The Weekend View

Leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe Party, former President Jacob Zuma says they have evidence as to who stole their votes during the May general elections. Post the elections, the party reported its vote rigging claims to the Electoral Commission. The party has since resuscitated its legal challenge of the outcomes of the May 29 polls. Last month, it served notice of the application to the IEC's CEO, Sy...

Several Swazi pro democracy organisations are, THIS coming WEEK, planning to take to the streets of Pretoria to press for their demands for more political freedom and reform in their country. Under the banner Justice 4 Swaziland March, over 10 pressure groups will on Thursday march from the Union Building Grounds to the High Commission of the Kingdom of Eswatini, demanding among others, the releas...

Freedom Park recently hosted a  cultural event aimed at reviving African knowledge systems and celebrating African heritage. Participants deliberated on the understanding and practicing of the African Calendar – Inzalo y'Langa. Led by historian Mkhulu Nsingiza and other esteemed speakers, the program sought to highlight the historical and spiritual importance of the African calendar, creating a pl...

South Africa-based global corporate responsibility watchdog, Benchmark Foundation, has welcomed what it calls the government's change of tact following a meeting between the national police ministry and mine rescue experts. At the conclusion of Friday's stakeholder-meeting, Police Minister, Senzo Mchunu, told members of the media that the now-controversial Operation Val' Umgodi had serious shortco...

The conclusion of lobola negotiations symbolises the formal union of two families, and once the negotiations are concluded the couple is considered as married under the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act (1998). This also means, unless otherwise stated in an antenuptial contract, couples are in fact married in community of property, and that assets – like a home or car –and liabilities – like...

Each year, on the 1st of  December, the world commemorates World AIDS Day. The aim is to remind society of the need for global solidarity in the ongoing fight against HIV/Aids. According to the results from South Africa's latest HIV prevalence survey there's been a decrease in new HIV infections from 249 000 in 2017 to 232 400 in 2022. The number of people living with HIV has gone down from 7.9 mi...

Today is Eskom's deadline to update electricity meters across the country. This entails the introduction of a new series of electricity vending codes to all meters in South Africa. The aim of the change is to  ensure that the meters' key change code does not expire. Eskoms says Zero buyers can still go to their legal vending sites with their meter numbers to buy electricity. They will then be issu...

This week marked Global Entrepreneurship Week which comes to an end TODAY. The week celebrates entrepreneurs who create solutions for world wide economic growth.  But according to the latest Global Entrepreneurship Monitor South Africa Report , entrepreneurship in the country is on the decline. The report noted that fewer people than ever before are considering starting new businesses. To find out...

A piece of conceptual art made up of a simple banana, duct-taped to a wall, THIS WEEK sold for over 110 million rands at an auction in New York. The work by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan titled Comedian, which  features a banana costing a few cents, was sold at an auction on Wednesday for 6.5 million US dollars. The piece attracted heavy attention at the busy auction as many people tried to fig...

In soccer, giant slayers Magesi FC were last night crowned Carling Knockout champions  after thumping Mamelodi Sundowns 2 -1..In a match billed as the "David and Goliath" clash, Magesi produced one of the biggest shocks in South African football history... Meanwhile in rugby, it was a clean sweep for the Springboks as they walloped Wales 45 -12 in Cardiff last night. The resounding victory means t...

Food fraud or the deliberate misrepresentation or adulteration of food products for financial gain, is a growing problem in South Africa. This is according to a report titled Unlocking food safety: a comprehensive review of South Africa's food control and safety landscape from an environmental health perspective. Authors of the report say the recent public outcry against food fraud practices espec...

 Voters in Namibia will go to the polls on WEDNESDAY (27 November) to choose their next president and parliamentary representatives. The elections come after President Hage Geingob died in February and was replaced on a interim basis by his deputy, Nangolo Mbumba. The election could mark a historic shift in the country's political landscape if the ruling SWAPO party, in power since independence in...

Mamelodi Sundowns and Magesi FC will be aiming to become Carling Knockout cup Champions TODAY. The two top-flight teams will lock horns in the second cup final of the season at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein...  MEANWHILE in Rugby...The Springboks say they are determined to deliver a complete 80-minute performance and finish the season on a high note against Wales in Cardiff TODAY. The test, w...

The ANC's National Disciplinary Committee of Appeal (NCDA) has upheld the decision of the Disciplinary Committee to expel former party President, Jacob Zuma. In a statement, the ANC welcomed the decision, adding that Zuma's conduct exemplifies ill-discipline and the lack of respect for collective decisions. Zuma was expelled from the ANC in July this year after he was found guilty of bringing the...

YESTERDAY , The High Court in Pretoria ordered that the mine shaft in Stilfontein, North West, where suspected illegal miners have been retrieved must be unblocked for emergency personnel and that no person should block it. This comes after the Society for the Protection of our Constitution approached the court on an urgent basis. The court  ordered  that any miners underground should be permitted...

The murder trial of the three remaining co-accused in the 1987 murder of anti-apartheid activist Caiphus Nyoka, is expected to start TOMORROW (18 November 2024) at the Gauteng  High Court, sitting in the Benoni Magistrates' Court. Johan Marais, one of the four accused former apartheid police officers was convicted of Nyoka's murder in the Pretoria High Court on Tuesday, and will be sentenced in Ja...

Power Utility Eskom is urging prepaid electricity customers to recode their meters by 24 November 2024. This prepaid update is  required by the Standard Transfer Specification Association (STSA).Eskom says after this deadline, meters will no longer accept electricity tokens. Udo Carelse spoke to Eskom spokesperson  Daphne Mokwena 

The National Sea Rescue Institute - NSRI - is appealing to people using the coastline THIS WEEKEND to be cautious as the full moon Spring tide peaks.  The Institute says the daily 2 high tides will be higher than normal and the daily 2 low tides will be lower than normal from this weekend and into the new week. Spring tides may cause stronger than normal sea currents posing a potential hazard to b...

For some reaction to the President's address Udo Carelse spoke to Matakanye Matakanye, General Secretary of the National Association of School Governing Bodies, Dr Mugwena Maluleke, SADTU General Secretary, ATM National Spokesperson Zama Ntshona and  Angelo Fick, Research Director at Auwal Socio-Economic Research Institute 

Government has finally heeded the call to act on non-compliant spaza shops across the country. After 22 deaths and several weeks of sporadic protests in various communities, President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced some interventions to curb the deaths of children and ensure compliance in townships. Among the measures is a joint fund of 500 million rand by the Departments of Trade, Industry and Com...

Operations have resumed at the Lebombo Port of Entry between South Africa and Mozambique. This, after Mozambique authorities advised the South African Border Management Authority that cargo carrying trucks will be processed manually. Earlier this week, protesters stormed the offices of the Ressano Garcia border on the Mozambican side. Truck drivers and hawkers have expressed excitement at the re-o...

A recent United Nations study found that 95% of children in South Africa have access to the internet regularly – and their online behaviour exposes them to online violence, exploitation and abuse. Some 70% of children surveyed by UNICEF said they use the internet without parental consent. This is a worldwide phenomenon and it is against this backdrop that Australia, THIS WEEK, announced plans to b...

Power utility Eskom THIS WEEK announced unprecedented plans to interrupt power supply to the City of Johannesburg at certain pre-determined times of the day from next month, citing City Power's failure to pay R4.9-billion in arrears. If Eskom goes ahead with it's plans, that will leave hundreds of thousands of households in South Africa's largest city in the dark even when many of them are fully p...

Mozambique remains tense with the country's largest hospital saying at least three people were killed and 66 others injured during clashes between police and protesters on THURSDAY over a disputed election. The fatalities add to at least 18 people killed in earlier protests since the October. 9 poll, which the opposition claims was rigged. Some groups have given a higher toll, with Mozambique's Ce...

The Southern Africa Association of Freight Forwarders  - SAAFF -  is calling on SADC to move immediately to lead mediation talks, restore law and order and stabilise trade operations at the Port of Maputo and the Maputo corridor which are critical to the regional economy. That association says the political conflict in Mozambique is taking  a heavy toll on South Africa with the temporary closure o...