Author: Silver Sibiya

Deputy President Paul Mashatile says President Cyril Ramaphosa will soon announce whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend next month’s Brics Summit in Joburg or not. Mashatile was speaking yesterday during a media briefing in Orlando West, Soweto, during the commemoration of the Nelson Mandela International Day. There has been strong public interest on what will happen if Putin comes to the country following an arrest warrant issued in March by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the Russian President. The ICC is accusing Putin of war crimes in relation to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine since February 2022. Mashatile said…

The Gauteng Provincial Government says it is on track to establish a State Bank expected to assist businesses operated by previously disadvantaged groups. No timelines have been set and Finance MEC Jacob Mamabolo said the province will immediately start consulting relevant stakeholders while briefing the media in Johannesburg on Thursday. While the national government has been talking about a State Bank for years now, Mamabolo said the province is well within its rights to start one independently. “It is envisaged that the state owned bank will address current market failures by, amongst other things, integrating small, micro, and mid-sized businesses (SMME’s)…

The West Rand Municipality calls on residents affected by the water shut down to store enough water although the work on the three-day work on the reservoir is almost completed. The communications officer for the water utility Godfrey Moutloali said residents must store water as a precautionary measure. “We have and are still encouraging our residents to store water for use during this time when Rand Water is working on the pumps. “We don’t expect a total shutdown of water but a reduced water pressure. This should just be a precautionary measure,” he said. Some business owners in the area…

The ANC Women’s League’s 13th elective conference has been postponed for another week because more preparatory work is still needed, said the league’s interim task team co-ordinator Maropene Ramokgopa while briefing the media on Tuesday. The conference themed “Advancing decisive action towards the full liberation and emancipation of women” is now expected to take place on July 21 to July 23 at Nasrec, Johannesburg. “Following the exhaustion of the issues raised, the meeting determined a need for more time to resolve the issues identified and which are critical to the convening of a successful Conference. “Accordingly, it has been resolved…

Families of the 16 patrons who were massacred at Mdlalose Tavern in Nomzamo Informal Settlement, Orlando East in July, last year say they have no hope in the country’s justice system. The families held a memorial ceremony on Sunday to mark a year since the incident. Several people were arrested and said to be linked with the shootings but the NPA recently withdrew charges against six men due to a lack of evidence linking them to the killings. The community, including relatives and friends from Umzimkhulu, KwaZulu Natal, local leaders and families were part of a ceremony. The majority of…

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has confirmed that a gas leak killed 17 people at Angelo Informal Settlement in Boksburg last night. The deaths have sent shockwaves across the country and internationally in what Lesufi described as the workings of illegal miners that have gone completely out of control. Lesufi was speaking to the media in Boksburg this morning and said the communities are under siege from illegal minors. “We are under siege. I’ve said it and I have presented this to those who are leading our law enforcement team. We are using law enforcement mechanisms in a new era that…

The three Diepsloot community leaders out on bail after being charged with public violence, intimidation, and damage to property among others, say they are not backing down and are going ahead with their protests against violence and crime in their area. The trio Loyiso Toyiya, Lefa Nkala and Jack Hlongwane were addressing their supporters outside Randburg Magistrate’s Court shortly after their release on R500 bail each after spending six days in custody. The accused were arrested last week during protests over crime in the area where angry residents barricaded roads and called for President Cyril Ramaphosa to visit the area.…

There seems to be light at the end of the tunnel for Diepkloof Hostel residents as City Power on Tuesday began electrifying the area following weeks of violent protests by the residents who went as far as barricading the N1 to Joburg with rocks and burning tyres. The residents even got the City of Joburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda to come on a walkabout to see first hand what their grievances were about. After the tour and consultations with Hostel Induna, Gwamanda acknowledged that the hostel needed an upgrade and proper sanitation and electricity. In welcoming the new developments at the…

More young people must be deployed to the National Assembly and other Provincial Legislatures, says newly elected president of the ANC Youth League, Collen Malatji, who was briefing the media yesterday at Luthuli House in Johannesburg. Malatji was elected unopposed over the weekend at Youth League’s 26th conference in Nasrec over the weekend and he said he’ll prioritise the deployment of youth to parliament. “We are not going to accept anything less than 50% of young people in Parliament and Legislature,” he said. The league’s 2nd Secretary-General Olga Seate, said they will fight for the ANCYL’s relevance ahead of next…

City of Johannesburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda on Monday promised to improve service delivery to the Diepkloof Hostel in Soweto on Monday while speaking to the residents who have been rioting and blocking the roads for the past few weeks in protest for electricity, sanitation and houses. After an inspection of the hostel, Gwamanda, accompanied by Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) Public Safety, Mgcini Tshwaku and Human Settlements, Anthea Leitch, confirmed that basic services didn’t exist at the hostel.. He promised to do away with the bucket system and replace it with proper sanitation. “With the growing cases of disasters…