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Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Joe Brolly takes aim at current GAA pundits and All-Ireland TV coverage
Joe Brolly launched an attack on current GAA pundits as he took aim at RTE and GAA+ over their coverage of this year's All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. The All-Ireland winner spoke on the homogenous nature of GAA punditry at present after his departure from RTÉ's suite of pundits in 2019. "One of the features of the modern GAA pundit is that they all dress like boyband members now," he said on the latest episode of his Free State Podcast. "Before the Kerry game, Paddy Andrews, the famous Dublin footballer, Cillian O'Connor from Mayo, and Marc Ó Sé, Kerry, they looked like a Take That tribute band. "They don't make pundits like they used to, everyone agreeing with everybody else and talking about statistics." The conversation then moved on to RTÉ's soccer coverage and pundits, and when asked on their credentials by Free State co-host Dion Fanning, Brolly replied: "Those boys they have now are catatonically boring... personality is outlawed now." He lamented what he deemed to be an obsession with timings degrading the entertainment value of the show, wondering "Can you imagine Muhammad Ali now coming into RTÉ? "A runner would come in and say 'Muhammad Ali's outside here', 'lock the door, Jesus, we're on a schedule here, we have to ask Cora Staunton about this clip of Mayo scoring a free in the second half, and whether or not the free should have been given, there's a very important issue here, whether X could have got a black card.' "This sugary, cold banality, there's no resemblance to the GAA people." Brolly left RTÉ after the 2019 All-Ireland football final after 20 years in the Sunday Game studio. He was cut off on air during a 2021 episode of the Claire Byrne Show where Irish unification was being discussed. He claimed that RTÉ had "censored" him during the broadcast, saying: "I was taken off air on RTE for very mild comments that I made during a discussion about the potential for Irish unity. "I was talking about the importance of honestly assessing the past, honestly assessing for example on that occasion Gregory Campbell of the DUP and that essential honesty that was key to the peace process. "I was actually taken off air and to the best of our knowledge, we checked this, my legal team checked all of this, no one had ever been taken off air."
The Herald
4 days ago
- The Herald
Man gets life for raping his girlfriend's niece, 8, for several years
The Bloemfontein magistrate's court has sentenced a 45-year-old man to life imprisonment for raping an eight year old girl over many years. The girl is a niece of a mentally challenged woman whom the man was dating. The identity of the man has been withheld to protect the victim. Free State police spokesperson Sgt Mahlomola Kareli said the conviction followed a courageous decision by the victim, who was only eight years old when the abuse began in 2015. 'The accused, who was the boyfriend of the victim's mentally challenged aunt and a provider for the household, repeatedly raped the child over several years in Bloemspruit. He consistently threatened to kill her if she disclosed the abuse to anyone. 'The horrific ordeal was reported in October 2023, when the accused, armed with a knife, raped the victim and again threatened her life. This act of violence prompted the victim, now 16 years old, to finally confide in a neighbour, who reported the matter to the police,' Kareli said. He said a case was reported and investigated by Const Nthabiseng Tsenoli of the Mangaung family violence, child protection and sexual offences unit. Kareli said upon learning he was wanted by the authorities, the man fled. However, diligent police work led to the 45-year-old's arrest on November 27 2023 after he was found hiding on a plot. Kareli said working with advocate York from the National Prosecuting Authority, Tsenoli managed to ensure that the rapist would not be allowed back into the community any time soon. The suspect was sentenced to life imprisonment for rape. TimesLIVE
News24
5 days ago
- Climate
- News24
Wednesday's weather: Heavy rain, strong winds, and damaging waves as cold front hits SA
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has warned of heavy rainfall that could lead to localised flooding, cold, strong winds and damaging waves in the Western Cape and parts of the Northern Cape and Free State. Impact-based warnings - Yellow Level 4 warning: Damaging waves, resulting in damage to coastal infrastructure and disruption to beachfront activities, are expected along the coast between Alexander Bay and Cape Agulhas from Wednesday evening, spreading to Plettenberg Bay by Thursday. - Yellow Level 2 warning: Damaging coastal winds, leading to difficulty in navigation at sea and localised disruption to small ports and coastal towns, are expected between Lambert's Bay and Cape Agulhas on Wednesday and will spread to Plettenberg Bay by Thursday. - Yellow Level 2 warning: Damaging interior winds, leading to localised problems for high-sided vehicles on prone routes and some transport services affected by wind, are expected over the western and northern parts of the Western Cape, Northern Cape, and the western parts of the North West and Free State. Severe weather alerts for tomorrow, 25 June 2025. As well as the weather outlook for Thursday & Friday, 26 - 27 June 2025. Partly cloudy over the central & western parts with Isolated to scattered rain & showers, but widespread along the south coast. Otherwise, fine & cold. — SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) June 24, 2025 - Yellow Level 2 warning: Disruptive rainfall leading to localised flooding of susceptible formal and informal settlements or roads, and low-lying areas over Cederberg, City of Cape Town, Cape Winelands, and the western parts of the Overberg district in the Western Cape. In the SAWS' colour-coded weather warning system, yellow indicates a moderate risk of impact that requires caution and awareness, while orange indicates a higher-risk impact that is expected and requires increased attention and preparation. SAWS uses the numbers to indicate the likelihood of weather-based impacts occurring. Levels 2 and 6 are high, and Level 4 is low. Advisories An intense cold front will impact the Western Cape, Northern Cape, and Free State from Wednesday to Friday. Expect very cold, windy conditions, heavy rainfall, and light snowfall on high ground. Gauteng: Fine and cool weather. Pretoria: 04°C — 20°C Johannesburg: 04°C — 19°C Vereeniging: 01°C — 20°C Mpumalanga: Morning fog patches in Lowveld/north-western Highveld. Fine and cold to cool, warm in the Lowveld. Mbombela: 08°C — 23°C Ermelo: 02°C — 18°C Emalahleni: 05°C — 18°C Standerton: -2°C — 20°C Skukuza: 03°C — 29°C Limpopo: Morning fog patches over Lowveld/adjacent escarpment. Otherwise fine, cool to warm conditions. Polokwane: 06°C — 21°C Phalaborwa: 09°C — 26°C Tzaneen: 05°C — 26°C Musina: 09°C — 27°C Lephalale: 07°C — 24°C Mokopane: 06°C — 24°C North West: Fine, windy, and cool conditions. Klerksdorp: 04°C — 21°C Potchefstroom: 03°C — 19°C Mahikeng: 06°C — 21°C Rustenburg: 07°C — 21°C Vryburg: 05°C — 22°C Free State: Fine, windy, and cool weather, but cold near the Lesotho border. Bloemfontein: 03°C — 21°C Welkom: 04°C — 21°C Bethlehem: -1°C — 17°C Northern Cape: Cloudy with scattered showers in the extreme west. Partly cloudy with cold to cool temperatures, but warm and fine in the north-west. Coastal winds will be strong to gale force northerly to north-westerly. Upington: 10°C — 26°C Kimberley: 06°C — 23°C De Aar: 06°C — 21°C Alexander Bay: 09°C — 21°C Springbok: 07°C — 12°C Calvinia: 01°C — 14°C Sutherland: 01°C — 13°C Western Cape: Fine weather in the eastern parts (cool to warm). Cloudy, windy, and cold with isolated to scattered showers. Widespread rain in the west. Coastal winds will be strong to gale force northerly to north-westerly, moderate to fresh along the south coast. Cape Town: 12°C — 14°C Vredendal: 09°C — 17°C Riversdale: 07°C — 21°C George: 09°C — 22°C Worcester: 10°C — 16°C Beaufort West: 12°C — 24°C Oudtshoorn: 05°C — 24°C Western half of the Eastern Cape: Fine, windy, and warm. Cool in the south-west corner, becoming partly cloudy. Coastal winds light to moderate north-westerly, turning south-westerly. Eastern half of the Eastern Cape: Fine, windy, and cool to warm. Coastal winds light to moderate northerly, becoming south-westerly in the evening. Gqeberha: 13°C — 27°C Makhanda: 09°C — 28°C Cradock: 04°C — 25°C Graaff-Reinet: 05°C — 26°C East London: 13°C — 30°C Port St Johns: 11°C — 26°C Mthatha: 05°C — 26°C Komani: 02°C — 23°C Qonce: 09°C — 28°C KwaZulu-Natal: Fine and cool weather, warm in the east. Coastal winds will be light to moderate north-westerly (fresh in the north), shifting northerly/north-easterly by mid-morning. Durban: 14°C — 25°C Richard's Bay: 15°C — 28°C Pietermaritzburg: 06°C — 26°C Ladysmith: 05°C — 23°C
News24
6 days ago
- News24
Free State man charged with murder after wife's body found in bathtub
A Free State man was arrested after his wife was found murdered in their bathtub in Riverside, Phuthaditjhaba. The incident occurred on Thursday, 20 June, at about 16:00. The 41-year-old woman's son found her body after he noticed signs of 'a violent altercation' last Thursday. According to police spokesperson, Captain Loraine Earle, the 45-year-old man is expected to appear in the Phuthaditjhaba Magistrate's Court on Monday on a charge of murder. 'Police were alerted to a possible murder, and upon arrival, were met by the deceased's son, who led officers to the bathroom where the woman's lifeless body was found in a bathtub,' said Earle. She said the victim had a visible deep open wound to the head. 'The son, who does not reside at the home, stated that he had come to visit his mother and, upon finding the house locked, forced entry through the kitchen door.' Inside, he discovered signs of a violent altercation, including a broken mirror, bloodstains on the walls and running water from the bathroom. He alerted a neighbour, who contacted the police. The victim's husband, who was not at the scene, later contacted police and disclosed his location. He was arrested shortly afterwards. The alleged murder weapon was recovered and has been confiscated, Earle said.
News24
21-06-2025
- Politics
- News24
Court orders dissolution of Ngwathe Municipality amid service delivery collapse
The Free State High Court has ordered the dissolution of the Ngwathe Local Municipality, citing gross failures in fulfilling its constitutional, legislative and regulatory responsibilities toward residents in towns such as Parys, Heilbron, Koppies and Vredefort, among others. The ruling follows a case brought by AfriForum, supported by the Save Ngwathe community group. The parties successfully acquired an interdict compelling the Free State provincial government to immediately intervene in the municipality's affairs. Ngwathe becomes the second municipality in the Free State to be placed under administration. Last month, Matjhabeng Local Municipality was placed under administration following the province's MEC for Cooperative Governance, Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements, Saki Mokoena, finally invoking Section 139 of the Constitution, which outlines the process for provincial intervention in municipalities unable to fulfill its executive obligations. READ | Matjhabeng Municipality finally under administration as province moves to address governance collapse Mokoena's actions followed a Bloemfontein High Court judgment, handed down on 23 October 2024, which found financial mismanagement, collapsing infrastructure and poor service delivery. Ngwathe residents allegedly suffered for years According to court papers which AfriForum submitted, pertaining to Ngwathe, the lobby group said residents had suffered for years under dire conditions - including persistent water shortages, raw sewage flowing in the streets, crumbling infrastructure and widespread financial mismanagement. The municipality owes more than R1 billion to Eskom and Rand Water. In delivering judgment on Friday, Judge Johannes Daffue described the municipality and its council as 'dysfunctional' and criticised the provincial government for its inaction. He said the case warranted judicial oversight, calling it a 'suitable case where the court should play the role of a watchdog'. The court order instructed Free State Premier Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae and her executive council to: Dissolve the municipal council and appoint an administrator; Develop and implement a recovery plan to restore service delivery and ensure financial stability; Approve a temporary budget and revenue measures to support the recovery plan; and Submit written progress reports to the court every three months under oath. The municipality and eight other respondents, including the premier, were also ordered to pay AfriForum's legal costs. The judgment comes after a series of public protests in 2024, sparked by water cuts, potholes as well as a catastrophic 11% Blue Drop water quality score. The crisis worsened when Free State's Provincial Treasury rejected Ngwathe's R2.099 billion draft budget for 2025/26, citing a falsified surplus based on an unrealistic 100% collection rate. AfriForum's Alta Pretorius called the ruling a 'massive victory' for long-suffering residents. Pretorius said: This not only brings justice, but legal grounds for real intervention. The government can no longer look away. The DA's Carina Serfontein welcomed the judgment, saying it confirmed what residents had known for years. 'We will closely track the premier's progress reports and take further action, if necessary,' she said. The mayor of Ngwathe, Victoria De-Beer Mthombeni, acknowledged the ruling, stating: 'The executive mayor respects the judgment of the Bloemfontein High Court and is studying the judgment in detail and will communicate in due course on the processes going forward.'
