Month: April 2024

Eskom says extreme weather conditions in the Western Cape have caused faults in the network, leaving some customers in the province without power.

The storms caused infrastructure damage and further severe weather warnings led to the temporary closure of schools in the Cape Winelands and Overberg districts.

‘Parts of the network experienced minor structural damages leading to loss of supply to a number of areas. Those mainly affected are Beaufort West, Kraaifontein, Khayelitsha, Klawer and surrounding farms, Kylemore, Gordon’s Bay, Sir Lowry’s Pass, Somerset West, Stellenbosch farms and Vredendal.

‘The electricity network remains vulnerable as parts of the province continue to experience gale-force winds, heavy rain and thunderstorms. This has created challenges to electricity restoration efforts creating a backlog. However, customers are assured that Eskom technicians are braving the bad weather to attend to these faults in order to safely restore electricity as soon as possible,’ Eskom said.

The power u
tility urged customers to be patient as it attempts to restore power.

‘Eskom urges customers to remain patient and can expect prolonged periods without electricity supply. Customers are encouraged to download the MyEskom Customer App, which is available on the iStore and Google Play Store or use the Alfred Chatbot on the Eskom website to log fault.

‘The MyEskom Customer App and the Alfred Chatbot allows users to log a fault instantaneously and immediately provides a reference number needed to track progress on the fault. Alternatively, customers can contact the Share Call number at 08600 37566. Eskom wishes to apologise for any inconvenience caused,’ Eskom said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has warned of cold temperatures, widespread rainfall, and possible flooding over parts of South Africa.

‘An intense low-pressure system, known as a cut-off low, is forecasted to bring widespread showers and thundershowers to many parts of the country from Saturday until Tuesday,’ SAWS said.

An intense cut-off low developed along the west coast of the country from Saturday afternoon. It was then projected to move over the Northern Cape on Sunday.

‘…..reach the interior of the Western Cape on Monday, and exit along the southern coast of the Western Cape on Tuesday (9 April). Widespread showers and thundershowers are expected to develop over much of the country… and will continue until at least Tuesday where after calm and clear weather conditions will return to many areas.

‘Persistent showers and thundershowers may lead to flooding over the central and eastern parts of the country, particularly from Sunday into Monday, while severe thunderstorms with heavy rainfall
and large amounts of small hail are possible over the western interior on Sunday into Monday,’ SAWS said.

There is also an indication of heavy rainfall over parts of the Overberg and south-west coast of the Western Cape on Monday into Tuesday as the cut-off low exits along the southern coast of the Western Cape.

‘The Cape south-west coast may also experience a strong to gale force south-easterly wind, which could affect coastal marine routines and operations. Cool to cold maximum temperatures are also expected across parts of the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal from Saturday, which will spread to the remainder of the country on Sunday into Monday.

‘Day-time temperatures are expected to be in the high teens and low twenties across most parts and will even go down to the low teens over the high-lying areas of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal,’ the weather service said.

SAWS will continue to monitor any further developments relating to the weather system and will issue subsequent updates as re
quired.

Updated information in this regard will regularly be available at www.weathersa.co.za as well as via the SA Weather Service X account @SAWeatherServic.

Source: South African Government News Agency

WINDHOEK: An employee of Bank Windhoek’s Maerua Mall branch in the capital, Iyaloo Tumweneni Hanyangha, died while on duty on Friday, shortly after complaining of feeling unwell.

According to a weekend crime report issued by the Namibian Police Force (NamPol) on Sunday, 35-year-old Hanyangha said she felt like collapsing around 16h05 and left her duty station at the front desk to go to the back of the office.

She was observed falling and colleagues attended to her while an ambulance was called.

Despite a prompt response by the ambulance, Hanyangha was pronounced dead at 16h11.

Her next of kin were informed and the body was taken to the police mortuary.

In a separate incident, the decomposed remains of 39-year-old Rochard Benson Steyn were found in his backyard room at his grandmother’s house in Gibeon around 12h00 on Friday.

Steyn was last seen on Wednesday when he went out. On Friday the family got suspicious about a bad odour coming from his room and upon inspection saw his body lying on the bed and c
ontacted the police.

No foul play is suspected at this stage and the cause of death is unknown, but a postmortem examination will be conducted.

In a similar incident, the lifeless body of Haipinge Eradius Linekela (age unknown) was discovered around 12h00 on Friday in the Goreangab dam informal settlement area of Windhoek.

The crime report indicated that Linekela’s body was found hanging from the roof of his shack by his brother.

No suicide note was found.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

OSHAKATI: A resident of Ongwediva and owner of the Khomas Bearing Suppliers, Rene Strauss, aged 48, reportedly committed suicide on Sunday evening.

Confirming the incident to Nampa on Monday, Namibian Police Force (NamPol) Oshana’s Community Policing Sub-division Chief Inspector Thomas Aiyambo said, the incident reportedly happened at 18h20, when the deceased hanged himself with a rope in his office.

‘He did not leave a suicide note,’ he said.

Meanwhile, the lifeless body of 18-year-old Valombola Jason Nghihangakenwa was found hanging in a bedroom on Friday at about 12h00 at Onakango-Endola constituency in the Ohangwena region.

According to a NamPol weekend crime report on Sunday, it is alleged that the deceased hanged himself with a blue plastic rope around his neck. It is further alleged that before this incident, the deceased on Wednesday set his sleeping room on fire and in the process, another room in the house also caught fire causing both rooms to burn to ashes.

‘The body was transported to Engela
District State Hospital, where it was certified dead by a medical doctor and placed in the State Mortuary for postmortem examination. No foul play is suspected and no suicide note was found on him,’ the report reads.

Police investigations in both matters continue.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Government, through the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, this week officially launch national Freedom Month, celebrating 30 years of democracy.

The launch will be held on Tuesday at the Freedom Park and Museum Amphitheatre.

The year’s celebrations will be held under the theme: ’30 Years of Democracy, Partnership and Growth’.

Hosted in collaboration with Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) and the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, government will as part of the national launch unveil the 30 Years of Democracy official logo and outline the overall programmes for the month of April and throughout the year.

A national dialogue will also be hosted on 30 years of democracy at the auditorium later in the afternoon.

During the dialogue, academia, and representatives from business, labour, civil society and media will deliberate on both successes and challenges of the past three decades of the country’s democracy and freedom.

Source: South African Government New
s Agency

WINDHOEK: Usakos Mayor, Irene Simeon-Kurtz has expressed concern over alleged delayed action by the police in response to an incident of a 29-year-old woman who was stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend on Saturday.

In a press statement issued on Sunday by the Office of the Mayor, she highlighted the slow response to the incident reportedly due to the non-availability of drivers for both police and ambulance services to the scene of the crime around 05h20 in the Saamstaan residential area.

A crime report by the Namibian Police Force indicates that the deceased, Lena Williams, was allegedly stabbed several times with a knife by her 26-year-old ex-boyfriend and father of their three-year-old daughter. She was taken to the hospital where she was declared dead upon arrival.

Simeon-Kurtz also noted the slow action of the police, in this instance to protect the deceased, saying she was killed weeks after she had alerted the police that she feared for her life.

‘As mayor of the town of Usakos, I condemn the bruta
l act of killing an innocent young lady who felt unsafe in the last weeks of her life in her own home. There is no justification for such crimes nor her murder,’ she said.

She indicated that in February 2024, her office offered office space free of charge to the Usakos police to put up a satellite police station in Hakhaseb with the belief that this would help reduce crime in Hakhaseb especially over weekends, stressing that it is a necessity and cannot be delayed any longer.

‘We will follow up on our request as a matter of urgency. A satellite police station in Hakhaseb will ensure that criminal activities of this nature are dealt with speedily,’ she added.

Simeon-Kurtz further urged Usakos residents to stand together and report any violence to authorities, while also pleading with the chief of police in the Erongo Region to deploy stringent measures to root out evil in society, noting that there is a need to stand in unison as a community and in unison as women.

‘Usakos belongs to everyone, and every ci
tizen must feel safe and protected. We say enough is enough, let us deal with violent crime including domestic violence. There should be no tolerance for wrongdoers in Usakos,’ she wrote.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency