Daily news update: Gungubele on Eskom board, Ethan Sass funeral and Springboks win

Here’s your morning news update: An easy-to-read selection of our top stories. Stay up to date with The Citizen – More News, Your Way.

Daily news update – 20 November

Gungubele says Eskom board ‘really getting deep into issues’ as SA battles load shedding

Minister in Presidency Mondli Gungubele has urged the public to give Eskom’s new board time as the country battles with constant load shedding.

Speaking during a media briefing on Friday, Gungubele said Cabinet continues to engage with the Eskom board in order to address the problems at the power utility.

“There are ongoing concerns in Cabinet, even if there is no specific item, these are issues that are spoken to the chairperson of newly established board, and he told me that they are really getting deep into issues. They hope at some stage, when that time comes, to give us an idea what path is supposed to be followed,” the minister said.

Teen who died after being hit by speeding taxi in Westbury, laid to rest

The community of Westbury gathered at the Everest Primary School, to lay 13-year-old Ethan Tyrone Sass to rest.

The teenager died after spending almost a month in ICU at the Chris Hani Barangwanath Hospital after being hit by a speeding taxi, on Fuel Road, Westbury on 12 October 2022.

He was in an induced coma with a fractured jaw and pelvis, severe brain injuries and punctured lungs until last Tuesday night. He was then moved to the general ward, where he died the following night.

‘Our schools don’t harbour gangsters’: Gauteng Education MEC says dept not losing fight against violence

Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane says the provincial department is not losing the fight against violence in schools following the death of a Grade 11 pupil.

On Thursday, a 20-year-old from Qalabotjha Secondary School in Vlakfontein was stabbed to death

According to the Gauteng Department of Education spokesperson Steve Mabona, the pupil was involved in a suspected gang-related fight, which took place after school.

Samwu wants JRA officials investigated, calls for board to be dissolved amid CEO qualifications saga

The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) has called for more Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) officials to be investigated amid allegations of fake qualifications against CEO Tshepo Mahanuke.

Samwu members held demonstrations outside the agency’s head offices in Johannesburg on Friday.

This comes after Mahanuke was placed on “special leave” with immediate effect this week, pending the outcome of the re-authentication process into his credentials.

Body of four month old found floating in a river

The body of a four-month-old baby was found floating in a river in the iSithebe area on Saturday morning.

iSithebe is a small town in Ilembe District Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, located some two hours driving time north of Durban.

Privately-owned IPSS Medical Rescue Services and South African Police Services responded to reports of a body floating in a river.

Man arrested for threatening Eskom COO Jan Oberholzer

Ailing power utility Eskom has confirmed that a man from eMalahleni in Mpumalanga has been arrested for making a bomb threat against its Chief Operating Officer Jan Oberholzer.

On Friday morning the Hawks and contracted investigators from Bidvest Protea Coin traced and arrested a 27-year-old male suspect n the Vosman area.

In May this year Oberholzer received a bomb threat from an unknown cellphone number.

DA invites Charlize Theron to brainstorm strategy to protect Afrikaans against ANC

South African born actress Charlize Theron is still trending after she expressed her views on her home language Afrikaans on the SmartLesspodcast on Spotify earlier this week, with hosts Sean Hayes, Jason Bateman and Will Arnett.

The actress talked about her childhood and how she only started learning English at the age of 19 when she moved to the United States.

During the interview Theron, who grew up in Benoni on the East Rand of Gauteng said that Afrikaans is a “dying language, that’s it’s not helpful and that only about 44 people still speak it”.

Springbok player ratings from win against Italy

The Springboks scored nine tries and beat Italy 63-21 in their November end-of-year Test in Genoa on Saturday.

The victory came after earlier tour losses against Ireland (19-16) and France (30-26) and following a few challenging days which resulted in SA Rugby’s director Rassie Erasmus being banned for his social media posts.

The Bok send their tour with a match against England at Twickenham next Saturday.