South Africa: One Person Dies in Soweto Blast Apparently Linked to Illegal Mining - South African News Brief - July 21, 2023

21 July 2023

Cape Town —  

One Person Killed in an Explosion in Braamfischerville

One person has been killed in an explosion apparently linked to illegal mining at Braamfischerville in Soweto, SABC News reports. Johannesburg EMS spokesperson Xolile Khumalo said the explosion occurred after dynamite sticks were connected to a vehicle battery. Khumalo said one person had died from injuries sustained in the blast, one had been rushed to hospital and another had sustained minor injuries. "The incident is suspected to be an illegal mining incident."

Deputy President's Friends Launch Urgent Court Bid to Stop Media House Calling Them the 'Alex Mafia'

Two of Deputy President Paul Mashatile's oldest friends, businessmen Bridgman Sithole and Mike Maile, have launched an urgent High Court application for an interdict against Media24 to prohibit publication of their names in connection with the term "Alex Mafia", News24 reports. The term "Alex Mafia" has been widely used in the public discourse, political circles and the media over the past 16 years to refer to Mashatile and a group of close friends, all political activists from Alexandra in Johannesburg, who held positions in Gauteng government departments in the early 2000s.

Woman Crashes Car Into Shop in Hermanus

Western Cape police registered a reckless and negligent driving case after a woman lost control of her grey Corsa vehicle and crashed into a local shop in Hermanus on Thursday afternoon (July 20, 2023). News24 reports that police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said the driver was licenced. Police say both the driver and an injured shopper were taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

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