Daily news update: Sona, Tshwane’s revenue collection spree and Trollip joins ActionSA

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Daily news update 10 February

Athol Trollip swaps blue for green as he joins ActionSA

Former Nelson Mandela Bay DA mayor Athol Trollip has joined ActionSA.

The party announced the new high profile member during a press briefing on Wednesday in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape.

Party leader Herman Mashaba and chairperson Michael Beaumont travelled to the province on Tuesday to meet with ActionSA structures.

Trollip followed former Midvaal local municipality mayor Bongani Baloyi, who also left the DA and joined ActionSA last month.

Trollip said he joined ActionSA because he wanted to see real democratic political change.

SONA 2022: ‘Expect the same rhetoric’ – analyst

South Africans shouldn’t expect anything new in this year’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) but more promises on issues such as job creation, said political analyst Professor Andre Duvenhage.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Thursday deliver this year’s Sona at the Cape City Hall. It will be the first time ever that the event takes place outside Parliament. The National Assembly was destroyed by a fire last month, prompting officials to seek another venue for the Sona event.

Tembisa Hospital temporarily closed after nursing assistant shot by police officer boyfriend

A South African police officer shot dead a nursing assistant at the Tembisa Hospital on Wednesday and then turned the gun on himself.

The nursing assistant was the police officer’s girlfriend.

According to the Gauteng Department of Health, the South African Police Service officer arrived at his partner’s workplace at about 8am and told her to meet him in the hospital’s parking lot.  

The suspect was allegedly driving a state vehicle with blue lights on and parked in the Accident and Emergency Department’s parking lot.

“Upon arrival, the police officer opened fire on the enrolled nursing assistant and turned the gun on himself,” the Gauteng Department of Health reported.

Zondo: I never denied meeting with Zuma

Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo says he never denied meeting with former president Jacob Zuma, as alleged by some.

“The Acting Chief Justice points out that as long ago as the 16th of November 2020 he had disclosed that he had previously met with Mr Zuma. He did this by way of a statement he read into the record of the proceedings of the Commission on that day. The statement was made available to the media on the same day,” said Zondo in a statement on Wednesday.

If she made a false statement, she did not know it was false, argues Dlamini’s lawyer

Former social development minister Bathabile Dlamini will learn her fate in her perjury case relating to the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) 2017 crisis next month.

Following a long day of closing arguments from the state and the defence on Tuesday, the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court adjourned the case until 9 March.

Sona 2022: Road closures to look out for

This year’s State of the Nation (Sona) address will take place at the Cape Town City Hall, and not its traditional, now gutted, Parliament venue. 

The event is bound to affect local motorists and pedestrians, with government reporting parking restrictions and temporary road closures in and around City Hall until 16 February. 

This is to allow for post-Sona debates and replies, taking place from 14 to 16 February.

The area surrounding City Hall will be fully closed on Thursday. President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the Sona at 7pm. 

‘We mean business!’: City of Tshwane disconnects non-payers

The City of Tshwane has embarked on an “aggressive”, widespread revenue collection spree following non-payments from businesses, government departments and residents. 

Under the hashtag #CoTRevenueCollections, the city posted a series of tweets on Tuesday in which they warned revenue collection would begin, starting with government departments and larger businesses. 

“Government, businesses, SOEs, we are coming to disconnect without fear or favour!”

Department of Infrastructure Development buildings owed the city water, electricity and property rates, as well as a number of businesses in the CBD, Sunnyside and parts of Centurion.  

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