Top 10 stories of the day: Court denies Stilfontein miners’ aid | Crime stats | Breyten Breytenbach dies at 85
Here’s your daily news update: An easy-to-read selection of our top stories.
Photo: iStock/The Citizen/Cheryl Kahla
News today includes the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has dismissed an application to seek final relief for the illegal miners still underground at Stilfontein, North West.
Meanwhile, the crime statistics for the second quarter of the 2024/25 financial year painted a positive picture, with all of the country’s serious crimes showing quarter-on-quarter decrease.
Furthermore, South African writer and poet Breyten Breytenbach died in Paris over the weekend, his family confirmed.
News Today: 21 November 2024
South Africans should expect warm to hot weather as a heatwave settles in on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The latest weather forecast also warns of severe thunderstorms, damaging winds and damaging waves in various regions.– full weather forecast here.
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Court dismisses organisation’s application for relief of Stilfontein illegal miners
The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has dismissed an application to seek final relief for the illegal miners still underground at Stilfontein, North West.
Civil organisation, the Society for the Protection of our Constitution, approached the court in a bid to force government departments, including the South African Police Service (Saps), to provide necessary emergency disaster relief to the illegal miners, such as food, water, medical supplies, blankets and, if needed, medical relief.
The application also compelled the government departments to extract the zama-zamas that are alleged to be trapped underground.
CONTINUE READING: Court dismisses organisation’s application for relief of Stilfontein illegal miners
R2m to eat with Jacob Zuma – A look at the MK party’s gala dinner prices
How much would you be willing to pay to eat at the same table as former president Jacob Zuma?
The umKhonto weSizwe (MK) party revealed on Monday afternoon the prices for table packages at their first anniversary celebrations.
The table Zuma will be seated at, the ‘Platnum Spear Table’, will cost a whopping R2 million.
CONTINUE READING: R2m to eat with Jacob Zuma – A look at the MK party’s gala dinner prices
Crime stats: Murder rate down but more than 50 000 sexual offences in last 12 months
Minster of Police Senzo Mchunu released the crime statistics for the second quarter of the 2024/25 financial year.
The presentation painted a positive picture, with all of the country’s serious crimes showing quarter-on-quarter decrease.
However, police still recorded a total of 160 935 serious crimes.
CONTINUE READING: Crime stats: Murder rate down but more than 50 000 sexual offences in last 12 months
WATCH: This bridge in Pretoria North is not collapsing, says mayor
Amid rising concerns of collapsing infrastructure in the country due to vandalism, lack of maintenance and extreme weather, among other reasons, another bridge in Pretoria has left residents worried.
Speculation was rife on Sunday after a video showing cuts at the bottom of the bridge piles, with some reports falsely claiming they had been vandalised by “illegal foreigners who are spiking cars, who have now switched their focus to destroying infrastructure”.
However, according to Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya, the President Styen Street Bridge in Pretoria North is not collapsing.
CONTINUE READING: WATCH: This bridge in Pretoria North is not collapsing, says mayor
Afrikaans anti-apartheid writer and poet Breyten Breytenbach dies at 85
South African writer and poet Breyten Breytenbach died in Paris over the weekend, his family confirmed.
“He passed away peacefully in Paris (France) at the age of 85 – with his wife Yolande by his side,” Breytenbach’s family averred in a statement.
The family statement described him as a celebrated South African wordsmith whose work “profoundly shaped literature and the arts, both locally and abroad.”
CONTINUE READING: Afrikaans anti-apartheid writer and poet Breyten Breytenbach dies at 85
Here are five more stories of the day:
- Food poisoning: Gauteng Education MEC dismisses allegations that school nutrition programme to blame
- ‘They can go to hell’: Malema looks over his shoulder as some allies allegedly ‘betray’ him
- ‘No compromise’ – All foreigners must prove R5 million investment to register spaza shop
- Zuma aims to unite black people and take over ANC and EFF [VIDEO]
- Matric finals: Basic Education department distances itself from exam paper error
Yesterday’s News recap
READ HERE: Zuma appoints convicted fraudster Joe Ndhlela and Malema says ‘EFF infiltrated by double agents
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