Daily news update: Stage 2 water restrictions, Makhura resigns and Afriforum vs Malema

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Daily news update: 5 October

Rand Water implements stage 2 water restrictions in Joburg

Johannesburg Water has implemented Rand Water’s stage 2 water restrictions across the City.

According to a statement issued by the water utility on Tuesday, due to increased water demand, the capacity of Rand Water storage has decreased from 52% to 38%.

“The bulk supplier will restrict high demand customer meters in various parts of the City of Johannesburg. The outcome is to reduce the current high consumption and restore capacity levels back to 60%.”

Rand Water will implement stage 2 water restrictions on their Eikenhof, Zwartkopjes and Palmiet pump stations, which supply the following Johannesburg Water infrastructure (reservoirs and towers

David Makhura resigns as Gauteng premier

David Makhura has resigned from the position of the Premier of Gauteng and a member of Gauteng Provincial Legislature, effective from 6 October 2022.

In a statement, Makhura said he handed in the letter to Gauteng legislature speaker Ntombi Mekgwe on Tuesday.

Makhura is expected to hand over the reigns to newly elected Gauteng chairperson Panyaza Lesufi on Thursday, when members of the provincial legislature will sit to elect a new premier.

Earlier this year, Makhura informed the ANC at the Cadres Assembly attended by branch chairs and secretaries of his intentions to not stand for a leadership position of the ANC in Gauteng, after serving the province for 22 years.

He was elected the 6th Premier of Gauteng in May 2014, and re-elected in May 2019.

Phalatse goes to court to overturn her ousting as Joburg mayor

The former executive mayor of the City of Johannesburg Mpho Phalatse has announced that she has filed papers in the Gauteng high court in Johannesburg, to have last week’s special council meeting of the City of Johannesburg declared unlawful.

Phalatse was booted out as the mayor of Johannesburg last week, during the special sitting.

The sitting was convened by newly-elected Speaker Colleen Makhubele after 139 councillors voted for Phalatse to be removed.

ALSO READ: New Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero apologises and promises to fix mistakes

The African National Congress’s (ANC) Sello Enoch Dada Morero was elected unopposed as the new mayor.

Phalatse said the Democratic Alliance (DA) is challenging the special meeting in court.

AfriForum granted leave to appeal application in ‘Kill the Boer’ case

The Equality Court in Johannesburg has granted AfriForum’s leave to appeal application against the “Kill the Boer” ruling in favour of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).

Judge Edwin Molahlehi, in his judgment handed down on Tuesday morning, said he was satisfied that the lobby group had made out a case that there were reasonable prospects of success on appeal at the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in Bloemfontein.

“Applying the test for leave to appeal as envisaged in section 17 of the Superior Court Act, I am satisfied that the applicant has made out a case that there are reasonable prospects of success on appeal. 

“This matter, in my view, has elements of public interest and thus leave to appeal deserves to be granted to the Supreme Court of Appeal,” Judge Molahlehi said in his ruling.

[UPDATE] Seven suspected illegal mining kingpins arrested in the West Rand

The Hawks have arrested seven people alleged to be illegal mining kingpins in the West Rand in Gauteng.

The suspects were nabbed in Carletonville and Khutsong township during an operation that began in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said the raids on the residences of alleged illegal mining kingpins were being conducted in collaboration with the Department of Home Affairs and other stakeholders.

ALSO READ: Specialised unit ‘a solution’ to deal with illegal mining

Mogale confirmed that two other people were taken in for questioning.

“The two people are people of interest and we took them in for questioning… For now, it’s seven suspects who are in custody,” she told eNCA at one of the scenes in Carletonville.

Teen arrested for allegedly abducting newborn from hospital

What should have been a day filled with joy was instead fraught with fear after a newborn baby was kidnapped from the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital last week.

Soweto Urban reports that after a woman had given birth to a baby girl by caesarean section on 30 September, the newborn was taken to the hospital’s nursery.

When the mother asked to see the baby, nurses at the hospital quickly realised the infant was missing.

ALSO READ: WATCH: Attempted kidnapping or plain stupidity? Mom accuses SPAR employee of snatching her baby

Diepkloof SAPS spokesperson Captain Phephi Matlou told the publication that the mother of the baby then received a phone call, telling her the child was in Finetown, near Ennerdale.

“The hospital alerted the police from Ennerdale and the child was found in a house in Finetown.”

Miss Supranational 2021 second runner-up, Thato Mosehle ties the knot

Miss Supranational second runner-up 2021, Thato Thelma Mosehle is officially off the market after she tied the knot with her husband, Frans Maruma over the weekend.

The newly wed, on Instagram, shared her nuptials with friends and family in a series of wedding posts. The Maruma’s initially had their traditional wedding celebration on 24 September, followed by a white wedding over the past weekend.

Thato captioned the post: “This was the best day ever. Thank you so much to everyone who came and made it so special”.

Thato and Frans were together for over three years before their engagement in November 2021.  

Chiefs set to make move for Stellenbosch midfielder

Sibongiseni Mthethwa has been identified by Kaizer Chiefs as one of the players the club will go for in the next transfer window.

ALSO READ: Ncikazi calls for winning Pirates mentality

The Stellenbosch FC midfielder has been doing well for the past eight months, since his return to the top flight. He spent the first part of last season in the Motsepe Foundation Championship with Black Leopards.

But since Stellies bought him, he has been a regular starter and was recently called into the Bafana Bafana side.

“He was one of the players Chiefs were looking at but they wanted to give him more time with Stellies to see if he is the real deal,” said a source.

“I think his showing for Bafana sealed the deal for him and Chiefs will definitely go for him in January. “I hear they might even offer one of their central midfielders to sweeten the deal which should not be too difficult as the two teams have a good relationship when it comes to transfers.

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