Daily news update: Covid-19 stats, weekend load shedding and EFF quiet on Nkandla’s tea party

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Dark weekend ahead as Eskom implements stage 2 load shedding

Eskom has announced that it will implement stage 2 load shedding from 12pm on Friday until Sunday evening.

This after five generating units at the Medupi Power Station were shut down due the inability to get coal into the units as heavy rains battered Lephalale on Thursday night. The area experienced 65mm of rain.

‘Give Zuma space and time to think’ about ConCourt defiance, says Ramaphosa

Former president of South Africa Jacob Zuma and current president Cyril Ramaphosa are supported by different factions. EPA-EFE/Stringer

President Cyril Ramaphosa has asked for the public at large to afford former president Jacob Zuma some time and space to think carefully about his decision to defy the Constitutional Court’s (ConCourt’s) ruling compelling him to appear before the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.

Ramaphosa made the remarks outside the home of late Rebecca Kotane home on Friday when he was asked to comment on Zuma’s defiance of the ConCourt.

EFF mum on discussions after Malema and Zuma’s tea party ends

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema at the Former President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma’s Homestead in Nkandla, having tea. Picture: Twitter / @EFFSouthAfrica

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has remained quiet on what was discussed during EFF leader Julius Malema and former president Jacob Zuma’s “tea” session.

Malema on Friday landed in Zuma’s Nkandla homestead in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) via helicopter after requesting a meeting with him on social media.

Covid-19 vaccination drive could face a few challenges, Mkhize tells Parliament

Minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize visits Charlotte Maxeke as part of his oversight visit, 19 January 2021. Picture: Nigel Sibanda

Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize says the Department of Health expects the first phase of the country’s vaccination roll-out to take about three months to complete.

This follows the arrival of the first consignment of one million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine on Monday from the Serum Institute of India (SII). The vaccines will be administered to the country’s 1.2 million healthcare workers.

Malema tells Maimane, Habib and Hanekom to stay out of his business

EFF Leader Julius Malema. Picture: Jacques Nelles

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has hilariously hit back at former Wits University vice-chancellor Adam Habib, former tourism minister Derek Hanekom and One SA Movement leader Mmusi Maimane for showing interest in his meeting with former president Jacob Zuma.

The two have dominated headlines this week as they meet in Nkandla on Friday for “tea”.

SAB liquor legal challenge is no longer relevant, says NDZ, as brewer forges ahead

Cooperative Governance Minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. Picture: GCIS

In an affidavit filed in the Western Cape High Court, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma says she doesn’t believe that South African Breweries’ (SAB’s) legal challenge is still relevant.

SAB had approached the court to rule on the constitutionality of the now-lifted ban on the sale of liquor.

Ramaphosa unaware of alleged Hawks probe into Brian Molefe’s Eskom claims

Former Eskom CEO, Brian Molefe at the State Capture Commission, 15 January 2021. Picture: Neil McCartney

The Presidency has confirmed that President Cyril Ramaphosa has not had any contact from law-enforcement agencies over an investigation of fraud, theft and contravention of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) by the Hawks.

This after the Mail & Guardian reported on Friday that Ramaphosa was facing a probe by the Hawks over former Eskom chief executive officer (CEO) Brian Molefe’s testimony in January at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.

SA could face a third and more devastating Covid-19 wave, warns Mkhize

A woman selling clothes along a busy street in Olievenhoutbosch can be seen wearing a mask to prevent contracting Covid-19, 21 August 2020. Picture: Jacques Nelles

Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize has warned that South Africa and the continent could face a possible third wave of Covid-19.

Addressing a dialogue on the impact of the pandemic in Africa on Thursday evening, the minister said the third wave could be more devastating than the first and second waves.

Government meddling in garlic and ginger prices will backfire – economists

Ginger is pictured at a retail outlet, 21 January 2021. Picture: Tracy Lee Stark

After the National Consumer Commission (NCC) announced with big fanfare that it would investigate seven major suppliers of garlic and ginger, economists are questioning if this is a sensible thing to do.

Garlic and ginger are not staple foods, while there are questions about whether government should get involved in food price increases at all.

Mngxitama gushes over Bushiri as BLF is re-registered as political party

Black First Land First (BLF) leader Andile Mngxitama briefs media at BLF Head Office in Johannesburg, 11 November 2018, on why BLF calls for 5 Whites for every 1 Black life and an announcement of steps to be taken to ensure self defence. Picture: Nigel Sibanda

Black First Land First (BLF) leader Andile Mngxitama says his party will be going to Malawi to personally thank the Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) church leader Shepherd Bushiri and to stand in solidarity with him.

This after announcing the party had been re-registered at the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) on Friday.

Investigators reveal Prasa chair Leonard Ramatlakane got his facts wrong

Prasa headquarters. Image: Moneyweb

The chair of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) board, Leonard Ramatlakane, has tried to use a discredited document to explain the sacking of corruption fighter Martha Ngoye at the weekend.

Ngoye was the head of the legal team at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) and had helped save the company billions of rands from looters. She was fired over the weekend.

Rigged processes, political pressure led to awarding of dodgy PPE tenders, SIU finds

SIU head advocate Andy Mothibi briefed the media on Friday on 5 February 2021, on the unit’s finalised investigations into the procurement of PPE and other goods by state institutions. Picture: @RSASIU/Twitter

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has found evidence of political pressure in the awarding of personal protective equipment (PPE) contracts by some state institutions.

This was revealed by SIU head, advocate Andy Mothibi, during a media briefing on Friday on the unit’s finalised investigations into the procurement of PPE and other goods by state institutions last year.

Bonginkosi Madikizela accused of lying about Western Cape inner city housing developments

Democratic Alliance (DA) Western Cape provincial leader Bonginkosi Madikizela. Picture: Gallo Images / Netwerk24 / Jaco Marais

The housing drama in the Western Cape has heated up with Good Party secretary-general Brett Herron accusing the provincial government of lying about inner city housing developments in Cape Town.

According to Herron, he received a parliamentary reply from Human Settlements MEC Tertuis Simmers, who said that no state properties had been transferred to his department.

Lily Mine families speak of 650 days of police harassment, death threats

The entrance to Lily Mine, shortly after the sinkhole tragedy occurred.

Families of the deceased miners that are still trapped underground at Lily Mine have braved severe harassment in the last 650 days of camping outside the shaft as they hopelessly wait for their relatives to be retrieved.

In the afternoon 5 February 2016 just outside Barberton in Mpumalanga, Lily Mine reported that about 90 of its workers were trapped 60 metres below the surface in a sinkhole after a tremor sank a lamp container.

‘There was no trust’: Apartheid ghosts stalk SA’s vaccine fears

South Africa received its first batch of one million doses of Covid-19 vaccine from India on Monday. Picture: GCIS

At the very mention of the word “vaccine”, 82-year-old Josefine Hlomuka vehemently shook her head, her face clouding with worry as she gazed at the storm bearing down on her home in the Johannesburg township of Soweto.

“We don’t trust,” whispered the former peanut seller, haunted by the four decades she spent under apartheid.

White-minority rule was swept away a generation ago but faith in South Africa’s government today, its reputation undermined by corruption and incompetence, is poor.

How Lerato Sengadi and HHP’s family ended up at the ConCourt

Lerato Sengadi | Image” Instagram

As the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) hears the latest in the ongoing battle between Lerato Sengadi – disputed wife of the late Jabulani “HHP” Tsambo – and his family, represented by his father, Robert Tsambo, we take a look back at how they found themselves at this point.

Robert is looking to challenge what he calls problematic “uncertainties, unfairness, grey areas, ambiguities and guesswork” about customary marriages in South African law.

‘Energised’ Nortje confident Proteas’ batsmen will come good on day three

South Africa’s Dean Elgar (L) plays a shot during the second day of the second Test cricket match between Pakistan and South Africa at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on February 5, 2021. (Photo by Aamir QURESHI / AFP)

Proteas fast bowler Anrich Nortje hails from Uitenhage, the centre of automotive industria in the Eastern Cape and if there were two characteristics to his superb bowling on the second day of the second Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi on Friday, they were that he certainly had wheels and how industrious he was in delivering 24-and-a-half overs and taking five for 56.

Nortje cranked up the pace on Friday, but his aggression was wonderfully controlled as he spearheaded a fine day in the field for South Africa as they took Pakistan’s last seven wickets for just 127 runs to bowl them out for 272.

Al Ahly to play for fun against Bayern, says coach Pitso Mosimane

Al Ahly’s head coach Pitso Mosimane EPA-EFE/KHALED ELFIQI

Al Ahly head coach Pitso Mosimane insists that his side will play for ‘fun’ against Bayern Munich in the Club World Cup.

The Red Devils are set to meet The Bavarians in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup on Monday after beating hosts Qatar’s Al Duhail 1-0 in the quarterfinals on Thursday night. The game is set to take place at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan on Monday.

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