Author: Gugu Lourie

A South African law firm is warning people of the dangers of publishing, sharing and forwarding defamatory messages on social media, Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter and TikTok. Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr wrote in a note that that South African law considers repeating or sharing defamatory content as sufficient to constitute “publication” and, thus, defamation in its own right, even if the repeater or sharer was not the author of the original defamatory post. “So just by clicking share, you could be perpetuating the defamation, exposing yourself to a damages claim for defamation or to potential dismissal by your employer,” Timothy Smit and…

The ANC is accused of attempting to use the COVID-19 crisis to muscle in on the DA-led Western Cape. The Sunday Times reports that among the deployed ministers, whose duties in the Western Cape have not been spelt out in detail, are lockdown big-hitters police minister Bheki Cele and trade, industry & competition minister Ebrahim Patel. “It seems there is a coup d’etat from national to administratively start taking over certain aspects of the Western Cape by neutralising the provincial government,” a senior official within the provincial government told the Sunday Times. As of yesterday, the Western Cape remains a…

The reopening of alcohol sales has placed a significant strain on hospital emergency rooms. The Sunday Times reported that across the country, a massive surge of people in hospital emergency rooms with alcohol-related injuries has put additional strain on health-care numbers and filled up ICU beds needed for COVID-19 patients. A hard lockdown was imposed at the end of March to curb the spread of COVID-19 while giving the government time to prepare the healthcare system for the expected spike in virus infections. Level 3 of the lockdown began on 1 June and enabled the sale of alcohol. The South African government…

MultiChoice, Africa’s biggest pay-TV operator, announced today that it expects to deliver a rise of between 35% (144 ZAR cents) and 40% (164 ZAR cents) of core headline earnings per share (HEPS) for full-year ended 31 March 2020. HEPS is South Africa’s main profit gauge. Africa’s biggest pay-TV operator said on Friday that trading profit is expected to be between 10% (R700 00) and 15% (R1.1 billion) higher than the prior year´s R7 billion. The operator attributed the improved financial performance to management’s focus on cost containment, which allowed the business to offset these challenges and drive a further reduction…

JSE-listed Metair is planning to create 3, 300 jobs in Stanger, northern KwaZulu Natal and in Silverton, Gauteng. The manufacturer, distributor and retailer of batteries and automotive components informed investors that its board has approved a R900 million capital investment programme as it gears up to benefit from a number of new vehicle types entering production in South Africa. Metair has secured key contracts to support Ford’s investment into the South African automotive industry. “The board’s approval of a R900 million capital investment, including major investments in greenfield facilities, will create approximately 3 300 new employment opportunities,” the company said…

Vodacom has launched its latest “Red Hot Dealz”, offering big discounts on large SIM-only data bundles on a 24-month contract. The Red Hot Dealz are available from 8 June 2020 to 6 July 2020. The Vodafone-owned operator is offering a 200GB data mega-deal, consisting of 100GB of anytime data and 100GB of Night Owl data plus a free 5GB video ticket, for R499per month over 24 months. In total, you get 4800GB to work, learn and play from home. There is one device that accompanies this deal: a Huawei B535-932 home router and you have to pay R204 once-off SIM and…

Irene Charnley, a former trade unionist and businesswoman, has responded to calls by Bantu Holomisa, the United Democratic Movement leader,  to immediately vacate her seat on the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) board. In a letter to Finance Minister Tito Mboweni, Holomisa said Charnley was a former beneficiary of the PIC’s funding initiatives, making her ineligible to serve as a board member. The United Democratic Movement would argue that there is enough evidence to warrant that Charnley must vacate her seat on the PIC board immediately. For more read: Irene Charnley Must Vacate Her Seat on the PIC Board, Urges Holomisa See below…

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) announced late on Thursday that some of its key electronic services are offline. The agency apologised for the system downtime. Apologies we are offline for the following services: Bank details upload, status checking on the Website, Web applications. Our technicians are working to resolve the problem. If you get this screen please ignore and try again tomorrow #day70oflockdown @GovernmentZA @The_DSD pic.twitter.com/hYJpmvqE56 — SASSA (@OfficialSASSA) June 4, 2020 Many applicants for the R350 COVID-19 Grant were frustrated by the message and voiced their anger on Twitter: Sad thing is this was announced in…

The ANC’s alliance partners have publicly stated that the R350 COVID-19 grant for the unemployed should be made permanent. During an address with representatives from the tripartite (ANC, SACP and Cosatu), Solly Mapaila, the leader of the South African Communist Party, on Thursday suggested that there was a need to “broaden the discourse” when it comes to social grants, and the current Relief of Distress payment schedule must be lengthened. #ANC Solly Mapaila says the alliance has tabled a “broader” social grant discourse. He says the proposal to have the R350 grant on a more permanent basis should be discussed.…

The South African government will appeal a High Court judgement that has declared some of the earlier coronavirus lockdown restrictions unconstitutional. Minister for the Presidency Jackson Mthembu said while the government appeals the court judgment, current regulations remain in force and has appealed to all to observe all the health protocols that have been put in place. “The judgment sought to say that level 3 and 4 regulations were invalid – in our view, those regulations were properly enacted and within the framework of the National Disaster Management Act,” said Mthembu. Mthembu said the regulations were crafted to save lives. SA acted…