Author: The Bulrushes

AfriForum has brought a court application challenging the City of Johannesburg’s by-law that seeks to regulate and control CCTV networks installed in public spaces and private property. AfriForum says it brought the court application in the High Court in Johannesburg on Friday, 18 July 2025, to challenge the Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality’s controversial CCTV by-law. The by-law seeks to regulate and control CCTV networks installed in public spaces and private property of which the range and angle of coverage include public space. “The use of traditional CCTV cameras, drones, automatic number plate recognition systems and even body-worn cameras will be regulated…

FlySafair has cancelled some flights owing to a pilot strike prompted by the impasse over salary hikes. Solidarity, the union that represents most of the pilots, warned last week of an impending strike after FlySafair’s final offer – a 5,7% salary increase along with some additional adjustments to compensation – was rejected by the vast majority of Solidarity members. RELATED: Strike Looms At FlySafair: Salary Negotiations Deadlock – The Bulrushes On Monday, 21 July 2025, the low-cost airline issued a notice on its website saying: “We’re sorry to inform you that due to the intensifying strike action, some of our flights…

Businessman Yakub Ahmed Suleman Bhikhu, who evaded arrest for six years, has been sentenced to 10 years for fraud, forgery, uttering, and money laundering involving R66 million stolen from Transnet. However, the Pretoria Regional Court, which convicted Bhikhu and his company, Homix (Pty) Ltd, on 81 counts that include fraud, forgery, uttering, money laundering, and the Contravention of the Tax Administration Act, suspended half the sentence. The accused pleaded guilty to all charges levelled against him and his company. As a result of these crimes committed by Bhiku and his company between 2012 and 2015, Transnet lost R66 million. Explaining…

President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is away in Brazil, has warned against continuing the public spat between KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) top policeman, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, and Police Minister Senzo Mchunu. The KZN police commissioner, Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi, on Sunday accused Minister Mchunu of meddling in criminal cases. RELATED: KZN Police Boss Mkhwanazi Accuses Police Minister Of Meddling In Crime Cases – The Bulrushes Police Minister Mchunu responded, saying Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi was making “wild allegations” without evidence. Accusations of wrongdoing made by the police boss in a live television broadcast against the Police Minister have been noted by President Ramaphosa, who is attending…

The reason Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema was denied a visa to enter the United Kingdom has been revealed and his party says it is “not surprised”. The UK has revealed that it denied Malema a visa because of his openly expressed support for Hamas and utterances considered as inciting racial violence. Reacting to the revelations, the EFF in a statement on Thursday, 19 June 2025, said it was “not surprised by the confirmation from the UK that the visa application by the Commander in Chief and President of the EFF Julius Malema was in fact denied due to…

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has delayed social grant payments of thousands of applicants who did not disclose that they have other income. SASSA said Tuesday, 27 May 2025, that it was assisted by registered Credit Bureaus when it “identified about 210 000 social grant beneficiaries who appear to be receiving income that was not truthfully disclosed to the agency”. The Social Assistance Act and its regulations say beneficiaries are legally required to fully disclose all sources of income during their initial application. They are also obligated to inform SASSA of any changes to their financial circumstances after…

The move to relax Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment laws to enable Starlink to have a shot at setting up shop in South Africa has not only raised eyebrows but attracted the interest of Parliament. The Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies in Parliament has invited Minister Solly Malatsi and the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies to brief it on “the recently gazetted policy directions that appear to be in contravention of the Electronic Communications Act and in favour of low earth orbit satellite provider SpaceX”. On Friday, 23 May 2025, Minister Malatsi announced, through a media statement, the…

The Department of Home Affairs has launched a biometric verification operation to combat illegal immigration. “This morning, the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr. Leon Schreiber, launched ‘Operation New Broom’ as the latest technology-driven initiative to arrest, convict, and deport illegal immigrants occupying public spaces,” the department said on Wednesday, (21 May 2025). “The first operation of what will be an ongoing nationwide campaign took place in District 6 in Cape Town, where 25 suspects were arrested while occupying land meant for restitution to the victims of forced removals.” The department explained that “Operation New Broom” tackles an old issue with…

The Competition Commission (“Commission”) has recommended that the Competition Tribunal (“Tribunal”) approves the proposed transaction whereby Groupe Canal+ SAS (“Canal+”) intends to acquire MultiChoice Group Limited (“MCG”), with conditions. The recommendation follows the Commission’s investigation of the large merger notification received on 30 September 2024. The primary acquiring firm is Canal+, a French société par actions simplifiée registered with the Registre du Commerce et des Sociétés in Nanterre, France. Canal+ is a subsidiary of Canal+ SA, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange’s Main Market. Canal+ together with its ultimate controllers, and the firms controlled by those firms are…

The struggling South African Post Office (SAPO) has received a much-needed lifeline – a massive cash injection of R381 million from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) – that will help save thousands of jobs. Employment and Labour Minister Nomakhosazana Meth formally on Sunday, 18 May 2025, anounced the implementation of the signed agreement between SAPO and the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF). The minister said the agreement was aimed at “preserving nearly 6 000 jobs and supporting the revitalisation of one of the country’s most critical state-owned entities”. Minister Meth added: “Through the Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (TERS), the UIF will…