Author: Gugu Lourie

Pravin Gordhan has been appointed as the minister of finance, replacing David van Rooyen who was put in the seat four days ago. By Karabo Ngoepe, NewsAgency The Presidency issued a statement on Sunday confirming the appointment. “I have received many representations to reconsider my decision. As a democratic government, we emphasise the importance of listening to the people and to respond to their views,” the Presidency said in a statement. “I have appointed Pravin Gordhan, the current minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs as the new minister of finance. Minister Gordhan will return to a portfolio that he had…

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South African Broadcasting Corporation COO’s lawyer Zola Majavu on Saturday said he never doubted that his client would be cleared of charges against him. By Amanda Khoza, NewsAgency Judgement was handed down against SABC’s COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng in a disciplinary hearing on Saturday night. Motsoeneng was facing three charges, which included lying about having a matric certificate. Majavu said: “I am happy for him. I never doubted him. I am glad that this chapter is closed.” He said while his client had been cleared, he had pending cases. “I am just glad we are done with this one.” DA’s federal executive…

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 The announcement that President Jacob Zuma removed Nhlanhla Nene as Finance Minister has had more than a fiscal effect on the rand – the currency has now taken to Twitter to rant its emotions. By Kaveel Singh, NewsAgency Following the shock announcement that Nene, the man at the helm of the country’s economy, was removed from his post, a parody account called The Rand (@The_SA_Rand) was created. So far the ailing currency’s biggest request has come in the form of a pinned post saying: “#ZumaMustFall? Well, it’s either him or me.” With a R1 coin as its profile picture, The Rand has…

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The Telkom Unlimited Movie Marathon has entered its final stretch, with only one and a half days remaining and a single contestant in the race to set a new record, certified by Guinness World Records, for the longest time spent watching movies. On Saturday morning, Lionel Havenga fell asleep for 15 minutes at 00:45, having watched for 80 hours 45 minutes. At 3:17am, Sheetal Vallabh, the last South African contestant, fell asleep for 24 seconds with 82 hours 18 minutes on her clock. This leaves Suresh Joachim from Canada, the previous record holder, as the only contestant still watching. He…

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Clarissa Schoeman is the latest Telkom Movie Marathon contestant to be disqualified, when she fell asleep at 12:25 on Friday afternoon. This leaves only three contestants who are still in the race to set a new record, certified by Guinness World Records, for the longest time spent watching movies. Clarissa’s total viewing time was 68 hours 25 minutes. By Staff Writer Earlier on Friday, Delon Munian fell asleep at 1:46am, and also had his eyes away from the screen for longer than 10 seconds. David Erasmus fell asleep at 3:25am. The three remaining contestants are: Suresh Joachim (Canada) Sheetal Vallabh…

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Former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene is not so important that he can cause the rand to plummet, ANC Youth League president Collen Maine said on Friday. By Genevieve Quintal, NewsAgency “Nene is not so special that the rand can fall because of him, who is he?,” he told News24. “It’s not about Nhlanhla Nene, it’s because of the recession we are in that the economy is not growing… and there are problems with the rand. He might be beautiful to others but he’s not so beautiful that he can make the rand fall.” Maine said the “hullabaloo” around the rand falling…

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The use of drones (remotely piloted aircraft systems) is forecast to grow exponentially and is posing an increasing challenge for users of the airspace, according to Gilberto Lopez Meyer, senior vice president for safety and flight operations at the International Air Transport Association (Iata). By Carin Smith, NewsAgency “Drones are increasingly being used in environmental and fishery operations, disaster response, firefighting, and many other civic and commercial activities,” Meyer said on Thursday at Iata’s global media briefing. In addition there is a significant increase in the use of drones for recreational purposes. It is estimated that in the US alone about…

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