Police in South Africa have launched an investigation and appealed for witnesses following the theft of a corpse from a grave in the northern province of Limpopo.
A relative made the discovery on Sunday when she went to the cemetery to clean the area in preparation of the upcoming unveiling of the tombstone.
To her shock she found a gapping hole by the grave and the body of Modike Philemon Masedi missing.
The suspects accessed the graveyard by cutting the fence then dug a hole next to the grave to gain access to the coffin and stole the corpse, the police said.
Mr Masedi reportedly died on 15 January and was buried seven days later.
“The motive for this incident is unknown at this stage,” Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo, a police spokesperson, said.
Provincial police boss Thembi Hadebe has urged people in the area to “desist from pointing fingers” to avoid any form of vigilantism.
The proposed three-year deal worth 900 million South African rand ($52.5 million; £42.5 million) had received conditional approval from the nation’s official tourism board.
However, detractors claimed that the money could be used more effectively in a nation where there are frequent power outages, water shortages, and high unemployment.
On Tuesday, the parliament’s tourism committee called for the deal to be stopped immediately.
This was after Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu had told it that she had no knowledge of the proposed deal.
“This deal ends here, today, now. because there is everything wrong with the deal itself. There must be an investigation on this matter with immediate effect,” committee chairperson Thandi Mahambehlala said.
South African billionaire Nicky Oppenheimer, whose wealth increased only modestly in 2022, is off to a terrific start this year after his private equity interests in Africa, Asia, the US, and Europe recently enjoyed a rise in market value of $800 million
Oppenheimer’s net worth has risen by $800 million since the start of the year, from $8.03 billion to $8.83 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which tracks and compares the fortunes of the world’s 500 wealthiest people.
The $800-million increase in his net worth, which surpassed the $75-million wealth gains he recorded in 2022, placed him among the African billionaires whose wealth has increased by more than $500 million since the year began, despite concerns about a global slowdown in corporate earnings.
Nicky Oppenheimer, South Africa’s second-richest man, after luxury goods magnate Johann Rupert, derives the majority of his $8.83-billion fortune from private equity investments, which he manages through Stockdale Street in London and Tana Africa Capital in Johannesburg.
For decades, the leading South African businessman has been a private equity investor, with many of his investments taking place after he sold his family’s 40-percent stake in De Beers, the world’s largest diamond producer, to mining conglomerate Anglo-American in a $5.2-billion deal in 2012.
His private equity investments span Africa, Asia, the United States, and Europe, and have proven to be a sound strategy for the billionaire, allowing him to profit from market fluctuations and generate significant wealth gains.
Aside from private equity investments, Oppenheimer, a supporter of wilderness conservation, co-owns Tswalu Kalahari, South Africa’s largest private game reserve, with his son Jonathan.
He is also the owner of the 65,000-hectare Shangani Ranch, which employs 400 people and has kept at least 8,000 cattle for beef export to the United Kingdom since 1937. It is known as a wildlife sanctuary because it serves as a migration route for animals.
Following the uproar, which saw sports federations and labour unions criticize the amount of money being spent on a club in Europe while they struggle to make ends meet at home, tourism minister Lindiwe Sisulu will meet with Ramaphosa this week.
South Africa Tourism (SAT) and Tottenham have tentatively agreed to a three-year shirt sponsorship agreement that will begin at the start of the 2023–24 season and run through the 2026–27 season.
SAT will gain kit branding, interview backdrop branding, match-day advertising, partnership announcements, training camps in South Africa, and more in exchange for the investment.
But on 3 February, Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said that Mr Ramaphosa “did not think spending so much money in the manner that is being suggested will be justified”.
Manchester United link
Cyril Ramaphosa is making efforts to relaunch his political agenda
The meeting is likely to be convened before the President’s annual State of the Nation address which takes place at the opening of Parliament on Thursday.
Sisulu met with SAT board members over the weekend to discuss the proposal – a proposal which she denies having seen before news of the controversial deal was leaked to the Daily Maverick website last week.
Since then, three SAT board members – Enver Duminy, Ravi Nadasen and Rosemary Anderson – resigned with immediate effect over the weekend, ostensibly because of their opposition to the proposed deal.
Themba Khumalo, acting Chief Executive of SAT, believes the deal would assist in bringing in large numbers of tourists into the country and would provide a good return on the investment given the large worldwide following of the Premier League.
Khumalo revealed that the north London club had been chosen because it was the only one of the Premier League’s top eight teams that was still available for such a sponsorship deal.
However, in a new twist, a tweet by UtdChronicles showed a video of an excited Khumalo opening a Manchester United branded box containing the Red Devils’ white away jersey with a large “Visit South Africa” emblazoned on the front of the shirt.
🚨🚨| BREAKING!!
A verified video confirms that #mufc sent ‘South African Tourism’ a proposal to sponsor their shirts. The package was received by their CEO, Themba Khumalo. pic.twitter.com/ZsMcz5E4Xs
“1.1 billion followers worldwide – if we convert just 1% there’s 110 million. So this is a proposal from Manchester United,” he is heard exclaiming on the video which has been verified, according to UtdChronicles.
The Old Trafford club is searching for a new shirt front sponsor “in a normalised market” following a decision to end a deal with TeamViewer which was done at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic for a sum believed to be $56.6 million per year.
This is much less than the $77 million per year deal it had until 2021 with American car manufacturer Chevrolet.
Shortly after news of the proposed Spurs sponsorship deal broke, many of the country’s national sports federations expressed outrage saying the money could be better spent on development projects and financing struggling athletes.
In a Sunday helicopter strike in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, a South African peacekeeper for the UN was killed and another was hurt.
The aircraft came under fire while en route to Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, according to the UN mission in the nation, Monusco. Fortunately, the helicopter managed to land.
In the incident, it was reported that a second peacekeeper was hurt.
“Monusco strongly condemns this cowardly attack against an aircraft bearing the United Nations emblem,” it said in a statement.
David Mabuza, the president’s deputy, has been asked to hold onto his position until the transition is complete.
According to reports, Mr. Mabuza informed mourners at a funeral on Saturday that the president had “accepted” his resignation and that a statement regarding it would be released soon.
He stated that he thought it made sense for him to make way for Paul Mashatile, who was chosen as the ANC party’s deputy president in December.
However, the president wanted Mr. Mabuza to stay until the transition process was complete, according to the presidency’s spokesman on Sunday.
Mr Mashatile is due to be sworn in as an MP on Monday. His entry into parliament will pave the way for the president to name him as the country’s deputy president.
Mr Ramaphosa is due to deliver his state of the nation address in Cape Town on Thursday.
South Africa‘s power shortage has intensified and the country’s health system is finding it difficult for the paramedics to perform their jobs.
“We got called to a hospital where the generators stopped working and then it was 18 paramedics and nine ICU ventilator patients. And so it was two paramedics per patient and then nine of us, we had to ventilate them manually for four hours, until their generators were fixed,” Nicole Morrison, a paramedic said.
Jeanette Mahlangu is one of the vulnerable persons hurt by government-enforced loadshedding. The Soweto resident has been forced to go without the oxygen concentrator helping her breathe.
Meanwhile her backup tank is empty, the 8 to 10 hours with no power have made it too expensive to refill. Her daughter feels distressed.
“When I look at my mum, she’s quiet and expecting this, I can’t say anything. But myself, I’m scared. Me, I’m scared like, I don’t like this.”
If Janette was in need of an ambulance during the blackout, there would be no way to call one, due to limited battery and no phone service.
Students in the Free State province of South Africa were captured on camera on Thursday overturning a police vehicle after going on the rampage over the alleged passing of a classmate.
According to a local police spokesperson quoted by the Times Live website, the child is believed to have committed suicide after being bullied by a teacher.
“It is reported that the child left a suicide note to say what caused the death and then the learners at the school picketed and it became violent,” Warrant Officer Peter Mabizela is quoted as saying.
Angry learners at a school in Ficksburg, Free State, went on the rampage and attacked a police vehicle. pic.twitter.com/JiIowOWBDX
According to Mr. Mabizela, students from neighboring schools gathered to Tlotlisong Secondary School, where they held two police officers and teachers hostage inside the building.
In front of applause, the students flipped a police car on its side. To get them out of the school, extra police units were required.
Five minors were arrested for public violence and will appear in court soon, police said.
Southern African countries dominated the continent’s growth markets and wealth in 2021, experiencing the fastest growth compared to 2020.
Total private wealth in Africa was $21 trillion between the first quarter of 2021 and the last quarter of 2022. This included 136,000 approximations of millionaires with net assets of at least $1 million each, 6,700 approximations of multi-millionaires with net assets of at least $10 million each, 305 approximations of cent-millionaires with net assets of at least $100 million each, and 18 approximations of billionaires with net assets of at least $1 billion each.
Nigeria’s total private wealth stood at $228 billion, with many multi-millionaires, cent-millionaires, and three billionaires. Morocco’s total private wealth stood at $125 billion, with many multi-millionaires, cent-millionaires, and two billionaires.
Algeria, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania have one billionaire each with many multi-millionaires and cent-millionaires, while Ghana, Kenya, and many other countries have many multi-millionaires and cent-millionaires. South Africa, Egypt, and Nigeria make up about 56% of Africa’s wealth (wealth of individuals).
As the wealth reports for 2023 are gradually emerging, let’s take a look at the top African countries with the highest number of billionaires.
According to official government data, 87 rhinos were killed in Namibia last year, an all-time high compared to the 45 rhinos killed in 2021.
The demand for rhino horn, which is valued in East Asia as a purported medicine and as jewellery despite being made of the same material as rhino hair and fingernails, has caused a decimation of the rhino population in Africa over the years.
On Monday, Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said poachers killed 61 black and 26 white rhinos mainly in Namibia’s largest park, Etosha, where 46 rhinos were found dead.
“We note with serious concern that our flagship park, Etosha National Park, is a poaching hotspot,” Muyunda said, adding that the ministry and law enforcement officials have stepped up efforts against wildlife crime in the park to curb poaching.
The Southern African country is home to the only free-roaming black rhinos left in the world and also accounts for a third of the world’s remaining black rhinos.
Rhino poaching has plagued Southern Africa for decades, especially in neighbouring South Africa and Botswana, leading to anti-poaching programmes, including strict policing and dehorning, or removing horns from the rhinos as a way of discouraging poaching.
Namibia is also home to the second-largest white rhino population in the world after South Africa.
The Save the Rhino Trust estimates there are about 200 free-roamingblack rhinos in Namibia, mainly in the northeast.
Meanwhile, elephant poaching in Namibia has declined over the years, from a high of 101 in 2015 to a low of four elephants poached last year.
South Africa’s Foreign Minister, Naledi Pandor, has called on mobile operator MTN Group and the Ghana Revenue Authority to find a solution to a $773 million tax dispute.
Earlier this month, MTN said the Ghana Revenue Authority issued the company’s subsidiary MTN Ghana with a bill for back taxes after auditing it for the years 2014 to 2018 and inferring that it had under-declared its revenue by about 30% during the period.
MTN, which has a presence in 19 countries in Africa and the Middle East, said at the time that it disputed the “accuracy and basis” of the assessment and that it would fight it.
Minister Pandor was briefed on the issue this week and called “on the parties involved to do everything possible to find an amicable solution,” South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation said in a statement.
At a house party in Kwazakhele township, police claim that two unidentified gunmen “randomly shot at guests” who were dancing and mingling.
One of the victims was Vusumzi Sishuba, who would have turned 51 today.
Police have urged the public to share any information about the shooting despite the fact that no one has been arrested.
Mr Sishuba’s family is “in a state of shock and disbelief,” a relative told Reuters news agency.
Five men and three women, aged 20-64, have been identified as victims of Sunday night’s shooting.
“These victims were killed by criminals, and we will not rest until we find out what happened and who was responsible for [this] callous and cold-blooded attack on these unsuspecting victims,” said Eastern Cape Police Commissioner Nomthetheleli Lillian Mene.
The motive behind the attack is unknown.
Police Minister Bheki Cele visited the scene of the shooting on Monday and asked for patience while the investigation continued.
“We know everybody is angry and would love that we respond quickly, but we request a little bit of space so that we do the work thoroughly,” he told reporters in Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth.
South Africa has one of the highest gun crime rates in the world but random mass shootings are uncommon.
On Monday morning, a second tiger escaped from a private farm, two weeks after the first one did.
Residents of Edenvale community in Gauteng spotted the tiger roaming the area on Monday morning, local media reported.
The National Council for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) was said to have confirmed the sighting of the animal. Authorities urged caution and asked residents to keep animals indoors.
An ex-teacher who is alleged to have mistreated students at boarding schools in Edinburgh has been detained in South Africa.
The 83-year-old — who can’t be named for legal reasons — attended a sexual offences office in Cape Town with his lawyer on Monday morning.
He is due to appear at the city’s Wynberg Magistrates Court later.
The man, known in a BBC documentary as “Edgar”, taught at Fettes College and Edinburgh Academy in the Scottish capital in the 1960s and 1970s.
The BBC presenter Nicky Campbell is one of several former pupils who have made allegations against “Edgar”, who is fighting extradition from South Africa to the UK.
“Edgar” admitted abusing young boys while teaching in Scotland, according to court documents seen by the BBC.
His legal team now insists that he denies the allegations.
He also denies molesting students after moving to South Africa to teach at a prestigious boys school in Cape Town.
The man is subject to an order at the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry preventing his identification.
BBC presenter Nicky Campbell – who has been fighting for Edgar’s extradition to the UK – said he witnessed incidents of both sexual and physical abuse at the Edinburgh Academy which had a “profound effect” on his life.
Edgar is fighting the extradition on compassionate grounds arguing that he is old, unwell, and remorseful.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has said there are no urgent plans to stop using coal-fired power plants as part of a transition to greener energy sources.
The country is one of the world’s most coal-dependent nations and is a significant polluter.
It is currently experiencing lengthy power cuts blamed on ageing infrastructure and corruption.
Since 2021 South Africa has secured several billion dollars in international loans and grants to support a switch to greener power.
Addressing colleagues from the governing African National Congress (ANC) party, Mr Ramaphosa suggested it would be unwise to reduce the country’s capacity as it made what he called a just energy transition.
The ANC has close links with the country’s mining unions.
As the mortality toll from a continuing heatwave in some parts of the country increases to eight, the South African government has encouraged citizens to exercise caution.
State broadcaster SABC quoted a state official as expressing concern over the impact of the hot weather that the country had been experiencing.
“We are extremely sad to hear about the passing of eight people that have died of heat stroke in the Northern Cape after a heatwave hit the province over the week. Government sends its deepest condolences to the bereaved families,” Michael Currin, the head of the government communication service (GCIS), is quoted as saying.
Some parts of the country have recently been experiencing temperatures of above 40C.
The government has urged people to take measures such as drinking water and wearing light clothing to avoid heat exhaustion.
Russia’s state-owned TASS news agency said, a warship outfitted with hypersonic cruise missiles will participate in joint exercises with the navies of China and South Africa in February.
The participation of the Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov of the Fleet of the Soviet Union was first mentioned in an official report on Monday.
The frigate is equipped with Zircon missiles, which have a range of more than 1,000 km and can travel at nine times the speed of sound (620 miles).
The missiles and the Avangard glide vehicle, which entered combat service in 2019, are the centerpiece of Russia’s hypersonic arsenal.
“‘Admiral Gorshkov’ … will go to the logistic support point in Syria’s Tartus, and then take part in joint naval exercises with the Chinese and South African navies,” TASS said in its report, citing an unidentified defence source.
The South African National Defence Force has said the drills will run from February 17-26 near the port cities of Durban and Richards Bay on South Africa’s east coast.
It said on Thursday that the joint exercise aims “to strengthen the already flourishing relations between South Africa, Russia and China”.
The exercise will be the second involving the three countries in South Africa, after a drill in 2019, the defence force added.
The Gorshkov held exercises in the Norwegian Sea earlier this month after President Vladimir Putin sent it to the Atlantic Ocean in a signal to the West that Russia would not back down over the war in Ukraine.
Putin has previously said the frigate and its Zircon missiles have “no analogues in the world”.
The Russian president sees the weapons as a way to pierce the United States’s increasingly sophisticated missile defences.
Russia, the US and China are in a race to develop hypersonic weapons, seen as a way to gain an edge over any adversary because of their speed and their manoeuvrability, features which make them harder to detect.
A number of human rights activists, including opposition organizations, have vented their indignation online after the savage murder of a well-known pro-democracy activist in the southern African nation of Eswatini.
Thulani Maseko founded a coalition of parties and had been calling for reforms.
He was sitting in his living room at home with his family on Sunday in the town of Luyengo when gunmen shot him through a window.
The secretary general of Amnesty International, Agnès Callamard, said she was deeply saddened and angry, while Clement Voule, the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Association, called on the government to ensure a thorough investigation into the murder.
Eswatini government spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo has rejected insinuations of the government’s involvement in the killing.
“That is a far-fetched reality and statement. The government takes every life very seriously including the life of Thulani Maseko… This insinuation is rejected as it is being projected by those who are actually jumping all investigative mechanism that we have put in place,” he told South African public broadcaster SABC.
Over the last two years there have been waves of pro-democracy protests in Eswatini – the continent’s last absolute monarchy.
Security forces in the country have frequently used excessive force to break up protests.
Just last week the opposition accused King Mswati III of hiring South African mercenaries to attack activists – which officials denied.
Foreign minister of Russia, Sergei Lavrov, is making his first trip to South Africa since the invasion of Ukraine 11 months ago, which Pretoria has refused to denounce.
While Russia is being shunned by the West, it has historic ties with Pretoria as well as close business links through the Brics bloc of emerging economies.
Mr Lavrov is due to hold talks with his South African counterpart, Naledi Pandor, in Pretoria.
A protest by anti-Russia demonstrators is planned outside the venue of the talks.
South Africa plans to hold joint naval exercises Operation Mosi with Russia and China next month.
Electricity has been restored at the Nigerian consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa, after city officials disconnected the power on Wednesday due to non-payment.
The consulate owes the power utility City Power over 400,000 rand ($23,000; £18,000).
Consulate staff refused City Power officials access to the property but the utility was able to disconnect the premises from the power grid remotely.
The last few days have seen revenue collection efforts by City Power to disconnect various businesses whose accounts are in arrears.
The utility is owed $232m in unpaid accounts overall.
Following the consulate’s disconnection, the Consul-general visited the City Power offices and arranged to pay a deposit of $7,000 promising that the balance of the outstanding account will be settled by the end of January.
The consulate’s power was then restored that same day.
City Power’s actions come in the midst of rolling scheduled national blackouts as Eskom, the beleaguered national power utility, struggles to keep the lights on.
The South African military has announced that it will conduct joint military exercises with China and Russia off its coast the following month.
The drills will run for 10 days from 17 February to 27 February in the port city of Durban and Richards Bay.
The aim is sharing operational skills and knowledge, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) said.
South Africa was among African countries that abstained from taking sides in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The country assumed the chairmanship of the Brics group of nations – which brings together Brazil, Russia, India and China – last month.
This will be the second time such a military drill is taking place. The first was held in November 2019 in Cape Town.
“This year’s exercise will see over 350 SANDF personnel from various arms of services and divisions participating,” said SANDF.
A poultry organization has warned that South Africa (Sapa) may experience significant chicken shortages as a result of the power outage that is disrupting the slaughter of the hens.
The Association revealed that it has now reduced the number of chickens slaughtered with abattoirs unable to keep up because of the power cuts.
Local media quote Sapa as saying that it also had to cull 10 million chicks in the past weeks.
Some franchises such as KFC are reportedly already feeling the impact, with the situation likely to get worse.
It comes amid a warning that the issue could become a long-term problem, affecting retail and wholesale markets.
Over the weekend, a tiger in South Africa escaped from a private farm but it has been found and killed.
The tiger was the subject of a massive search after it escaped from a farm in Walkerville, south of Johannesburg. It attacked a person, two dogs and a pig while on the loose.
It was shot on Wednesday morning after it entered a farm where families live and killed a domestic animal, local media reported.
The local organisation Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said the authorities were left with a “very difficult decision to make as the lives of more people and animals were at risk”.
“This case proves why wild animals should not be kept as pets. The SPCA is opposed to the keeping and breeding of wild and exotic animals as pets,” it said.
Authorities in South Africa are searching for a tiger that belongs to a private owner but escaped from a property in Walkerville, south of Johannesburg.
The female tiger escaped after the fence was cut on Saturday night, local media reported.
It is said to have attacked a person. It also killed a dog and mauled another.
Animal care authorities have urged people not to approach the tiger on the loose for their own safety, as it is dangerous.
According the president’s spokesman, his decision comes as a result of the ongoing energy crisis in his country.
The country is facing its biggest ever power crisis with people experiencing rolling blackouts of up to six hours a day.
Mr Ramaphosa was due to lead a government delegation to the event, the AFP news agency reports.
Due to the ongoing energy crisis, President @CyrilRamaphosa has cancelled his working visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos. Currently the President is convening a meeting with leaders of political parties represented in parliament,NECCOM and the Eskom board.
But he will instead hold talks with leaders of political parties and the state-run power company Eskom, said presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya.
“President Cyril Ramaphosa has already engaged with the leadership of Eskom and National Energy Crisis Committee(NECCOM) and those meetings will continue,” he said.
The National Coronavirus Command Council will meet on Tuesday to discuss a new variation that has been found in the nation this week, according to President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa.
The new Covid sub-variant, known as XBB.1.5, has also been recorded in the US and UK.
It is an offshoot of the globally-dominant Omicron Covid variant and is highly transmissible.
President Ramaphosa confirmed Tuesday’s meeting to local journalists and urged South Africans not to panic.
“We are agile enough to want to have that meeting tomorrow, and thereafter there will be information that will be shared with the rest of the country,” he told Eyewitness News
on Monday.
““Some people have said ‘are we going to have restrictions, the lockdown and all that?’ — far from that. We just need to be informed about what’s happening with this variant,” he added, according to Business Day
news site.
South Africa recorded over three million Covid-19 infections at the height of the pandemic – the highest number of confirmed cases by any African country.
Interpol has apprehended a Mozambican man accused of masterminding kidnappings for ransom in South Africa.
Esmael Malude Ramos Nangy is suspected of masterminding kidnappings for ransom worth millions of dollars over the last two decades.
South African police said he was apprehended during a raid on an upscale housing estate in Centurion, near Pretoria.
Over the weekend, police in Mozambique confirmed the arrest of the wanted man.
The news of the arrest of the 50-year-old Mozambican citizen was first issued by the international police. It followed an international arrest warrant issued in July last year by the Mozambican authorities.
A statement by the South African police said among the items seized at the home were a firearm, cartridges, five mobile phones and banks cards.
He is due in court on Monday.
Mozambique is seeking his extradition. A Mozambican police source said Mr Nangy was a suspect in a kidnapping that took place last year in the capital, Maputo.
Kidnapping for ransom is common mainly in Mozambican major cities and towns and the key targets have been business people of Asian origin or their relatives.
According to Mozambique’s National Criminal Investigation Service (Sernic), the country recorded 13 kidnappings in 2022 and 33 arrests linked to the crimes.
New analysis reveals Singapore as the country most interested in stocks and trading in the past year.
India and Canada are the second and third most stock-obsessed countries worldwide.
The study, carried out by UK financial services provider CMC Markets, examined Google Trends data of search terms frequently used by people interested in stocks and trading. These terms were then combined to give each English-speaking country a ‘total search score’ to discover which countries have been the most interested in stocks in the past 12 months.
The study revealed that Singapore ranks highest as the country most interested in stocks and trading. With a total search score of 555 out of a possible 700, Singapore topped the list for its population, having the highest search levels for the phrases ‘stocks’, ‘buy stocks’, and ‘interest rate’ worldwide. Additionally, the population of Singapore’s search for the ‘stock market’ is the third most worldwide, behind the United States and India.
India is second on the list, with a total search score of 492. India has the second-highest proportion of its population, searching for the phrases ‘stock market’ and ‘swing trading’, placing the country second in the ranking.
Canada ranks as the third country most interested in stocks worldwide. The North American country has the second-highest level of searches for the term ‘invest in stocks’, in addition to being the country searching for ‘buy stocks’ the third most worldwide, giving Canada a total search score of 462.
The United States places fourth overall. With a total search score of 453 out of a possible 700, the USA has the highest level of searches for both terms ‘invest in stocks’ and ‘stock market’, and the fourth-highest level of searches for the term ‘buy stocks’.
The United Arab Emirates ranks fifth, with a total search score of 374. The study revealed that the UAE has the fourth-highest search levels for the term ‘swing trading’ and is the fifth country most interested in ‘day trading’.
Australia is sixth on the list, with a total search score of 338. Australia has the sixth-highest proportion of its population searching for the phrase ‘invest in stocks’ and is interestingly the country most interested in ‘day trading’ worldwide, meaning that they may like to hold their stocks for the shortest period of time!
The top ten is rounded out by South Africa ranking in seventh place and New Zealand in eighth, followed by the United Kingdom and Nigeria in ninth and tenth place, respectively.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a slip of tongue while speaking on his decision to join the Saudi team during his official unveiling with Al Nassr on Tuesday.
Instead of mentioning he is playing for Saudi Arabia, he rather said, “South Africa.”
He left Manchester United on Friday and signed with Al Nassr as a free agent.
“The football is different, so for me it’s not the end of my career to come to South Africa. This is why I want to change, and to be honest I’m really not worried about what people say,” Ronaldo told the media as he was presented at the Riyadh club.
The founder and leader of the Prophetic Hill Chapel, Prophet Nigel Gaisie has indicated the readiness of him and other prophets to call the bluff of the Ghana Police Service over the communication of prophecies.
Prophet Nigel Gaisie argued in an interview on Power FM that prophets are the mouthpieces of God and that controlling them is akin to putting a check on God which is not possible.
He insisted that God has so far given him 47 prophecies to communicate to Ghanaians on 31st December watch night.
Nigel Gaisie says that the number is likely to increase as he continues to prepare for what he believes will be a mega service.
“We are not scared of the prophecies because we speak the mind of God not humans. Already God has revealed 47 things to me and there could be more. Before midnight Saturday, we could get more.
“God has revealed a lot of things to me and I’m not alone. Other prophets have also received prophecies. We are ready to speak the minds of God so Ghana police should avert their minds to the serious in the country and leave the prophets and church to do the work of God.
“If the spirit of God is in you, you say it as it is, you don’t get scared. There will be prophecies on Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria, and England. We have prophecies on IGP. Prophecy number 14 is about the IGP. I’ve seen something about him so I will say it. I’m surprised he is acting that way because he is Pentecostal,” he said.
Prophet Nigel Gaisie also offered his view on how ‘fake’ prophets can be distinguished from genuine ones.
He mentioned that the accuracy of prophecies and the boldness of the prophets are some of the ways Prophets could be determined in the country.
“The best way to differentiate between fake and real prophets is whether their prophecies manifest. No prophet has a 100% record on prophecies. It can never be 100% because we pray against some of things and we also sometimes see things halfway. The sign of boldness is also another factor,” he said.
Rupert, the second-richest businessman in Africa and the richest billionaire in South Africa, saw a $300 million decline in his wealth from $10.9 billion to $10.6 billion. His net worth increased by $1.76 billion in November, thus this decline follows that increase.
The market value of Rupert’s stake in Richemont, the luxury goods company of which he is chairman, decreased from $7.71 billion to $7.54 billion in December alone.
This was due to a 5.04 percent decrease in the company’s share price, from CHF123 ($131.8) per share on December 1 to CHF116.8 ($125.2) per share. The market value of his stake in investment holding Remgro Limited also decreased during this time.
Analysts attribute the December drop in the market value of Richemont and Remgro to global economic uncertainty, which has been exacerbated by the rise in consumer prices, which continues to put pressure on luxury demand.
Despite this, Rupert remains optimistic about the future of his businesses, particularly Richemont, which he believes will continue to thrive in the luxury goods market.
In addition to his stakes in Richemont and Remgro, Rupert also has a significant presence in the healthcare industry through his involvement in Mediclinic International, a private hospital group based in South Africa, Namibia, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates.
Rupert’s investment firm, Remgro, owns 44.6 percent of Mediclinic, making it the largest hospital operator in South Africa. Recently, Mediclinic and a consortium led by Remgro reached an agreement to buy out Mediclinic’s outstanding shares.
The terms of the deal value the group’s entire issued and to be issued ordinary share capital at approximately £3.7 billion ($4.48 billion) with an implied enterprise value of around £6.1 billion ($7.4 billion).
President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa is locked in a tight party leadership race with his former health minister, whom he forced to resign amid corruption allegations.
According to reports, Zweli Mkhize is enjoying a last-minute surge at the African National Congress conference in Johannesburg.
The candidates are competing for the votes of 4,426 delegates.
The victor will steer the party into the 2024 general elections.
Mr Mkhize would become ANC leader if he wins, but Mr Ramaphosa would remain president.
Mr Ramaphosa had faced calls to resign ahead of the conference over an alleged cover up of theft of a large sum of foreign currency that was hidden in a sofa at his private farm.
An independent report commissioned by the speaker of parliament said Mr Ramaphosa may have broken the law but he has denied any wrongdoing.
On Tuesday, ANC MPs were instructed to back Mr Ramaphosa and vote down an attempt to start an impeachment process. Only a handful defied the whip clearing a huge hurdle that would have locked him out of the party leadership race.
On Friday, some delegates heckled Mr Ramaphosa, with some displaying the name of his Phala Phala farm where the theft took place.
Mr Mkhize’s supporters also chanted “change” and “He [Ramaphosa] is not coming back!”
The former health minister was forced to leave office last year after allegations emerged that a communications company linked to his family benefited from a contract at the height of the Covid pandemic. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Supporters of candidates running for the party’s presidency and other six top seats have been involved in intense lobbying ahead of the vote which is expected to be completed later on Sunday.
South Africa’s ruling party on Friday launches a closely watched conference that looks set to re-elect Cyril Ramaphosa as leader, despite a tarnishing cash-heist scandal.
Some 4,500 African National Congress (ANC) delegates from across the country are due to vote during the five-day convention at an events centre near Johannesburg.
Ramaphosa is bidding to retain the reins of the African National Congress (ANC) as the storied party struggles with rifts and declining support after 28 years in power.
Portraying himself as a graft-busting champion, Ramaphosa took control of the ANC in 2017 after his boss Jacob Zuma became mired in corruption.
The party’s majority in parliament means that it also has control over approving the national president.
But Ramaphosa’s clean-hands image has been dented by allegations he concealed a huge cash burglary at his farm rather than report the matter to the authorities.
Despite this, analysts say the 70-year-old leader remains on track to win the party leadership election, expected to take place among delegates on Saturday.
“The ANC needs Ramaphosa. He will win,” said political writer Ralph Mathekga. “Even those who hate him need him to win.”
Outside the conference venue, decked out in the party’s green, yellow and black colours, a group of delegates chanted in Zulu that Ramaphosa should leave the presidency over the farmgate scandal. They also sang a popular pro-Zuma song.
On the eve of the conference Zuma announced he is suing Ramaphosa over a leaked medical report linked to a 1990s arms corruption trial.
But the lawsuit is unlikely to hamper Ramaphosa’s chances of securing a second term as ANC leader.
A victory would secure him a ticket to a fresh term as president after the 2024 elections, if his party wins that vote.
South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma says he has launched a private prosecution against his successor Cyril Ramaphosa.
The announcement was made by the Jacob Zuma Foundation which on Thursday night said President Ramaphosa was charged for “serious crimes” but did not specify the alleged offence.
“President Cyril Ramaphosa has been charged in a private prosecution with the criminal offence of being accessory after the fact in the crimes committed by among others Advocate Downer namely, breaching the provisions of the [National Prosecuting Authority] NPA Act,” the foundation said in a statement.
It added that the crimes carry a sentence of 15 years imprisonment.
In a response on Twitter on Friday, President Ramaphosa accused Mr Zuma of “abuse of legal processes”.
He termed the charges “completely spurious and unfounded”.
PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA REJECTS ZUMA’S ABUSE OF PRIVATE PROSECUTION PROCESSES
President Cyril Ramaphosa rejects with the utmost contempt Mr. Jacob Zuma’s abuse of legal processes and perversion of the ‘nolle prosequi’ (private prosecution) provision.
South Africa’sgoverning ANC starts its national conference on Friday morning to elect its new leadership.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is hoping to be re-elected as party leader after escaping an impeachment inquiry earlier this week.
This after ANC MPs voted against the adoption of a report which found that he may have breached the country’s anti-corruption legislation following the theft of a large sum of foreign currency at his private game farm.
Mr Ramaphosa will face off against former Health Minister Zweli Mkhize for the top post.
It is widely expected that the party’s integrity committee will table its report on the “Farmgate” scandal that almost cost Mr Ramaphosa his job as well as a corruption scandal that entangled his competitor.
It’s alleged Dr Mkhize benefited from a Covid-19 government tender in which communication contracts were awarded to his allies.
This will be followed by the adoption of credentials – a process that could take hours and is usually contested by various factions because that determines which delegates are eligible to take part and vote.
Mr Ramaphosa is likely to retain his position despite recent the setbacks.
On Friday morning, the ruling ANC of South Africa begins the national conference that will elect its new leadership.
After avoiding an impeachment hearing earlier this week, President Cyril Ramaphosa is seeking to be re-elected as party leader.
This came after members of the ANC voted against the acceptance of a report that suggested he might have violated the nation’s anti-corruption laws after a significant amount of foreign currency was stolen from his own game farm.
For the top position, Mr. Ramaphosa will compete against former Health Minister Zweli Mkhize.
The party’s integrity committee is anticipated to provide its report on the “Farmgate” incident, which nearly cost Mr. Ramaphosa his job, as well as a corruption scandal that included his rival.
It is reported that Dr. Mkhize benefitted from a Covid-19 government tender where his associates were given communication contracts.
The acceptance of credentials, which might take hours and is sometimes fought by different factions because it defines which delegates are permitted to participate and vote, will come next.
Mr Ramaphosa is likely to retain his position despite recent the setbacks.
Despite allegations of misconduct and a breach ofthe oath of office against the president, the majority of parliament resolved against opening impeachment proceedings against him.In response to a report that claimed President Cyril Ramaphosa kept unreported foreign currency at his farm in 2020, the South African parliament voted against initiating impeachment proceedings against him.
On Tuesday, the lawmakers rejected the motion to impeach Ramaphosa 214 to 148. Ramaphosa was largely supported by the majority-holding African National Congress (ANC), which prevented the motion from obtaining the two-thirds majority required to move forward with impeachment.
However, four ANC lawmakers demonstrated their disapproval of Ramaphosa by voting in favour of impeachment, and a few more chose to abstain from the vote.
The crucial vote came after a damning parliamentary report alleged that Ramaphosa illegally hid at least $580,000 in cash in a sofa at his Phala Phala game ranch. It said he did not report the theft of the money to the police in order to avoid questions over how he got the foreign currency and why he had not declared it to authorities.
The report has brought Ramaphosa’s opponents – opposition parties and even rivals within his ANC party – to call for him to step down.
The parliamentary vote comes in a week where Ramaphosa will also be fighting for his political life as he seeks to be re-elected the leader of the ANC at its national conference starting in Johannesburg on Friday.
The conference will also elect members of the party’s National Executive Committee, which is the party’s highest decision-making body.
Ramaphosa must be re-elected as the ANC leader in order to standfor re-election to a second term as South Africa’s president in 2024.
South Africa’s parliament will vote on whether to start impeachment procedures against President Cyril Ramaphosa during a special session.
The president is accused of covering up the theft of a large sum of foreign currency from his farm in 2020, some of which had been hidden in a sofa.
The debate will focus on an independent report which concluded he may have violated the constitution.
Mr Ramaphosa, who is up for re-election as ANC leader, denies any wrongdoing.
The African National Congress has told its MPs to block a possible impeachment – although some could break ranks and side with opposition parties to vote for proceedings to get under way.
But some last-minute legal questions could halt the sitting altogether.
If Mr Ramaphosasurvives, he is thought likely to win re-election at his party’s conference, which starts on Friday. He will then be in pole position to become the ANC’s presidential candidate at the next election in 2024.
The report, which was commissioned from a panel of legal experts by the speaker, is due to be debated in parliament from 12:00 GMT (14:00 local time) on Tuesday.
The 70-year-old leader has denied any wrongdoing calling the report, which he has challenged in the Constitutional Court, “flawed”.
Mr Ramaphosa became president in 2018 pledging to tackle corruption. He replaced Jacob Zuma, whose time in office had been weighed down by many such allegations.
This scandal erupted in June, when a former South African spy boss, Zuma-ally Arthur Fraser, filed a complaint with police accusing the president of hiding a theft of $4m (£3.25m) in cash from his Phala Phala game farm in 2020.
Mr Ramaphosa admitted that some money, which had been hidden in a sofa, had been stolen, but said it was $580,000 not $4m.
The president said the $580,000 had come from the sale of buffalo, but the panel, headed by a former chief justice, said it had “substantial doubt” about whether a sale took place.
South Africa has strict rules on holding foreign currency, which say that it must be deposited with an authorised dealer such as a bank with 30 days. It appears as though the president may have broken those rules, according to the panel’s report.
Furthermore, if the money was from selling buffalo as he said, this money should have been declared, rather than kept in cash.
In his submission to the Constitutional Court, Mr Ramaphosa wants the country’s top judges to rule that the findings of the panel are unlawful and set aside.
The president argues that the panel went beyond its scope when looking at whether he had a case to answer related to the robbery at the farm.
He is also asking the court to declare that any steps taken by parliament on the back of the release of the report to be declared unlawful and invalid.
South Africa’s parliament is expected to hold a special sitting on Tuesday to debate a report by a panel of legal experts which found that President Cyril Ramaphosa may have broken his oath of office.
This is in connection with the Phala Phala farm scandal hanging over the president, in which Mr Ramaphosa has been accused of a cover-up following the theft of foreign currency at his private game farm back in 2020.
President Ramaphosa’s fate will be in the hands of MPs as they vote on whether he should be impeached.
Evidence of potential misconduct after allegations that he concealed the theft of foreign currency from his game farm has fuelled calls for him to step down.
Mr Ramaphosa has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
The governing ANC party has instructed its 230 lawmakers, including those known to be against the president, to reject the report because its findings have been challenged in court.
But some could break ranks and side with opposition parties for impeachment proceedings to get under way.
If Mr Ramaphosa survives the encounter in parliament, he is likely to be re-elected as ANC president at the party’s elective conference which starts on Friday.
Tuesday’s special session of the South African parliamentis scheduled to discuss a legal experts’ panel report that suggested President Cyril Ramaphosa may have violated his oath of office.
This has to do with the Phala Phala farm scandal that the president is currently dealing with, in which Mr. Ramaphosa has been charged with covering up the theft of foreign currency from his own game farm back in 2020.
The outcome of the vote on President Ramaphosa’s impeachment by MPs will determine the future of the president.
Calls for his resignation have been fueled by evidence of possible misconduct following accusations that he covered up the theft of foreign currency from his game farm.
Mr Ramaphosa has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
The governing ANC party has instructed its 230 lawmakers, including those known to be against the president, to reject the report because its findings have been challenged in court.
But some could break ranks and side with opposition parties for impeachment proceedings to get under way.
If Mr Ramaphosa survives the encounter in parliament, he is likely to be re-elected as ANC president at the party’s elective conference which starts on Friday.
In a statement, Vodacom of South Africareported that DRC authorities had closed the offices and seized the local branch’s accounts as a result of a tax dispute.
In a statement dated Dec. 8, Vodacom stated: “On December 6 and 7, 2022, agents of the General Directorate of Taxes (DGI) presented themselves at our technical, commercial, and administrative offices and proceeded with the installation of seals.”
According to the statement, the disagreement relates to a tax audit that the DGI conducted for the years 2016 through 2019 that resulted in a $243 million adjustment in July 2021. The amount was subsequently reduced.
Vodacom claimed last month that it had challenged the ruling and appealed it, but the DGI had already begun taking action to forcibly
CEO of VodacomShameel Joosub
It was impossible to immediately reach Congolese authorities for comment. All of Congo’s phone providers have been at odds with the country’s attempts to collect additional taxes without enabling them to raise consumer pricing.
In March, the government enacted a new levy that assesses fees for each megabyte of data, text message, and phone call.
The tax took the place of another levy that had been eliminated a month earlier following protests from the public and a legislative inquiry into the use of the money.
According to Vodacom, steps had been taken to assure the community of it’s services , and every available legal option was being used.
South Africa’s passenger rail agency (Prasa) has prohibited preaching, gambling, and unauthorized trade in its new trains.
The local media reported that the new development is among measures meant to ensure that “one particular behavioural system of any other group cannot be imposed on other commuters on board”, the agency’s spokesperson Lilian Mofokeng is quoted as saying.
It will also enhance passenger safety and onboard cleanliness.
“We are doing this in an effort to ensure that there is the free passage of movement for our commuters, so that they are kept clean and safe,” she said.
Informal traders and preachers have opposed the new measure.
South Africa has sent a proposal to the Justice Minister, to push for the amendment of decriminalizing sex work
The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Bill was approved by cabinet late last month.
It seeks to decriminalise the sale and purchase of adult sexual services, the ministry said. It was published on Friday for public comment and will then have to be passed by parliament.
“It is hoped that decriminalisation will minimise human rights violations against sex workers,” Mr. Ronald Lamola said
He added: “It would also mean better access to health care and reproductive health services for sex workers.”
The AFP news agency quotes sex workerrights’ group SWEAT as saying: “With sex workers no longer labelled as criminals, they can work much better with the police to tackle violence”.
SWEAT welcomed the bill as “incredible news”.
Laws prohibiting children from selling sex and trafficking for sexual purposes will remain in force.
According to local media, South Africa’s passenger rail agency (Prasa) has prohibited preaching, gambling, and unauthorized trade in its new trains.
The move is among measures meant to ensure that “one particular behavioural system of any other group cannot be imposed on other commuters on board”, the agency’s spokesperson is quoted as saying.
Additionally, it will improve cleaning and passenger safety onboard.
“We are doing this in an effort to ensure that there is the free passage of movement for our commuters, so that they are kept clean and safe,” she said.
Preachers and shady dealers have criticized the new law.
South Africa’s Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has called on the president to resign.
Cyril Ramaphosa is facing allegations that he covered up the theft of a huge sum of money from his farm.
The controversy comes ahead of next month’s ANC conference with the president seeking a second term in office.
Ms Sisulu – who says she wants the top job herself – told the BBC’s Newshour programme that Mr Ramaphosa should step down, as he was holding the whole party to ransom.
Next week parliament is due to discuss the issue and the president, who denies any wrongdoing, could potentially face impeachment.
South Africa’s Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has called on the president to resign.
Cyril Ramaphosa is facing allegations that he covered up the theft of a huge sum of money from his farm.
The controversy comes ahead of next month’s ANC conference with the president seeking a second term in office.
Ms Sisulu – who says she wants the top job herself – told the BBC’s Newshour programme that Mr Ramaphosa should step down, as he was holding the whole party to ransom.
Next week parliament is due to discuss the issue and the president, who denies any wrongdoing, could potentially face impeachment.
A parliamentary debate on a damning report that suggested South African President Cyril Ramaphosa may have breached the constitution was scheduled for Tuesday but has been pushed back by a week.
Ramaphosa allegedly concealed a theft from his farm, according to the report. His spokesperson called the story “flawed,” and he denied any wrongdoing.
According to a decision made by the House of Representatives programming committee on Monday night, the discussion will take place on December 13 to allow lawmakers to travel to Cape Town, where parliament is located.
Although the ruling ANC party has stated it would vote against any attempt to impeach President Ramaphosa, the debate over the report may determine whether or not to do so.
A court ruling stating that any actions made by parliament in response to the publishing of the report are unconstitutional and unlawful was requested by the president on Monday.
If approved, the order would be applicable to the parliamentary vote on whether to begin impeachment proceedings.
This is coming days after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesman said he will not resign over allegations that he kept large sums of cash on his property then covered up its theft.
“President Ramaphosa is not resigning based on a flawed report, neither is he stepping aside,” Vincent Magwenya said.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa is fighting back after being politically harmed by allegations that he hid a large sum of foreign currency in a sofa on his game farm and then covered it up.
He has rallied his governing African National Congress (ANC) to back him in parliament, while his high-powered legal team is attempting to overturn a panel of legal experts’ damning findings against him in the biggest scandal to rock his presidency.
Former spy chief Arthur Fraser is Mr Ramaphosa’s accuser, and his allegations against the president appear to be straight out of a John le Carré novel – except that they are contained in statements he made to law-enforcement agencies and have been included in the panel’s report, which parliament will consider.
Mr Fraser alleged that a close aide of Mr Ramaphosa, Bejani Chauke, brought “large sums” of US dollars from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, and Equatorial Guinea, and, adding to the intrigue, he alleged that the aide hid the money in a couch at his home in a plush suburb in South Africa’s main city Johannesburg, before taking the cash to Mr Ramaphosa’s game farm with his “full knowledge and acquiescence”.
But in a nightmare for the president, robbers, allegedly working in cahoots with one of his employees, stole what is “speculated” to be somewhere between $4m (£3.3m) and $8m.
That is small change compared to the spymaster’s other allegation – that a whopping $20m was “moved” to a South African citizen, whom he named, after he asked police to investigate the president.
While some would dismiss Mr Fraser’s claims as nothing more than a good bed-time read, they have given Mr Ramaphosa a huge political and legal headache, as about eight bodies – including the central bank – became involved in investigations.
Mr Ramaphosa has denied any wrongdoing, and the panel – led by a former chief justice – said it could not “verify” the allegations, while “the President has rightly criticised the evidence contained in Mr Fraser’s statements as full of hearsay”.
Mr Chauke had also denied the allegations.
What Mr Ramaphosa did admit was that $580,000 had been stolen from his farm in February 2020.
While Mr Fraser alleged that this was part of the cash previously stashed in Johannesburg, the president gave a completely different version of events – that his lodge manager had sold 20 buffaloes to a Sudanese businessman on Christmas Day 2019,and this was the money stolen.
But in a blow to Mr Ramaphosa, the panel said there was “substantial doubt” that this sale took place, noting that neither the lodge manager nor the Sudanese national had confirmed this is what happened.
“We think that the President has a case to answer on the origin of the foreign currency that was stolen, as well as the underlying transaction for it,” the panel added.
It also questioned whether only $580,000 was stolen, saying the information at its disposal suggested that an apprehended suspect had confessed to stealing $800,000, while an investigator, in an audio clip, mentioned an amount of “20 million”.
“Whether the investigator was referring to US$ or ZAR [South African rand] this amount is far more than $580,000 that was alleged to have been hidden inside the sofa [at the president’s farm],” the panel said.
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES Image caption, South Africa’s president is seeking re-election as the governing ANC’s leader later this month
The panel said that in another “troubling feature”, the theft was neither reported to local police as an “ordinary crime” nor to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), the police unit responsible for stamping out money-laundering and organised crime in South Africa.
The panel said this was despite the fact that, in its view, the president, as the farm’s owner, was required by the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act to report it to the DPCI.
It believed there were grounds for an impeachment committee of parliament to investigate whether or not Mr Ramaphosa had committed a “serious” violation of the Act, which, the panel noted, imposes a fine or a prison sentence on anyone who fails to report a theft of more than 100,000 rand that they become aware of.
“A person who keeps huge sums of illicit money concealed at his or her house is unlikely to report the theft of such money for fear of being discovered that he or she is involved in money laundering,” the panel said.
“For this reason, the legislature considered it prudent to require any person who has knowledge of the commission of the offence of theft to report it,” the panel added.
The panel also concluded that the head of Mr Ramaphosa’s bodyguard unit, Gen Wally Rhoode, put together a team that “surreptitiously” investigated the theft, tracking down suspects in Cape Town and across the border in Namibia.
Despite this, no-one has been prosecuted or convicted of the theft, the panel’s report said, adding: “All of this occurs amid accusations of torture and bribery of the suspects to buy their silence.”
The panel also said that the information before it suggested that Mr Ramaphosa had sought the help of his Namibian counterpart, Hage Geingob to apprehend a suspect, and Gen Rhoode had travelled to Namibia as part of the investigation.
The panel said it had noted that Mr Geingob’s office issued a press statement earlier this year denying any wrongdoing on the Namibian leader’s part, but “significantly” it did not deny that President Ramaphosa had approached him.
“Nor does it deny that the request was acceded to,” the panel added.
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES Image caption, Mr Ramaphosa, 70, became president in 2018 on a promise to fight corruption
In another damaging blow to Mr Ramaphosa, the panel went on to say that the South African leader “abused his position as Head of State to have the matter investigated and seeking the assistance of the Namibian President to apprehend a suspect”.
As if that was not enough, the panel said it appeared that Mr Ramaphosa had “thrust himself into a situation where there was a conflict of interest between his official responsibilities as the Head of State and as businessperson involved in cattle and game farming” and he had “acted in a manner that was inconsistent with his office”.
As a result, the panel felt there were sufficient grounds for parliament to establish an impeachment committee – which would have the power to subpoena witnesses, and documents – to carry out further investigations, before deciding whether or not the president should be removed from office for endangering “our constitution and the rule of law”.
“The authority to impeach is deeply rooted in the principle of accountability,” it said.
However, Mr Ramaphosa has challenged the panel’s report in South Africa’s highest court, the Constitutional Court, with his lawyers describing it as “unlawful” and saying it should be annulled.
And in a sign of his strong position in the ANC as he seeks a second term as party leader later this month, its top leadership body has ordered its MPs, who form a majority in parliament, to vote against the report’s adoption because of the court case.
The law states that a president can be impeached only if his alleged violations of the constitution and law are “serious”.
Mr Ramaphosa’s many supporters will be hoping that South Africa’s most senior judges rule in his favour, and, at most, he is accused of minor transgressions.
As for the stolen money, its current whereabouts are unclear.
Namibian police reported – according to the panel – that they had identified bank accounts, lodges, houses and vehicles suspected to have been purchased with the proceeds of the crime, while Mr Fraser alleged that Gen Rhoode had “seized” cash in Namibia, although the president’s main bodyguard has “emphatically denied that he investigated the theft of money”.
An eyewitness to the flood said that some of the 30-plus congregants were standing on rocks in the river on Saturday when a torrent of water surged through.
In South Africa, nine people were killed and eight others were missing after a flash flood in a river swept away worshippers attending a church ceremony.
An eyewitness said that some of the more than 30 congregants were standing on rocks in the river on Saturday when a torrent of waterrushed through.
According to the witness, the pastor was saved after clinging to an overhanging tree branch while being carried away.
On Sunday, rescuers resumed their search in Johannesburg’s Jukskei River. During South Africa’s rainy season, it is notorious for flooding.
The search operation involves the police and fire service as well as specialist aquatic rescue teams.
After recovering two bodies on Saturday they have so far found seven more on Sunday, Robert Mulaudzi, spokesman for the City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services, told reporters.
Victor Ncube, who had been taking part in the church service, told the local news station eNCA that he managed to pull five people out of the river who had been swept 100 metres downstream.
Others had been carried too far down the river for him to try to save them, he said.
Of the 33 who had been at the service, eight are still unaccounted for, officials say.
