Daily news update: Easter weekend, SABC board saga and woman who faked kidnapping gets bail

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Daily news update: 7 April

Easter weekend: All you need to know from load shedding to traffic, weather and having fun

As South Africans gear up for the Easter long weekend, President Cyril Ramaphosa has wished South Africa’s multi-religious community well over the short holiday period.

President Ramaphosa extended his wishes to the Muslim community who are approaching the mid-point of the Holy Month of Ramadan, including the Jewish community who are observing Passover.

READ MORE: Easter weekend: All you need to know from load shedding to traffic, weather and having fun

Ramaphosa’s letter over SABC board ‘grossly unlawful’, Parliament hears

Parliament’s legal advisor, Andile Tetyana, on Thursday told the Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s request for the names of 12-member SABC board to be reconsidered was “unprecedented and grossly unlawful”.

Ramaphosa wrote a letter to National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula on 9 March asking Parliament to reconsider the list of names that was originally given to him.

READ MORE: Ramaphosa’s letter over SABC board ‘grossly unlawful’, Parliament hears

WATCH: Durban woman who faked kidnapping gets bail

A 47-year-old Durban woman who allegedly faked her own kidnapping and demanded a R2m ransom from her husband has been released on R3 000 bail.

Firoza Bee Bee Joseph made a brief appearance in the Durban Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.

READ: WATCH: Durban woman who faked kidnapping gets bail

Ex-SAA board member Yakhe ‘Fat Cakes’ Kwinana fined R6.1m, booted as chartered accountant member

Former South African Airways (SAA) board member Yakhe Kwinana has been fined R6.1 million and been kicked out as a member of the SA Institute of Chartered Accountants (Saica).

The ruling was released by accountancy regulator Saica on Thursday, and comes after a disciplinary hearing was held against Kwinana.

READ MORE: Ex-SAA board member Yakhe ‘Fat Cakes’ Kwinana fined R6.1m, booted as chartered accountant member

Here’s how Eskom’s power stations are performing – it’s not good

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says the underperformance of Eskom’s power stations is causing the open-cycle gas turbines (OCGTs) to be operated at a much higher rate.

He said the OCGTs were needed to address the shortfall of 6 000 megawatts (MW) in generation capacity, and thus averting higher stages of load shedding.

The minister highlighted that if the unplanned breakdowns and other challenges faced at Eskom’s power stations were addressed, at least 5 000MW can be brought back online.

He also provided a breakdown of the findings during his visit to the power stations.

READ MORE: Here’s how Eskom’s power stations are performing – it’s not good

Mpumalanga businessman’s attempt to bribe SIU investigator backfires

An attempt to bribe a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) investigator with R50 000 has backfired for an Mpumalanga businessman – landing him a four-year jail term – after being sentenced on Thursday by the Mbombela Special Commercial Crimes Court.

While many South Africans have begun celebrating the Easter long weekend, for Mpendulo Sipho Mapalala, it meant handcuffs and exchanging suits for the prison garb at the Mbombela Correctional Services Centre.

Mapalala’s woes began when he made a failed attempt to bribe an SIU investigator – a desperate bid to get him to make a personal protective equipment (PPE) corruption investigation against a Mpumalanga Department of Public Works service provider, Gugu Bulunga, disappear.

READ MORE: Mpumalanga businessman’s attempt to bribe SIU investigator backfires

‘Playground of indecisiveness:’ ANC urges Tshwane to reject DA councillor’s resignation retraction

The African National Congress (ANC) have called on the City of Tshwane not to reverse the resignation of Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor, Francois Bekker.

Bekker tendered his resignation to Tshwane city manager Johann Mettler on Tuesday, but later sent another letter rescinding his initial decision.

This is after the DA disputed Bekker’s resignation, saying he remained a councillor in Tshwane.

However, the ANC in Tshwane has asked Mettler to ignore Bekker’s letter rescinding his resignation and continue to declare a vacancy of his position to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) as required by the law.

READ MORE: ANC urges Tshwane to reject DA councillor’s resignation retraction

Five EFF members sworn in as new Ekurhuleni MMCs

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF)  has welcomed the appointment of five EFF councillors as Members of the Mayoral Committee (MMCs) in the City Of Ekurhuleni.

The party said on Thursday that the councillors were appointed by the newly elected mayor of Ekurhuleni, Sivuyile Ngodwana.

According to the EFF, the appointment of its councillors means the City of Ekurhuleni is one of the first municipalities where the party has a “firm” governance role to play and occupy strategic positions.

READ MORE: Five EFF members sworn in as new Ekurhuleni MMCs

Goodbye Hlomu: Mbalenhle Mavimbela bids ‘The Wife’ farewell

Thursdays will never be the same. This is according to streaming service, Showmax, the official home for the polarising television adaptation of Dudu Busani Dube’s Hlomu series of books.

And now that the show is coming to an end after two years of trending on social media, lead actress Mbalenhle Mavimbela is taking a retrospective look back at her career-making role as Hlomu in The Wife.

READ MORE: Goodbye Hlomu: Mbalenhle Mavimbela bids ‘The Wife’ farewell