Free State Targets Surgical Backlogs
The three-day Cataract Marathon, held over the weekend at Boitumelo Regional Hospital in Kroonstad, was a great success, with over 100 patients receiving treatment.
Screening was conducted last week Friday with cataract operations scheduled for Saturday and Su...
We think we’ve been able to secure a settlement in the best interest of workers, says Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim.
Numsa, the country’s largest union, has signed a multi-term above-inflation wage deal with five employers in the country’s multi billion-rand plastics sector, which is set to be extended to nonparties in a sector employing about 34,000 workers nationally.
The wage agreement would see workers getting pay increases of 7% effective July 1, a 6% increase effective July 2026 and another 6% increase from July 2027. The inflation rate slightly increased from the 2.7% recorded in March to 2.8% in April.
Over R6 million has been raised under the Comrades Marathon Association’s Amabeadibeadi Charity Drive. These are the Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa (CHOC), SANParks Honorary Rangers, Community Chest, Rise Against Hunger, Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust (HACT) and Childline KwaZulu-Natal.
CHOC Cows manager Jayde McCarthy said: “We did super well with our cows being absolutely amoozing!!!!”
On Monday morning, McCarthy said they had raised R2,5m.
“Our highest fundraiser is Ida van de Wetering, who has raised R165k to date.”
McCarthy expressed gratitude to Van de Wetering and said they were proud of her.
McCarthy mentioned that they had approximately 300 runners, but she had not yet checked their performance.
McCarthy said it is incredibly motivating to remember they were doing this for children battling cancer.
On Sunday, the CHOC Cows had a water point in Hillcrest, with an 'amoozing' vibe with fun, dancing, mooing and cow bells.
“It was amoozing! There was cow print everywhere, the supporters were phenomenal, handing out high fives, hugs, nutrition, hydration and mootivation! Our sponsor, Balwin, made that spot possible, and we are so grateful!” McCarthy exclaimed.
Ahead of the marathon, SANParks Honorary Rangers’ Peter Zietsman said the 98th edition of the Comrades Marathon was their second opportunity to be of assistance and participate and become beneficiaries.
SANParks Honorary Rangers had a watering hole in Camperdown with two huge blow-up elephants.
Zietsman said that due to fiscal limitations, SANParks has certain capital expenditure requirements that cannot be fulfilled within the current fiscal period.
“So what we do is we launch projects like this and we collect funds that we are able to fill those gaps of needs for SANParks, so they can reach their objectives in terms of community responsibilities and things like that,” Zietsman said.
“So it’s financial, it’s boots on the ground, it’s activities providing assets for SANParks to function correctly.”
Community Chest executive director Gordon McDonald said: “That money will be spent on early childhood development (ECD) because there’s a critical problem with children not getting enough early education, and they’re not finishing school, and they’re not going to university and entering into the cycle of poverty.
“Good early childhood development, nutritious food, and good school stimulation programs are absolutely vital if you want to give a child a chance in life, and every child in every community deserves that chance.”
McDonald said they work with children in vulnerable communities and currently support about 7,800 children every day around Pietermaritzburg and Durban.
“We have focused our Comrades money on ECD for about 18 years now, and it is making a difference, and it’s nice to see.”
Community Chest had a refreshment station outside Kingsmead Toyota, 1.5km from the finish line.
A diner at the Stellenbosch-based Beyerskloof Wine Bar, who said that she had ingested a needle-like object which she claimed was in her hamburger, won her damages claim against the establishment after the Western Cape High Court found the restaurant’s breach of care was linked to the plaintiff’s harm.
A PATRON at an establishment in the Western Cape won a damages claim of R750 000 due to the pain, suffering and trauma she suffered after ingesting a needle that was lodged in a burger she ate at the restaurant.
The matter came before the Western Cape High Court, where Maxine Williams accused the Stellenbosch-based Bayerskloof Wine Bar of being in breach of care when serving her a meal, and Judge Babalwa Mantame who presided over the matter, found in her favour.
The representatives of the restaurant denied any wrongdoing on the part of the plaintiff and maintained that the foreign object she ingested did not come from consumables sold and/or prepared by them.
Williams testified that on the evening of October 3, 2020, she and her husband visited their favourite restaurant in the area, and each ordered a hamburger and sides. Halfway through her meal, she experienced a sensation of discomfort, as though something was lodged in her throat. She immediately tried to get it down but struggled profusely. She went to the restroom as she started to cough and was in a state of panic.
She noticed some blood in the bathroom basin, and she began to cry. She returned to her husband and he took her to the emergency room at Stellenbosch Mediclinic. X-rays revealed that a needle-like object was stuck in her throat.
The ENT specialist attempted to extract this object manually but could not succeed. She could not be operated on that evening as she had eaten food and drunk wine. The plaintiff underwent an operation after seven hours which was unsuccessful. She was discharged after five days when the object was no longer detected.
The plaintiff testified on the extent of pain, discomfort, anxiety, and panic she experienced during this incident. She was adamant that there is absolutely no possibility that a foreign object came from her clothing, as she did not wear hair clips or pins and so on.
The only way the needle-like foreign object could have entered her body was through the food that was served at the restaurant, she said. She was certain that the object was on the hamburger because that is what she consumed at that time. She was uncertain as to whether it was on the bun, patty, or garnish, or how it had been introduced to the hamburger.
The general manager for the restaurant testified that the establishment ceased operations in April last year. He told the court the establishment had never experienced an incident of this nature. He explained that the hamburger patties were sourced from a reputable butchery which has been in business approximately since 1960.
The buns and sides also came from suppliers which supplied the hotels and restaurants in the area. At no stage did the defendant make its own patties, the court was told.
But it was argued on behalf of Williams that the defendant had not provided an explanation of the origins of the foreign object on the food. It merely stated that it had safety and health protocols in place to ensure food safety.
The restaurant manager also did not testify about what process was undertaken by which staff member to prepare the plaintiff’s hamburger, or whether there were any pins perhaps attached to the uniforms of the waitresses which could have fallen into the food.
Judge Babalwa Mantame acknowledged there is no direct evidence regarding the origins of the needle or how it came to be in the hamburger, but she concluded the restaurant's staff was exclusively in control over preparing the final hamburger.
She said there was thus a connection between the hamburger and the damage caused. She ruled that the restaurant is 100% liable for the damages suffered by Williams.
A SAPS Captain from the Pretoria Police Training Academy was granted R8,000 bail by the Pretoria Magistrate Court.
A police college captain, accused of raping and assaulting a female trainee, has been granted R8,000 bail.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) said the accused appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court where he received bail.
It is alleged that in May, the captain raped the 20-year-old woman and assaulted her in his office.
He is believed to have called the 20-year-old woman into his office after seeing her walking with her platoon to their sleeping quarters.
When they were inside his office, the 59-year-old officer allegedly locked the door and told the woman he would serve her with a misconduct letter if she did not sleep with him.
"This was over an incident the previous month when she failed to salute him," Ipid spokesperson, Lizzy Suping said.
Suping added that based on trends on cases of rape by police officers from the previous financial year, Gauteng is leading with just under 30 cases reported.
"Although other provinces experienced a decline on these cases, Gauteng’s cases increased by about 35%. Reported cases of rape by police officers while on duty are also higher as compared to rape when officers are off duty," Suping said.
The Supreme Court of Appeal has dismissed with costs the Department of Home Affairs’ attempt to overturn an interim interdict, previously granted in favour of the Zimbabwe Immigration Federation, protecting nearly 200,000 Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) holders against arrest and deportation.
After winning Part A of the court wrangle, the federation will be heading back to the court, for Part B, to argue before court that the Department of Home Affairs overreached in 2021, when the then home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi announced the termination of the ZEP.
The special permit dispensation has allowed 180,000 Zimbabwean nationals to live and work in South Africa since 2009.
In the federation’s view, the jurisdiction to terminate the ZEP lies with Parliament, not the minister.
IOL had an interview with Vindren Magadzire, director of the Zimbabwe Immigration Federation who said his organisation's case revolves around the termination of the ZEP programme by the minister of home affairs.
“The programme allowed approximately 180,000 Zimbabweans to live and work in South Africa. In 2021, the minister of home affairs announced plans to terminate the ZEP permits, sparking legal actions from the Zimbabwe Immigration Federation,” Magadzire told IOL.
“The Zimbabwe Immigration Federation was inspired to go through courts due to the South African minister of home affairs’ decision to terminate the permits. The decision would have significant implications for approximately 180,000 Zimbabweans living and working in South Africa under the ZEP permit program.”
Magadzire said his organisation is requesting the superior court to declare the termination of the ZEP permits unlawful, setting aside the termination decision, and protecting permit holders rights.
In Magadzire’s view, a lasting solution would be granting the ZEP holders permanent residence status in South Africa.
“The latest development in the court case is that the Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed the minister of home affairs appeal. This decision upholds a Johannesburg High Court interdict that shields approximately 180,000 ZEP holders from arrest and deportation,” said Magadzire.
Last year, IOL reported that the High Court in Pretoria heard arguments from the Helen Suzman Foundation to enforce the court’s order that the ZEP remains valid, while the minister of home affairs conducts a fair and rational inquiry into the impact of its termination.
The foundation turned to court in a bid to give ZEP holders a lifeline.
“When the minister first signalled his intention to appeal the court’s June 2023 judgment, the foundation asked him to leave the ZEP in place until he exhausted the appeal process. The minister refused,” Nicole Fritz, executive director of the foundation said at the time.
The court had held earlier that the minister’s appeal had no prospects of success. Home Affairs then decided to turn to the Supreme Court of Appeal.
The rand remained stable against a stronger dollar on Friday after the world’s largest economy reported stronger-than-expected employment data.
The rand traded at 17.78 against the dollar, showing little change from Thursday’s closing level.
It initially gained value early in the day when the South African Reserve Bank announced an increase in foreign reserves for the previous month.
The dollar was approximately 0.5% stronger against a basket of currencies following a report from the U.S. Labour Department, which showed that non-farm payrolls rose by 139,000 in May, surpassing economists’ estimates of a 130,000 increase, as reported by Reuters.
As a risk-sensitive currency, the rand often reacts to global factors such as U.S. economic policies and data, in addition to local influences.
This week, domestic investors will be paying close attention to manufacturing and mining reports to assess the health of Africa’s most industrialised economy.
On Monday, 9 June, the rand was trading at R17.77 to the dollar, R24.08 to the pound and R20.28 to the euro. Oil was trading slightly lower at $66.41 a barrel.
SARU is technically insolvent: The South African Rugby Union (Saru) is technically insolvent after a nearly R100 million loss in 2024, largely due to a failed equity deal with Ackerley Sports Group. However, 2025 has started strong, improving the outlook. [Business Day]
