WATCH: Illegal gambling machines destroyed in Mpumalanga
Ninety outdated slot machines from the Emnotweni Casino were officially removed and demolished on Tuesday, June 24. The Mpumalanga Economic Regulator (MER), in partnership with the casino, ordered the destruction of the machines at Nieuwco Mpumalanga in Rocky Drift.
This formed part of MER's efforts to eliminate the possibility of illegal use, tampering, or resale of gambling equipment that no longer meets industry standards.
According to MER spokesperson Cedric Chiloane, the destruction of the outdated slot machines serves as a reminder to the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious gambling activities.
Illegal gambling extends beyond slot machines and includes street card games, dice games played for money, betting on fahfee (umshayina), and online gambling through unlicensed platforms.
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE:
ALSO READ: Water pollution angers residents in Marite and Hazyview
'Last year, we destroyed about 119 machines, and we have since continued to search for illegal machines, including Chinese roulette gambling machines found at spaza shops,' he said.
Chiloane added that licensed establishments are required to produce valid gambling certificates and encouraged the public to verify the legitimacy of gambling operations before participating. The MER is tasked with upholding standards of compliance, safety and fair play in the gaming industry.
The protection of minors is also a key focus of the organisation. Chiloane urged business owners not to place gambling machines in public spaces, as they are intended strictly for adult entertainment. 'By conducting these raids and confiscations in the illegal market, we are sending a clear message – even spaza shops must understand that they are not allowed to have these machines,' he said.
ALSO READ: Planned road closure for rock blasting on the N4 between Matsulu and KaNyamazane
The destruction of the obsolete machines was carried out under strict regulatory oversight to ensure the equipment was rendered completely unusable.
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
7 hours ago
- The Citizen
WATCH: Illegal gambling machines destroyed in Mpumalanga
Ninety outdated slot machines from the Emnotweni Casino were officially removed and demolished on Tuesday, June 24. The Mpumalanga Economic Regulator (MER), in partnership with the casino, ordered the destruction of the machines at Nieuwco Mpumalanga in Rocky Drift. This formed part of MER's efforts to eliminate the possibility of illegal use, tampering, or resale of gambling equipment that no longer meets industry standards. According to MER spokesperson Cedric Chiloane, the destruction of the outdated slot machines serves as a reminder to the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious gambling activities. Illegal gambling extends beyond slot machines and includes street card games, dice games played for money, betting on fahfee (umshayina), and online gambling through unlicensed platforms. WATCH THE VIDEO HERE: ALSO READ: Water pollution angers residents in Marite and Hazyview 'Last year, we destroyed about 119 machines, and we have since continued to search for illegal machines, including Chinese roulette gambling machines found at spaza shops,' he said. Chiloane added that licensed establishments are required to produce valid gambling certificates and encouraged the public to verify the legitimacy of gambling operations before participating. The MER is tasked with upholding standards of compliance, safety and fair play in the gaming industry. The protection of minors is also a key focus of the organisation. Chiloane urged business owners not to place gambling machines in public spaces, as they are intended strictly for adult entertainment. 'By conducting these raids and confiscations in the illegal market, we are sending a clear message – even spaza shops must understand that they are not allowed to have these machines,' he said. ALSO READ: Planned road closure for rock blasting on the N4 between Matsulu and KaNyamazane The destruction of the obsolete machines was carried out under strict regulatory oversight to ensure the equipment was rendered completely unusable. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
11 hours ago
- The Citizen
Officials suspended over stalled repairs at Noordgesig Secondary
Officials accused of failing to complete post-fire upgrades as department launches investigation. The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has suspended two Infrastructure Unit inspectors over alleged failures to complete urgent repair work at Noordgesig Secondary School in Soweto. The department took swift action on Wednesday, suspending the officials tasked with overseeing reconstruction efforts after a fire severely damaged the school on June 27, 2024. Repairs not completed 'The department had allocated funds for urgent repairs and reconstruction work,' the GDE said in a statement. 'However, it is suspected that repairs might have not been completed, and some of the committed upgrades are suspected to have been partially done or not carried out at all.' According to the department, the suspended inspectors were responsible for monitoring and managing the project. Their suspension follows concerns raised about the state of the school infrastructure nearly a year after the fire. ALSO READ: School closes Friday for three-week break: Educational activities to keep kids busy Internal probe launched The GDE confirmed it has launched an internal investigation to uncover the full facts surrounding the failed repairs. 'We will announce the outcome of said investigation once it has been completed,' the department stated. Last year, the fire disrupted learning and raised urgent safety concerns among the school community. In response, the department committed to a series of upgrades to restore functionality and ensure a safe learning environment. The GDE said it remains committed to ensuring accountability and restoring the school infrastructure. 'Subsequently, we will announce the outcome of said investigation once it has been completed,' it concluded. ALSO READ: Here's how many Gauteng schools damaged by fire have been repaired Fire-damaged schools still need repairs Furthermore, Education MEC Matome Chiloane, in a written response posed in the legislature, confirmed that 29 schools had been damaged by fire since the 2021-22 financial year. Of these 29 schools, six have been repaired by the GDE at a cost of R9.3 million, roughly one per year at an average cost of R15 million per project. However, an additional 10 schools were fixed using funds made available by insurance companies, School Governing Body donations or private sponsors. 13 schools still need repairs and have been handed over to another government department. 'It must be noted that damages were of such a nature that it required extensive work to be done in the affected schools,' stated Chiloane's response. 'In this regard, the work was referred to the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development for implementation,' it explained. NOW READ: Schools or war zones? Ministers unveil 'Safe Schools Protocol' to end violence
TimesLIVE
3 days ago
- TimesLIVE
How middlemen funnel illegal Chinese vapes into the US
Customs brokers do not buy or sell goods themselves. Rather, they are paid by others, usually the importer, to help navigate the customs process by submitting documents and fielding inquiries from border officials, according to Lenny Feldman, a managing partner at the law firm Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg. Customs brokers may be breaking the law if they are found to have not conducted proper due diligence, said Feldman. Speaking briefly to Reuters at his office in April, Kim said his firm did not deal with vape shipments any more after exiting the business last year. He said a former employee of his firm got him into working with vape clients and took those customers with her when she left. However, the FDA data reviewed by Reuters showed that vape-related shipments handled by Kim have continued throughout 2025, including in June. The FDA, which was directed to fire 3,500 employees in March, works with CBP to catch unauthorised vape shipments at the border. A spokesperson for CBP told Reuters the agency seized more than three-million units of illegal vapes valued at $76m (R1.37bn) in 2024. 'CBP has encountered bad actors exploiting shipments to transit illicit goods, including illegal vapes, synthetic opioids, precursor chemicals and related paraphernalia,' the spokesperson said. The FDA said over the past two years, efforts by the FDA and CBP had led to the seizure of about 7.1-million e-cigarettes with an estimated retail value of more than $136m (R2.45bn). Secretary of health and human services Robert F Kennedy Jnr said the administration would 'wipe out' fruity and sweet flavoured vapes from China that appeal to children. 'We are going to get rid of them,' he told the Senate committee on health, education, labour and pensions in May. Illinois Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said middlemen such as Kim bear some responsibility for the flood of vapes, but lays most of the blame with the FDA, which he accuses of sitting idle while illegal vapes flood into the country. 'The FDA is a disaster. It's asleep at the switch,' he said. 'You have illicit vapes all over the place.' The Trump administration's tariffs on China, as well as vape seizures, have already dented supply, Reuters reported this month. Vape shipments recorded by the FDA collapsed in May, with a shortage of popular brand Geek Bar in particular. The FDA has authorised 34 different vape products made by companies such as British American Tobacco (BAT) and Altria, but no fruity or sweet flavoured vapes the FDA says could appeal to children. Yet executives at BAT estimate unauthorised devices make up 70% of vape sales in the US, valuing their sales at $8.14bn (R147bn) last year. The supply chain ferrying illegal Chinese-made vapes into the US mostly operates in plain sight. It starts with a network of exporters based in China. After a vape shipment clears customs in the US, it is passed to its US buyer — usually a distributor, which then sells them to smaller wholesalers and retailers nationwide. The FDA collects data on US-based recipients of vape shipments. The largest in 2024 was Reynolds American, the US subsidiary of BAT. But the top 10 largest US vape recipients also included six obscure firms, opened in 2023 or 2024 and sometimes operating out of residential homes. The second-largest recipient of vape shipments in 2024 was a Chicago-based company called Somo Trade, established in 2023, Reuters analysis of FDA data and state business filings show. A woman at the business' address, a residential home on Chicago's north side, told a Reuters reporter the property was not involved in the vape business. Another recipient of vapes, Rongda Trade, is registered to a house on the same street as Somo Trade, opened the same month and has already been shut down, its filings show. No-one answered the door when Reuters visited the address. No-one answered at a residential address linked to Lila Trade on Chicago's southwest side, either. The name of the registered agent, Xiaohong Dai, was not among those listed on four mailboxes out front. Reuters could not find websites for any of the firms and their state business filings did not contain contact information. Meanwhile, in February, New York attorney-general Letitia James sued 13 companies which she said were major US vape distributors, accusing them of working closely with Chinese manufacturers to fuel the unauthorised vape industry. 'Together, defendants have established an industry for flavoured e-cigarettes, particularly disposable vapes, and staked out their own lucrative shares in the soaring market,' the complaint states. 'All have engaged in reprehensible, illegal conduct and aim to addict youth to their products.' Mitch Zeller, former head of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products during the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations, placed the blame on US-based distributors, such as those named in James' lawsuit, for feeding demand. 'There's only a handful of middlemen, middle companies, that are responsible for taking the illegal, imported stuff being misclassified and mislabelled and getting it into interstate commerce,' he said.
