Prasa's R2.5bn train flop; Malema's Trump card: Today's top 7 stories in 7 minutes
News24 brings you the top stories of the day, summarised into neat little packages. Read through quickly or listen to the articles via our customised text-to-speech feature.
Cape Town couple in alleged sex slave case out on R50k bail
A Cape Town couple, aged 47 and 38, facing charges including rape, human trafficking, and drug possession, have been granted R50 000 bail each by the Western Cape High Court.
The court overturned a previous denial of bail, imposing strict conditions such as surrendering passports and regular police check-ins, after the couple argued the State's case was weak.
The couple, accused of offences against a 26-year-old former employee and their own 5-year-old child, deny all allegations, claiming the complainant had a consensual agreement and is now resentful of losing her job.
Mlungisi Louw/Gallo Images/Volksblad
Asbestos 'scam': Cholota's lawyers say State failed to show extradition was lawful
Moroadi Cholota's legal team criticised the State for not calling NPA officials to testify in the trial-within-a-trial regarding her extradition.
Cholota's lawyers argued that the NPA lacked the authority to request her extradition, citing a Supreme Court of Appeal ruling.
The court has postponed the case to 3 June for judgment on Cholota's special plea challenging the court's jurisdiction.
DERAILED: Prasa blows R2.5bn fixing trains and then discards them to rot in depots
Prasa has paid R2.5 billion to contractors to repair old trains that are not being used, with plans to spend R7.5 billion by 2027 on this project.
A forensic investigation revealed that the refurbished trains are discarded in depots, and some Prasa executives questioned the project's value.
The report recommends declaring the expenditure irregular and pursuing criminal charges against those involved in potential fraud.
Malema's Trump card? EFF leader convinced White House has boosted party's election hopes
Julius Malema claims the EFF is more powerful after being discussed during the Ramaphosa-Trump meeting in the White House.
Malema criticised Ramaphosa for highlighting South Africa's crime crisis in the US, saying it will harm tourism.
The EFF is campaigning in the Free State ahead of a by-election, hoping to gain control of Ward 16 in the Ngwathe municipality.
Joan Cros/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Starlink: Malatsi's moves align with GNU's five-year plan
A proposed directive in SA could allow satellite services like Starlink to offer foreign firms a workaround to black shareholding requirements, aligning with the government's five-year plan.
Experts say the rules are due for a change, although certain vulnerable industry players, such as small rural ISPs, will need to be protected from the impact of large satellite services.
The proposed policy directive is likely to be contested, with concerns raised about bypassing legislative frameworks and the potential negative impact on local empowerment imperatives.
Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images
'This is a disaster!': Sundowns' easiest, trickiest Champions League clash in Cairo
Mamelodi Sundowns will travel to Cairo for the second leg of the CAF Champions League final against Pyramids FC, with many Egyptians surprisingly supporting Sundowns due to Pyramids' unpopularity.
Pyramids FC faces numerous challenges, including a congested schedule, lack of fan support, and alleged bias from Egyptian football authorities, making this a tricky match for Sundowns despite appearing easier on paper.
Coach Miguel Cardoso emphasises the importance of showing a champion's attitude in difficult situations and taking responsibility for mistakes, as Sundowns aims to overcome the 1-1 draw from the first leg and win in Cairo.
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News24
21 hours ago
- News24
Makhanda: The collapse of an iconic South African town
Makhanda's deteriorating municipal systems, including water supply, electricity, and road maintenance, have worsened. The municipality has faced consistent disclaimers of opinion from the Auditor General, highlighting severe financial mismanagement and unresolved corruption allegations. Once a significant economic contributor, the National Arts Festival has seen declining attendance, shows, and financial returns due to municipal neglect and infrastructure challenges. It was six days into the 51st annual National Arts Festival (NAF) in July this year, and yet there were no lights to welcome visitors entering the small city of Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown) after sunset, according to GroundUp. Only the occasional shop front cast patches of light along High Street between Rhodes University's Drostdy Arch and the landmark Anglican Cathedral. It was not a temporary power outage, but a situation that would persist for the rest of the 11-day festival. Municipal reports indicate this was mostly due to cable theft. Historically, the main thoroughfares would be filled with buskers, traders, and festival-goers, but the dark streets were now almost deserted. A decade ago the festival attracted 225 000 people to watch more than 600 theatre shows. It's now a fraction of that. (The municipality's population is about 100 000.) Usually the Makana Local Municipality makes an effort to temporarily patch up its failures over the festival period. Not this year. Financial mismanagement The municipality has received disclaimers of opinion from the Auditor General (AG) since the 2018/19 financial year. Prior to that, it had received qualified audits. A disclaimer of opinion is the worst finding the AG makes. It occurs when the municipality's finances are so mismanaged that the AG cannot provide documents to support its financial statements and therefore the AG cannot form an opinion. After a crumbling reticulation system left residents and festival visitors without water for days on end in 2016, erstwhile festival CEO Tony Lankester publicly stated that the biggest threat to the festival's continuation was not the paucity of arts funding, but the municipality itself. Under a majority ANC council for at least 25 years, the city has steadily and visibly deteriorated. (This reporter lived there in the 1990s and has visited the town at least once a year for more than 20 years.) Streets across the city are awash with potable water leaks and sewage overflows. Potholes are so prevalent that even some main streets are now little more than corrugated gravel. Water rationing and outages continue. Electricity outages are common. Municipal buildings are derelict from a lack of maintenance. The festival has now shrunk to 242 shows, according to NAF spokesperson Sascha Polkey. Polkey did not supply visitor numbers, but patrons were visibly thin on the ground this year. In 2013, the festival brought R349 million to the province (about R460 million today), including R90 million to the city's coffers (about R159 million in today's terms). Last year it brought in R132 million for the province, including R58 million for the city, according to a report by the South African Cultural Observatory. Off grid Residents have been experiencing water outages since at least 2012. Yet the municipality is still not able to ensure a continuous water supply to the whole town. This is despite supply dams being full. The lack of a continuous and reliable water supply has forced large revenue-contributing institutions to seek independent supplies. This in the context of a municipality with a collection rate of less than 60%, according to opposition councillors. Rhodes University, which has about 9 000 students at its Makhanda campus and is the single largest ratepayer, is moving to make itself independent of the municipality's erratic water supply. 'A significant challenge facing the university is the unreliable water supply from the Makana municipality,' said deputy vice-chancellor Professor Mabokang Monnapula-Mapesela at an alumni event on 3 July. 'The university is progressing plans to establish its own water treatment facility to process water from its borehole system,' she said, calling on alumni to assist in funding the initiative. The university communication office said it is also 'exploring renewable energy solutions'. Makhanda is home to three prestigious private schools. All have sought ways to provide a reliable water supply for their learners, staff and grounds. Managers at the Diocesan School for Girls and Kingswood College said most of the water they now use comes from their own borehole and harvested rainwater. Only St Andrew's College still predominantly uses municipal water, relying on its own supplies during water outages. Dry taps in the suburb of Tyantji may have contributed to 75-year-old resident Thandisizwe Nondlwana dying when his house burned down last month. Neighbours said they couldn't douse the flames as their taps were dry. Firefighters arrived too late. A senior firefighter told GroundUp, on condition he was not named, that the roads are so bad that it is difficult to get to an emergency in time. Teetering systems Makhanda uses about 18Ml (million litres) per day, municipal manager Phumelelo Kate said in May last year. The water is supplied from the Waainek Water Treatment Works (WTW) on the west side of the city, and the James Kleynhans WTW on the east. Retired water engineer Peter Sturrock estimates that the reticulation system has so many leaks that 28Ml needs to be pumped into the system per day for continuous, city-wide supply. As DA councillor Luvuyo Sizani put it: if you see the streets are wet, you know the water in that area is on; if the streets are dry, so are the taps. An upgrade to the James Kleynhans Water Treatment Works, which abstracts water from the Glen Melville Dam on the Orange/Fish scheme, was announced as the solution to the city's water troubles in 2015. It was meant to double the treatment works' capacity from 10Ml to 20Ml per day by 2017. It is yet to be completed. The costs have ballooned from an initial R160 million to more than R700 million to date, according to Makana Citizens Front councillor Phillip Machanik. Sturrock said the most it has ever supplied was 16Ml per day when three pumps were working full time. But the pumps burned out, and there is now only one operational pump at the James Kleynhans WTW. Two rising mains – a pipeline through which water is pumped uphill – are required to deliver the 20Ml per day target. A second was built as part of the upgrade. But the original, which takes water up to the Botha's Hill reservoir above the city, needs to be fixed. 'Time and money ran out before that was done,' said Sturrock. Although Amatola Water is in charge of the James Kleynhans upgrade, the municipality is supposed to exercise oversight and be responsible for operation and maintenance. The municipality reported to council that there is only one general worker at the treatment works when there are supposed to be six. Drought and maintenance failures In December, at the height of summer, the Howieson's Poort dam, supplying the west side of town, came close to running dry. The system is designed so that when this happens, the dam can be topped up from the larger Settlers Dam, which lies in a different catchment and is fed by the Kariega River. But, said Sturrock, when it was attempted, with just a few days of water left in Howieson's Poort, valves along the pipeline burst. It had not been checked. The pipe and pump had not been used or maintained for years. Disaster was averted when good rains filled Howieson's Poort again. However, the pipeline and valves have not been fixed, so the same problem would occur if there is another dry spell of three or four months without rain. Missing pump The 8Ml per day Waainek Water Treatment Works (WTW), which abstracts water from Howieson's Poort Dam, is working at full capacity. But municipal reports before council show it only has one operational pump, running day and night with no backup. Sturrock says there should be three: two pumps working on rotation, and a third for when one of the pumps needs servicing or repairs. There is a second pump, but as reported at the municipality's infrastructural development portfolio committee meeting of 10 July, it is 'on limp mode' and requires repair. A pump worth R2.7 million was ordered from Manco Business Enterprise in East London in July 2022, and paid for, but it has never been delivered. The engineering and infrastructure director Asanda Gidana was dismissed in November 2023. One of the two charges was for unlawfully facilitating its pre-payment. Gidana disputed her dismissal at the Bargaining Council, which ruled in her favour on both counts, and ordered she be paid six-months salary, amounting to R635 000, as she did not want her job back at the municipality. It appears Gidana was an innocent scapegoat, as the chief financial officer, the municipal manager and other municipal employees recommended and signed that the payment should be made. The commissioner making the award, Mandlenkosi Mini, remarked: With neither the pump nor its installation and connection delivered, nor any money recovered, Makana Citizens Front councillor and party leader Lungile Mxube laid a charge of fraud and corruption against the mayor, municipal manager, chief financial officer and council speaker at the Makhanda police station on 20 June. The municipality did not respond to questions on this and other issues.
Associated Press
a day ago
- Associated Press
Hansen secures a significant three-year contract extension with Africa's MultiChoice Group
MELBOURNE, Australia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 29, 2025-- Hansen Technologies (ASX:HSN), a leading global provider of software and services to the communications & media and energy & utilities industries, has signed a three-year contract renewal with MultiChoice Group to enable the continued utilisation of Hansen CCB, as well as the extension of the existing managed services solutions. The agreement, initially for a term of three years, combines various contracts into a single master contract; aligning to MultiChoice's ambition to transition to this latest version of Hansen CCB. MultiChoice is a South African company that operates DStv, a major satellite television service in Sub-Saharan Africa. As Africa's leading entertainment platform, MultiChoice offers a diverse range of content across multiple brands and countries. For over 25 years, MultiChoice has relied on Hansen for their single billing solution, which supports subscribers across 50 markets. Hansen's continued investment into the CCB platform has allowed MultiChoice to adeptly and efficiently handle the mission critical complexities of the various regional requirements and diverse country regulations across Africa. The extension of the contract is a reflection of MultiChoice's resounding confidence in Hansen, not only as a platform provider but as a partner in their evolving future. MultiChoice Group Chief Technology & Information Officer, Sabelo Mwali comments: 'Hansen has proven to be an invaluable partner over many years, consistently providing software and services that have resulted in a highly flexible, reliable and efficient billing platform for the MultiChoice Group. 'We look forward to continuing and expanding our highly successful collaboration with Hansen for many years to come.' Hansen's President of Communications & Media, Scott Weir, shares: 'This agreement re-iterates the confidence Tier-1 industry players hold in Hansen's technology and expertise to deliver mission-critical Billing solutions. 'We look forward to the further extension of the long-standing relationship we have built over the years as we continue to support MultiChoice's ambitions of further innovation and investment into the entertainment arena in Africa.' For further information about Hansen, please visit About Hansen Hansen Technologies (ASX: HSN) is a leading global provider of software and services to the energy & utilities and communications & media industries. With its award-winning software portfolio, Hansen serves organisations with customers located in over 80 countries, helping them to create, sell, and deliver new products and services, manage and analyse customer data, and control critical revenue management and customer support processes. For more information, visit About MultiChoice MultiChoice is Africa's leading entertainment platform, with a mission to enrich lives. The company offers a wide range of products and services, including DStv, GOtv, Showmax, M-Net, SuperSport, Irdeto, and KingMakers. Its products and services are used by over 23.5 million households in 50 markets across sub-Saharan Africa. View source version on CONTACT: For further information, please contact: Megan Rosier Director, Corporate Communications & Marketing Hansen [email protected] KEYWORD: SOUTH AFRICA AFRICA AUSTRALIA/OCEANIA UNITED STATES CANADA NORTH AMERICA AUSTRALIA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TELECOMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE INTERNET AUDIO/VIDEO TV AND RADIO TECHNOLOGY CARRIERS AND SERVICES ENTERTAINMENT SOURCE: Hansen Technologies Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 07/29/2025 07:07 AM/DISC: 07/29/2025 07:07 AM
News24
a day ago
- News24
Madlanga inquiry's six-month investigation to cost R147.9m
Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga to investigate allegations of criminal infiltration into the SA justice system. Madlanga says the inquiry has already started its work, but needs to procure building space and internet reporting capacity before it can hold public hearings. The justice department has confirmed it is responsible for that procurement process. Acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga's inquiry into KwaZulu-Natal police chief Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi's allegations of criminal infiltration into the South African justice system has an estimated budget R147.9 million over a six-month period. That budget was confirmed by Department of Justice and Constitutional Development spokesperson Terence Manase on Tuesday, after Madlanga referred all queries about the budget to the department. 'Regarding your specific enquiry, we can confirm that the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development is responsible for the procurement process for services for the Commission in consultation with the Commission Chairperson and Secretary,' Manase told News24. 'Due to the timeframes, the department has applied for a deviation from standard procurement processes with the National Treasury for the Madlanga Commission and awaiting feedback. 'The estimated budget for the commission over a six-month period is R147.9 million'. On Monday, Madlanga announced that his inquiry had already started its work, but that it still needed to procure a building and internet reporting capacity before it could hold public hearings. He also announced that some of South Africa's most highly regarded advocates would be part of the team that aims to get to the bottom of Mkhwanazi's claims. This is a developing story.
