South Africa: Today’s latest news and headlines, Sunday 19 December 2021

A lot can change overnight, but we’ll keep you in the know with the latest news stories and headlines in South Africa on Sunday 19 December 2021.

The Pietermaritzburg K9 Unit found Viper Booster explosives in an abandoned house in the Bruntville area of Mooi River, KZN. Police said these explosives had been confirmed to be Viper booster which is generally used in mining.

Unconfirmed rumours circulating on social media linked the discovery of the explosives to the recent reversal of former President Jacob Zuma’s medical parole.

It was claimed that the bombs would be used to blow up the Mooi River Toll Plaza. Police minister Bheke Cele earlier this week insisted that law enforcement agencies are poised to handle any unrest prompted by the ruling against Jacob Zuma.

Meanwhile, Judge Elias Matojane informed the Zuma camp that the virtual appeal is scheduled for Tuesday, 21 December.

TODAY’S LATEST NEWS IN SOUTH AFRICA, Sunday 19 December

KZN explosives: Bombs found in Mooi River are usually used in ATM bombings, CIT heists

The police in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) recovered a cache of commercial explosives after an intelligence-driven operation. No arrests were made during the operation.

South African Police Service (SAPS) National Spokesperson Brigadier Vish Naidoo said the Pietermaritzburg K9 Unit found Viper Booster explosives in an abandoned house in the Bruntville area of Mooi River, KZN.

“These explosives have been confirmed to be Viper booster which is generally used in mining.

“Although, not confirmed yet, it is suspected that these explosives may have been intended for Automated Teller Machine (ATM) bombings and/or Cash-in-Transit (CIT) heists as similar explosives are known to have been used for this purpose before,” explained Naidoo.

The police spokesperson said similar explosives have been found previously.

No arrests have been made in connection with the KZN explosives at this stage. The police are appealing to members of the public to step forward if they have any information that may assist the investigation.

Zuma legal team confirms parole ‘leave to appeal’ will happen on Tuesday

The Gauteng High Court ruled that former President Jacob Zuma’s medical parole was unlawful on Wednesday, 15 December, and ordered him to return to jail and see out his 15-month prison sentence for contempt of court.

Both Zuma’s legal team and the Department of Correctional Services filed papers to appeal the decision shortly after Wednesday’s ruling.

Judge Elias Matojane informed the Zuma camp that the virtual appeal is scheduled for Tuesday, 21 December.

This was a problem for the legal team at first – they wrote to the court on Friday and said that the legal team would be on holiday on the scheduled date and would not have the capacity to attend the virtual hearing – pushing for a February court date.

Cheetah dies after being trapped in snare, cubs stranded

Two young cheetah cubs were rescued thanks to the brilliance of KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife rangers and a wildlife vet. Unfortunately, the cubs were left completely alone after their mother died while being trapped in a wire snare trap.

The mother died at the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife reserve last week. Rangers discovered the body and noticed that her two 8-month old cheetah cubs were still nearby. A decision was immediately taken to capture the cubs as they would not be able to fend for themselves.

The rangers and veterinary team began the process by dragging a small impala carcass past the cubs. As they ran out, the first attempt to dart them was unsuccessful. The cubs then ran off into the bush.

Trains in a state of chaos: Just 17% of Gauteng’s railway network works

Look, it’s no secret that the state of the South Africa railway network is beyond horrible. While it hasn’t been good for years, the last year and a half during the pandemic have gutted the network even more. The situation is dire in all provinces. But thanks to a new Parliamentary reply from Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, we now know that less than a quarter of PRASA’s Gauteng service is working.

In a written response to a question from an EFF MP, Mbalula revealed that just 17% of Prasa’s Gauteng railway network is functional. The four lines functioning in the province are Vereeniging and Saulsville and Naledi and Leralla.

The situation in the other provinces makes for equally as frightening reading. In KwaZulu-Natal only 47% of the network is functional. This includes the province’s most in-demand line, Umlazi to Durban.

National minimum wage increase: COSATU welcomes plan for 2022

With the huge levels of poverty in our country, the idea of refining and enforcing a fair national minimum wage has long been up for discussion. With a series of proposed increases going into the new year, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is welcoming the plan for 2022. And especially what it would mean to domestic workers around the country.

The National Minimum Wage Commission has proposed an increase to the wage of CPI plus 1%. This is likely to mean a 6% increase in the wage next year. In terms of an actual amount, that would set the new minimum wage at R23 per hour. Up from R21.69.

Arguably the biggest aspect of the proposed increase is the decision to equalise the minimum wages for domestic workers. Currently, domestic workers’ minimum wage is only enforced at 88% of the national minimum wage.

Unidentified man dies after falling from 6th floor of building in Gqeberha

An unidentified man died after falling from the 6th floor of a building in Gqeberha on Friday.

Police in Gqeberha were appealing for the community’s assistance in tracing the next of kin or possible identification of the man.

According to police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu, the man allegedly fell off a block of flats on Friday afternoon, 17 December 2021.

“It is alleged that on the mentioned date at about 16:40, police responded to a complaint of a body of an unknown coloured male lying on the ground at Kudu Flats in Gould Street in Sidwell.

“It is further alleged that the person fell to his death from the 6th floor. Circumstances surrounding the fatal fall are unknown at this stage,” she said.

COVID-19 latest: South Africa reports 16 080 new confirmed cases, 48 more deaths

South Africa recorded 16 080 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has said on Saturday. 

This brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 3 292 609. The increase of 16 080 new COVID-19 cases represents a 28.8 % positivity rate. 

A further 48 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 90 345 to date.

“The cumulative number of recoveries is 2 992 289.” 

The majority of new cases are in KwaZulu-Natal with 4 202 new cases, Gauteng with 3 430, the Western Cape with 2 959 new cases, and the Eastern Cape with 1 566 new cases in the provinces. 

For more detailed information, visit the GIS Dashboard. 20 640 434 tests have been conducted in both the public and private sectors. There has been an increase of 215 hospital admissions in the past 24hours.

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HOROSCOPE TODAY

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