Six of the best: Editor's pick of the letters you sent to us
Who is fooling who at City Hall?
What is going on within the eThekwini Metro is beyond one's understanding. A year ago, in April the city workers down tools of trade in protest of their pay scale, which is Category 8.
The strike went caused havoc and impaired service delivery. The outcry was loud and Cogta had to intervene, when, in my opinion, it was unnecessary. It was unnecessary because one of the things listed in the motivation to increase the City Manager's salary by 66.66% was that he was leading a Category-10 municipality. That alone was reason enough to award workers their demands.
Various consultations were made to verify the worker's call, but to date the issue remains unresolved, with the municipality crying about how tight the budgetary constraints are.
The City says it had insufficient funds to foot the bill, but is wasting funds in defending court cases with contractors. Additionally, the City has advertised top executive positions that have a Category-10 salary scale. So, who is fooling who instance? I fail to understand the whole setup, but maybe the citizenry can dissect the situation, because it judged the workers in their actions.
This is not an ideal situation to make a discourse, but the City management needs to provide leadership and furnish answers or another action by the workers will be justified, soon, I guess. | Concerned citizen (name withheld at editor's discretion)
The DPP and her NPA office are inept
Following the grave miscarriage of justice recently regarding the Omotoso case, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) now has more egg on its face with the extradition M Cholota – the ex-personal assistant of former Free State Premier Ace Mageshule – being ruled as unlawful.
Much of the ineptitude and gross shoddiness of the under-performing NPA is a sad reflection of Shamilla Batohi, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).She is in the same inferior league as the former Public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, who was booted out of office owing to poor performance.
The new DPP will be appointed in 2026, but why is Batohi not shown the door immediately due to her ongoing failure to deliver? Is it because she is an ANC crony and lackey?Please, President Cyril Ramaphosa save our beloved country from continuing to be a laughing stock, especially in the international arena.
You must make relevant appointments to senior public offices with competence, merit, credibility and integrity being minimum requirements.
Shame on the relevant parliamentary portfolio committee for accepting the half-baked responses and other hogwash of the DPP in various sittings.
Like her, most committee members are buffoons and are doing the country a great disservice.
Enough is enough! | Simon T Dehal Verulam
US-influenced UN in need of overhaul
One would have wished that the UN Gaza ceasefire resolution, that is shaped by international law, Universal Declaration of Human Rights and principles of social justice, would have received unanimous vote, but, sadly and regrettably, it was vetoed by the US.
The UN call, which was supported by 14 of the 15 members of the Security Council, was for the fifth time rejected by the US, making it the only country to vote against the urgent appeal for an 'immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire' in apartheid Israel's war on Gaza.
The grossly ineffective UN Security Council which was established under the UN Charter to maintain international peace and security needs urgent reform to manage real-life global realities, issues and challenges that have changed since its establishment in 1945/6 when the UN Charter was adopted. | MOHAMED SAEED Pietermaritzburg
How wonderful to see Trump, Musk fall out
It was like manna from heaven to see the Donald Trump/Elon Musk bromance finally come to an end.
The battle of the Titans was always destined to end in failure as it could be likened to King Kong taking on Godzilla … there could be no winner. The US president got his way by using Musk's ATM to squeeze his way into the White House – had it not been for Musk's financial backing, Trump wouldn't even have gotten into the Oval Office toilet !
Musk doesn't need Trump. He has oodles of money and has more than made his mark. It is, however, not dollar bills that measures a man's worth but the legacy he leaves.
Musk now has a golden opportunity to put his wealth into a worthy cause and at the same time stick it to Trump!
The Gaza conflict is calling.
Sort that out and Musk will go down in history as the man who did what Trump failed to do, by instigating peace in the Middle East Musk's name will be etched in history as the man who did what no one could do for over a thousand years !
Now that's a challenge and what a legacy that would be. | Colin Bosman Newlands
Why aren't we celebrating her?
Is South Africa's first black female winemaker, Carmen Stevens, being afforded the recognition she deserves in the 'Rainbow Nation' for having achieved turning her childhood dream into a winemaking legacy? | Eric Palm Gympie, Queensland, Australia
Shameful message of such letter-writers
Some letter writers are called 'bullies' because they insist that the message of the day – the genocide in Palestine – should be shouted out loudly and continuously for all to hear, until this heartbreaking, very dark and heinous episode ends.
And so the cries of these writers are halted. Perhaps because it upsets advertisers or other vested interest in certain newspapers!
This selective opinion blackout obviously makes the media that fails to assist readers to voice their opinions based on established human rights, and possibly complicit in the genocide.'Selective', because some writers (actually just a pair of them) constantly side with Trump regarding the ' kill the boer' US President Donald-narrative, which begs the question: Why have, they not joined the flotilla of selected Afrikaner farmers making their way down the Mississippi towards a glorious future. In America?
These writers are forever also siding with Israel calling it a ' fantastic' country while calling Iran a 'fanatical' state! Israel, the state that does something that has probably never been tried before: Luring starving Palestininians with the promise of scraps of food, then callously shooing them!How can humans in this country actually still side with a lunatic fringe like these Zionists in Israel?.
Zionists whose neo-religion is their own modern invention which has nothing to do with Judaism?It's a very sad indictment on the press in this country which is actually fully permitted the proverbial 'freedom of the press', a concept that seems to be increasingly obstructed in other, so-called 'democratic' countries.
These writers treacherously side with Israel against the ICC and IJC charges initiated by our very own South African legal system, while nobody else around the world has the actual acumen to do anything close to this!All very shameful! | Ebrahim Essa Durban
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The South African
19 minutes ago
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Father sentenced to 35 years for exploiting his children
A Cape Winelands father created child pornography using his minor daughters and infant son for financial gain. The court sentenced him to 35 years in prison. The court found the 27-year-old man guilty of multiple charges. These include trafficking in persons, rape, creating and benefiting from child pornography, possessing and distributing pornographic material, and child abuse. The state withheld the man's name to protect the identity of his daughters aged six and four and son aged one. The man married the mother of his children in March 2018. He stayed home and cared for them because he was unemployed. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said 'He subscribed to a social media application with instant messaging where one can transmit and receive messages, photos, and videos. Users can communicate privately with other users or in groups. The social media platform users can send photographs taken within the application. Which indicates to other users a picture was taken in real time and not imported from a camera roll.' 'He decided to create child pornography for financial gain. As the conversion rate at the time was R18 to the dollar. He connected with the group after the administrative user approved his access to the group, and he started to communicate with the administrative user.' Ntabazalila said he made pornographic content of his biological children and admitted to selling an 'unknown amount of child pornography to unknown users for $5 (R88.9) to $10 (R177.8).' An undercover FBI task force officer from the Washington field office was part of the FBI child exploitation and human trafficking task force. The officer shared information about the man's activities with South African police. Police then arrested him on 30 May 2023 and confiscated his cellphone. Senior state advocate Evadne Kortje finalised the plea and sentencing agreement. She said the accused sexually exploited children whose innocence should have been protected and preserved at all costs. 'He communicated and joined the social media application to connect with individuals interested in child pornography. He downloaded child pornography from other unknown collectors and other hands-on child sexual abuse offenders. Then he abused his parental privilege and the trust relationship he had towards his three small children. Regional court magistrate Gangadu emphasised the inescapable reality of the increasing prevalence of the abuse of modern technology to exploit our children,' said Ntabazalila. The Paarl Regional Court sentenced the man to 35 years of direct imprisonment and ordered him to serve two-thirds of the sentence before he becomes eligible for parole. The court will enter his name into the national register for sexual offenders. The court declared him unfit to work with children or to possess a firearm. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
eNCA
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US, China seek to extend trade truce with London talks
The United States and China are to sit down at the negotiating table in London on Monday to attempt to preserve a fragile truce on trade, despite simmering tensions. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are leading the US delegation, President Donald Trump announced on Friday. Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng -- who led Beijing's negotiating team at previous talks with the United States last month in Geneva -- would also head the team in London, China's foreign ministry announced at the weekend. "The meeting should go very well," Trump said on his Truth Social platform. His press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, told Fox News on Sunday: "We want China and the United States to continue moving forward with the agreement that was struck in Geneva." While the UK government reiterated that it was not involved in the content of the discussions in any way, a spokesperson said: "We are a nation that champions free trade." UK authorities "have always been clear that a trade war is in nobody's interests, so we welcome these talks," the spokesperson added. - Rare earths - The talks in London come just a few days after Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping finally held their first publicly announced telephone talks since the Republican returned to the White House. Trump said the call, which took place on Thursday, had reached a "very positive conclusion." Xi was quoted by state-run news agency Xinhua as saying that "correcting the course of the big ship of Sino-US relations requires us to steer well and set the direction". The call came after tensions between the world's two biggest economies soared, with Trump accusing Beijing of violating a tariff de-escalation deal reached in Geneva in mid-May. "We need China to comply with their side of the deal. And so that's what the trade team will be discussing tomorrow," Leavitt said Sunday. A key issue in the negotiations will be Beijing's shipments of rare earths -- crucial to a range of goods including electric vehicle batteries and which have been a bone of contention for some time. "Rare earth shipments from China to the US have slowed since President Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs in April," said Kathleen Brooks, research director at trading group XTB. "The US wants these shipments to be reinstated, while China wants the US to rethink immigration curbs on students, restrictions on access to advanced technology including microchips, and to make it easier for Chinese tech providers to access US consumers," she added. In April, Trump introduced sweeping worldwide tariffs that targeted China most heavily. At one point the United States hit China with additional levies of 145 percent on its goods as both sides engaged in tit-for-tat escalation. China's countermeasures on US goods reached 125 percent. Then in Switzerland, after two days of talks, the two sides agreed to slash their staggeringly high tariffs for 90 days. But differences have persisted, including over China's restrictions on exporting rare earth minerals. The impact was reflected in the latest official export data released Monday in Beijing. Exports to the United States fell 12.7 percent on month in May, with China shipping $28.8 billion worth in goods last month. This is down from $33 billion in April, according to Beijing's General Administration of Customs. There is also huge uncertainty around the outcome of other trade disputes. - 'Green channel' - Throughout its talks with Washington, China has also launched discussions with other trading partners -- including Japan and South Korea -- in a bid to build a united front to counter Trump's tariffs. On Thursday, Beijing turned to Canada, with the two sides agreeing to regularise their channels of communication after a period of strained ties. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Chinese Premier Li Qiang also discussed trade and the fentanyl crisis, Ottawa said. Beijing has also proposed establishing a "green channel" to ease the export of rare earths to the European Union, and the fast-tracking approval of some export licenses. China is expected to host a summit with the EU in July, marking 50 years since Beijing and Brussels established diplomatic ties.
Daily Maverick
2 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Western Cape father jailed for raping his children, selling pornographic images of them
The man – who faced 629 counts of possession of child porn – said in his plea explanation that he 'decided to create child pornography for financial gain, as the conversion rate at the time was $18 to the rand'. A 27-year-old Cape Town father who shared child pornographic images and videos of his biological minor children and sold an unknown number of them to unknown users for between $5 and $10, has been handed 35 years' direct imprisonment for digital trafficking in persons and the rape of his minor children. His name will also be entered into the National Register for Sexual Offenders and the National Child Protection Register. The father was convicted of two counts of trafficking in persons for online exploitation, four counts of rape of two minor children, three counts of using children for or benefiting from child pornography, 629 counts of possession of child pornography, three counts of unlawful and intentional distribution of child pornography and three counts of child abuse. He was sentenced to a total of 195 years but the court ordered most of the sentences to run concurrently. On Monday, 9 June, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Western Cape spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the court ordered the father to serve two-thirds of his sentence before he can be eligible for parole. The State did not name the accused because his children are minors – two girls aged six and four years and a one-year-old son. The sentence handed to the disgraced father in the Paarl Regional Court comes just days after National Child Protection Week, during which Daily Maverick ran a series of articles that painted a grim picture of the crimes committed against helpless children. While the number of reported sexual offences committed against children in South Africa dropped by 1,542 between 2021/22 and 2023/24, from 23,379 to 21,837, Luke Lamprecht, head of advocacy at the Gauteng nonprofit Women and Men Against Child Abuse, noted that in cases such as sexual violence against children, the number of incidents reported to police was a fraction of those shown to be occurring through research. For 'financial gain' According to Ntabazalila, the State and the accused reached a plea and sentencing agreement to protect the children from secondary victimisation. In his plea explanation, the father indicated that he married the mother of his children on 4 March 2018, and at one stage he was unemployed and stayed home to take care of the minor children. 'I subscribed to a social media application with instant messaging, where one can transmit and receive messages, photos and videos. Users can communicate privately with other users or in groups,' he stated. 'The social media platform users can send photographs taken within the application, which indicates to other users that a picture was taken in real time and not imported from a camera roll.' He went on to explain: 'I decided to create child pornography for financial gain, as the conversion rate at the time was $18 to the rand. I connected with the group after the administrative user approved my access to the group, and I started to communicate with the administrative user. 'I admitted that I started making child pornographic content of my biological children that I intended to share with random people online in exchange for a monetary reward.' The father claims to have made an unknown number of child pornography images and videos depicting his three children. 'I confessed that in the chats with the administrative user, I shared child pornographic images and videos of his biological minor children and sold an unknown amount of child pornography to unknown users for $5 to $10,' the court heard. The father was arrested after an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officer assigned to the Washington Field Office as part of the FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force posed as the administrative user of the group and forwarded information about his activities to the South African Police Service for further investigation on 22 December 2022. The accused was arrested on 30 May 2023 and police seized his cellphone, which he used to commit the crimes. State advocate Evadne Kortje, who finalised the plea and sentencing agreement, said the accused contributed to the sexualisation of children, whose innocence should have been protected and preserved at all costs. 'He communicated and joined the social media application to connect with individuals interested in child pornography. He downloaded child pornography from other unknown collectors and other hands-on child sexual abuse offenders. He abused his parental privilege and the trust relationship that he had towards his three small children,' Kortje said. Advocate Nicolette Bell, the Western Cape director of public prosecutions, commended the sentence and emphasised the need to make every day a child protection day to protect the most vulnerable members of society. The fight against the scourge of sexual violence, particularly against minors, and internet trafficking in children, must be condemned in the strongest possible terms, she said, adding that the NPA has dedicated prosecutors who deal with these crimes. She commended the collaborative working relationship between international law enforcement agencies and the SAPS, the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit and the Serial and Electronic Crime Investigation Unit. DM
