Author: Larson Thebe
Diplomatic efforts to free more than 200 people held hostage by Hamas were intensifying on Monday as reports from the region suggest a significant number – perhaps up to 50 – may be freed imminently. Though Israel continues to intensify its bombardment of Gaza in an attempt to exert more pressure on Hamas, experts warn that negotiations are likely to be the only way to obtain their freedom. Two elderly Israeli women were freed late on Monday, after an Israeli American mother and daughter were released on Friday – in both cases after mediation by Qatari officials – but 220 are thought to remain held in…
Despite the sideshow that threatens to derail their preparations, the Springboks are not getting caught up in it. It appears the World Rugby investigation into the racism allegations against hooker Bongi Mbonambi will continue until his name is cleared. On Monday, the Boks had their first training session of the week, in which Mbonambi participated. Mbonambi and England flank Tom Curry allegedly had an incident during the semifinal over the weekend, but the reigning champions didn’t address the matter. In a media conference, Scrum coach Daan Human stood up for the player’s character and paid little attention to the accusations.…
Kaizer Chiefs have parted ways with head coach Molefi Ntseki following a tricky start to the season. Amakhosi revealed on its official website that Ntseki’s contract had been terminated by mutual consent. The decision comes after Chiefs’ exit in the Carling Knockout Cup after a 1-0 defeat at the hands of AmaZulu FC at FNB Stadium on Saturday. Ugly scenes followed the loss as angry club fans once again threw missiles at Ntseki. Following a meeting on Monday morning, Molefi Ntseki’s tenure as Head Coach of Kaizer Chiefs has ended amicably by mutual consent. Given the recent run of disappointing results, the parties agreed…
Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, said plans to end load shedding that his office implemented since taking over, are starting to bear fruit. Eskom recently announced that it had suspended load shedding for the weekend due to improved performance in its generator fleet, which has led to a decrease in load shedding across the country. Ramokgopa was briefing the media in Pretoria, regarding progress in the execution of the Energy Action Plan. “Our lights are on for most of the hours of the day. We have seen that we’ve come out of the period of sustained no load shedding. We’re beginning to…
Hundreds of residents of the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality in the North West, have raised service delivery concerns, during the Presidential Imbizo in Ikageng, Potchefstroom. This is the President’s second visit to the province to assess progress made on commitments the government undertook during the previous District Development Model Presidential Imbizo. According to the Presidency, the public participation engagement provides the opportunity for the community to address various service delivery challenges and for the national, provincial, and local leadership to respond. Most of the concerns raised by the residents include lack of water, electricity, housing, and unemployment among others.…
South Africa’s Bongi Mbonambi has been accused of using a racial slur towards England flanker Tom Curry during his side’s Rugby World Cup semi-final win. Curry approached referee Ben O’Keeffe about half an hour into the match, reported the alleged comment and asked what he should do in response. “Nothing please,” replied O’Keeffe. England have 36 hours after the final whistle to refer such incidents to the citing commissioner, who could then call a disciplinary hearing. Curry was asked after the match whether something untoward had been said to him by Mbonambi. “Yeah,” he replied, before adding that “it does not…
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has warned Israel that the Middle East could spiral out of control if it does not stop strikes on Gaza. He said the US was also “to blame” for providing military support to Israel. Hours later, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu warned troops his people were in a battle for their lives and said the war against Hamas was “do or die”. Iran supports both Hamas, which attacked Israel two weeks ago killing 1,400 people, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. More than 4,600 Palestinians have been killed in the last two weeks in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run…
Banyana Banyana legend and former skipper Janine van Wyk, has announced she’ll call time on her illustrious career as a defender of the senior national women’s side. The 36-year-old will retire after playing in the 2024 CAF Women’s Olympic qualifiers this month against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a send-off matches to cap her historic playing career. Should Van Wyk feature in the two matches, she will sit on 185 international caps, making her the most capped footballer on the African continent, male or female. The stalwart penned an emotional farewell to the beautiful game on her Instagram…
The National Assembly has voted for Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka, to be the next Public Protector. This after she was recommended by the Ad Hoc Committee to head the Chapter 9 institution, following interviews of eight candidates that were held in August. Gcaleka has been acting in the position since 2022, after the suspension of then incumbent, Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, who has since been dismissed. She needed 60% of votes for her appointment to go through, and 244 voted in her favour, 12 voted against the nomination, while the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) members of parliament earlier…
A parliament internal investigation has recommended that five officials be held liable for the 1 January 2022 fire that gutted some parts of the National Assembly building. The report was commissioned last year by Secretary to Parliament Xolile George after the fire incident that engulfed the National Assembly building, hundreds of offices and caused extensive damage to the Old Assembly wing of Parliament. “The report recommends consideration for consequence management procedures against five parliament officials for various failures, including the failure to implement security policies, ensure compliance with occupational health and safety standards, and establish a security committee as required.…