Banyana Banyana suffered a 3-0 loss to the US in the first of the two friendly games played at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati on Friday.

ALSO READ: Sundowns’ Sirino is in limbo as transfer window hits deadline day

The opening minutes of the game saw Banyana play with some flair and confidence against the former world champions.

Banyana managed to exchange the ball nicely between each other, while creating a couple of attacks using Thembi Kgatlana and Jermaine Seoposenwe’s pace, but the forwards attempts at goals weren’t fruitful

Lebogang Ramalepe also tried a long range shot in the 22^nd minute, but it went just wide pf goals.

The US scored two quick goals just after the half-hour mark. Lynn Williams opening the scoring in the 32nd minute before Trinity Rodman followed with the second just two minutes later.

Banyana now had a mountain to climb, with the hosts now enjoying the lead and enjoying possession.

The South Africans started to get frustrated as a few players got booked, and the US managed to score the third goal with Williams grabbing a brace just before half-time.

Banyana were eager to fight their way back into the match, with captain Kgatlana continuing to cause problems for the US defence with her pace.

The South African skipper made some good runs on the right side of their attack, but all her crosses failed to find her teammates, with the US managing to clear the danger.

With over 60 minutes played, there was still no goals in the second period from both ends.

Banyana coach Desiree Ellis brought in some fresh legs as Banyana try to find goals, while the defence and keeper Kaylin Swart made sure no more goals would get in.

However, time was not on the visitors side, as the US remained solid at the back.

Ellis and her Banyana charges will be looking for a better performance in the second friendly match which will be played at Soldier Field in Chicago on Sunday.

Cape Town racing folk must surely be ombrophobes by now. That’s the word for people who hate or fear rain.

Wet weather has been the bane of the city in recent months, with what locals are calling “the hundred-year rain”.

News reports in June quoted weather experts as saying, at that stage, Cape Town had had more rain than in the previous 47 years – and no-one seems to have the energy to update that figure as they stare gloomily at more clouds rolling in from the ocean.

Race meetings have been postponed, abandoned and curtailed. The Durbanville season has been hammered – with water from the heavens and from an underground stream beneath the country course in full spate.

ALSO READ: KZN racing rescue plan gets the green light

Ombrophobia is reaching crisis levels with the first major Durbanville meeting of the term looming this weekend – and the R200,000 Listed Hollywoodbets Settlers Trophy topping the card. Heritage Day is the
inspiration for a planned festive occasion, with braaing and potjiekos playing a key part and organisers hoping for a big turnout.

When Tuesday’s meeting was called off after three races – due to a dangerous wet area on the track, 600m from the winning post – out-of-the-box thinker Greg Botz and his Cape Racing team came up with the bright idea to deploy “covers” on critical areas of the track. Big party tents have been pitched to protect precious bits of turf from predicted rain on Thursday and Friday.

And hydro engineers are busy digging trenches to drain water from the soggiest parts.

The good news is that no precipitation is predicted for Saturday itself, when a smart field goes to post in the Settlers.

Zackey reacts to critics

As is usual when racing is disrupted by rain, some members of the hoi polloi have blamed local jockeys for being too “soft” and scared to work in the mud – apparently in contrast to their US and UK counterparts who cheerfully keep riding in slop.

Top jockey Craig Zackey hit back in a Sporting Post Facebook post, pointing out that it was the inconsistency of the Durbanville surface that had made conditions perilous recently.

“We would race any day of the week on a track that’s slosh, but it must be consistently that! Not where the track is soft with a very bad inconsistent softer patch,” said Zackey.

He also said the jockeys were not ninnies and were desperate to race as they were losing out financially with no rides.

Minister of Communications Mondli Gungubele has reassured those who receive social grants they will still get their money, despite the mass exodus of execs at Postbank.

Postbank was thrown into chaos earlier this month after a technical glitch to its payment systems left thousands of pensioners and social grant recipients unable to collect their money from ATMs, the post office, or retailers. Postbank distributes grants on behalf of the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa).

This was followed days later by the resignation of five board members.

Speaking at a media briefing in Pretoria on Thursday, Gungubele said the changes upstairs at Postbank would not affect grant payments.

ALSO READ: Social grant payments: System migration root cause of Postbank glitches, says Gungubele

“We wish to ensure social grant beneficiaries and the nation that the changes in the Postbank board will not have an impact on any of our operations or the capacity of the Postbank.

He said Postbank had informed the department all Sassa grant beneficiaries whose accounts had been affected had now been corrected. He said the glitch would not affect payments next month.

“We will start the October payments in less than two weeks. We have started preparing to ensure we do not encounter the challenges that were experienced this month. Our officials will continue engaging to make sure we are ready to pay on time next month”.

‘Oppressive and hostile’ attitude

In a letter to Gungubele, disgruntled board members accused him of an “oppressive and hostile” attitude.

ALSO READ: Postbank board resigns over ‘hostile and oppressive’ Gungubele

They said recent events between them and Gungubele led them to resign with immediate effect.

“No self-respecting board can perform any meaningful work with the level of interference, undue pressure and influence that we’ve had. This obviously has deeply disturbed us,” read part of the letter.

The key man for the Springboks in Saturday’s Test against Ireland is Kwagga Smith.

He will only fill a place on the bench, but if the Boks are to get the better of Ireland in their World Cup clash in Paris, I suspect it will have something to do with Smith.

Versatility

Firstly, the Boks are able to select a bench with seven forwards and only one back because they have so many versatile players in their squad, something that puts them apart from other teams. Not all squads have the luxury to do this.

Personally, I don’t think the Boks are taking a risk at all by going this route.

The advantages of picking the replacements they have for this match are obvious and let’s be honest, how often has this squad, since Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber have been in charge, needed, and used, three backs on the bench?

The game against the All Blacks a few weeks ago was a dress-rehearsal for this clash, and Rassie and Jacques knew exactly what they were doing going into that match. And it worked. In fact, I’m sure they’ve been thinking about 7-1 for a long time.

Kwagga Smith

Right, Kwagga Smith. A little guy with a huge engine that just keeps on going and going. He can play wing and he can play 12.

When we were at the Lions he featured out wide on a regular basis, along with Jaco Kriel. They have the speed and power.

We know he can play wing, but 12? The key thing is what do you want from your 12? A guy that will make his tackles, carry the ball up, get over the gainline, and then still compete at the breakdown … that’s Kwagga.

The other thing is he understands space because he played so much Sevens rugby, and that’s why he can slot in nearly anywhere. He’s the perfect person to have on the bench if you’re going to go 7-1 in the replacements.

With the equally versatile Deon Fourie and Marco van Staden in the mix, the Boks are well covered up front, with Kwagga the insurance policy at the back.

The only danger is if two or three backs get injured. But Faf de Klerk, Damian Willemse and Kurt-Lee Arendse can play in more than one position and Cobus Reinach should be fine at 9 or on the wing.

Boks’ toughest opponents?

Regarding the game itself, Ireland are very similar to the Boks, and that’s why they’ve been the best and most consistent of the northern hemisphere sides in the last few years, and been one of the Boks’ toughest opponents.

There’s been consistency in selection, in the coaching team, they’ve backed experience, and they play a structured game, with the pack laying the foundation. Their kicking game is good and they’re tactically astute … sounds like the Boks, right?

They like to keep the ball for long periods and grind teams down, but the Boks with their pressure game and their forwards, and that bench which will lift the intensity in the second half, can match Ireland. And I think they will ultimately get the better of them.

It’s a great Bok team up against a quality Ireland team. Enjoy.

Brad Binder is counting on the scorching heat to be Red Bull KTM’s biggest ally at this weekend’s inaugural Indian MotoGP.

The setting for the Grand Prix is the Buddh International Circuit in Dankaur, situated 50 km southeast of New Delhi. The weather forecast for Saturday is 32 degrees, with a whopping 34 degrees predicted for Sunday.

“I’ll be watching the weather with keen interest as it looks like it’s gonna be hot. It’s exciting because our bike has been good in the heat,” Binder said during this week’s official MotoGP pre-race press conference.

Brad Binder excited

Binder added that he looks forward racing at the untested 5km layout. Inaugurated in 2011, the track has 13 corners and boasts a 1 006m straight, one of the longest in MotoGP.

It hosted three Formula 1 Grands Prix from 2001 to 2013, while the 2013 World Superbike Championship scheduled to be held there was cancelled due to operational changes to the circuit.

ALSO READ: Brad Binder upbeat over KTM’s progress during MotoGP testing

“The track looks cool and racing on it should be fun. It is always exciting to try something,” Binder said.

“We’ve been given extra time to try and figure thing out and I think we should be in for a good weekend.

“The people are very passionate about our sport. They have amazing knowledge about all the riders and their bikes.”

ALSO READ: Brad Binder backs Kyalami to host Formula 1 and MotoGP races

Safety first

Asked by local media if he can beat his MotoGP speed record of 366.1 km/h, set in June at Mugello, on the long straight, the KTM man was cautious to make any predictions.

“It goes downhill, so there might be a chance. But an incline at the end could kill off,” said Binder.

“But making sure you brake sufficiently before taking the corner is always more important than straight line speed.”

ALSO READ: WATCH: Brad Binder sets new benchmark around Kyalami

The South African star is still fourth in the title race on 173 points. With Francesco Bagnaia (283) and Jorge Martin (247) out of touching distance, he will fancy his chances of reeling in third-placed Marco Bezzecchi (218) in the last eight remaining rounds.

Carbon on hold

Binder confirmed that KTM is not ready to use the carbon chassis on the RC16 bike that was used during official testing after the San Marino MotoGP. He set the third fastest time at the one-day event at Misano.

The Austrian outfit is pulling out all the stops to capture the elusive MotoGP rider’s title. There has even been rumours that six-time premier class champion Marc Marques could join them in 2025.

ALSO READ: Bagnaia lauds Brad Binder for his actions in ‘lucky’ MotoGP escape

“It is a bit tricky to say when we will use it, but we are in a bit of a hurry to try is before next season,” Binder said.

“Most importantly, our biggest complaints have been touched during the testing.”

Both Saturday’s sprint race and Sunday’s main races are scheduled to start at 12pm.

AmaZulu FC have bolstered their squad ahead of the end of the transfer window deadline with the signing of centre-back Taariq Fielies on a permanent deal.

ALSO READ: Sundowns’ Sirino is in limbo as transfer window hits deadline day

Fielies joins Usuthu from Cape Town City, where he has been playing since 2017.

The club announced the signing of the 31-year-old defender on Thursday.

“We are excited to officially announce Taariq Fielies as our new signing. The centre-back joins us on a permanent agreement,” the club wrote on their social media platforms.

Fielies says he is happy to be part of the Usuthu squad and has promised the fans that he will give his best whenever he puts on the club jersey.

“My name is Taariq Fielies, a centre-back, your new signing. I would just like to thank the club for bringing me on board. And I guarantee you that I will give my all whenever I put on the jersey. I’m looking forward to meeting the fans,” the defender said in a video posted by the team.

ALSO READ: No late transfer dealings for SuperSport despite Fleurs exit

Fielies becomes the second signing for AmaZulu this week after the club acquired the services of former Orlando Pirates midfielder Ben Motshwari.

He will be available for the club’s next DStv Premiership game against Polokwane City away from home on 25 September.

The club has had a decent start into the new season, recording two wins, three draws and one loss in their last six games – which puts them in position seven on the log with nine points

Former Eskom CEO Matshela Koko and his co-accused have argued for the R2bn corruption case against them to be struck from the roll because of delays.

Koko, his wife Mosima, daughters Koketso Aren and Thato Choma, and local attorney Chris Coetzee were among those who appeared in the Middelburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Thursday.

At the centre of the case is an alleged dodgy contract awarded by Eskom to Swiss-based Engineering company Asia Brown Boveri (ABB) for the construction of Eskom’s Kusile Power Plant.

ALSO READ: Matshela Koko’s arrest will test Zuma loyalties

The defence told the court delays had frustrated the case and asked it be taken off the court role and only reinstated on written instruction by the Attorney General. It argued the matter had been on record for almost a full year and should not be postponed further.

The state said it was ready to proceed with trial in the high court, once racketeering charges had been added, but asked for a further postponement of four months to get statements from overseas witnesses.

According to the Middleburg Observer, the defence argued extraditing accused and witnesses in the UK, Germany and the US could take up to three years and further delay proceedings, but the state said this was not crucial for the trial to go ahead.

It said the state was in possession of more than 80 million individual pieces of reading materials, equalling more than 14 terabytes of data, related to the case.

ALSO READ: So Eskom, how is the reliability maintenance coming along?

Judgment on the defence’s application to remove the case from the court roll is set to be handed down on 29 September 2023.

State Capture

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, in his Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture report, found Koko was central to the capture of Eskom. He recommended Koko be criminally investigated over several dodgy tenders.

Koko accused the commission of bias against him and filed a review application in the Gauteng High Court. He argued he always only had Eskom’s best interests at heart, and certain comments and findings in the report should be set aside.

Almost every adult South African – 98 out of 100, to be precise – is now considered financially included, which means they have access to at least one financial product, but even as we celebrate that fact, it unfortunately does not tell the whole story.

As the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), tasked with ensuring consumers receive fair treatment from financial institutions, we care not only about how many South Africans are financially included, but also about what that means.

That is one of the reasons we commissioned the Retail Financial Customer Behaviour and Sentiment study, involving a nationally representative survey of 1 200 respondents.

The findings provide valuable insights for all industry stakeholders striving to improve customer outcomes in the financial sector and show that access to financial products is no longer the primary bottleneck.

The quality of outcomes must now take centre stage.

The research shows clearly that while nearly all South Africans may now have access to some form of financial product, most are using them passively.

Among the banks, for example, upwards of 70% interact with their account just once a month, typically to withdraw all deposited cash which they then use to conduct day-to-day transactions.

Such “mailbox-account” use means the account holder’s ability to be more deeply included in the financial sector is limited, as is their ability to access more beneficial services such as savings facilities, loans and insurance.

It also leaves South Africans more vulnerable to crime and limits their ability to save, earn interest and access other benefits offered by the sector.

Unsurprisingly, our research also shows that only about half of South African adults have any kind of formal savings product currently.

The remaining half do not save at all, or rely solely on informal savings like stokvels.

Adoption of insurance remains low, with nearly half remaining uninsured and of those who do have insurance, the majority (63.4%) only possess funeral insurance.

Take-up of other insurance products like medical, income protection or disability cover is extremely limited.

These insights tell us – and should also tell institutions operating in our sector – that there is tremendous opportunity still to create value and meaningful financial inclusion for customers.

But why should we worry at all about engagement?

Engagement is important because deeper financial inclusion drives economic growth because citizens who can leverage the power of financial tools like savings accounts and credit facilities are able grow their own businesses or comfortably minimise the shocks that life throws at us.

The fact that half of adult South African have no savings facility or show that they strongly prefer informal avenues such as stokvels over formal products tells us that our institutions still have a way to go to bridge the trust gap with their clients.

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi admits his team will have to be at their absolute best if they are to beat the top ranked side in World Rugby, Ireland, in their Rugby World Cup pool match at the Stade de France on Saturday night.

It is a blockbuster clash between the top two ranked teams and could be a preview to the final should both teams advance to and make it through what will be a tough quarterfinal stage.

ALSO READ: ‘Manie is great at so many things,’ says Kolisi ahead of Boks-Irish clash

Neither side has played each other much recently, with last year’s clash in Dublin, which Ireland won 19-16, the first game between the two since 2017, so it will be interesting to see how Saturday’s game pans out.

“I think this is as big as it gets. We are playing the number one team in the world in the World Cup. That is what you dream about as a child,” said Kolisi.

“They are an amazing side. They have won 15 in a row so it’s going to take the best of us to beat them. I am looking forward to it and I can see the excitement all around the world, everybody is keen for this game.”

Mind games

Where the Boks will likely get a leg up on the opposition is their preparation, with SA Rugby director of rugby Rassie Erasmus and coach Jacques Nienaber putting in a ton of work while also playing some impressive mind games ahead of the match.

“The amount of work they (Erasmus and Nienaber) put in with their coaching staff is ridiculous. The amount of information we get, if we play on a Saturday on the Sunday we already have stuff ready (about the next game). I always see them at seven o’clock sharp, they are always in meetings,” explained Kolisi.

“The information (we get from the coaches) is exactly what we need to know. Rassie gets us as people, he gets us as human beings, he reminds us exactly what we do and who we are doing it for.

“To have somebody who has also played at this level and sits there and thinks about rugby, but he also thinks about some of the mistakes he made when he played and he is not scared to share that. Whatever you are going through he is always there.”

The result of this weekend’s match will likely decide the top two places in pool B, with the Boks final pool match against Tonga, while Ireland will face Scotland in their last pool game.

The young people boycott elections and political participation because parties have nothing that appeals to the youth, causing them to pursue other things.

This is the view of political scientists, who said the voter apathy by young people as found by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) should not be a surprise because the youth were changing focus away from politics.

They said the high youth unemployment rate and lack of economic opportunities for them has worsened the situation.

Masego Sheburi, IEC deputy chief electoral officer: electoral matters, said the youth voters were thin on the voters’ roll.

He said all South Africans should be concerned with the under-representation of young people on the roll as their numbers were dwindling.

As at the end of August, the voters’ roll had 25.9 million voters of which 55% were females and 45% were males.

Political expert Prof Ntsikelelo Breakfast questioned what future lies ahead for the country if young people were not voting or at least registering as voters.

Another political analyst, Sandile Swana, said South Africans had been losing interest in politics as far as the 1999 general election where the Thabo Mbeki-led ANC received an overwhelming two-thirds majority.

He said the ANC victory then was based on declining voter space and political participation.

“So the loss of interest in politics, whether by the youth or any other group of voters, was due to political parties that had no political programmes for the young people,” Swana said.

The IEC’s Voter Participation Survey for the mid-year estimates of 2019 reported that the youth (aged 18-34) constituted almost a third of the (17.84 million) of South African population.

It is understandable that the IEC undertook a drive to encourage the youth to register to vote.

Breakfast said young people didn’t want to be involved in politics because they realised they were not benefiting anything from politics.

“It’s concern because one of the hallmarks of democracy is public participation. So if young people don’t participate in politics, it begs the question as to what kind of democracy are we going to have because young people are future leaders.”

France scrumhalf Antoine Dupont may have broken his jaw in a high tackle that forced him off the pitch in the 96-0 World Cup thrashing of Namibia on Thursday, coach Fabien Galthie said.

The influential Dupont, who had earlier scored a try, left the pitch in Marseille in the 46th minute nursing his right cheekbone after Johan Deysel made a badly-timed head-on-head tackle and was sent off.

“We have a suspected cracked or fractured jaw. We will wait for scans before moving forward,” said Galthie.

The loss of 26-year-old Dupont, widely regarded as one of the best players in the world, would be a severe blow to host nation France’s chances of winning the Rugby World Cup for the first time.

‘Unfortunate accident’

Namibia coach Allister Coetzee called Deysel’s tackle an “unfortunate accident”.

“This is the way the game’s going,” said ex-Springbok coach Coetzee. “It’s unintentional, it happened so quickly.

“Dupont is not the tallest guy. Johan is a clean player, he’s got no record of cards in the past, and he’s a great defender.

“It’s not unfair, but it’s a pity it happened to him. He’s the captain, he’s a brave player, he’s the glue of the team and he feels it.”

Coetzee added: “It was an accident, an unfortunate one and we had to take that on the chin. He’s cut up right now.”

Galthie admitted that the injury to Dupont had taken some of the gloss off a French record 14-try victory at Marseille’s Stade Velodrome.

“Of course when one of our players gets injured, we’re never happy, we’re always extremely concerned,” he said. “It’s not the same thing as if we had no injuries.”

Galthie, who sent a text message to Dupont at the start of the post-match press conference, bristled when questioned if he’d thought about replacing the scrum-half at half-time

“I knew I was going to be asked this,” said the former France captain. “The programme was to change the two props.

“You can’t change all 15 players at half-time. Our plan was that we’re going to rotate the rest of the squad around the 55th minute.

“It was all about giving players game time so they don’t stay inactive for a month. This team wanted to be out there playing.”

France flanker Charles Ollivon said it was obvious Deysel’s tackle on Dupont was a nasty one.

“It was pretty late and his head was hit,” Ollivon said. “It was immediately clear to everyone.”

English referee Matthew Carley initally handed Deysel a yellow card, which was upgraded to red by the bunker review system.

‘Horror movie’

It left Namibia to play the final 35 minutes reduced to 14 men as France ran amok.

Damian Penaud scored a hat-trick of tries while Jonathan Danty, Ollivon and Louis Bielle-Biarrey each scored two apiece and Dupont, Thibaud Flament, Baptiste Couilloud and Melyvn Jaminet all also crossed for tries, with a late penalty try completing the rout.

Thomas Ramos hit 12 conversions as the hosts completely dominated the side ranked 22nd in the world, consigning them to a 25th straight World Cup defeat.

“I must say that’s definitely hurting, a bit of humiliation from our side,” Coetzee said.

“Every little mistake got punished and this is what you can expect from a quality side like France. You couldn’t put pressure or punch. When we had the ball we coughed it up, we kicked poorly, just simple basics and we weren’t good enough on that.

Coetzee said their goal of targeting Uruguay in Lyon on September 27 for a first-ever World Cup scalp was “still alive”.

“It’s a short turnaround but we have to regroup as quickly as possible. This has been a bit of a horror movie, but we’ve got to get it out the way as quickly as possible and focus on the next one,” he said.

“I’m sure when you get the result next week, this will be forgotten for us and it’s mission accomplished for us.”

South Africans have become used to day-time reprieves from load shedding, but all-day rolling blackouts are back on Friday, 22 September.

Eskom announced Stage 1 load shedding from 5am to 4pm on Friday, followed by Stage 2 from 4pm on Friday to 5am on Saturday.

It said load shedding was necessary because of “anticipated planned maintenance to address minor generation defects”.

The power utility is set to announce the power schedule for the long weekend on Friday.

Load shedding in summer?

Electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa previously warned hot weather may lead to more load shedding.

READ MORE: Here’s which parliamentary committee the electricity minister will report to

“We know when we enter summer it could be a function of ambient temperature. The hotter it gets, it’s very difficult for some of these units to perform, and Matimba is a prime candidate for partial load losses that are likely going to increase in the more extreme hot periods.

“But it’s something that is receiving attention to ensure that we don’t fall foul of such a situation. A lot of engineering solutions will be required.”

He moved to “clarify” his comments during an appearance before parliaments this week.

“What I said was when we get into warmer days, we are going to get an increased partial load loss. This simply means the generating units are not generating to their full capacity. 

“This has to do with the cooling powers, fans, and the direction they are facing, which undermines the ability of the unit to approximate their design life,” said Ramokgopa.

The cost of load shedding

Just last week SA battled stage 6 load shedding, sparking fears of stage 7 being implemented.

READ MORE: So Eskom, how is the reliability maintenance coming along?

Ramokgopa said stage 6 load shedding cost the economy R1 billion a day when implemented.

“The Minister of Finance (Enoch Godongwana) makes the point that one of the structural constraints to the South African economy is load shedding, so clearly the economy won’t recover. 

“It is going to continue to push people into conditions of abject poverty, out of employment and the economy will continue to threaten the social wage,” said the minister.

says his statement that hot weather was one of the reasons affecting the performance of Eskom’s generating units and leading the country getting high stages of load shedding has been misconstrued. 

The glitches that caused delays in South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) payments to some beneficiaries have been corrected after more than two weeks.

This week, the National Assembly’s portfolio committee on social development demanded assurances from Sassa and Postbank that the glitches would not be repeated during the next payment cycle.

Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Mondli Gungubele and Lindiwe Zulu, Minister of Social Development, were reassuring.

READ: System migration root cause of Postbank glitches, says Gungubele

Gungubele said, according to a report by Postbank, all Sassa grant beneficiaries whose accounts had been adversely affected by system challenges on 5 and 6 September had now been corrected and measures were already being taken to ensure the glitches would not be repeated in October.

Refiloe Ntsekhe, Democratic Alliance Gauteng shadow MEC for social development, said there was no justification or excuse for the funds not being paid on time.

“Nothing can excuse this. I’m disgusted, they should hang their heads in shame for failing the vulnerable children and elderly people in South Africa,” she said.

She knew of an elderly man who slept at an ATM for days, waiting for grant money. “Others had to borrow money to go back and forth to get their grants,” she said.

Political analyst Piet Croucamp said the issue of whether the department of social development and Postbank could deliver Sassa grants effectively was not a new feature in the state’s involvement in service delivery and poverty relief.

“It’s unfortunate. The minister can blame Postbank and Postbank can blame the system, but these things should have been planned for and the process should have been tried and tested,” he said.

Croucamp said these were the type of tragedies in the run-up to the 2024 elections that the government and ANC will hopefully have to fully account for in the end.

Tshwane residents who have water were warned to use it sparingly after some reservoirs were reported empty or critically low, following a power trip at the Zuikerbosch Water Treatment Plant this week.

The current water shortages were just another drop in the bucket of water woes, as residents across Tshwane have been struggling with frequent water cuts the past few months, as the municipality and Rand Water passed the bucket of responsibility.

City of Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo has called on the residents to adopt water-saving measures to reduce high water consumption and avoid a total collapse of the system as reservoirs continue to run low.

Mashigo said the thunderstorm and power failure incidents occurred while the city’s and mainly Rand Water’s systems were under severe strain due to the current high water consumption.

“On Thursday, Rand Water informed the City of Tshwane about their Zuikerbosch Water Treatment Plant, which had experienced a power trip that affected production,” he said.

Mashigo said the disruptions in operations were due to severe thunderstorms on Tuesday night. “Attempts to restart the plant revealed faults along the overhead power lines supplying the plant,” said Mashigo.

“The power failure resulted in the loss in production of 2 000 million litres of water per day.”

This load reduction impacted all municipalities supplied by the Zuikerbosch – including the cities of Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg.

Mashigo said Tshwane reservoirs were currently not receiving any flow from Rand Water.

He said, as a result, Akasia, Bakenkop, Blair Athol, Brakfontein, Carina Street Reservoir, Corobrick Plant, Erasmia, Hatherley meter, Klapperkop, Kosmosdal Connection, Laudium, Atteridgeville HL, Lotus Gardens, Louwlardia, Mabopane, Magaliesberg, Mnandi, Raslouw, Rooihuiskraal, Saulsville, Soshanguve L, Sunderland Ridge and Wonderboom reservoirs were impacted.

However, water expert Prof Anja du Plessis said yesterday water utilities and municipalities should stop using consumers as scapegoats for water problems.

“They have ended up pointing fingers at each other, and now are pointing fingers at the consumers,” she said.

Du Plessis said the so-called water shortage has been happening for the past two years.

“We were sitting with the same issue last year in September and October, because it’s still dry. People are trying to revive their gardens, so the consumption does go up during this period,” she said.

“However, is that not the sole issue or cause for the perfect storm that Gauteng was sitting with once again?

“Rand Water reported that Zuikerbosch was offline due to a trip in electricity. What we should be asking is, do they have a backup pump and where it is?

“Last year it was only the high-lying areas, and the system recovered faster.”

Du Plessis said it wasn’t a case of consumers using too much water.

“Yes, there is a higher level of consumption but it’s not the sole cause. It is because of dilapidated water infrastructure, pipe bursts, leakages and two decades of neglect,” she said.

Du Plessis said 30% to 40% of water was lost before it reached the consumer due to leakages, pipe bursts and old, dilapidated infrastructure.

“Blaming the consumer is hiding behind the truth. This is not a new issue,” she said Du Plessis added that blaming the wind and the rain for the mess they were sitting in was hard to believe.

“What is the real problem?” she asked.

Questions are being raised following the deaths of submariners on Wednesday.

Altogether, seven South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members died on the same day, with three from the navy and four from the army.

“There’s always some element of the general public who immediately blame what they see as ‘obvious’ causes and to assume incompetence after an accident like this,” said Darren Olivier, African Defence Review director and defence analyst.

“‘Why exercise in rough seas’ has been one that I’ve seen.”

Lieutenant-Commander Gillian Elizabeth Hector (executive officer), Master Warrant Officer William Masela Mathipa (coxswain) and Warrant Officer Class One Mmokwapa Lucas Mojela (coxswain in training) from the SA Navy died when they were swept off the bow of the submarine SAS Manthatisi at about 2.30pm.

READ: Monster waves and an air ambulance: Inside the daring rescue to save 7 mariners swept out to sea

Hector was SA’s – and Africa’s – first female submarine navigator.

“Real life isn’t so simple. Military personnel are required to do extremely risky tasks in the course of their duties and being adequately prepared means practicing them as often as possible in the most realistic conditions possible, including in rough weather and bad seas,” Olivier said.

“Although care is taken to reduce risk it can never be entirely avoided during realistic training. Knowing where to draw the line between conditions realistic enough for good training and dangerous enough that the situation is no longer controlled is a tricky balance and seldom obvious.”

According to the navy, the Manthatisi was en route to Cape Town from Kommetjie, when high waves swept seven crew members out to sea while conducting a “vertical transfer by means of a SA Air Force Maritime Lynx helicopter”.

The NSRI from Kommetjie was dispatched. All seven were recovered but there were three deaths, with one senior officer in critical condition.

The remaining members, including a surface swimmer, are currently in hospital.

“Something went badly wrong; something that defeated the navy’s normal and well-tested procedures for this type of operation,” said Olivier.

“We may not have a full picture until the inquiry is completed, but it’s unlikely to have been a simple and straightforward cause. It’s important, however, that lessons be learned from this and incorporated into the navy’s training.”

In a separate incident on the same day at about 5.20pm in the Northern Cape, four SANDF members died when a front tyre burst of the broken-down Samil 50 they were in while being towed.

The four were ejected from the vehicle, which rolled over them. Another two were critically injured, with another nine suffering minor injuries.

All the members were from 8 SA Infantry in Upington.

SA National Defence Force Union national secretary Pikkie Greef said the facts surrounding the incidents were unclear “and no doubt the SANDF will be conducting an inquiry”.

Prevention is better than cure, it is said, yet Johannesburg has seen a devastating trend of fire outbreaks over the last few weeks.

From the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital fire in 2021 which led to closure of the facility for many months, to Wednesday’s fire incident at the SA Revenue Service building in the Joburg CBD, horrific fires seemingly reflect the lack of maintenance of civil and local government properties.

In June, a fire broke out in the Florence Nightingale building in Hillbrow, which claimed the lives of two children who had been locked in a flat.

Last month, a fire at the Usindiso building in Joburg left 77 people dead and many injured. Just last week, another fire broke out two blocks away from the Usindiso Building.

The fire started out on the ground floor of a three-storey building in which residents had set up shacks in the building suspected to have been hijacked.

A commission of inquiry into what caused the Joburg CBD fire has since been established by Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi.

City of Joburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said the EMS unit conducted building inspections regularly.

WATCH: Smoke, devastation and prayer on the frontline with firefighters ‘saving a nation’

He said they would check, in terms of the fire service bylaws, whether buildings were compliant or not, and would provide recommendations if there was a need for a building to be closed or evacuated.

“We only focus on the fire safety component of the inspection. That is our jurisdiction. There are other departments, like building compliance. We just form part of the team,” he said.

“We do have records which we can provide to say … how many and which buildings we have inspected from last year up to now.”

Political analyst Goodenough Mashego said the fires in Joburg were a result of lack of governance, and the fact that there was no political stability in the city made it difficult for senior public servants to do their jobs.

“When it comes to management of all these assets, inspection of buildings, installation of meters, collection of revenue, functioning of JMPD (Johannesburg Metro Police Department), City Parks, Rand Water and Johannesburg Water, those are functions done by municipal officials,” said Mashego.

WATCH: Fire guts parts of Pretoria restaurant

“But given the fact that coalitions are done with horse-trading for positions in the public service, it is not easy for people to do their job. The buildings often catch fire because somebody is [passing the buck].

“I also think it is political. It could be done to discredit mayor Kabelo Gwamanda or the coalition governance, so the whole administration collapses and they can start another horse-trading.”

Mashego claimed there was lack of inspection and also high corruption in the inspectorate itself. “These buildings are there. Everybody knows them,” he said.

“When people who are supposed to go there to inspect them are given money, they are not going to come up with a report which says the building must be closed down.”

The Joburg EMS proactive directorate notes on its page on the city’s website that Joburg’s rapid expansion has led to an increase in the number of fire-related emergencies “because of poor adherence to fire safety precautions and fire code applications by the building industry”.

READ: Two Eastern Cape families die in shack fires

News today includes Pravin Gordhan rejecting recommendations from Eskom’s board to replace former CEO Andre de Ruyter.

Meanwhile, the repo rate will remain at its current level, giving retailers less of an “excuse” to hike food prices, and SABC to get another bailout.

News Today: 22 September

In today’s weather update, South Africa will be bracing itself for a diverse weather palette, ranging from thunderstorms to extreme heat – full forecast here.

Stay up to date with The Citizen – More News, Your Way.

DA Blames ANC for Eskom cadre deployment

Eskom continues to be without a leader after Minister of Public Enterprises, Pravin Gordhan, rejected recommendations from the power utility’s board to replace former CEO Andre de Ruyter. 

News24 reported the reason Gordhan rejected the board’s recommendation was it had only shortlisted one candidate instead of three. 

Gordhan’s spokesperson Ellis Mnyandu confirmed this and noted the shortlisting requirement was part of Eskom’s Memorandum of Incorporation.

CONTINUE: DA blames ANC cadre deployment committee for Gordhan rejecting Eskom CEO recommendation

Repo rate

The repo rate will remain at its current level of 8.25% per year after three members of the South African Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee voted to keep rates on hold, while two members preferred an increase of 25 basis points.

South African Reserve Bank (Sarb) governor, Lesetja Kganyago, announced the decision of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) on Thursday afternoon. 

CONTINUE: Repo rate unchanged after split vote

Meanwhile, the unchanged repo rate gives retailers less of an “excuse” to hike food prices while consumers buckle under a crushing financial load as they profit.

“It is concerning that our food retailers seem to have been hiking their grocery prices and not dropping them in line with inflation coming down, especially with two-thirds of the nation struggling to put enough food on the table to feed their families” Neil Roets, CEO of Debt Rescue, says.

READ: Unchanged repo rate means retailers have less of an ‘excuse’ to hike food prices

SABC to get another bailout

Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Mondli Gungubele says cash-strapped South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) will once again get a bailout. 

Gungubele said the bailout will ensure the public broadcaster carries out its broader responsibilities, especially covering the upcoming elections in 2024.

The minister was answering questions in Parliament during an oral reply session.

CONTINUE: SABC to get another bailout to carry out its ‘broader responsibilities’ ahead of 2024 elections

Monster waves and an air ambulance

Rough seas and the sound of helicopter blades cutting the air added to the chaos as rescue workers rushed to save seven members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) washed overboard on Wednesday.

The navy mariners were participating in a navy exercise near the Slangkop Lighthouse in Kommetjie, near Cape Town at the time of the incident.

The defence department said the mariners’ submarine was en route to Cape Town while conducting a vertical transfer exercise.

CONTINUE: Monster waves and an air ambulance: Inside the daring rescue to save 7 mariners swept out to sea

Water, hot weather and load shedding

A storm that ravaged parts of Gauteng this week not only left many without power, but others without water. No injuries were reported but trees were uprooted and homes, cars and property were damaged in the storm.

Pretoria was hardest hit, with residents in Hammanskraal and surrounding areas left in the dark after a power station was struck by lightning and gutted by fire.

CONTINUE: Not only power blackouts, Gauteng storm also wreaked havoc with water supply

Meanwhile, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says his statement that hot weather was one of the reasons affecting the performance of Eskom’s generating units and leading the country getting high stages of load shedding has been misconstrued. 

Ramokgopa, who appeared for an oral reply at the National Assembly, suggested his statement had been taken out of context. 

CONTINUE: Ramokgopa clears ‘confusion’ on hot weather and load shedding comments

And if you woke up without electricity on Thursday, here’s why.

In other news today:

• ‘No loopholes’: Parliament starts process to impeach judges Hlophe and Motata
• Pay attention: This is how cyber criminals trick you
• Calls for risk assessment of Joburg CBD buildings after several ‘mind-boggling’ fires

Yesterday’s News recap

READ: Malema’s gun, protests, govt’s overspending, several fires

The confirmation of South Africa’s hosting of the upcoming 20th US-sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) has been hailed as good news for the country.

While trade union federation Cosatu and an economist said the news was “a confidence-building development for the local economy and business”, an independent political analyst yesterday said America wanted to strengthen its sphere of influence in Africa.

Against the background of an earlier diplomatic spat between SA and US ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety, independent political analyst Sandile Swana said SA’s hosting of Agoa was “not a sign that there is friendship and peace between South Africa and the US”.

“This is an American response and realisation that Africans are starting to be able to do as they please in the world of geo-politics,” said Swana.

In promoting Agoa, with South Africa playing a prominent role, Swana said the United States “relative to South Africa, has little options”.

“The hosting of Agoa in South Africa is the US way of sending a message to the world that they have their own ‘Brics Summit’ on an African soil to strengthen the sphere of American influence on the continent,” said Swana.

“The US is worried because African countries – particularly in West Africa – are kicking out France and other European powers, which have been exploiting them for the past 60 years of their minerals. Swana maintained that Agoa was “created as a political tool”.

“We should bear in mind that a few high-profile countries like Ethiopia have already been excluded from Agoa – countries that have now been embraced by Brics as members.

“We also need to open new markets for those companies and sectors doing business under Agoa, because Agoa is at times weaponised to force you to do what the Americans want,” he said.

“So, we do need to find alternative markets in China, India, Russia, Indonesia and elsewhere.”

Cosatu national spokesperson Matthew Parks said South Africa’s hosting of the Agoa forum was “a positive reaffirmation of the role SA must play”.

“SA has been mandated to lead the Agoa renewal negotiations on behalf of the continent,” said Parks.

Professor Raymond Parsons of the North-West University’s School of Business and Governance, described South Africa’s hosting of the Agoa gathering as “a confidence-building development for our economy and business”.

A major item on the agenda will be the future of Agoa, which is due to expire on 30 September 2025.