Latest news with #SANRAL
The Citizen
24-05-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
N12 closed for major Harmony Gold emergency drill near Fochville
The N12 highway near Fochville was temporarily closed on May 15 as Harmony Gold conducted a large-scale emergency simulation to test its disaster response capabilities. The closure affected the stretch between the R500 intersection and Wedela, where officials carried out essential emergency training in line with legal and safety requirements. The simulation focused on a scenario where Harmony's tailings facilities fail, causing mine slurry to spill onto the highway, blocking traffic and endangering lives. As part of the drill, emergency teams practiced rescue operations, including responding to a trapped employee in the tailings material. A mock victim was airlifted to a nearby hospital to complete the training. 'Harmony is committed to safety and disaster readiness. These exercises align with SANRAL's Road Incident Management System, the National Nuclear Regulator, and our internal emergency protocols,' said Harmony Group CEO Beyers Nel. 'It ensures our teams and stakeholders are well-prepared for real-world emergencies.' The simulation included key role players such as the SAPS, Emergency Medical Services, municipal and provincial traffic officers, and the Fochville Community Policing Forum. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Citizen
SANRAL denies fake message on new speed limits and warns of misinformation
SANRAL denies fake message on new speed limits and warns of misinformation The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) has firmly denied involvement in a widely circulated message falsely claiming it will implement stricter speed limits on South Africa's national road network from 1 July. The viral communique, designed to look official, claims SANRAL is introducing sweeping changes to speed limits across urban, rural, and highway roads under the so-called 'SANRAL Highway Law.' However, SANRAL has dismissed the message as fake and misleading. 'SANRAL has a distinct mandate to manage the country's national road network. 'This mandate encompasses the financing, planning, development, improvement, maintenance, and rehabilitation of the national roads, as prescribed by the SANRAL Act of 1998,' said Vusi Mona, SANRAL's general manager for communication and marketing. ALSO READ: Germiston roadworks project tackles poor conditions 'The SANRAL mandate does not include any enforcement rights—be that related to speed, safety, or security.' According to the false document, new speed limits were to include: Urban roads reduced from 60 km/h to 50 km/h Rural roads adjusted from 100 km/h to 80 km/h Highways capped at 110 km/h (down from 120 km/h) Heavy vehicles restricted to 90 km/h on all roads School zones set to a strict 30 km/h during school hours Mona warned the public not to be misled by unofficial sources and urged vigilance when receiving road-related updates. 'We encourage members of the public to contact SANRAL's hotline at 0800 204 508 or email sanral@ if they come across suspicious information,' he said. 'Journalists and newsrooms are welcome to verify facts with our press office via pressoffice@ At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
19-05-2025
- IOL News
Gauteng woman who murdered two pensioners and forged will, faces long jail time
Zaheera Boomgaard was convicted in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria of killing two elderly victims. She forged one of their wills to make herself the beneficiary. Image: Zelda Venter A woman who killed two elderly people as well as committed a host of other crimes including forging a will and 36 counts of theft regarding cash withdrawals from the account of one of her victims, faces a lengthy jail sentence. Two bodies were found within months of each going missing, both burnt beyond recognition. Both were also strangled and hit with an object before they were set alight. The Gauteng woman, killer Zaheera Boomgaard, was acquitted on a third count of murder against her, but this body was never found. The Gauteng High Court, Pretoria said there was not enough evidence to link her to the third alleged killing. John Naisby went missing in 2012 after visiting Boomgaard and was never seen again. Boomgaard, 63, was convicted for the murder of Jamnadas Harkant Nathvani, a British national whose body was burnt beyond recognition, as well as for the murder of her friend, Lyntette Mustapha, 72. Nathvani, also 72, had arrived in Gauteng in 2020, and he was last seen in February that year when he took a bus from Park Station in Johannesburg to Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal. A missing person's case was opened at the Newcastle police station, and the information was circulated. His body was found in the open veld in Gauteng in March 2020 and was burnt beyond recognition. It was months later that the police were able to identify him by his teeth, but it was established that there were signs of blunt force trauma and strangulation. Mustapha's charred remains were found in Walkerville a few months later. She was identified by her fingerprints. Judge John Holland-Muter found beyond reasonable doubt that circumstantial evidence all pointed to her as the perpetrator. She was found in possession of Nathvani's cellphone and the police found pictures on the phone of his passport and bank card, taken after his death. Further damning evidence against her included tyre marks near where the body was found, which matched that of Boomgaard's vehicle. There were also dragging marks, which the court concluded occurred when the body was taken out of the vehicle and dumped next to the road. Mustapha was killed a few months after Nathvani and her body was found about 4 km from where his body was dumped. SANRAL gantries recorded Boomgaard's vehicle was travelling in the vicinity of where Mustapha's body was found. Blood on her shoes also matched that of Mustapha. The court also heard evidence from the police that when Boomgaard was arrested, they found copies of two wills in her house which belonged to Mustapha and her sister Marlene, who had also died. According to evidence, the wills were forgeries, and in the wills, Boomgaard was made the sole beneficiary. She handed the 'original' copies of the wills to FNB. Boomgaard, meanwhile, testified that she had no knowledge that the wills were forgeries. The court was told that a piece of paper, with Mustapha's signature written several times, was also found in Boomgaard's home. She was, however, only convicted of forging one of the wills. Apart from the two murders and 46 counts of theft of making withdrawals from Nathvani's bank account, Boomgaard was also convicted of the robbery of Mustapha's cellphone and bank card. Sentencing procedures will start on June 30.
The South African
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- The South African
SANRAL denies viral claims of speed limit reductions on SA roads
The South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) has firmly denied that it is introducing reduced speed limits on South African roads, following the circulation of a false message claiming sweeping changes to national traffic laws. The viral message alleged that new speed regulations would take effect on 1 July 2025, including reductions such as: Urban roads: from 60km/h to 50km/h Rural roads: from 100km/h to 80km/h Highways: from 120km/h to 110km/h Heavy vehicles: limited to 90km/h School zones: restricted to 30km/h during school hours SANRAL responded by clarifying that it has no authority to set or enforce speed limits. 'Our mandate is strictly limited to the planning, financing, development, and maintenance of the national road network. 'We are not responsible for law enforcement or the setting of road safety regulations,' said Vusi Mona, SANRAL's General Manager for Communications. The agency emphasised that the misleading communication falsely attributes new legislation to SANRAL, which is not within its jurisdiction. Mona encouraged the public to be cautious about misinformation and to report suspicious messages directly to SANRAL's tip-off line or official email address. While there have been past discussions by road safety bodies about potentially reducing speed limits to improve safety, no such changes have been implemented or authorised at this time. The public is urged to rely only on official government channels for updates on road regulations. 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.
The Citizen
15-05-2025
- The Citizen
Sanral distances itself from fake news report over new speeding laws
Sanral distances itself from fake news report over new speeding laws The widely circulated document with proposed speed reduction laws is false. The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (Sanral) distanced itself from the fake 'communique' in a statement yesterday, May 14. Aside from being widely shared on social media, the document had also been picked up by some news organisation. Vusi Mona, SANRAL's General Manager for Communication and Marketing said the department does not have a mandate to change road laws and does not enforce speed limits on national roads. 'SANRAL has a distinct mandate to manage the country's national road network,' said Mona. 'This mandate encompasses the financing, planning, development, improvement, maintenance, and rehabilitation of the national roads, as prescribed by the SANRAL Act of 1998. The SANRAL mandate does not include any enforcement rights, be that related to speed, safety or security.' According to the circulating document, effective from 1 July, Sanral would implement 'Highway Law' with adjusted limits across South Africa's national highway system. Some of the speed limit changes that were to be implemented, per the fake document: • Urban roads reduced from 60km/h to 50km/h. • Rural roads adjusted from 100km/h to 80km/h. • Highways and national routes capped at 110km/h, down from 120km/h. • Heavy vehicles limited to 90km/h on all roads. • School zones to have a strict 30km/h speed limit during school hours. 'We encourage members of the public to contact Sanral's hotline – 0800 204 508 – or email sanral@ if they pick up suspicious information being circulated. We also encourage members of the media to reach out to our press office on pressoffice@ for further clarity,' added Mona. Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news. Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here or if you're on desktop, scan the QR code below. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
