RISENSHINE I WITH THE COMMUNITY
28 JUNE 2019, 26 Volume 09, 23Week May 2017, Week 21
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The State of the Nation Address HIS 80-MINUTE SPEECH WAS MORE PRAGMATIC THAN ENGAGING, BUT GIVEN THE SOMBRE SOURCE MATERIAL, IT WAS PAR FOR THE COURSE. Cyril Ramaphosa has delivered his second SONA 2019 speech, and yes, this really will be the last one for the year. Not much has changed since February, but there may be a prevailing sense of deja vu in South Africa. The president addressed everything from Eskom, to employment, and expropriation… sort of. His 80-minute speech was more pragmatic than engaging, but given the sombre source material, it was par for the course. Here are the highlights from the president’s disruption-free – if not slightly surprising – SONA 2019 speech: CORRUPTION Ramaphosa, in his speech, congratulated all the commissions of inquiry in process for their work in rooting out and exposing the corrupt rot that stubbornly rests within the crevices of government. “The Directorate will bring together a range of investigatory and prosecutorial capacity from within government and in the private sector under an investigation director reporting to the NDPP (Shamila Batohi),” he revealed. For the first time, we have heard confirmation from Ramaphosa that the ball will now rest on Advocate Batohi to enact accountability measures against those implicated in corruption.
performing economies. The goal in the next three years is to ensure that South Africa enters the Top 50 mark, said Ramaphosa.
FOREIGN INVESTMENT Ramaphosa brought the stimulus package that was rolled out in late 2018 as a response to the fall of the economy into a technical recession. This, Ramaphosa stated was key in realising the critical importance of engaging with avenues thatwillattract foreign investments ESKOM AND SOES Regarding Eskom, we heard for the first time, the president, encouraging a measured increase in tariffs for the embattled power utility. Ramaphosa charged that Eskom is of critical importance to the stabilisation of the economy. To turn the ship around for the power utility, Ramaphosa conceded to the fact that there will have to be a generous tariff increase for a set number of years. He also stated that Eskom would receive the help it needs to get back on its feet. Currently, the decision sits with the national energy regulator of South Africa (NERSA) on whether they will accept or
shoot down Eskom’s adjusted application for an increase. YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT Unemployment is one of the key focuses for government, said Ramaphosa. He drew results from last year’s inaugural Presidential Jobs Summit, where the business leaders, civil organisations and the private sector, pledged to equally contributing to creating job opportunities for South Africans. South Africa currently ranks high when it comes to youth unemployment. Ramaphosa proudly revealed that things are currently moving swiftly in launching the initiative which aims to create 250 000 jobs a year. Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address hit all the right notes: from restructuring Eskom to removing the biggest risk to the economy, the quantum of the bailout was kicked for touch to the Budget and further steps to clean up institutions like State-owned Enterprises and the intelligence services. It was an election-mode SONA without being crass about it.
Inside
GIRLS FROM LIMPOPO BOARDING SCHOOL RUSHED TO HOSPITAL
PAGE 02 TRAFFIC OFFICERS ROBBED AT GUNPOINT
Opposition parties were left with not much to say except that the proof would be in the pudding.
ECONOMY Ramaphosa placed the stagnant growth of our economy on its apartheid-influenced design. He admitted that it is regressive to work with an economy whose assets rest in the hands of the few. The president used the report published by the World Bank, which ranked South Africa 82nd out of 190 countries with high-
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Man hangs two daughters, himself after alleged domestic dispute
A man hanged his two daughters and then himself after an alleged domestic dispute in Polokwane on Saturday night, Limpopo police said. Limpopo police management had strongly condemned the incident that
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occurred at about 10pm at Ngaleng village in the Ga-Mamabolo area in the Mankweng policing precinct outside Polokwane, Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said on Sunday. It was alleged that the man and his wife had a domestic dispute last year and eventually separated. The woman took her two children and went to her parental home in Sekgosese near Giyani. “On Saturday, the 22nd June 2019, the children went back to Mankweng to visit their father for the school holidays and upon their arrival the man allegedly called his wife and they had a conflict telephonically,” Ngoepe said. “Subsequent to this telephonic conflict, the father allegedly turned against the children and hanged them one by one in separate rooms before he fled
the scene. The police were summoned and reacted swiftly. The initial police investigations and manhunt for the man ensued until he was found hanged in a house within the area,” Ngoepe said. The two girls were aged eight and five, and the father was 38 years old. Police had opened two cases of murder and an inquest docket for further investigations, Ngoepe said. Limpopo acting police commissioner Maj-Gen Jan Scheepers strongly condemned the “continuing brutal acts of violent crimes perpetrated against children in some parts of the province”. Members of the community were advised to seek professional assistance when they encountered social-related problems in their lives rather than resorting to killings, especially directed at innocent children, Scheepers said.
NIKE CALLS FOR ACCEPTANCE IN CASTER SEMENYA FILM
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28 JUNE 2019
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Traffic officers robbed of their own guns at gunpoint after pulling over speeding car
The South African Police Service (SAPS) in Limpopo has assembled a multi-disciplinary task team to seek five men who robbed two on-duty traffic police officers manning a speed trap in the Marble Hall policing area near Groblersdal on Friday afternoon, Limpopo police said. It was alleged that the two traffic police officers were conducting speed trap duties at about 3.15pm along the Slaagboom road near Marble Hall, Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said on Saturday. “In the process, they stopped a grey VW Polo TSI with five occupants and without number plates for exceeding the speed limit. “While they were busy issuing the driver with a written notice, three passengers alighted, two of them armed with
rifles and the other one with a pistol. They robbed both the traffic police officers of two cellphones, one firearm, and the speed [trap] camera before they fled the scene. These suspects are still unknown and there is no arrest yet,” Ngoepe said. Anyone with information that can lead to the arrest of the suspects is requested to contact Captain Richard Boshomane at 079-894-5501 or the crime stop number 08600-10111 or the nearest police station. Limpopo acting police commissioner Maj-Gen Jan Scheepers condemned the robbery and warned “these criminals involved in this matter that the police are going to hunt them down around the clock until they are taken to where they belong “. The police investigations were continuing, Ngoepe said.
Congratulations to Limpopo’s Champion and South Africa’s pride The BET Awards 2019 gave spectacular a whole new meaning, as the world tuned into the annual event, that was held at the Microsoft Theatre, in Los Angeles, on Sunday, 23 June. All around, the ceremony was a great success. Nobody has a greater time than our very own Sho Madjozi. The
Limpopo
debutant
got
Champions the
League
recognition
she
has worked hard for, when she was announced as the winner of the Best New International Act category, beating her counterparts from Europe.
his Instagram page. We have a feeling
AKA, who lost out on an award to Burna
that this is only just the beginning of
Boy, took the time to congratulate her on
Madjozi’s road to infinite success,
28 JUNE 2019
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28 JUNE 2019
Bafana Bafana stumble into AFCON 2019
Bafana Bafana made a losing start to their AFCON 2019 campaign when they fell 1-0 to Ivory Coast in blazing Al Salam Stadium, Cairo on Monday, 24 June. A breakaway goal by Jonathan Kadjia in the 63rd minute, was the difference between the two well matched teams. That makes Friday’s match against Namibia a must win, something coach Stuart Baxter admitted to The match started at a tepid pace due to stifling heat but it was the West Africans who came close in the first half when Pepe’s 31st minute strike hit the cross bar.From the follow up, outstanding Ronwen Williams made a world class
save in a one on one situation to deny Ivory Coast the opener. There was little to shout about from both sides in the first half although captain Thulani Hlatshwayo had a good header from a corner going tantalisingly wide. The tempo of the second half was almost similar to the first half but it was Ivory Coast who scored from a breakaway play that stretched the Bafana Bafana backline and left Williams stranded. Ivory Coast sat back and relied more on counter attacks after the goal, something that frustrated South Africa. The defeat makes the derby against Namibia a must win and Baxter said they would go for it.
Nike calls for acceptance in Caster Semenya film Nike has launched a video starring Caster Semenya that calls for acceptance and echoes its recent films featuring Raheem Sterling, Colin Kaepernick and Serena Williams. The Olympic 800m champion recently won a legal battle with the athletics governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations, after it had banned the middle-distance runner unless she took hormonesuppressant medicine to control her testosterone levels. Semenya has naturally elevated testosterone levels as a result of a condition known as hyperandrogenism and had lost a landmark legal case against the IAAF, something that she successfully appealed in the Swiss supreme court. Nike’s film promotes Athlete in Progress, a women’s apparel collection by Off-White designer Virgil Abloh that debuted in September 2018 in Paris.
It follows Semenya running through the streets of Johannesburg in her native South Africa, talking about inspiring progress on and off the track. The theme centres on respect, love and acceptance. Semenya closes with the powerful words: “I have learned to appreciate people for who they are, but first it comes with me appreciating myself and loving myself.” She has accused the IAAF of using her body “as a human guinea pig experiment” and has received support from the South African government and several global sports bodies, including the International Working Group on Women & Sport, WomenSport International and International Association of Physical Education for Girls and Women. However, not everyone has stuck in her corner. British distance-running legend Paula Radcliffe has been a vocal supporter of the IAAF’s position, while noting it was unfair on Semenya