LOCAL As foot and mouth disease spreads, minister of agriculture, land reform and rural development Thoko Didiza has banned all movement of cattle throughout SA. Any disregard for the movement ban is a criminal offence. Didiza’s decision is to halt cattle movement from one property to another for any reason for a period of 21 days, reviewable weekly. On Tuesday the department reported 116 outbreaks of foot and mouth disease […]
LOCAL Two Fish Hoek police officers who were recorded seemingly assaulting an unarmed man in the Western Cape town will appear in court on September 30, said the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) on Tuesday. “The officers were seen in a social media post at the weekend assaulting a member of the public. They will face a charge of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm,” said Ipid spokesperson […]
LOCAL Like intoxicated drivers battling to walk without stumbling, bees found to have been exposed to pesticides struggle to walk in a straight line. Dr Tlou Masehela, in an article in South Africa, a heritage portal, says bees are important because they sustain populations of wild plants that support most biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Masehela is responsible for genetically modified organism (GMO) monitoring and research work at the SA National Biodiversity Institute. “Bees are […]
LOCAL Police Minister Bheki Cele has admitted that there is a shortfall in service delivery in his department due to staff shortages. Cele was addressing police members during the provincial launch of Operation Phethisa in Bloemfontein. Cele said from 2010 to date there has been a shortage of approximately 20 000 police officials. More than 400 vehicles have been procured to assist with service delivery in various departments of the […]
LOCAL There is still no justice for mineworkers killed during the Marikana massacre outside Rustenburg in the North West. This was a popular sentiment at the event to mark a decade since the massacre of 34 Lonmin mineworkers. The event was held at the infamous Marikana koppie, where the mineworkers were shot and killed by the police on 16 August 2012. Ten more people were killed in the preceding days. […]
LOCAL The man accused of the rape and murder of Tazne van Wyk, aged 8, from Elsies River will continue with his testimony in the High Court in Cape Town on Wednesday. Moyhdian Pangkaeker, again denied the murder charge against him in the dock on Tuesday. The accused previously pleaded not guilty to 27 charges. Tazne went missing in February 2019 from her home and her body was found in a […]
INTERNATIONAL William Samoei Arap Ruto, deputy president of Kenya since 2013, has been declared winner of a keenly contested election in East Africa’s powerhouse. Ruto won the election by a narrow margin, garnering 50.49 percent of the votes to his closest challenger Raila Odinga’s 48.85 percent. “I stand before you despite intimidation and harassment,” Wafula Chebukati, chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) said early Monday evening. “I […]
INTERNATIONAL In the back office of his travel agency in rue Belouizdad in Algiers, Mohamed reviewed one last time the list of his clients who were about to cross the Algerian-Tunisian border. The reopening of the land border that had been closed since March 2020 following the coronavirus pandemic, was announced on 5 July by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in the presence of his Tunisian counterpart Kais Saied, on the occasion of the 60th […]
INTERNATIONAL More than 50 human rights organisations have called for an end to the "pressing attacks" being mounted by the United States and Israel on the United Nations commission investigating racial discrimination and repression against the Palestinian people. Last year, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) established an "ongoing" international commission of inquiry to investigate Israeli violations of international humanitarian law. 'Israel, backed by the United States, has always sought to undermine or sabotage […]
VOC became the first Muslim radio station in South Africa when a special events license was granted to the station in Ramadan/January 1995. Subsequent temporary broadcast licenses were granted, permitting the station to broadcast for 24 hours.
