Innholdsfortegnelse for 2026-01-09 i Pretoria News

Summer is the ideal season to set sail and immerse yourself in the beauty of South Africa’s waterways. Whether you prefer the gentle flow of a river or the vastness of the ocean, there are countless opportunities to cool off and enjoy stunning sunsets. Boat cruises offer not only scenic views but also unique experiences that allow you to connect with nature. If you’re seeking relaxation, adventure and quality time with loved ones, these stunning destinations provide the perfect backdrop for unforgettable summer memories. From chasing dolphins to spotting majestic whales, now is the perfect time to dive into the water and explore the breathtaking landscapes that South Africa has to offer. Nature’s tranquil oasis: Blyde River Canyon One of the most enchanting places for a boat cruise is the…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has played down fears that United States President Donald Trump might invade South Africa. Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Ramaphosa said that he is not worried about a supposed invasion. This comes after the US carried out a military operation in Venezuela, in which it bombed the capital, Caracas and captured its leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife. It follows an assault on Islamic State terrorists on Nigeria soil on Christmas Day and Trump officials insisting that they won’t rule out military action to annex Greenland from Denmark. But Ramaphosa said: “I’m not worried about an invasion of South Africa. Not at all. I think we are way far from anything like that.” He went on to say that it must be noted that the US…

Fourteen South Africans detained in Thailand are expected to be deported back home in the coming days after allegedly being recruited for overseas jobs that did not materialise as promised. The group was reportedly approached in South Africa by a recruiter offering work in the information technology sector before travelling to Thailand. Families of the detainees say the employment arrangements turned out to be vastly different from what had been presented to them. One relative, speaking on behalf of a detained family member, told the SABC that the group was prevented from communicating with people outside Thailand and was held in poor and degrading conditions, including cramped cells, limited access to basic hygiene facilities and little information about their legal options. The public broadcaster reported that Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for…

The capture of Nicolás Maduro has most certainly unsettled the international system and offers a clear illustration of how Donald Trump’s Conservative Republicanism has evolved from a domestic ideological formation into a disruptive force in global geopolitics. Its central tenet, Make America Great Again, has subsequently been externalised, extending into the Caribbean Basin and now asserting itself within Venezuela. Clearly, this outward projection of ideological power has contributed to a paralysis of multilateral governance, weakening both institutional authority and collective restraint. In 2025 alone, unilateral United States actions facilitated regime change in Syria following the removal of Bashar al-Assad, exacerbated instability in Iraq and Yemen, intensified strategic pressure on Iran and Cuba, and culminated in the bombing of Islamic State positions in Nigeria. Accordingly, these developments signal a recalibration of…

“It is now, more than ever before, so vital that we make an effort to increase the birthrate of our white Aryan race,” wrote a 55-year-old South African man in leaked profiles from a white supremacist dating site. His profile is among the at least 47 South Africans who have been identified among thousands of users exposed in a major data leak involving a white supremacist dating site and its affiliated platforms. “I would like to meet and make friends with traditional Aryan ladies,” he continued. The dating site WhiteDate, a self-styled platform in extremist circles for like-minded ‘traditional European value’ romantics, and its affiliated platforms WhiteChild and WhiteDeal were found to have disastrously poor cybersecurity protections. A self-described security researcher operating under the pseudonym Martha Root exfiltrated over 8,000…

The City of Tshwane has bolstered its energy and electricity teams by hiring a private contractor to augment the internal capacity to fix multiple cable faults and restore power to East Lynne and Jan Niemand Park after a December 26 fire at Koedoespoort Substation left residents in the dark. This comes after the city had called back some of its workers from leave to assist in the ongoing power outage in the East Lynne area. On Sunday, residents in East Lynne staged a protest, blockading the Stormvoël and Baviaanspoort roads to express their frustration over prolonged power outages that left them without electricity beyond New Year's Day. The protesters highlighted the growing discontent among locals affected by the ongoing power crisis. They demanded immediate action from the authorities, expressing their…

In the aftermath of Bafana Bafana’s disappointing 2–0 defeat to Cameroon in the Round of 16, the spotlight has fallen on the effectiveness of the national player development programme. The defeat, marked by frustrating missed chances and a solid Cameroonian defence, prompted a candid response from coach Hugo Broos. He did not hold back, calling out issues within the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and questioning its effectiveness in preparing players for the fierce competition they face on the world stage at major tournaments. Despite enjoying significant possession against the Indomitable Lions, Bafana Bafana consistently struggled in the final third, failing to convert their chances. In contrast, Cameroon capitalised on theirs, converting two of the four shots they managed to direct on target. Broos noted the stark difference between the PSL…

Life could hardly be better for Thomas du Toit after “the best season of my career”, but he is not amused by moves afoot to curb the Springboks’ powerful scrum. Du Toit was at the heart of the Boks’ brutal demolition of the Ireland scrum in November. That merciless destruction of the men in green has resulted in some unions saying they want to table law changes to prevent weaker props from being penalised when they cannot keep the scrum up. Du Toit, the English Premiership Player of the Year, says this is nonsense. “That complete performance in the scrums in Dublin was not because it was Ireland that we were playing,” Du Toit told the English newspaper The Times. “The opposition really doesn’t matter. It’s just the fact that…

When Nelson Mandela was captured and hauled before a “white man’s court” in 1962, he questioned the legitimacy of the hearing and the entire apartheid justice system. I was expecting something similar from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro who pleaded not guilty and said he was a “decent man”, innocent and had been “kidnapped” from his home. His wife, Cilia Flores, said she was “completely innocent”. Of course, Maduro is no Madiba and there are very few parallels that can be drawn between the two leaders. The point is that the New York City court in which Maduro was paraded completely lacked legitimacy, just like the apartheid court that tried South Africa’s founding democracy president. There is clearly an argument to be made that Maduro had long passed his sell-by date…

The Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, has set aside the controversial contract with French tech firm IDEMIA for the printing of the country’s driving licences and ordered the Department of Transport to re-advertise the tender within 30 days. Pending the appointment of a successful service provider under the re-advertised tender, the department has also been allowed to outsource the services of printing and issuing of licence cards to the Department of Home Affairs. The department announced in September last year that it had appointed biometric security company IDEMIA as the preferred bidder for a tender to print new driving licence smart cards. IDEMIA is a French multinational technology firm that provides biometric identification and security services. The tender has been advertised and withdrawn repeatedly in recent years. The most recent tender…

A quest for international recognition has led to a potentially perilous alliance Somaliland has been desperately seeking recognition as a sovereign country since declaring its independence from Somalia in 1991. It has failed time and time again, despite having its own government, electoral system, and currency. For the last three decades, the African Union has not recognised Somaliland, insisting on upholding the territorial integrity of its member states, avoiding fragmentation, and building a united continent. It sounds very noble, but the African Union’s inertia has created a dangerous vacuum. Israel has taken full advantage of the African Union’s failure to resolve the issue of Somaliland’s sovereignty. In a whirlwind romance in December 2025 that took the world by storm, Israel announced its decision to recognise Somaliland as a sovereign state.…

ELON Musk’s transgender daughter Vivian Wilson to electrify Rihanna’s latest Savage x Fenty Valentine’s Day campaign. The 21-year-old who has an estranged relationship with the Tesla founder, modelled underwear to promote the brand’s new collection titled Love So Savage: A Modern Ode to Aphrodite. Wilson, who made her professional modeling debut in 2025, could be seen flaunting a rose-patterned bra as well as a matching lace miniskirt and body-hugging red tights. The Diamonds songstress, who launched Savage x Fenty back in 2018, opened up about the collection in a statement. “Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate love in all its forms,” RiRi, a mother-of-three, expressed. “At Savage x Fenty, we’re all about embracing love in every way and creating products that let people feel confident while doing so.” Wilson…

The multimillion rand project to rebuild Pretoria East’s Wapadrand Substation, which was burnt to ashes by a disastrous fire in July 2021, has finally been completed. Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya, who unveiled the newly-refurbished substation on Wednesday, expressed confidence that the upgrade will address long-standing power issues in the area. She revealed that the rebuilding of the substation started in January 2022 with R97 million spent of the initial R117m. “We are happy that the project has come to completion. Most of our projects sometimes disappear along the way. But for us, as the city, even though there were some delays in the project we can report that this project is being completed. We just need to deal with final touches that will take us to the end of…

Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada are best mates. But the Proteas seamers are also among the fiercest competitors and enjoy a healthy rivalry. So, when Ngidi became the first bowler to claim a Betway SA20 hat-trick on Wednesday evening, he could not wait to get off the field to let Rabada know that he too had joined the exclusive club. Rabada is, of course, already a member after his three-peat at the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup against England in Sharjah. “I definitely didn't know it was the first hat-trick in the Betway SA20. I knew it was my first one, but since you guys have let me know, I think once I get my phone, I'll just send him a little message asking if he saw that,” Ngidi said…

It still hurts, and will probably do so for some time. But such is the nature of Bafana Bafana’s early elimination from AFCON that it could very well be a silver lining for clubs. Bafana exited the continental showpiece after losing 2–1 to Cameroon in the last 16 at Agdal Medina Stadium in Rabat on Sunday night. That defeat all but signalled how disappointing the South Africans had been since the start of the tournament. They failed to punish the Indomitable Lions in the first 20 minutes on three occasions, before ultimately conceding on the stroke of half time and immediately after the restart – the fact that Evidence Makgopa scored two minutes before regulation time notwithstanding. Indications that they might struggle as the tournament progressed didn’t start there. They…

There are coaches who change clubs, and there are coaches who change leagues. Pitso Mosimane belongs firmly in the latter category, which is why his potential return to Mamelodi Sundowns carries implications far beyond Chloorkop. Reports that Sundowns are in advanced talks with Mosimane — amid growing discontent over Miguel Cardoso’s tenure — feel less like nostalgia and more like inevitability. At a club built on dominance, second place is rarely tolerated, even when the margins are fine. Sundowns currently sit second in the Betway Premiership table, two points behind Orlando Pirates and narrowly ahead of Sekhukhune United. In most environments, this would be an acceptable position at the halfway mark. At Sundowns, it is viewed as an underachievement — particularly when silverware has already slipped away. The failure to…

A broad coalition of South African trade unions, political formations, civil society organisations, and solidarity movements yesterday staged a protest outside the United States Embassy in Pretoria, condemning US interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states across the world. The protest was organised in response to the United States’ military invasion of Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, who are currently being detained in the United States. Speaking to journalists during the march, South African Communist Party (SACP) General Secretary Solly Mapaila condemned the US President Donald Trump for orchestrating “a new form of colonialism that is so unashamed”. “We really appreciate the turnout for this picket, very correct to express our views as the people on the ground against American imperialism,…

South Africa’s quest to appoint a new ambassador to the United States and restore relations remains mired in political limbo, nearly a year after former envoy Ebrahim Rasool was declared “persona non grata” by the Donald Trump administration. With tensions over trade tariffs, Venezuela, and the ICJ case looming, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s preferred candidate, Alistair Ruiters, faces a delicate balancing act — appeasing both Washington and local political stakeholders while navigating an increasingly fraught international landscape. The South African ambassadorial seat in Washington has become a high stakes chess game, sitting empty for ten months following Rasool’s expulsion. Behind the scenes, multiple heavyweight candidates — including Alistair Ruiters, Roelf Meyer, and Tony Leon — are jostling for the post, while political maneuvering and international friction over Venezuela and ICJ disputes…

ActionSA has called for all government spheres and provincial institutions to adopt “frontline worker” insourcing commitments to help curb their exploitation by labour broker-type employers. The party also called for the Gauteng Legislature and the Speaker to urgently move beyond temporary protection measures and commit to a defined insourcing pathway for all security and support staff currently at risk. “ActionSA notes the statement by the Gauteng Provincial Legislature regarding its intervention after Mafoko Security Company failed to honour its salary obligations to workers contracted to provide security services at the Legislature. The latest failure of Mafoko Security to pay December 2025 salaries – after repeated instances of late pay and unpaid wages – exposes, once again, the deep and systemic exploitation of frontline workers by labour brokers, and underscores why…

The Tshwane Tourism Showcase 2026, scheduled for Friday, January 23, at the CSIR International Convention Centre, promises to set the tone for the capital city’s tourism sector. As part of the Tshwane Tourism Association’s 25-year anniversary celebrations, this strategic event offers more than just networking opportunities. Approximately 70 exhibitors will represent the complete tourism ecosystem – from accommodation providers and venues to attractions, transport, safety solutions, and technology services. The Showcase targets a diverse audience including tourism businesses, corporates, travel buyers, government representatives, universities, and industry bodies. What distinguishes this event is its interactive approach. Rather than passively viewing displays, attendees are encouraged to engage meaningfully with exhibitors, explore partnerships, and discover new opportunities. For exhibitors, it’s a chance to position their businesses early in the year and generate valuable…

The African National Congress (ANC) is preparing to deliver its January 8 statement on January 10, 2026, at Moruleng Stadium in the North West Province, marking the party's 114th anniversary. The January 8 statement has long occupied a central place in the political life of South Africans. Its meaning, authority and function have shifted alongside the evolving role of the ANC itself – from a liberation movement operating under conditions of illegality, to a governing party entrusted with the aspirations of a newly democratic society, and more recently to a leading but constrained actor within a Government of National Unity. While recognising the ANC's indelible contributions to South Africa's liberation and democratic consolidation, the January 8 statement is notably losing its relevance. This annual event, historically a pivotal instrument for…

The Bulls showed plenty of fight against the Stormers in Cape Town, but their inability to seize control during periods when they held the upper hand ultimately came back to haunt them in defeat. As they prepare to face the Bristol Bears in the Champions Cup at Loftus Versfeld, the emphasis will be on delivering a complete performance to halt their losing streak. They enjoyed scrum dominance, brought plenty of physicality, and showed encouraging signs on attack. With the Bears visiting Pretoria for a 3pm kick-off, we highlight five areas where the Bulls can assert themselves, claim a vital victory, and spark a turnaround in their season. The scrum The Bulls are generating a solid scrum platform, but too often it goes unused. They need to turn forward dominance into…

Former Proteas fast bowler Dale Steyn described it as “weird” and “strange” that fast bowler Ottneil Baartman did not make the ICC T20 World Cup squad, despite being the leading wicket-taker in the SA20. Baartman was a key player for South Africa in the previous edition of the ICC T20 World Cup, where he bowled a total of 19 overs in the five games he played – meaning it was only in one match that he didn’t complete his full allotment. The right-arm quick returned an economy rate of 4.94 runs per over – an almost unheard-of rate in the shortest format of the game. In the SA20, he is one of only two bowlers to have crossed the 50-wicket mark, alongside Marco Jansen, who has been included in…

Nigerian sharpshooters Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman will provide a stern test for the flawless record of Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane — son of French football icon Zinedine Zidane — in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals in Morocco. Zidane is the only first-choice goalkeeper among the eight quarter-finalists to have kept a clean sheet in all of his tournament matches so far, but the task facing him in Marrakesh tomorrow will be formidable. Former African Footballer of the Year winners Osimhen and Lookman have tormented defences throughout the tournament, scoring three goals each. Zidane, 27, kept clean sheets in group matches against Sudan and Burkina Faso, before being rested against Equatorial Guinea. He was recalled for the last-16 clash with the Democratic Republic of Congo and was again unbeaten…