Latest news with #Ngomane
The Citizen
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Pumas' late try seals the victory
Forget about the bomb squad, ladies' rugby teams are bomb squads on their own. The Pumas and Griffons teams did not hold back and played hard rugby in round two of the Women's First Division that took place on July 12 at Patriot High School's fields. The match was very even and devolved into a seesaw battle, with neither team maintaining control of the game for long. Whenever one team managed to break through, the other would step up its defences and respond with fierce counterattacks. Both teams' forwards worked tirelessly, setting the pace for high-speed backline manoeuvres. With the clock winding down, the Pumas dug deep and from a scrum, sliced passed, securing the winning try. The final score was 19–24. Sbusiso Ngomane, the Pumas assistant coach, said last year they beat the Griffons 12 – 54 on their home ground. 'Credit to them, they changed their squad, only five players were in the team that lost last year. They clearly have put in the work, and they will surprise everyone they will be playing against. We definitely didn't expect a fire backline like that. Holding them back for that long is a testament to our ability to defend. They actually looked like they had watched our matches and properly analysed how we play, that put us under a lot of pressure,' Ngomane said. SEE THE PHOTOS HERE: Breaking news at your fingertips … Follow WITBANK NEWS on our website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or TikTok Chat to us: [email protected] At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
TimesLIVE
03-07-2025
- Business
- TimesLIVE
SA hosts AI and Sustainable Tourism Innovation Hackathon
As the host of the 2025 G20, SA has launched a people-centred AI and Sustainable Tourism Innovation Hackathon to leverage artificial intelligence and digital transformation for the benefit of its crucial tourism sector. The hackathon is intended to help drive innovation, create jobs and ensure inclusive growth, aligning with global trends in tourism development and the G20's focus on AI, data governance and innovation for sustainable development. Sipho Ngomane, chief director for Tourism Skills and Human Resources Development at the department of tourism, notes that tourism is a vital economic sector both globally and in SA, contributing to job creation, poverty alleviation and sustainable development. In 2023, tourism contributed 8.2% to SA's GDP. The World Travel & Tourism Council estimates that travel and tourism will contribute 8.9% to the GDP in 2025 and that this figure could potentially rise to more than 10% by 2030. SA's 2025 G20 presidency, themed Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability, includes a task force on AI, data governance and innovation. Developed and driven by the department of tourism, the hackathon aims to find ways to grow the tourism sector by prioritising people-centred AI and innovation to support travel and tourism startups and SMMEs. Globally, digitalisation, including AI, is transforming the industry and enhancing accessibility for travellers. The primary goal of the hackathon is to develop AI solutions that enhance the tourism experience, promote sustainability and benefit society Sipho Ngomane 'The primary goal of the hackathon is to develop AI solutions that enhance the tourism experience, promote sustainability and benefit society,' says Ngomane. 'The key objectives of the initiative are bridging the digital gap, cultivating youth talent, fostering collaboration, generating innovative AI solutions and promoting accessibility, sustainability and inclusivity in tourism.' The hackathon is open to youth, specifically final year or postgraduate students, developers, designers, engineers and tech enthusiasts passionate about ethical AI, digitalisation and tourism. 'We invited each institution of higher learning offering tourism and hospitality programmes to put forward two students to participate in the hackathon. Industry representatives from the likes of the Tourism Business Council of SA are also participating in the initiative,' says Ngomane. Hackathon participants are encouraged to form teams and adhere to ethical coding principles, including avoiding plagiarism, using open-source libraries responsibly and developing AI solutions that are unbiased and transparent. The hackathon focuses on three key themes: Smart tourism and AI solutions: developing AI-driven personalised travel assistants, chatbots, voice-activated guides, augmented reality (AR) apps and blockchain-based digital passports. Community-based tourism and rural inclusion: creating digital platforms to connect tourists with township and rural experiences, online booking systems, virtual reality (VR) tours of hidden gems and financial inclusion solutions for small operators. Heritage and cultural tourism innovation: crafting digital storytelling platforms, interactive digital maps of historical landmarks and AR/VR experiences for historical sites. The hackathon is being delivered in four phases. Phase one commenced in May 2025 and saw the preselection of participants from 18 institutions of higher learning in Joburg, partnering with the Middle East Africa-SA Game Changers at the Future Leaders Challenge event. Phase two started in June and included a competition and selection of proposed solutions by participants in Cape Town. The final hackathon, to be held in Mpumalanga in September, alongside the G20 tourism working group ministerial meeting, will include mentorship, project submission, presentations and judging. Phase four takes place after the hackathon and will involve accelerating winning teams through a technology roadmap, a commercialisation plan, funding for development and exposure to support networks. Ngomane says projects will be judged on innovation, feasibility, impact on the sector, user experience, alignment with people-centred principles and presentation. 'We hope to see ideas leveraging technology and AI that will enable the tourism sector to grow and employ more people. Prizes will include financial incentives, tech gadgets, mentorship opportunities and features in tourism events,' he says. This hackathon, he adds, represents a significant step for SA in harnessing technology to build a more inclusive, sustainable and innovative tourism industry, employing more people and, ultimately, growing the economy.
The South African
23-05-2025
- The South African
Suspects receive life sentences for MUT lecturer's murder
The Durban High Court has given life sentences to suspects who killed and kidnapped Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) lecturer, Chanlall Dwarika. Dwarika was kidnapped and murdered in May 2023. The suspects, who lived at his property in Sea Cow Lake, kidnapped the deceased with the intention of stealing money from his account. According to Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA), during the kidnapping, the suspects instructed the deceased to contact his wife and tell her to have his bank cards ready. 'The Electrical Engineering lecturer was handed down his phone by the suspects and instructed him to call his wife at their home in Ethekwini (location withheld), KZN, to have his bank cards sent to the vehicle when they arrived at the gate,' said RUSA. Dwarika attempted to contact RUSA for assistance. However, the suspects noticed and removed the phone from his possession. RUSA said, 'This angered them (the suspects) and they drove him to a canefield and slit his throat.' The deceased was found partially decapitated in a cane field in Inanda. One suspect was convicted of kidnapping and robbery with aggravating circumstances and sentenced to five years. The two other suspects were convicted of kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances and murder. They were both sentenced to five years for kidnapping, 15 years for robbery and life imprisonment for murder. Terry Jabulani Ngomane (35) was sentenced to 25 years in prison for murdering and robbing a pensioner and ex-police officer at his home in Theunissen. Ngomane received 20 years' imprisonment for murder and 10 years' imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances. 'Five years' of the robbery sentence will run concurrently with the murder sentence, meaning he will serve an effective 25 years behind bars,' read a police statement. Ngomane killed Sabata Tsoai at his residence in May 2018. 'His hands and feet were tied with cables, brutally assaulted and killed. His body was discovered a day later, with his property scattered throughout the house in Theunissen,' mentioned a police statement. Additionally, a firearm safe was found open with a missing firearm and the victim's cellphone. Let us know by leaving a comment below or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
22-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Businessman in hot water after receiving R1. 4 million from SARS through misrepresentations
Mbongiseni Ngomane, aged 34, allegedly made misrepresentations to the SA Revenue Service and received R1.4 million as tax returns. Image: File Picture Mbongiseni Ngomane, aged 34, has been released on bail after a warrant of arrest was issued against him for allegedly defrauding the South African Revenue Service (SARS). Lieutenant Colonel Magonseni Nkosi, provincial spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks, said the crime was committed in 2022 through misrepresentations of the company's income to SARS. 'According to information, Ngomane's misrepresentation led to SARS suffering an actual loss of R1,424,872. Upon receiving a tax refund from SARS, Ngomane allegedly transferred an amount of R200,000 to KC The Princess (Pty) Ltd whose sole director was Khensani Mnisi, 59,' said Nkosi. Mnisi also transferred money to five different recipients listed by the Hawks as Phindile Shabangu, 30; Dorren Simelane, 49; Thobile Ngomane, 35; Khanyisile Dlamini-Phenyane, 50, and Bafana Singwane, 50. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. The Hawks' serious commercial crime investigation unit, based in Nelspruit, executed the warrant of arrest, and all suspects appeared before the Nelspruit Commercial Crime Court on Tuesday. Ngomane was released on R2,000 bail while his co-accused were released on R500 bail each. The matter was postponed to 8 July 2025 for further investigations. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Last year, IOL reported that the Nelspruit Commercial Crime Court in Mpumalanga convicted and sentenced 44-year-old Mduduzi Steven Mashwama and his company MPG Mash Trading CC on charges of theft and contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA). In July 2020, Mashwama and his company fraudulently submitted Value Added Tax claims and claimed undue VAT refunds of R166,850 from SARS. 'The matter was reported to the Hawks Nelspruit-based serious commercial crime investigation (unit) for further investigation. The investigation was finalised and the accused was summoned to appear in court on several occasion until he was sentenced on Tuesday,' Lieutenant Colonel Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi, Mpumalanga spokesperson for the Hawks said at the time. Mashwama was accused number two in the court case. On count one, of theft, Mashwama was sentenced to six years imprisonment which is wholly suspended for a period of five years on condition that he is not convicted of theft, fraud and or any offence involving misrepresentation committed during the period of suspension. IOL News
The Citizen
21-05-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Alleged Mpumalanga fraud and corruption accused released on bail
Phumelela (Pty) Ltd company director Mbongiseni Ngomane (34) and accomplices were released on bail on Tuesday, May 20, after a warrant of arrest was issued against Ngomane for alleged misrepresentation of the company's income to the South African Revenue Service (SARS) in 2022. According to the Mpumalanga Hawks' spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Magonseni Nkosi, Ngomane's misrepresentation led to SARS suffering an actual loss of R1 424 872.42. 'Upon receiving a tax refund from SARS, Ngomane allegedly transferred a total amount of R200 000 to KC The Princess (Pty) Ltd, a company that is solely directed by Khensani Mnisi (59). Mnisi then transferred the money to five other recipients, Phindile Shabangu (30), Dorren Simelane (49), Thobile Ngomane (35), Khanyisile Dlamini-Phenyane (50), and Bafana Singwane (50),' Nkosi said. The Hawks' Nelspruit-based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation Unit executed the warrant of arrest and all suspects appeared in the Nelspruit Commercial Crime Court on Tuesday, May 20. ALSO READ: Schoemansdal murder: Family members granted bail Ngomane was released on R2 000 bail whilst his co-accused were released on R500 bail each. The matter was postponed to July 8 for further investigation. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
