Daily news update: Mashaba guns for Malema, Operation Dudula leader arrested and Brackenfell High cleared of racism

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Daily news update 25 March 

ActionSA ponders dragging Malema to court for ‘encouraging’ illegal immigration in SA

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba says his party is considering instituting a high court review of parliament’s decision to acquit EFF leader Julius Malema for remarks he made last year, allegedly encouraging illegal immigration in South Africa.

The matter relates to remarks Malema made at a press conference on 14 January 2021, in which he condemned government for closing borders to Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries as part of its response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Malema said at the time: “So let the borders be open and if the gates are not for SADC, fellow SADC people please find a creative way. This is your home, your families are here. There is no way anyone is going to close you out here.”

Operation Dudula leader Nhlanhla ‘Lux’ Dlamini has been arrested

Operation Dudula leader Nhlanhla ‘Lux’ Dlamini has been arrested.

According to Operation Dudula deputy chair Dan Radebe, Dlamini was arrested just after his interview with KayaFM on Thursday afternoon.

Operation Dudula’s national secretary-general Zandile Dabula confirmed to PowerFM that Dlamini will appear at the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court on Friday morning.

This after a case of breaking and entering was opened at the Dobsonville Police Station on Wednesday.

To postpone Ramaphosa’s motion of no confidence? MPs undecided

The decision by the African Transformation Movement (ATM) to approach the courts seeking an order compelling Parliament to hold a secret ballot in their motion of no confidence in President Cyril Ramaphosa, has divided MPs on how to proceed with next week’s vote in the National Assembly.

Parliamentarians are set to vote on Wednesday on two motions of no confidence tabled by ATM on Ramaphosa’s leadership of the country, and the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) motion against his Cabinet.

SAHRC clears Brackenfell High of racism claims over ‘whites-only’ matric dance

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has cleared Brackenfell High School in Cape Town of racism allegations after a group of matric pupils in 2020 held a private farewell, which allegedly excluded black pupils.

The SAHRC on Thursday announced that it had concluded its investigation into racism allegations surrounding the event.

The commission found that the school did not host a “whites-only matric ball” and therefore did not discriminate – whether directly or indirectly, fairly or unfairly – against grade 12 pupils on the ground of race.

More people working, but more pressure on salaries coming

More people were working in February, but more pressure on their salaries is coming with the war in Ukraine impacting major commodity prices that will lead to higher prices and of course higher inflation.

The monthly BankservAfrica Take-home Pay Index (BTPI) indicates that recovery from the massive Covid-19 pandemic shock continues as the share of payments to casual and weekly workers continued to climb in February 2022.

The BTPI measures the average South African salary and revealed double-digit growth year-on-year for the number of salaries paid to casual and weekly workers, but this also contributed to a decrease in the average salary.

It would take 115 years to tar Limpopo’s roads, says Road Agency

“Rough estimates show that the Road Agency of Limpopo (RAL) needs R138 billion to upgrade all gravel roads in the province … At the current funding level for road upgrades, it will take approximately 115 years to clear the current backlog.” So says the Road Agency of Limpopo in its March 2021 Performance Plan.

However, RAL, the provincial state-owned agency tasked with the planning, designing, construction, management, controlling and maintenance of provincial roads, says it has prioritised for tarring 3,793km of the province’s 13,828km of gravel road. This is 27% of the province’s gravel roads and will cost R37 billion.

But the road upgrade budget for the 2022/23 and 2023/2024 is only R1.27 billion.

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