Cape Town — Cape Town is globally known for its beauty and pedigree as one of the world’s biggest tourist destinations, however, the city has fallen victim to a rapidly-growing extortion. Extortion is the practice of obtaining money, goods or services through the use of actual or implied violence or force. It is spreading throughout the city, from bar and restaurant owners in the CBD, to street vendors in Mitchell’s Plain and Khayelitsha, according to a report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC). The report identified four main extortion industries, namely t ..read more

Cape Town — The Hawks have arrested the spokesperson for the Eastern Cape’s Department of Health spokesperson, Sizwe Kupelo, on charges of fraud, forgery, and uttering. According to a SAPS statement, Kupelo (47) was arrested on Wednesday and made a short appearance in the Zwetlisha Magistrate’s Court where he was released on R30 000 bail. According to Hawks spokesperson, Warrant-Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana, Kupelo applied for employment as a Communication Officer at the Premier’s office in Bhisho in March 2002. Later that year, he was appointed by the Department of Health in Bhisho as Deputy D ..read more

Cape Town – Police in the Eastern Cape have initiated an investigation following the accidental drowning of a 32-year-old woman in Gqeberha harbour. According to police spokesperson Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg, the woman was operating a Ford Ranger on a vessel carrier at approximately 3:45 am when the vehicle allegedly accelerated, causing it to plunge into the harbour. “While driving a Ford Ranger onto the vessel carrier [ship], witnesses alleged the vehicle accelerated and landed in the harbour. “The woman could not exit the vehicle which submerged and she drowned,” Van Rensburg s ..read more

Makhanda — The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has reinstated a controversial ruling that was previously overturned against paramedic, Loyiso Coko, who was convicted of raping his girlfriend in 2018. The Regional Court in Makhanda ruled that former paramedic Loyiso Coko was found guilty of raping his then-girlfriend after she had told him that she did not want to have sex and wanted to remain a virgin instead, as reported by EWN . The conviction was later set aside by the High Court after the State had not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Coko had acted intentionally, knowing there was no ..read more

Cape Town — Minister of Public Enterprises, Pravin Gordhan, revealed that troubled power utility, Eskom, has spent billions of rands on diesel in the last five years in an effort to keep the lights on. Gordhan revealed that Eskom has spent R64.8 billion on diesel between the 2019/20 and 2023/24 financial years, with the last two financial years making up nearly 70% of the total figure. For the 2019/20 financial year, Eskom spent R5.8 billion, with R5.76 billion spent in 2020/21. In the 2021/2022 financial year, the power utility spent R8.6 billion on diesel as load shedding continued to plague ..read more

Cape Town – The funeral and memorial service details of DJ, Leshie Peter Mabuse, famously known as Mashata, have been announced. Pretoria-based DJ and comedian got shot and killed in a hail of bullets. It’s understood that Mashata was travelling with another occupant when unknown gunmen opened fire on their vehicle, as reported by SABC News. His memorial service is on 25 April 2024 at TUT Stadium PTA WEST CAMPUS. Funeral Service will be held at Akasia Community Hall on the 28th of April.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Mashabela Galane (@mashabelacomedy) Ad ..read more

Cape Town – Dali Tambo, son of former ANC president Oliver Tambo, has reportedly expressed optimism about the ANC’s future, saying that while his father’s dream remains unfulfilled, the party can reclaim power and restore hope in South Africa. According to The Citizen, he emphasised the ANC’s unparalleled impact over its 110-year history and called for its continued transformation. “The day is not over, we’re not through with our journey. We need to win this election and we need to be in power for at least another 30 years. We’ve transformed this country and we must continue to transform it ..read more

Ho Chi Minh City – Vietnam’s top soft drinks tycoon was jailed for eight years on Thursday in a $40 million fraud case, the latest high-profile business figure snared in the country’s sweeping crackdown on corruption. The communist nation’s wide-ranging campaign to wipe out endemic graft has seen more than 4 400 people charged with criminal offences, including officials and senior business figures. A court in Ho Chi Minh City found Tran Qui Thanh and his two daughters guilty of scamming investors over loans issued in 2019 and 2020. Thanh, the 71-year-old chairman of beverage group Tan Hie ..read more

Cape Town — The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) will launch its investigative report into the deaths of 21 people who died at the Enyobeni Tavern in the Eastern Cape. The night was meant to be a celebration of children finishing their mid-year exams but quickly turned when young people, aged between 14 and 20 years old, were found dead at the Enyobeni Tavern in 2022, EWN reported. The SAHRC said the report that will be released, explored human rights concerns that played a role in the death of 21 young people and it will give an update into the inquest on the matter, as well as t ..read more

Manila – A Philippine court has blocked the commercial propagation of genetically modified golden rice because it said conflicting scientific views gave rise to “severe” health and environmental safety concerns. The Philippines was the first country in the world to approve golden rice, which is enriched with the Vitamin A precursor beta-carotene and has a bright yellow colour, in a bid to combat childhood blindness. However, the Court of Appeals in Manila revoked a biosafety permit for commercial production of the rice granted by government regulators in 2021 after 14 opponents filed a challen ..read more