Mapisa-Nqakula appeared at the Pretoria High Court on Friday, where she faces 12 counts of corruption and one of money laundering.
JOHANNESBURG - The judge presiding over the corruption case of former Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is unhappy with the progress of the case, following yet another postponement.
Mapisa-Nqakula appeared at the Pretoria High Court on Friday, where she faces 12 counts of corruption and one of money laundering.
It's alleged that as defence minister, she solicited and received kickbacks, amounting to R4.5 million from a defence contractor.
In April, Judge Mokhine Mosopa made a ruling that Mapisa-Nqakula's lawyers should be given access to a Dequar Military Police docket.
This is the docket of the State's star witness, Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, where she is charged with corruption in a separate case.
Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu's case was eventually struck off the court roll due to persistent delays, leading to Mapisa-Nqakula's lawyers suspecting she may have made a quid pro quo deal with the State.
Prosecutor Paul Louw said that since the docket was from another court, he could not disclose it.
"I only received confirmation from my colleagues in the SCCU (Specialised Commercial Crimes Court), where the military matter was being held yesterday afternoon, that the docket is available to me as a member of the investigating director. I cannot disclose it, it must formally happen via the office of the national director of public prosecutions."
Judge Mosopa adjourned the matter to 18 August for a progress report on the disclosure process.
*This article was first published by Eye Witness News.
Thembinkosi Lorch continued his resurgence with another eye-catching display for Wydad Athletic Club, even as the Moroccan giants fell 2-0 to Manchester City in their opening Fifa Club World Cup fixture on Wednesday night.
Facing the former English champions in their group-stage opener, Wydad were always in for a tough night, but the 31-year-old South African winger emerged as one of the few bright sparks in an otherwise frustrating outing.
The former Orlando Pirates star looked lively from the outset, offering an attacking threat both wide and on the inside, and remained one of Wydad’s more consistent outlets throughout the 90 minutes.
The result leaves Wydad with plenty to do in their remaining group-stage fixture if they are to keep their tournament hopes alive, but Lorch’s individual performance gave South African fans reason to be optimistic.
In contrast, fellow countryman Cassius Mailula endured a more difficult evening.
Starting upfront as the focal point of Wydad’s attack, the young forward struggled to influence proceedings, largely due to a lack of service.
He was withdrawn at halftime as the technical team sought to spark a second-half comeback.
City, despite fielding a rotated side without several key players, showed their pedigree early.
Phil Foden opened the scoring within two minutes – one of the fastest goals in Club World Cup history – capitalising on a lapse in Wydad’s defensive shape.
Just before halftime, Jeremy Doku’s quick feet carved open the Moroccan defence again, with City doubling their lead and effectively killing off the contest before the interval.
To Wydad’s credit, they refused to sit back. They pressed high and tried to assert their style, but their energy lacked end-product.
Moments of promise often faded without the clinical final ball, and City’s composure and control ensured the result never truly looked in doubt.
Still, the 31-year-old Lorch remained a threat, particularly in the first half.
His touches were purposeful, his runs intelligent, and his confidence increasingly evident – a far cry from the player who had struggled for game-time at Mamelodi Sundowns just months ago.
His loan move to Wydad has breathed new life into his career.
Under the initial guidance of Rulani Mokwena and now Amine Benhachem, he has grown in influence and consistency, rediscovering the form that once made him a stand-out for Pirates and a regular in the national team set-up.
A lot of credit must go to Mokwena, who showed faith in the former Pirates player and took him along during his initial stint with the Moroccan giants.
Even in Mokwena’s absence, the quality in the player continues to shine through, and he could once again become a key figure even in the national team.
With Hugo Broos likely to keep a close eye on his progress, the experienced winger’s renewed sharpness could soon make him a strong contender for Bafana Bafana – especially with South Africa preparing for key international assignments in the coming months.
Next up for Wydad is a daunting clash against Juventus on Sunday in Philadelphia (6pm SA time kick-off).
The Italians will pose another stern test, but it’s also another platform for the South African duo to stake their claim on the world stage.
*This article was first published by IOL News.
The National Treasury’s statement on local government revenue and expenditure for the last quarter of the 2024/25 fiscal year shows that the municipal budget for salaries was almost a third, at 27.4%, of total operating expenses.
However, the statement also indicates that salaries and wages, including that of Councillors, declined 0.9% between the February and October budgets last year. This was a decline of R1.5 billion at a time when inflation was, on average, 3.6%.
National Treasury did not indicate whether this was due to less staff, although the Auditor-General’s most recent report into municipalities indicated that there were vacancies in key areas such as finance and technical services.
National Treasury did note that – as at the end of March – almost 30% of the adjusted salary budget had yet to be spent.
This could potentially result in a rush to spend the rest of the budget, which could lead to irregular expenditure. The latest consolidated report from the Auditor-General of South Africa covering the 2023/24 financial year showed that only 16% of municipalities achieved clean audits.
The report added that: “The financial health of municipalities remains weak… Money is being lost through non-compliance with legislation and suspected fraud.”
In March, the South African Municipal Workers’ Union expressed “its profound outrage at the ongoing and systemic failure of municipalities to pay workers’ salaries, a crisis that has escalated to catastrophic levels and represents nothing short of economic violence against municipal workers”.
Municipal spending information is contained in National Treasury’s report on local government revenue and expenditure for the third quarter of the 2024/25 financial year. Its report covers the performance against the adopted budgets of local government for the third quarter of the municipal financial year to end March and includes spending against conditional grant allocations for the same period.
Its report, National Treasury said, “promotes transparency in reporting, enhances in-year management and the oversight of the financial performance of municipalities against their adjustments budgets”.
National Treasury said that it functions as a “management tool that serves as an early warning mechanism for municipal councils, provincial legislatures, and municipal management, allowing for effective monitoring and timely improvement of municipal performance”.
*This article was first published by IOL News.
Nehawu in the Free State says Health MEC Matso Mahlatsi must address hazardous working conditions at the Pelonomi Hospital in Bloemfontein or they will go on strike.
Workers also say there is a shortage of staff and beds.
Free State Nehawu Secretary, Khauhelo Mnqibisa, says their demonstration is emphasized by non-operational wards.
“The demonstration also emphasized that there is a continuous experience of critical influx of patients while operating with severe staff shortage in a form of both clinical and non-clinical staff. This pressure has been exacerbated by the closure of some wards at National Hospital, which remained non-operational since the fire incident last year. As a result Pelonomi is bearing the burden of an overstretched system leaving its limited staff overwhelmed and struggling to meet the demands of patients care.”
*This article was first published by SABC News.
Police discovered that the operation was taking place at Wilken's apartment in Midrand, Johannesburg.
A couple accused of operating a global child pornography network will be back in the Randburg Magistrates Court on Friday.
Darryn Wilken and his girlfriend Megan Moodley were arrested in January this year after being tracked down by the FBI in a global investigation.
Police discovered that the operation was taking place at Wilken's apartment in Midrand, Johannesburg.
At their previous court appearance, the matter was postponed to allow police to go through several hundred hours of pornographic footage discovered at Wilken's property.
Police also found a luxury vehicle, R600,000 in cash and high-end electronic equipment
Wilken's accomplice, Moodley, has been charged with manufacturing and distributing child pornography and money laundering.
Since their arrest, the couple has been in police custody after being denied bail.
The court previously heard how the pair made millions through their distribution of child pornography
*This article was first published by Eye Witness News.
Latest figures show that over one million deaths a year worldwide are directly caused by AMR.
A group of infectious disease and public health experts are calling on the Department of Health and Minister Aaron Motsoaledi to reintroduce a national action plan addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
An open letter from over 70 doctors, scientists and public health advisors states that antibiotic resistance is becoming a “growing threat” in the country and poses a threat to universal health coverage through the National Health Insurance.
Latest figures show that over one million deaths a year worldwide are directly caused by AMR. This number is projected to increase. Nearly five million people die with an antibiotic-resistant infection. Over the next 25 years, nearly 40 million people are projected to die from AMR.
The second edition of the South African Antimicrobial Resistance National Strategy Framework, from 2018-2024, has expired. The plan acknowledged that antimicrobial resistance is “a serious and growing global health security risk”.
The open letter also called on the department to reinstate a ministerial advisory committee on AMR or to establish a similar scientific body.
“The lack of a robust scientific advisory body limits the government’s capacity to develop evidence-based policies,” the letter reads. The establishment of a scientific body would “empower the government to make strategic, data-driven decisions to combat this pressing health threat effectively”.
The former Ministerial Advisory Committee was disbanded in November 2023.
Marc Mendelson, an infectious disease specialist at Groote Schuur Hospital who has been outspoken about the threat of AMR for many years, said: “AMR is a current pandemic which is wreaking havoc, is not being attended to properly and not being taken seriously enough in South Africa.”
Mendelson said that there are “more and more people having to be treated for highly resistant bacterial infections in our healthcare system”. AMR leads to an increase in morbidity, mortality, hospital costs, and also has socio-economic consequences, he said. Common medical interventions such as surgery “becomes much riskier” with AMR.
Department of Health spokesperson Foster Mohale said that the department would only comment once the letter was formally presented, which is expected to happen at 5pm on Thursday.
*This article was first published by GroundUp.
