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MK party suspends chief whip Mokoena-Zondi amid corruption probe
via The Citizen2 min read
The MK party has suspended its chief whip, Mmabatho Mokoena-Zondi, with immediate effect, pending an internal investigation into corruption allegations. This decision followed a meeting involving the MK party's president, Jacob Zuma, and national party officials. Mokoena-Zondi has been instructed to surrender all party documents, records, assets, and related materials. Her suspension comes after her arrest last week and subsequent appearance in the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court on fraud and extortion charges. She was released on R30,000 bail, and her case was postponed to June 18. Police spokesperson Zinzi Hani stated that Mokoena-Zondi allegedly demanded a portion of parliamentary staff salaries to retain their positions. It is further alleged that from August 2024 to December 2024, she recruited four individuals as researchers and then demanded 50% to 60% of their salaries, claiming the funds were for the legal costs of the party president. The total alleged fraud amounts to approximately R233,317.99. Media reports indicate Mokoena-Zondi claimed in an affidavit that the money collected was a "voluntary contribution" and a "gesture of appreciation" for the upkeep of the party's Nkandla headquarters. Philasande Mkhize has been appointed as the new Chief Whip. Separately, the MK party clarified that Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, Jacob Zuma's daughter, holds no official position or responsibility within the party, serving only as an ordinary member without authority.
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Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka's investigation report on the informal food industry in Gauteng highlights a critical shortage of environmental health inspectors and a significant decline in food safety compliance. The report, released on Friday, was prompted by numerous food poisoning incidents in late 2024, which resulted in the deaths of at least 23 children in Gauteng. The investigation aimed to determine if the Department of Health, municipal departments, the National Consumer Commission, and food inspectors failed in their duties. The Public Protector noted that Gauteng, with approximately 16 million residents, requires 1,600 environmental health practitioners EHPs based on international and national standards of one EHP per 10,000 people. However, the province's municipalities have an EHP staff capacity of only 30.3% overall, with Johannesburg at 50%, Ekurhuleni at 23%, and Tshwane at 21%. Sedibeng and the West Rand district municipality had the lowest rates at 16% and 18%, respectively. The report also found that while 55% of spaza shops in Gauteng's three largest municipalities are owned by foreign nationals, the overall licensing and compliance levels across the province stand at a mere 28%. This means for every licensed spaza shop, there are almost three unlicensed ones operating. Ekurhuleni had the lowest spaza shop compliance rate at 5%. Gcaleka emphasized that municipalities are responsible for regulating food sales and business registrations. She recommended t
South African schools continue to experience incidents involving pupils falling into pit toilets, despite the Department of Basic Education's pledge to eradicate them by March 2025. Recent incidents occurred at Mogogelo Primary in North West and Zakhele Primary in KwaZulu-Natal. At Mogogelo Primary, a Grade 1 pupil fell into a pit toilet after a contractor abandoned the site, leaving open inlets. The school's education spokesperson, Vuyo Mantshule, stated the school did not barricade the construction area. At Zakhele Primary, a five-year-old pupil was rescued from a pit latrine earlier this year. Kathija Yassim, an education leadership professor at the University of Johannesburg, noted that under the Sanitation Appropriate for Education Safe programme, 3,372 schools with unsafe pit toilets were identified in 2018. As of April 2025, 96% of these schools had been addressed, with 141 awaiting completion, a number that has since fallen to around 135. Yassim also highlighted that about 1,770 public schools still had some form of pit toilets in 2024, though many also had alternative sanitation. The department has allocated R1.6 billion for the 2025-26 financial year to complete pit latrine eradication. Last year, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube informed parliament that the Safe initiative had eradicated over 93% of identified pit toilets and confirmed that all 3,372 schools identified in the 2018 audit now have safe and appropriate sanitation facilities.
Nigerians are reportedly sleeping outside their embassy in Pretoria, awaiting repatriation flights two weeks after anti-migrant protests on June 30. Many have been living in South Africa for years and are now seeking assistance to return home, with some expressing concerns about the lack of support from the embassy and the safety of women and children. Meanwhile, the Malawi high commission is experiencing a significant increase in demand for aid, with the Institute for Islamic Services providing meals, winter essentials, and medical supplies to hundreds of individuals daily. A staff member from the Malawian high commission, speaking anonymously, indicated that while buses are transporting people, the influx of those seeking refuge, sometimes up to 300 daily, is overwhelming. Doctors have also expressed concern for over 40 children sleeping in the embassy's basement due to cold weather. Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi stated that South Africa has deported and repatriated over 50,000 foreign nationals recently as authorities address migration concerns.