News24 brings you the top 7 stories of the day.
Graphic: Sharlene Rood
News24 brings you the top stories of the day,summarised into neat little packages. Read through quickly or listen to the articles via our customised text-to-speech feature.
Sithembiso Zungu,Johannesburg Council’s chief whip and councillor for Ward 122,has been accused of using his position to control development projects.
Papi Morake/Gallo Images
R135m school project crumbles as Joburg chief whip faces ‘construction mafia’ allegations
- Sithembiso Zungu,Johannesburg Council’s chief whip,is accused of using his position to halt construction projects through coercion and extortion,demanding “facilitation fees” and dictating local business involvement.
- Zungu defied interdicts,leading to a two-month prison sentence for disrupting a housing project,and is accused of stalling a R135-million school refurbishment project by demanding payments to businesses linked to his ward’s business forum.
- Zungu denies the “construction mafia” allegations,blaming his detractors for trying to tarnish his name and claiming the contractor failed to complete the school refurbishment.
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Edison Century City High School in Milnerton,Cape Town.
Chelsea Ogilvie/News24
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Cape Town parents demand refund after paying ‘fees’ at a no-fee school
- Parents at Edison Century City High School are angry after discovering they’ve been paying R1 500 annual fees to what is officially a no-fee school since 2023.
- Parents claim they were pressured into paying,some SGB members who raised concerns were ostracised,and they are demanding refunds.
- The WCED confirms the school is no-fee,stating the R1 500 was introduced as a voluntary donation by the SGB to improve the quality of education,and parents were informed of the school’s status.
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Twenty-five Cape Town teen soccer players are stranded in Portugal.
Supplied/Captured Sporting Moments
25 stranded teen soccer players ‘safe’ in Portugal as Dirco tries to facilitate return
- A group of 25 South African soccer players,aged 13-18,are stranded in Portugal after attending the Donosti Cup in Spain,as their return flights were not secured.
- The players’ parents each paid R50 000 for the trip,but logistical issues with flight reservations left them without confirmed return tickets.
- The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) is aware of the situation and is exploring ways to assist,while BT Academy claims visa appointment delays impacted flight arrangements.
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Oupa John Sefoka,known as DJ Sumbody,was murdered in November 2022.
Gallo Images/Oupa Bopape
Sandton businessman arrested for DJ Sumbody hit
- It is understood that Katiso “KT” Molefe has been arrested in connection with the murder of DJ Sumbody.
- Molefe and others are already awaiting trial for the murder of Armand Swart.
- Two of Molefe’s co-accused also face charges related to an attempted murder of Tebogo Thobejane.
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More than 200 FlySafair pilots are expected to go on strike this week.
Darren Stewart/Gallo Images
FlySafair scraps flights amid wage strike,says pilots earn up to R2.3m already
- FlySafair confirmed that 8% of its flights were cancelled on Monday due to pilots reporting they would not fly.
- More than 200 FlySafair pilots are expected to strike for two weeks after rejecting the airline’s wage agreement offer.
- Solidarity is advocating for industry-competitive salaries and has raised concerns about changes to the roster system impacting pilots’ leave.
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Des van Jaarsveldt during the opening ceremony of the Springbok Experience museum at V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on 27 March 2013.
Carl Fourie/Gallo Images
Oldest living Springbok dies at 96
- Des van Jaarsveldt,the oldest living Springbok and captain of the team in his only Test match,has died at the age of 96.
- Van Jaarsveldt captained the Springboks to victory against Scotland in 1960 and was the only Rhodesian to ever captain the team.
- The SA Rugby Legends Association paid tribute to Van Jaarsveldt,acknowledging his profound impact on the game and his continued support.
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Miss SA organisers announced the postponement of the event which was set to take place in August this year.
Frennie Shivambu/Gallo Images via Getty Images
Miss SA in trouble? Pageant postponed after CEO exit and shaky plans
- Miss South Africa 2025 has been postponed from August to a later date in 2025 to align with international events.
- The Miss South Africa organisation aims to broaden the pageant’s reach by expanding its pillars to include entrepreneurship,job creation,cultural awareness,and social cohesion.
- The postponement follows the resignation of CEO Stephanie Weil,leading to fan speculation about the reasons behind the changes and potential impact on Miss Universe 2025 participation.
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*These summaries were written with the support of Gemini Pro AI.
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