Latest news with #R85
The Citizen
5 days ago
- Health
- The Citizen
Family rallies to save lightning survivor after life-threatening complications
Kelby Parker has survived the unimaginable – but now, nearly a decade after being struck by lightning, he's back in a life-or-death battle. And this time, his family is asking for help. Just before Christmas in 2016, Kelby was hit by lightning. Against the odds, he pulled through. But in the years since, his health has remained fragile. 'We thought we were through the worst,' said his wife, Fiona. 'But earlier this year, Kelby started showing signs of what we thought was a prostate issue. We saw doctors, followed their advice, and he even had surgery. But he wasn't getting better, he was getting weaker.' It wasn't until early July that the true cause was discovered: a ruptured abscess in his colon that had caused severe sepsis throughout his body. 'On July 4, he was grey, in agony, and fading fast,' Fiona said. 'By July 7, a gastroenterologist admitted him straight into the ICU for emergency, life-saving surgery.' The operation was harrowing. Surgeons had to flush out his entire system and remove a section of his bowels. Kelby now has a colostomy bag – but more importantly, he has another chance at life. He remains in the ICU at Life Wilgeheuwel Hospital, where his condition is being closely monitored. The family is immensely grateful for their medical cover, which allowed him to receive private treatment, but it only covered R85 000, a figure exhausted within the first 24 hours of his ICU stay. Now, they are reaching out for help – not because they've done nothing, but because they've done everything they can, and it's still not enough. 'No one expects to end up here. We've tried to do it all right, we had a medical plan, we followed the advice, and still, the costs are overwhelming. We're not asking for pity. Just support – from one human being to another,' said Fiona. Their daughter recently got engaged, and her one wish is for her father to walk her down the aisle. 'We still need him. He's still fighting. Any contribution, no matter how small, will help keep him with us,' she said. To support the family, visit their BackaBuddy campaign: At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
04-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Mchunu faces backlash over R120. 8 billion police budget
Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu said they have prioritised budget allocation to Gauteng, KZN, Western Cape, and the Eastern Cape, where crime is concentrated. Image: Jacques Naude / Independent Newspapers Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on Friday said the parties that did not support the budget for his department were unrealistic and reacting excessively. 'Those who say they don't support the budget, what they mean is that in the areas and homes where they come from, they want us to withdraw the services that are there. Your reaction says what you say is unrealistic. It is being excessive unnecessarily,' Mchunu said. He made the statement when responding to the budget debate for SAPS, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, and the Civilian Secretariat for Police Service after presenting the department's R120.8 billion budget for 2025/26. Mchunu said they appreciated the allocation, but was under no illusion about the scale of the task ahead. 'The work that needs to be done far exceeds the resources available. Crime is adaptive, dynamic and, in many cases, well-financed and so must our response be.' 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. 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Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Mchunu said of the total allocation, R219.2 million was for securing the G20 conference scheduled for November, R400m for the 2026 local government elections, and R34.8m to support the costs associated with the appointment of an additional deputy minister as well as R150m for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI). The salaries and benefits of employees take a huge chunk of the total budget. The minister said they have prioritised budget allocation to Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, and the Eastern Cape, where crime is concentrated. 'It is clear that identified high crime zones in all four provinces require intelligence-led targeted deployment of specialised units to combat criminality, over and above Operation Shanela. A total of 225 hotspot police stations have been identified, demanding targeted and synchronised interventions." A total of R85 million has been allocated to support the top 30 high-contact crime stations. MK Party MP David Skosana said South Africans were betrayed by the institutions meant to safeguard them. 'SAPS and IPID fail in their mandate to protect and be held accountable,' he said. Skosana said SAPS was supposed to serve the people, but there were horrifying crimes against women and children, while the detection rate for murder was at a critically low level. 'This budget, if passed in the current form, is a death sentence. Thousands of South Africans will continue to be failed by the State.' Skosana observed that R72bn was channelled towards administration, R24bn to detectives, and R1.7bn to the forensic science laboratories. EFF MP Leigh-Ann Mathys said SAPS was a criminal syndicate where there was institutionalised criminality. 'If there is no urgent reform, there is nothing that is going to happen. You can hire as many more young recruits, these young recruits will be recruited into criminality that is deeply embedded in SAPS,' Mathys said. ACDP leader Kenneth Meshoe decried the mass arrest of senior police officials and said that despite an increase in the budget, there were systemic failures. DA MP Ian Cameron said effective policing should have integrity as its foundation. 'We should be able to say it must be a practical commitment to make,' he said. In response, Mchunu said 5,500 police trainees were receiving training at the various SAPS academies nationwide. 'We have advertised for the recruitment of 5,500 police trainees, who will commence with their training between January and February 2026. On the 30th of June, we introduced the online electronic recruitment system, allowing for applicants to apply online – a first for the organisation.' He also said the DPCI will strengthen its focus on national priority crimes, including serious corruption, cybercrime, and unresolved cases linked to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The DPCI will also undertake a comprehensive recruitment drive in 2025/26 with internal advertisement of 300 posts through a post-promotion process, 250 police trainees with qualifications in law, forensic investigation, and information technology will be placed within the directorate. 'The DPCI has also advertised 85 posts externally and plans to advertise a further 175 posts to capacitate the DPCI, including to attract skills such as forensic accountants, IT specialists, and financial investigators.' Mchunu added that before the end of this year, a temporary forensic science laboratory would be functional in KwaZulu-Natal. 'It will be helpful in terms of reducing backlogs that pile up in Gauteng,' he said. Mchunu also mentioned that negotiations were under way with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research to establish an additional forensic science laboratory. 'We hope this will go a long way to meet our obligations,' he added.
The South African
25-06-2025
- Sport
- The South African
The boot and polish man who had a window into history
It's not a long way from Boksburg to Ellis Park, but for Robbie Schlemmer, 24 June 1995, was no ordinary trip. As the boot and change room manager for the Springboks, he was heading into a day that would change South African sport forever, one polished boot, one quiet checklist at a time. According to Clinton van der Berg, writing on his 'Got Game' website, Schlemmer remembers how he steered his trusty Toyota Corolla through the quiet, wintry streets of Johannesburg that morning. The city was still, but he felt the tension rising. At Ellis Park, South Africa's great rugby fortress, all was calm. He knew the day would be special. His job was simple in theory but meticulous in practice: set up the changeroom, make sure everything was perfect. Geyser on? Tick. Lights on? Tick. Clean and tidy? Tick. Soap? Tick. Toilet paper? Tick. Ice machine filled? Tick. Cold drinks and Castles? Tick. Snacks? Tick. Physio bed? Tick. Air conditioner? Tick. Then came the sacred ritual: unpacking the socks, shorts and green and gold Springbok jerseys, each laid out beneath a name tag, match programme balanced neatly on top. The balls had to be pumped to exact IRB specifications: 9.5 to 10 pounds per square inch. If any boots looked shabby, out came the polish and brush. The manne had to look sharp. Robbie Schlemmer began working at Ellis Park in the late 1980s after a friend asked him to help out. He earned R85 per Saturday before tax. 'The Transvaal players also got a koevertjie with their R800 match fee,' he recalls. The changeroom had its fair share of characters. The most intimidating? Louis Luyt. After a loss, he was fearsome. But not to Hennie le Roux, the team's sharp-tongued shop steward, and Luyt hated that. 'An insidious personality,' wrote Luyt of Le Roux in his autobiography. 'He turned out to be a true prima donna.' James Small, by contrast, was a 'great oke' who believed Schlemmer deserved more recognition. Big men like Kobus Wiese and Balie Swart treated him like gold. Wiese still messages him on his birthday. 'Johan Heunis was pure class, and Japie Mulder was always chirping, joking, smiling,' says Schlemmer. Francois Pienaar, the captain, even mentioned him in his autobiography Rainbow Warrior , calling Schlemmer 'my most loyal supporter'. Coach Kitch Christie once told him, only half-jokingly, that he was the Lions' lucky charm: 'They only lost twice when I was sick.' As the 1995 Rugby World Cup approached, it slowly dawned on Schlemmer that he might be involved. When he received his official accreditation as 'Change room manager,' it became real. That afternoon, he was busy seeing to the players' needs when a commotion broke out. He heard Nelson Mandela before he saw him. 'And then I knew, you could put your house on the Boks winning.' Mandela's arrival in the changeroom had been kept a state secret. Only security chief Rory Steyn knew. Even Doc Luyt had been kept mostly in the dark. Dressed in a Springbok cap and jersey with Pienaar's number six on the back, Madiba moved along the line, greeting every person. He paused to speak Afrikaans to a ball boy. His security detail urged him on, but Mandela took his time. He told the players not to win for him, or for themselves, but for their country. Pienaar followed with his own words about unity and opportunity. 'There was no way we could lose that day,' Schlemmer remembers. Small listened to UB40 on his Walkman. Mulder cracked nervous jokes. Pienaar bounced on his toes like a coiled spring. Transvaal tjommies – James Small and Schlemmer (Pic: Supplied) Robbie Schlemmer squeezed into a corner of the press box to watch the game. His nerves were frayed, but his belief never wavered. At half-time, he made sure the sandwiches were ready. After full-time, the Heinekens. The All Blacks, more reserved, asked for tea. Pandemonium followed the final whistle. Reporters, photographers, hangers-on poured into the changeroom. Schlemmer looked on with quiet pride. He later drank beer from the Webb Ellis Cup, part celebration, part tribute to the Transvaal core who had become world champions. When the Boks left for Gallagher Estate and the official dinner, Schlemmer stayed behind to clean up. In the All Blacks changeroom next door, he heard guitars: Josh Kronfeld and Zinzan Brooke strumming Maori songs, their defeat worn lightly. Schlemmer stayed on until 2003, working with the SA U20s who won their own title under Jake White. Players like Fourie du Preez, Jean de Villiers, Clyde Rathbone and the late Swys Swart passed through his care. And then it ended. The work dried up without explanation. Today, at 61, he works as a rep for a liquor company. He still loves his rugby – from a distance now – and has found new passion in boxing and MMA. Yesterday marked 30 years since that extraordinary afternoon. There was no private celebration. For Robbie Schlemmer, being there was enough. He doesn't need medals or headlines. He helped hold together the team behind the team, one checklist, one pair of polished boots, one quiet presence at a time. 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
18-06-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Standard Bank's ‘disproportionate' attempt to foreclose on Vavi's home fails
Bank was also claiming more than R160 000 in legal costs from Vavi and his wife – twice the value of their current repayment arrears. Saftu General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi and his wife can stay put, for now. Picture: Neil McCartney / The Citizen Standard Bank has failed in its attempt to obtain authorisation for the foreclosure of a mortgage bond it granted over the Sandton primary residence of South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi and his wife Noluthando. The judgment highlighted the high legal costs that result from mortgage bond arrears and foreclosure, with the bank claiming more than R160 000 in legal costs from the couple – twice the value of their current mortgage bond repayment arrears. Judge Stuart Wilson said Standard Bank had placed nothing before him explaining why execution against the Vavis' home is a proportionate means of recovering the arrears. He postponed the application brought by the bank indefinitely on Tuesday and ordered that each party should pay its own costs. Wilson said a court asked to authorise foreclosure against a debtor's primary residence must be satisfied that to do so would be proportionate. Read more The Art Lab: A space for collaboration, experimentation, and creativity at Nelson Mandela Square He added that foreclosure is generally proportionate when there is little meaningful prospect of the debt secured against the residence being recovered in some other way – and when the interest of the creditor in obtaining payment outweighs the interest of the debtor in retaining ownership of the home. Standard Bank was seeking a money judgment and leave to execute it against the primary residence of the couple, whose indebtedness arose from a mortgage bond passed over the property. ALSO READ: Court rules in favour of clients in Standard Bank home loan dispute Steps taken to reduce arrears – judge Wilson said the fact that the property is, on the face of it, an expensive dwelling in a well-heeled suburb makes no difference to the fundamental inquiry – but cases in which it would be disproportionate to authorise execution of a proven mortgage debt against such a property are likely to be rare. However, he said: 'This is such a case. The Vavis owe around R1.68 million on their bond, and are in arrears to the tune of just over R85 000 – or around four months' worth of instalments. 'The arrears were accumulated around three years ago, and since then the Vavis appear to have serviced their bond punctiliously while taking steps to reduce their arrears from just under R170 000 when the application was instituted to around R85 000 today. 'The latest home loan statement filed shows around 18 months of apparently perfect adherence to the Vavis' obligations to pay their monthly instalments.' ALSO READ: Class action suit shows banks sell repossessed houses for cents in the rand Legal costs and arrears 'separate issues' Wilson added that Standard Bank claims over R160 000 in legal costs against the Vavis – and it is apparent from the affidavits that the bank has tied the resolution of this dispute to the settlement of those costs. 'It is at least possible that the Vavis have balked at paying legal costs of twice the value of their current arrears. 'It seems to me that the Vavis would be entitled to rehabilitate the loan agreement by paying their arrears and then debating the reasonableness of those costs with Standard Bank as a separate issue, but I cannot say why the arrears have not been settled. 'Nevertheless, in the absence of more information, I cannot presently conclude that foreclosure against the Vavis' home is a proportionate means of liquidating their arrears.' Although the judge postponed the application sine die (indefinitely), Wilson said the bank may renew the application if and when it presents evidence that foreclosure would be proportionate. ALSO READ: What to do if you start falling behind on your home loan Financial woes The Vavis have been in the news for other alleged arrears related to their Sandton home. City Press reported in February 2024 that Vavi and his wife had been taken to court by the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) Metropolitan Municipality for allegedly failing to pay more than R400 000 in outstanding levies for their home. It said the CoJ was seeking an order from the High Court in Johannesburg that would compel the couple to pay an amount stipulated as R433 493 after they had applied to the municipality for provision. The article said it had previously reported on their financial woes, which it claimed began in 2022 when Standard Bank applied for a writ of execution on the same house after accusing them of non-payment. It subsequently reported that Noluthando Vavi said they only became aware of the court papers when inquiries were made by City Press about their home, which they bought for R2 million in 2008. It is unclear what happened to the CoJ's arrears high court application. This article was republished from Moneyweb. Read the original here.
Daily Maverick
17-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Maverick
Court rejects Standard Bank's bid to foreclose on Zwelinzima Vavi's home over loan arrears
A High Court judge has slammed Standard Bank for its 'disproportionate' attempt to foreclose on the home of union leader Zwelinzima Vavi, even as he was consistently paying off the arrears on his home loan. The Johannesburg High Court has ruled against Standard Bank in its legal bid to foreclose on the upmarket Sandton home of South African Federation of Trade Unions general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi. The bank sought a money judgment and permission from the court to execute against Vavi's primary residence, because he and his wife had fallen behind on their home loan repayments. However, what is curious about Standard Bank's legal bid is that the arrears date back three years, and Vavi and his wife had not only kept up with their bond repayments but had also worked to reduce the arrears from R170,000 to R85,000. In handing down his judgment on Tuesday, Judge Stuart DJ Wilson rebuked the bank for seeking an execution order when the Vavis' repayment over the last 18 months showed 'an apparently perfect adherence to the Vavis' obligations to pay their monthly instalments'. 'Standard Bank has placed nothing before me that explains why execution against the Vavis' home is a proportionate means of recovering the arrears,' Judge Wilson said. The court, referencing the Constitutional Court's stance in Gundwana v Steko Development CC, emphasised that the value or location of a property does not diminish the need for proportionality when a bank seeks to take away someone's home. 'Cases in which it would be disproportionate to authorise execution of a proven mortgage debt against such a property are likely to be rare. This is such a case,' the judgment noted. What raised eyebrows was Standard Bank's demand for more than R160,000 in legal costs – almost double the outstanding arrears. The court found that the bank had effectively tied the settlement of the dispute to the payment of these costs, suggesting that the Vavis may have hesitated to pay legal fees that far exceeded their actual arrears. The broader problem Standard Bank's case against Vavi is not unique. Across South Africa, banks have been criticised for using aggressive tactics to address home loan arrears. These include: Initiating legal action for repossession even when homeowners are actively reducing their arrears; Imposing excessive legal costs that quickly outpace the actual debt; and Failing to engage meaningfully with customers before resorting to court action. In 2024, Judge Wilson came down on Standard Bank for using 'high-handed' tactics by taking a Meyersdal couple to court over home loan arrears on which they had managed to catch up a few months before the matter was set down to be heard. Earlier this year, the bank attempted to take the home of a Roodepoort homeowner who was attempting to catch up on arrears, but the case was dismissed with costs. If the court had granted Standard Bank's order against Vavi, it would have given the bank the power to foreclose on the house and potentially sell it at a fraction of its value to recoup the R85,000 that it is owed. This has happened to countless South Africans over the years. However, a R60-billion class-action suit against South Africa's leading banks – Standard Bank, Absa, FirstRand and Nedbank – is seeking to address this issue. Led by Advocate Douglas J Shaw, the lawsuit highlights systemic issues with how banks handle mortgage arrears. Despite a 2017/18 legal victory that forced banks to set reserve prices at sheriff auctions – preventing sales at rock-bottom prices – Shaw reports that many homes continue to be sold for only 50% to 70% of their true value, and in some cases as low as 10%. Former owners often remain liable for the outstanding bond balance while being left homeless and destitute for years. Shaw further alleges that banks frequently proceed with sales even when foreclosure is not a last resort, such as when homeowners have regained employment, can rent out their properties or could subdivide them to meet obligations. 'We often see banks act in a manner we consider irresponsible. You cannot trust them to do what most people would see as 'the right thing',' Shaw said. This ongoing class action underscores the concerns raised by the Vavi case – namely, that banks sometimes resort to heavy-handed enforcement tactics without adequately considering proportionality or alternative solutions. It also highlights the broader call for stricter regulation and more ethical conduct in mortgage enforcement practices across South Africa.
