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Daily news update: Load shedding, political parties gun for Ramaphosa and Tembisa protest aftermath
Here’s your morning news update: An easy-to-read selection of our top stories. Stay up to date with The Citizen – More News, Your Way.
Picture: iStock
Here’s your morning news update: An easy-to-read selection of our top stories. Stay up to date with The Citizen – More News, Your Way.
Daily news update – 4 August
Stage 4 returns on Thursday as Eskom warns of weekend load shedding
Eskom has confirmed that load shedding will be upgraded to Stage 4 from 4pm on Thursday.
The power utility had initially announced that it would be implementing Stage 2 load shedding from 4pm until 12am on Wednesday as well as Thursday.
However, Eskom has since made a few changes in light of its shortage of generation capacity, coupled with the higher demand due to the colder weather.
Stage 2 load shedding will be implemented from 5am to 4pm on Wednesday, while Stage 4 will come into effect during the evening peak period between 4pm until midnight.
Opposition parties unhappy with parliament’s handling of Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm theft
Opposition parties are calling for President Cyril Ramaphosa to be held accountable for the Phala Phala farm theft scandal.
MPs from different parties – including Democratic Alliance (DA), the United Democratic Movement (UDM), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), African Transformational Movement (ATM) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), among others – convened a meeting on Wednesday to discuss some issues – including the controversial February 2020 theft that took place at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm in Limpopo.
Hillary Gardee murder-accused Sipho Mkhatshwa denied bail
Sipho Mkhatshwa, one of the three men accused of killing Hillary Gardee, daughter of former EFF secretary-general Godrich Gardee, has been denied bail.
The EFF said in a statement that although this was a small victory in the fight against Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF), the party was disturbed that many other perpetrators of similar crimes were granted bail for as little as R500.
“We are sober to the fact that a dismally low percentage of male GBVF perpetrators are successfully prosecuted yet all women across South Africa are forced into survival mode daily because their bodies have been turned into war zones and their humanity grossly violated.”
Cops seize R2.5m gold-bearing material from zama zamas
Police have seized seven hundred tons of gold-bearing material worth R2.5 million from zama zamas in Gauteng.
The loot was discovered in five of the illegal plants uncovered during a sting operation.
At least 46 illegal miners have also been arrested, and one fatally wounded during the intense multi-disciplinary operation carried out by different law enforcement units simultaneously in Krugersdorp and Randfontein.
Hawks spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel Philani Nkwalase, said the operation was aimed at curtailing illegal mining.
Pics: Violent Tembisa protests will cost millions in damages
Local authorities have estimated that the violent protests in Tembisa will cost millions in damages.
They were assessing the area following the demonstrations, which also resulted in four people being killed.
Protestors went on the rampage this week, blocking several roads with rocks and burning tyres over service delivery shortfalls.
An Ekurhuleni Municipality Customer Care Centre, a power substation including municipal and private vehicles, were set alight during the violent protest.
