South Africa: Today’s latest news and headlines, Friday 28 February

For all the latest news in South Africa, be sure to check out our overview of headlines on Friday 28 February.

Thousands of protesters are expected to descend on the national power supplier’s Gauteng headquarters under the banner of “the people’s march against load shedding and the privatisation of Eskom” which is to be led by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). In sports news, the Proteas, after suffering a deafening defeat in the T20 series, look ahead to the One-Day International against Australia on Saturday.

Today’s latest news in South Africa, Friday 28 February

Paint it red: EFF march on Megawatt Park

The streets north of Johannesburg are expected to be draped in red today, as the EFF, with allied political partners and thousands of members in tow, march on Eskom’s headquarters at Megawatt Park.

The mass march, which has been in the making for almost a month, aims to protest the utility’s failings but, more so, the supposed political meddling which has brought the utility to its knees in an effort to prompt privatisation. This is the rhetoric espoused by EFF leader Julius Malema, who is expected to lead the charge to Eskom’s front door.

The struggling utility, which continues to represent the single greatest threat to the South African economy, has experienced dire financial and operational failures over the past year. New CEO, Andre de Ruyter, has warned that load shedding, as a result of ageing infrastructure and a legacy of poor maintenance plans, should be anticipated to last for another 18 months.

Electoral Commission culls inactive political parties

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has released a notice confirming that 138 political parties are due to be chopped from the role.

According to the IEC, of the 450 political parties currently registered, only 93 are represented in the national, provincial or a municipal legislature. The organisation has released a list of 138 registered parties which will need to renew their status in March of face termination.

Find out which parties are likely to be culled, here.

Pilchards suspended from school nutrition menu

The Basic Education Department (DBE) has suspended with immediate effect the serving of canned pilchards as part of the national school nutrition menu across all schools in the country.

The decision follows a recent order by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications that all formal wholesalers, retailers and informal traders remove and stop selling the 400g Pilchards in Tomato Sauce and 400g Pilchards in Chili Sauce with immediate effect.

“This follows the outcome of the NRCS investigation which revealed a deficiency in the canning process,” said the DBE.

Cele must ‘speed up’ search for new IPID head, says portfolio committee

The portfolio committee on police has told Police Minister Bheki Cele to speed up the process of finding a new boss for police watchdog the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID).

The committee said on Thursday it had resolved that the minister would have to write to the speaker of the National Assembly to request an extension of the timelines for the appointment of an IPID executive director.

The portfolio committee last year decided not to renew the contract of former IPID head Robert Mcbride after a recommendation by Cele.

“The IPID Act stipulates in Section 6(6) that the minister must fill in a vacancy within a reasonable period of time, not exceeding one year,” said the committee. (Source: ANA)

State security ministers’ phones ‘cloned’

Cellphones of South Africa’s state security minister and her deputy have been cloned by unknown hackers, an official said, in a breach described as “concerning”.

It was discovered this week that the phones belonging to State Security Minister Ayanda Dlodlo and her deputy, Zizi Kodwa, were cloned after “several strange messages” they had not composed were sent out from their lines.

“I can confirm the incident of cloning regarding the phones of the deputy minister and the minister and some several officials in the office of the minister,” ministry spokesperson Mava Scott said on Thursday. (Source: AFP)

Two Oceans Marathon route extended for 58km for 2020 edition

The Two Oceans ultra-marathon in 2020 will be extended by two kilometres to 58km.

Organisers of the event confirmed the change on Monday. The race has been held on 50 previous occasions, with the distance set at 56km each time.

The race will be held in Cape Town on April 11.

The exact route has not yet been released. (Source: ANA)

Soweto Derby: The who’s who on Kaizer Chiefs’ goal and assist charts

Kaizer Chiefs have scored 45 goals this season so far across all competitions, netting a league-high 39 goals in their 20 Premier Soccer League (PSL) matches and five across their Telkom Knockout and Nedbank Cup runs. 

With 10 league games to go, there is still the opportunity for these players to bolster their numbers significantly before the end of the campaign, although it will be tough for anyone to catch Samir Nurkovic at the top of the Amakhosi scoring charts — or Lebogang Manyama in the assist charts.

Here’s a look at the Chiefs’ top performers.

Latest weather forecast, Friday 28 February

Take a look at weather forecasts for all nine provinces here.

Live traffic updates for Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban

Stay one step ahead of the traffic by viewing our live traffic updates here.

Horoscope today

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