Latest news with #NewcastleAdvertiser
The Citizen
3 days ago
- Health
- The Citizen
Hospital seeks public's help to locate family of unidentified patient
Hospital seeks public's help to locate family of unidentified patient The Madadeni Regional Hospital is urgently appealing for public assistance in locating the family of a patient identified as Andres Ntando. According to the hospital's Public Relations Department, no contact details for next of kin were provided when Ntando was admitted. Ntando informed staff that he resides in the Mnambithi area, but has been unable to provide any further information. If you know Ntando or are able to assist in locating his relatives, please contact the Madadeni Provincial Hospital Public Relations Department on 034 328 8043/8133 or email The news provided to you in this link has been investigated and compiled by the editorial staff of the Newcastle Advertiser, a sold newspaper distributed in the Newcastle area. Please follow us on Youtube and feel free to like, comment, and subscribe. For more local news, visit our webpage, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and request an add on our WhatsApp (082 874 5550). At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
28-05-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
#Wellness Wednesday: Protect yourself from the flu this winter
#Wellness Wednesday: Protect yourself from the flu this winter According to the NICD, South Africa's flu season began during the week of March 24. While the best time to get vaccinated is before flu season starts—typically between April and June—the NICD emphasizes that it's still not too late to get your flu shot. Protection from the flu develops about two weeks after vaccination The vaccine offers some protection from the flu and lessens the severity of the symptoms. For many people, flu comes with mild symptoms that are resolved in days to a week but for vulnerable groups, influenza can lead to severe illness, hospitalisation, or even death. Those most at risk include: Pregnant women People living with HIV Individuals with chronic conditions like diabetes, lung disease, heart disease, tuberculosis, kidney disease, or obesity Older adults (65 years and older) Children younger than 2 years Many people mistakenly believe that the flu vaccine can give them the flu, but the NICD has debunked this myth. The vaccine is made from an inactivated virus, meaning it cannot cause the flu. After receiving the shot, some may experience mild fever and soreness at the injection site, but not the full-blown flu. The National Department of Health provides influenza vaccination free of charge to healthcare workers and people in high-risk groups. To reduce the spread of flu in your community, remember to: Wash your hands often Cover coughs and sneezes with your elbow or a tissue Avoid close contact with people who are sick Stay home if you are feeling unwell if your symptoms worsen or don't improve within three–seven days, seek medical attention. Information sourced from The news provided to you in this link has been investigated and compiled by the editorial staff of the Newcastle Advertiser, a sold newspaper distributed in the Newcastle area. Please follow us on Youtube and feel free to like, comment, and subscribe. For more local news, visit our webpage, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and request an add on our WhatsApp (082 874 5550). At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
DW
23-05-2025
- Politics
- DW
Fact check: Trump's South Africa 'genocide' claim is wrong – DW – 05/23/2025
Fake news in the White House: the footage Trump wants to use to prove the 'mass murder of white farmers in South Africa' is outdated. The white crosses on the roadside are from a demonstration in 2020. During his visit to the White House, US President Donald Trump confronted South Africa's head of state Cyril Ramaphosa with claims that white farmers are being mass murdered in South Africa. The narrative that white population groups are being systematically and deliberately killed is not supported by facts and official statistics. It has been circulating in right-wing circles for years and is linked to the racist conspiracy myth of the "Great Replacement." Claim: "These are the -- these are burial sites right here," Trump said (White House video minute 24:25), while describing a footage during a meeting with Ramaphosa at the White House on May 21. "Each one of those white things you see is a cross. And there's approximately a thousand of them. They're all white farmers, the family of white farmers," added Trump. DW Fact check: False The statement that every cross stands for a white farmer who was murdered in South Africa is false. Image: X Trump's claim was already circulating on social media before Ramaphosa's state visit to the US. On May 12, a user on X explained that every cross stands for a murdered white farmer in South Africa. The video post has been viewed almost 55 million times at the time of publishing. A reverse image search shows that the footage used by Trump with the white crosses on the side of the road was already shared on social media in 2020 and 2023 . These are not, as Trump claims, the gravesites of more than a thousand murdered farmers. 'Ramaphosa, how many more must die?' Instead, the scenes show a protest near the South African city of Newcastle on September 5, 2020. The protest was triggered by the murder of married couple Glen and Vida Rafferty on their farm in August 2020. Among others, the South African newspaper Newcastle Advertiser reported on the incident: "Trucks, tractors, trucks, bakkies, vans, sedans, scooters, motorcycles, helicopters and airplanes – vehicles of almost every description formed part of the Move ONE Million group's procession deep into Normandien today (September 5)." [...] "Just after the Horn River bridge, hundreds of symbolic wooden crosses had been erected along the route by volunteers. Almost halfway to Hanover, the farm where Glen and Vida Rafferty were murdered, an enormous banner was strung above the road: 'President Ramaphosa, how many more must die???'" South African politician Julius Malema was expelled from the ruling ANC party for fomenting divisions. Image: Guillem Sartorio/AFP In another passage of the video used by Trump, the South African politician Julius Malema is shown proclaiming the slogan 'Kill the boer, kill the farmer'. The footage was taken at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, where the left-wing South African party 'Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF)' celebrated its tenth anniversary in August 2023. Media outlets like public broadcaster SABC News reported on the event. Dangerous hate speech Julius Malema was a member of the South African ruling party African National Congress ANC before the EEF was founded and was expelled from the party in 2012. The song is an old declaration of war from the apartheid era and has been classified as hate speech in South Africa on several occasions. South Africa's President Ramaphosa distanced himself from the aforementioned statements immediately after the video screening. The President said those speeches are not his government policy. South African farmers refute Trump: No 'white genocide' To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video South African farmer Theo de Jaeger, head of the Southern African Agri Initiative, also told DW that there is no genocide of white farmers in South Africa (see video above). After Trump recently offered white farmers asylumin the US, he wrote a public letter to the US President, feeling compelled to set the record straight. "We were scared that he might misunderstand what it's all about. I sent him that letter that the challenges we have are not only challenges for white farmers, there are even bigger challenges for black farmers," he told DW. Land distribution in South Africa is still extremely unequal more than 30 years after the end of apartheid. According to a 2017 report by the South African government , white people own around 72% of agricultural land, while black South Africans only own around 4% of individually registered farms. White South Africans make up only 7.8%of the total South African population. This article was originally written in German. This article is part of a cooperation with the fact check teams of the public broadcasters ARD-Faktenfinder, BR24 #Faktenfuchs and DW Faktencheck.
DW
23-05-2025
- Politics
- DW
Fact check: Trump's 'evidence videos' do not show 'genocide' – DW – 05/23/2025
Fake news in the White House: the footage Trump wants to use to prove the 'mass murder of white farmers in South Africa' is outdated. The white crosses on the roadside are from a demonstration in 2020. During his visit to the White House, US President Donald Trump confronted South Africa's head of state Cyril Ramaphosa with claims that white farmers are being mass murdered in South Africa. The narrative that white population groups are being systematically and deliberately killed is not supported by facts and official statistics. It has been circulating in right-wing circles for years and is linked to the racist conspiracy myth of the "Great Replacement." Claim: "These are the -- these are burial sites right here," Trump said (White House video minute 24:25), while describing a footage during a meeting with Ramaphosa at the White House on May 21. "Each one of those white things you see is a cross. And there's approximately a thousand of them. They're all white farmers, the family of white farmers," added Trump. DW Fact check: False The statement that every cross stands for a white farmer who was murdered in South Africa is false. Image: X Trump's claim was already circulating on social media before Ramaphosa's state visit to the US. On May 12, a user on X explained that every cross stands for a murdered white farmer in South Africa. The video post has been viewed almost 55 million times at the time of publishing. A reverse image search shows that the footage used by Trump with the white crosses on the side of the road was already shared on social media in 2020 and 2023 . These are not, as Trump claims, the gravesites of more than a thousand murdered farmers. 'Ramaphosa, how many more must die?' Instead, the scenes show a protest near the South African city of Newcastle on September 5, 2020. The protest was triggered by the murder of married couple Glen and Vida Rafferty on their farm in August 2020. Among others, the South African newspaper Newcastle Advertiser reported on the incident: "Trucks, tractors, trucks, bakkies, vans, sedans, scooters, motorcycles, helicopters and airplanes – vehicles of almost every description formed part of the Move ONE Million group's procession deep into Normandien today (September 5)." [...] "Just after the Horn River bridge, hundreds of symbolic wooden crosses had been erected along the route by volunteers. Almost halfway to Hanover, the farm where Glen and Vida Rafferty were murdered, an enormous banner was strung above the road: 'President Ramaphosa, how many more must die???'" South African politician Julius Malema was expelled from the ruling ANC party for fomenting divisions. Image: Guillem Sartorio/AFP In another passage of the video used by Trump, the South African politician Julius Malema is shown proclaiming the slogan 'Kill the boer, kill the farmer'. The footage was taken at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, where the left-wing South African party 'Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF)' celebrated its tenth anniversary in August 2023. Media outlets like public broadcaster SABC News reported on the event. Dangerous hate speech Julius Malema was a member of the South African ruling party African National Congress ANC before the EEF was founded and was expelled from the party in 2012. The song is an old declaration of war from the apartheid era and has been classified as hate speech in South Africa on several occasions. South Africa's President Ramaphosa distanced himself from the aforementioned statements immediately after the video screening. The President said those speeches are not his government policy. South African farmers refute Trump: No 'white genocide' To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video South African farmer Theo de Jaeger, head of the Southern African Agri Initiative, also told DW that there is no genocide of white farmers in South Africa (see video above). After Trump recently offered white farmers asylumin the US, he wrote a public letter to the US President, feeling compelled to set the record straight. "We were scared that he might misunderstand what it's all about. I sent him that letter that the challenges we have are not only challenges for white farmers, there are even bigger challenges for black farmers," he told DW. Land distribution in South Africa is still extremely unequal more than 30 years after the end of apartheid. According to a 2017 report by the South African government , white people own around 72% of agricultural land, while black South Africans only own around 4% of individually registered farms. White South Africans make up only 7.8%of the total South African population. This article was originally written in German. This article is part of a cooperation with the fact check teams of the public broadcasters ARD-Faktenfinder, BR24 #Faktenfuchs and DW Faktencheck.
The Citizen
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Here is the origin of the white cross video Trump used to ambush Ramaphosa
US President Donald Trump's Oval Office video showed a road lined with white crosses, but incorrectly referred to them as burial sites. The tone of political rhetoric in South Africa was broadcast from Washington to the international community this week. United States President Donald Trump gave those gathered in the Oval Office on Wednesday an impromptu highlight reel of EFF leader Julius Malema's most inflammatory remarks. Comprising mainly of Malema's campaign fervour that South Africans now find commonplace, there was also a cameo from former president Jacob Zuma singing about chasing away 'boers'. Row of white crosses not 'burial sites' Widely accepted by South Africans and the courts as being remnants of the liberation struggle, the songs and remarks are seen as part of the country's political lexicon. However, another piece of footage used by Trump's team to question the safety of white people in South Africa was that of a long row of white crosses snaking through the countryside. ALSO READ: Ramaphosa says Trump meeting a success despite ambush [VIDEO] President Trump claimed the crosses were 'burial sites' of persecuted white South Africans. 'Each one of those white things you see is a cross, there are approximately 1 000 of them. They're all white farmers and the family of white farmers,' Trump said as the video was concluding. The caption in the video also claimed each cross represented a murdered farmer and was posted by the X account @realMaalouf, a pro-Judeo-Christian social media commentator. Origins of the video Trump used The clip of the white crosses lining a winding road comes from a 2020 protest over the murder of Glen and Vida Rafferty outside their farm in inland KwaZulu-Natal. The Newcastle Advertiser reported in September 2020 that 'hundreds of symbolic wooden crosses had been erected along the route by volunteers'. The Raffertys were hijacked at the entrance of their farm in August 2020, with both being shot and killed. 'The attackers then fled the scene in the couple's vehicle. It is believed the Rafferty's dog was also shot,' reported the Newcastle Advertiser. The procession of vehicles was part of a MoveOneMillion campaign aimed at raising awareness around farm murders, where attendees paid their respects to the deceased couple. 75 murders per day The White House on Wednesday posted a link to the video, as well as 17 other sources used by Trump's team to demonstrate their stance. Trump's other sources — the printouts he displayed after the video — detailed the personal motivations of the recently accepted political emigrants as well as flashpoint crimes dating back over a decade. US President Donald Trump shows pictures as he meets with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2025. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa meets Donald Trump on Wednesday amid tensions over Washington's resettlement of white Afrikaners that the US president claims are the victims of 'genocide.' (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) Both sides of the 'white genocide' debate state that the figures tell a disproportionate story. ALSO READ: SA must growl back at global bullies like Trump AfriForum previously stated that 364 farm murders had occurred over a six-year period, a rate of just over 10 people per year. By contrast, 6 953 murder cases were opened by South African police between October and December 2024, a rate of 75 per day. The EFF dismissed Trump's montage, but directed their criticism at President Cyril Ramaphosa and his delegation. 'Ramaphosa denounced a liberation song upheld by South Africa's highest courts and failed to defend the nation against the false narrative of white genocide,' the EFF stated on Wednesday night. 'Instead of promoting justice, redress and transformation, Ramaphosa's delegation chose to vilify calls for land reform and economic freedom.' Land reform has a 'political slant' The Freedom Front Plus' Wynand Boshoff acknowledged that crime — especially murder — was rampant in the country, but stressed it was the targeted brutality of farm murders that caused concern. Boshoff's party have been calling for the end of the 'Kill the Boer' song, as well as declaring the farm murders a priority crime so that resources could be dedicated to protecting farmers. The party's spokesperson on agriculture acknowledged murders were decreasing, but attributed that to investment in security measures and dedicated communication channels between farmers. Boshoff said the land reform objective could be successfully attained if commercial productivity was guaranteed, but told The Citizen that land reform in South Africa came with too political a slant. 'The government has not accepted that there is a problem. Recognising that there is a problem is the first step to rebuilding trust,' Boshoff concluded. In the Oval Office on Wednesday, Ramaphosa stated that more needed to be done to protect all South Africans from crime. NOW READ: Tariffs and Agoa: How Parks Tau summarised US-SA trade talks
