Morning Newsletter -

Top News of the Day: Elton Jantjies released on R1000 bail | Big Winners at Billboard Awards

Morning Newsletter, Newsroom / May 16, 2022 May 16, 2022

Elton Jantjies, a flyhalf Springbok player, is said to have spent 10 minutes banging on the toilet door of an Emirates Airlines flight from Dubai to Johannesburg until his fists bled. He reportedly told an air hostess hiding in the cubicle, “Komaan, my skat” (Come on, my darling) while banging on the door.

According to witnesses for News24, “Jantjies was unsteady on his feet and that there was blood all over the toilet door and that his blood-stained fists smeared some of the seats as he made his way to his seat after he was unable to breach the door”.

Jantjies was returning from a family holiday in Turkey and is said to have been “walking in a clumsy way”. Passengers could not understand why Janjties used the toilets in economy class as he was seated in business class.

Once the plane landed, Jantjies was arrested at O.R Tambo international airport in Johannesburg. He was released on R1000 bail.

On Sunday evening, In Toach Sports released a statement on Twitter saying that “the incident has been unnecessarily heightened”. According to In Toach Sports, a “light was damaged” while Jantjies was on board the plane which triggered the “bloody” incident.

View the press release here.

Meanwhile, in entertainment news, the Billboard awards show took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday. Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, Kali Uchis, and AleXa were some of the stars who attended the event hosted by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. Drake, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, and Doja Cat were among the big winners while Mary J. Blige was given the Icon Award.

Here are the top trending stories of the day.

Headline: ‘Come on, my darling’: Bok flyhalf bloodied knuckles on door as ‘terrified’ air hostess hid in loo – News24 (for subscribers)

Headline: Fuel thieves siphon off millions from Mpumalanga Eskom power station – Daily Maverick

Headline: Tributes pour in for well-known Gospel musician Deborah Fraser – EWN

Headline: Lies are so much SA’s norm that even good people can’t COPE with the truth – Times Live

Headline: Billboard Music Awards 2022: Complete winners list – USA Today

Headline: Megan Thee Stallion Wins Top Rap Female Artist At 2022 Billboard Music Awards – Essence

Headline: Orlando Pirates reach CAF Cup final despite shock home defeat – EWN

Headline: Man City comeback keeps title in their hands, Tottenham into top four – EWN

Image credit: Gallo Images

Top News of the Day: Mabuza “stop the blame game” | Trevor Noah morns death of his beloved Gogo

Morning Newsletter, Newsroom / May 13, 2022 May 13, 2022

Deputy President David Mabuza has encouraged South Africans to “stop the blame game” and “find solutions” to fix load shedding.

This week Eskom implemented Load Shedding stage 2 at night and says that not a single power station is running at full capacity.

At the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Thursday, EWN comments that Mabuza has said that the people who were put in charge of Eskom has “failed” the government for many years by not making sure there was a reliable power supply.

“Let us all work together. It’s pointless to point fingers at each other and leave the challenges. It’s up to this generation to stand up and solve this problem. We’ll be failing the nation, we’ll be failing the people if we continue pointing fingers at each other and not solving the problem.”

While Mabuza focuses on finding solutions, Pravin Gordhan, Minister of Public Enterprises empathizes with South Africans.

Gordhan blames the recent power outages on a lack of experienced engineers and insufficient equipment.

“It is well understood among engineers who understand power stations, who understand boilers, who understand turbines that a lot of wrong things were done operationally speaking during a particular period in Eskom’s history and that is what is now being fixed and that takes time,” he said.”

Meanwhile, in entertainment news, Trevor Noah morns the death of his beloved grandmother, formely known as “Gogo”. The Daily Show host published a lengthy tribute to Instagram about his late gradmother, paying tribute to her life and the impact she made in Soweto. “Every moment spent with her felt like a magical journey through time where she would recount all of the family’s greatest joys, losses, achievements and milestones.”

Here are the top trending stories of the day.

Headline: SA’s electricity crisis | Gordhan responds to Godi’s criticism – eNCA

Headline: Let’s stop the blam game and find solutions to fix Eskom, says Mabazu – EWN

Headline: Trevor Noah Posts Touching Tribute to His Late Grandma ‘Gogo’ – Complex

Headline: Kanye SHADES Kim Kardashian, Kete Romance Getting HOT & More! – E! News

Headline: Chiefs brace for tricky Sekhukhune clash – Sowetan Live

Headline: Tottenham 3-0 Arsenal: Spurs increase top-four pressure on Gunners with victory – BBC

Headline: FA Cup final and Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend – The Guardian

Headline: FRIDAY BRIEFING | Where is the ANC renewal, Ramaphosa? Eastern Cape conference proved it’s all hot air – News24

Image credit: Pixabay

Top News of the Day: Eskom new generation capacity needed | Kendrick Lamar drops another clue for the highly anticipated album launch

Morning Newsletter, Newsroom / May 12, 2022 May 12, 2022

In a media briefing on Wednesday, Eskom’s CEO André de Ruyter addressed load shedding and the new generation capacity of “between 4 000 MW and 6 000 MW of power” which must be added to the grid.

According to News24, Eskom’s Energy Availability Factor (EAF) is 62%, compared to a target of 74%. Acting generation chief Rhulani Mathebula said the current power plants “were not performing at full capacity”. Unplanned failures and Eskom’s scheduled repair strategy all contributed to the poor EAF.

In the next few weeks, Eskom will put two units back into service at the Kusile power station. Unit 2 at Koeberg is expected to be back in service by the end of June 2022. Unfortunately, this will only add 2,500MW to the system.

“Unit 2 at Koeberg, together with the two-generation units expected to return to service after modification and correction of the design defects on one unit and repairs to the flue gas desulphurisation technology on the other unit at Kusile, will significantly ease the demand pressure in time for the high winter demand. These Kusile units will add a combined 1,600MW to the power system, while Koeberg 2 will add another 920MW when it returns to service by the end of June.”

During the winter, Eskom plans to have 104 days of load shedding – an increase from the prior estimate of 101 days.

Meanwhile, in entertainment news, Kendrick Lamar revealed another clue for the “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” album launch. This time he posted a family photo on Instagram which consist of his longtime fiancée, Whitney Alford and his two children. The highly anticipated fifth studio album will be released on Friday. Lamar released the first hit “The Heart Part 5” and the music video last Sunday.

Here are the top trending stories of the day.

Headline: SA’s had more load-shedding in 2022 compared to the same period last year – Times Live

Headline: Did Kendrick Lamar Just Reveal Major Personal News On His New Album Cover? – Huffington Post

Headline: Eskom’s grim warning: SA must more than double its generation capacity in just 13 years – News24 (for subscribers)

Headline: Kevin de Bruyne: ‘Unstoppable’ Manchester City midfielder welcomes Erling Haaland with celebration – BBC

Headline: We’re focusing on ourselves, not Swallows’ drama, says Lebitso – Sowetan Live

Headline: Russia-Ukraine war latest: Moscow is ‘most direct threat’ to world order, EU leader says; Finland expected to launch Nato bid – The Guardian

Headline: Nurses Day has been celebrated since 1965 – eNCA

Headline: Paris Hilton Reveals Details Of Alleged Sex Abuse At Utah Boarding School – Huffington Post

Image credit: Pixabay

Top News of the Day: CSA drops case against Boucher | Fenty Beauty & Skin coming to SA

Morning Newsletter, Newsroom / May 11, 2022 May 11, 2022

The CEO of Cricket South AfriThe CEO of Cricket South Africa, Pholetsi Moseki, said that the organization was sorry that the Mark Boucher disciplinary case came to an end on Tuesday.

CSA said that all charges against the Proteas head coach that came from the SJN report had been dropped.

“CSA is also appreciative of the fact that Mark has at all times conducted himself properly and professionally – refusing to be drawn into public debates about the charges and carrying out his duties with commitment and dedication. The performance of the Proteas men’s team over this period has been extremely impressive, particularly in the Test arena, and this speaks to the efforts of Mark, his support staff and the players.”

According to News24, CSA and Boucher have talked about how to move forward and agreed to have an open dialogue and work together to help South African cricket and CSA reach strategic goals of access, inclusion, and excellence.

Meanwhile, in entertainment news, Rihanna announced that Fenty Beauty and Skin would be made available to purchase in South Africa from 27 May 2022. The businesswoman and pop singer announced this on her Instagram page on Tuesday evening. “I’ve been waiting for this moment! @fentybeauty & @fentyskin are finally dropping in AFRICA!!! Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe.” Fenty Beauty and Skin will be available in selected Arc and Edgars stores.

Here are the top trending stories of the day.

Headline: Mark Boucher disciplinary goes up in flames: ‘CSA regrets this’ – News24

Headline: KZN floods: Why residents of Durban’s North Coast vow to ‘keep pressure’ on politicians – News24

Headline: Rihanna Announces Fenty Beauty & Skin Will Be Available in Africa: ‘I’ve Been Waiting for This Moment!’ – Billboard

Headline: We knew ‘he was guilty’: Jesse Hess’ relative who killed her must get life in jail – family – News24

Headline: Major League DJz Remember Riky Rick 3 Months After His Passing – Yanos

Headline: Fifty points could guarantee CAF spot for Royal AM or City – Sowetan Live

Headline: Jurgen Klopp urges Liverpool players to ignore what title rivals Man City do – The Indenpendent

Headline: Pussy Riot leader escaped Russia by disguising herself as a food courier to avoid authorities – Business Insider

Image credit: Pixabay

Top News of the Day: Eskom is setting a record-breaking pace for breakdowns | Travis Scott to perform at BBMAs 2022

Morning Newsletter, Newsroom / May 10, 2022 May 10, 2022

“Eskom is setting a record-breaking pace for breakdowns and the use of its expensive diesel backup generators.”

On average, load shedding occurs every 2.3 days, usually at Stage 2.

This is despite the extensive usage of pricey diesel-powered open-cycle gas turbines meant to overcome brief gaps. The planned maintenance levels are more than the previous year.

“Eskom’s data shows that its planned maintenance outages are lower as South Africa slides into winter, as per usual, but are higher than this time last year.”

Now, according to Business Tech, unscheduled outages are approaching 30 percent.

Another factor impacting load shedding is Russia’s war on Ukraine. Although Eskom has no direct suppliers from Russia or Ukraine, it has sub-suppliers from Russia. “Eskom’s Chief Operating Officer Jan Oberholzer told the media that they are concerned and evaluating the impact the current Ukraine conflict would have on the power producer.”

Meanwhile, in entertainment news, Diddy just announced that Travis Scott will be performing at this year’s 2022 Billboard Music Awards. It’ll be Scott’s first performance since the tragic Astroworld performance in November 2021. Diddy, the executive producer and host of the BBMAs, demanded that Travis Scott take the stage. The BBMAs takes place on 15 May in Las Vegas.

Here are the top trending stories of the day.

Headline: Ramaphosa warns against purging of rivals after sealing crucial backing for re-election bid – News24 (for subscribers)

Headline: Eskom is setting a record pace for outages and diesel use in May – Business Insider SA

Headline: Travis Scott to Perform at 2022 Billboard Music Awards – Pitchfork

Headline: ‘Avatar 2’ teaser trailer is finally here – Huffington Post

Headline: Star-studded Downs feel they need more – Sowetan Live

Headline: Erling Haaland: Manchester City set to trigger Borussia Dortmund striker’s £64m release clause – The Independent

Headline: Russia-Ukraine war: what we know on day 76 of the invasion – The Guardian

Headline: Climate change: Global temperature could be warmest on record in one of the next five years, Met Office warns – Sky News

Image credit: Gallo Images

Top News of the Day: Covid-19 on the rise | Verstappen wins inaugural Miami Grand Prix

Morning Newsletter, Newsroom / May 9, 2022 May 9, 2022

The number of new Covid-19 cases has risen quickly in the last week, but the number of deaths remain low.

According to Business Tech, last Saturday South Africa’s daily coronavirus test positivity rate “neared a record”. It went above 30% for the first time in almost five months, as two sublineages of the omicron variant spread quickly before the country’s winter.

Fortunately, there is no need to panic, as we’ve seen a “trend of increasing cases around July and December”.

On Sunday, 5,486 new cases were reported by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), and 21,692 tests were done. “This increase represents a 25.3% positivity rate. However, only seven deaths were reported, five of which occurred in the past 24 – 48 hours. This is in line with other reporting this week where deaths have remained below double-digits.”

In sports news, Max Verstappen, the world champion, fought off a late attack from series leader Charles Leclerc of Ferrari to win the first-ever Miami Grand Prix for Red Bull on Sunday.

“In a physically exhausting race for the drivers and teams at the Miami International Autodrome, the 24-year-old Dutchman produced a mature performance to make the most of superior straight line speed in a largely processional race until a late safety car intervention.”

His third victory of the season cut Leclerc’s championship lead to 19 points.

Here are the top trending stories of the day.

Headline: Covid deaths remain low in South Africa as positivity rate spikes – Business Tech

Headline: Happy Verstappen triumphs in sweltering Miami – EWN

Headline: Exiled Swati politician arrested for Hillary Gardee’s murder – Daily Maverick

Headline: Police officer and two patients dead after shooting inside Cape Town hospital – Daily Maverick

Headline: Watch the First Teaser Trailer for ‘Dear Mama’ Docuseries About 2Pac and His Mother – Complex

Headline: Orlando Pirates have a foot in Confed final after beating Ahli in Benghazi – Times Live

Headline: SA’S IS CRISIS | How R6bn got from spaza shops to African terrorists – Times Live (for subscribers)

Headline: Kendrick Lamar Transforms Into O.J. Simpson, Will Smith And Others In New Music Video – Complex

Image credit: Pixabay

Top News of the Day: Gardee body dumped in timber plantation | ASAP Rocky drops new music video “D.M.B.”

Morning Newsletter, Newsroom / May 6, 2022 May 9, 2022

Hillary Gardee was found dead in a timber plantation about 40 km outside of Mbombela in Mpumalanga on Tuesday. She had wounds on her head.

Julius Malema, the leader of the EFF, believes Gardee was murdered as part of a criminal conspiracy.

News24 interviewed Dr. Guy Lamb, a criminologist specializing in political science, discussing the circumstances surrounding her murder.

Dr. Lamb believes the motives for her murder are unclear at this stage.

“The kind of issue here is you have a young woman who is killed and is killed under very suspicious circumstances that were clearly murder because there is a firearm. And it’s clear that it was sort of an assassination-style murder that happened. But what the motivations are, certainly is unclear.” said Dr. Lamb.

He further stated that femicide is usually done by someone who was in a relationship with the victim. “One thing we do know about femicide within South Africa is it’s typically an intimate partner, or former intimate partner or someone who has a particular obsession with a woman or a girl.”

Meanwhile, in entertainment news, ASAP Rocky dropped his new single and music video for “D.M.B.”. The music video features Rihanna, who appears in the nearly five-minute video. “Will you marry me?” is what Rocky proposed through his grill. Rihanna, on the other hand, is seen using the same grill format to say “I do”.

Here are the top trending stories of the day.

Headline: Q&A | Criminologist on Hillary Gardee’s death: ‘It’s typically an intimate partner’ – News24 (for subscribers)

Headline: Will Transnet be the next Eskom? Industry warns rail is in free fall in SA – News24 (for subscribers)

Headline: Kim Kardashian on Being “Teachable” Amid Met Gala 2022 Backlash – E! News

Headline: A$AP Rocky PROPOSES to Rihanna in New Music Video – E! News

Headline: Load-shedding set to continue through the weekend – Times Live

Headline: Madikizela paints his slate as anti-establishment underdogs as ANC EC conference begins – Times Live

Headline: Mngqithi reckons Zwane and Sheppard have improved Chiefs – Sowetan Live

Headline: Tammy Abraham downs Leicester as Roma reach Europa Conference League final – The Independent

Image credit: Facebook and Twitter

Top News of the Day: Autopsy confirms Gardee shot in the back of head | Madrid defeat Man city with two goals in the final minutes

Morning Newsletter, Newsroom / May 5, 2022 May 5, 2022

Mpumalanga police defended themselves on Wednesday, claiming that not publicizing Hillary Gardee’s shooting did not imply they were ignorant of it.

“A team comprising different disciplines within the police has been assembled by the provincial commissioner in Mpumalanga, Lt-Gen Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, to investigate the matter. The investigation is under way with a view to arrest whosoever is involved. The police in Mpumalanga are at no stage going to reveal the stages of the investigation to the public but to the relevant family. It is against this backdrop that police request space to investigate this gruesome murder without any disturbance,” said Col Donald Mdhluli.

After the police were criticized by the Gardees, who said that only after her death did they learn that she had been shot execution style in the back of her head.

The spokesperson for the Gardee family, Sinawo Tambo, said Hillary was shot, but police didn’t notice.

“We had gone to get an update from the postmortem in terms of what happened to Hillary and we have received information that the bullet wound was in the back of her head, which means that she was shot almost execution style.”

Meanwhile, in sport news, Real Madrid beat Manchester City by 3-1 in an exhilarating game on Wednesday night. French player Karim Benzema scored “an extra-time penalty” to help Real Madrid beat Manchester City and reach the Champions League final against Liverpool.

Here are the top trending stories of the day.

Headline: We didn’t need to share details of Hillary’s murder, say cops after criticism by family – Times Live

Headline: Man City have to accept madness of football – Guardiola – News24

Headline: The new Covid rules and restrictions for South Africa – including mask mandates – Business Tech

Headline: Pravin Gordhan floats risk of stage 8 load-shedding – Business Live (for subscribers)

Headline: Man accused of tackling comic Dave Chappelle on stage is charged with assault – Daily Maverick

Headline: 50 Cent, Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg, and More React to Images of Injured Dave Chappelle Attacker – Complex

Headline: The US supreme court is ready to overturn the right to an abortion. What happens next? – The Guardian

Headline: Ukraine war: 300 civilians evacuated from Mariupol after Russia opens humanitarian corridors – Sky News

Image credit: Pixabay

Top News of the Day: Cele launches a 72-hour plan to find Gardee’s murderer | Justin Bieber teases new album release

Morning Newsletter, Newsroom / May 4, 2022 May 4, 2022

Hillary Gardee, 28, the daughter of former EFF secretary-general and lawyer Godrich Gardee, was found dead in Mpumalanga on Tuesday.

According to News24, Gardee disappeared last Friday at the Nelspruit Plaza Super Spar in the central business district around 17:30.

Since her body was discovered, Bheki Cele, visited the crime scene on Tuesday evening and launched a 72-hour activation plan to find her killer. Thus far, the Police department cannot confirm what happened, but it looks like she was abducted and murdered brutally. “Cele says police are working tirelessly to ensure justice for the murder.”

Meanwhile, in entertainment news, Justin Bieber has confirmed that his new album is “almost done.” and will be released soon. The Grammy award winning artist said that fans can expect collaborations from artists like John Mayer.

“He’s someone who I’ve looked up to for a long time. So we were at Henson the studio, and I was working on this song and he came in and he’s like, ‘Can I go in the booth?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, bro, go in.’ And so he went in the booth and then he came out and he laid a guitar solo and it was just like, it was mind-blowing to see him actually operate in his gift like that, being able to like see it first-hand, because like he is on another level. It’s insane.”

Here are the top trending stories of the day.

Headline: Police launch 72-hour activation to find Gardee’s killer – eNCA

Headline: SA ranked 6th country most affected by cybercrime, research finds – Times Live

Headline: Chief Justice Raymond Zondo slams advocate Teffo’s arrest – eNCA

Headline: Justin Bieber Teases ‘Mind-Blowing’ Collaboration With John Mayer – PopSugar

Headline: Kris Jenner reacts to Blac Chyna lawsuit verdict – Bang Showbiz Video

Headline: Zwane: The win was not pleasing on the eye – Kick Off

Headline: Manchester City forward Mahrez tipped to score against Real Madrid in Wednesday’s Champions League clash – Goal

Headline: Roe v. Wade abortion rights protests follow US Supreme Court leak – DW

Image credit: Flickr

Top News of the Day: Star- Studded Met Gala 2022 | South Africa recovers R12.6 million from Sassa grants

Morning Newsletter, Newsroom / May 3, 2022 May 3, 2022

Top News of the Day: Star- Studded Met Gala 2022 | South Africa recovers R12.6 million from Sassa grants

The Met Gala is one of the most anticipated fashion events of the year, and this year was no exception. The star-studded affair is a benefit for New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Met Gala 2022 theme is “In America: An Anthropology of Fashion”. The theme pays homage to a “period of prosperity, industrialization and growth in US from 1870 to 1890”.

Blake Lively looked stunning in a beaded Versace gown with an oversized satin bow that unfolded to reveal a light blue train. Billie Eilish, the singer, wore a Gucci bodice with green lace sleeve. Singer Alicia Keys wore a black Ralph Lauren cape with silver beads that looked like the city’s skyline.

In local news, Sassa recouped R12.6 million from almost 3 000 grantees. According to News24, “there has thus far been no consequences for state employees who have been found to receive grants they did not qualify for.” Further investigations are going forward to see whether over 100,000 civil servants were eligible for the grants they received.

Here are the top trending stories of the day.

Headline: Stars sparkle at Met Gala in New York – eNCA

Headline: All The Looks From The 2022 Met Gala Red Carpet – Elle Magazine

Headline: R12.6 million recovered from state employees who received Sassa grants – News24 (for subscribers)

Headline: Everybody knows the deal is rotten: With Zondo almost over, it’s time for the ANC’s (re)action – Daily Maverick

Headline: Is the Chiefs burden too heavy for Zwane’s shoulders – Sowetan Live

Headline: Villarreal v Liverpool: Does Unai Emery get respect he deserves? – BBC

Headline: South Africa’s latest surge is a possible preview of the pandemic’s next chapter – New York Times

Headline: Vladimir Putin’s Samson option spells disaster of biblical proportions – Daily Maverick

Image credit: Getty Images