The Chairman of the Ghanaian Association at Kempton Park in South Africa, Wofa Atta has dismissed reports that there are Ghanaian casualties among the victims in the ongoing xenophobic attacks in Johannesburg and other cities in South Africa.

According to him, one Ghanaian who got injured when violence broke out is currently recovering.

He called on Ghanaians to remember them in prayers.

READ: 14-year-old faces 5 murder charges after confessing to killing his family

 “We have made calls to check on Ghanaians in other cities but I can state that there is no record of death or killing of Ghanaians. What we know is that those dead are rather Malawians and Zimbabweans but not Ghanaians.

“We have contacted our branches and I can tell you nothing of that sort has happened to Ghanaians,” he told Accra based Okay FM, monitored by Adomonline.com.

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Dozens of people were arrested in Johannesburg on Monday. At least five people have been killed in the unrest.

Several African governments have issued warnings to their citizens over the violence.

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Government of Ghana has joined other African countries in condemning the ongoing xenophobic attacks in Johannesburg and other cities in South Africa.

Source: Adomonline.com | Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy

The facilities were attacked after days of riots in South Africa chiefly targeting foreign-owned, including Nigerian, businesses.

“The safety and security of our customers, staff and partners is our primary concern,” MTN Nigeria said in a statement.

Source: Reuters

In a statement issued by the Ministry in which it described the attacks as unfortunate, the Ministry said “the Government of Ghana assures there has been no confirmed casualties at the moment. Our High Commission in Pretoria is monitoring the situation closely and any new development will be communicated accordingly.”

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Below is the statement:

Source: Adomonline.com

Several videos capturing harrowing scenes have emerged of South Africans subjecting other African nationals to beatings and other forms torture.

Nigerians, who claim they’ve been the targeted group in the recent attacks have asked a clear line of action from their government.

‘Enough is Enough,’ one user wrote.  

Seye Oyekunle@seye_oyekunle

I think #EnoughIsEnough. The Nigerian Government really needs to TAKE ACTION NOW on the #XenophobicAttacks in South Africa . We helped them during Apatheid. See how they are treating us and other foreigners in their country #Xenophobia #SouthAfrica #PretoriaCBD #BBNaiija133:02 AM – Sep 3, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacy30 people are talking about this

View more reactions below

Ike ‘elderbrother #bbnaija@xameicce

People like this is the devils that remain on Earth after the battle in Haven

How people can justify killing baffles me#XenophobicAttacks #Xenophobia https://twitter.com/Q_BinLaden/status/1168523392275890178 …28:01 PM – Sep 2, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacySee Ike ‘elderbrother #bbnaija’s other Tweets

NaijaVoice@matty_blow

South African Shame on you guys. If you are hungry beg or ask for food instead of introducing #XenophobicAttacks in order to loot from our vigorous citizens. You will all pay for this dearly. Hunger will never depart your homes.https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-02/police-arrest-41-people-as-looting-spree-erupts-in-johannesburg …@Bloomberg

2:47 AM – Sep 3, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacySee NaijaVoice’s other Tweets

M For Mish@TheFehintolu

Nelson Mandela Just Wasted His Life For This People.
SA Is A Shit Country With Trash And Murderers As Citizens.#XenophobicAttacks28:05 PM – Sep 2, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacySee M For Mish’s other Tweets

J.abeku@j_abeku

Was Fela Kuti wrong when he said “South Africa is better than Nigeria because whites are killing blacks there,and black are killing blacks here in Nigeria ” looking at the current situation of the #XenophobicAttacks happening Deep South. It is still black on blacks.47:20 PM – Sep 2, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacySee J.abeku’s other Tweets

LAST BORN of saka family@_oluwaDREY

#Twitter has always been a platform where i make myself happy and laugh…but tonight seeing this #XenophobicAttacks again

My heart is so down,my eyes filled with tears!…

I just can’t believe it…

This is so sad22:35 AM – Sep 3, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacySee LAST BORN of saka family’s other Tweets

Oke Umurhohwo@OkeStalyf

With these #XenophobicAttacks, I am never going to South Africa except as a diplomat

We spent billions of dollars to finance most of the leaders of the ANC in their struggle and they can’t even protect Africans in the same SA where they were mauled like dogs under apartheid?86:50 PM – Sep 2, 2019 · Lagos, NigeriaTwitter Ads info and privacySee Oke Umurhohwo’s other Tweets

Thuo Kimani Githuku@thuogithuku

Good evening South Africa. Stop murdering fellow African. Violence is not the way! “Through violence you may murder the hater, but you cannot murder hate.”~ Martin Luther King Jr. #XenophobicAttacks #PretoriaCBD146:08 PM – Sep 2, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacySee Thuo Kimani Githuku’s other Tweets

Mwiinga Twiinga (Uppity) @Thearchct

#XenophobicAttacks should be an state of emergency….They torched a #Nigerian dealership in #JoburgCBD #Xenophobia #SouthAfrica #looting #Pretoria #africa 104:43 PM – Sep 2, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacySee Mwiinga Twiinga (Uppity) ‘s other Tweets

Working-capital requirements
However, Jarana insisted in an interview after the meeting that SAA had available instruments to meet its continuing working capital requirements, such as the obligation to pay salaries and suppliers.
SAA is working on a long-term turnaround strategy that will take about three years to bear fruit and Jarana stressed there would be no quick fixes. In terms of SAA’s long-term plan, it will break even in 2021.
Jarana said SAA’s balance sheet had to be restructured, revenue performance had to be accelerated and the fleet had to be refreshed in order to return to profitability. This required a long-term funding plan that would not be covered by the envisaged R5bn.
Members of the committee raised concern about the going-concern status of the airline. This was an issue raised by the auditor-general in the 2016-2017 financial statements and was only settled after the state made a cash injection of 800 million US dollars into SAA in about October 2017.
ANC MP Mnyamezeli Booi said it appeared the airline had no capital to run itself.
Janara said in reply that the airline’s balance sheet was very weak, with a negative equity currently of R9.2bn. This debt would mature in March 2019, presenting a real challenge.
“That is not the position any business can run with, where it has negative equity as we have today,” Jarana told the MPs. “Any business has a maximum debt carrying capacity. The moment you overburden a business with debt you get to a point where it is unable to carry its repayments, whether it is interest or the principal amount.
“As things stand today, SAA is not able to pay the principal amounts. We are bearing interest, which already indicates the debt is burdensome.”
To resolve the going-concern status, it was critical to tackling the funding of the R9.2bn, along with the financing of the implementation of the turnaround strategy. Janara said the balance sheet could not support the acquisition of assets.
DA MP and shadow deputy minister of finance Alf Lees said it appeared that SAA was facing a cash crisis.
Janara said the government had indicated that SAA needed a strategic equity partner, adding that discussions about this were taking place in the joint oversight forum, which is looking at the portfolio of funding instruments for the airline.

The group says it wants to prosecute Duduzane Zuma on manslaughter, or culpable homicide, charges emanating from a car crash in which a 27-year-old woman died in 2014.

The man who intends to spearhead Afriforum’s private prosecution is former state prosecutor General Nel who is most well-known for securing the murder conviction of former Olympic and Paralympian star Oscar Pistorius.

Mr Nel is nicknamed “the Pitbull”

Phumzile Dube died when Duduzane Zuma’s car collided with the taxi in which she was travelling. Her two-year-old daughter survived.

An inquest found that Duduzane Zuma’s negligent conduct led to the crash but the National Prosecuting Authority declined to pursue charges against him, citing insufficient evidence.

Afriforum says it believes the deceased woman’s family deserves justice, no matter who the perpetrator is.

Duduzane Zuma has not yet commented.

In a collaboration with international organisations and agencies, Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi reached the “breakthrough pricing agreement” which the ministry said would accelerate the availability of the first affordable, generic regimen containing antiretroviral dolutegravir.

“Apart from the financial savings, which will decrease pressure on our national fiscus, its introduction will also have significant benefits for patients,” ministry spokesperson Joe Maila explained in a statement.

“Dolutegravir is a highly effective antiretroviral, which is well tolerated by patients and has fewer side effects. Patients are therefore more likely to be adherent and more likely to be virally suppressed – which means that they are not likely to transmit the virus to others.”

At US$75 per person, per year, the new fixed-dose combination will be available to low and middle-income countries at a reduced price, Maila said.

“The large volumes of ARVs purchased by South Africa were used to leverage the decrease in pricing that will benefit all low and middle income countries. The agreement is expected to accelerate treatment rollout as part of global efforts to reach all 36.7 million people living with HIV with high-quality antiretroviral therapy.”

According to the ministry, the HIV programme has grown in the last nine years from 923 000 people to 3.9m at the end of August.

Motsoaledi said the new dolutegravir-based fixed-dose combination will greatly benefit patients due to its “superior therapeutic qualities”.

“The considerable price reductions could yield savings of up to R11.7bn over the next six years for us, which means that we can initiate additional patients on treatment with the same amount of resources. Ramping up treatment with good viral suppression will enable us to reach HIV epidemic control more quickly. We are aiming at launching the new tender in April 2018.”

The maidens where made to undergo the “ritual” test aimed at ensuring that they were virgins at the Enyokeni palace of King Goodwill Zwelithini, on Friday.

DAILY POST had last week reported that young girls in their thousands would undergone virginity test in their districts to affirm their purity before Zulu King, Goodwill Zwelithini ahead of the Annual Reed Dance.

The rite took place between September 8 and 10 in Nongoma, Zulu kingdom in South Africa and this year’s Reed Dance also known as Umkhosi Womhlanga‚ will take place from September 8 to 10.

Setting the record straight

Milton Nkosi, BBC South Africa correspondent
The withdrawal of the book shows just how much weight the Mandela name still carries years after his demise. Mandela’s widow Graca Machel complained bitterly about aspects in the book. The outcry was supported by other Mandela family members.
This simply means that Mr Mandela’s physician and author of the book Dr Vejay Ramlakan has been isolated. He was adamant that he consulted everyone who needed to be consulted from the family prior to writing the book. Clearly this has backfired now.
One of the details according to the book which did not sit well with Mrs Machel was the assertion that when Mr Mandela took his last breath it was in fact Winnie Mandela’s hand he was holding and not hers.
Sello Hatang, the CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, welcomed the withdrawal and challenged the idea that Mrs Machel was doing some work for the foundation when Mr Mandela was on his death bed.
It is now left to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela to come out to set the record straight on whether some of these most intimate details about South Africa’s first black president, already in the public domain through the book, are true.
But a statement from Penguin Random House South Africa said it was “meant to portray Nelson Mandela’s courage and strength until the very end of his life and was in no way intended to be disrespectful”.
“However, given the statements from family members we have decided to withdraw the book.”
Dr Ramlakan was Mandela’s physician for nearly 10 years
No further copies of the book are to be issued.
Billed as the “true story of Nelson Mandela’s final journey”, the book was released to coincide with Mandela Day on 18 July. Episodes related by Dr Ramlakan in the book include:

• that an ambulance taking Mandela to hospital in the middle of the night broke down in a cloud of smoke and he was forced to wait 30 minutes for a replacement
• that it was his second wife Winnie, not Graca Machel, who was with him when he died

“Just heard a Zombie Zuma giving a speech on the news. Massacring the beautiful English language. Uneducated creature. Even the other moron [Zimbabwe’s President Robert] Mugabe speaks much better,” he was reported to have said in the post which was later deleted.

Mr Zuma’s son, Edward, accused Mr Govender of hate speech, and threatened legal action against him.

“We fail as a family to understand what prompted Ravi Govender to make such a statement referring to our father as a zombie. Is this still part of freedom of speech? We believe that this is the worst form of abuse of democracy that many of our leaders fought so hard to achieve,” he was quoted by the Times Live news site as saying.

Mr Zuma has refused to bow to public pressure to resign despite being dogged by allegations of corruption.
 
 
 

The man, who has been been suspended by the University of Cape Town, is alleged to have set up a live link in a private room at the institution on 13 June.

The woman wrote in a blog she was angry that providing food for her baby was “sexualised in such a cowardly way”.

The man has been charged and further investigations are being carried out.

Western Cape police have confirmed that a case of crimen injuria – the intentional harming of someone’s dignity – is being investigated against the 38-year old university employee.

Local media quoted the mother sharing her “disgust” at the act. She had been in what she thought was a “safe, locked space” expressing milk, when she noticed that she was being filmed.

“I’m disgusted that we live in a world where mothers, no matter how they choose to feed their children, are victimised for being vulnerable.”

There has been a global push for companies to provide special areas for women to breastfeed.

South Africa has fallen into recession for the first time in eight years after economic growth shrank by 0.7% between January and March.

The downturn, due to weak manufacturing and trade, follows a 0.3% fall in GDP in the final quarter last year.

It is the first time that economic has slowed for two consecutive quarters – the technical definition of a recession – since 2009.

The value of the rand fell by 1% on the currency markets.

Analysts had expected GDP to grow by 0.9% during the first quarter. However, Joe de Beer, deputy director general of Statistics South Africa, said: “We can now pronounce that the economy is in recession.”

He added: “The major industries that contracted in the economy were the trade and manufacturing sectors.”

Junk status

Africa’s third-largest economy is under pressure after President Jacob Zuma fired its respected finance minister, Pravin Gordhan, earlier this year.

It prompted two credit rating agencies, Standard and Poor’s and Fitch, to downgrade South Africa’s credit worthiness to junk.

This means it is more expensive for South Africa to borrow money, because it is seen as having a higher risk defaulting on its debts.

Last week, S&P and Fitch pointed to further concerns about the South African economy, including uncertainty over who will succeed President Zuma as leader of the ruling African National Congress.

A successor is expected to be chosen in December, but Mr Zuma can remain as head of state until an election in 2019.

The world’s first successful penile transplant was performed by Prof André van der Merwe and his team at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town on December 2014.

The second was done in 2016 at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston in the United States of America.

World’s third penis transplant has been successfully performed on a 40-year-old man in South Africa by doctors from Stellenbosch University (SU) and the Tygerberg Academic Hospital in Cape Town.

The man had lost his penis 17 years ago due to complications after a traditional circumcision

Penile mutilation is more common in South Africa than elsewhere in the world due to complications of circumcisions performed as part of a traditional rite of passage on young men in certain cultures.

Van der Merwe, head of the division of urology at that university, led the nine and a half hours operation at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town on April 21.

“He is certainly one of the happiest patients we have seen in our ward. He is doing remarkably well. There are no signs of rejection and all the reconnected structures seem to be healing well,” says Van der Merwe, Health24 reports.

The patient is expected to regain all urinary and reproductive functions of the organ within six months of the transplant. A colour discrepancy between the recipient and the donor organ will be corrected with medical tattooing between six to eight months after the operation.

“Unfortunately we could not find a donor of the same race. In this case the donor is white and the recipient is black,” one of the team members Dr Amir Zarrabi told Health24, adding that the colour discrepancy will be later corrected with medical tattooing.

“This is a remarkable, ground-breaking procedure. I would like to congratulate the Tygerberg Hospital and the SU surgeons for doing such a sterling job. Traditional circumcision has claimed many young lives in South Africa. For this patient, life will never be the same again,” the report quotes Dr Nomafrench Mbombo, Western Cape Health Minister Say.

One of the organisers, Kholofelo Masha, said men had to take collective responsibility for the increase in beatings, sex attacks and killings.

South Africa has one of the highest rates of sexual violence in the world.

Police figures showed that 64,000 cases were reported last year.

A series of grisly murders of women and children has hit the headlines this year and President Jacob Zuma has described the situation as a crisis.

The protesters on Saturday marched behind a woman symbolically dressed from head to toe in white. Some carried placards bearing the names of women killed by their partners.

“The time to take collective responsibility for our shameful action is now,” said Mr Masha, who described himself as “a loving dad, brother and uncle.”

He said South African men had been quiet on the issue for too long.

“You hear a lady screaming next door, you decide to sleep when you know there is a problem. No man should beat a woman or rape a woman while you’re watching”.

On Thursday, President Zuma visited the parents of a three-year-old girl who was raped and killed.

Courtney Pieters went missing from her home in Cape Town on 4 May and her body was found more than a week later in a shallow grave.

“We, as the citizens of this country, must say enough is enough,” Mr Zuma said at the time. “This is one of the saddest incidents I’ve come across. It’s a crisis in the country, the manner in which women and children are being killed.”

The governing African National Congress party has branded the wave of violence “senseless and barbaric”, while the opposition Democratic Alliance has called for a nationwide debate on the issue.

Mandla Hlatshwayo and his friend were shot after confronting a group of men who had robbed women of their mobile phones in a pub in Soweto.

Those who knew the 40-year-old have described him as a selfless man.

South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world with more than 50,000 cases reported every year.

The gallery was packed; family‚ friends and neighbours even lined the walls of the courtroom. Economic Freedom Front (EFF) members had a standoff with court officials‚ who refused to allow them entry into the courtroom in their political regalia. The group was eventually allowed in. Mantsoe appeared in court‚ emotionless‚ dressed in an Adidas jacket‚ with his gold and black hair glistening in the light of the courtroom. He is facing a charge of murder and defeating the ends of justice.

Speaking through his lawyer‚ he said he had no objection to the presence of the media‚ adding that his picture was already circulating on social media. “You are going to burn in hell‚” one woman from the court gallery shouted as he was led back to the holding cells of the court during a short adjournment. Mantsoe appeared unfazed as he headed out.

Mokoena’s family seemed emotional when they saw him appear from the cells. A woman dressed in black shook her head as her eyes filled with tears.

Mantsoe is alleged to have killed and burnt Mokoena two weeks ago. Mokoena’s family had reported her missing and a search for her had intensified‚ with her pictures circulating on social media.

Watch video below:

Karabo Mokoena’s mother wept as she arrived at the hearing.

A widespread online campaign to find Mokoena was called off on Wednesday when her father confirmed her death.

The case has sparked a fierce debate about the levels of violence faced by women in South Africa.

Police are still waiting for DNA tests to confirm the identity of the body, which they said was “badly burned”.

The case has prompted an outpouring of anger and grief in South Africa, mostly by women who took to social media to share stories of abuse they had suffered at the hands of their partners.

The suspect will remain in custody after the case was adjourned until 24 May, local Jacaranda News reports.

The hashtags #RIPKarabo and #MenAreTrash have been trending across the country as women call for an end to violence against them.

South Africa has among the highest rape and murder statistics in the world, with more than 30,000 rape cases reported every year.

Experts say these figures represent only a fraction of the actual attacks.

Anger erupted in the maize producing town of Coligny, after residents learned that the two suspects had been freed on Monday.

Three houses were torched and white-owned shops looted.

The violence over the death highlights prevailing racial tensions in parts of post-apartheid South Africa.

Apartheid was a legal system of discrimination that existed in South Africa until the country’s first democratic elections in 1994.

Pieter Doorewaad and Phillip Schutte allegedly assaulted Matlhomola Moshoeu and then threw him out of a moving car.

Pieter Doorewaard (L) and Phillip Schutte, who are accused of murdering 16-year-old Moswi Moshoeu.

Local media report that the two farmers caught Mr Moshoeu stealing sunflowers on a farm near to the township where he lived, took him hostage and assaulted him.

They, however, say he jumped off a truck as they were taking him to the police.

Magistrate Magaola Foso told the court that he was aware that the case had led to increased tensions in the area, but said he could not have an emotional response, the AFP news agency reports.

“There is no link between the said witness evidence and the two [accused] persons at this stage,” AFP quotes the magistrate as saying.

The teenager’s cause of death is not yet known because the results of his autopsy report have not been handed over to the court.

Journalists who were covering the violence were allegedly attacked by the owners of properties targeted by the rioters. They were accused of inciting violence by covering the events.

Meanwhile farmers in the area are said to be on high alert, worried that they might become the next target as tensions continue. The police say they are monitoring the situation.

The two men are due back in court on 26 June.

Scuffles broke out between Mr Zuma’s supporters and opponents, resulting in all speeches being cancelled.

The main labour federation, Cosatu, called on Mr Zuma to step down last month after he sacked his widely respected finance minister.

Mr Zuma’s allies say he will remain in office until his term ends in 2019.

He was seen on live television hastily leaving the podium and being whisked away in a motorcade from the rally in Bloemfontein city, Reuters news agency reports.

Mr Zuma attended the rally despite the fact that powerful affiliates of Cosatu, the Congress of South African Trade Unions, had opposed his presence.

Cosatu is part of a formal alliance with the governing African National Congress (ANC).

Earlier, sections of the crowd sang a song which, loosely translated, means: “Have you heard the good news? Zuma is going”, South Africa’s privately owned News24 site reports.

Cosatu leader Sdumo Dlamini said the rally had been marred by “chaos”, forcing its cancellation.

The protest required “thorough reflection” on the part of the country’s leaders, he said.

Senior ANC officials were also booed at a May Day rally in Durban city, the political heartland of Mr Zuma.

Pressure on Mr Zuma to resign has been mounting since he sacked Pravin Gordhan as finance minister in March.

It led to global rating agencies downgrading South Africa to junk status.

The reshuffle was condemned by trade unions, big business, the opposition and and senior members of the government, including Deputy President Cyril Rampahosa.
The opposition has repeatedly accused Mr Zuma of being corrupt, and says the reshuffle was aimed at giving him and his allies greater access to government money.
Mr Zuma said the reshuffle was aimed at promoting “radical economic transformation” to benefit the poor black majority.
South Africa’s president has been dogged by allegations of corruption for more than a decade.
Last year, a court ruled that he should face corruption charges over a 1999 arms deal.
Mr Zuma is appealing against the ruling.
In a separate case last year, South Africa’s highest court ruled that he had breached his oath of office by failing to repay government money used to upgrade his private residence.
He repaid the money, but rejected calls to sep down.
Mr Zuma is due to step down as leader of the ANC in December, and as South Africa’s president in 2019.
His ex-wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Mr Rampahosa are vying to succeed him in both positions.

Doctors had said Ontlametse Phalatse would not make it past the age of 14.

President Jacob Zuma was among those who conveyed their condolences to the family of “the special child of South Africa”. She was known as the “First Lady” by her friends and family.

Local broadcaster Enca called her the country’s “champion of positivity”.

In a tribute her family wrote: “We will miss you sorely, Tsontso, our first lady. May you find eternal peace among the angels. Rest in Peace”.

She called herself the first lady because she was the first black woman in South Africa to be diagnosed with progeria.

How Ontlametse Phalatse touched South African hearts: Pumza Fihlani, BBC News, Johannesburg

Ontlametse loved life, lived it to the full, and never wished that she was born in any other way.

This is what South Africans will remember her for.

She rose to prominence a few years ago when a documentary was made of her life.

Ms Phalatse used her new-found fame to motivate people to get on with their lives. In the process, she touched the hearts of many South Africans.

The country got to share in some of her special moments and milestones – her 16th birthday, a school graduation ball and more recently her 18th birthday party spent with President Jacob Zuma.

Ontlametse died surrounded by her family, who described her as having a “courageous spirit”. Her legacy at 18 is not taking life’s precious moments for granted.

President Zuma led a minute’s silence for Ms Phalatse on his 75th birthday and said he had planned to give her a car.

“A brave young fighter has fallen. May her spirit inspire all others living with disabilities or facing any difficulty, to soldier on as she did and live life to the fullest. We are really proud of her,” he said in a statement.

What is Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome?

A genetic condition characterized by the dramatic, rapid appearance of aging beginning in childhood

Affected children typically look normal at birth and in early infancy

Later grow more slowly than other children and do not gain weight at the expected rate

Affects 1 in 4 million

Caused by a genetic mutation

Parents who have a child with progeria, have a 2-3% chance of having another child with the condition

Average life expectancy is about 13 years

There is no cure.

It was looking at a complaint by some of the ANC top executives that Jacob Zuma had failed to consult them over reshuffling his cabinet.

After considering the complaint, the ANC has decided not to press for Mr Zuma to resign, a party official said.

Mr Zuma has been under growing pressure since sacking respected Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

That led to South Africa’s credit rating being cut to junk status putting more pressure on a troubled economy.

Mr Gordhan was dropped as part of a major cabinet reshuffle which left some in the ANC leadership questioning whether Mr Zuma should remain as president.

Key ANC allies, the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the main trades union federation Cosatu, joined in the calls for him to go.

But the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), discussing the cabinet reshuffle, has given the president its backing.

The ‘Teflon Don’ – Milton Nkosi, BBC Africa

Image: AFP

President Jacob Zuma must be breathing a sigh of relief today following the acceptance of his explanation for his controversial sacking of the finance minister.

He certainly has crossed the first hurdle in his mission to stay in the job.

Newspaper headlines are describing him as the Teflon Don because of his survival skills. But this does not mean that he is completely off the hook.

Opposition parties, together with some in his own governing alliance, are planning mass action through public protests and are still demanding for him to resign.

The speaker of parliament is considering recalling a joint sitting for a vote of no confidence put forward by the Democratic Alliance.

The Economic Freedom Fighters went to court asking permission for his impeachment. However for now, Mr Zuma remains president of the country and leader of Africa’s oldest liberation movement.

The committee accepted that the dismissal came because of the “irretrievable breakdown” of Mr Gordhan’s relationship with the president, the ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe told a news conference in Johannesburg.

Mr Mantashe praised new Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba, saying that he “is going to do a good job”.

Image copyrightREUTERS

Image captionDemonstrators came out in the capital, Pretoria, in response to the news of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s sacking last week

Mr Zuma has been cleared by the NWC of the charge that he reshuffled the cabinet without consultation.

He is said to have briefed top ANC officials in December of his decision to dismiss Mr Gordhan, but the leaders persuaded him to delay the sacking.

The NWC is the ANC’s second most important decision-making body, the first being the party’s integrity committee.

It now remains to be seen how the integrity committee will proceed from this point, the BBC’s Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg says.

What is significant with this situation is that it is the first time key ANC’s allies publicly turned on Mr Zuma, our correspondent adds.

At his press conference on Wednesday, Mr Mantashe lashed out at the SACP and Cosatu for speaking to the media about ANC’s internal affairs.

He accused the two allies of betraying the ANC’s confidence when they went public with disagreements over the reshuffle list.

SOURCE: BBC

The agency said that political upheaval, including the recent sacking of finance minister Pravin Gordhan, was endangering the economy.

S&P also expressed concern over government debt, and in particular the expense of supporting the state energy firm Eskom.

The news put more pressure on the rand, which was down 2% against the dollar.

The sacking of Mr Gordhan, seen as a safe pair of hands and with a reputation for financial prudence, led to a 4% fall in the rand on Friday and prompted strong criticism.

His replacement as finance minister by Malusi Gigaba was part of a cabinet reshuffle by President Jacob Zuma.

However the country’s deputy president, Cyril Ramaphosa, called Mr Gordhan’s sacking “totally, totally unacceptable” and the Gwede Mantashe, secretary-general of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), also opposed it.

The financial downgrading is likely to make it more expensive for South Africa to borrow money on the international markets, as lending to the country would be seen as riskier.

‘Trust eroded’

S&P explained its decision, stating that: “Internal government and party divisions could, we believe, delay fiscal and structural reforms, and potentially erode the trust that had been established between business leaders and labour representatives (including in the critical mining sector).”

“An additional risk is that businesses may now choose to withhold investment decisions that would otherwise have supported economic growth,” S&P added.

The agency also raised concern about the level of borrowing by state energy firm Eskom.

The government guarantees 350bn rand ($25bn) of its debt, which is equivalent to about 7% of the nation’s economic output.

For his part, Mr Gigaba spoke at the weekend of plans to “radically transform” the country’s economy.

While he has a track record of policymaking, most recently as home affairs minister, he lacks a background in economics.

That prompted criticism that Mr Gigaba was too inexperienced for the job.

In 2014, the ANC adopted “radical economic transformation” policies to boost the economic position of the black majority in the post-apartheid nation.

But many in the ruling party believe the process has been “too slow and in many instances superficial”, said Mr Gigaba on Saturday.

“The ownership of wealth and assets remains concentrated in the hands of a small part of the population,” he said.

But Mr Gigaba added that he did not “seek to implement a reckless lurch in a particular direction”.

“We will stay the course in terms of the fiscal policy stance approved by government,” the new minister said.

South Africa’s economy expanded by 0.3% in 2016, compared with 1.3% in the previous year.

Junk status

S&P lowered its credit rating on South African government debt from BBB- to BB+, which makes the debt “non-investment grade” or “speculative”, or in the shorthand term, “junk”.

If another ratings agency follows suit, many international investment funds, under their owns rules, will be unable to lend to the South African government by buying its bonds, which are glorified IOUs.

On Monday, Moody’s Investors Service placed South African government debt on review for a possible downgrade.

Like S&P it expressed concern over the political upheaval: “Moody’s could downgrade South Africa’s issuer rating if the rating agency were to conclude that recent events signalled a deterioration in the effectiveness of government or in the credibility of its policy-making.”

source: bbc

Protesters took to the streets in the capital Pretoria after President Jacob Zuma’s overhaul of his Cabinet.

Zuma called the sackings a ‘radical socio-economic transformation’.

source: aljazeera

According to Aaron Motsoaledi, the Health Minister of South Africa has proposed giving workers a paid hour break to go home and have sex because he’s worried busy work lives mean couples neglect things in the bedroom, leading to the breakdown of relationships.

Speaking about his proposal, he told the AFP news agency: “There are studies that show sex is healthy.

“It’s about having better relationships and improving efficiency at work.

It’s bad luck for anyone who doesn’t have someone to meet for a hookup because according to Motsoaledi the break would only apply to those genuinely leaving to get laid.

Motsoaledi, who said there was “no reason” his motion would not pass, admitted there was a chance people may use it for a non-s ex break.

“You can’t guarantee that a worker doesn’t go out for a walk instead,” he said adding that employers would have to trust that people were telling the truth about their s ex hour.

So not only will you not be getting any in or out of work, you will have to watch your colleagues slide off for an hour of fun while you stay in the office.

While the US might not be anywhere near introducing a boning hour, it’s not the most left-field suggestion from South Africa, which has a history of amazing work perks.

So sex break will make working in South Africa seems pretty sweet!

source: AFP

Judge George Phatudi of the Limpopo High Court ruled that pastor Lethebo Rabalago must stop spraying Doom on members of his congregation.

Last November, Mr Rabalago told the BBC that he used the insecticide for “healing” members of his congregation.

Many South Africans expressed outrage or ridiculed the pastor.

The pastor’s lawyer, Edmond Lubisi, argued in court that no-one in the congregation of Mount Zion had died as a result of the pastor’s actions.

Judge Phatudi reprimanded the pastor, telling him he was neither a scientist nor a chemical expert.

source: bbc

Ndileka Mandela, 52, has been told she should instead help revive the party.

She had earlier stated she no longer believed the ANC represented the values of her illustrious relative.

Ms Mandela said the party was neglecting to care for the poor.

“I will not be voting for something that does not resonate with me anymore, and does not resonate for what granddad and his comrades fought for,” she told News 24 South Africa.

Ms Mandela, a nurse, runs a Mandela family foundation to tackle rural poverty.

She said the ANC’s recent period in power had left her feeling despondent, especially when it came to its record in wasting public money.

Ms Mandela identified the country’s social care crisis and its treatment of psychiatric patients as “tipping points” that added to her loss of faith in the ANC.

But her brother was quick to urge her to re-think.

“I call on you… to reconsider your decision,” News 24 reported Mandla Mandela as writing in an open letter to her.

“Please do not throw the baby out with the bathwater. What we are dissatisfied with in the ANC, it is our obligation to set right.

“The ANC has been the heartbeat of our family for many years. One can only imagine the many crises and challenges our grandfather… lived through since joining the ANC in 1944.”