In case you missed it: Red water runs from taps in Joburg | SA teacher detained in China | R1.4bn allocated to incomplete projects
· Citizen
In the news today, while Johannesburg grappled with a water crisis, residents in some parts of the city that did have water reported that it was off-colour and smelled bad.
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Meanwhile, the family of South African teacher Francois Van Zyl de Kock has launched a public fundraising campaign to raise 880 000 renminbi (RMB), about R2.2 million, in compensation sought by the family of a Chinese woman who died following a traffic incident in Wuhan last year.
Furthermore, an undisclosed number of incomplete projects in the Free State have been allocated R1.4 billion for the 2026/2027 financial year.
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WATCH: Red smelly water runs from taps in Johannesburg
Picture: iStockWhile Johannesburg grappled with a water crisis, residents in some parts of the city that did have water reported that it was off-colour and smelled bad.
According to Johannesburg Water, the abnormal water affected homes in parts of Hursthill and Auckland Park this week.
The utility said this was linked to the construction of a new reservoir and tower in nearby Brixton.
“During the installation of a new pipeline, sand entered the pipe system. The pipeline was subsequently flushed. However, some sand had already migrated into parts of the distribution network. This may have resulted in discoloured water in certain households.”
CONTINUE READING: WATCH: Red smelly water runs from taps in Johannesburg
SA teacher detained in China following fatal accident
South African teacher Francois Van Zyl de Kock has been detained in China. Picture: Supplied/gogetfunding.comThe family of South African teacher Francois Van Zyl de Kock has launched a public fundraising campaign to raise 880 000 renminbi (RMB), about R2.2 million, in compensation sought by the family of a Chinese woman who died following a traffic incident in Wuhan last year.
Van Zyl de Kock, originally from Vanderbijlpark in Gauteng, has been detained in Wuhan for the past three months after he was arrested in connection with the incident.
According to a statement issued by his family, the accident occurred on 3 August 2025 on a rainy evening while he was travelling back to his apartment on an electric scooter.
They say he had recently relocated to Wuhan after teaching in Hainan Province, hoping to expand his opportunities as a teacher and pursue his passion for coaching rugby.
CONTINUE READING: SA teacher detained in China following fatal accident
R1.4 billion allocated to incomplete projects in the Free State
Free State Premier Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae delivering the State of the Province Address (Sopa). Picture: Facebook/Free State Provincial GovernmentAn undisclosed number of incomplete projects in the Free State have been allocated R1.4 billion for the 2026/2027 financial year.
This is according to the provincial premier, MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae. She was delivering the State of the Province Address (Sopa) on Friday.
This allocation has been criticised, questioning why these projects have not been completed and what happened to their initial budgets.
She did not specifically name which projects would receive the share of the R1.4 billion, but it seems most of the money will go to road infrastructure projects.
CONTINUE READING: R1.4 billion allocated to incomplete projects in the Free State
Fainting, missing gun, and Grace risks arrest: The Mugabe Joburg mansion mystery
Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe and his mother Grace. Picture: ZINYANGE AUNTONY / AFPIt might be six years since controversial former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe died, but his family still can’t keep out of the headlines.
A shooting at the Mugabe home in Johannesburg on Thursday saw the late politician’s son, Chatunga Bellarmine Mugabe, and another suspect, now reported to be his bodyguard, arrested on attempted murder charges.
Police said preliminary investigations suggested a labour dispute between the gardener and one of the suspects may have led to the incident.
It was initially reported that Mugabe barricaded himself in his room after the shooting, but later cooperated with police.
CONTINUE READING: Fainting, missing gun, and Grace risks arrest: The Mugabe Joburg mansion mystery
‘Organised corruption’: Government officials, pastors nabbed by Hawks in R114m education tender fraud raids
Picture: SuppliedThe police’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) swooped on several properties across the country on Sunday in connection with alleged dodgy education tenders amounting to R114 million.
Raids were conducted by more than 14 teams across Mpumalanga, the Western Cape, Limpopo, and Gauteng. Among those targeted were government officials, businesspeople, and even self-professed men of God.
It follows an investigation, reportedly started in 2018, into tenders awarded by the Department of Education for the maintenance and repair of school buildings. In some cases, the repairs were not needed.
Mpumalanga Hawks head Major General Nico Gerber called it “a typical example of organised corruption”, in which service providers were handpicked and colluded.
CONTINUE READING: ‘Organised corruption’: Government officials, pastors nabbed by Hawks in R114m education tender fraud raids