Let’s wrap up some of the top stories happening in South Africa this week.
RAMAPHOSA FORMARLLY FIRES BUSISIWE MKHWEBANE AS PUBLIC PROTECTOR
Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane has been fired just one month before her term as public protector expires.
This comes after the National Assembly’s majority of parliamentarians voted in favour of her impeachment.
43 lawmakers opposed her impeachment, 318 supported it, and one abstained during the voting.
Mkhwebane asserts that she will challenge the section 194 committee findings, which found her to be incompetent and guilty of wrongdoing, and that she will not take this lying down.
PRINCE MANGOSUTHU BUTHELEZI GRANTED A SPECIAL OFFICIAL CATEGORY ONE FUNERAL
Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the IFP’s founder, has been granted a special official category one funeral.
President Cyril Ramaphosa made this announcement this week, and as a result, the family has rescheduled the funeral from Friday, September 15, to Saturday, September 16, 2023.
Last weekend, Buthelezi passed away at the age of 95.
The Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi Regional Stadium in Ulundi, KwaZulu-Natal’s northernmost town, will host his funeral service.
SOUTH AFRICANS PAY MORE FOR FOOD DESPITE INFLATION RATE DROPPING
Despite a decline in inflation, South Africans are still paying more for food, according to a research by the Competition Commission.
According to the research, prices for all goods and services had inflation rates that were twice as high.
Although the cost of wheat and bread both decreased by 10% in the first quarter of the year, the cost of bread increased by 3% at both the producer and retailer levels.
Siyabulela Makunga, a spokeswoman for the commission, claims that certain significant food companies reported revenue increases as a consequence of price increases rather than volume growth.
FIRST PHASE OF THE MARSHALLTOWN BUILDING FIRE INQUIRY TO BEGIN IN OCTOBER
The Marshalltown building fire will be investigated in two stages, according to Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi.
The first phase will start in October and end on November 30, 2023, and the second phase will start on January 1 and expire on March 31, 2024.
This comes after a hijacked building in Johannesburg’s central business district caught fire, killing over 70 people and wounding 60 more.
Sisi Khampepe, a retired justice of the Constitutional Court, would preside over the panel, according to Lesufi.
The purpose of this panel is to look into the problem of hijacked buildings in Johannesburg, the origin of the fire, and who is accountable for the disaster.
POSTBANK BOARD RESIGNS WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT
Thobile Wonci, the chair of Postbank, and a number of other board members have resigned from their roles with the state-owned bank.
In a letter, the bank’s board members accuse Communications Minister Mondli Gungubele of antagonism and meddling.
They resigned as a result of last week’s cash withdrawal difficulties for SASSA recipients.
Gungubele asserted, however, that the board members were fired rather than resigning, during a briefing on Thursday.
This follows claims made in a forensic investigation report that the bank had kept using service providers with which it had not been granted a legal contract.
THE SENZO MEYIWA MURDER TRIAL POSTPONED TO OCTOBER
The murder trial for Senzo Meyiwa has been set for 02 October 2023.
All of the defence attorneys informed the court that they needed time to consult with and examine the more than 800 photos from one of the accused’s cell phone.
Another reason is that the high court has moved the trial in order to have a two-week break.
When the trial resumes, the defence will continue grilling Constable Sizwe Zungu, a significant State witness, about the photos the State used to connect the defendants to the death of the football star.
TSHWANE BUS SERVICES STILL SUSPEND
Members of the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) are still on a six-week pay strike in the nation’s capital.
Buses were supposed to start running again in the city this week, but commuters in Tshwane will have to make do with other modes of transportation until then.
Following the Wednesday torching of multiple municipal vehicles, the City was compelled to temporarily halt its bus services.
BAIL HAS BEEN DENIED FOR DR NANDIPHA MAGUDUMANA
On Monday, 11 September 2023 the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court denied bail to Dr Nandipha Magudumana in the Thabo Bester saga. She remains behind bars.
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