Daily news update: Zuma appeals sentence, ANC postpones NEC meeting and SA’s hijacking hotspots

Click on the links below for the full story or visit our home page for the latest news.

Zuma to ‘address the nation’ ahead of prison stint, says foundation

Former president Jacob Zuma. Picture: AFP

This comes after reports emerged that Zuma intends to appeal his 15-month prison sentence despite the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) this week making it clear that the former president would not be allowed to do so.

Zuma to appeal unappealable prison sentence 

Despite the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) this week making it clear that President Jacob Zuma will not be allowed to appeal his 15-month prison sentence, that appears not to have deterred his legal team, led by advocate Dali Mpofu.

ANC postpones NEC meeting amid uncertainty in Nkandla

Members of the uMkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association outside former president Jacob Zuma’s homestead in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal. Picture: @AdvoBarryRoux/Twitter

The African National Congress (ANC) has postponed its scheduled National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for the weekend amid developments of the situation outside former President Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla homestead in KwaZulu-Natal.

SA’s hijacking hotspots in Gauteng and Cape Town revealed

Picture: iStock

South Africa recorded an increase in hijackings from January to March 2021. While car hijackings increased by 5%, the hijacking of trucks increased by a shocking 25%.

The city of Cape Town this week removed loads of bricks and blocks of concrete from a number of highways across the city, and warned of a spike in hijackings in certain areas.

Khampempe hands over acting chief justice reins to Zondo

Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo at the state capture commission in Braamfontein. Picture: Neil McCartney

“As the chief justice is still on long leave as made known on 6 May 2021 and by application of the relevant legislation, namely Section 4 (2) (b) of the Superior Courts Act, 2013, the deputy chief justice will exercise the powers or perform the functions of the chief justice as the acting chief justice,” judiciary spokesperson Nathi Mncube said in a statement.

Billions worth of bitcoin found as MTI is placed in final liquidation

Bitcoin has been hailed as “the fastest growing way to transfer” billions of dollars in remittances and to prevent millions from being lost to intermediaries. Photo: iStock

Collapsed bitcoin scheme Mirror Trading International (MTI) was placed in final liquidation this week by the Cape High Court.

This comes as liquidators revealed that they had managed to track down roughly 8 000 additional bitcoin, on top of the 1 281 bitcoin recovered from Belize-based broker FX Choice and sold for about R1.1 billion.