Cape Town —
Update as at 16h30 SAST
EFF Calls Mass Funeral for Tavern Victims Fake
The EFF has threatened to report the Eastern Cape provincial government and Buffalo City Metro to the Public Protector for wasting public resources, after it went ahead with a mass funeral for victims of the Enyobeni tavern tragedy, despite the reservations of grieving relatives. Some of the families of the 21 victims wanted to have small private ceremonies attended by friends and family.
On July 6, 2022 - 19 empty coffins were displayed at the much-publicised funeral which the EFF labelled as "fake". One family had already buried their loved one a day earlier, while another had said their final goodbyes on the morning of the mass funeral at Scenery Park, the Eastern Cape Community Safety MEC Weziwe Tikana-Gxothiwe said.
No Increases for Eskom's De Ruyter, Oberholzer
Eskom CEO Andre De Ruyter and COO Jan Oberholzer's salaries are set to stay the same, while employees below the senior management get a 7% increase. De Ruyter will remain on R7 million, while Oberholzer on R5.4 million. This comes as Eskom concluded negotiations with the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa and the National Union of Mineworkers and Solidarity for across the board labour increases of an inflation-beating 7%. The country has been plunged into Stage 6 load shedding, due to the strike by Eskom workers.
Authorities No Closer to Nabbing Mastermind of July 2021 Riots
Over 354 lives were lost, R50 billion infrastructure was damaged, and 150,000 jobs were lost in the aftermath of the July 2021 riots and looting that rocked KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces. There are still no answers on who was behind it. A year ago, former president Jacob Zuma handed himself over to start serving a prison sentence for defying a Constitutional Court order to appear at the Zondo Commission of Inquiry. This seemed to be the fuse that lit a powder keg. Despite the names of prominent politicians and intelligence operatives being mentioned in law enforcement circles, and some of Zuma's children publicly seen encouraging the mayhem, South Africans are none the wiser to who masterminded the eight days that shook the country.
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Proceedings in Hillary Gardee Murder Trial Delayed By Mbombela Shutdown
Hillary Gardee, 28, the daughter of former EFF secretary-general Godrich Gardee, was found murdered on May 3, 2022. Proceedings in the trial against three men charged with the kidnapping, rape and murder of the IT entrepreneur have been delayed, due to the ongoing shutdown in Mbombela, Mpumalanga's capital city. The city has been at a standstill as taxi operators have shut down the main roads leading to the Kruger National Park, to protest against high petrol prices.
Minister Pravin Gordhan Heckled at Public Lecture at Wits University
Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan who was giving a lecture on reforms in state-owned enterprises after state capture, was heckled by a group accusing him of failing to fix SOEs, including Eskom. The group hurled insults at the minister, calling for his resignation. Gordhan in his lecture also warned of a second state capture bid. The minister was invited by the Wits School of Governance as part of the university's centenary celebrations.
