News today: Western Cape heavy rains, DA’s Pappas vies for KZN premier, Nicol Drive closure, and more

News today include the DA nominating uMngeni mayor Chris Pappas as the party’s KZN premier candidate, three people missing amid severe weather conditions in the Western Cape and load shedding update.

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News Today: 26 September 2023

‘Humanitarian aid needed’: Three people missing amid heavy rains in Western Cape

Three people have been reported missing following heavy rainfall which has caused widespread damage in the Western Cape.

The downpours came after the South African Weather Service (SAWS) issued a level 9 warning of disruptive rain and gale force winds in the province over the weekend.

The severe weather conditions have since led to the closure of several roads and excessive flooding across large parts of the Western Cape.

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‘We don’t want leaders who are going to lie’: Pappas backed as DA’s KZN premier candidate

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has announced uMngeni mayor Chris Pappas as its premier candidate in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) for the forthcoming 2024 elections.

Pappas, the only DA mayor in the province, addressed a fervent crowd of supporters outside the Durban City Hall on Monday shortly after his nomination.

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Road closures to avoid when William Nicol is renamed on Tuesday

The Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA) has urged motorists to consider alternate routes on Tuesday morning due to road closures and lane reductions at the William Nicol and Sandton Drive intersection.

This comes after Johannesburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda is set to officially rename William Nicol Drive to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Drive.

The JRA said road users can expect closures and delays between 09:30 and 12:00.

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Stage 3 load shedding to continue, but some units expected to return online – Eskom

Eskom has announced stage 3 load shedding will continue to be implemented until Tuesday morning.

In a brief statement, the power utility said load shedding will be reduced to stage 2 from 5am on Tuesday until 4pm.

This will be followed by stage 3 until 5am on Wednesday.

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Rand Water respond to calls for CEO to step down

As taps run dry across Gauteng, water utility Rand Water has slammed calls for its top leadership to step down.

A petition by the Democratic Alliance in the province claimed “it has become increasingly clear CEO Sipho Mosai is completely incapable of the task ahead of him”.

“Under his leadership, the entity’s infrastructure has collapsed and he has not ensured that residents’ water supply is adequately managed. Water is a human right and he has failed on this mandate.”

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SA has two choices: cut back spending or face financial crisis

South Africa has two choices: to cut back on spending or induce a financial crisis. There is no option where spending can somehow increase without putting the solvency of the state at risk.

This dire warning comes from Busi Mavuso, CEO of Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA), who says in her weekly newsletter that the country has little choice but to constrain government spending.

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‘Thank you for having sex to my music’ – Maxwell tells fans at DSTV Delicious Festival

RnB Soul superstar Maxwell headlined the annual DSTV Delicious Festival on Heritage Day, at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, Johannesburg.

The global star serenaded hundreds of fans in attendance with his classic ballads, including Fortunate, Lifetime and Pretty Wings.

Nostalgia permeated Kyalami as loyal fans of the global star sang along and took a soulful trip down memory lane through soundtracks to special moments in their ‘lifetime.’

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Motlhalo says Banyana need to sort out set piece defending

Banyana Banyana midfielder Linda Motlhalo says the team needs to work on defending set-pieces, as they keep on losing games due to that issue.

Banyana lost 2-0 against the US in their second friendly match played at TQL Stadium in Chicago on Sunday.

The South Africans conceded in 18th minute of the match, thanks to Trinity Rodman’s volley.

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‘Every team has a shot’ at World Cup title, says Proteas captain Bavuma

He admits hosts India and defending champions England will be difficult to beat, but Proteas captain Temba Bavuma insists the national team will be wary of all teams competing at the Cricket World Cup.

All sides in the tournament will face each of the other nine teams in a round robin format in the first round, competing for only four available spots in the playoffs.

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