Julius Malema and bodygaurd firearm case resumes
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IOL News
13 minutes ago
- IOL News
Alleged fraud hits BT Academy
WELCOME BACK: Families wait for their stranded BT Football Academy players Image: Ian Landsberg POLICE have launched an investigation into fraud allegations against the owner of the football academy at the centre of a trip to Spain that resulted in more than 30 children being stranded after not having return tickets. The mother of one of the players, whose identity is being withheld, has come forward and accused Brandon Timmy of misleading her about her son's return flight and refusing to refund the money. She said her son did not experience the trip after misplacing his passport at Dubai airport and never made it to Spain with the rest of the team. She also claims Timmy assured her the flight was booked, but no ticket ever existed. Initially, 38 people travelled to Spain to participate in the Donosti Cup. After the tournament ended, 10 returned home on their own, but the remaining 28 - mostly children and three coaches - were left stranded without return flights, sparking widespread concern. 'He (Timmy) told me the flights had been paid for, but no booking was ever made, and he kept the money,' she said. The mother also claims he breached a contract and now questions whether the document was legally drafted or fabricated like the flight details. Grassy Park police confirmed that a fraud case has been opened and is under investigation. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Coach Jayvin Chisholm, formerly involved with the team, confirmed the boy who lost his passport in Dubai was accompanied home by one of the coaches, who later returned to Spain to join the group. 'There are a lot of kids who still want to train with us. Only a handful of the players who went on the tour were from BT Football Academy,' he said. He said BT Football operated under Belmont Spurs FC, a registered company run by Timmy. 'They didn't have their own league and were playing under the Stellenbosch district,' said Chisholm. He said many players and parents were given false hope. 'They were sold a dream. It was made to seem like professional contracts were guaranteed after the tour, which simply wasn't true. Right now, we're just focusing on recovery from this.' South African Football Association (SAFA) Cape Town president Bennett Bailey confirmed the matter is being investigated. SAFA is the governing body of football in South Africa, while FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) oversees global football rules, compliance, and tournaments. 'We need to get to the bottom of who officially went on this trip—if it was Belmont Spurs, then there are regulations they may have violated. If it was BT, it's even more serious, as they aren't authorised to participate in FIFA-sanctioned tournaments,' said Bailey. One of the players, Aalia Coetzee, 18, from Rocklands, who plays for Norway Park FC in Maitland, said: 'At first, Brandon seemed professional. Yet what happened was unbelievable. But the coaches looked after us, gave us food, a place to sleep, and kept our spirits up. I was so happy to see my family again on Thursday, July 24.' Ozayah Greckwa, 18, from Heideveld, said: 'The senior players stepped up and helped the younger ones. I'm no longer with BT Football, but I'll continue playing. This experience was good and bad.' Timmy did not respond to requests for comment by deadline. Cape Times
IOL News
13 minutes ago
- IOL News
Former municipal manager re-arrested in Magaqa assassination case
THE political killings task team made another breakthrough yesterday in the 2017 assassination of former ANC Youth League secretary-general, Sindiso Magaqa, when it re-arrested a former municipal manager who is expected to appear in the uMzimkhulu Magistrate's Court today. A FORMER senior uMzimkhulu municipality official has been re-arrested in connection with the assassination of Sindiso Magaqa. The former municipal manager, 55, whose identity can't be revealed at this stage, was arrested on Monday by the Political Killings Task Team in Malvern, Durban. So far, the 2017 assassination of the former secretary-general of the ANC Youth League has netted three suspects and secured one conviction. A hitman, Sibusiso Ncengwa, was arrested and is serving a 25-year jail sentence for the murder after he was sentenced earlier this month. When he confessed to the murder, Ncengwa implicated three others in the plot and execution of the murder. Sibonelo Myeza and Mbulelo Mpofana will appear in court in October for the murder. One of the suspects, Mlungisi Ncalane, was found to be unfit to stand trial. Magaqa was working for the uMzimkhulu Local Municipality when he was assassinated, allegedly for asking too many questions about a tender to renovate the town's memorial hall. The project was mired in corruption and was a conspicuous eyesore for the small town despite funds being dispensed. He became a target for assassination after he made plans to expose the corruption. The 55-year-old former municipal manager is expected to appear in uMzimkhulu Magistrate's Court today. He was previously arrested in 2018 alongside the late mayor of the uMzimkhulu Local Municipality, Mluleki Ndobe, a businessman, two former police officers, and a hitman. Ndobe died in November 2020 after apparently succumbing to suicide at his Glenwood home in Durban. He was deputy speaker of the KwaZulu-Natal legislature.
IOL News
13 minutes ago
- IOL News
Emma Powell resigns as DA spokesperson amid allegations of harassment
Former DA spokesperson on international relations' Emma Powell has cited alleged threats, intimidation and harassment as among the reasons she resigned from the position. Image: Facebook OUTGOING DA spokesperson on international relations' Emma Powell has cited alleged threats, intimidation and harassment as among the reasons she resigned from the position. Powell's resignation comes after a controversial DA delegation trip to Washington, D.C. in March, which led to the dismissal of MP Andrew Whitfield as Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, by President Ramaphosa for not informing him. Powell later went on to claim that Mcebisi Jonas, who the president appointed as special envoy, was not welcome in the US, a statement the Presidency dismissed as disinformation and accused the DA of a 'persistent campaign against South Africa's national interest and its posture of trying to embarrass and belittle our country'. Her address at the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) was cut short when a group of people confronted her about her recent 'fact-finding' mission in Israel. Her silence on what she witnessed was said to have been the cause of the protest. Powell on Monday took to social media to announce her resignation. 'After careful reflection, I have taken the decision to step down as Spokesperson on International Relations for the Democratic Alliance (DA). Over the past two and a half years, I have travelled the world on behalf of my party, first as shadow minister and later as national spokesperson, speaking out against some of the most repressive and brutal regimes in the world. 'In defending South Africa's constitutional values on the international stage, I have been threatened, intimidated, harassed, and illegally surveilled. Given the complexities of our fragile Government of National Unity, I have achieved what I can for and in this moment. I will continue to use my time in Parliament to serve our country and our cause.' It's not clear if any of the threats were reported to the police. The DA said Powell remained a valued member of the DA caucus in Parliament. The party will soon announce her new Portfolio allocation. 'The DA welcomes our new DA Spokesperson on International Relations and Cooperation, Ryan Smith,' DA chief whip George Michalakis said. Approached for further comment on the matter, DA national spokesperson Willie Aucamp said Powell was not out at all. 'We will not let the presidency or the ANC dictate to us who we must have in our portfolios, there wasn't any pressure from them to do so. We also did not dismiss her from her position, she decided individually, she decided based on the pressure, the threats.' He said the party had given Powell their full support when treated unfairly. 'If you look at what happened over the last couple of weeks, there was a lot of pressure on her, undue pressure. The Sowetan had a story, which alleged that there was a national intelligence report on her visit, those things are supposed to be confidential. We all saw the actions when Mcebisi Jonas revelations were made, those were all stuff Emma Powell put out there in the open. She said in her statement, she was under a lot of pressure.' Powell did not respond to further questions on her decision. Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) co-ordinator, professor Usuf Chikte said Powell's resignation was long overdue. 'Let's be clear: Powell went on a sponsored propaganda trip to Israel, a state that the United Nations, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and even South Africa's own Human Sciences Research Council have all described as committing the crime of apartheid under international law, specifically, the 1973 Apartheid Convention and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Yet Powell publicly claimed Israel 'does not practice apartheid.' That is not just a political opinion, it's a wilful denial of international legal findings.' Cape Times
