Daily news update: Cele vs Sitole, NPA in Parliament and Milnerton High ‘racism’

Here is your daily news update. Click on the links below for the full story or visit our home page for the latest news.

EFF dismisses Cele’s removal ‘plot’ accusation as ‘gossip’

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has refuted claims that national police commissioner Khehla Sitole colluded with its leader Julius Malema to have Police Minister Bheki Cele fired.

This is after Cele made the scathing accusations during the State of the Nation Address (Sona) debate on Monday.

But EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu on Tuesday dismissed the claims as just “gossip and childish accusations” from Cele.

“We are not going to entertain the childish accusations that were made against the commander in chief about the plot to remove a certain minister,” Shivambu said during day two of the Sona debate.

‘Wheels of justice are moving,’ assures NPA head Shamila Batohi

After a slow start, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) was poised to prosecute more of the damaging crimes in the public and private sector, NPA head Shamila Batohi told MPs on Tuesday.

The prosecuting authority presented an update on the cases referred to it by the SIU to the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa).

Batohi said although there was still more work to be done, recent court cases on corruption in the private sector showed there was progress three years after she took office.

‘Racist’ incident at Milnerton High School ‘taken out of context’, says principal

A fight over a bench that reportedly turned into a racist incident at Milnerton High School in the Western Cape has been taken out of context, the school’s principal says. 

In what Paul Besener describes as one of the “most diverse” schools in the country, with “37 home languages”, he recalled what took place to The Citizen, saying the incident was far from racist. 

Besener said the fight over a bench involved two “mixed” groups. One black pupil allegedly beat a white pupil up, who “never responded” to the alleged beating. 

Wishes and predictions for Godongwana’s first budget speech

Wishes and predictions for finance minister Enoch Godongwana’s first budget speech next Wednesday include announcements on the basic income grant, state-owned entities, personal income tax, Sars, value-added tax, environmental tax and the all-time thorn in consumers’ side, fuel levies.

Smokers and drinkers will also wait anxiously for the announcement of the so-called sin taxes on tobacco and alcohol, which will this year also include tax on vaping products. Professional services firm PwC shared its wishes and predictions earlier on Tuesday.

Royal family SUVs: DA accuses Zikalala of lying about cost

KwaZulu-Natal premier, Sihle Zikalala misled the public about the money spent on vehicles for the Zulu royal queens last year, according to the Democratic Alliance (DA).

In December last year, the provincial government delivered six new SUVs to the royal family in Ulundi.

Zikalala said the purchase was part of an agreement that the late king Goodwill Zwelithini had with his government.

Police officer who killed Tembisa Hospital nurse is awake, Ipid confirms

The police officer who shot and killed his girlfriend at Tembisa Hospital before turning a gun on himself is now awake, but is still in critical condition.

This was confirmed by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) spokesperson, Grace Langa on Tuesday.

She said that the 31-year-old officer was still under police guard despite his condition.

Minnie Dlamini announces divorce from Quinton Jones

The Jones’s fairy tale marriage has come to what seems like an abrupt halt on Tuesday afternoon. Actress and model Minnie Dlamini shattered South Africans’ hearts when she announced in an official statement that she and her husband, television producer Quinton Jones, have filed for divorce.

The couple met in 2010 while working at Urban Brew Studios where they became good friends. They didn’t start dating immediately as the were never single at the same time.