Author: The Bulrushes

Hours after former president Jacob Zuma filed a notice to appeal the ruling revoking his medical parole and ordering him to go back to prison, the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) said it will also be appealing Judge Keoagile Elias Matojane’s ruling. The DCS doesn’t want Zuma back in prison. Earlier on Wednesday Judge Matojane ruled: “The decision of the first respondent [Mr. Arthur Fraser at the time] to place the third respondent on medical parole, taken on 5 September 2021, is reviewed, declared unlawful, and set aside. “The medical parole decision is substituted with a decision rejecting the third…

Former president Jacob Zuma whose medical parole was revoked on Wednesday by the high court in Pretoria has filed a notice of intent to appeal the ruling. Zuma’s notice of application for leave to appeal reads in part: “Please take notice that the former president JG Zuma (cited as the 4th responded under case No 2021/45997 in the above heading and the applicant herein) hereby applies for leave to appeal”. The 79-year-old former president moved swiftly to request leave to appeal against the whole judgment and order granted by Judge KE Matojane. When Zuma was released on medical parole he…

Former President Jacob Zuma’s medical parole has been revoked by the Gauteng High Court, which ruled on Wednesday that the 79-year-old must serve his 15-month sentence in prison for contempt of court. The matter to challenge the lawfulness of the medical parole was brought by the Helen Suzman Foundation and the Democratic Alliance. The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) said it, “notes the judgment delivered on 15 December 2021 by the Gauteng Division of the High Court, Pretoria, on the medical parole placement of the former president, Mr. Jacob Zuma. “DCS is currently studying the judgment and in due course,…

The UK has buckled under pressure and lifted the travel ban on 11 countries mostly in Southern Africa including South Africa. The UK imposed the Red List last month after scientists in South Africa detected a new Covid-19 variant now named “Omicron”. Health Secretary Sajid Javid has conceded that the Omicron variant has spread so widely in the UK and the rest of the world and the travel bans were serving no purpose. South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa has lambasted countries that had imposed travel bans for not using science to arrive at decisions and acting unfairly. Travel agencies in…

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday tested positive for COVID-19 amid an exponential spike of the Omicron variant first detected by scientists in South Africa last month. “President Cyril Ramaphosa is receiving treatment for mild COVID-19 symptoms after testing positive for the viral infection today, Sunday, 12 December 2021,” said the Presidency late Sunday. “The President started feeling unwell after leaving the State Memorial Service in honour of former Deputy President FW de Klerk in Cape Town earlier today. “The President is in good spirits but is being monitored by the South African Military Health Service of the South African National…

The South African satellite known as SumbandilaSat (Pathfinder in Venda) is reaching the end of its life, the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) has announced. SATELLITE IMAGE: An image of Cape Town captured by SumbandilaSat SANSA said the satellite, which was launched in 2009 and took 1 128 high-resolution usable images will deorbit on Friday, 10 December 2021, The image data was applied in local research and on the Copernicus (previously GMES: Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) programme SANSA said the data also contributed towards disaster management like flood monitoring in Namibia and fire programme – later renamed…

A video of a man being shot in broad daylight while inside his car at an intersection in Sandton went viral before the police realised the victim was one of their own – Sergeant David Tsedu. This brazen shooting incident captured on video and posted on social media occurred on Thursday morning at about 11:00. Sergeant Tsedu, who was stationed at the City Deep Port of Entry, was driving along Katherine Street in Sandton when he was accosted by armed robbers and shot. The robbers shot and wounded Sergeant Tsedu before stealing his service pistol and other items. They fled…

Contestants Jacobus Rossouw, Evan Engelbrecht, and Frank Stevens have been named as the three top winners of the inaugural Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) Virtual Trading Game competition. The top winners are from Gauteng, Eastern Cape, and Western Cape respectively. The winners were announced during a virtual awards ceremony that was broadcast live on Facebook, on Wednesday, 8 December. They received a share of R60 000 in Satrix vouchers – R30 000 for first place, R20 000 for second, and R10 000 for third. “I would like to congratulate our top three winners. They did really well, and I wish them all the…

COVID-19 jabs could soon be a condition of entering public places as South Africa moves to ramp up vaccinations and tackle rising numbers of fresh cases seemingly fueled by the new Omicron variant. A decision on vaccination mandates is expected later this week when President Cyril Ramaphosa returns home from West Africa. He arrived on Sunday in Senegal on the last leg of his four-country West African. The visit to Senegal – at the invitation of  President Macky Sall – marks the end of Ramaphosa’s four-nation visit to West Africa which included Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana. On Monday Ramaphosa will participate…

Responding to calls to lift travel bans imposed on Southern African countries, France on Wednesday announced it was lifting the restrictions from Saturday. On Sunday the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Africa urged countries to follow the science rather than imposing flight bans in a bid to contain the new Omicron coronavirus variant. South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa said he was disappointed by the travel bans and called for their lifting. Shortly after South Africa discovered Omicron the UK and some EU members immediately imposed travel bans on the country and its neighbours. Hours after the travel…