Daily news update: DA march, Motsoeneng’s court loss and Maselspoort Resort racism case

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: 26 January

‘Switch on power or we’ll take it from you’ – DA tells ANC during march to headquarters

The Democratic Alliance’s march against load shedding is underway as the party heads to ANC headquarters, Luthuli House, in Johannesburg.

Taking place at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown, Johannesburg, the party said that its “power to the people” march was a call on the ANC to put an end to the rolling power cuts, the ANC’s cadre deployment policy and corruption.

Marshalls wearing yellow and orange reflectors kept security tight. A heavy police presence was also maintained at the square.

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Case against Maselspoort Resort racism trio postponed

The case against three white men accused of assaulting two black teenage boys at the Maselspoort Resort in Bloemfontein on Christmas Day has been postponed to February.

Jakobus Klaasen, Johan Nel and Stephanus van der Westhuizen on Wednesday appeared briefly in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on charges of attempted murder, common assault and crimen injuria.

The trio face criminal charges for allegedly attacking the two black teens in an attempt to get them out of a swimming pool.

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SCA dismisses Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s application to appeal R11.5m payment ruling

Former South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng has suffered yet another court blow after the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein dismissed with costs his application to appeal the order of the South Gauteng High Court, declaring the decision of the then board to pay him R11.5 million as unlawful and invalid.

In August 2016, the then SABC board took a decision to pay Motsoeneng a success fee for clinching the MultiChoice deal.

In February 2018, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the SABC jointly brought issued summons against Motsoeneng in the High Court, Gauteng Local Division, to recover the success fee.

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Estina dairy project: Corruption case against Mosebenzi Zwane, co-accused postponed to April

The corruption case against former Free State agriculture and rural development MEC Mosebenzi Zwane and his 16 co-accused has been postponed to 21 April 2023.

Zwane and his co-accused, including eight companies, on Wednesday, appeared briefly in the Free State High Court in Bloemfontein, in connection with the controversial R280 million Estina dairy farm project.

Judge Johannes Daffue deferred the matter to April, for a further case management session.

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RAF CEO, board ordered to pay costs from own pockets in High Court matter

Road Accident Fund (RAF) CEO Collins Letsoalo and the board of directors have been ordered to personally pay legal costs by the Mpumalanga High Court, in an unprecedented judgment for the troubled transport entity.

The fund fired its team of attorneys, leaving its work in disarray and without a plan for its court cases.

Judge Francis Legodi’s Tuesday judgment came after the RAF failed to attend trials and pre-conference hearings despite numerous notices over a period of time, and further failed to fully comply with court directives in respect of two claimants.

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Zwane hints at hiring striker coach at Chiefs amid goal drought

One of Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane’s concerns this season is how his team have missed clear cut chances. 

And now the Amakhosi coach is considering taking action to fix that by following the path taken by their Soweto rivals Orlando Pirates. 

That is hiring a striker coach who will work closely with the attackers to ensure they have the confidence and skills to convert chances. 

Chiefs strikers like Ashley Du Preez and Caleb Bimenyimana have unbelievably missed some chances where it looked easier to score than to miss. 

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‘You got this Mark’: Black Coffee, DJ Fresh and more rally behind Mark Pilgrim

Local celebrities flocked to radio veteran Mark Pilgrim’s social media pages on Tuesday, after he shared that he returned to the hospital. 

Pilgrim has been battling cancer since it returned last year after 33 years in remission. The Hot 102.7 FM radio presenter has kept fans and followers updated on his journey to fight the disease. 

However, his latest update set off an alarm amongst concerned followers, including several celebrities wishing Mark a speedy recovery. 

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