Johannesburg in the News 22 October 2024

South African subsidiary of Zee honours unsung achievers: Zee TV Africa’s newest channel Zee Zonke has honoured 28 unsung community achievers in diverse fields who feature in an inaugural series on the channel.

Their stories are being told in the 15-part series ‘Amaqhawe – Our Heroes) on Zee Zonke, the only TV channel in South Africa’s largest spoken indigenous language, isiZulu. It is simultaneously being aired across the African continent on Zee Africa.

“With Amaqhawe, we have tried to create a platform to celebrate heroes of our nation who are doing their bit to make this country a better place for all of us, which many aspire for, but not many take the plunge in doing our bit,” said Somnath Malakar, Chief Executive Officer at Zee Entertainment……continue reading HERE

‘Do the right thing’: ActionSA wants Gwamanda removed as MMC: ActionSA is calling for Joburg mayor Dada Morero to “do the right thing” and remove Kabelo Gwamanda as community development MMC after he was arrested in connection with an alleged funeral policy scam he ran through his company, iThemba Lama Africa, by selling policies to Soweto residents in 2011.

Gwamanda was arrested after a victim opened a case against him in January, claiming they could not find the company offices to claim their payouts.

“We are asking Gwamanda to step aside, and we are also imploring the mayor of Johannesburg, Dada Morero, to do the right thing. He is the only one who appoints the MMC, and in this case he is also the only one who can remove an MMC,” ActionSA Joburg regional chairperson Nobuhle Mthembu said in an.…continue reading HERE

South Africa bows to Chinese pressure to move Taiwan office, analysts say: South Africa’s decision to further downgrade relations with Taiwan, comes as the dominant political party, the African National Congress, or ANC, strives to reassure longtime ally Beijing after the formation of a coalition government, analysts tell VOA.

South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation confirmed last week it had asked Taiwan to move its unofficial embassy – called the Taipei Liaison Office – out of the capital Pretoria.

In a statement, the department said the liaison office would be rebranded as a trade office and moved to the economic hub of Johannesburg, which would “be a true reflection of the non-political and non-diplomatic nature of the relationship between the Republic of South.…continue reading HERE

President Lula cancels trip to Russia after domestic accident and will attend BRICS Summit via videoconference: Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Workers’ Party) suffered a domestic accident and canceled his trip to Russia scheduled for this Sunday (20). According to the Planalto Palace, the cancellation follows medical advice due to a temporary impediment to long-term air travel.

Chemical agent identified after food poisoning kills 6 children in South Africa: South Africa’s National Department of Health identified a “chemical agent” as the likely cause of death after six children died from food poisoning in Naledi, Soweto, a government official said on Monday.

“After careful analysis, the investigation team concluded that we are dealing with a chemical agent,” said the department’s spokesperson Foster Mohale, adding that it must be identified as a matter of urgency.

Mohale said the department deployed an investigation team of 80 members, with environmental inspectors and health inspectors from the National Department of Health and the City of Johannesburg, as well as law enforcement members trained by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases.…continue reading HERE

Chiefs Legend Let Go By The Club: South Africa. The former football legend, his mother and uncle tragically passed away in a car accident while travelling to funeral in KwaZulu-Natal.…continue reading HERE

‘Decade of CIO Service’ winners honoured: The winners of the “Decade of CIO Service” awards were announced last Thursday, during the annual ITWeb Brainstorm CIO Banquet.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the CIO Banquet. Celebrating a decade of excellence, ITWeb Brainstorm and MTN Business introduced two new awards to honour the vital contributions of IT leaders in South Africa’s private and public sectors.

Louise van der Bank, CIO of AfriSam, emerged as the winner in the enterprise category, while Dr Stanley Mpofu, CIO of the University of the Witwatersrand, made his mark in the public sector category.

The duo received recognition for their outstanding contributions to the industry, leveraging IT for.…continue reading HERE

Concerns raised over fraud charges against Gwamanda: The Speaker of the City of Johannesburg, Nobuhle Mthembu, has expressed significant concerns regarding the charges faced by former Joburg mayor, Kabelo Gwamanda who is now the current MMC for Community Development.

Gwamanda was arrested on 18 October 2024 in connection with an alleged funeral policy scam that reportedly scammed a community out of funds over a decade ago, before his political career.

Mthembu stated that the City’s ethics committee is seeking guidance on investigating possible breaches of the Councillor’s Code of Conduct by Gwamanda.

“Upon being sworn into council, councillors are required to sign a pledge where they commit to honour and be faithful to the rules and laws of the Republic of South Africa. The.…continue reading HERE

The funeral service of Pastor Ray McCauley, and more from around the world: Police during the South African flag tribute during the Funeral Service Of Pastor Ray McCauley At Rhema Bible Church on October 19, 2024 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Summit expected to discuss financial cooperation: Progress in BRICS financial cooperation to facilitate international trade is expected to be made at the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, according to South African analysts.

“It is expected that there would be a follow-up on the Johannesburg declaration on the options or road maps and local currency payment systems to allow all members to trade with one another with local currency to reduce the US dollar volatility and provide options to help navigate the fragmented global systems,” Gustavo de Carvalho, senior researcher at think tank South.…continue reading HERE

William Kentridge argues with himself in streaming series: At the height of the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020, people all over the world were stuck by themselves (and with themselves), thinking over hard existential questions. Inside his Johannesburg studio, the South African artist William Kentridge took it a step further—making a film series in which two versions of Kentridge discuss philosophical topics and argue with each other about misremembered childhood occurrences. At times, a third Kentridge drops in to play peacemaker or explain something to the camera.

Made over the span of two years and now streaming on Mubi, the nine-episode Self-Portrait as a Coffee Pot (2022) combines humour and seriousness through dialogue (and monologue), animation, drawing, music and performance. A Dada-esque love.…continue reading HERE

Analysis: The West wants Putin isolated. A major summit he’s hosting shows he’s far from alone: Nearly three years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine saw Moscow condemned by countries globally, leader Vladimir Putin is staging a summit with more than a dozen world leaders – in a pointed signal from the autocrat that far from being alone, an emerging coalition of countries stands behind him.

The three-day BRICS summit, starting Tuesday in the southwestern Russian city of Kazan, is the first meeting of the group of major emerging economies Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa since it expanded earlier this year to include Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, and Iran.

Leaders expected to attend include China’s Xi.…continue reading HERE

Members, partners urged to flex tech muscles: BRICS countries should work together to seize the opportunities delivered by new rounds of industrialization featuring the latest technologies such as artificial intelligence, in order to improve the resilience of their economies, according to an official of a BRICS institution.

Huang Feng, executive deputy director of the Office of the Xiamen Leading Group for the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution Innovation Middle, also known as BRICS PartNIR Innovation Middle or BPIC, said that BRICS should respond to global economic uncertainty by vigorously promoting collaboration on technological innovation and its commercialization.

Emerging and strategic sectors such as telecommunications, digital services and renewable energy are.…continue reading HERE

Gwamanda’s arrest ‘meets minimum requirements for the step-aside rule to kick in’: Former Johannesburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda is out on bail on fraud charges.…continue reading HERE

Greater BRICS seeks expanded cooperation: On Aug. 24 morning last year, the Sandton Convention Middle in Johannesburg erupted with applause upon the announcement of BRICS’ historic expansion. That, Chinese President Xi Jinping said at the press conference, demonstrates “the determination of BRICS countries and developing nations to unite.”

Since the inception of the BRICS mechanism, openness and inclusiveness have remained its members’ abiding commitment. Xi has repeatedly emphasized that BRICS countries gather not in a closed club or an exclusive circle. “A.…continue reading HERE

Taiwan again rejects South African demand to move its representative office from capital: Taiwan has again rejected South Africa’s demand that it move its representative office in the country from the capital, Pretoria, to the commercial center of Johannesburg.

Where The Streets Have No Names…: The City of Johannesburg Council issued a notice of its intention to consider the renaming of Sandton Drive to Leila Khaled Drive in September 2024. The proposed name change has been met with widespread criticism by residents and businesses alike, but what are the legal principles that would regulate such a decision, and will the City of Johannesburg take heed of the policies that are in place?

The Policy on the Naming of Streets and Other Public Places within the City of Johannesburg, as revised in November 2017 (“the Policy”), was compiled in line with the provisions of the South African Geographical Names Council Act 118 of 1998 and was created with the view of providing clear guidelines, rules and procedures for the naming and.…continue reading HERE

Parties ask Joburg mayor to remove Kabelo Gwamanda as MMC: ActionSA is calling for Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero to “do the right thing” and remove Kabelo Gwamanda as community development member of the mayoral committee (MMC).

Gwamanda was arrested in connection with an alleged funeral policy scam he ran through his company, iThemba Lama Africa, by selling policies to Soweto residents in 2011. A victim opened a case against him in January, saying they could not find the company offices to claim their payout.

“We are asking Gwamanda to step aside, and we are also imploring the mayor of Johannesburg, Dada Morero, to do the right thing. He is the only one who appoints the MMC, and in this case he is also the only one who can remove an MMC,” ActionSA Joburg regional chair Nobuhle Mthembu said in.…continue reading HERE

Johannesburg: Cricket – The Wanderers Stadium is a major venue for cricket matches.