🇿🇦South AfricaSouthern Africa
Helen Zille's Johannesburg Metro Centre entry sparks controversy
via The Citizen3 min read
Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille and other councillors accessed the Johannesburg Metro Centre, a building declared unfit for use almost three years ago. Zille stated her team entered the building to expose what she believes is waste within the current administration. The building is subject to redevelopment plans projected to cost R2 billion. Political opponents, including ActionSA, accused Zille and her team of violating city procedures and abusing their oversight roles, calling the conduct reckless and unlawful. ActionSA urged the city's speaker of council to pursue the matter and for City Manager Floyd Brink to lay criminal charges if laws were violated. Zille released a video showing her team gaining entry and stated her party is launching a Public Access to Information Application to view details of leases related to temporary offices. A progress report from March 19, 2026, indicates that the refurbishment project is in its early planning phases, with the feasibility study report expected to begin by the first quarter of 2027.
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Must ReadThe Border Management Authority BMA Commissioner, Dr. Michael Masiapato, confirmed the repatriation of 663 Ghanaian nationals from South Africa through OR Tambo International Airport over a weekend. On Saturday, 332 Ghanaians were processed, with 170 using ordinary passports and 162 using emergency travel certificates. During immigration checks, 321 travelers were found to have overstayed their South African visas by 30 days or more and were declared undesirable. 323 passengers departed on a chartered flight, though nine were offloaded due to medical unfitness. On Sunday, another 331 Ghanaians were processed, including 37 minor children born in South Africa and 25 asylum seekers who voluntarily withdrew their applications. 170 travelers were found to have overstayed. 340 passengers, including 10 deportees, boarded a chartered flight. This repatriation follows the Ghanaian government's decision to assist its citizens in leaving South Africa after renewed anti-immigrant protests by organizations like March and March and Operation Dudula. Ghana's High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Anani Quashie, stated there are close to 16,000 Ghanaians in South Africa. The first group of repatriated Ghanaians departed on May 27, with immigration checks revealing that only 10 out of 300 were legally in the country. South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, criticized Ghana's claims regarding its citizens' legal status, stating South Africa would
The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development DJCD spent R76.1 million on interpreters and translators for court appearances during the 2024-25 financial year. This expenditure is for foreign national suspects, as the department uses in-house interpreters for South Africa's 12 official languages. Shona translators were the most frequently used, accounting for R8.7 million of the cost and serving in five provinces: Gauteng, Free State, Limpopo, Northern Cape, and North West. Other frequently used languages included Igbo in the Western Cape, Amharic in KwaZulu-Natal, and Chichewa in the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga. Chichewa translators cost R982,000, Igbo R543,000, and Amharic R3.1 million. These four languages combined for R13.4 million, with all other languages totaling R62.7 million. The DJCD clarified that it does not record expenditure based on the immigration status of individuals, but rather on the interpreting services provided for various charges, not exclusively immigration-related cases.
Residents in the Eastern Cape are experiencing electricity outages and water supply shortages following last week's storms. The New Horizon Library in Bitou Municipality is temporarily closed due to water leaking through electrical plugs. Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality's water supply system is under pressure from large amounts of sludge, affecting treatment works and leading to temporary water supply decreases for desludging. Bitou Municipality has periodically reduced night-time water production. While water supply and reservoir levels have improved in Kariega, areas like Tyrellville, Lapland, and Kamesh remain critical, with water trucks dispatched to ensure continuity. The Loerie Water Treatment Works was temporarily offline for filter maintenance, and water was shut down along the Chelsea system, affecting Chelsea and KwaNobuhle 4 reservoirs, though production has since been restored. A leak was also found in the water supply to Colchester. A planned electricity shutdown on 23 June 2026 will impact the Nooitgedagt Water Treatment Works for infrastructure improvements, though the rest of the municipal water supply is stable. The New Horizon Library's closure is due to safety concerns from water leaks in electrical infrastructure.