Morning Newspaper Report

The headlines of the leading newspapers on 13 December 2024:

NATIONAL:

# Business Day:

Reports the liquidator of the defunct VBS Mutual Bank has paid 458-million-rand to the bank’s creditors, including municipalities that had illegally invested money in the bank. The payments, described as dividends, are the second time the liquidator has paid out since he took over the bank’s affairs.

# And Mail & Guardian on Fridays:

Writes about “the river of death”. The paper reports that just two sips of the water led to the death of a Hennops River Valley farmer.

GAUTENG:

# Beeld:

Reports an investigation is being conducted into fraud in the disbursement of funds to non-governmental organisations in Gauteng. The provincial Department of Social Development is looking into 500-million-rand that has been embezzled through illegal tenders since 2019.

Then the paper writes about the death of writer Annelie Botes.

And finally, there is news about Barend Neethling who jumped out of a plane in Parys to ask Janneke Yssel to marry him. Barend suffers from a fear of heights.

# The Star & Pretoria News:

Writes the minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean McPherson, is accused of being biased in the investigation of tenders.

And secondly, the paper reports the Competition Commission has apparently found Nedbank guilty of collusion.

# Sowetan:

Leads with “GIVE US WATER FOR CHRISTMAS”. It is a plea from Johannesburg residents.

# And The Citizen:

Writes the police have paid 1.6-billion-rand in civil claims over the past four years for among other things incidents of assault and wrongful arrests.

FREE STATE:

# Volksblad in Bloemfontein:

Reports the State Mortuary in Bloemfontein is still closed and this is having a serious impact on the completion of criminal cases.

Secondly, the paper writes about Oscar Pistorius’ father Henke talking about Christmas with Oscar at home.

And finally, there is also news about the death of Annelie Botes.

WESTERN CAPE:

# Die Burger:

Reports on the death of 38-year-old JD Nel from Hermanus. He fell off cliffs on Monday while he and a friend were searching for a drone that had gone missing. His body was found on Tuesday.

And secondly, the paper also writes about Oscar Pistorius’ Christmas at home.

# And Cape Times:

Writes, among other things, about the placement of learners at schools in the Western Cape in 2025 and reports that the City of Cape Town is busy processing more than four-thousand applications from spaza shops.

EASTERN CAPE:

# The Herald in Gqeberha:

Reports Nelson Mandela Bay’s supply dams have reached a combined level of 84-percent and ratepayers are relieved that the council has decided to do away with penalty water tariffs.

And secondly, the paper writes the deputy mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay, Gary van Niekerk of the National Alliance, has been suspended from office.

KWAZULU-NATAL:

# Daily News in Durban:

Writes the premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Thami Ntuli says the success of the ANC lies in unity.

And secondly, the paper reports that 10.6-million South Africans are now unemployed.

And finally from NAMIBIA:

# Republikein in Windhoek:

Reports day two of the Fishrot defendants’ plea hearings were marked by several altercations between the defendants, the prosecutor and the judge.

Secondly, the paper writes climate change in the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area will have a huge impact on the livelihoods of residents.

And finally, there is news about Lyne van Fantasie. It is a collection of poems by young poets with a passion for Afrikaans.