Author: The Bulrushes
South Africa’s Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula on Wednesday reassured local and international airlines that jet fuel supplies to O.R Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg had been stabilised. On Tuesday, ACSA Chief Executive Officer Mpumi Mpofu said that the supply of jet fuel to airlines flying in and out of O.R Tambo International Airport was stable and continues to meet demand. Mpofu revealed that of the 67 rail tanks en-route to OR Tambo International Airlines, only 11 have arrived, with 56 remaining behind, owing to the flood damage to parts of the rail freight route. He rejected media reports of a…
While parts of the freight rail lines out of Durban remain unusable weeks after the KwaZulu-Natal floods, Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has moved to allay fears of imminent jet fuel shortages at O.R Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. As a result of the floods, about 140 sections of Transnet freight rail lines from Durban to Johannesburg were damaged and Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) estimates that it will only be able to repair the damaged rail infrastructure by 9 June 2022. Of the 67 rail tanks en-route to OR Tambo International Airlines, only 11 have arrived, with 56 remaining behind.…
The state of Gauteng hospitals has again come under the spotlight amid the surge in Covid-19 new cases. “Are Gauteng hospitals ready for a 5th wave of Covid cases?” was the question posed on Monday by Jack Bloom, the Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health. “Yesterday there were 1 727 new cases and 10 933 active Covid cases recorded in Gauteng, compared to 460 and 4 333 active cases a week before,” said Bloom. “This is an alarming jump. “At this stage, we do not know the severity of the Omicron sub-variant, which appears to be driving the…
American carrier Delta Air Lines’ application to fly a triangular route between Atlanta, Johannesburg, and Cape Town has finally been approved. Delta will operate three flights a week year-round using a 306-seat Airbus A350-900 aircraft. The flights are expected to start on 18 November this year. The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Tuesday said it welcomes the long-overdue approval of the Delta Air Lines Atlanta-Johannesburg-Cape Town triangular route. “The approval comes off the back of a long and determined campaign by the Western Cape Provincial Government and the Western Cape Provincial Parliament’s Standing Committee on Finance, Economic Opportunities and Tourism,” said…
AVBOB the “Cashback Funeral Insurance” has moved to assist flood-hit KwaZulu-Natal, where at least 306 people have lost their lives, by donating millions of rand and offering free funerals. The unprecedented environmental catastrophe destroyed houses, washed away bridges, and left huge sinkholes that rendered the roads impassable. Responding to the tragedy, AVBOB Mutual Assurance Society said it has “set aside R7 million for immediate assistance” to communities in KwaZulu-Natal affected by the floods. The organisation said it believes that Ubuntu remains the cornerstone that ties together South Africans through the profound sense that “we are human only through the humanity…
An immigration officer at OR Tambo International Airport has been arrested for facilitating the unlawful entry into South Africa of five Bangladesh nationals. “A short while ago, we arrested an immigration officer who facilitated the entry of five Bangladeshi people into the country without the required immigration documents, in this case, valid permits,” said Home Affairs Minister Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi on Wednesday afternoon. “He is a key link in an elaborate and well-coordinated international syndicate that operates in South Africa and Bangladesh.” The home affairs minister said the activities of the syndicate were first picked up by the South African…
Eskom has implemented Stage 2 load-shedding after an earlier warning on Monday that the grid was “severely constrained”. However, in a terse statement on Monday evening, Eskom said: “Unit 5 at Medupi Power Station has just tripped, taking some 700MW capacity with.” The power utility added: “Regretfully, Stage 2 load-shedding has been implemented immediately. A full statement will be published in due course.”
Judge Piet Koen on Monday afternoon postponed the corruption trial against former president Jacob Zuma who failed to appear due to a “medical emergency”. The 79-year-old Zuma, who was released on medical parole after serving a month of his 15-month sentence for contempt of court, fell ill Sunday night. After listening to arguments from both sides in the High Court in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, Judge Koen adjourned proceedings for lunch. When the court resumed, Judge Koen postponed the matter to 17 May – a date he said was provisional depending on whether the Supreme Court of Appeal president, Justice Mandisa Maya,…
Former president Jacob Zuma is scheduled to go on trial for corruption on today at the High Court in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. The decades-old case was expected to finally get underway after numerous delays and postponements. Zuma, who faces several charges including fraud, corruption, racketeering, and money laundering, is jointly charged with Thales company, in the matter dating back to the 1999 arms deal. On Sunday, the Jacob Zuma Foundation said the former president had written to the president of the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) to reconsider his matter in which he complains that prosecutor Billy Downer SC was biased against…
The Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO) is excited to announce that full and associate SAMRO members can now apply for the 2022 Music Creation Support Fund (MCSF). This year, SAMRO has put aside R2.5 million for the MCSF to offer 100 qualifying members the opportunity to apply for a supporting micro-grant of up to R25 000. The grant is to be used to create new and original music works. SAMRO’s primary role is to administer performing rights on behalf of its members, who are mainly music creators such as songwriters, composers, and publishers. This means that the MCSF is…