Minds of 1996

06/09/2024

20/01/2023

F**k the Policing system in Mzansi...

22/12/2022

This December!!!

12/06/2022

South Africa – South Africa’s civil aviation regulator grounded Comair’s planes indefinitely on Sunday over unresolved safety issues, in a move that also affects low-cost airline Kulula and British Airways, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.

A spokesperson for the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) said it had extended a 24-hour precautionary suspension of Comair’s operator certificate indefinitely.

The suspension was meant to end on Sunday, but Comair has not adequately addressed all the necessary safety issues, the SACAA said.

“This morning we communicated to them (Comair) that their air operator certificate is now indefinitely suspended until they close all of the findings,” SACAA spokesperson Phindiwe Gwebu told Reuters, effectively grounding the company’s fleet of Boeing aircraft.

Comair said it was unable to confirm when it would start flying again, after working through the night to provide documentation to SACAA following a review of certain policies, systems and procedures.

“This is a huge blow to our customers, employees and the flying public as it effectively takes 40 percent of the capacity out of the market,” Glenn Orsmond, Comair chief executive said in a statement.

There would be considerable implications for the aviation sector and the country should the suspension be prolonged, he added.

Airports Company SA (ACSA), which runs the country’s largest airports, said some of the stranded passengers were placed on chartered flights arranged by BA and Comair, specifically for commuters on the popular Johannesburg and Cape Town route.

“Priority is also given to those passengers who have onward international connecting flights,” Terence Delomoney, ACSA’s group executive operations manager said.

Issuing the precautionary notice on Saturday, the regulator said in the past month Comair had experienced safety problems ranging from “engine failures, engine malfunction and landing gear malfunctions,” among others.

In its investigations, SACAA said it had discovered three so-called “level 1” findings “which pose an immediate risk” and must be addressed immediately.

Gwebu did not elaborate on what outstanding safety issues Comair, which flies local and regional routes from South Africa under the British Airways (BA) livery as part of a licence agreement, needed to address before flying again.

British Airways/Comair flies daily between Johannesburg and the Zimbabwean cities of Harare and Victoria Falls, and also to Port Louis, the capital city of Mauritius.

Besides flying BA planes, Comair also operates the Kulula brand.

A notice on Kulula’s website showed that Comair had been aiming to resume its schedule by 12PM on Sunday, subject to SACAA’s approval.

12/06/2022

change

12/06/2022

Ramaphosa insists Mkhwebane suspension nothing to do with criminal probe
President Cyril Ramphosa has reiterated that the suspension of Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has nothing to with her investigation in his $4 million (R61.8 million) Phala Phala farm robbery.

The president was addressing the media on Friday where he responded to questions surrounding the criminal complaint by former spy boss Arthur Fraser and allegations of money laundering.

Ramaphosa suspended Mkhwebane with immediate effect on Thursday after she submitted her reasons to the president on 27 May on why she should not be suspended.

12/06/2022

“You are stupid.”

“These people are high.”

“This is not your house.”

“Murderer.”

“Criminal.”

“Money launderer.”

“You are a popayi.”

These are some of the words that were thrown around by MPs.

12/06/2022

The alleged theft of $4 million from President Cyril Ramaphosa's Limpopo game farm "demands the highest level of scrutiny from Parliament", says the DA, who will demand answers from the police's VIP Protection Unit amid "suspicions of a cover-up".

DA MP and spokesperson on police Andrew Whitfield wrote to the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, ANC MP Tina Joemat-Pettersson, "requesting that she summon the leadership of the South African Police Service (SAPS) VIP Protection Unit together with the leadership of the Presidential Protection Unit to appear before the committee".

"The recent revelations surrounding the theft of an estimated $4 million from the President's Limpopo farm, Phala Phala, demand the highest level of scrutiny from Parliament in order to get to the bottom of this conspiracy," said Whitfield in a statement released on Thursday morning, hours before Ramaphosa was due in the National Assembly to deliver the Presidency's budget vote speech.

12/06/2022

Municipal manager hires more bodyguards, angering workers

The acting manager of the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality in Mpumalanga, Thokozile Zulu, has beefed up security and hired armed bodyguards, allegedly without following supply chain management processes.

11/06/2022

We the indigenous people are forced to fight one another for external forces, whilst coffee, W**d, diamonds, gold, land, and the list goes on with products destined for Europe, Asian and many parts of the world.

What's really funny is the lack of commitment and accountability in our Beloved African leadership. We pursue and suffer for the labour. We don't receive any fair cut of the wealth.

In 2022 I can clearly see the rich are getting filthy rich and the poor people are getting poorer. This is shocking. I must honestly say I'm at a point in my life where I'm embarrassed to be even given an identity of an African. Remember feelings are temporary and there is surely differences between happiness and joy.

Open your fu***ng eyes ! Colonialism still exists even though it doesn't feel obvious. This time around it comes as a form of intimidation and compliance .

11/06/2022

By Camille Pauvarel

and Africanews

Rwanda

Rwanda's ministry of Defence says DRC fired two rockets into the western part of its country, on Friday, causing no casualties but terrifying the population at the border. In its statement, the ministry says it is the third such attack since March.

Tensions between the two central african countries have been on the rise as Kinshasa accuses its neighbour of backing M23 rebels sending this week, 500 soldiers in Eastern DRC, something Rwanda denies.

DRC's national army has been fighting against M23 insurgents, considered a terrorist group, in eastern Congo for a decade and violent clashes have been occuring since May.

Rwanda and the DRC have had tense relations since the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. Kinshasa regularly accuses Rwanda of sending troops into Congo to support M23 rebels. The Congolese army claimed at the end of May to have arrested two Rwandan soldiers in the DRC. But Kigali claimed instead that they had been abducted on the Rwandan side of the border by Hutu rebels based in Congo.

Kigali has been requesting a regional investigation since the end of May.

11/06/2022

in DRC

11/06/2022

11/06/2022

Climate Change

11/06/2022

Forecast...

11/06/2022

09 June 2022
Water Supply Interruption in Pretoria Cbd

On Saturday, 11 June 2022, the City of Tshwane will shut down the water supply network to Pretoria Central Business District (CBD).

This inevitable interruption of water is necessitated by the urgency to install a new 150mm water meter in Johannes Ramokhoase Street.

The interruption period is 8hours, from 09h00 until 17h00.

Only the CBD will be affected. Consumers in this area are therefore urged to store enough water for household purposes.

The City apologizes profusely for the inconvenience that might arise.

11/06/2022

Sunnyside residents, police to work together to fight crime

Sunnyside residents have expressed fear of living in the area, complaining that police were of no help in curbing spiralling crime in the popular suburb.

Police provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela engaged with the community, ward councillors, CPF, pastors and the business forum in Sunnyside at Bronberg church in Sunnyside at the weekend.

Residents at the meeting said they had lost faith in the police and that the area had become unsafe over the years.

“Cases of mob justice in this area are on the rise, proof that people have lost trust in the police. We report matters but we never get feedback from the police after opening a case,” said a resident only identified as Gert.

Another resident said she and her 23-year-old daughter did not feel safe anymore and that her daughter was even afraid of going to the bus station alone.

“I have been in Sunnyside since 1987 and we used to respect the police, now our police are friends with drug dealers, they take bribes from them,” said another resident Sarah Kofane.

But regional chairperson of Sanco Matlakala Mashishi applauded the police for a job well done and said those making it difficult for them to execute their duties were “the undocumented persons”.

“Those who are without documents should go back to their countries of origin because when they commit crimes they cannot be traced,” he said.

Deputy chairperson of Sunnyside CPF Joel Maepo said as much as the police were expected to do more in a congested area, the problem was lack of enough capacity to do so.

“The police station is too small to accommodate everyone… it services a big area,” he said.

Khulu Duba, a concerned resident, said Sunnyside was “not conducive to the police doing their work”.

“The [residential] units in this area are overcrowded and this results in overpopulation,” said Duba.

The residents had earlier been shown a presentation on crime statistics between April 2018 and March 2019 which indicated that Sunnyside was one of the highest crime contributors sitting 15th out of 1 000 stations nationwide.

11/06/2022

Police ‘clean up’ Tshwane

The Tshwane police arrested 271 suspects in various Okea Molao operations this week.

Spokesperson Captain Augustinah Selepe said Tshwane detective teams made the arrests in operations throughout the various districts from Wednesday evening to the early hours of Thursday morning.

She said the operations were led by SAPS senior management and other law enforcement agencies such as home affairs, Gauteng traffic department, correctional services and the Tshwane metro police.

She said 36 undocumented persons were detained for further processing by home affairs, six were arrested for drug-related crimes, one for possession of stolen property and 66 for gender-based violence.

She said as part of the cleaning up operation, the Tshwane metro shut down an illegal shebeen and confiscated stock in Pretoria West, issued 258 Aarto fines to motorists to the value of more than R98 000, and searched 418 vehicles and 738 people.

Selepe said on Wednesday that the Tshwane intelligence unit also, as part of the same operation, arrested a suspect for possession of drugs and an unlicensed firearm.

“During the search, police managed to recover 50 sachets of nyaope with a street value of R1 500, crystal math with a street value of R1 200, live ammunition, a 9mm pistol and a scale.”

11/06/2022

German chancellor to discuss Ukraine war in South Africa

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/south-africa-ap-olaf-scholz-ukraine-cyril-ramaphosa-b2086109.html

South Africa's neutral stance on Russia's war in Ukraine will be a major topic of conversation as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meets Tuesday with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, to end his three-nation tour of Africa.

Speaking to the press in South Africa's capital, Pretoria, ahead of their private meeting, the two leaders said they will also consider developments on the African continent. Scholz’s visit comes as the war in Ukraine has been raging for three months and is causing oil and food prices to rise around the world, including in Africa

South Africa has taken a neutral stance on the conflict, refusing to condemn Russia’s actions and calling for dialogue between the two countries.

Scholz said Russia's invasion of Ukraine was an important issue to discuss with his South African counterpart.

“Obviously one of the questions that is of big concern for all of us, is the war that Russia imposed on Ukraine, the brutal war, we have to say it like this," Scholz said.

“And it is necessary for peace in the world that this war stops, as soon as possible and that there is a chance to defend the integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine,” he said.

Another topic to be discussed is South Africa's intention to reduce its dependence on coal-fired power plants. Germany is among the countries that pledged up to $8.5 billion at the COP26 climate change conference last year to help South Africa reduce its reliance upon coal to generate electricity. So far there have been no announcements of actual payments of those funds to South Africa.

South Africa is currently suffering nationwide rolling power cuts because its coal-fired power stations are unable to generate adequate amounts of electricity. The promised funds will help the country, which has Africa’s most developed economy, to shift to more environmentally friendly energy, Ramaphosa said.

“We anticipate constructive discussions around the green economy, clean energy and building climate resilience as we embark on new technologies such as hydrogen, and various other renewable energy technologies,” Ramaphosa told the press.

11/06/2022

Protest by EFF sees chaos, fights to prevent Tshwane budget speech

11/06/2022

Sentiments ???

11/06/2022

The people of South Africa have a right to know what is happening behind the closed doors of the Phala farmhouse.

10/06/2022

Ramaphosa farm theft: Money stolen from game farm the earnings from private sales, transactions.

The public wonders if he is still fit to run the most important office in the nation.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=761936661834989&id=100040559862886

"President Cyril Ramaphosa is facing what may be the most personally damaging moment of his presidency. A seemingly unreported 2020 theft of foreign currency cash from his game farm in Limpopo is coming back to haunt him. Even if it looks to be part of an orchestrated attempt to endanger his political future, he has some serious questions to answer. Here is everything we've uncovered so far this week, what we still don't know and why it's important.

In 2020, Namibian authorities identified suspects following a break-in at Cyril Ramaphosa’s farm, but sources allege South African intelligence back-channels were used to get the Namibians to let the matter go. Now Arthur Fraser’s criminal complaint puts the President on the spot: what did he do, what did he know and why the cover-up?

Guard

The Hawks have taken over the investigation of the multimillion-dollar burglary at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Limpopo farm, as a damage control exercise gets under way. Meanwhile, Corruption Watch says the President should not be running a game farm as a business.

Pressure from opposition parties is mounting for President Cyril Ramaphosa to step down after damning allegations made against him by former spy boss Arthur Fraser. The EFF is the latest party to hold a media conference about a robbery that took place at the President’s Phala Phala game farm two years ago.

As more questions arise over the February 2020 forex cash theft at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala wildlife farm, it has emerged there is a serious omission of this in the SAPS annual report – thus compromising a key oversight and accountability tool.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is facing what may be the most personally damaging moment of his presidency. A seemingly unreported 2020 theft of cash from his Limpopo game farm is coming back to haunt him in a way that is clearly orchestrated to endanger his political future – but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some serious issues at stake. We unpack the bizarre saga so far.

The criminal case opened by former spy boss Arthur Fraser against President Cyril Ramaphosa has put the spotlight on prices paid for prized game in South Africa, including a rare variation of gemsbok – the red oryx.

10 Jun 2022

President Cyril Ramaphosa is facing what may be the most personally damaging moment of his presidency. A seemingly unreported 2020 theft of foreign currency cash from his game farm in Limpopo is coming back to haunt him. Even if it looks to be part of an orchestrated attempt to endanger his political future, he has some serious questions to answer. Here is everything we've uncovered so far this week, what we still don't know and why it's important.

BeyondWords:

Why Ramaphosa (apparently) kept mum about multimillion-dollar robbery at his farm

Asked why the President did not immediately notify the public about the robbery after it was reported to the police, the source said he did not want to panic the country or the farming community.

By Ferial Haffajee:
Ramaphosa’s stolen millions: the Namibian connection

In 2020, Namibian authorities identified suspects following a break-in at Cyril Ramaphosa’s farm, but sources allege South African intelligence back-channels were used to get the Namibians to let the matter go. Now Arthur Fraser’s criminal complaint puts the President on the spot: what did he do, what did he know and why the cover-up?
Adverts on/off? You choose.

Hawks take over Ramaphosa forex heist case from President’s Praetorian Guard

The Hawks have taken over the investigation of the multimillion-dollar burglary at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Limpopo farm, as a damage control exercise gets under way. Meanwhile, Corruption Watch says the President should not be running a game farm as a business.

By Ferial Haffajee:
Political parties push for probe into mysterious Ramaphosa game farm robbery

Pressure from opposition parties is mounting for President Cyril Ramaphosa to step down after damning allegations made against him by former spy boss Arthur Fraser. The EFF is the latest party to hold a media conference about a robbery that took place at the President’s Phala Phala game farm two years ago.

By Queenin Masuabi:
Mishandling of the Ramaphosa farm forex theft reflected in state accountability documents

As more questions arise over the February 2020 forex cash theft at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala wildlife farm, it has emerged there is a serious omission of this in the SAPS annual report – thus compromising a key oversight and accountability tool.

By Marianne Merten:
Unpacking the Cyril Ramaphosa home robbery story, and why you should care

President Cyril Ramaphosa is facing what may be the most personally damaging moment of his presidency. A seemingly unreported 2020 theft of cash from his Limpopo game farm is coming back to haunt him in a way that is clearly orchestrated to endanger his political future – but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some serious issues at stake. We unpack the bizarre saga so far.

By Rebecca Davis:
Ramaphosa’s red oryx and other prized game fetch big bucks

The criminal case opened by former spy boss Arthur Fraser against President Cyril Ramaphosa has put the spotlight on prices paid for prized game in South Africa, including a rare variation of gemsbok – the red oryx.

By Onke Ngcuka:
Ramaphosa robbery: The kryptonite that could badly hurt the President and the ANC

With more information now coming into the public domain about how a large quantity of cash (US$) was stolen in early February 2020 from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s game farm Phala Phala, near Bela-Bela in Limpopo, and his failure to report this to the public, it is now realistically possible that this could weaken him in a very critical way and, in the process, significantly alter the course of our democracy.

By Stephen Grootes:
Ramaphosa and the Phala Phala buck bucks – Groundhog Day, brought to you by the ANC

This drama that is playing out is just another ANC game being played using the state and political machinery as they skop, skiet and donner each other in a quest to occupy the top six positions in the party.

By Thamsanqa D Malinga:
The Shakespearean tragedy of Cyril Ramaphosa

As the chess moves in the ANC gain in speed and complexity, and on the eve of the suspension of the ghoulish Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, at the dodgiest possible moment, it’s worth taking some time to reflect on the unusual life of President Cyril Ramaphosa, whose career has taken a turn for the ludicrous, and who will have to take more than pawns out if he hopes to survive

service

With a history of embarrassing security breaches in what should be our nation’s most impenetrable homes, South Africans would be justified in asking: Where are the billions set aside for VIP Protection Services going?

BeyondWords

The repercussions of the robbery at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s farm and his admission that it was not properly reported to police appear to mark the start of a new – near as hell to brutal – phase of warfare within the ANC.

Obviously, the former spy boss Arthur Fraser’s goal was not to help the national interest but to help himself and hurt Ramaphosa.
" Daily Maverick

09/06/2022

KwaZulu-Natal (231 Prince Alfred Street, Pietermaritzburg Central, KwaZulu-Natal),
Limpopo (Phamoko Towers, corner of Bodenstein and Church Streets, Polokwane Central, Limpopo),
North West (Tirelo Building, Albert Luthuli Drive, Mmabatho, Mahikeng, North West) and
Mpumalanga (Government Boulevard, Riverside Park, Mbombela, Mpumalanga)
as well as the:
DMRE Head Office (corner of Francis Baard Street/M2 and Meintjies Street, Sunnyside, Pretoria,
Gauteng) and the
DMRE Provincial Offices in Mpumalanga (Saveways Crescent Centre, Mandela Street, Modelpark,
Emalahleni, Mpumalanga),
Free State (The Strip, 314 Stateway/R73, Welkom Central, Free State),
Western Cape (Attebury House, 9 Lower Burg Street, Cape Town Central, Western Cape),
Northern Cape (corner of Van der Stel and Van Riebeeck Streets, Springbok, Northern Cape) and (3
Phakamile Mabija Road, Kimberley Central),
Limpopo (101 Dorp Street, Polokwane Central, Limpopo),
Gauteng (corner De Korte and De Beer Streets, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, Gauteng),
North West (corner of Voortrekker and Margaretha Prinsloo Streets, Klerksdorp Central, North West),
KwaZulu-Natal (333 Anton Lembede Street, Durban Central, KwaZulu-Natal),
Eastern Cape (96 Sutherland Road, Mthatha Central, Eastern Cape) and (444 Govan Mbeki Avenue,
North End, Gqeberha).

The N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, N6 N7, N8, N12, N14, N17, N18, R21, M1, M2, R104, R24, R101, M4,
R103, R102, M7, R64, M3, R300, R75, R72, R71 and R40 (among others) are considered high-risk roads
for potential unrest.