ROUNDING up your news items nationally, we have a look at the five top stories from across the country.

Load shedding

Naturally at the top of everyone’s news feed in the latter part of the week, Eskom’s implementation of stage 2 load shedding made headlines across the country, while issues with load shedding schedules caused a buzz on the internet on Saturday.

SA a-flutter over Brown-veined butterfly migration

Known as South Africa’s most common butterfly, the Brown-veined butterfly, or pioneer, pioneer white or caper white, originates in the Karoo and Kalahari, and ends its migratory journey near Mozambique. The species’ migration path covers central, northern and north-eastern parts of South Africa so it is little wonder that Gauteng residents got to witness the spectacle.

Sisters kill mother for insurance payout

In a twisted case of family warfare, two Mpumalanga sisters appeared in court for conspiring to kill their mother to lay claim to her R80 000 life insurance policy. They reportedly tried to poison her days before she was raped and killed. Police are searching for three others believed to have been involved in the crime.

Government takes steps to prevent #coronavirus spread in SA

Despite no reported cases of the Novel Coronavirus in South Africa, authorities have implemented stringent measures at the country’s ports to prevent the virus from coming ashore. With more than 12 000 infections in China alone, the respiratory disease has been responsible for the deaths of more than 300 worldwide.

SAPS and Facebook form partnership to help find missing children

The first of its kind in Africa, the Amber Alert system will allow police to alert the public of a missing child, through their Facebook news feed. The decision to declare an Amber Alert will be taken by the SAPS when investigating child abduction cases. Amber Alert came into effect on 30 January.