Daily news update: SA’s mourns Jessie Duarte’s passing, mass shootings, more Phala Phala farmgate revelations

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Daily news update – 18 July

Jessie Duarte was a faithful, dedicated and fiercely loyal leader of the ANC – Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa has described the late African National Congress (ANC) deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte as a faithful, dedicated and fiercely loyal leader of the ANC. 

ALSO READ: ANC deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte dies age 68

Ramaphosa on Sunday afternoon delivered the eulogy at Duarte’s funeral service at Westpark Cemetery in Johannesburg.

The president said the ANC struggle stalwart “served the people of South Africa with dedication, with humility and with a passion that is all too rare.”

Duarte, the longest serving member of the ANC’s top six national leadership, passed away in the early hours of Sunday morning after a long battle with cancer. She was 68.

Jessie Duarte’s daughter’s emotional letter reveals cancer struggle

The late ANC deputy secretary general, Jessie Duarte, always put the needs of others first even though she was experiencing the most unimaginable pain from her battle with cancer, according to her family.

Her brother Zane Dangor delivered a tribute on behalf of the Duarte family at her funeral service on Sunday afternoon.

READ MORE: South Africa left ’empty and ‘poorer’ without stalwart Jessie Duarte

Dangor said the ANC struggle stalwart shielded her family from witnessing her pain because she knew it would cause them a lot of distress.

“This selfless nature of embracing the other was part of Jessie’s DNA. Learning from her mom Julie, she sacrificed her own comfort and well-being to take care of others,” he said.

Another mass shooting: Four shot dead in Lenasia

South Africans woke up to the news of another mass shooting on Sunday as police confirmed four people were killed in Lenasia. 

Gauteng Police Commissioner Elias Mawela confirmed that two more were wounded in the shooting at Thembelihle informal settlement, Lenasia.

From preliminary investigations, the victims were shot dead whilst sitting around a fire.

“Two died in a corner, another person died by the street, the fourth body we are told is in another block. We don’t know how it happened, whether that person was part of this group,” Mawela said.

Mass shooting: Five people gunned down in Khayelitsha on Saturday night

Meanwhile, police were also investigating another mass shooting, this time a quintuple murder. Five men were gunned down in Khayelitsha on Saturday.

At approximately 8:30pm, the men – aged 34, 36 and 50 – were shot at and killed on the corner of Nyebelele and Ntango Streets in Site C.

Colonel Andrê Traut said the suspects were still at large and the motive of the attack was unclear at this stage.

Phala Phala farmgate: Fannie Masemola’s clandestine use of police resources

The latest individual to come under fire for the Phala Phala farmgate saga is none other than National police commissioner General Fannie Masemola.

As reported by City Press, Masemola allegedly authorised the use of police resources and spent thousands of rand to find the suspects.

The paper reported that the claims came to light after classified reports were allegedly leaked in a ‘security breach’ with the SA Police Service (SAPS) crime intelligence unit.

Elon Musk asks to delay start of Twitter court battle

Tesla chief Elon Musk asked a Delaware court Friday to reject a bid by Twitter to put their $44 billion merger lawsuit on trial in September, instead asking to push it back until next year.

In a court document cited by US media, Musk’s lawyers accused Twitter’s board of directors of wanting to expedite the case. 

Twitter on Tuesday sued Musk for breaching the contract he signed to buy the tech firm, calling his exit strategy “a model of hypocrisy.”

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