Daily news update: Load shedding, hostage situation in Bloemfontein, and Cliff to be reported to SAHRC

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Load shedding here to stay: Years later, Eskom still needs ‘time and money’

Eskom on Monday shared an update on the power utility’s operational performance. Unfortunately, load shedding is here to stay.

Load shedding was implemented over the weekend, and scheduled power outages will continue into Tuesday while additional unplanned outages have been reported.

Eskom’s generation business – under the helm of Eskom’s chief operating officer (COO) Jan Oberholzer – remains a concern, “mainly due to its age and a legacy of poor maintenance”.

Five employees freed after being held hostage at Bloemfontein mall

Five employees have been rescued after being held hostage for an hour at Twin City Mall in Bloemfontein on Monday.

Though police spokesperson Brigadier Motantsi Makhele only identified the exact location of the incident as an “insurance company”, social media users claim it occurred at Old Mutual.

Gareth Cliff to be reported to SAHRC over ‘racist incident’

After losing his sponsorship with Nando’s, problems are piling up for under-fire radio personality Gareth Cliff.

This comes as non-profit organisation (NPO), South African Natives Forum, prepares to file a complaint with the South African Human Rights Council (SAHRC) against Cliff.

The matter relates to an incident where Cliff recently told One South Africa Movement member and social activist Mudzuli Rakhivhane that her experience of racism as “completely anecdotal and unimportant.”

The incident took place on Cliff’s show, The Burning Platform, with Rakhivhane and Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen this past Thursday.

UPDATE: Murder trial of Senzo Meyiwa’s alleged killers to begin in April 2022

The murder trial of five men accused of killing football star Senzo Meyiwa is expected to start on 11 April 2022.

The accused on Monday made a brief appearance at the Johannesburg High Court sitting at the Palm Ridge Magistrates Court. Their case will now be heard at the Pretoria High Court.

Mthobisi Mncube (the alleged shooter), Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthokoziseni Ziphozonke Maphisa and Sifokuhle Sifiso Ntuli will remain incarcerated until the start of the trial.

King Dalindyebo urges subjects to vote for EFF to ‘teach the ANC a lesson’

AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo has called on his subjects to vote for the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) during this year’s local government elections in order to “teach the ANC a lesson”.

Dalindyebo on Sunday joined EFF leader Julius Malema at the party’s campaign rally in Mthatha, where he endorsed the Red Berets as his preferred party ahead of the 1 November polls.

The king, who is no stranger to controversy, previously called on the AbaThembu people to vote for the DA before the 2016 municipal elections after falling out with the governing ANC.

City of Joburg backtracks on load shedding stance as DA slams mayor’s ‘election lies’

The City of Johannesburg has backtracked on its stance that it won’t implement load shedding for its residents.

This is after the city on Saturday evening rejected Eskom’s scheduled stage 2 load shedding.

The metropolitan municipality argued that it is qualified to be exempted from stage 1 and 2 load shedding as it has secured additional power supply capacity from Kelvin Power Station in Kempton Park.

The city said it had written a letter to Eskom to notify it of the added capacity.

Analogue TVs going offline – Apply for a decoder before the deadline

As South Africa continues to prepare to migrate to digital broadcasting by 31 March 2022, the South African Post Office has called on qualifying households to apply for their free set-top boxes ahead of the deadline.

Homes that apply before 1 November, will receive a decoder before the analogue television signal is switched off. 

“Those who apply after 1 November 2021 will only receive a decoder later,” the SAPO said in a statement on Thursday.