Cape Town —  

South Africa Abstains From Crucial UN General Assembly Vote on Russia

The government chose to abstain from a vote by the UN General Assembly which sought to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council. This comes in the wake of Russia's invasion of the Ukraine on February 24, 2022. When the war broke out, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, called for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, while President Cyril Ramaphosa called for a peaceful and negotiated resolution.

Attackers of Ndebele Artist Esther Mahlangu Appearing in Court Today

Two people will appear in court today after being apprehended for the violent attack on artist Dr Esther Mahlangu, 87, in her home in Siyabuswa in Mpumalanga Province last month.

The world-renowned artist was beaten, tied up and robbed of an undisclosed amount of cash and a firearm.

The attack on Mahlangu sparked outrage and was condemned by South Africans.

Parliament to Clip Wings of Retired Ministers, Deputy Ministers, MPs

Taxpayer-sponsored flights for former ministers, deputy ministers and MPs have been cut from 48 to 12 per year which can be used individually or between spouses, who were previously allocated 24 flights. According to Moneyweb, this would save taxpayers up to R39 million per year. The new rules also stipulates that the flights will only apply for the first five years of retirement and not for a lifetime as previously. In total there is a cut of 72 flights per year. As said, the wings are clipped!

SARS Warns It Will Deal With Morally Corrupt People

SARS has for the last tax year collected over R1.56 trillion in the tax year ending March 2022. This is R16.7 billion higher than the national budget projected in February 2022. SARS Commissioner Edwin Kieswetter has said that over 2 million taxpayers tried getting refunds that were not allowed. Kieswetter added that State Capture had dealt a heavy blow to the tax agency and needs to be dealt with.