Top 10 stories of the day: Motshekga denies troops protect elites | Rea Vaya suspends services | Petrol and diesel hike

News today includes minister of Defence Angie Motshekga has denied that the South African government sent troops into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to protect the interests of influential business people linked to President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Meanwhile, Rea Vaya has urged passengers to make alternative transport arrangements after suspending its services on Tuesday morning.

Furthermore, Janu-worry pain is set to continue for millions of motorists and commuters following the Department of Petroleum and Mineral Resources’ announcement of an increase of 82 cents per litre for both grades of unleaded petrol, and between R1.01 and R1.05 per litre for diesel.

Weather tomorrow: 5 February 2025

The weather service has issued warnings for severe thunderstorms, heavy rain, strong winds and extreme heat on Wednesday. – full weather forecast here.

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MPs told that poor training not to blame for South African soldiers dying in DRC

Minister of Defence Angie Motshekga has denied that the South African government sent troops into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to protect the interests of influential business people linked to President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Motshekga appeared in front of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans on Tuesday.

There are allegations that the war in the DRC was influenced by capitalist interests involving mineral resources.

CONTINUE READING: MPs told that poor training not to blame for South African soldiers dying in DRC

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Progress but still no water to these 86 Joburg areas after 4-day outage

A major water outage affecting 86 Johannesburg areas has extended beyond its initial Monday completion deadline as repairs continue at the Hector Norris pump station in Glenesk.

The shutdown, which began on 31 January, was originally scheduled to end on Monday, 3 February, but remains ongoing as technical teams work through repairs.

According to Joburg Water, the initial project’s extensive maintenance operation involved installing new isolation valves at the Hector Norris Pump station.

CONTINUE READING: Progress but still no water to these 86 Joburg areas after 4-day outage

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Rea Vaya suspends services until further notice after shooting of bus drivers

Rea Vaya has urged passengers to make alternative transport arrangements after suspending its services on Tuesday morning.

The transport service suspended its buses until further notice following shooting incidences in Soweto on Monday night.

According to police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, police are investigating cases of murder after two Rea Vaya bus drivers were shot and killed in two separate incidents.

CONTINUE READING: Rea Vaya suspends services until further notice after shooting of bus drivers

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‘He was wrongly acquitted’ – Former ANC MP Bongani Bongo granted R5k bail with conditions

The Cape Town Magistrate’s Court has granted former ANC MP and minister of state security Bongani Bongo bail with conditions.

Bongo appeared in court on Tuesday for a retrial in his corruption case, four years after being acquitted by then-Western Cape High Court judge John Hlophe.

The state did not oppose bail but argued that it should be set with conditions because “we don’t know what’s going to happen in the future”.

CONTINUE READING: ‘He was wrongly acquitted’ – Former ANC MP Bongani Bongo granted R5k bail with conditions

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Petrol and diesel hike: This is how much fuel will cost you in February

Janu-worry pain is set to continue for millions of motorists and commuters following the Department of Petroleum and Mineral Resources’ announcement of an increase of 82 cents per litre for both grades of unleaded petrol, and between R1.01 and R1.05 per litre for diesel.

This will translate in motorists having to cough up R22.41 per litre to fill up with 95 Unleaded petrol and R22.16 for Unleaded 93 when the official fuel price adjustments take effect on Wednesday, 5 February.

According to economists, the latest fuel price hikes are largely due to the weakening of the rand to the US dollar following US President Donald Trump’s announcement that he will cut all future funding to South Africa in reaction to the recently adopted Expropriation Act.

CONTINUE READING: Petrol and diesel hike: This is how much fuel will cost you in February

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Here are five more stories of the day:

• ‘It’s a waste of people’s time’: Politicians argue about party donations
• Load reduction continues in Eskom-served areas: Here’s your schedule for the rest of the week
• Will the GNU click or crack? What to expect from Ramaphosa’s state of the nation address
• Woman assaulted by Saps officials at Free State police station [VIDEO]
• R2bn student debts, overcrowded kitchens and missing toilet seats: Inside parliament’s visit to TUT

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Yesterday’s News recap

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