‘Minister’ John Steenhuisen: What he REALLY says about serving in cabinet

So it seems Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen isn’t completely opposed to the idea of joining President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet.

As the official opposition, Steenhuisen has undoubtedly been the most vocal in his criticism of the current executive and judging by his latest comments, probably reckons he could do a much better job than certain ministers who are still in office.

Would John Steenhuisen join cabinet?

In an interview with Johannesburg-based radio station 702, the DA’s John Steenhuisen reiterated that it wouldn’t be his decision to make, but that of the party. Steenhuisen also added that he didn’t have to be in cabinet to contribute to the rebuilding of the country.

“It’s not up to John Steenhuisen, it will be the decision of the federal executive and the federal council of the DA to do that,” he said.

Asked what his standpoint would be in the party, should Ramaphosa offer three cabinet positions to the DA, Steenhuisen said: “I would say to them we’ve got to consider it and look at the terms of it. But I do believe that what South Africa does need is a strong opposition and I think we’ve played a very good role there. I would much prefer to see the DA and other parties bring the ANC below 50% and create a government where you don’t have one party dominating.”

“I would be very reluctant to serve in a Cabinet where I would not be able to continue to articulate our political views and to be thoroughly co-opted by the ANC. I don’t think that would serve South Africans. But I do believe in the future of SA, there are people who share the same values and principles who today are not wearing the same political T-shirts. And I think they’ve got to come together and do it very quickly because the forces on the radical left are amassing very quickly and the rational centre better get up and move to prevent this.”

John Steenhuisen, DA leader

Murmurs of Steenhuisen joining cabinet were sparked by an interview he had done with SABC News, in which he said he would be prepared to take on the task, in the wake of the deadly Gauteng and KZN riots.

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CONFIRMED: Ranveer Singh signed for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Baiju Bawra

It is Ranveer Singh in and as Baiju Bawra in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s version of the musical saga, earlier filmed by Vikram Bhatt’s grandfather, the distinguished Vijay Bhatt.

There were reports that Ranbir Kapoor has said no to Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s proposed musical love story Baiju Bawra. Sources close to Bhansali denied stating, “Ranbir has not been offered Baiju Bawra. The only time Ranbir turned down a role in a Bhansali film was when he was offered Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai starrer Guzaarish. Bhansali offered him the role that was eventually played by Aditya Roy Kapur.”

About the casting of Baiju Bawra, the source close to Bhansali productions says, “It is Ranveer Singh who was being seriously considered for the part. Bhansali’s focus was on the casting of Heera Mandi. But now since erroneous information on the male casting of Baiju Bawra was being leaked out, Bhansali has decided to announce Ranveer Singh in the ambitious grand musical's title role.”

Also Read: Deepika Padukone shares a mesmerizing monochrome picture on Instagram; and Ranveer Singh can’t keep calm

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Roland Schoeman ‘submits application’ to become SA’s Sports Minister

As a veteran of four Olympics and 10 individual world records, swimming legend Roland Schoeman knows a thing or two about elite sporting performance. Boasting a gold, silver, AND bronze medal on his mantlepiece, the ambitious athlete has now set his sights on his biggest challenge yet – becoming the country’s Sports Minister.

Who is Roland Schoeman?

Schoeman submitted his application to Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday, uploading his credentials on social media. He has sent a letter off to the President, and hopes to be seriously considered in any upcoming Cabinet reshuffle. The sports portfolio falls under Nathi Mthethwa’s remit, who also oversees matters of Arts and Culture.

As part of his application, the three-time Olympic medalist listed his credentials:

• He has championed his ‘real world experience’ as a key asset, distancing himself from ‘self-serving ministers’.


• Roland Schoeman is opposed to ‘the politics and ideology of identity’, promoting a ‘non-racial approach’ instead.


• Oh, and he also mentioned his Psychology degree from the University of Arizona. Nice flex…

After the overwhelming response I’d like to share that I have formally written to @CyrilRamaphosa @PresidencyZA to offer my services. See attached for my letter. pic.twitter.com/qAnp2mVuAe

— Roland Schoeman (@Rolandschoeman) August 3, 2021

Cabinet reshuffle already on the cards

The request was made after Roland Schoeman went toe-to-toe with Fikile Mbalula on Twitter. Mbaks, formerly the Sports Minister in a previous administration, was lambasted for failing to support South African athletes properly – and ‘underperformance’ is an issue that has resurfaced at the Tokyo Olympics.

“I don’t remember [Fikile Mbalua being a champion]. We had to beg for money. I’d like to put my name up for nomination for South African minister of sport in the Presidency’s upcoming Cabinet reshuffle. “I’m committed to every single South African no matter who being given as much opportunity to represent our country.”

• Meanwhile, Schoeman secured his first political endorsement, from DA Shadown Trade Minister Dean Macpherson:

We could do with an actual sports champion as our Minister of Sport. I back Roland Schoeman for the job.

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South Africa: Today’s latest news and headlines, Wednesday 4 August 2021

Stay informed with the latest news stories and headlines in South Africa on Wednesday 4 August 2021.

After nearly a month, details of the horrific crimes that took place in Phoenix, north of Durban, during the recent KZN riots, are slowly coming to light. Police Minister Bheki Cele gave us a glimpse into some of the tragic details, saying up to 36 people were murdered by being beaten, burned, stabbed or shot when residents took the law into their own hands.

Cele said the crimes committed are some of the worst he has ever seen. Strong words from a man who has no doubt seen a lot in his time.

TODAY’S LATEST NEWS IN SOUTH AFRICA, Wednesday 4 August

‘Butchered, beaten, burned’: Cele reveals GRIM details of Phoenix murders

While nearly 350 people lost their lives during the unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in July, the chaos that unfolded in Phoenix was particularly gruesome. Police Minister Bheki Cele, who held a media briefing on Tuesday 3 August, revealed explicit details of the horror and trauma that played out just a few weeks ago. 

A total of 36 people lost their lives in Phoenix. 30 people, who were killed, were shot, two were burnt to death, one was stabbed and another was run over by a vehicle. In total, police are investigating 52 cases of attempted murder and probing nine cases of common assault and 16 cases of Assault GBH but even that description is just the tip of the iceberg as to what actually played out in Phoenix.

Bad behaviour behind bars? Zuma ‘refusing to attend’ virtual court hearing

Jacob Zuma, who had launched a successful plea to push his corruption trial back three weeks, is now looking to worm his way out of yet another court appearance. A special hearing to determine if the ex-head of state can be acquitted from the long-running grift case takes place on Tuesday 10 August – but the logistics have upset the Zuma camp.

According to uBaba’s legal team, the high-profile jailbird is refusing to attend the session virtually, claiming that his rights are being trampled on. Karyn Maughan, one of SA’s most senior legal reporters, shared his complaints with eNCA:

“Zuma and his lawyers argue that forcing him to appear virtually is a violation of his Constitutional rights. They argue that there could be an issue with him having an interpreter while in prison, claiming its also unfair that his supporters cannot watch the trial on TV, with it not being broadcast. Msholozi is also downplaying the COVID-19 threat.”

IEC must approach court to postpone local government elections

Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has taken legal advice indicating that by law she must proclaim a date for local government elections, pending a court application by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to postpone voting due to the Covid-19 pandemic.       

This comes after the IEC appointed retired Deputy Chief Justice Moseneke to consider whether the country could undertake free and fair elections on 27 October 2021. The inquiry received over 4 000 submissions from political parties, health experts and the general public, concluding its work and handing the report to the IEC on 20th July.                                                   

The report concluded that “… it is not reasonably possible to or likely that the local government elections scheduled for the month of October 2021 will be held in a free and fair manner…” 

Have you been visited by a Stats SA field worker? It could be a scam!

If you have recently been approached by a fieldworker from Stats SA in Giyani, Limpopo, in particular, it could be a scam. Stats SA released a statement on Tuesday cautioning members of the public about imposters going door-to-door, claiming to be profiling households. 

Scammers are targeting communities in Giyani. The organisation said these imposters are pretending to be field workers and are going door-to-door, claiming to be profiling houses. 

“They request members of the public to provide their banking details and also to confirm if they have mobile banking apps. It is alleged that some members of the community have been robbed of money by these scammers,” Stats SA said. 

“Stats SA does not ask respondents to provide their banking details, nor confirm if they are using mobile banking apps. Members of the public are urged to be vigilant and not fall victim to the scam,” it added. 

South Africa vs 12 nearby countries: How much do they pay for petrol?

Ever looked over your neighbour’s fence to see if the grass really is greener on their side? Well, the soaring costs of petrol in South Africa have driven us to envy. We’re looking at what other countries pay for fuel, and it’s maddening.

Take Angola, for example: You can get petrol for as little as R3.70 per litre there! That’s almost five times cheaper than what South Africa is offering in August, as p/l costs soar to R18.30 for inland regions. The piss hasn’t just been taken, but rather siphoned from the already-bare tanks of our collective optimisim.

Angola, however, is something of an outlier. Zambia is the next cheapest location on our 12-nation comparison, clocking a meagre R13.06 per litre of petrol. You also have to enjoy a wry laugh at Lesotho: The country that is literally engulfed by SA is charging almost 25% less for fuel than we are – a trend seen with most of our neighbours.

Anonymous customers leave Simply Asia staff a R6000 tip

The on-duty staff at a Simply Asia restaurant in Cape Town was in for a pleasant surprise on Friday night, 30 July, when a family that visits the eatery regularly left them a very generous tip. The customers’ gratuity was reportedly thought to be a mistake at first but that was not the case.

Simply Asia, a popular Thai restaurant with more than 50 stores across South Africa, took to social media on Monday, 2 August, to thank the patrons – who wished to remain anonymous – for their generous tip.

“Our Durbanville store was in for a big surprise and treat when one of our loyal customer’s left a R500 tip for each staff member on duty,” said the restaurant in a post that was shared to their Facebook and Twitter pages. It was accompanied by a photograph of the till slip.

Appreciation post: Our Durbanville store was in for a big surprise and treat when one of our loyal customer’s left a R500 tip for each staff member on duty. A total of R6000. We are grateful for the generous contribution made to the store and staff during these difficult times. pic.twitter.com/3LpCxf4Rw6— Simply Asia (@SimplyAsia_SA) August 2, 2021

LATEST NEWS: WEATHER FORECAST, Wednesday 4 AUGUST

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HOROSCOPE TODAY

Free daily horoscope, celeb gossip, and lucky numbers for Wednesday 4 August.

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WATCH: Cape Town high school pupils fight over ‘packet of chips’

Another disturbing school fight video is doing the rounds on social media: This time it is two learners (white and black) from Table View High School, who apparently tussled over a mere packet of chips. The clip, which has no sound, shows the two pupils in their uniforms, fighting on the street and in full view of other learners.

The situation then escalates after the white learner manages to throw the black learner to the ground. The learner on top then continues punching the other several times, while the one being punched uses his hands to shield his face from the blows.

WATCH: Table View High School brawl

This happened in Capetown outside the school TableView High School. The black learner is at home peeing blood from the injuries yet the white boy is attending classes like nothing happened. White Privilege always prevails. Please help me retweet #TableviewHighBullying pic.twitter.com/VHohSgXm2t

— Half Amazing (@Nande_Dyantyi) August 2, 2021

In the wake of the fight, one of the Table View High School pupils have been suspended, while three others face disciplinary action over the incident.

According to the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) spokesperson Bronagh Hammond, the incident occurred on Thursday. Two Table View learners had apparently gotten into a fight over a packet of chips and a third learner who had intervened, in a bid to end the brawl, ended up being assaulted.

“A second altercation happened after the school had been dismissed, which was caught on camera. The altercation happened between the learner who originally intervened and another learner who had been in the altercation earlier that day,” said Hammond.

The white learner in the clip has been suspended, while the alleged victim has been called in as a witness.

“The school is dealing with the matter competently in terms of their disciplinary processes and has already conducted a mediation meeting between all learners involved, to which they all apologised for their roles in the altercations. Trauma counselling has also been arranged for the alleged victim.”

Western Cape Education Department (WCED) spokesperson Bronagh Hammond

Social media users have however been divided by the clip. Some had initially claimed the fight was caused by the white pupil stealing the black pupil’s cellphone.

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DA wants Gordhan, De Ruyter to appear before Parliament

The Democratic Alliance (DA) wants Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan and Eskom CEO Andre De Ruyter to appear before Parliament’s Public Enterprises Committee.

The DA says De Ruyter and Gordhan should explain Eskom’s statement that the Medupi power station “attained commercial operation status.”

The party’s spokesperson on Public Enterprises Ghaleb Cachalia says the statement means that technical compliance to statutory, safety and legal requirements have all been met.

He says it is comforting that the Medupi power station is finally online and available to be dispatched.

However, he says the minister and the Eskom CEO must play open cards.

“It is important that full transparency is provided about the problems and the issues that may plague the power station in the future. We don’t want to be caught short as South Africans by a failure which will result in further rolling blackouts.”

“The power station has taken 14 years to come online at a cost which has ballooned from some R30 billion to some R230 billion. There are more costs in the pipeline because there are certain things [that] have to be fixed. Like cleaning up the emissions from the power station. This has to be done and full transparency has to be effected and brought before South Africans. So that we are in the know and not in the dark,” he explains.

Meanwhile, energy experts say it is too early to celebrate the completion of unit one of the Medupi Power Station

Eskom has described the completion of unit one as an investment that will serve generations of the people of South Africa and power the economy for at least the next half-century.

Eskom yet to conclude technical solutions:

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Belarus sprinter heads for Austria in fresh twist to Tokyo diplomatic drama

 

Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya left Tokyo for Austria on Wednesday, adding another dramatic twist to a diplomatic saga in which she had sought refuge at the Polish embassy.

Tsimanouskaya had been scheduled to board a flight for Warsaw, where the government has offered her a humanitarian visa after she had refused to board a flight home against her wishes on Sunday and sought diplomatic protection.

Instead, she departed on an Austrian Airlines flight scheduled to land in Vienna at 4:05 pm (1405 GMT) A member of the Belarusian community in touch with Tsimanouskaya said diplomats had changed her flight due to security concerns.

Masked and wearing blue jeans, a blue blouse and sunglasses with “I RUN CLEAN” written on them, Tsimanouskaya had arrived in a police-escorted van at Narita airport east of the Japanese capital.

She did not speak to several dozen waiting reporters as she went to a VIP area, escorted by several officials rolling her suitcases, and later to her gate.

The International Olympic Committee said on Tuesday it had launched a formal investigation into the case and was expecting a report from the Belarusian team.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has accused Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime of intolerable “transnational repression” in the matter.

Tsimanouskaya, 24, had been due to compete in the women’s 200 metre heats on Monday but said the Belarusian head coach had turned up at her room on Sunday at the athletes’ village and told her she had to leave after she had criticised team officials.

“I will not return to Belarus,” she told Reuters at the time.

The incident has focused attention on Belarus, where police have cracked down on dissent following a wave of protests triggered by an election last year which the opposition says was rigged to keep Lukashenko in power.

Belarusian authorities have characterised anti-government protesters as criminals or violent revolutionaries backed by the West, and described the actions of their own law enforcement agencies as appropriate and necessary.

Vitaly Shishov, a Belarusian activist living in exile in Ukraine, was found hanged in a park near his home in Kyiv early on Tuesday, and Ukrainian police launched a murder investigation.

He led an organisation that helps Belarusians fleeing persecution.

The post Belarus sprinter heads for Austria in fresh twist to Tokyo diplomatic drama appeared first on SABC News - Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa's news leader..

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