Daily news update: New premier for North West, fourth wave lingers, Marikana’s R70m claims

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Mokgoro removed as North West premier, ANC’s Bushy Maape set to take over

ANC veteran Bushy Maape has been announced as the new premier-elect of the North West province.

The announcement was made by the ANC’s interim provincial committee (IPC) co-ordinator, Hlomane Chauke, at a media briefing on Tuesday afternoon.

Maape, 64, is a former Robben Island prisoner and will replace embattled premier Job Mokgoro.

Here’s when the fourth Covid-19 wave is expected to hit South Africa

While South Africa is still recovering from the third wave of Covid-19 infections, leading health experts are saying a fourth wave could be here by December.

Back in June, Professor Salim Abdool Karim told Bhekisisa that SA could almost certainly experience a fourth wave, and based on the data, it is expected to happen in December.

Data suggests the current third wave will end around 26 August, ahead of the 18-and-34 age group’s vaccination rollout.

Satanists offer R10k reward to find Cape Town cat killers

The South African Satanic Church (SASC) has distanced itself from cat killings in Manenberg in the Western Cape.

This after at least 37 cats were slaughtered in the area – a “shocking” and “appalling” incident, according to the church, clarifying that it had nothing to do with the killings.

Sexual assault charges against Bishop Makamu withdrawn

Pending sexual assault charges against Endless Hope Bible Church owner Bishop Israel Makamu have been withdrawn by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

The NPA said in a statement that Makamu had a consultation session with the complainant, who then filed a withdrawal statement. 

In May, it was alleged Makamu sexually assaulted the complainant, a former employee, at his church office in Alberton, east of Johannesburg, in September 2018. 

Apartheid-era security branch murder case finally gets reopened

Fathima Haffejee spent decades of her life fighting for justice for her son, dentist and anti-apartheid activist Dr Hoosen Haffejee, whose body was found hanging from the grille of a police cell in August 1977.

Now, with the inquest into his death – for which it was originally found no-one could be held responsible – back before court, that justice finally looks to be within reach.

But it’s too late for Fathima, who went to her grave in 2011 without ever getting the closure she so desperately needed.

State crunches numbers of Marikana claims worth almost R70m

Monday marked the ninth anniversary of the 2012 Marikana massacre, in which 44 people lost their lives, but the actual figures of longstanding claims by families were only released to the public on Tuesday. 

The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development’s solicitor-general Fhedzisani Pandelani outlined in a media briefing earlier on Tuesday what was being paid to claimants, and the remaining issues the state is having with finalising pending problems.