South Africa: Murder Rate Up, Latest Crime Stats Show - South African News Briefs - August 19, 2022

Pixabay, Ashraf Hendricks/GroundUp, Pixabay, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, GCIS / Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0), Confederation of African Football.
gavel, COSATU logo, South African currency, monkeypox case, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, Pitso Mosimane, former Bafana Bafana coach (file photo).
19 August 2022
allAfrica.com
By Esther Rose

Cape Town —  

Update as at 16h30 SAST

Bleak Picture as Murder Rate Goes Up

South Africa’s murder rate has gone up - with KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and the Western Cape, registering the highest number of the 6,424 murders between April and June, 2022. This announcement was made by Police Minister Bheki Cele in Pretoria today. This means there has been an increase of 664 cases, compared to the same period in 2021, when the country was still under Covid-19 lockdown.

COSATU to Hold National Day of Action Monday, August 24

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) will go on strike on Monday against power cuts, the rising cost of petrol, food and an increase in the crime rate. This follows COSATU's Western Cape branch holding a similar, small-scale protest a few weeks ago, citing those issues. The trade union federation said the strike was to demand urgent action from policy-makers to consider the country’s plight.

Deadlock In Public Sector Wage Talks

Public sector unions affiliated to Cosatu, and teacher union Naptosa have announced a deadlock in the public sector wage negotiations.
This is after the government tabled a conditional 3% wage hike for public servants. A deadlock normally gives way to other other processes that could lead to a strike but Eyewitness News has been told that the issue will likely be resolved before this happens.

Fifth Monkeypox Case a Cause for Concern - Health Minister

Health Minister Joe Phaala has said that another case of monkeypox has been recorded, bringing the number of cases to five in the country so far. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) confirmed that the latest case was recorded on August 17, 2022. The infected person is a "28-year-old male from Johannesburg with a travel history of Europe - the Netherlands and also Spain," Phaahla said.

Finance Minister Gives Statement to Police on Sexual Assault Charge

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has confirmed that he has now met with police over the allegations of sexual assault which were recently levelled against him. The minister slammed the charges as a "smear campaign". In a statement released late on August 18, 2022, the minister confirmed to police that he was at the Kruger National Park area when the incident allegedly took place on August 9, Women's Day. He said that he "in no way or at any time inappropriately touched, sexually harassed, or assaulted anyone".

Pitso Mosimane Receives CAF Pro Licence From SAFA

Pitso Mosimane, 57, the former Bafana Bafana, Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly coach has received his CAF Pro Licence from the South African Football Association's President, Danny Jordaan yesterday. Mosimane's journey to obtain the certificate began four years ago when he, together with 22 other top African coaches participated in the historical CAF Pro Licence, with the last module hosted in June 2022 in Morocco. This licence will enable Mosimane to coach anywhere in the world.

 

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