Daily news update: ANC takes action against Dlamini-Zuma; Gordhan defends De Ruyter; case of disgruntled ANC members dismissed

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Daily news update – 16 December

ANC top six starts disciplinary process against Dlamini-Zuma

The ANC top six has instituted a disciplinary process against Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

This, after Dlamini-Zuma defied a directive from the ANC national executive committee (NEC) for all ANC MPs to vote against a report by an independent panel recommending that Parliament should consider instituting impeachment processes against President Cyril Ramaphosa.

In a letter dated December 14, ANC Acting secretary general, Paul Mashatile, told Dlamini-Zuma that the “ANC officials” resolved that she should face internal charges after they had received a report from ANC Parliamentary chief whip, Pemmy Majodina.

Gordhan: Mantashe’s comments about Eskom and De Ruyter ‘unhelpful’

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan came out in defence of outgoing Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter and emphatically denied there are attempts to overthrow the state with load shedding.

Gordhan described Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe’s comments relating to De Ruyter as unhelpful at a time the country was frustrated by load shedding.

Mantashe had just last week accused Eskom of actively plotting to overthrow the state by not dealing with load shedding and likened De Ruyter’s swooping in on coal theft syndicates as “policing” rather than dealing with generation capacity.

NEC nomination list: Court dismisses case of disgruntled ANC members

The High Court in Johannesburg has dismissed an application by some ANC members to have the party’s NEC nominations list declared invalid and set aside.

The application was dismissed with costs.

Judge Shanaaz Mia on Friday found that the matter is not urgent.

Man in Mercedes-Benz riddled with bullets on Durban highway

A man has been killed in a drive by shooting on the N3 near the Sherwood area in Durban.

Emergency services, Emer-G-Med paramedics, together with ALS paramedics responded to the scene of the shooting incident and found a Mercedes Benz peppered with high calibre bullet holes.

“The driver and only occupant of the vehicle, a male believed to be approximately 40 years of age, was found to have sustained fatal injuries and was declared dead on arrival of paramedics.”

WATCH: Child apologises after caught driving father’s car

A six-year-old boy has apologised for “stealing” his father’s car and driving it to visit his friend in Roshnee, near Vereeniging.

In a video, which was widely circulated on social media platforms, the child, initially reported to be eight years old, known as Ali, can be seen behind the wheel of an upmarket SUV while speaking to some adults gathered on the pavement.

In a video sent to The Citizen, Ali has apologised for his actions, after Gauteng traffic police said they were investigating the circumstances behind the viral video.

SA gold mine claims its solar plant has Eskom’s approval to connect to the grid

A South African gold mine in Mpumalanga, Pan African Resources, says it is the first embedded project higher than 1MW to receive full grid code compliance from Eskom.

The company built the 10MW Elikhulu solar photovoltaic (PV) plant at its Evander mine in Mpumalanga.

The connection to the grid comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2021 approved the raising of the licensing threshold for renewable energy projects from 1MW to 100MW.