Graveyard goons sent to an early grave - Real News. Scrolla.Africa

Thursday 21 April
                                            2021, 0421

Real News. Scrolla.Africa

Graveyard goons sent to an early grave
Everson Luhanga

The community lived in fear of the men they called the
graveyard thugs. But on Tuesday they pushed the people too
far - and paid for their attack with their lives.

Two thugs were hacked and stoned to death after they robbed
a woman who had come to pay her respects to her late child in
a graveyard in Alexandra, north of Johannesburg.

The unidentified thugs tried to rob the woman at gunpoint of
her cell phone, an orange and an apple.

But they didn’t reckon on pastor Sibusiso Thonjeni who lives
next to the graveyard.

“When I heard the woman screaming, I got up to check what
was happening,” pastor Thonjeni told Scrolla.Africa.

“But before I got to the woman, I was confronted by two men
who pointed a gun at me.”

He said one of the men told the other one to shoot him.

“I got a huge fright. I trembled and I also ran for help from the
neighbours,” he said.

“More people heard the woman’s screams. People blew their
whistles and shouted vimba, vimba!”

Then the residents cornered the thugs and started beating
them up.

Pastor Thonjeni said the man with the gun dropped the weapon
to the ground while trying to escape the angry residents. Police
later established that the firearm was defective and couldn’t
fire.

Community Policing Forum chairperson in the area Phologo
Mogwera said the thugs confessed to the community that they
were the ones who robbed, shot and killed a young man in the
same community a few months ago.

“We know them,” said Mogwera.

“They have been terrorising people for a long time. They
deserved to die.”

He said the one suspect died on the scene and the other one
died on his way to hospital.

“At least they have been silenced forever,” said Mogwera.

Bramley police spokesman Warrant Ofiicer Aaron Lebuso
confirmed that police are investigating a case of murder against
the vigilantes.

“No one has been arrested so far and investigations continue,”
said Lebuso.

Zuma’s legal team resigning could just
be a delaying tactic
Lungani Zungu

                The resignation of Jacob Zuma’s legal team might
                just be no more than a trick to avoid going to
                court on his 15 year-old corruption case.

This is according to legal expert Ulrich Roux, of Ulrich Roux &
Associates, who told Scrolla.Africa that he wouldn’t be
surprised if the resignation of Jacob Zuma’s legal team
yesterday (Wednesday) was a deliberate delaying tactic.

“While it is all pure speculation at this point, Zuma has been
delaying this case ever since he was charged,” said Roux.

He said Zuma was entitled to a legal team if the relationship he
had with his former one had broken down. But he added that
Zuma’s new legal team would have to present a strong
argument if they wanted the more than 15 year-old case
postponed again.

“We will have to see when he appears in court in three weeks
time,” said Roux.

One criminal lawyer said if it was a delaying tactic it was "the
oldest trick in the book", while another said the change in
teams could mean a delay of another year.

Zuma’s attorney Eric Mabuza from Mabuza Inc filed the notice
for the withdrawal on Wednesday ahead of the trial which was
set to start on 17 May.

Senior Advocate Muzi Sikhakhane will no longer be part of
Zuma’s legal team.

Mabuza gave no reasons for dumping Zuma.

The Supreme Court of Appeal recently dismissed Zuma's
application to overturn a previous ruling by the Gauteng High
Court that he was not entitled to state funding and has to pay
back legal fees of more than R25 million.

NPA spokesperson Sipho Ngwema said they are ready to
proceed with the case.

Zuma’s son Edward declined to comment, while attempts to
speak to Mabuza were unsuccessful.

Picture source: @ulrichroux

Nowhere to hide for Magashule as
Ramaphosa expands his power base
Zukile Majova

All indications suggest that ANC secretary-
general Ace Magashule will have no choice but to
step aside when the 30-day grace period ends on
1 May.

Up until now, Magashule thought he could count on the
support of members of the ANC National Executive Committee
and provincial secretaries.

But in recent months, powerful provinces like the Eastern Cape,
Gauteng, Mpumalanga and most recently KwaZulu-Natal have
backed President Cyril Ramaphosa's anti-corruption stance.

Ramaphosa is leading efforts to force ANC leaders, who have
been charged by the police to protect the integrity of the party,
to step down from their positions until cleared by the courts.

Magashule has been implicated in the R250 million asbestos
tender saga from the Free State, which dates back to when he
was premier.

In the North West, the noose has tightened around the neck of
Magashule’s friend and political ally Supra Mahumapelo, whose
membership of the ANC has been suspended by the North
West Interim Provincial Committee. Mahumapelo has been
accused of staging a rally that was designed to sow divisions in
that province.

Magashule and Mahumapelo are the main supporters of
former president Jacob Zuma and the torch bearers of a
relentless campaign to undermine Ramaphosa.

Meanwhile, in another dramatic moment in the
implementation of the ANC step aside rule, the ANC Gauteng
Provincial Disciplinary Committee (PDC) has found suspended
presidential spokesperson Khusela Diko guilty of bringing the
party into disrepute.

The Committee recommended that Diko should step down
from being a member of the ANC Provincial Executive
Committee and resign from her job as Ramaphosa’s
spokesperson.

Diko and her late husband, AmaBhaca King Madzikane II
Thandisizwe Diko, were implicated in a R125 million PPE tender
scandal through their company, Royal Bhaca Projects.

But Diko is not taking any of this lying down and has instructed
Avela Nontso Attorneys to seek a review of the decision of the
PDC by the National Disciplinary Committee.

In a statement, Diko's lawyers said she had not committed any
unethical or unlawful act, and claimed she was a victim of a
"political witch-hunt on baseless unsubstantiated media
allegations".

Picture source: @Magashule_ace

"He died doing the only business he
knew"
Doreen Mokgolo

Sitting on the mattress, the grieving Sibongile
Duma said she had feared for her husband’s life.

She'd even been encouraging him to leave the taxi business.

“But Emmanuel wouldn't hear of it because that was the only
business he knew,” she said.

On Tuesday evening her fears turned into a reality when her
husband was shot and killed outside his home in Duduza,
Ekurhuleni.

Emmanuel’s colleagues at the Nigel Taxi Association said he
was standing outside with two friends on the pavement when a
man dressed in a blue overall approached them. The man
pulled out a gun and shot Emmanuel five times in the head and
ran away.

Only Emmanuel was injured during the shooting.

Sibongile said she was in the house when she heard the shots
but she thought it was the children playing with fireworks.

“A few moments later I heard small children calling for me
shouting that BabaDuma had collapsed outside,” she said.

“I ran out to see what was wrong and found the residents
standing around him. He was lying dead in a pool of blood,” she
said.

“Now his five-year-old son is without a father.”

She said her husband was naturally a quiet man who never
discussed business with her.

Duduza police spokesperson Sergeant Harry Manaka said the
suspect is yet to be arrested.

Police are calling on anyone with information about the identity
or information about the man that could help the police to
please come forward.

Monk chops off own head to please
Buddha
Arthur Greene

               A Monk in Thailand has used a guillotine to chop
               off his own head as an offering to Buddha, with
               the belief that he would be reincarnated as a
“higher spiritual being”.

Thammakorn Wangpreecha, 68, had been planning to carry out
the ritual for over five years, his followers have said.

Wangpreecha was the abbot of Wat Phuhingong monastery in
northern Thailand, where his body was discovered by his
nephew, Booncherd Boonrod, earlier this month.

According to the Daily Mail, the monk had positioned himself
so his severed head would fall into the palm of a statue of
Buddha placed below the guillotine.

He believed that offering his head to Buddha would bring him
good luck in his afterlife and allow him to reincarnate as “a
higher being,” a Buddhist spiritual belief known as “making
merit.”

Boonrod told local media that at the foot of the statue was a
slab of marble in which Wangpreecha explained the bizarre
scene of his suicide.

He said, "In the letter it was stated that chopping his head off
was his way of praising Buddha.

"His wish was to offer his head and his soul so that the Lord
could help him reincarnate as a higher spiritual being in the
next life."

Wangpreecha had served in the monastery for 11 years, and
reportedly told his followers that he intended to leave the
monkhood - but he had not told anyone about his intention to
decapitate himself.

Following his nephew’s discovery of his body, Wanpreecha’s
300 followers prepared the monk’s funeral rites, which
reportedly involved laying his body in a casket and displaying
his head in a jar.

Police intervened and took the body to a hospital for a post-
mortem to ascertain the cause of death before returning it to
his family.

His body has now been returned to his family, who carried him
to a forest where he was cremated.

One of his followers, Yu, said “He fulfilled his goal and met
enlightenment."

Thai religious authorities warned that suicide is not a part of
the Buddhist practise, and self-harm is not to be encouraged.

Picture source: @_NOALCOMUNISMO

No jobs, no votes threaten MK vets
Lungani Zungu

The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) military veterans have
threatened that they will not vote for the ANC if the ruling
party continues making empty promises.

Hundreds of MK veterans blocked the N3 and N2 highway
during a march to the provincial legislature in Pietermaritzburg
yesterday.

They want to be employed by the SAPS, SANDF, Metro police,
Correctional Services, Secret Service, and the country’s Border
Management Agency.

They also want government to support their businesses
financially.

Zakhele Mhlongo, who was part of the march, said they have
waited for a long time.

“They always come with excuses when it comes to the MK
veterans but they respond if it’s other people who are
complaining,” he said.

MK vets have held a series of marches against the provincial
government.

“The only way we will punish the ANC is by not voting for them
in the elections. Maybe in that way, they will see that we are
tired of empty promises,” said another MK member Thulani
Ngcobo.

“We have always been sidelined. We can’t take it anymore
now. We will fight until we are heard.”

The vets have also previously called for foreign nationals to
leave South Africa accusing them of stealing the jobs that
belonged to the locals.

The ANC in KZN said it would consult with MK veterans and find
a solution to their grievances.

Picture source: @niehaus_carl

Pitso and Benni not interested in
Bafana top job
Menzi Magubane

                 There is no South African coach being seriously
                 considered for the vacant position of Bafana
                 Bafana coach.

Safa National Executive Committee will meet on Saturday to
discuss a viable candidate.

“The NEC will look at the recommendations put forward by the
technical committee for the vacant job,” Safa spokesperson
Dominic Chimhavi told Soccer Laduma.

The meeting is expected to give a clear indication on who is
likely to be at the helm when Bafana play their FIFA World Cup
qualification opener against Zimbabwe in June.

Safa has been forced to consider foreign coaches after their
preferred choice Pitso Mosimane turned them down, saying his
ambitions did not match those of the national body.

Benni McCarthy’s name was also thrown into the hat but he felt
he was not yet ready for international football.

In addition, AmaZulu wanted R2 million from Safa to release
McCarthy from his contract.

The latest shortlist has been leaked and consists of
Mozambican-born Portuguese national Carlos Queiroz‚
Frenchman Herve Renard and Belgian Hugo Broos.

Safa received more than 200 applications for the job.

Queiroz, who is no stranger to SA football, is believed to be the
strong favourite.

His first introduction to SA football was in 2000 as Bafana
coach. He lasted two years and his only success was to lead
Bafana to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and
Korea, where they were eliminated in the group stages.

Renard is the first coach to win two CAF Africa Cup of Nations
with different countries, Zambia in 2012 and Ivory Coast in
2015.

Broos led Cameroon to its fifth Afcon glory in Gabon in 2017.

Picture source:@playbet

Super slacker skipped work for 15 years
- on full pay
Arthur Greene

                An Italian hospital worker is being investigated by
                the police for not turning up for work for 15 years
                while still getting his full salary.

According to Italian police, he earned R 9,212,000 without
having turned up for a single shift since 2005.

The 67-year-old man - coined the “king of the absentees” by
Italian press - has been charged with abuse of office, forgery
and aggravated extortion.

According to the Guardian, six managers, who are believed to
have enabled his paid-absenteeism to go on for so long without
detection, are also under investigation.

In 2005, the workshy worker reportedly threatened the
hospital’s director to prevent her from filing a disciplinary
report over his absenteeism.

When the director retired, the man’s attendance was never
checked by her successor.

This case is part of a larger investigation being conducted by
police, codenamed "Part Time".

In one case, police used secret surveillance cameras to film 35
workers at Sanremo’s town hall who had been cheating the
time management system for at least two years.

In another case, a traffic officer who worked from home was
filmed clocking in to work in his underwear before returning
straight to his bed to sleep.

Picture source: @CalabriaTweet

Nyalleng Thibedi latest actor to call cut
on Uzalo
Philani Mzila

Nyalleng Thibedi has allegedly dumped SABC1's
telenovela Uzalo for Etv's Durban Gen.

The Soweto-born actress, who plays the role of Zekhethelo
Mhlongo in Uzalo, is said to have begun saying her goodbyes to
other cast members.

This may be good news for the Uzalo followers who complained
about her acting skills and her Zulu accent.

According to insiders, Nyalleng has begun shooting Durban
Gen.

“It has not been officially announced but Nyalleng is definitely
leaving Uzalo. She has already begun shooting with Durban Gen
and has told some of her colleagues that she is leaving the
show,” said an insider.

Nyalleng will not be the first prominent actor to exit Uzalo, as it
has already been announced that Thandeka Dawn King and Jet
Novuka are also leaving.

“Most of the prominent actors don’t relate to the current script
writers,” said the insider.

“This has drawn a lot of criticism and actors feel it's not worth
being part of Uzalo as their storylines are not improving.”

A second insider said Uzalo is trying to revive the glory of its
past days by bringing back old characters like Mastermind,
Mxolisi and GC.

SABC acting spokesperson, Mmoni Seapolelo, refused to
comment and referred Scrolla.Africa to production company
Stained Glass.

Uzalo publicist, Nomfundo Zondo, did not confirm or deny the
reports.

“I will update you once I am able to share a list of all the
character entrants and exits," she said.

Minor hitch for Bucs
Menzi Magubane

A win against ES Setif in the CAF Confederation Cup at Orlando
Stadium on Wednesday afternoon would have seen the Bucs
through to the quarter-finals with a game to spare - but that
wasn’t to be.

However, the Buccaneers are still on top of Group A with nine
points, though things could change by Thursday with second
place Enyimba who they still have to play.

Bucs face Enyimba in the last Group A match next Wednesday
in Nigeria and a win or a draw will secure them through to the
last eight.

For the first time in this campaign Pirates failed to score at
home and worse the Algerians were not sitting back. In fact the
visitors had more scoring chances than the home team.

Thanks to keeper Siyabonga Mpontshane Bucs remained in the
game when he cleared the ball right under Lomotey's foot in a
one-on-one situation.

Mpontshane sustained an injury from that action and Pirates
brought in Wayne Sandilands.

Bucs only got their first clear cut chance in the second half after
Tshegofatso Mabasa blasted the ball over the bar with only the
keeper to beat.

Sandilands made telling saves to keep the Buccaneers in the
match. Setif, who have five points, are not out of the race yet
but they will hope that the match between Enyimba and Al Ahly
Benghazi ends in a draw, leaving them on the same number of
points as Benghazi whom they face in the last match.

Picture source:@iol

Clubs swerve away from Super League
Menzi Magubane

            After all the drama about the formation of the
            European Super League, it looks like Manchester
            City and Chelsea will be playing in the UEFA
Champions League semi-finals after all.

UEFA and the Premier League were heavily against the decision
of joining the breakaway European Super League.

The Premier League confirmed in a statement on Tuesday
evening that Manchester City Football Club has enacted the
procedures to withdraw from the group developing the Super
League.

Now all six Premier League clubs have withdrawn from the
Super League after Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and
Tottenham confirmed on Tuesday evening that they have
followed Chelsea and City in pulling out.

On Monday the Premier League threatened to kick-out all six
teams from the league and UEFA wanted all teams involved in
the Super League to be expelled from all their competitions.

Later on Tuesday evening the remaining four made the
announcement on their Twitter pages that they were pulling
out of plans for the Super League.

“We made a mistake, and we apologise for it,” said Arsenal.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy said: "We regret the anxiety and
upset caused by the ESL proposal."

The Super League responded on Wednesday morning saying it
would reconsider its plans, adding that the English clubs had
been forced to withdraw due to the pressure put on them.

Chelsea and City have semi-final Champions League matches
next week and their U-turn from the Super League means they
can still play. It remains to be seen what will happen to Real
Madrid who are also in the semi-final.

Picture source:@brfootball

Derek Chauvin guilty of murdering
George Floyd
Arthur Greene

            Former police officer, Derek Chauvin is guilty.
            Guilty of second-degree murder. Guilty of third-
            degree murder. Guilty of second-degree
manslaughter.

In a landmark moment on Tuesday afternoon, the jury
concluded that the white former police officer killed George
Floyd through criminal assault.

Huge cheers erupted outside the courthouse where a crowd of
several hundred people had gathered as the conviction was
handed down.

Chants of “All three counts” and “Whose victory? Our victory!”
rang not only outside the courthouse, but on the street on
which Floyd was killed, as well as dozens of other places across
the country where crowds had gathered.

Floyd’s brother, Philonise, who was present for the verdict, said
afterwards, “I was just praying they would find him guilty. As an
African American, we usually never get justice.”

On 25 May 2020, Floyd, a 46-year-old black man was killed after
Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on his neck for over nine
minutes, preventing Floyd from breathing. Floyd’s murder
prompted waves of protests across the world against racial
injustice.

Floyd was arrested for using counterfeit money to purchase a
pack of cigarettes.

President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris called
Floyd’s family after the verdict. Biden told them, “Nothing is
going to make it all better, but at least now there is some
justice.”

In a televised statement on tuesday night, Biden said: “We can’t
leave this moment or look away thinking our work is done. We
have to look at it as we did for those nine minutes and 29
seconds.”

However, the sense of justice felt by many across the country,
and the world, was checked by the fatal police shooting of an

unarmed 15-year-old black girl in Ohio which occured only 20
minutes before Chauvin's verdict.

Chauvin is likely to be sentenced in two months, and the 45
year old will probably spend decades in jail. He is expected to
appeal against the verdict.

Director faces backlash for excluding
queer actors in movie
Dylan Bettencourt

Director Athi Petela is facing a huge backlash for
not casting queer actors in her film Trapped.

The LGBTQ+ community was not pleased with the director’s
comments during a Q&A session held at the screening of her
film, in which she said she was very particular about who she
cast.

She emphasised that she cast the best fit for the part regardless
of their sexuality.

Petela, who mentioned that she is gay, had a strong response
for her critics.

“If you’re not great then there’s just not great work in your
art,” she said.

“Don’t come at us with those condescending things of you
could’ve cast a queer person. Well, you could have been great.”

A video with this quote gained the attention of many Twitter
users.

A Twitter user said: “Saying ‘I am queer’ to shield yourself from
criticism for being anti-queer and doing things in your
professional life that further exclude and marginalise queer
people is so cynical. There are plenty of talented queer people.
She just enjoys being the only queer in the room.”

Trapped made its TV debut on SABC 1 on Sunday.

Picture source: @IOL