Author: The Bulrushes

The Constitutional Court on Wednesday dismissed Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s application to revoke its judgment on her CR17 report, saying “no case has been made out for rescission”. Mkhwebane’s initial report on the CR17 campaign and adverse findings were taken on review, which the high court set aside on the grounds that the public protector had “reached an irrational and unlawful conclusion on the facts before her”. The Constitutional Court also upheld the finding. Mkhwebane then unsuccessfully applied for rescission of that decision to the Constitutional Court, which dismissed the matter with costs. In the findings that have been set…

Eskom on Wednesday morning ramped up load-shedding to Stage 4 amid failing generation equipment. “Due to further failures of generation units, Stage 4 load-shedding will be implemented from 09:00 today until 05:00 on Friday,” said Eskom. The power utility said it was ramping up load-shedding to “manage the emergency reserves”. Eskom implemented Stage 2 load-shedding on Monday. However, the power utility said Wednesday it was “with a great deal of disappointment that Eskom has to inform the public that further failures overnight of generation units has necessitated the implementation of Stage 4 load-shedding starting at 09:00 this morning”. Eskom said…

Eskom has announced that “due to multiple unit failures” Stage 2 load-shedding will be implemented from tonight at 9 pm. The power utility said it had experienced multiple generating unit failures over the past 24 hours. Eskom said it “regrets to inform the public” that Stage 2 load-shedding will be implemented between 21:00 tonight and 05:00 on Tuesday. “This will be repeated same time on Tuesday night until 05:00 on Wednesday,” said the power utility in a statement issued earlier Monday. “This load-shedding is required in order for Eskom to replenish the emergency generation reserves, which have been utilised significantly since…

Jack Bloom, the Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, said Monday that there had been another theft of copper pipes at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital (CMJH). Bloom said what was “most distressing” was that theft of the copper cables was delaying the re-opening of the casualty unit, which he said had been planned for 14 March. “Despite R40 million a year spent on hospital security, there has been theft of copper pipes, and more than 500 metres of electrical cable and new electrical distribution boards,” said Bloom. “This follows the theft last year of R30 million of copper…

Two men from Cameroon have been caught with a huge amount of stolen copper by Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) undercover officers. BUST: Two suspects from Cameroon found with stolen copper cables The men were arrested on Saturday after they were found in possession of the stolen copper in Bramley, north of Johannesburg. Recounting events leading to the arrest, Xolani Fihla, JMPD spokesperson said acting on a tip-off, JMPD officers proceeded to corner 11th Road and 3rd Avenue in Bramley, where they observed the suspected property. “An unknown male opened the gate of the premises, officers approached him, identified themselves…

As the commercial use of drones continues to accelerate, making them increasingly integral to the effective and efficient functioning of certain sectors, the global drone industry is predicted to be worth about $43 billion by 2024, with some 2.7 million drones already in operation by 2020. The latest research indicates that the global drone market is set to grow at a conservative rate of 16% year on year, with exponential investment growth resulting in $6.88 billion invested in the drone industry since 2010. Similarly, South Africa’s fledgling drone market is also on a growth trajectory, estimated to reach $134.5 million…

DSTV has joined other international media outlets that have removed Russia Today (RT) from their platforms as sanctions tighten against Russia for invading Ukraine. “MultiChoice confirms that as of today, 2 March 2022, Russia Today (Channel 407) shall not be carried on the DStv platform until further notice,” said a MultiChoice spokesperson late on Wednesday. “Sanctions imposed on Russia by the European Union has led to the global distributor of the channel ceasing to provide the broadcast feed to all suppliers, including MultiChoice”. Microsoft Corp said Monday it was removing Russian state-owned media outlet RT’s mobile apps from the Windows…

The Presidency on Tuesday received and released to the public the third volume of the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into allegations of State Capture, corruption, and fraud in the public sector. The report was presented to the Director-General in The Presidency, Phindile Baleni by the Secretary of the Commission, Prof Itumeleng Mosala. Acting Chief Justice and Commission Chairperson, Judge Raymond Zondo presented the first volume of the report to President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Union Buildings, Pretoria on 4 January 2022. The second volume was handed to the Presidency on 1 February 2022. The Gauteng High Court…

Two South African Revenue Service (SARS) investigators accused of demanding a bribe to reduce a taxpayer’s owed tax have been arrested. The pair will appear in the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court Friday on charges of corruption and extortion. It is alleged that this week on Monday, the pair – a 40-year-old and a 47-year-old – contacted the complainant regarding an outstanding personal tax return of R250 000. “They allegedly demanded R150 000 from the complainant in order to remove the alleged tax return debt from the SARS system. The matter was reported to authorities for investigation. “Yesterday, an intelligence-driven operation was…

Meta is expanding the availability of Facebook Reels for iOS and Android to more than 20 countries across sub-Saharan Africa. Meta is also introducing better ways to help creators to earn money, new creation tools, and more places to watch and create Facebook Reels. Before this launch Reels was only available on Facebook in India, Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. It is now available across sub-Saharan Africa in countries that include Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania, Swaziland, South Africa, Seychelles, Senegal, Rwanda, Nigeria, Namibia, Mali, Malawi, Lesotho, Kenya, Guinea, Ghana, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Burkina Faso. Commenting on the launch Nunu Ntshingila,…