Update as at 16h30 SAST
Watchdog Greylists South Africa
Despite greylisting by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), it says South Africa has made significant progress on many of the recommended actions to improve its systems to strengthen financial controls, particularly over the illicit transfer of funds, Eyewitness News reports.
The FATF said it is keeping a watchful eye on the country, and said that South Africa has made a high-level political commitment to work with the force.
Health Department Cautions on Cholera After First Death
The Department of Health has urged the public to practice good hygiene to minimise the spread of cholera. The warning comes after the country recorded the first death related to cholera. The victim, who died on February 19, 2023, is a 24-year-old man from Benoni, with no travelling history. He was admitted to Tambo Memorial Hospital with severe diarrhoea.
Silence Over UCT Vice-Chancellor Phakeng's Exit Deal
The silence from parties about the deal smoothing the departure of under-fire vice-chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng from the University of Cape Town (UCT) boils down, in part, to a dispute over semantics, reports TimesLive. Phakeng took to social media to tell her followers she was doing well and was happy. "Hey guys I know you are worried about me and the hogwash that News24 has written but I want to tell you that I'm fine and happy. I really really appreciated your messages of support, I'm getting them and receiving them, thank you," she said in a video. Since News24 reported that an agreement was reached between Phakeng and the UCT council, the university has not issued a statement on its decision to part ways with the vice-chancellor. News24 reports that it understands from three sources with direct knowledge of the matter that Phakeng is "hellbent" on being "exonerated" in the media statement announcing her exit from UCT.
Truck Backlog Causes Chaos in Richards Bay
The N2 in northern KwaZulu-Natal is heavily congested as trucks ferrying coal to Richards Bay for export are occupying both northbound and southbound lanes, including the emergency lanes, reports TimesLive, which said it understood that the congestion was a result of the recent SANDF Armed Forces day held at the harbour. The huge influx of heavy vehicles has forced Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) to call on freight owners to stop sending trucks to the port for 48 hours. Some truckers claim they had been stuck for almost three days with no food or water. Mike Patterson, deputy president of the Zululand Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the situation was "completely out of control and required urgent national intervention. he number of trucks far exceeds what the N2 and the Richards Bay port itself can handle. This poses a humanitarian crisis. These truck drivers have nowhere to go to the toilet, nowhere to buy food or drink for hours while stuck in that backlog."
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Search Continues for Missing German Tourist in Cape Town
The search for a 22-year-old German tourist, who vanished after leaving an Airbnb in Cape Town on Valentine's Day, continued as it emerged that a visa card and ID book belonging to him were found among suspected stolen goods, reports TimesLive. A worried resident raised the alarm after seeing Nick Frischke's ID book listed in a photograph of a logbook that was being circulated on WhatsApp groups. The logbook listed stolen items that were found when two suspects were arrested in Hangberg, as reported by News24 . Western Cape police spokesperson Col Andrè Traut said that three suspects had been arrested for possession of stolen goods. "It is true that Hout Bay police arrested a 22-year-old female last week Friday for the possession of stolen goods and two males aged 22 and 23 on Tuesday for the possession of an unlicensed firearm, ammunition, and drugs," said Traut. "However, it is too soon to confirm a link of any kind with the disappearance of Nick Frischke." Frischke was last seen wearing blue denim shorts with white takkies, a beige t-shirt, and a backpack.
