Author: The Bulrushes
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…
Newtown’s First National Bank (FNB) Operations Manager, Zandile Sibiya, accused of stealing R4 million from her employer has appeared in the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court. The 39-year-old Johannesburg woman was granted R10 000 bail on Tuesday. Allegations are that Operations Manager Sibiya fraudulently processed the forex payments with the International Banking Centre System transaction and transferred about R4 million into her bank account. FNB’s forensic analysis uncovered the anomaly and referred it to the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation at the Johannesburg office for further investigation. Captain Ndivhuwo Mulamu said an extensive investigation was conducted which culminated in…
Struggling Eskom on Tuesday night said five generators had failed and load-shedding could be brought back at short notice. “While no load-shedding is currently being implemented, Eskom would like to request the public’s assistance in reducing the usage of electricity as the power system is constrained,” said the power utility. “Five generation units at various power stations have failed throughout the day.” A generation unit at Kusile and another at Majuba were taken offline to repair boiler tube leaks. Three other generation units at Kriel, Majuba, and Matimba tripped. Without offering an explanation, Eskom said the expected return to operation…
Empire Partner Foundation (EPF) marks its 12th hackathon by celebrating the culture of innovation that has seen young software developers find solutions for problems with security, mental health, water supplies, South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) grant payments, healthcare, and education. The tech non-profit organisation has hosted 12 hybrid (physical and virtual) hackathons boasting high levels of engagement and collaboration. More than 1 000 hackathon participants harnessed their creativity and found innovative solutions for tackling today’s biggest community challenges. “Ever since we hosted the Hackathon last year we have come a long way and met a lot of incredible young talented developers with…
Alleged loan shark Yolanda Precious Mabuza – the owner of Humelela Cash Loans in Hazyview, Mpumalanga – has been released on bail. The 33-year-old Mabuza was arrested in Hazyview on Thursday by the Hawks and members of the National Credit Regulator from Gauteng. Mabuza, who is facing charges of Contravening the National Credit Act, appeared in the Hazyview Magistrate’s Court on Friday. The state alleges that her Humelela Cash Loans business is not registered with the National Credit Regulator – meaning it was operating unlawfully. “When the team executed the search warrant at her premises approximately 500 bank cards, SASSA grant cards,…
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) on Thursday announced the final results of the local government elections that resulted in a record 66 hung councils, where no party had an outright majority. Announcing the results IEC Chair Glen Mashinini said the use of the new voter management system was a major milestone that eliminated any possibility of a person voting more than once. The African National Congress (ANC) on Thursday won 161 councils with majorities, the Democratic Alliance (DA) came a distant second having won 13 councils, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) took third place winning 10 councils. While…
Thieves have taken advantage of load-shedding to steal cables leaving many businesses including the Joburg market unable to operate. “The lack of electricity has a disastrous impact on the quality and safety of agricultural products,” complained Christo van der Rheede, executive director at Agri SA. The cable thefts occurred on Tuesday. On Friday morning Van der Rheede said electricity had still not been restored. “This is unacceptable for a market that provides agricultural products to 15 million people daily,” said Van der Rheede. “Agri SA appeals to the Johannesburg City mayor and council to do everything in their power to…
Claims that state officials trafficked eight of the decuplets to Europe and America made by Dr. Iqbal Survé – the owner of independent Media – have sparked an angry response from the Gauteng Provincial Government and the national health department. In trying to resurrect a long-discredited story that 37-year-old Gosiame Sithole from Tembisa gave birth to 10 babies several months ago, Dr. Survé on Wednesday called a press briefing during which he said eight babies survived and two died at birth. He claimed the mother saw them before they were trafficked with the help of hospital and home affairs officials…