South Africa: Today’s latest news and headlines, Monday 6 September 2021

A lot can change overnight, or over the course of one weekend, but we’ll keep you in the know with the latest news stories and headlines in South Africa on Monday 6 September 2021.

To be fair, everyone saw this coming. Former president Jacob Zuma has been given medical parole. He may never see the inside of a jail cell again. The shock announcement was made on Sunday afternoon when, let’s face it, few are paying attention. And with that decision, a new saga begins surrounding our former president.

TODAY’S LATEST NEWS IN SOUTH AFRICA, Monday 6 September

Medical parole: Can Jacob Zuma go back to prison if his health improves?

Well, isn’t that something? The serene peace of the first Sunday afternoon of Spring was shattered, when the Department of Correctional Services dropped a bombshell on us: Jacob Zuma has been released on medical parole, after serving less than two months of his sentence behind bars.

Msholozi, who has been receiving hospital treatment for the past few weeks, was granted medical parole after a letter from the attending doctors impelled the DCS to let him serve his sentence in a ‘community corrections’ setting instead. In an official statement released by the department, it was confirmed that uBaba will be subject to ‘specific restrictions’.

“The DCS is able to confirm that Jacob Zuma has been placed on medical parole. His eligibility is impelled by a medical report we have received. Inmates suffering from an illness that severely limits their daily activity can be considered.”

“Medical parole placement for Jacob Zuma means that he will complete the remainder of the sentence in the system of community corrections, whereby he must comply with a specific set of conditions and will be subjected to supervision until his sentence expires.” 

‘Creepy and predatory’: Jacob Zuma slammed by Redi Tlhabi in Twitter spat

Veteran journalist Redi Tlhabi has gone in two-footed on Jacob Zuma and his family on Sunday morning, branding the former president as a ‘creep and a predator’. Her harsh words ignited an ongoing Twitter spat between herself and the former president’s daughter, Duduzile. Things went from 0 to 100 in an instant.

Responding to a Tweet Tlhabi had shared earlier this week, in reference to riot instigators, Duduzile Zuma accused the reported of secretly visiting uBaba in his Forest Town home – saying that her father’s critic was simply ‘bitter’.

The reaction from Redi Tlhabi was ferocious – and she played an ace card. Not only did the TV anchor debunk claims made by Duduzile Zuma, but she referenced the rape allegations Fezeka Kuzwayo made against Jacob Zuma before he became South Africa’s head of state. According to Tlhabi, the 79-year-old ‘acted creepy’ when in professional settings:

“You are TRULY your father’s child. Vile and dishonest. You sat in court of law and justified his rapey, predatory abuse of Fezeka Kuzwayo. So nothing will stop you from doing it here. I have NEVER visited his Forest Town home. I have NEVER been to Genadendal since Mbeki’s presidency.

“However, I went to Dumberton Residence, his OFFICIAL residence as [deputy president] to interview him as Burundi mediator. But like you, he sees professional settings as opportunities to be creepy. He became creepy and predatory. That’s who your father is. Your mother knew him well. YOU deserve him.”

‘The third wave has passed’: Gauteng now hoping to lift lockdown laws

Officials in Gauteng are now hoping for some lockdown relief after the rate of COVID-19 infections decreased further in the past week. The province faced a frightening battle against the impact of the Delta variant, but the latest data would suggest that the region has come out of the other side of this ‘third wave’.

There are fewer than five new infections per 100 000 people in Gauteng each day. Test positivity is almost HALF of the national average, dropping under 10%. Meanwhile, hospitalisations and deaths are still going down.

All in all, the picture is looking rather rosy for the province that was the first to bear the brunt of the winter resurgence.

Cop killers convicted and sentenced to life behind bars

The three men who attacked and killed a police officer were recently convicted, and one of them sentenced to life behind bars.

According to police spokesperson Captain Matimba Maluleke the two men, William Mehlape (34) Peter Mswazi (31) and Betty Mmamosibudi Maphotho (41) appeared in the Polokwane High Court.

“Constable Pieter Delange (30) was attacked and killed on the night of 8 November 2018 between Bulawayo and Witklip Streets in Westenburg.”

He said De Lange was on duty together with a CPF member observing drug dealings in the area when two vehicles, a white BMW and a white Mercedes Benz stopped next to his vehicle and started shooting at him.

The rich get richer: Johann Rupert and family now worth ‘more than ever’

South Africa’s richest citizen isn’t doing too badly for himself – and we now fully expect to collect our ‘understatement of the year award’. Johann Rupert has seen his wealth soar over the past 12 months, as his business interests and family ties have helped push him towards an iconic milestone.

According to the Bloomberg Billionaire’s Index, Johann Rupert is the 274th richest man in the world. He is clear of compatriot Nicky Oppenheimer – the heir to the De Beers fortune – who sits in 348th place. They are the only two SA citizens to feature on the list, and both have seen their personal fortunes grow over the last 12 months.

However, whereas Oppenheimer’s estimated wealth has risen by $725 million in that time, his total net worth – of about $7.88 billion – is now comfortably eclipsed by what’s in the bank account of his rival investment tycoon.

So long, load shedding? Western Cape moves closer to ‘energy independence’

The DA has welcomed the Western Cape Provincial Government’s launch of the Municipal Energy Resilience Fund this week, and they’re hailing this as a move that will push the region towards ‘energy independence’. Should everything go to plan with this project, load shedding could become a thing of the past, as the need to rely on Eskom dwindles.

Money has been made available for qualifying municipalities who want to get their energy from renewable sources, turning their backs on Eskom and traditional methods of electricity generation in the process. Upwards of R13 million has been released for the ambitious strategy – and over 100 individual projects are in line for the funding.

Google will no longer work on certain phones – find out what phone will be affected

Google recently announced that it plans to completely end sign-in support for older Android devices this month. That means anyone with a device older than Android 2.3.7 will no longer be able to access basic Google services that make their phones functional.

The functionality for apps like Gmail or YouTube is stopping on September 27 – although they will be able to be accessed through the web browser – for devices running Android 2.3.7 or earlier.

Google said: “As part of our ongoing efforts to keep our users safe, Google will no longer allow sign-in on Android devices that run Android 2.3.7 or lower starting September 27, 2021.

“If you sign into your device after September 27, you may get username or password errors when you try to use Google products and services like Gmail, YouTube, and Maps.

“If your device has the ability to update to a newer Android version (3.0+), we advise you to do so in order to maintain access to Google apps and services on that device.”

On its support page, the company continued: “You will be able to sign into your account with a newer Android version (3.0 or newer).

“If your device has the ability to update to a newer Android version (3.0+), we advise you to do so.

Not sure if you have unclaimed R350 grants? Check here if you have an unclaimed grant

Did you apply for the R350 Special COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant in May – April 2021? 

You need to collect your grant by Tuesday, 31 August 2021. 

Applicants can check their names on the list available on the SASSA website www.sassa.gov.za and proceed to collect their grants at the nearest Post Office. 

Inquiries can be made on 0800 60 10 11 to confirm if there is any outstanding balance.

SASSA CEO Busisiwe Memela-Khambula said the agency still has unclaimed SRD grants approved from the initial phase in May 2020 – April 2021.

She urged all applicants approved for payment to collect their funds at the Post Office before 31 August 2021.

How to avoid long queues when renewing your driver’s licence – everything you need to know

While the new extension gives motorists some buying time to renew their licences, licence centres have been grappling with backlogs and technical issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

South Africans were relieved to hear that the deadline of renewals of all license licences – learner’s licences, driving licences, professional driving permits, and temporary licences – which expired between 26 March 2020 and 31 August 2021 – has been extended.

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula announced that the department would be extending the process to 31 March 2022.

Avoid long queues with these easy steps. Here is everything you need to know about how to renew your driver’s licence online.

LATEST NEWS: WEATHER FORECAST, Monday 6 SEPTEMBER

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

Free daily horoscope, celeb gossip, and lucky numbers for Monday 6 September.