Author: Tshegofatso Letsie
The cricket men’s team head coach, Shukri Conrad believes he has made the right call with the 15 players squad he selected for the much-anticipated ICC World Test Championship (WTC), scheduled between 11-15 June at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. The team is set to assemble for camp on the 31st of May and will face Zimbabwe from the 3rd to the 6th of June before heading to London on the 7th, to prepare to face Australia in the final. Amongst key players who will feature in the team’s final bid is squad captain, Temba Bavuma alongside the bowling…
The latest figures revealed by StatsSA’s Quarter Labour Force Survey, has revealed that the country’s unemployment rate went up to 32.9% with the number of those discouraged to seek employment surging to 43.1% in the first quarter of 2025. The data was released by Statistician General Risenga Maluleke in Pretoria on Tuesday. “There was a decrease of 291 000 in the number of employed persons to 16.8 million from 17.1 million in Q4: 2024, while there was an increase of 237 000 in the number of unemployed persons to 8.2 million. This resulted in a decrease of 54 000 [down…
In a move to bolster child safety, the Department of Social Development has embarked on a nationwide child protection programme to combat child abuse. According to the department, increased stats of more than 26 000 cases of child abuse and neglect, were reported in the 2024/25 financial year. “Cases of sexual abuse remained dominant in all provinces, with 9 859 cases throughout the country. Deliberate neglect is the second most prevalent in all provinces, with 9 485 cases, followed by physical abuse, with 3 965 recorded cases and 595 of abandonment,” the department indicated. During the official program’s launch in Thaba Nchu in the Free…
Orlando Pirates has confirmed that coach Jose Riveiro will be released from his contract earlier than the original date which was set for the end of June 2025. According to a press release by the club, Riveiro requested the early release as he has signed with a new club. “Given the timing, amidst a series of crucial fixtures-we believed it was best to delay this announcement until after the Nedbank Cup Final. “While we would have preferred to formally honour him with a proper send-off, we fully respect his decision to depart before the end of his tenure,” read the…
The much-anticipated Soweto derby Nedbank Cup Final is set to take place on Saturday, 10 May, at the iconic Moses Mabhida Stadium. With tickets sold out, all eyes are on the fierce clash between arch rivals Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, making it a pivotal event in South African football. Law enforcement authorities in KwaZulu-Natal have confirmed their full preparedness for this highly charged encounter. Major General Phumelele Makoba, the Deputy Provincial Commissioner responsible for large-scale events, expressed confidence during a state of readiness press briefing that significant measures have been put in place to ensure the safety and enjoyment…
The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education in Parliament has warned the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), against cancelling student accommodation agreements with unaccredited providers in the middle of the term. The committee says this will unfairly impact students and cause disruptions. This emerged when the newly appointed NSFAS board briefed the committee on various matters relating to student appeals, funding decision for the 2025 academic year, accommodation and the disbursement of student allowances amongst others. Committee Chairperson, Tebogo Letsie urged the scheme to deliberate on decisions affecting students timeously, to avoid any inconveniences. “We fully support the cancellation of…
Amapiano star Mpho Lebajoa, popularly known as Scotts Maphuma, sought to publicly apologise after criticism about his attitude towards fans. He publicly admitted that he does not like taking pictures with fans especially if he doesn’t feel like it, nor entertaining them on stage and his utterances were met with mixed reactions. While some sympathised with his plea of being granted some space and to be treated like an ordinary citizen, some were offended and took things as far as ignoring him during his live performances. Numerous videos have been circulating on social media where the crowd can be seen…
The North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is optimistic that improved water availability and access will ensure sustainable agriculture across the province amongst other benefits. The department sought to intervene through the refurbishment of water systems such as the installation of windmills, submersible pumps, storage tanks and drilling new boreholes in a project that is expected to benefit farmers and villages across Kagisano Molopo and Greater Taung Local Municipalities. According to the department’s MEC Madoda Sambatha, clean and accessible water is significant for farming and daily living. “For us, farmers are a priority. Without water, there is no farming,…
Power utility Eskom has sought to assure the public of a steady electricity supply during the winter season. Eskom management alongside Electricity and Energy Minister, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, briefed the media on the national grid and the winter outlook in Sunninghill, Johannesburg on Monday. According to group CEO, Dan Marokane, while they anticipate multiple units to return to service, a possibility of lower stages of load shedding is on the cards. “In as far as winter 2025 is concerned, assuming there are 13-15 gigawatts of unplanned outages in terms of what we see from the performance coming from the grid,…
The Deputy Minister for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Steve Letsike has described comments made by Podcast and Chill host, Macgyver Mukwevho popularly known as MacG towards media personality, Minnie Dlamini, as disgusting and callous. This after he alleged that the reason behind the end of Dlamini’s past relationships is due to her genital odour. This emerged during a recent episode of the podcast on YouTube last week. Letsike said these utterances constitute online gender-based violence. “These comments are nauseating in their vulgarity, and they must be regarded as an unconstitutional violation of Ms Dlamini’s rights to freedom and…