Latest news with #R70
The South African
6 hours ago
- Sport
- The South African
Kaizer Chiefs: Four players sold abroad in four years
Since 2022, Kaizer Chiefs have sold Njabulo Blom to St Louis, Siyabonga Ngezana to FCSB, Thatayaone Ditlhokwe to Al-Ittihad and Yusuf Maart to SV Ried. ADVERTISEMENT This impressive influx of cash helped Kaizer Chiefs balance its books and sign new players such as Rushwin Dortley, Inacio Miguel and Glody Lilepo. According to Transfermarkt, the leading global source for player market values, the deals have generated around R70 million for the club known as Amakhosi. KAIZER CHIEFS PLAYER SALES IN FOUR YEARS Striker's father reveals what Amakhosi asked him Njabulo Blom – St. Louis City SC (USA) – €300,000 (± R6 million) Since 2022, the first sale was the homegrown talent Njabulo Blom, aged 23, who was transferred to St. Louis City SC in Major League Soccer for an estimated €300,000, equating to about R6 million. ADVERTISEMENT French-based star waiting for Kaizer Chiefs bosses 2. Siyabonga Ngezana – FCSB (Romania) – €600,000 (± R12 million) In July 2023, Siyabonga Ngezana was transferred to Romanian Liga I side FCSB (formerly Steaua Bucharest) for an estimated €600,000, or around R12 million. A solid defender and academy product, his sale marked the club's strategic move to develop and sell talent at peak value. 3. Thatayaone Ditlhokwe – Al-Ittihad (Libya) – €810,000 (± R16.2 million) ADVERTISEMENT Botswana international Thatayaone Ditlhokwe was sold in 2023 to Libyan giants Al-Ittihad for an estimated €810,000 (around R16.2 million). His departure added another profitable sale, despite limited impact at Kaizer Chiefs. 4. YUSUF MAART – SV RIED (AUSTRIA) – €1,000,000 (± R20 MILLION) The biggest of the lot was just a week ago. Yusuf Maart joined Austrian Bundesliga side SV Ried for an estimated €1,000,000 (approximately R20 million). His move was both a financial win and a significant loss on the pitch. However, Kaizer Chiefs are rumoured to be close to signing Feisal Salum from Azam FC, with the funds, possibly one or two more players. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE CLUB'S TRANSFERS SO FAR THIS WINTER? Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 ADVERTISEMENT Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news. ADVERTISEMENT
The Citizen
20 hours ago
- Business
- The Citizen
Why mass deportation is failing SA's immigration system
Deportations are draining resources without solving immigration challenges. It's time to rethink our approach. Suspects in custody at the China Plaza Mall this month at Umbilo in Durban. It is reported that some companies hire illegal immigrants instead of local workers. Picture: Gallo Images Minister Leon Schreiber's budget speech in the National Assembly recently was rich in energy, statistics and digital reform promises. Yet, it was preceded by two quieter signals: a sobering portfolio committee report on budgetary pressures and Schreiber's own estimate, in February, that the department would have to 'make do with what it has'. Schreiber invoked the logic of compound interest to illustrate how smart, sustained action can yield exponential returns. However, if deportations are the investment and deterrence the return, then the department appears to be compounding inefficiencies, not public value. In a year marked by an unprecedented surge in deportation numbers, the question is not whether home affairs is working harder – as it clearly is – the question is whether it's working smarter. Does investing in mass deportations still make budgetary and policy sense, even to those who support the politically charged, somewhat frustrated, optics and xenophobic populism of groups like Operation Dudula, ostensibly in the name of preserving scarce public resources for South Africans? Home affairs allocated R897 million to its immigration affairs programme in the 2024-25 financial year. A significant portion of this is dedicated to enforcement: detentions, deportations and border management. ALSO READ: Reports of SA man arrested in US as eSwatini welcomes immigrants deported from US Lindela Repatriation Centre alone costs R6 million per month, or R70 million per year, and this is just to detain individuals prior to deportation. Schreiber reported that the department 'deported over 46 000 illegal immigrants, the highest number in five years and more than countries like France and Germany combined'. This dramatic operational scale should give rise to serious questions about sustainability. In its official reply to the parliamentary committee, the department confirmed that deportation-related expenditure for the full 2024-25 fiscal year was reported at R73 million. Against this expenditure, the reality remains that the estimated number of undocumented or fraudulently documented foreigners is not just highly vague, but often miscalculated and politically weaponised. Estimates range from a conservative one million, to higher estimates of over three million, and inflated figures up to six million. ALSO READ: Greece freezes asylum claims over migrant 'invasion' from Libya Whichever figure one accepts, deporting 69 000 people per year means addressing only a fraction of that population annually. This risks remaining an endless loop of ineffective, reactive policy that burns public funds without shifting the underlying dynamic. What if we were to imagine a different approach? One grounded not in fear and reaction, but in revenue, data integrity and constitutional accountability. What if we dared to imagine a two-year amnesty programme: undocumented migrants, or those holding fraudulent documents, coming forward voluntarily to undergo background and biometric checks, and for a temporary determined period of time to be granted an exemption against the payment of a nominal fee – for instance, a processing fee of R1 500 per person. Such fee to be payable to the department over and above the service fees otherwise applicable if the programme were to be administered via VFS Global, as was done with the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit process, plus a biometric fee. If even half of the cautiously estimated one million undocumented migrants applied, the department would raise R750 million in direct revenue. ALSO READ: Bus driver arrested after transporting nearly 80 undocumented Zimbabweans Full uptake could easily generate R1.5 billion over two years, more than enough to self-fund the programme, build biometric records, clear long-standing backlogs and allocate human resources more efficiently across departments. The programme could break even or even yield a surplus, particularly if digitised infrastructure is used. While deportations drain resources and create logistical bottlenecks, an amnesty has the potential to generate revenue, improve compliance and restore trust. An amnesty-driven regularisation effort would enable the state to capture biometric and identity data on hundreds of thousands of individuals currently operating outside the legal system. This foundational layer of information is essential to any system of immigration governance based on integrity, accountability and national security. Second, such a programme would help identify and isolate fraud syndicates through forensic vetting processes. ALSO READ: Politicians dangle immigration control as election bait Third, it would give the department institutional breathing room to focus on sustainable, digitised, rule-based migration governance. It would also free up public resources. An amnesty would signal a fundamental shift: that immigration control in South Africa is not just about keeping people out, but about governing the presence of those already here in a rational, rule-based way. This is not a plea for porous borders. It is a call for budgetary logic and long-term strategy. Deportation has its place, especially where criminality or risk is involved. But when used as a blanket policy response to a decades-old systemic failure, it becomes expensive and futile.
The South African
3 days ago
- Business
- The South African
Kaizer Chiefs make R70 Million in player sales?
Since 2022, Kaizer Chiefs have sold Njabulo Blom to St Louis, Siyabonga Ngezana to FCSB, Thatayaone Ditlhokwe to Al-Ittihad and Yusuf Maart to SV Ried. This impressive influx of cash helped Kaizer Chiefs balance its books and sign new players such as Rushwin Dortley, Miguel Inacio and Glodi Lilepo. According to Transfermarkt , the leading global source for player market values, the deals have generated around R70 million for the club known as Amakhosi. Also Read: Yusuf Maart makes money for Amakhosi Njabulo Blom's announcement by St Louis from Kaizer Chiefs in December 2022. Image: St Louis Since 2022, the first sale was the homegrown talent Njabulo Blom, aged 23, who was transferred to St. Louis City SC in Major League Soccer for an estimated €300,000, equating to about R6 million. Big story: Orlando Pirates signed a new team (11 players) In July 2023, Siyabonga Ngezana was transferred to Romanian Liga I side FCSB (formerly Steaua Bucharest) for an estimated €600,000, or around R12 million. A solid defender and academy product, his sale marked the club's strategic move to develop and sell talent at peak value. Botswana international Thatayaone Ditlhokwe was sold in 2023 to Libyan giants Al-Ittihad for an estimated €810,000 (around R16.2 million). His departure added another profitable sale, despite limited impact at Kaizer Chiefs. The biggest of the lot was just a week ago. Yusuf Maart joined Austrian Bundesliga side SV Ried for an estimated €1,000,000 (approximately R20 million). His move was both a financial win and a significant loss on the pitch. However, Kaizer Chiefs are rumoured to be close to signing Feisal Salum from Azam FC, with the funds, possibly one or two more players. 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.
The Citizen
5 days ago
- The Citizen
Husband accused of Mbombela doctor's murder received R1.5m in insurance payout
Murder-accused Sifiso Vusimuzi Sibanyoni (39) received over R1.5m in a life insurance payout following the death of his estranged wife, Dr Nondumiso Nkosi-Sibanyoni, who was shot in November last year. The Nelspruit Magistrate's Court heard on Tuesday that Sibanyoni, who is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and premeditated murder, was the beneficiary of a life insurance policy he had taken out on her. Constable Sindisiwe Precious Nyaka, from the SAPS Organised Crime Unit, testified that she is the investigating officer assigned to the case. ALSO READ: Mbombela: SAPS and private security collaborate to rescue kidnapped mother and child 'The accused received over R1.5m from the life cover on March 20 this year. There is additional money he also received, but I do not have the exact figure with me,' Nyaka said. She opposed bail, stating that Sibanyoni was capable of anything, having allegedly hired hitmen to murder his wife. She added that state witnesses feared for their safety. 'The accused knows my witnesses. He may interfere with the ongoing investigation, and I believe he is likely to evade trial. The case is very serious, and the accused is fully aware that the minimum sentence for the charge of femicide is life imprisonment,' she told the court. Nyaka said that another suspect, believed to have fired the fatal shot that killed Nkosi-Sibanyoni, remains at large. The shooting occurred in the parking lot of Virgin Active Gym in Riverside at around 05:20 on November 20 last year. ALSO READ: Mhala Driver's License Testing Centre closed due to robbery, offices closed Following eight months of investigation, Sibanyoni was arrested on Tuesday, July 8. When the court asked Nyaka why it took so long to arrest him, she replied that there had been investigative loose ends that needed to be tied up. She outlined that Sibanyoni had approached one of her witnesses and told him that he wanted muthi to kill his wife because she had filed for a divorce and wanted half of his assets. Protesters support the victim's family outside the Nelspruit Magistrate's CourtHe and the witness then allegedly met with another two men, who he was told were capable of killing his wife. Nyaka said he disclosed his plan to kill his wife to the two men, saying that she was a nuisance. She further told the court that the group drove to Mbombela in two vehicles and stopped at the Sonpark Shopping Centre, where Sibanyoni's car was left. 'He got into the other car, leaving his own behind because it was well known. He took the group to the victim's uncle's home to point out where she was staying. He then told the group that she always went to the gym before work at 05:00 and showed them her photo on his phone,' said Nyaka. She added that during negotiations with the accused, the supposed hitmen demanded payment upfront. The accused told the witnesses he had previously paid R70 000 to other hitmen to kill his wife, but they disappeared with the money. That's why he insisted she be killed before any payment was made,' said Nyaka. Sibanyoni's lawyer read his affidavit into the record, stating he was asleep at home when his wife was killed. An affidavit by his girlfriend, Thuli Zanele Shangase, supported this alibi, indicating that he was not present at the scene of the murder. 'On November 19 last year I was sleeping next to my partner. I have personal knowledge that he never left the house until people came to tell him the following morning that his wife had been killed,' the affidavit read. Sibanyoni's lawyer maintained that there was no identity parade to point out the accused as the person who killed the victim, and that there was no footage placing him at the crime scene. 'The accused denies his involvement in the murder and can afford R2 000 bail,' said Sibanyoni's lawyer. He was remanded in custody until Wednesday, July 23, for the continuation of the bail hearing. The victim's mother, Busisiwe Mazibuko, said she was pleased that the police had finally made an arrest, saying that it would bring the family some closure. The court noted that there were protesters outside the building calling for the accused to be denied bail. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
St Benedict's to host national pipe band championships in Bedfordview
More than 200 competitors will gather as the powerful sound of bagpipes and drums fills the air during the South African Pipe Band Championships. The event takes place at St Benedict's College on July 26, marking the first time the school will host this prestigious national competition. Top pipe bands from across South Africa will perform throughout the day, joined by distinguished Drum Majors from Northern Ireland. The championships are set to be a full celebration of music, heritage and cultural pride. Audiences can look forward to a dynamic programme of competitive performances, showcasing the precision, musicality and discipline of each participating band. ALSO READ: Local pipe bands to compete in championships coming One of the standout moments of the day will be the Massed Band Display. This finale will bring all participating bands together for a powerful and emotional group performance that highlights the spirit of the event. Adding further vibrancy, the Highland Dancing Competition will bring colour, tradition and movement to the stage. Visitors can enjoy a curated craft market, sample gourmet offerings from local food vendors, and relax in a lively beer tent. A dedicated children's play area will keep younger guests entertained, making the event ideal for families. For those unable to attend in person, the entire championship will be live-streamed on the St Benedict's College YouTube channel, allowing viewers from across the country — and beyond — to join in the excitement. ALSO READ: St Benedict's host pipe bands show Gates open at 09:00 and entry costs R70 per person. Tickets will be available at the gate or online via Webtickets. 'This year marks a proud milestone for St Benedict's College as it takes centre stage nationally as the event host. With a rich tradition of musical excellence, the school is honoured to welcome performers and audiences to what promises to be an unforgettable celebration of pipe band culture in South Africa,' the school said in a statement. For enquiries, contact: [email protected] At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
