Daily news update: Mpho Moerane hospitalised, state capture cases and AfriForum court victory
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Former City of Joburg Mayor Mpho Moerane. Picture: Twitter/@mphomoerane
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Daily news update 11 May
Ex-Joburg mayor Mpho Moerane ‘fighting for his life’ in hospital after car crash
Former Johannesburg mayor Mpho Moerane has been hospitalised following a car accident.
The ANC in the Greater Johannesburg region confirmed the news in a statement on Tuesday.
The regional coordinator Dada Morero said Moerane was “in a critical but stable condition” in hospital.
He said the ANC was saddened by the former mayor’s hospitalisation and wished him a speedy recovery.
“Comrade Mpho Moerane is in a critical but stable condition receiving medical attention in hospital.”
NPA’s Investigating Directorate registers 20 state capture-related prosecutions
The National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Investigating Directorate (ID) has declared 82 investigations and enrolled 20 cases, implicating 65 people from the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.
Officials from the NPA and the State Capture Commission are working together to ensure a seamless transition of the Commission’s work, into criminal cases, asset forfeiture recoveries, or other sanctions that the courts will deem fit.
“Ending impunity for high-level corruption and state capture cases is a priority for the country,” said the NPA in a statement.
‘Fiscal drain’: SAA has cost SA R49 billion, Godongwana tells parliament
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has labelled the South African Airways (SAA) as a fiscal drain, adding the disposal of the government’s shareholding in the airline is justified.
Godongwana and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan briefed parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) on Tuesday on the disposal of the majority of the government’s shareholding in SAA, the Annual Report of SAA and the financial statement.
The finance minister said there was no doubt that SAA had been a fiscal drain.
Advocate Malesela Teffo threatens to sue Minister Bheki Cele and police over his arrest in court
Advocate Malesela Teffo, the lawyer arrested in court during the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, is considering suing Police Minister Bheki Cele and the police.
“What concerns us is the manner, the place, the timing and the way in which advocate Teffo was arrested. He was not supposed to be arrested inside the courtroom; that’s a contempt of court and it deserves a lawsuit that Mr Teffo must institute against the minister of police,” said Teffo’s attorney, Tshepo Timothy Thobane, in a report by News24.
Teffo is the defence advocate representing four of the suspects accused of murdering former Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa in 2014.
Court upholds AfriForum’s Cuba donation interdict
The Northern Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has rejected a leave to appeal application by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) against an interdict obtained by lobby group AfriForum.
The interdict essentially prevents Dirco from donating R50 million to Cuba.
AfriForum defended Judge Neukircher’s original ruling and opposed the application on the grounds that the urgent interdict was granted on a temporary basis pending the outcome of the later review application.
DA places Joburg region under administration over factions, poor election results
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has placed its Johannesburg regional executive committee (REC) under administration for its poor showing at the polls during last year’s local government elections.
In a letter, dated 9 May 2022, seen by The Citizen, the DA’s Gauteng provincial leader Solly Msimanga informed the REC of the decision.
Msimanga said the reason for placing the region under administration was for “significant underperformance” during the municipal polls.
CSA drop all charges against Mark Boucher
Cricket South Africa (CSA) have withdrawn all disciplinary charges, including charges of racism, against Proteas coach Mark Boucher.
They have found there is no basis to sustain any of the charges.
Initial charges were brought against Boucher late last year when the CSA Board received the report from the independent Social Justice and Nation-Building (SJN) Ombudsman, Adv Dumisa Ntsebeza SC.
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