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GAUTENG – Ntlantla Mahlangu, aged 27, was last seen on Sunday, 26 February 2023 when she left her home in Zithobeni, Bronkhorstspruit.
Anyone that has information that may assist in locating missing Mahlangu is urged to contact SAPS Bronkhorstspruit on 013 932 9222 or Warrant Officer Tosen on 071 612 1937, SAPS Crime Stop 08600 10111 or alternatively leave an anonymous tip-off on the MySAPS App.
Source: South African Police Service
Nelspruit: Mpumi Ntiwane (22) did not hesitate to save the life of a 10-year-old boy from drowning, sacrificing his own life at Mzinti river in Tonga yesterday,Tuesday 28 February 2023.
The brave Ntiwane who will be hailed a hero by locals, was with his three friends when they went fishing in the nearby Mzinti rivernext to a guest house around the low lying bridge in the old Mzinti/ Tonga road.
It is said the grass always looks greener of the other side of the fence which is why the victim and the 10-year-old boy decided to swim from their original fishing spot to the other side of the river.
Little did they know that the boy will have difficulties in swimming. The boy’s struggle prompted Ntiwane to offer his best assistance to save the boy from drowning.
The boy was successfully rescued, but Ntiwane lost the battle afterwards and perished from everyone’s sight.
Police were summoned to the scene and through the assistance of the police divers, his lifeless body was retrieved this morning, Wednesday 01 March 2023.
In a separate incident Innocent Makhanya (28) left home on Monday morning, 27 February 2023 at about 06:00 heading to Nkomazi River in Block B next to Tonga for fishing.
Makhanya did not return home. It was confirmed by local farmers that they indeed saw him fishing in the area, but they left him still busy when going back home at about 12:00.
His worried family members reported him missing to the police and search and rescue team was dispatched to the scene. Their search was fruitful as his body was retrieved this afternoon Wednesday, 01 March 2023.
Police in Mpumalanga calls upon community members to refrain from fishing in the nearby rivers as the recent floods left the swollen and dangerous rivers.
Despite drowning, some creatures that survive in water could hardly stand for the water current which can force them to prey outside their comfort zones.
The Acting Provincial Commissioner of Mpumalanga, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi has send strong warning to the community to refrain from rivers as they are still flooded and dangerous. “We cannot afford to lose more lives, one life lost is too many for us,” warned the General.
Source: South African Police Service
EASTERN CAPE – The Gqeberha based Serious Corruption Investigation team of the Hawks arrested Bantu Hoho (46) for charges of Road Accident Fund (RAF) fraud on 28 February 2023.
It is alleged that on 5 February 2017, Hoho reported a hit and run accident by a motor vehicle while riding his motorcycle. A claim to the value of R1.3 million was reportedly submitted at RAF by the attorneys as instructed by the accused.
The claim was processed and before a payment was made, an internal investigation was conducted where it was established that there was no other vehicle involved in the accident besides the motorcycle.
A case of fraud was reported to the Hawks for criminal investigation hence Hoho’s arrest. Hoho appeared before the Magistrate at New Law Court in Gqeberha and the case was postponed to 3 March 2023 for Regional Court date. The accused was released on warning.
Source: South African Police Service
President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to announce a Minister of Electricity and a reshuffled Cabinet “in a matter of days”.
This is according to Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, who was addressing media on Wednesday.
“There are vacancies in Cabinet. We also now have a vacancy in the role of a Deputy President and so there is a sense of urgency that the President fills those vacancies as soon as possible. In a matter of days, that announcement will be made.
“The President has to apply his mind. The appointment of Cabinet members and the management of Cabinet is not something that you can conduct in haste. It’s something that has to be carefully considered because you have to look at the stability of government, you have to look at the programmes that are already underway.
“There are many layers of complexity and sensitivity that have to be looked at,” Magwenya said.
Answering questions on former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter’s allegations that senior government officials and at least two Cabinet Ministers are allegedly involved in corruption at the power utility, Magwenya said: “What [De Ruyter] has said is nothing new to the extent that we know that there is corruption at Eskom.
“More importantly, government has responded to that level of criminality that exists within Eskom through a multi-disciplinary task team that has been deployed to Eskom through the NatJOINTS. That includes all the law enforcement agencies, including State Security… and they are dealing with every aspect of wrongdoing going on at Eskom,” he said.
Magwenya said President Ramaphosa does not have the names of those Cabinet Ministers allegedly involved in wrongdoing at the State power utility and therefore cannot factor that into his impending Cabinet reshuffle decision.
“What the President has said is that Mr De Ruyter should approach law enforcement agencies with all the evidence and all the information that he has. He has a duty to do so and he had a duty to provide that information to law enforcement agencies as the CEO of Eskom.
“The President has also been on record to say that we now have law enforcement agencies that have been empowered to operate without any fear or favour. We know we come from an era where some of these law enforcement agencies were ameliorated of skills, were disempowered in so many ways. That has changed… They now investigate without any fear or favour.
“So anybody who has any information that can assist in curbing the levels of corruption at Eskom is urged to take that information to law enforcement agencies so that it can be fully investigated,” Magwenya said.
Source: South African Government News Agency
Government departments will on Thursday hold an imbizo in Pongola, KwaZulu-Natal, to provide feedback to stakeholders on the progress made with regard to the ex-mineworkers’ compensation fund programme.
This follows an outreach programme conducted in the province, in partnership with various stakeholders, including the Southern African Miners Association (SAMA), Minerals Council South Africa, gold mining company Harmony and Tshiamiso Trust, in consultation with traditional leaders.
The programme targets former mineworkers or their beneficiaries for unclaimed social protection benefits and urges eligible claimants to continue with the lodgement process.
“Government announced its partnership with various compensation fund schemes and other social protection benefits last month for those who contracted TB, silicosis and other occupational lung diseases while working in the mines, together with those who were not paid their pension or provident funds,” the Department of Health said.
This outreach programme, according to the department, has enabled the provision of claims lodgement, medical assessment and banking services at various sites in the northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal, namely Vryheid, eDumbe, Ulundi, Nongoma and Pongola, as part of government’s mission to bring services closer to the people.
The Deputy Ministers of Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, and Mineral Resources and Energy, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, will represent national government.
The various provincial and local government leaders and senior executives from mining companies, Tshiamiso Trust, SAMA and representatives from organised labour formations operating in the sector will join the two leaders.
The imbizo is scheduled to take place at Belgrade Community Hall from 10:00 to 13:00.
Source: South African Government News Agency