• Hlaudi needs to go ‘as in last week’, says Cabinet - Crime & Courts

    Johannesburg - Hlaudi Motsoeneng boasted this week that no one could make him leave the SABC. But on Thursday, the Cabinet ordered him out of the public broadcaster urgently – just a day after the ruling party said he should be fired. Motsoeneng’s only remaining allies are embattled Communications Minister Faith Muthambi and the parastatal’s board. Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe said the SABC and Motsoeneng cannot continue to subvert the law and the decision of the Supreme Court of Appeal by appointing him to a different senior position. The Cabinet’s stance came after the SABC posted a third successive loss in three years, with the Auditor-General describing its books as being in a shambles.

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  • Nigeria: Okorocha Redeems Pledge to Paralympians

    Owerri — Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state has presented brand new Kia Rio saloon cars to the three Imo State indigenes who were members of the Rio 216 Nigeria Paralympics team and also won gold medals at the games. He also rewarded the coaches of the victorious athletes. Presenting the cars to the five beneficiaries and a cheque of N1 million each on behalf of the governor, the Chief of Staff, Government House Owerri, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu said that the presentation is in fulfilment of the governor's promise to the physically challenged athletes and their coaches. Nwosu who said that the medallists have made Imo State proud encouraged them and other athletes to keep faith and put more efforts.

    AllAfrica.com q

  • Zimbabwe: Teenage Whizz-Kid Makes Academic History

    Paidamoyo Chipunza — History was made since the founding of the University of Zimbabwe in 1953 when 18-year-old academically-gifted Maud Chifamba graduated with a Bachelor of Accountancy Honours yesterday.She was among 3 667 graduates from nine faculties and the College of Health Sciences who were capped by President Mugabe at the institution of higher learning. As of 2012, Chifamba was the youngest university student in Africa. She was born in 1997 in Zimbabwe and was accepted to the University of Zimbabwe to read for an accounting degree. The teenage whizz-kid began attending in 2012 and also received a $9 933 scholarship from the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority Chairman's Charity Fund. Chifamba

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  • Mngxitama warns 'witches' against criticising MMM

    Black First Land First leader Andile Mngxitama was on Friday kind enough to warn his Facebook followers against talking about specific matters or risk being blocked. Mngxitama took time to write a list of topics followers should not ever talk about on his timelime, and stupidity topped the list. He did not explain much about what he meant by stupidity, but just know that you’re not allowed to be “stupid”. It is okay to agree with him. In fact, it is encouraged to do so. However, of all the things you could disagree with him on, make sure it has nothing to do with former SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng and President Jacob Zuma, even if the president says Africa is the biggest continent. Earlier this

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  • TRAINSPOTTER: How Jacob Zuma channelled Donald Trump in the worst TV interview in history

    I want to go back in time. Not too far, but given that the news cycle is now measured by the nanosecond with a quantum clock, far enough. Like most days in these times of unpleasantness, today the news was not sluggish. Students were on the march, a man died inside the country’s flagship university, mayhem reigned. And yet, I can’t quit cogitating over an interview President Jacob Zuma gave to CCTV, the Chinese state owned broadcaster, just as winter submitted to the pleasures of spring. The interview has lodged itself in my hippocampus like a boulder in a shoe: every time I move my head, it inflicts irreparable brain trauma. The occasion was the G20 summit, mid-September, held in the Chinese

    Daily Maverick q

  • Sars, Treasury divisions escalate

    Johannesburg - Tension between Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and South African Revenue Service chief Tom Moyane blew up in the open again after the National Treasury complained of being sidelined when a top Sars official was suspended. The Treasury said yesterday that despite a meeting with Moyane this week, the Sars commissioner did not mention the suspension of Jonas Makwakwa, who is the head of business and individual taxes. Sars had told Makwakwa he was facing suspension after it was found that he had R1.2 million in his account that he could not explain. This followed an investigation by a banking regulator into his financial transactions between 2010 and this year. The Treasury welcomed

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  • Ntsiki Mazwai takes on Bonang: She likes trashy guys

    Ntsiki took to Twitter on Tuesday to claim that Bonang has a type. Following reports of AKA (who is dating the TV star) being involved in altercations with event organisers and fans recently, Ntsiki took to Twitter to question Bonang's choice of men. Violent men r so humiliating gosh— Daughter Of The Soil (@ntsikimazwai) September 27, 2016She went on to say that if Bonang had an application form for a new man, it would include a question of whether the applicant was violent or not. At the end of it all, Ntsiki urged celebrities to keep their relationships out of the spotlight unless you want it to be scrutinised.

    Times LIVE q

  • uShaka boss faces 21 new charges

    Durban - The State has thrown the book at suspended uShaka Marine World chief executive Shawn Thompson, who was initially charged with two counts of corruption. It has added to his charge sheet 21 more counts of fraud and contravening the Municipal Finance Management Act. Thompson, 47, was arrested in August after an investigation by the police commercial crime unit and is out on bail of R5 000. On Thursday he appeared briefly in the Commercial Crime Court and his attorney, Nasser Ally, was handed the new charge sheet. The State was also ordered to hand over statements from the docket to Ally on Monday. The case was adjourned to next month for a pre-trial conference to be held. According to the

    Independent Online q

  • Loftus win a must to justify Bok coach’s calls

    Cape Town - Kick and chase. One of the most polarising terms in South African rugby, it was used to describe the Bulls’ game plan during their amazing Super Rugby run where they won three titles between 2007 and 2010, even though they scored a truckload of tries. It was also used to illustrate the Springboks’ style during the Jake White reign from 2004 to 2007, when Allister Coetzee was his assistant coach. And while Coetzee’s Stormers team never quite replicated White’s approach, the Cape side also relied heavily on a well-drilled defence and a hard-working pack than breathtaking attacking play by the backline to reach a final and a number of playoffs. That was the Coetzee blueprint, even though

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  • Sam Meyiwa says Kelly 'trapped' Senzo by falling pregnant

    There is certainly no love lost between Kelly Khumalo and Sam Meyiwa — this we know. But things have just taken another nosedive as Sam backtracks from wanting to make peace to insisting that the songbird “trapped” his son. Kelly Khumalo raised eyebrows when she told Anele Mdoda on her show‚ Real Talk‚ that her child with Senzo Meyiwa would not meet his family. “I had to decide for myself‚ I don’t care how you see me‚ or what you expect from me. I’m going to do me‚ the same way I would have done when Senzo was alive. When Senzo was alive I blocked out everything negative about him and focused on loving him‚ so that’s what I did‚” she said during the interview. Sam‚ who has previously lambasted

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  • Nigeria: Release Nnamdi Kanu Now, Soludo Tells Govt

    Abuja — Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has urged the President Muhammadu Buhari's administration to release the leader of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, as a matter of urgency to save the situation. Soludo spoke at the lunch of a book, 'The Politics of Biafra and the Future of Nigeria' written by Hon. Chudi Offodeli, a former member of the House of Representatives. He argued that the continued detention of Kanu will escalate the agitation and also amount disservice to the country. According to Soludo, "the new Biafranism; let me say that wittingly or unwittingly Nigeria has brought the Biafran issue from the periphery into the

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  • Nigeria: Why I Won't Apologise to Soludo

    Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria has described as a joke the demand for an apology by former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Charles Chukwuma Soludo, over his questioning of the management of the country's foreign reserves during his tenure at the apex bank. He again questioned the management of Nigeria's foreign reserves by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, under the leadership of Soludo. Mr. Falana had petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on allegations of diversion of public funds from the Federation Account and the nation's Foreign Reserves. He also accused the CBN under Mr. Soludo of illegally transferring $7 billion to 14 commercial banks in 2006,

    AllAfrica.com q

  • Time for Maine to put up or shut up

    A few weeks ago, the courts sent out an eloquent message that no one, regardless of their social standing, can get away with defaming others. The case, of course, involved Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans’ Association chairperson Kebby Maphatsoe, who was sued by former intelligence minister Ronnie Kasrils. Maphatsoe had his tail firmly between his legs when he did an about-turn and retracted and apologised for defamatory statements he made about Kasrils. Maphatsoe also agreed to pay R500 000 compensation to Kasrils, who he had accused of being “a counter-revolutionary and enemy of the people” and of engineering rape charges against President Jacob Zuma in 2007. It would seem ANC Youth League

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  • Sanral appoints Skhumbuzo Macozoma as its new CEO

    THE South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) on Thursday announced that Skhumbuzo Macozoma, the current head of one of its service providers, will take up the position of Sanral CEO in October. Sanral was confident that Macozoma’s appointment would be welcomed within the engineering, construction and investment community, board chairman Roshan Morar said in a statement. Sanral has been searching for a suitable replacement for CEO Nazir Alli, who has served in the position since the agency was founded in 1998. The Sanral board had extended Alli’s contract four times, the latest extension in June, with an additional three months until the end of 2016. Alli will now retire at the end of September.

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  • Gauteng Premier's Bryanston mansion will be sold

    He hasn't been staying at the Bryanston mansion for two years already‚ despite millions of rands being spent on it during the time of his predecessor‚ now Water Affairs and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokanyane. Makhura‚ speaking in the legislature on Tuesday‚ announced that the executive committee has given the Gauteng infrastructure department a mandate to sell all houses owned by Gauteng Province‚ including the official residence. "We are confident that the decision will save us a lot of money and help raise additional resources‚" the GautengGov ‏@GautengProvince said on Twitter. The money raised would be used to fund the Township Economic Revitalisation programme and bursaries‚ the provincial

    Times LIVE q

  • #FeesMustFall: UJ’s continuing use of violent private security – a dangerous move in dangerous times

    Anele Nzimande was participating in a night sit-in at UJ’s Madibeng building, with around 15 students and more workers. Campus security arrived. They called the Fidelity guards, who told everyone to leave. Nzimande said the protest was peaceful, but UJ security told students they would “die tonight”. “As we were packing up our books, Fidelity guards began assaulting students. I was trying to defend one of the students, Sandile, when I was slapped by Fidelity guards. I was pushed down the stairs and punched in the face. Since that day, Fidelity guards have followed me around campus, waited for me outside my residence room, recorded me on video and taken photographs of me, which I regard as an

    Daily Maverick q

  • China warns Japan not to ‘play with fire’ in S. China Sea

    China on Thursday warned Japan against “playing with fire” in the contested waters of the South China Sea, after Tokyo announced it may patrol alongside the US in the region. China also sent fighter planes for the first time over a strait near Japan on Monday as part of a group of more than 40 jets headed to train in the West Pacific. The move followed remarks by Japanese Defence Minister Tomomi Inada this month that Tokyo would increase its engagement in the South China Sea through joint training with the US Navy, exercises with regional navies and capacity-building assistance to coastal nations. “If Japan wants to conduct any joint patrol or joint exercises in waters administered by China, it is just like playing with fire, and the Chinese military will not sit and watch,” ministry spokesman Yang Yujun told a regular press briefing.

    The Citizen q

  • South Africa: Open Letter to Cyril Ramaphosa

    Former deputy chairman of the SA National AIDS Council (SANAC) and long-time AIDS activist Mark Heywood wrote this plea to Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa. Mark Heywood is an activist and former deputy chairman of SANAC. Dear Deputy President Ramaphosa, I am writing this letter to you in your capacity as the chairperson of the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC), as it reaches a crucial stage in the development of the next National Strategic Plan (NSP) on HIV, TB and STDs. Deputy President, a few days ago I received the following text message from a friend: "Two funerals today of family/friends that died of AIDS. One kept it secret from the family; found CD4 results under mattress of

    AllAfrica.com q

  • SA girl’s invention wins Google grand prize - Western Cape

    Cape Town - A 16-year-old schoolgirl from Joburg has won the grand prize at the Google Science Fair for inventing a cheap way to combat drought using orange peels. Kiara Nirghin, a grade 11 pupil at St Martin’s High School, was inspired by the drought currently gripping South Africa. She designed a super-absorbent substance to retain water in soil so plants can make better use of the little rain they receive. Instead of the expensive synthetic material farmers currently use, Kiara’s design uses orange and avocado peels to trap water. Her submission, called “Fighting Drought with Fruit”, won her $50 000 (R697 000) in scholarship funding at the Google Science Fair awards in California on Tuesday.

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  • ‘Blacks more racist than whites’

    Black South Africans are far more violent and racist towards their white compatriots than vice versa, the FW de Klerk Foundation claimed on Friday. To help address the situation, the foundation, established by its namesake who won a Nobel peace prize alongside Nelson Mandela, said it had appealed to the South African Human Rights Commission to intervene on the issue of racism and hate speech against white South Africans. Its complaint to the commission detailed “45 social media postings that incite extreme violence against white South Africans”. The foundation added: “An analysis of Facebook and Twitter messages shows that by far the most virulent and dangerous racism - expressed in the most

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