Brian Mashile peppered the legal counsel acting for the RAF, Cedric Puckrin SC, with questions such as what contingency plans were in place when it fired its panel of attorneys in 2020. The judges made it clear that as things stood, the courts had to step in to ensure claims were dealt with adequately and to try to ensure that things ran smoothly. They said the courts were inundated with claims against the RAF daily, while it seemed the…

THE City of Joburg said it was ready to oppose the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, application for the removal of three elephants currently at the Johannesburg Zoo. The applicants are Animal Law Reform SA, EMS Foundation and Chief Stephen Fritz, who want three elephants, Lammie, Mopane and Ramadiba, released from the zoo. They want the continued confinement of the elephants at the zoo to be declared unlawful and unconstitutional, and that the decision to continue to keep the elephants in captivity at the zoo be reviewed and set aside. They are asking in the alternative that the elephants be released into a suitable and appropriate re-wilding facility. According to them, the elephants are being held in conditions unsuited to their basic needs. EMS Foundation executive director Michele Pickover said colonialism…

The COUNTDOWN has begun for the long-awaited Miss Supranational pageant that will see contestants from across the globe battle for this coveted title. Reigning Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane, has jetted off to Poland to compete in the prestigious event on July 15. Mswane will face-off with beauty queens from across the globe in the battle for the Miss Supranational 2022 crown. She will be representing South Africa for the second time on a global stage after making it to the top 3 in the Miss Universe showdown in Eilat, Israel, in December 2021. The reigning SA queen did her countdown as she shared how pleased she was to be representing South Africa for the second time on the world stage. Bubbling with excitement and gratitude Mswane took to her…

President Xi Jinping lit the way at last week’s BRICS gatherings FROM June 22 to 24, BRICS co-operation once again reached a “moment of glory”. The BRICS Business Forum, the 14th BRICS Summit and the High-level Dialogue on Global Development were held in succession. President Xi Jinping and President Cyril Ramaphosa attended and addressed the events together with leaders of other countries. Bearing in mind the well-being of mankind, President Xi has focused on BRICS and gone beyond it. He has answered the question of history and the question of the times as to where the world is heading. His remarks have opened a new stage for BRICS co-operation and injected new strength into the development and progress of mankind. First, we should safeguard fairness and justice and make concerted…

Several tiers of crowded stands in an improvised bullring collapsed during a bullfight in central Colombia on Sunday, leaving four people dead and hundreds injured – figures that could increase in the coming hours – as terrified spectators were trapped in the rubble. The tragedy took place in the town of El Espinal, 150km from Bogota. Footage of the collapse quickly went viral on social media. It showed dozens of people teasing and playing with a wounded bull during a popular event known as corraleja. Suddenly, three levels of stands gave way, trapping hundreds of men, women and children underneath. As people screamed, some jumped out of their seats and rushed to help, trying to heave wood and other debris aside. Hector Ortiz, 64, could not believe the scene. A…

A convicted rapist went on trial in France yesterday for the murder of a student he claims to have killed accidentally, but whom investigators believe was lured to her death. Sophie Le Tan vanished on her 20th birthday after failing to return from what was supposed to be a visit to a flat for rent outside Strasbourg on September 8, 2018. Her dismembered body was found by hikers in a forest in October 2019. Jean-Marc Reiser, now 61, who was convicted of rape in 2003, was arrested a week after she disappeared. After speaking to other students who responded to the property advert only to be stood up, investigators believe Reiser used it to lure women, waiting to see if they came alone. A search of his flat uncovered bloodstains…

ABIDJAN: Above-average rains last week in most of Ivory Coast’s cocoa regions were good for development of the next October-to-March main crop, but much more moisture could be damaging, farmers said yesterday. The world’s top cocoa-producing country is in its rainy season with farmers reporting heavy rain, making it hard to harvest, dry and store beans. Fears were voiced in Soubre and Abengourou, both of which had more than 99mm of rain last week, double their five-year averages. In the Daloa, Bongouanou and Yamoussoukro regions, farmers said they were happy because flowers were proliferating on trees for a strong start to the main crop in October. | Reuters…

LONDON: The Eagles rock band have hinted that their Hyde Park concert could be their last London show. The soft rock legends headlined American Express Presents BST Hyde Park on Sunday and drummer and vocalist Don Henley, 74, said: “So, this is British summer time. In case we don’t pass this way again, I want to thank you all for embracing these songs.” The band, famous for Hotel California, celebrated five decades of their debut self-titled 1972 album, recorded at London’s Olympic Studios. Henley said it was produced during the 1972 miners’ strike: “We’d be in the middle of a take and power would go off.” | Bang Showbiz…

CAF president Patrice Motsepe has promised that the CAF Champions League final will soon return to its former format of being played over two legs (home and away). This comes amidst an outcry from last season’s Champions League final runners-up Al Ahly to have the venue of their final against Wydad Casablanca changed. The final was played in Morocco for consecutive years, which also gave Moroccan-based Wydad home advantage over the Egyptian giants. Motsepe also played down suggestions that his relationship with former Al Ahly and Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane is unhealthy, referring to Mosimane as his “favourite coach”. Mosimane and Motsepe are believed to not be on good terms since the latter departed Sundowns in order to take charge of Al Ahly in 2020. “We’re going to fix that,”…