South Africa: Today’s latest news and headlines, Friday 15 November

Stay informed and up to date with all the latest news in South Africa by viewing the headlines on Friday 15 November.

As parts of the country, particularly KwaZulu-Natal, attempt to recover from severe rainstorms which have led to flooding and loss of life, questions around government’s readiness for adverse weather conditions again come to the fore. Meanwhile, the official opposition party readies itself for a big weekend of voting and elections.

Today’s latest news in South Africa, Friday 15 November

Clean-up crews mop up storm-ravaged KwaZulu-Natal

After an incredibly wet and worrisome week for KwaZulu-Natal – amplified by flooding, tornadoes and storm-related fatalities – government task teams have been deployed to the worst affected areas. In some parts of the province, particularly in the midlands and Pietermaritzburg surrounds, infrastructure has been rendered unusable as a result of the storm’s destructive power.

On Thursday night it was reported that 16 people had died as a result of the inclement weather, with scores more injured and displaced. Government has warned that this number is expected to rise.

In Durban, flash flooding washed away roads and led to localised landslides. It’s estimated that up to 150mm of rain fell within a 24-hour period in some parts of eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality. After copping flack over government’s alleged ill-preparation, Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda has vowed to better the municipalities warning and response time.

While the South African Weather Service (SAWS) confirmed that the worst has now passed, Durban can still expect showers on Friday.

DA’s leadership race enters the final stretch

Members of the Democratic Alliance’s Federal Council are preparing to vote-in an interim leader after what has been a particularly tumultuous time for the official opposition party.

After the sudden resignation of party leader Mmusi Maimane, in October, the party was left leaderless. The exodus of other senior members of the party, namely, Athol Trollip and Herman Mashaba, made matters worse.

Stepping in to the fill the void, Helen Zille – whose arrival back on the scene was blamed for isolating Maimane, Trollip and Mashaba – immediately instituted process to get the party back on track. First, the party elected John Steenhuisen as parliamentary leader and set a date for the overall leadership election – which will be taking place this Sunday.

It’s a two-horse race, following the withdrawal of Western Cape leader, Bonginkosi Madikizela. The vote will now be split between Steenhuisen – who remains a favourite – and Gauteng legislature member, Makashule Gana.

Whoever is elected interim leader will take charge of the official opposition party until its annual conference in April 2020.

SAA flights grounded as unions protest job losses

Almost all South African Airways (SAA) flights will remain grounded today and tomorrow – bar those returning from overseas – as union-led strike action emanating from job losses and a bitter wage dispute reaches its climax.

The national carrier, which has been embattled by grave financial losses, has warned that strike action is likely to cripple its operational capacity in the face of a full-scale restructuring process. SAA has pleaded with government for financial assistance; the National Treasury, in turn, has given the airline until 27 November to prove its case.

Meanwhile, unions – who are likely to be joined by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) – say that they will not go down without a fight.

SAA recently announced, by way of a media statement, that almost 1000 jobs were expected to be shed by early next year.

Printing of exam papers being reviewed

The Government Printing Works (GPW) says it is reviewing the contract it has with a service provider following an incident in which children and educators in Limpopo fell ill after inhaling an unpleasant smell from examination papers.

The affected examination papers, which were printed by the service provider for Grade 11 examination papers, were recalled.

The subjects affected were Maths Literacy paper two, Geography paper one and two and Home Languages.

The Government Printing Works said it did not usually outsource the printing of examination papers.

“The air-conditioning system at the GPW’s printing facility unexpectedly became faulty and stopped working. This situation called for an immediate intervention and we got a contractor to help us manage the volumes we needed to print timeously.

“The printing service provider may have used paper which contains chemicals that led to the people falling sick. I need to emphasise that GPW remains committed to the printing of state security documents, and has the capacity and capability to deliver on these products and services,” said GPW Acting CEO Alinah Fosi in a statement.

Replacement papers have been printed by Government Printing Works and they have already been delivered to the affected districts, for examinations scheduled for Thursday and Friday. (Source: SAnews)

Premier Soccer League declares R1bn revenue

The Premier Soccer League (PSL) on Thursday broke new grounds at its annual general meeting (AGM) when it declared over R1 billion in revenue in the last financial year (2018/19).

This is the first time in the history of the League that it declares R1 billion in revenue.

In these difficult economic conditions in both global and South African environment, impressive revenue growth and stable financial performance once again reaffirm the strength of the League and the confidence of the corporate world in professional football in South Africa.

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