The Weekend View

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...

While most people understand how and why a Will is needed, very few know what happens when it comes to administering and executing a Will.  This is where banks and other financial institutions come in but can they be trusted with Wills and Estates and do they have your best interest at heart.  To unpack this Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Banzi Mcasa, an advocate for financial security and generational we...

Fourteen years after a statue of AmaZulu King Shaka was removed from Durban's King Shaka International airport, a new R4.5 million likeness was unveiled on THURSDAY.  The previous statue had to be removed from display after the Zulu royal family expressed dissatisfaction with the way in which the late King was portrayed. They felt the statue reduced King Shaka to a "herd boy" rather than the warri...

Botswana's new President-elect Duma Boko THIS WEEK did the unthinkable. For more than 50 years, opposition politicians have dreamt of unseating the mighty Botswana Democratic Party, but only Boko has made that a reality at the third attempt. The crushing manner of the victory of his Umbrella for Democratic Change - UDC- party came as a surprise, including it seems to Boko himself, who admitted bei...

Legal uncertainty over the recent issuing of Muslim Marriage Certificates in the absence of legislation continues to spark debate. The Women's Legal Centre says the Home Affairs Department cannot simply convert a marriage concluded under the Marriage Act into a Muslim marriage. As Mercedes Besent reports, Home Affairs recently announced that it had granted the first batch of 33 Muslim Marriage Cer...

Voters in the US go to the polls in 2 days to elect their next president. The question that will be answered after Tuesday's election is - will America get its first woman president or a second Donald Trump term? With national polls too close to call the result can go either way.  To look at the US election and what a Donald Trump or Kamala Harris win means for South Africa and Africa,  Bongiwe Zw...

The Southern Africa Tourism Services Association - Satsa - THIS WEEK  urged travellers to Mozambique to exercise caution and postpone their trips amid reports of potential protests in the country. The association warned that travellers to Mozambique might experience interruptions at the Lebombo/Ressano Garcia Border Post, potential business disruptions and possible protest action especially in Map...

The ANC's Babalwa Lobishe was on Thursday elected as the new mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality while his former boss, Gary van Niekerk, is now her deputy. The pair swapped roles after they both briefly resigned to allow the new election to take place at a special Council meeting. Both were swore-in in their new positions just a few hours later. This shake-up was imminent as the ANC has...

Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana tabled his Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement on Wednesday. Reactions from stakeholders varied, with the rand and bond yields weakening following the announcement. YESTERDAY , The South African Federation of Trade Unions said it was disgusted by the mid term budget statement and that the Minister has re-committed to the path of extremely painful austerity meas...

The National Consumer Commission has found that several car dealerships across South Africa sold faulty vehicles to unsuspecting consumers.  Disgruntled consumers are increasingly approaching the National Consumer Commission (NCC) for assistance after being sold allegedly defective cars by vehicle dealerships. The consumer bodies have also found evidence that the vehicle's odometers are sometimes...

The Department of Education in Limpopo has called for the co-operation of all stakeholders to curb further incidents of food poisoning incidents in schools. The department has suspended food sales at schools throughout the province, following the death of a learner at Khubvi outside Thohoyandou on Thursday. Baatseba Mabowa compiled this report...

The ANC will oppose any electricity tariff increase. This is according to the chair of the Economic Transformation Committee, Mmamoloko Kubayi. Much to the dismay of consumers, NERSA has published Eskom's application to increase the cost of electricity by an additional 36.15 percent, next year. Various NEC members briefed the media on the sidelines of the four-day NEC meeting, underway in Boksburg...

Recent incidents of food-borne illnesses in Gauteng and Mpumalanga, North West, Limpopo and Northern Cape in schools and township communities have raised concerns about food safety. Several learners have lost their lives in the past two months and many others have fallen ill after consuming potentially contaminated snacks and food. For more Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Dr Aaron Motsoaledi - Health Minis...

Former EFF MP, Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, and former KwaZulu-Natal Premier Willies Mchunu have officially joined the ranks of the uMkhonto WeSizwe Party. Advocate Mkhwebane is set to lead the party in Mpumalanga, while Mchunu, an ANC veteran, will take charge in KwaZulu-Natal. This announcement came during the party's media briefing. Meanwhile, the MK party has filed a second case alleging elect...

In the wake of Thursday's devastating shooting in Bishop Lavis that claimed seven lives, Western Cape police have apprehended three suspects, aged 17, 24, and 29. The trio now faces charges of murder, attempted murder, and possession of an unlicensed firearm, and is expected to appear in court on Monday. 13 people have now died in two tragic mass shootings in the Western Cape. On Wednesday night,...