News24 brings you the top 7 stories of the day.
Graphic: Sharlene Rood/News24
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.
From left to right: Leon Louis van den Berg,Abram Engelbrecht and Pieter Stander during the student activist Caiphus Nyoka murder trial at Benoni Magistrate’s Court on 2 December 2024. Stander and Engelbrecht have been found guilty of the 1987 murder.
OJ Koloti/Gallo Images
Two apartheid police officers guilty of activist Caiphus Nyoka’s 1987 murder
- Former apartheid cops Pieter Stander and Abram Engelbrecht were found guilty of the 1987 murder of student activist Caiphus Nyoka.
- Another former cop,Leon van den Berg,was found not guilty in the same case.
- Johan Marais,another former police officer,was previously sentenced to 15 years for his involvement in the murder.
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American television personality Jeff Zausch,somewhat known for his appearances on the reality show ‘Naked and Afraid’,has released a viral video claiming he’s found proof that white farmers in South Africa are victims of a “genocide”.
Screencapture/Instagram/X
US reality TV contestant claims ‘proof’ of white genocide... during R150k SA safari
- A US reality TV contestant,Jeff Zausch,posted a viral video from South Africa alleging a “white genocide” based on a visit to the Witkruis memorial.
- Zausch’s claims are contradicted by crime data,research,and even lobby groups focused on violence against white farmers,which indicate farm attacks are primarily driven by criminal motives,not racial ones.
- While acknowledging the seriousness of rural violence in South Africa,the article emphasises that Zausch’s allegations of genocide are not supported by evidence or international legal definitions.
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The holiday mansion in Limpopo originally built by former chair of the National Lotteries Commission Alfred Nevhutanda using lottery funds.
Elmon Tshikhudo/GroundUp
Former Lotteries Commission boss Alfred Nevhutanda used Lottery money for holiday mansion
- Former National Lotteries Commission chair Alfred Nevhutanda used Lottery funds to build a luxury holiday home in Limpopo,later selling it to an “innocent party.”
- Nevhutanda also misused Lottery funds to purchase lavish assets,including a R6.3-million Rolls-Royce Phantom and a R27-million mansion in Pretoria.
- Additional investigations revealed that Lottery funds were used for a R1-million office park unit in Polokwane and R2.2 million for a property purchased in his name rather than his church’s.
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Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla (L) and Nonkululeko Mantula. Zuma-Sambudla,a former MK Party MP,is accused of luring a group of 18 men to Russia and then helping convince them to sign contracts,written in Russian,that compelled them to fight for Russia. Mantula,a senior SAfm broadcaster,is accused of allegedly recruiting South Africans to serve in the Russian military.
Graphic: Sharlene Rood. Images: Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images; Nonkululeko Mantula/Facebook; Datawrapper.de
EXPLAINER | Men recruited for Russia’s war: Links between Zuma-Sambudla and Mantula?
- Two separate cases have emerged in South Africa involving the recruitment of South Africans into the Russian military,with Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla and Nonkululeko Mantula at the centre.
- Mantula has been formally charged under the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act,while Zuma-Sambudla is under investigation following a human trafficking complaint,with both cases potentially violating laws against mercenary activity.
- The cases differ in their specifics,with Zuma-Sambudla accused of luring men under false pretenses to fight in Ukraine and Mantula accused of facilitating travel and recruitment,but both highlight the illegality of recruiting South Africans for foreign wars.
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Ready to hit the road for the holidays? Fill up before Wednesday to save a couple of rand per tank.
Peter Titmuss/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Fill up now: Fuel price hikes confirmed for Wednesday
- South African petrol prices will increase by 29c per litre on Wednesday,while diesel prices will increase by as much as 83c per litre.
- The increase is due to higher international petrol and diesel prices caused by unplanned refinery outages,despite a slight decrease in the average Brent crude oil price and a stronger rand.
- Illuminating paraffin and LP gas prices will also increase,impacting consumers further.
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Robin Smith bats for England in a Test against the West Indies in 1995.
Graham Chadwick/Getty Images
SA-born former England cricket star Robin Smith dies
- Former England batsman Robin Smith has passed away at the age of 62.
- Smith played 62 Tests for England,scoring over 4 000 runs with nine centuries.
- He had a long and successful county career with Hampshire,retiring in 2003.
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Thinus Ferreira explains why DStv’s bouquet is at risk of collapse...
MultiChoice
ANALYSIS | Why DStv’s bouquet is at risk of collapse
- DStv’s subscriber base is shrinking,leading to less revenue and subsequent cost-cutting measures that reduce the quality and quantity of channels offered.
- Global media companies are disinvesting in linear TV channels in Africa,opting to focus on streaming services,which results in fewer available channels on DStv.
- Canal+’s acquisition of MultiChoice has brought about aggressive cost-cutting,potentially leading to the loss of channels as MultiChoice becomes more selective about what it’s willing to pay for.
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*These summaries were written with the support of Gemini Pro AI.
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