Daily news update: SA looting destruction in numbers and Zuma to hear fate today

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

Zuma’s fight to postpone arms deal trial rolls over to Tuesday

The Pietermaritzburg High Court will deliver its judgment on Tuesday relating to former president Jacob Zuma’s postponement application for his arms deal corruption trial.

The matter has been adjourned, with proceedings expected to continue at 10am.

The corruption trial, which involves Zuma and French arms firm company, Thales, resumed virtually on Monday.

Zuma has no proof to back conspiracy theories against NPA’s Downer, court told

The High Court in Pietermaritzburg has resumed proceedings in corruption trial involving former president Jacob Zuma and the Thales Group.

The corruption trial was back in the court virtually on Monday.

Following a 30-minute adjournment, the court is currently hearing Advocate Thabani Masuku’s reply to Advocate Wim Trengove’s argument.

Masuku is part of Zuma’s legal team in the proceedings alongside Advocate Dali Mpofu.

SA Unrest: Talk of a coup just ‘cheap tavern gossip’, says ANC NEC member

Former ANC MP Tony Yengeni has poured cold water over President Cyril Ramaphosa’s assertion that the recent violence seen in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal was part of a failed insurrection/coup.

Yengeni, a convicted arms deal fraudster and member of the ruling party’s highest decision-making body – its national executive committee (NEC) – was responding to a tweet by Jacob G Zuma Foundation spokesperson, Mzwanele Manyi.

Yengeni said he “fully agreed” with Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and State Security Minister Ayanda Dlodlo.

Weather: Two cold fronts, snow and disruptive rainfall this week

The South African Weather Services (Saws) has warned of snow and not one but two cold fronts – over the Western Cape and Northern Cape provinces. One cold front made landfall on Monday afternoon, with the second to follow on Wednesday.

As the cold fronts get ready to move northwards, Saws has warned of cold-to-very-cold conditions from midweek into the weekend, across large parts of the country.

Mosimane: I have won eight trophies but nobody cares

Pitso Mosimane feels he has every right to be recognised beyond African borders and have his name mentioned along global heavyweights such as his favourites Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti, just to name a few.

ALSO READ: It’s ended in tears as Ahly thrash Chiefs in Champions League final

“At the Fifa awards in the Ballon d’Or and the Coach of the Year categories, we don’t feature… it is only the Europeans who feature. I have won eight trophies but nobody cares (because) I am not a coach of Liverpool but the history stays.” Those are the sentiments of Mosimane, who believes he deserves more recognition for his work.

Scale of SA looting destruction: the numbers are huge

It is not yet clear just how extensive the destruction of particularly retail and warehouse property and the looting of stock in the unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng was.

On Friday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa referenced “preliminary reports compiled by NatJoints [the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure]” which said “extensive damage has been caused to 161 malls and shopping centres, 11 warehouses, 8 factories and 161 liquor outlets and distributors”.

13 cops killed in ambush by stock thieves

Thirteen policemen were killed in an ambush by cattle thieves in northwest Nigeria’s Zamfara state, in the latest spate of violence in the region, police said late on Sunday.

A police unit was ambushed in Kurara Mota village in Bungudu district while “responding to a distress call” from residents of nearby villages about an impending attack by bandits, local police spokesman Mohammed Shehu said.