
24 hours in pictures, 30 July 2025
Through the lens: The Citizen's Picture Editors select the best news photographs from South Africa and around the world.
A touristic amphibious bus goes ashore during a road test in Busan, South Korea, 30 July 2025. The Busan metropolitan government plans to launch the service of a 27-seat touristic amphibious bus in the first half of 2026. The vehicle has a maximal speed of 100 km/h on land and about 18.5 km/h in the water. Picture: EPA/YONHAP Mduduzi Mnisi before his charges were dropped at Roodepoort Magistrates' Court, West of Johannesburg, 30 July 2025, for murdering a 14-year-old former Ikusasalethu Secondary School learner, Likhona Fos. Picture: Nigel Sibanda /The Citizen Firefighters and GNR members try to extinguish a forest fire in Bemposta, Penamacor, Portugal, 29 July 2025. The fire that broke out on 28 July in Penamacor, in the Castelo Branco district, has entered the aftermath and surveillance phase, according to the Civil Protection. Picture: EPA/MIGUEL PEREIRA DA SILVA People participate in the grand civic-military parade commemorating the 204th anniversary of Peru's independence, in Lima, Peru, 29 July 2025. Picture: EPA/Paolo Aguilar Mourners and music fans line the streets to pay their respects as the funeral cortege of Ozzy Osbourne, the late lead singer of Black Sabbath, makes its way through Birmingham, central England on July 30, 2025. Thousands are expected to line the streets in Ozzy Osbourne's UK hometown of Birmingham on Wednesday to honour the heavy metal hell-raiser Ozzy Osbourne as he is laid to rest. Osbourne, nicknamed the 'Prince of Darkness' and who once bit a bat while on stage while performing with his Black Sabbath band, died on July 22 at the age of 76. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP) MKP supporters marching outside the Constitutional Court during an urgent bid to challenge President Cyril Ramaphosa decisions on Minister Senzo Mchunu and the corruption Inquiry at Constitutional Court on July 30, 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa made the decisions after serious allegations surfaced about corruption and criminal infiltration within key government institutions. (Photo by Gallo Images/Luba Lesolle) Advocate Dali Mpofu and Colleen Makhubele during an urgent bid to challenge President Cyril Ramaphosa decisions on Minister Senzo Mchunu and the corruption Inquiry at Constitutional Court on July 30, 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa made the decisions after serious allegations surfaced about corruption and criminal infiltration within key government institutions. (Photo by Gallo Images/Luba Lesolle) An aerial photo shows fishermen pulling a net at a beach in Banda Aceh on July 29, 2025. (Photo by CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN / AFP) Indian school children participate in the 'Save Our Tiger' awareness campaign on the International Tiger Day organised by the non-governmental organisation Art Cultural Educational Enlight Foundation in Bangalore, India, 29 July 2025. The International Tiger Day is observed annually on 29 July to raise awareness about the risk of extinction of tigers and the need to save them. Picture: EPA/JAGADEESH NV A migrant runs to board a smuggler's inflatable dinghy in an attempt to cross the English Channel off the beach of Gravelines, northern France on July 29, 2025. (Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP) Fishermen sit in a boat at the River Indus, as sufficient water comes in downstream at Ghulam Mohammed Barrage Jamshoro, in Hyderabad, Pakistan, 29 July 2025. Authorities have opened the spillways of Rawal Dam as the water level surged to 1748.40 feet, nearing its maximum capacity of 1752 feet, following heavy rainfall in Islamabad. Residents nearby have been urged to stay cautious. Picture: EPA/NADEEM KHAWAR
MORE: 24 hours in pictures, 29 July 2025
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The Citizen
11 hours ago
- The Citizen
Former Durban pastor's car window smashed in alleged road rage attack
A former pastor from Chatsworth, Durban, and his family are left traumatised after the side window of their vehicle was shattered in an alleged road rage incident along the N2 recently. According to Rising Sun, Ernest Manikam (71) was returning from a family funeral and driving along the N2 freeway with his family when they were involved in a horrific road rage incident that almost cost them their lives. Manikam explained: 'The drama unfolded when we were returning from the Stellawood Crematorium on the N2 southbound on July 3. We just laid our close family member to rest, and I had a car full of people chatting. I was travelling in the fast lane at a speed of around 100km/h when suddenly, a red Volkswagen Polo slowed down in front of me. I immediately hit the brakes, causing everyone in the vehicle to jerk forward. The driver continued going at a slow speed, so I moved to the centre lane to avoid him. He followed and blocked me. He continued doing this until we came to the Chatsworth off-ramp. 'There was a truck on the left side and he jammed us on the right. We were all in shock and feared what would happen next. The driver of the vehicle then got out of his car and came towards us swearing. We were not sure if he had a gun or a knife in his possession. My daughter screamed and told me to close the window. Luckily, I was able to do so. He tried to punch me on my face but ended up hitting the driver's side window, causing the glass to shatter. By God's grace, I managed to swerve the vehicle and made my way to the Bayview police station.' Manikam is unsure what triggered the attack. 'I don't understand why this occurred. The driver was an Indian male. As a pensioner, it is very unfair to me. The costs I incurred following this incident amount to R1 953. I am a pensioner, and this is not easy on me. He should be found and brought to task for this incident. My daughter recently had a stroke, and this has negatively impacted her health. Both my daughters and I needed medical attention due to this reckless behaviour. All passengers, including myself, are still traumatised. We battle to sleep at night. It was one of the scariest experiences of our lives. Road rage is real and we have just become victims of it,' he added. Manikam's daughter, Amelia Isaac (48), also commented. She said: 'To date, we have no clue as to why we had become the target of such abuse and trauma. It was only through the divine intervention of God that we are all safe and alive. My father is still shaken from the ordeal, but we pray that the perpetrator is identified and brought to book. My father is a well-known figure in community circles. He had preached in many churches across Durban. We appeal to law enforcement to deal with the matter decisively.' The case has since been transferred to Montclair Police Station for further investigation. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on


The Citizen
13 hours ago
- The Citizen
Laconco among big winners at Basadi in Music Vanguard Awards
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The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
Samthing Soweto on finally being able to open up to his fans on his new album
Samthing's previous albums have all been personal to some extent; however, this one takes listeners on a trip into his childhood. Samthing Soweto released his third studio album, Touch is a Move (Good Morning), a month ago, and unlike his previous work, this project lets his listeners into his world in ways he previously hadn't. 'If I was closed off, part of the reason is that I exist in a very tough industry and I felt that I had to. Now, if I'm opening up, it's only because I've found a way to deal with it. The best way to deal with it is to keep the main thing the main thing,' Samthing tells The Citizen. His previous albums have all been personal to some extent; however, this one takes listeners on a trip into his childhood in Soweto. ALSO READ: Samthing Soweto serenades fans with intimate Twitter Spaces performance Samthing closing off himself He says he was closed off because he didn't trust the industry as a whole. 'The music industry is a very tough place to be in. It's tough to exist and to be happy and to be open in an industry for an artist,' he says. With nearly two decades as a professional musician now, Samthing has somewhat found a balance in being able to exercise his artistry while also handling fame. 'I'm a very practical person and, as an artist, I feel like sometimes that is not expected of me,' he says. 'They actually expect me to be very artistic in everything, including my decisions and to be passionate and to just be propelled by 'the spirit'. And I do have my fair share of passions, but some of my creative decisions are not propelled by passion alone.' He says the element of entertainment has played a part in his decision to do this album now. 'They [decisions] are also propelled by wanting to make content that most people will like. Because there is nothing more painful than doing something for an audience and they don't resonate with it.' ALSO READ: Samthing Soweto's 'Isphithiphithi' makes Apple Music history An idealist with a practical outlook His above statement holds. Samthing came into the industry as a member of an a cappella group, The Soil. He then released music as part of a trio, The Fridge, and also released music as a solo artist. His music with The Fridge and his earlier solo work is the kind that a bohemian audience is fond of, not so much the widespread audience of Amapiano, which he instantly attracted when he released Isiphithiphithi in 2019. Songs like I'm Feeling Down and Dreamin' of U are worlds apart from hits like Lotto and Akulaleki. However, despite their sonic differences, Samthing's gentle, infectious voice and shrewd artistic genius are a mainstay in his music, regardless of the tempo or genre. If he were a cricketer, Samthing would be an all-rounder in the class of Jacques Kallis: lethal with the hits as a prime fast bowler and grounded in the art, as a purist Test batsman. 'I felt like telling a very practical story about my life would be very interesting for my audience. I do understand that I don't give them a lot to work with sometimes, I leave a lot to imagination.' 'So ja, I felt like maybe people might be interested in finding out what it felt like for me to be a five-year-old and to live my life at the time. To be honest, that's a story I often tell to people that are close to me.' ALSO READ: Mango Groove brings its 40th anniversary party to Jozi after an 'overwhelming' response in Cape Town Radio element Interludes in albums are nothing new, but for this album, Samthing roped in former Ukhozi FM radio drama producer Mpumelelo Ngidi. 'Through her help and her sitting down with me and understanding that I often talk about my past, she was able to build a version of my story for me that I could use in the music,' says Samthing. Through the seven interludes on the album, listeners are given a seat in the Mdolomba household. From the snoring of his uncle on Goodmorning, to him bickering with his sisters about wanting to watch TV, it is a world that his fans didn't know of. The most adorable of the skits on the album is probably Goodnight, where we're inside the family's nightly prayer. What makes it adorable and humorous is hearing a young Samthing listing his trivial prayer requests and his granny praying for everything and everyone that comes to her mind. 'I did have a granny who prayed long, who prayed about everything that we were going through in the 90s, from politics, to churches… everything and anything she knew about she would mention in the prayer. We'd start as the whole family praying together but for the next 15 minutes she'll go on by herself,' shares Samthing. ALSO READ: Wedding bells for Maskandi star Khuzani Mpungose A love album and a personal story He says the first draft of the interludes was to create a story based on love. 'Mpumelelo listened to the music and decided that she'd create a story about how these two [lovers] met. It was a nice telenovela type [of] story,' says the muso. 'How I did it was to reflect the connection between love stories of a man my age with my challenges, my life story my day-to-day and my past as a child.' 'The person that I am today is because of the things that happened in my past. Through her [Mpumelelo] help I was able to piece together a story that would make sense that could be used to marry the two concepts, a love album and a personal story.' His words are echoed by the eighth track on the album, Amagents, which is an ode to his daughter, where he warns her about some of the dangers of men – men who are like him. One of the better songs on the album, Ndandatho, is a song that Samthing heard being sung by a singer on TikTok, Sicelo, who is homeless. 'He came up with that song; I saw it on TikTok on a video. He was singing that song on the streets of Pietermaritzburg for money, he was basically basking. That melody never escaped me; from the time I heard it sounded amazing.' Sicelo is credited as the co-writer of the song, under his full name Sphelele Zondi. On the legal side of things, Samthing sourced the help of RAMS Attorneys. 'Samthing Soweto is a long-standing client of the firm,' RAMS Attorneys told The Citizen. RAMS Attorneys provided legal services to Samthing in negotiation and closing of agreements with producers, features, distributors, and publishing-related aspects. The firm didn't want to comment on the dispute between their client and DJ Maphorisa, where there were allegations of unpaid royalties, misrepresentation of contributions, and a lack of transparency in their working relationship regarding the song Amalanga Awafani. NOW READ: WATCH: Modise Sekgothe, a poet equipped in the exercise of digging deep and baring himself naked