Author: Larson Thebe
Police in Limpopo have issued a warrant of arrest for Francois Swart, the Managing Director of travel agency, Priority Escapes. The Fourways-based company is accused of defrauding would-be holiday makers in Modimolle of millions of rands, after it promised them holiday destinations in the Maldives and other investments. To confirm their bookings, the unsuspecting victims paid either deposits or the full amount to Maldives and received fake confirmation documents from the holiday swindler. They victims were made to believe that their trips to Maldives were booked and paid for only to be advised, at the last moment, that the trips…
The nearly 2000 mineworkers at the Bafokeng Rasimone Platinum Mine outside Rustenburg in the North West have resurfaced after three days underground. The miners staged a sit-in demanding that their dividend shares and pension funds from their previous employer be immediately paid into their accounts. “The protest action, initially involving 2 205 employees, began at the North and South shafts on Monday. By 14h50 today (Wednesday) all North Shaft employees had returned to surface and by 17h05 all South Shaft employees had returned to surface, with all 2 205 employees who initially participated in the protest now safely on surface,”…
The Gauteng Department of Health said health services are continuing as normal at some of its facilities in Tshwane, which experienced extensive damages due to Tuesday’s night storm. The department said no patient or staff members at these facilities were injured because of the damages caused by the storm. The facilities are the Odi District Hospital in Mabopane, Sedilega Clinic in Mabopane, Block TT Clinic and KT Mutubatse Clinic which are both in Soshanguve. “The extent of the damage at Odi District Hospital include a collapsed ceiling in one of the sections of the hospital and the roof, which has…
The unprotected strike by nearly 2 000 workers at the Bafokeng Rasimone Platinum mine near Rustenburg in the North West enters its third day today. According to Implats, which owns the mine, the wildcat strike began on Monday morning without the sanction of the operation’s representative union, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). The mine management said as at 19h00 Tuesday, 167 employees had safely returned to surface and nearly 2 000 employees were still underground. The company says the underlying source of contention is principally among employees and relates to several misinterpretations and misunderstandings brought to the fore by the…
The North West MEC of Community Safety Sello Lehari is confident that arrests would soon be made, following Saturday’s mass shooting at the Popo Molefe informal settlement in Boitekong outside Rustenburg. Eight people were killed on the scene, the ninth one was certified dead-on arrival at the hospital while scores, including children, were injured in the incident. According to the police, a group of mainly Xhosa speaking individuals were sitting in a yard drinking liquor when an unconfirmed number of Sesotho speaking suspects opened fire on them. The incident is suspected to be a revenge attack over stock theft and…
President Cyril Ramaphosa said the ANC has noted former president Jacob Zuma’s announcement that he will not be voting nor campaigning for the party during next year’s elections. The former president said his focus will now be devoted to the newly established uMkhonto weSizwe party, which he would be also campaigning for, despite remaining a member of the ANC. Zuma, who made the announcement on Saturday in Orlando East, Soweto, said his move is part of his “attempt to rescue the ANC from white capital” among others. Despite the ANC previously announcing that it would not comment on the matter,…
The North West Department of Community Safety and Transport Management is targeting less fatalities during this year’s festive season. The province recorded 94 fatalities during the 2022/23 statistics, which was a 21% reduction when compared to 119 recorded during the 2021/22 period. The department MEC Sello Lehari said safety is everybody’s responsibility and it is important for every citizen to play a role. “Our target is to have less fatalities and improve from last year’s achievements as we had a reduction. Our main responsibility is to save people’s lives, and this can be achieved if they also play their role. Safety is…
Nine people have been killed in a mass shooting and scores others injured, when a group of unknown people stormed their home and opened fire on them at the Popo Molefe informal settlement in Boitekong near Rustenburg in the North West. Police say the incident took place on Saturday night around 21:15, and the victims include five men and four women. “According to information available at this stage, a group of mainly Xhosa speaking individuals were sitting in a yard drinking liquor when an unconfirmed number of Sesotho speaking suspects opened fire on them. “As a result, eight people died…
President Cyril Ramaphosa said despite celebrating nearly 30 years of democracy, South Africans must not forget the wrongs of the past. He was delivering a keynote address at the Day of Reconciliation celebrations at the rainy Thohoyandou stadium in Limpopo. “Reconciliation is not an act of forgetting or ignoring the wounds of the past. “Instead, it is a courageous and intentional effort to confront our history, to learn from it and to build bridges of understanding across the chasms of misunderstanding and mistrust. “Reconciliation is a commitment to creating a society where everyone is valued, where diversity is celebrated, and…
Australian opening batsman, Usman Khawaja, has vowed to fight the International Cricket Council (ICC) ban that barred him from making an on-field statement in support of Palestinians. Khawaja had planned to wear shoes bearing the words “all lives are equal” and “freedom is a human right” during a Test match with Pakistan in Perth, Australia. He instead wore a black armband written “do people not care about innocent human beings killed?” and put tape over messages on his shoes supporting people of Gaza. The ICC said the stance by the cricketer flouted rules on messages during matches that relate to…