A senior North West ANC politician is in hot water for allegedly threatening to break a local councillor’s private parts, castrate him and resurrect his dead mother.  Provincial Deputy Secretary and Education MEC Viola Ntsetsao Motsumi allegedly insulted Mahikeng Ward 10 councillor Obakeng Kgonare and accused him of spreading false rumours about her.  Kgonare opened a crimen injuria case against Motsumi at the Mmabatho Police Station on Wednesday, November 20. The ward councillor confirmed to African Times that he laid…

The South African government has reasserted its authority over illegal miners and vowed to escalate its crackdown, saying they are criminal elements who took over and used abandoned mines to perpetrate crime.  President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration has refused to back down on its demands that hundreds of illegal miners holed up in a disused mine in Stilfontein near Klerksdorp in the West resurface and surrender themselves or face starvation underground.  On Thursday, national police spokesperson Colonel Athlenda Mathe insisted that…

The Ressano Garcia border, the largest Mozambican land crossing between Mozambique and South Africa, recorded a revenue loss of 400 million Meticais (€5.8 million) during its closure due to post-election protests challenging the election results. The border was anticipated to handle goods worth 1,700 million Meticais (€24.8 million) in November alone. However, according to Mozambique Tax Authority spokesperson Fernando Tinga, last week’s closure resulted in “around 400 million Meticais (€5.8 million)” in losses, leading to a “shortage” of some goods,…

Chinese Premier Li Qiang pledged to open the country’s huge market further to share more growth opportunities with the rest of the world on Tuesday as the seventh edition of the China International Import Expo (CIIE) opened in Shanghai. The business exhibition of the world’s first national-level exposition dedicated to imports has attracted about 3,500 exhibitors from 129 countries and regions this year. Notably, a record high of 297 Fortune 500 companies and industry leaders are attending the six-day expo.…

Democratic Alliance (DA) Leader John Steenhuisen’s claims that President Cyril Ramaphosa represented himself when he described Russian Leader Vladimir Putin as South Africa’s “valuable ally” are “silly” and show that the party is still pursuing the apartheid government’s foreign policy. According to Andre Thomashausen, a Professor Emeritus of International and Comparative Law at the University of South Africa (Unisa) and the former Head of the university’s Department of Public, Constitutional and International Law, Steenhuisen’s assertions also proved that South Africa’s…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has described Russian leader Vladimir Putin as a “valuable ally and a friend” who supported him when South Africa entered uncharted waters after the May general elections. He told Putin he had formed the Government of National Unity (GNU) with several opposition parties to stabilise South Africa politically after the governing African National Congress received 40% of the national vote. Putin was widely expected to use the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, to show the world…

The Forum of Limpopo Entrepreneurs (Fole) has slammed Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure MEC Ernest Rachoene’s decision to appeal a high court order reinstating Roads Agency Limpopo (RAL) CEO Gabriel Maluleke and the agency’s board.  Siviko Mabunda, a Fole secretary, said the move proved that Rachoene and Premier Phophi Ramathuba wanted to “milk RAL through the back door”.  Last week, the Limpopo Division of the High Court in Polokwane ordered Rachoene to reinstate Maluleke and the RAL board following their…

The Nigerian High Commission in South Africa has called for an improved regulatory framework and a visa regime to “scale up” trade and other relations between the two countries and their citizens.  Ambassador Alexander Temitope Ajayi, the Acting Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa, has urged the business community and ordinary people in both countries to collaborate, exchange knowledge and explore mutually beneficial opportunities.  Ambassador Ajayi has insisted that Africa would benefit greatly from stronger economic ties between its two…

Former EFF Deputy President Floyd Shivambu is expected to build Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) structures and craft policies as part of preparations for him to occupy a senior leadership role, said MK party insiders.  They said Julius Malema’s former right-hand-man was recruited to also attract the youth and black professionals, as MK President Jacob Zuma prepared a leadership core that would appeal to different constituencies and be a viable alternative to the ANC before the next elections.   Moreover, they believed…

SOME ANC branches and leaders in Limpopo have vowed to block Norman Mashabane (Mopani) regional chairperson Pule Shayi’s quest for a third term, saying it would divide the party and destabilize service delivery in the district municipality.  Instead, they said they wanted regional secretary Goodman Mitileni to take over because he was the best person to take Mopani to greater heights and solve the ongoing water crisis and other service delivery challenges.  Speaking to African Times after the Giyani Sub-regional…