Daily news update: Mkhwebane an ANC battleground, Stephen Grootes ‘a racist boy’, PowerBall results

Here’s your morning news update: Click on the links below for the full story or visit our home page for the latest news.

WATCH: Mbalula ‘ready’ for ANC sacking

Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula. Picture: Neil McCartney

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula says he is ready to be dismissed from the ANC because of his defence of “the truth”.

Lately, Mbalula has been vocal on social media spaces on various matters, ranging from him being accused of being a “political flip flop” to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s CR17 campaign, Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane and Jacob Zuma’s presidency.

‘I accept no apology from a racist boy,’ Malema tells Stephen Grootes

EFF leader Julius Malema and EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court are charged with assaulting a police officer at the funeral of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in 2018. Picture: Twitter / @EFFSouthAfrica

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema says Newzroom Afrika anchor Stephen Grootes “needs to be taught a lesson”.

“I accept no apology from a racist boy. He needs to be taught a lesson. They [sic] should be a consequence in every racist act,” Malema tweeted.

Busisiwe Mkhwebane: an ANC battleground

Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane. Picture: EPA-EFE

The ANC will face its first real test in Parliament since Jacob Zuma left office when the vote to decide whether the process to remove Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane should continue as proposed by the Democratic Alliance (DA).

On the surface, the issue is a simple one: Mkhwebane has had so many court decisions go against her that her incompetence alone should make any right-thinking MP vote for the process to remove her to be allowed to reach its logical conclusion.

Battered economy sees GDP fall 7% in 2020

GDP expenditure in South Africa in 2020.

As expected, the South African economy fell off the cliff last year in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and stringent lockdown restrictions on business activity imposed by the government.

The economy shrank by 7% in 2020 after growing a meagre 0.1% in 2019, according to Statistics SA figures released on Tuesday.

PowerBall results: Tuesday, 9 March 2021

Picture: iStock

R11 million is up for grabs tonight. Here are your PowerBall and PowerBall Plus results brought to you by The Citizen.

Chiefs’ Mashiane won’t celebrate if he scores against Maritzburg

Happy Mashiane has explained why he won’t celebrate like this if he scores against Maritzburg United. Picture: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix

Happy Mashiane says he will not celebrate if he scores on Wednesday for Kaizer Chiefs against Maritzburg United in a DStv Premiership clash against Amakhosi’s former head coach Ernst Middendorp.

ALSO READ: Hunt faces anxious wait over Chiefs strikers

It was Middendorp who gave Mashiane his debut at Chiefs in early 2019, and the Chiefs left-sided players says he will show respect to his former mentor.

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