Bosasa: Ex-COO Angelo Agrizzi to be examined by independent doctor

Former Bosasa Chief Operations Officer (COO) Angelo Agrizzi will have his medical condition examined by an independent doctor.

Agrizzi, who turned into a whistleblower by exposing the company’s dirty dealings under late boss Gavin Watson, has been ill since October 2020 and was not attending court proceedings. The Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court granted the State’s request to use its own doctor to examine Agrizzi and postponed the matter to 2 December 2021.

“On the 2nd of December, a medical assessment will take place as earlier on in this year he [Agrizzi] had provided numerous medical certificates stating that he was unwell and unable to come to court. So, we need to finalise as to what exactly the decision is in moving into next year – whether he [Agrizzi] can continue the trial or not or whether we need to source alternative means to pursue his matter,” said the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Investigating Directorate (ID) spokesperson Sindisiwe Seboka.

Questions over Angelo Agrizzi’s fitness for trial

It was Angelo Agrizzi’s recent TV interviews that prompted the state to gun for him, so says Seboka.

“We have seen that, even though he has not been able to come to court many times, he has been doing television interviews which puts us in a situation where we wondered if the medical certificate he provided is a true reflection of whether he is able to stand trial,”

Investigating Directorate (ID) spokesperson Sindisiwe Seboka

Agrizzi was placed behind bars in October 2020, after he was denied bail. He faces corruption charges related to a number of payments made to former African National Congress (ANC) Member of Parliament (MP) Vincent Smith. He is currently out on R30 000 bail on the same case.

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Israeli LGBTQ dating site details released by hackers

Israel’s justice ministry said Tuesday Google had blocked sites of a hacking group that leaked user details of an Israeli LGBTQ dating site, an attack some security experts blamed on Iran.

“The Google search engine blocked access to the sites of the group Black Shadow,” the justice said ministry said, a move it said was taken at the request of the government’s Cyber Unit.

ISRAELI BLACK SHADOW GROUPS 

Messaging application Telegram had also suppressed Black Shadow groups, it added.

The announcement came hours after Black Shadow dumped a large file online, that was said to contain as many as a million users of the Atraf dating site.

ISRAELI LGBTQ HACKED 

Black Shadow had already released a batch of Atraf user profiles over the weekend, and on Sunday demanded $1 million within 48 hours to prevent the wider leak.

Atraf is owned by CyberServe, an Israeli web development company.

READ: Six LGBTQ+ friendly destinations you need to add to your travel bucket list

HACK SEEN BEFORE 

Keren Elazari, a cyber security expert and a researcher at Tel Aviv and Reichman universities, said the hack of CyberServe bore many similarities with previous Iran-linked attacks.

“It was the use of the same technique, the same technical tools and the behaviour, the online leak, the threat, the victim-blaming, and the requirement for ransom,” she said.

ISREAL LGBTQ EQUALITY 

Hilda Peer, a board member of The Aguda – The Association for LGBTQ Equality in Israel – told AFP that calls to the group’s hotline had doubled.

Atraf’s mostly male clients feared their details could be revealed, saying for some the leak was “life-threatening,” Peer said.

“They picked the right target to sow panic,” she added.

WORKING ‘INTENSELY’

Amir Lev-Brinker, an LGBTQ activist, told AFP he noticed security appeared to be lax when he used the site before he got married.

“Everybody knows I’m gay,” Lev-Brinker said. “But there are still some things that you wish were secret.”

Atraf said it was working “intensely” to cope with the hack.

CYBER ATTACK TREND 

Ohad Zaidenberg, a cyber threat expert specialised in Iran, said he believed the hack into CyberServe was part of a trend.

“In the last two years, the Iranian aggressiveness level in the cyber domain raised up,” he said.

IRAN, ISREAL ‘SHADOW WAR’ 

Iran and Israel have been engaged in a so-called “shadow war”, that has included physical attacks on ships and aggression online. 

Iran on Sunday accused Israel and the US of a cyber attack on its petrol distribution system that caused havoc at fuel pumps nationwide. 

© Agence France-Presse

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All Blacks great diagnosed with early-onset dementia – at 41

Former All Blacks prop Carl Hayman revealed on Wednesday he has been diagnosed with early-onset dementia aged just 41 and has joined a concussion legal action launched by ex-players against rugby authorities.

RIP | FORMER SPRINGBOK AND BLUE BULLS NO 8 DIES

Hayman, who earned 45 Test caps and played extensively in Europe after international retirement in 2007, said he sought medical advice after experiencing memory loss, confusion and suicidal thoughts.

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“I spent several years thinking I was going crazy, at one point that’s genuinely what I thought,” he told New Zealand sports website The Bounce.

“It was the constant headaches and all these things going on that I couldn’t understand.”

Hayman said tests showed he had early-onset dementia and probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy – a neurodegenerative disease.

The diagnosis prompted him to join a lawsuit brought by similarly affected former players, including England’s Steve Thompson and Alix Popham of Wales, against the sport’s governing bodies, including World Rugby.

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The basis of the players’ claim is that rugby authorities failed to provide sufficient protection when the risks of concussion and sub-concussive injuries were “known and foreseeable”.

Hayman said one reason for joining the legal action was to force fundamental changes to the game to minimise the risk of head injuries.

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“(I) hope that the players of the future don’t fall into the same trap that I did, that they’re not treated like and object and are looked after better,” he said.

“These younger aspiring players need to know what they’re getting into and there needs to be more support and better monitoring around head injuries and workloads.”

READ | SPRINGBOKS GIVE WILLIE LE ROUX THE BOOT

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) chief executive Mark Robinson said his thoughts were with Hayman, his former All Blacks Test team-mate.

Robinson said NZR was developing world-leading policies and research on concussion aimed at protecting players at all levels of the game.

“The issue of the link between concussion and long-term cognitive issues is extremely complex and the science is evolving,” he said. 

“New Zealand Rugby will continue to prioritise player welfare and making the game safer for all.”

World Rugby said it had not been contacted by Hayman and could not comment on specifics of the legal action adding “player welfare is the sport’s top priority”.

“We are saddened by the accounts of former players and their experiences,” it said in a statement. 

“It is not easy to speak so candidly about their personal circumstances and we appreciate what it takes for them to do so.”

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All Blacks lose big Brodie Retallick for Italy Test

New Zealand lock Brodie Retallick will miss this weekend’s Test in Italy due to a shoulder injury, forwards coach John Plumtree said on Tuesday.

EXPLAINER | HOW THE SPRINGBOKS CAN REGAIN THE NO 1 RANKING ON SATURDAY

Brodie Retallick, 30, left the field after an hour in Saturday’s convincing victory over Wales as he won his 90th All Blacks cap.

Plumtree’s men face the Azzurri in Rome on Saturday before heading to Ireland on November 13 and France a week later.

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“Brodie won’t play this weekend but he’s improving really quickly,” Plumtree told a press conference.

“He’s got real good movement now in his shoulder. There’s clearly damage there but we’re going to give him the whole week so he can be right for next week,” he added.

RIP | FORMER SPRINGBOK AND BLUE BULLS NO 8 DIES

Three players are set to return for the fixture at the Stadio Olimpico in back-rowers Shannon Frizell and Sam Cane as well as hooker Dane Cole.

Blindside flanker Frizell last featured for his country in July after the 27-year-old had criminal charges against him dropped in September after an alleged assault at a nightclub.

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“There’s some good competition for Shannon in that position with Akira (Ioane) and Ethan (Blackadder),” Plumtree said.

“I’m sure he’ll be looking to getting out on the park and giving us a reminder of what he can do,” he added.

Former All Blacks captain Cane has been missing with a pectoral issue suffered in March playing for the Blues in Super Rugby Aotearoa.

Versatile front-rower Coles has been out since July with a calf problem but is set for a return against the side ranked 14th in the world and have conceded 227 points in their last five meetings with the All Blacks.

“It’s really important they get up to speed with their games so that they can be in contention for the following two weeks,” Plumtree said.

“The whole thing has been designed around those two being involved this week.

“There will be some younger players amongst them and from a seniority and leadership point of view those two are huge for us.”

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Kaizer Chiefs: Stellenbosch set INCREDIBLE record in beating Amakhosi

Stellenbosch FC equalled – and extended – two incredible records in their 1-0 win over Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs at the FNB Stadium on Tuesday.

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Ashley du Preez scored the only goal of the match in the 38th minute.

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With the win, Stellenbosch FC continued their streak as the only side in the DStv Premiership to have scored at least one goal in every match this season.

That’s nine matches and counting for Steve Barker’s side who remained second in the standings, level on points (19) with log-leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, albeit having played one more match.

READ | KAIZER CHIEFS RETIRE SECOND JERSEY WHILE ORLANDO PIRATES HAVE RETIRED FOUR

100% – @StellenboschFC are the only #DSTVPrem side that has scored in every league game this season. Unshackled.

— OptaJabu (@OptaJabu) November 2, 2021

In addition, the win was Stellenbosch’s fifth of the season (along with four draws).

That fifth victory equalled the number of successes the team enjoyed in the entire 2020/21 season (30 matches)!

5 – @StellenboschFC have won five of their opening nine #DSTVPrem games this season, as many as they won throughout the whole of last season (also 5). Buzzing. pic.twitter.com/CTlwPR4X86

— OptaJabu (@OptaJabu) November 2, 2021

Stellenbosch will next be in action at home against Golden Arrows on Saturday, 6 November at 17:00.

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Champions League fixtures and results – 2 November 2021

It’s Champions League match-day 4 this week with a number of mouth-watering matches lined up.

READ | KAIZER CHIEFS RETIRE SECOND JERSEY WHILE ORLANDO PIRATES HAVE RETIRED FOUR

Certainly, there are a few teams who could do with a victory – here’s looking at you, Barcelona!

PICTURES | CAR WARS! WHICH KAIZER CHIEFS GOALKEEPER OWNS THE SWEETEST RIDE?

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RESULTS – TUESDAY, 2 NOVEMBER

Malmo FF 0-1 Chelsea

Wolfsburg 2-1 Salzburg

Atalanta 2-2 Manchester United

Bayern Munich 5-2 Benfica

Dynamo Kyiv 0-1 Barcelona

Juventus 4-2 Zenit St Petersburg

Sevilla 1-2 Lille

Villarreal 2-0 Young Boys

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Local ELECTIONS: Just 52% of KZN voters go to the polls

Local government elections were peaceful, free and fair across KwaZulu-Natal, KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala said on Tuesday. 

Zikalala congratulated voters in the province for their role in what he described as peaceful, free and fair local government elections.

“Millions of eligible voters went to the polls on Monday, 1 November in the country’s local government elections to choose councillors for the next five years. On Tuesday, as early stage voting continued, a concerning picture was beginning to emerge indicating clearly that many voters had decided not to cast their vote,” Zikalala said.

This election year marks 21 years of local government in South Africa and 28 years since the country’s first democratic elections in 1994.

Some 26,221,853 million voters are registered to vote in SA, 5,467,329 million of which are located in KZN.

Based on this count the Independent Electoral Commission said that out of the country’s estimated 40 million eligible voters, an estimated 13 million had decided not to register to vote.

“As predicted, preliminary figures show a significant drop in overall voter turn-out. This year 52% of KwaZulu-Natal voters went to the polls compared to the 2016 number of 61%. This year’s figures point to a 10% decline but it gives hope that with more intensive engagement of the voters, that decline can be halted,” Zikalala said.

He said KZN was one of only three provinces which together with the Western Cape and Northern Cape breached the 50% response of registered voters who made their mark yesterday.

“Going forward it is clear we will require greater focus on young people who are first time voters to remind them that they have a stake in the future of this country. As leaders it is our duty to help reverse this trend of non-voting and to encourage voters to exercise this right which is central to consolidating the democratic gains,” he said.

Premier urges parties and candidates to accept election results

Zikalala thanked the voters and police for ensuring a peaceful election.

“We take this opportunity to thank the voters in KwaZulu-Natal who came out to vote to express this hard-earned democratic right. In particular, we convey our gratitude to all the communities of KwaZulu-Natal for displaying maturity and for allowing all political parties and independents to display their posters and to campaign freely,” he said.

“Apart from reported isolated incidents we are pleased that political parties engaged robustly but with respect for each other in what has been a mature contest for the soul of the voter,” Zikalala added.

Zikalala appealed to citizens, political parties and their candidates to accept the final results as the product of a democratic, free and fair process. 

“Once the results are finalised we will start setting up councils. We call on the people of KwaZulu-Natal to support these structures and for the next five years to work closely with all our elected representatives to support the delivery of basic services,” he said.

“We would also pay our tribute to the IEC for rolling out its world class election machinery to conduct an election that we can all be proud of. The IECs integrity remains uncontested as an independent election agency that is centred on our Constitutional values,” he said.

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