Author: The Bulrushes
The missing cat is back and will make a public appearance Midweek. The Presidency said Deputy President David Mabuza will on Wednesday, 11 August 2021, address the Human Resource Development Council (HRDC). The HRDC summit is taking place at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Gauteng. Mabuza is the chair of the HRDC, a national, multi-stakeholder advisory body established with the objective of improving the foundation of human resources in South Africa. This objective is to be achieved by encouraging social partners to respond adequately to skills development needs that align with economic and social demands. Under the theme “skills required…
The Office of the Chief Justice has taken a hard line against hospitalised Jacob Zuma with the Monday announcement that the former president will appear before the high court in Pietermaritzburg. The 79-year-old former president is serving a 15-month prison term for contempt of court at the Estcourt Correctional Centre. Zuma was, however, taken to a hospital on Friday last week after a routine check up. He remains hospitalised with an undisclosed condition. Last week an agreement had been reached with the court for Zuma to attend his graft matter in person on Tuesday – after he objected to a…
Dr. Zwelini Mkhize has resigned as health minister, but he is not admitting to any wrongdoing and is taking the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) report on review. When Dr.Mkhize threw in the towel on Thursday – ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Cabinet reshuffle – he said he was going to court to challenge allegations that he unlawfully benefited from a dodgy Digital Vibes tender. Dr. Mkhize was replaced by Joe Phaalha as heath Health Minister. The former health minister told the president that he was only resigning because he was unable to perform his duties since he was placed on special leave…
Jailed former president Jacob Zuma has been taken to a hospital, the Correctional Services Department said on Friday. The 79-year-old former president, who is serving a 15-month sentence for contempt of court, has been admitted at a hospital outside the prison. Zuma is serving his sentence at the Estcourt Correction Centre, where he has been locked up for almost a month. Correctional services said, “a routine observation” promoted that Zuma is taken to a hospital. No details of Zuma’s ailment or condition were revealed. Zuma was scheduled to appear before the high court in Pietermaritzburg next week for a plea…
All Caltex-branded service stations in South Africa and Botswana are to be rebranded Astron Energy in one of the most significant and exciting events in the local fuel industry for almost three decades. Astron Energy is South Africa’s second-largest petroleum network with over 850 Caltex-branded service stations in SA and Botswana. The rebrand means Astron Energy becomes the overarching brand across corporate, commercial, and retail, and will be the public face of the Company at all forecourts and other key sites. This is an important step in Astron Energy’s ambition to become the biggest fuel brand in South Africa. The…
Jailed former president Jacob Zuma will appear in the High Court Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday next week. Zuma, who is serving a 15-month sentence for contempt of court at Estcourt Correctional Centre, declined to appear virtually as the court had initially suggested. The 79-year-old former president is the first accused in a more than decade-old arms deal corruption case. The second accused in the French company, Thales. Zuma, who has been incarcerated for nearly a month, faces 16 charges of racketeering, fraud, corruption, and money laundering. He is accused of accepting a bribe from Thales from 1999. Allegations are that the…
President Cyril Ramaphosa will present himself to the commission of inquiry into allegations of state capture next week on Wednesday and Thursday. In a terse statement, on Monday the chairperson of the commission acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo said he had fixed 11 and 12 August as the dates for Ramaphosa to appear. The commission, which cost about R1-billion, is investigating allegations of “state capture” that involved massive corruption, and fraud in the public sector including organs of state. Some media reports suggest that South Africa lost around R1.5-trillion through organised thefts dubbed “state capture”. The president previously appeared before the…
Eskom has announced the completion of the Medupi Power Station – 14 years after the massive 4 764MW project started. The initial plan was for Medupi to be completed by 2015 at an initial cost of about R80 billion. Since then time and costs have ballooned at Medupi, which means “gentle rain” in Sepedi. It is better late than never – but estimated costs are now at R234 billion for the power station with an estimated life of 50 years. Eskom, which has been battling with power supply issues, on Monday applauded Team Medupi for “working tirelessly” to complete the…
Every time a punter buys a lottery ticket in South Africa they are relying on ICT to make sure their bet is in the draw. But what many do not know is that it is a women-led company that is handling the ICT solution. When ITHUBA was awarded the Third National Lottery Operator license in 2015, Paytronix Systems became its ICT solutions provider. Paytronix Systems is a leading black-owned and women-led ICT Solutions provider founded in 2002. The primary focus for Paytronix Systems has been to provide platform support to enable ITHUBA to run the National Lottery. The leading ICT…
More than 500 people died of Covid-19 in one day in South Africa, which has gone past the peak of the third wave driven by the more deadly Delta variant. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases said in its latest daily update that 520 people died from Covid-19.and there were 17 351 new confirmed cases. The number of total fatalities from the pandemic stands at 70 908. While numbers of new virus infections in Gauteng have significantly come down to 5 204 in the last daily count, other parts of the country are experiencing a spike. The Western Cape has…