Author: Silver Sibiya

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed a panel to investigate U.S. allegations that a Russian ship had collected weapons from a naval base near Cape Town last year, the presidency said in a statement on Sunday. The U.S. ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, said on May 11 that he was confident that a Russian ship, which docked at a naval base in Simonstown in the Western Cape in December last year, took aboard weapons from South Africa, an allegation South Africa has since denied. The allegations have caused a diplomatic row among the U.S., South Africa and Russia and called into question South Africa’s non-aligned…

The EFF has for the first time had a presence and influence in the running of a metro as Finance Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) in Ekurhuleni Nkululeko Dunga presented his maiden budget speech termed ‘people’s budget’. Dunga and four other EFF councilors recently became MMC’s in a coalition government that includes the ANC, ATM and Patriotic Alliance. Dunga said Ekurhuleni’s poor had been neglected and that the current budget will restore their dignity. “This budget will reflect what has been the demands of the people through the Integrated Development Program (IDP) consultative period. The people of Thembisa, we…

The Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of the Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities recommends Setlokoa, Sepulana and Isimpondo among the dialects to be granted an official language status. The CRL Rights Commission Chairperson David Mosoma said the education department should be the first to recognise the said dialects at a media briefing in Joburg on Tuesday. “Pansalb, in collaboration with the Department of Justice, should work for the standardisation and development of all official languages into a legal language. The department of Higher Education and Training is encouraged to subsidise institutions of higher learning that are…

Some residents of Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria say life has become unbearable in the area, following the outbreak of cholera which has resulted in the death of 15 people. The Department of Health said there were 41 positive cases of Cholera countrywide and the National Health Department has issued a warning to all doctors to treat people who display symptoms of Cholera as Cholera patients and not wait for the test results. The South African National Civic Organisations (SANCO) Hammanskraal Chairperson, Mahlathini Qebelo, said the deaths have caused panic in the area. “This situation is causing panic and frustration. They…

Economic Freedom Fighter (EFF) leader Julius Malema says former President Jacob Zuma is welcome to join the party while speaking to the media in Khutsong on Friday where the party held its celebration with children at the Zanele Mtshali Disabilities Home near Carletonville as part of its 10th birthday bash. The party donated R100 000 to the home and it will hold national celebrations at the FNB Stadium, Nasrec on 29 July. Malema’s call comes after Zuma’s ally Mzwanele Manyi who is also the spokesperson for the Jacob Zuma Foundation left his party the African Transformation Movement (ATM) and joined…

Fleurhof and Florida residents in Joburg joined hands and protested over poor policing, unscheduled power cuts and the removal of illegal miners while blocking roads between the two suburbs amid a strong police and Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) presence. Community leader Lori Richards said their issues of a lack of service delivery led them to streets to protest citing raw sewage on the streets and blackouts that go on for days as some of the reasons why they are on the streets.. “If you are sick, how do you get help because we don’t even have a clinic in…

On Monday a fight broke out at Ruabohlale Junior High School in Soshanguve where a learner was arrested for allegedly stabbing a visitor to the school multiple times. It was reported on Tuesday afternoon that a 16-year-old stabbed his 17-year-old Aha Thuto Secondary School classmate in Orange Farm. According to police the learner was stabbed in the thigh and was rushed to Stretford Clinic for medical attention but unfortunately later succumbed to his wound. Acting Sedibeng District Commissioner Brigadier Mbangwa Nkhwashu said they received a report of a stabbing at Aha – Thuto Secondary school. “It is alleged that the…

Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi says his Cleaning and Greening Expanded Public Works Programme is necessitated by the need to curb the high unemployment rate and the need to keep the province clean. Lesufi launched his initiative at Dobsonville Stadium today in front of thousands of the new recruits and a continuation of the crime prevention programme where thousands of wardens were hired last month. Lesufi said the 6 000 recruits will intensify the government’s efforts to keep Gauteng clean and green whilst addressing youth unemployment. He said the recruits were selected from 26 priority townships, informal settlements and hostels across…

The Chinese Consulate hosted South African diplomats on Friday to mark 25 years of bilateral relations between the two countries. China is South Africa’s largest global trading partner and we are also China’s number one trading partner in Africa. The bilateral trade between the two countries grew from less than R1 billion in 1998 to R544 billion in 2021 in what the Chinese Consul-General in Joburg Tang Zhongdong described as the past two decades of success. “Chinese presidents have paid five visits to South Africa while South African presidents have paid six visits to China under the guidance of President…

Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille says South Africa received 152% increase in tourists last year. She was speaking during the official opening of the 44th Africa’s Travel Indaba at Durban’s ICC on Tuesday where she said it’s encouraging that the majority of those 5.8 million tourists came from the continent. “Africa’s tourism sector is open and thriving, offering various products and experiences catering to travellers’ needs and preferences. “We have seen encouraging growth in our tourist arrival numbers between January and December 2022 where it reached nearly 5.8million with over 4 million of those arrivals from African countries. This represents…