Mzansi Today

The ANC has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to extend the lockdown as the country continues to fight the spread of COVID-19. The lockdown, which started on 26 March, was supposed to end on 16 April. However, Ramaphosa on Thursday said it was imperative to extend the lockdown if the country is to be successful in slowing the spread of the pandemic. “We did not take this decision to extend the lockdown lightly. As your President, I am mindful of the great and heavy burden this will impose on you. I am keenly aware of the impact this will have on our economy. “But I know, as you do, that unless we take these difficult measures now, unless we hold to this course for a little longer, the coronavirus pandemic will engulf, and ultimately consume, our country,” said Ramaphosa. 18 people have died in the country after been infected by Covid-19, while 1934 others have tested positive for the virus. In a statement, ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe said the governing party fully...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has placed Communications Minister, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, on two months special leave. One month will be unpaid. It comes after a picture on social media showing the minister having lunch at former deputy Minister, Mduduzi Manana’s home. This was a violation of lockdown regulations. Mazwe Majola of the World Institute of Leadership and Development says the suspension is not enough. “We commend him for the decision he has made but I don’t think it’s not commensurate with the deed the minister has done. For placing Stella [Ndabeni-Abrahams] on leave for two-months is not adequate. The President was supposed to be strong and send a clear and very strong to his comrades and to the nation as well,” Majola said. He was supposed to fire the minister. It was a slap on the wrist. It was a very weak and soft decision he made,” he added. Ramaphosa summoned the Minister to explain her actions. The president accepted the minister’s apology for the violation but ...

The EFF is laying criminal charges against Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams and former MP Mduduzi Manana. Party spokesperson, Vuyani Pambo, will lay charges at Douglasdale Police Station. It comes after Ndabeni-Abrahams broke the lockdown regulations by visiting Manana at his house. President Cyril Ramaphosa placed Ndabeni-Abrahams on special leave for two-months with one being unpaid. The DA meanwhile says the special leave is the easy way out. Democratic Alliance @Our_DA "President Ramaphosa must address the nation together with the Minister of Police and National Police Commissioner to assure the nation that SAPS will act against Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams." "Stella must face the full might of the law like any other citizen. " The party says Ramaphosa should send out a strong message to the public by both firing her and laying a criminal complaint against her. The ANC welcomed her suspension. Economic...

PRETORIA – The ANC in Gauteng has condemned the shooting incident which took place at the by-election public meeting held in Emfuleni’s ward 16, in Sedibeng, in which an attendee Sindy Brightness Mhlongo was fatally shot. “Mhlongo, 33, fatally sustained a gunshot wound to her head after an unknown person opened fire at the gathering. The meeting was to prepare for upcoming by-elections in ward 16, [set for] 18 March 2020. It was attended by ANC members, community members and other stakeholders from the area,” ANC Gauteng spokesperson Bones Modise said. It is alleged that during the meeting, the electric main switch at the Rustervaal Community Hall was suddenly switched off while people were still inside the hall. “People rushed outside as it was dark inside. It was at this point that eight gunshots were fired outside the hall. One of the random bullets unfortunately caught Comrade Mhlongo who was confirmed dead on the scene. No other injuries were reported,” said Modise. The ANC in G...

EFF leader Julius Malema has accused the SA Revenue Service of placing him under surveillance 10 years ago when he asked its top officials about the existence of the so-called rogue unit. This was revealed by Malema as he reiterated his rejection of the decision by National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Shamila Batohi to drop charges against the officials who were implicated in setting up and running the unit. Malema was addressing the Press Club of SA in Cape Town on Friday where he also deliberated on the State of the Nation Address. “I was the first person to report the rogue unit in this country in 2010. I went to the Sars offices and I met (former Sars deputy commissioner Ivan) Pillay and (former Sars commissioner) Oupa Magushule and gave them a document which was dropped in my office about the rogue unit. “They followed me in 2010. When I booked a room in Hilton Hotel, they would book in next door and put devices to listen to my activities in the other room,” Malema sa...

After causing quite the scene at President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address, the EFF has held a press briefing - From the chaos at the event to former president Jacob Zuma, Julius Malema discussed the party's stance Economic Freedom Fighter leader Julius Malema hosted a press briefing on Friday morning to address the chaos at the State of the Nation Address. Briefly.co.za reported that the EFF had demanded former president FW de Klerk leave the address and called for the removal of Minister Pravin Gordhan. Now, Malema expanded on his reasoning for insisting the Public Enterprises head gets the boot: "Gordhan is at the centre of the collapse of SOEs and capture of our country by white-monopoly capital, as it is for this reason why we want him gone. We are a country living in darkness, because of Pravin Gordhan. Gordhan’s removal is the first step in saving our SOEs. This must be followed by appointing of a competent board with skills from various sectors that...

The parliamentary committee on ­justice and correctional services on Thursday shortlisted eight candidates to be interviewed for the position of deputy public protector. The ANC nominated five candidates: Sonwabile Mancotywa, ­Kholeka Gcaleka, Puleng Matshelo, Buang Jones and Lwazi Pumelela Kubukeli. The DA nominated Shadrack Nkuna and Noxolo Mbangeni, while the EFF nominated Moshoeshoe Jeffrey Toba. The committee received 29 nominations, with three candidates sub­sequently withdrawing, while six did not meet the criteria set. During the meeting, the EFF’s Mbuyiseni Ndlozi pushed for the removal of Gcaleka, who had served as an adviser to former minister Malusi Gigaba, and also served in the National Prosecuting Authority, from the shortlist. There is a name I feel strongly should not be shortlisted,” Ndlozi said. The DA’s Glynis Breytenbach said there were other names she would have liked to nominate. I think we should have an opportunity to nominate other names and we should probe ...

Mmusi Maimane has announced his resignation from the DA and as a member of Parliament. In a tweet on Thursday morning, Maimane said it has been the "greatest honour to serve" the country, before he announced his resignation from the party and Parliament. The latest development comes after Maimane stepped down as DA leader at a press conference in Bruma, Johannesburg, on Wednesday. DA federal chairperson Athol Trollip quickly followed suit. Their departures from the party followed the resignation of City of Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba on Monday. I have worked tirelessly to build the project of One SA for All. It’s been my greatest honour to serve the people of SA and will continue to do so. I have today resigned from the DA and Parliament. Thank you to the people of this country for your faith in our nation. God bless SA — Mmusi Maimane (@MmusiMaimane) October 24, 2019

Mugabe did not have kids, they were Pamire’s, a woman reveals – Video. ‘Robert Mugabe did not have kids, they were sired by Peter Pamire’ – woman stirs up noise with controversial speech. A woman has claimed that the late former president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe could not father children. She claims that his three children, Bona, Robert Jnr and Chatunga were sired by the late Peter Pamire, a businessman who died in a car accident. Watch the video below

The police watchdog stands accused of prematurely completing or closing cases to manipulate performance statistics. The DA wants the acting head of the Independent Police Investigating Directorate (IPID), Victor Senna, and the former head Robert McBride to be summoned to Parliament to explain allegations that the police watchdog prematurely completed or closed cases to manipulate performance statistics. “SAPS members are literally getting away with murder, assault and torture,” an IPID official reported on the police watchdog’s policy of closing cases in an internal document. An exposé by Viewfinder, a new accountability journalism project in South Africa, details how IPID, since at least 2012, manipulated statistics and in the process failed the victims while violent errant police officers were not held to account. Viewfinder’s investigation found that on the days before the financial year-end, many more cases would be closed than on other days. Internal documents, seen by News24, r...

President Cyril Ramaphosa will meet the British royal couple, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on Wednesday. The Presidency said Ramaphosa and First Lady Dr Tshepo Motsepe will receive a courtesy call from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at their official residence Mahlamba Ndlopfu in Pretoria. “The meeting between the President, First Lady Dr Motsepe, and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, follows a courtesy call paid by President Ramaphosa on Queen Elizabeth II in Buckingham Palace during the President’s Working Visit to London in April 2018, where he participated in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting,” the Presidency said. The couple will also meet Graca Machel.

EFF leader Julius Malema has turned down former DA leader, Helen Zille for some tea. Zille extended the invitation to Malema on Twitter for her podcast Tea With Helen for a “for a no-holds-barred discussion on SA’s future prospects.” Malema, however, declined the invitation, asking if Zille is lost. The two politicians have previously clashed on social media on issues of race. Guests that have graced her show include Wits vice-chancellor Adam Habib as well as journalists Ferial Haffajee and Max du Preez. Hi there @Julius_S_Malema . I would like to invite you as a guest on my podcast #TeaWithHelen for a no-holds-barred discussion on SA's future prospects. My diary is quite flexible, so you name the date, time and place. I'll serve the tea. Looking forward to your response. — Helen Zille (@helenzille) October 1, 2019 I think you are lost, are you not looking for #SASSA offices? — Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) October 1, 2019

Former Crime Intelligence boss Richard Mdluli allegedly pocketed up to R7,000 a month by renting out his Western Cape home as a safe house to the division which he headed. Mdluli also had exclusive access to a posh “safe house” in the Clearwater Estate, Boksburg, which came fully furnished at the expense of Crime Intelligence’s secret service account. This is according to Crime Intelligence officer Col Dhanajaya Naidoo, who told the state capture inquiry that he had personal knowledge of how safe houses were “abused” by Mdluli during his tenure in 2010. Information obtained from Naidoo, who is in a witness protection programme, in 2011 resulted in the Hawks launching 11 investigations into Mdluli and other senior officials. The investigations were in relation to a host of alleged crimes committed during their tenures at the intelligence division of the police. Naidoo previously described himself as a “lackey” to Mdluli and Solomon Lazarus, the former finance officer in charge of the ...

Public works and infrastructure minister Patricia de Lille‘s sister, Cynthia Jeffreys, resigned from her job in the ministry just 11 weeks after her appointment. This comes amid a nepotism investigation by public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane. Jeffreys was appointed as assistant appointment secretary in De Lille’s office in July and resigned on September 20, according to De Lille’s spokesperson Zara Nicholson. In a written reply to a parliamentary question, De Lille asserts that proper recruitment processes were followed in the appointment of her sister to the ministry, in accordance with the Public Service Regulations of 2016. The regulations cited deal with the filling of posts in the office of ministers and deputy ministers. She was responding to a question from DA MP Samantha Jane Graham, who had asked De Lille whether proper processes were followed in the appointment, including whether the candidate had the requisite skills and competencies for the position. Both Graham and De Li...

The team of special envoys sent to some African countries to mend relations after recent clashes between South Africans and foreign nationals has presented President Cyril Ramaphosa with a preliminary report on its mission. The high-level delegation included former Energy Minister Jeff Radebe and African National Congress veteran Dr Khulu Mbatha. They visited countries including Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal to offer Ramaphosa’s apologies and to explain what happened. The fighting between locals and foreign nationals left 12 people dead, 10 of the South African. The violence, which also saw widespread looting and vandalism of shops, was mostly cantered in parts of Gauteng. Presidency spokesperson Khusela Diko said the envoys relayed South Africa’s apologies and commitment to continue working together. “Leaders of the countries visited welcomed the South African delegation and expressed appreciation to President Ramaphosa for taking time to explain the situation in South Africa which had...

The department of basic education's announcement that pupils as young as 15 will soon be able to leave school with government-approved qualifications has been met with a massive backlash by the public. Education minister, Angie Motshekga broke the news on Thursday during her address at the ninth Sadtu national congress which was held at Nasrec. Motshekga said her department was working on introducing multiple qualifications which would include a General Education Certificate (GEC), which will be awarded to pupils leaving school at the completion of grade 9. African Transformation Movement (ATM) head of policy Mzwanele Manyi said the ANC government was failing the youth by keeping the legacy of apartheid alive. Manyi expressed his dismay on Twitter, saying those who voted for the ANC were “complicit in this mess”. The conversation got heated as some agreed with the department's move. Manyi, however, stood his ground, saying children will use these qualifications to s...

The Democratic Alliance (DA), South Africa’s main opposition and by far its most multiracial party, has fallen on hard times of late. Its by-election results read like a misery, its leader is in the news for all the wrong reasons and its policy writing process seems in limbo. TheSouthAfrican spoke to about 25 DA MPs and DA public representatives at provincial and local level to gauge whether they think it is a slow burn, a dramatic collapse or a trend which can be reversed. By-elections define a Democratic Alliance in decline The by-election facts are striking. Since the May election, the DA has seen much of its white Afrikaans support in the north of the country dissipate. It has lost wards to the Freedom Front Plus in Stilfontein and Potchefstroom, and lost much support in Kempton Park, although not to the degree it did in North West. Until those victories, the Freedom Front Plus had not held a single ward anywhere in the country since 2011. In the Western Cape, the DA recently los...

THE Former First Lady Grace Mugabe has clashed with government officials as she was trying to ‘smuggle’ the body of the late national hero and former president Robert Mugabe to Zvimba for burial while president Emmerson Mnangagwa is away, the Zim Morning Post can reveal. ‘Gucci’ Grace was met by an army of Zimbabwe Republic Police officers and other officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs who have the task of running the heroes’ funerals. The Doves and Nyaradzo crews which were making way to leave the capital for Zvimba at Grace and the family’s instructions were met by police officers who stopped them in their tracks. The Zim Morning Post has it on good record that Mugabe was to be buried this Sunday amid clashes between government, Zvimba Chiefs and the Mugabe family. The family which had agreed to have the late Mugabe buried at the National Heroes Acre where a US$1 million mausoleum is under construction had been having second thoughts as they had approached council for permis...

Floyd Shivambu has allegedly admitted to using VBS Mutual Bank funding to pay for his Range Rover - However, the EFF deputy president says that while the funds came from the bank, they were part of a loan that has been repaid, not stolen - A Mail & Guardian report revealed that the vehicle had been paid with a loan taken out by his brother, Brian Shivambu Floyd Shivambu has reportedly admitted that his Range Rover Sport was bought with funds from the infamous VBS Mutual Bank. A Mail & Guardian report revealed that R680 000 had been paid from Brian Shivambu's company to the dealership where he purchased the luxury vehicle. Briefly.co.za reported that Shivambu had denied using VBS money to buy the Range Rover. The report notes that he now insists the funds are clean: “So your imagination that there was money stolen from VBS is imaginary. Why would he settle the money if the money was stolen?”  Shivambu explained that his brother had made the payment because he had pu...

Zimbabwe announced on Thursday that ex-president Robert Mugabe will be buried at his home village in Zvimba as requested by his family. The government said the family of the former leader, who died in Singapore on September 6 aged 95, “has expressed its desire to proceed with his burial in Zvimba”. “Government is cooperating with the Mugabe family in their new position,” government spokesman Nick Mangwana said in a statement. Tensions erupted after the government proposed a burial at the National Heroes Acre while the family insisted on a private ceremony in Mugabe’s homestead.