Let’s wrap up some of the top stories happening in South Africa this week.
Dr Murunwa Makwarela reinstated as Tshwane Mayor
There has been an about-turn in the city of Tshwane.
The Congress of the Peoples councilor Dr Murunwa Makwarela has been reinstated as mayor of Tshwane with immediate effect.
This comes after Makwarela was disqualified this week, with the city saying he was an unrehabilitated insolvent.
Just a week ago, Makwarela was elected to be mayor, supported by the EFF and ANC.
It had emerged that Makwarela was sequestrated by the Gauteng High Court back in 2016.
Makwarela today furnished the city with a certificate of rehabilitation, which put him back in the mayor’s seat.
The University of Wits fails to reach an agreement with the SRC
The protest by students at Wits University lasted a week; however, it seems the institution is not agreeing to their demands.
Students are calling for an end to financial exclusion and the high cost of accommodation.
The university’s vice-chancellor, Zeblon Vilakazi, says students need to meet the institution half way so they can reach an agreement.
Yesterday, the students agreed to suspend their protest for 24 hours on the condition that three demands are met:
1. Bouncers are removed.
2. Suspensions are lifted.
3. No police presence
This came after students clashed with private security as they tried to gain entry into the Great Hall at the institution.
Following the clash with private security earlier this week, letters of suspension were issued to six SRC members, including Wits SRC President Aphiwe Mnyamana.
The SRC says its members need to be allowed back on campus as they belong there.
A 69-member anti-gang unit set up in Westbury
Following a spate of gang-related violence in Westbury, Johannesburg, Police Minister Bheki Cele has announced the deployment of an anti-gang unit.
Cele visited the area earlier this week in a crime prevention imbizo.
In a space of two weeks, more than a dozen people have been shot, and two others lost their lives.
The 69-member anti-gang unit has been deployed for a period of three months; however, it can be adjusted should the community need it for longer.
A 3-year-old dies after a bookshelf fell on him at Little Ashford Bedfordview
The parents of 3-year-old Kganya Mokhele are demanding answers from management at Little Ashford in Bedfordview following the tragic death of their son.
Mokhele succumbed to severe injuries after a bookshelf collapsed on him at the facility on Tuesday.
The toddler was allegedly reaching for a toy when the shell fell on him; he was then taken to a local medical care centre by ambulance, where he was certified dead on arrival.
Yesterday, Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane visited the preschool to get answers regarding the death of the 3-year-old.
Chiloane said that an investigation has been launched by the department to probe claims of negligence made against the school by the family.
Hospital services across the country affected by the Nehawu protest
The National Education, Health, and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) has embarked on a national protest that seems to be affecting hospitals.
Pholofong Hospital and Charlotte Maxeke Hospital are among many facilities where services have been affected due to the strike.
On Monday, the Labour Court upheld Friday’s ruling, which prevented the union from embarking on a strike, but Nehawu says it has also appealed this verdict and therefore it will continue with its mass action in support of above-inflation wage increases.
Workers are demanding a wage increase of between 10 and 12%; however, the employer has offered a 4.7% hike.
The employees say they will not entertain the 4.7 percent wage increase offered for 2023 until the government resolves last year’s wage dispute.
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