Daily news update: Boksburg explosion deaths, Maselspoort Resort assault update and loadshedding stage 4

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Daily news update: 29 December

Boksburg explosion: Death toll now at 26

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that the death toll in the Boksburg explosion that rocked South Africa a day before Christmas has risen to 26. He also confirmed that two people are still missing.

Lesufi was visiting the families affected by the deadly explosion on Wednesday when he announced the unfortunate news.

Speaking to eNCA, Lesufi said that the last 48 hours had been extremely difficult as they started the painful process of visiting the families of those that are deceased and the ones who are still missing on Tuesday.

ALSO READ: PICS: Despair lingers in Boksburg, as more fatalities expected

Maselspoort Resort: Trio arrested for attack on black teens appear in court

Three people have been arrested for the attack on two black teens at the Maselspoort Resort in Bloemfontein during Christmas celebrations.

Police confirmed the trio was nabbed on Wednesday morning after a video surfaced on social media earlier in the week in which the two siblings were seen being pushed, strangled and held underwater by the group.

In the video, a white man can be seen strangling the younger black boy at the resort’s pool.

A group of people then tried to intervene, whereafter another white man pulled the hair of the boy violently.

The teens said the adults claimed the pool was reserved for white people only.

ALSO READ: WATCH: Family’s Christmas marred by alleged racist attack in Free State resort

Loadshedding update: Further breakdowns sees the return of stage 4

Due to the breakdown of four generating units and delays in returning some units to service, Stage 4 loadshedding will be implemented with immediate effect until 05:00 in the morning.

In a short statement issued on Wednesday afternoon, Eskom said stage 3 loadshedding will be implemented from 5am until 4pm.

This comes just a few days after the country enjoyed a loadshedding-free Christmas.

ALSO READ: Eskom comes to the party, no load shedding on Christmas Day

‘Table 1 better be Table Mountain’ – Tweeps react to R1 million Saint table booking fee

Just months after putting their debtors on blast for outstanding bills, Cape Town nightlife spot, Saint Lounge is once again looking to put a dent in its customers’ pockets with its New Year’s Eve celebration prices. 

The establishment caused a stir earlier this week when they shared the price list for booking a table at Saint Lounge for their New Year’s Eve party with the cheapest table going for R10 000 (minimum spend) and the most expensive table having a whopping R1 million price tag on it. 

The R1 million price tag instantly got people talking and raised questions about what you get for a price tag of that nature. 

The Citizen attempted to find out, however, Saint Lounge had not responded at the time of writing. The establishment did, however, confirm that there would be a host on the evening alongside live performances and DJs. Who those acts will be was still a mystery at the time of writing (just three days before New Year’s Eve).

Stormers target perfect finish to the year in home clash against Lions

Despite a brilliant 37-27 bonus point win over the Bulls in Cape Town last week, the job is not done for the Stormers as they now target the perfect finish to the year with a home win over the Lions in their United Rugby Championship (URC) fixture on Saturday.

The match is a significant one for the URC defending champs who will be eager to cement themselves at the top of the SA conference and seal a perfect home record for the year in the process.

Last season it was a surprising 37-19 home loss against the Lions in December that sparked a Stormers revolution which saw them bounce back and power to the title, but they will be hoping for no such upset this time round.

ALSO READ: Brotherly rivalry has to wait after injury scuppers Tshituka v Tshituka clash