The headlines of the leading newspapers on 15 March 2024:
NATIONAL:
# Business Day:
Reports on Standard Bank’s success in Africa. The bank’s earnings from its African operations rose by 49-percent. This is compared to Absa’s one-percent, FirstRand’s six-percent, and Nedbank’s 11-percent.
# And, Mail & Guardian on Fridays:
Leads with: “DURBAN IS DYING”. The paper writes about the strike that crippled the city, the absent mayor, and the municipality that provides practically no services.
GAUTENG:
# Beeld:
Reports the City of Tshwane’s financial position has improved after it received a qualified audit report this year compared to the negative report last year.
And secondly, the paper writes weddings and divorces have increased in South Africa in the past year. According to Statistics South Africa, there were more than 111-thousand marriages and more than 20-thousand divorces reported.
# The Star and Pretoria News:
Writes about the court application of serial rapist Thabo Bester and his co-accused Nandipha Magudumana to stop Showmax from broadcasting the documentary programme, Tracking Thabo Bester.
And secondly, there is a report about the IEC’s warning about threats that form part of election campaigns.
# Sowetan:
Reports the testimony of two of the accused in the Senzo Meyiwa murder case has been accepted by the court and this means that it will consider the possibility that the murder was instructed by the singer Kelly Khumalo.
# And The Citizen:
Writes experts believe that the two-thousand-500 megawatts of nuclear power that will be generated by 2035 will not have any effect on the country’s power situation at that stage.
FREE STATE:
# Volksblad in Bloemfontein:
Reports the disaster aid applied for after widespread wildfires in the Free State in 2023 has been rejected. Free State Agriculture says it’s a big setback for the industry, which would receive about 44-million-rand.
And secondly, the paper writes about the Voortrekker High School in Bethlehem’s excellent athletic performance.
WESTERN CAPE:
# Die Burger:
Leads with former president Thabo Mbeki’s attack on former president Jacob Zuma. Mbeki says Zuma has done everything in his power to destroy the South African Revenue Service.
Then it is reported that a suspect has been arrested in connection with the murder of 61-year-old Estelle Eksteen van Langebaan.
And finally, there is news about the internet problems experienced yesterday. The problems with undersea cables affected a few countries but had the greatest effect in South Africa and Britain.
# And Cape Times:
Writes the University of Cape Town is opposed to a boycott of Israel.
And reports a former director-general of Public Enterprises is talking about the failed Takatso transaction.
EASTERN CAPE:
# The Herald in Gqeberha:
Reports the mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay, Gary van Niekerk’s plan to appoint the former chief operating officer Mandla George as city manager, was stopped by the Eastern Cape MEC for Cooperative Government, Zolile Williams.
And secondly, the newspaper writes a total of 348 fires were reported in Nelson Mandela Bay within 13 days. This puts tremendous pressure on firefighters who are poorly equipped.
KWAZULU-NATAL:
# Daily News in Durban:
Writes there is no truth in statements that the municipality resumed its service delivery in the city.
And finally from NAMIBIA:
# Republikein in Windhoek:
Reports the organisation, Drought Aid Namibia describes this year’s drought as worse than in 2019 and at the moment rain prospects do not look promising.
And secondly, the newspaper writes a Crypto investor and his wife appeared in court after they allegedly defrauded investors out of about 160-million-rand.