Latest news with #Steenkamp
Gulf Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- Gulf Today
Oscar Pistorius competes in triathlon 12 years after murdering girlfriend
South African former Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius was spotted taking part in a triathlon last weekend in the coastal city of Durban, 12 years after murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in a crime that drew worldwide attention. Pistorius, 38, was freed from jail in January 2024 after completing more than half his sentence and is on parole until his sentence expires in 2029. Singabakho Nxumalo, spokesperson for South Africa's Department of Correctional Services, said Pistorius had approval to attend the race, the Ironman 70.3 Durban. "There was no breach in terms of his parole conditions," Nxumalo said. Afrikaans-language news website Netwerk24 first reported Pistorius' participation in the event on Wednesday. Conrad Dormehl, an attorney for Pistorius, confirmed to Reuters that Pistorius had featured in the Durban race. "This forms part of his rehabilitation into society. Whilst he particularly enjoyed participating in the event and seems to have been bitten by the bug that is triathlon sport, he isn't eyeing any comeback into competitive running just yet," he said. Pistorius — dubbed "Blade Runner" for his carbon-fibre prosthetic legs - shot dead 29-year-old model Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door on Valentine's Day in 2013. He repeatedly said he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder and launched multiple appeals against his conviction on that basis. His release on parole after about eight and a half years in jail, as well as seven months under house arrest, provoked a raw response in a country scarred by violence against women. Netwerk24 published a photograph of Pistorius riding a bicycle with the race number 105, his distinctive tattoo and prosthetic legs visible. Reuters contacted the photographer who gave the news agency permission to publish images similar to the one Netwerk24 used. Results published online by sports-timing company SportSplits show an athlete called Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius with race number 105 came 555th among all participants in the Ironman race and third in the "physically challenged" category. The course involved a 2-km swim, a 90-km bike ride and a 21-km run - a total distance of 70.3 miles. Pistorius was once a darling of the sports world, and a pioneering voice for disabled athletes, for whom he campaigned to be allowed to compete with able-bodied participants at major sports events. He won six gold medals over three Paralympic Games in Athens, Beijing and London, and competed in able-bodied races at the London 2012 Olympics. Reuters
Metro
5 days ago
- Sport
- Metro
Oscar Pistorius in first appearance at sports event since murdering girlfriend
Oscar Pistorius has been spotted competing in a triathlon event 18 months after his release from prison for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. The double amputee, dubbed 'Blade Runner' for his prosthetic legs, made his first public appearance at a sporting event since the 2013 killing at an Ironman 70.3 competition in Durban. He shot model Steenkamp, 29, through a locked bathroom door on Valentine's Day 12 years ago. His release on parole after about eight and a half years in jail, as well as seven months under house arrest, provoked a raw response in a country scarred by violence against women. Netwerk24 published a photograph of Pistorius riding a bicycle with the race number 105, his distinctive tattoo and prosthetic legs visible. Singabakho Nxumalo, spokesperson for South Africa's Department of Correctional Services, said Pistorius had approval to attend the race, the Ironman 70.3 Durban. Pistorius's lawyer Conrad Dormehl said: 'This forms part of his rehabilitation into society. 'Whilst he particularly enjoyed participating in the event and seems to have been bitten by the bug that is triathlon sport, he isn't eyeing any comeback into competitive running just yet.' Results published online by sports-timing company SportSplits show an athlete called Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius with race number 105 came 555th among all participants in the Ironman race and third in the 'physically challenged' category. The course involved a 2km swim, a 90km bike ride and a 21km run – a total distance of 70.3 miles. Pistorius was once a darling of the sports world, and a pioneering voice for disabled athletes, for whom he campaigned to be allowed to compete with able-bodied participants at major sports events. More Trending He won six gold medals over three Paralympic Games in Athens, Beijing and London, and competed in able-bodied races at the London 2012 Olympics. Pistorius shot Ms Steenkamp, a model and reality TV star, several times through the bathroom door with ammunition designed to inflict maximum damage to the human body. He always claimed he shot his girlfriend in error after mistaking her for a dangerous intruder, saying he didn't realise that she had got out of bed. Pistorius was freed from jail in January 2024 after completing more than half his sentence and is on parole until his sentence expires in 2029. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Ex-Arsenal prodigy jailed for four years over £600,000 cannabis smuggling plot MORE: Teen jailed for killing OAP with shoe and girl, 12, who filmed attack avoids prison MORE: Man charged and deliberately infecting victims with HIV appears in court
TimesLIVE
6 days ago
- Business
- TimesLIVE
Cape Town labour court reinstates driver sacked for negligence at African Bank
A driver fired for negligence after leaving company equipment in a vehicle with a leaking roof has won a labour court battle to be reinstated in his job with back pay at African Bank. The bank fired Alistair Steenkamp — who was initially employed as a customer relations consultant — in 2021 after charging him with negligence and the use of a company vehicle for private purposes. 'During the period October 25 to 26 2019 you allegedly acted in a negligent manner when you left the company [audio] speakers, used for marketing, overnight in the vehicle when it was raining while you were aware of the leaking roof. The speakers were damaged due to your negligence,' read the charges. 'On November 28 2019 you allegedly acted in a negligent manner by not keeping the company laptop safe while it was in your possession and you lost the laptop due to your negligence. On November 27 2020 you allegedly left the company cellphone in an unlocked vehicle without taking proper care, the cellphone was stolen, resulting in a loss of R3,899. 'During the period January to December 2019 it is alleged that you parked the company bus at times at the residence of a relative without overnight authority. This is in breach of the bank's rules and policy.' Steenkamp, who was working as a driver when he was fired, pleaded guilty to the first charge and was found guilty on it by the chairperson of a disciplinary hearing. He had been working for the bank since 2018.
Daily Maverick
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
‘We have a soul connection with this ocean' – SA fishing communities, activists rally against TotalEnergies
Chants of 'Hamba Total, hamba!' rang outside the walls of the Western Cape Division of the High Court on Monday, as coastal communities from across South Africa gathered in support of a legal challenge against offshore oil and gas exploration. 'We are here to protect our livelihoods as the fishing community. The top-down decisions that they are making are not in favour of us as the fishing community,' said Walter Steenkamp, a lifelong fisherman from Port Nolloth and chairperson of Aukotowa Fisheries. Steenkamp was standing in front of the Western Cape Division of the High Court in Cape Town on Monday, where a long-anticipated legal challenge against TotalEnergies EP South Africa Block 567 (Teepsa) got underway. The case, brought by environmental justice groups The Green Connection and Natural Justice, contests the government's decision to grant environmental authorisation to Total for offshore oil and gas exploration between Cape Town and Cape Agulhas (Blocks 5/6/7). As the three-day court proceedings commenced, solidarity protests erupted across the country – from TotalEnergies' headquarters in Johannesburg to Mabibi Beach in KwaZulu-Natal, Umngazi Beach in Port St Johns, Wavecrest in Centane and TotalEnergies Ziyabuya in KwaDwesi, Gqeberha. The case deals with a judicial review of the Environmental Authorisation (EA) process, contesting the government's failure to properly assess the risks posed by oil and gas exploration before granting the EA. However, the main legal focus on Monday was Teepsa's application to include Shell as a party to the case, as Shell holds joint exploration rights with TotalEnergies and is the current operator of the joint venture. Should the court approve the joinder, Shell would eventually hold the contested EA. Steenkamp has spent more than 36 years fishing off Port Nolloth, learning from his father, who was also a fisherman before him. He said that should the decision go ahead, and the offshore oil and gas exploration continue off the coast, 'it will destroy our whole fishing life that we, as fishers, have – that is the only life that we know as fishers'. 'They are making the ocean a scrapyard … We can already see the footprints that they leave behind in places like Mexico and Nigeria,' he reflected. 'Already, the fishers' lives are in danger because there is no food for them. There are no fish in the ocean or the river.' Steenkamp said he was outside the court to protect his livelihood as a fisherman and to protect what they have in the ocean, 'because we must take care of what is in the ocean for us … Already, the stock is coming down [because] of all the global warming and all the pollution they cause in the ocean.' Stepping away from the gathering of fisherfolk outside the high court, Deborah De Wee, chair and founding member of Spirit of Endeavour Fisherfolk Women in Doringbaai, told Daily Maverick they did not support the EA granted, and feared that the incoming oil and gas exploration would destroy their livelihoods, their children's inheritance and their culture. 'This is part of us. We are part of that ocean; we have a soul connection with this ocean,' she said. All of De Wee's children and her household were baptised in the ocean where the oil and gas exploration is set to take place. De Wee expressed deep disappointment in the government, saying it had failed in its duty to protect indigenous communities. Melissa Groenink, a programme manager at Natural Justice, said that they were confident about the case, and that Shell wouldn't be allowed to continue to try to join the case. 'Our government should be standing with us, defending our rights, and our connection to the land and sea. Instead, they're the ones giving exploration rights and permits to big corporations and capitalists,' Deborah De Wee, chair and founding member of Spirit of Endeavour Fisherfolk Women in Doringbaai. The court proceedings The hearing began with Judge Nobahle Mangcu-Lockwood hearing Teepsa's Shell joinder application. Teepsa argued that Shell, as a joint holder of the exploration right and current operator of the joint venture, should be included as a party since it is expected to become the holder of the EA. However, the applicants, represented by Cullinan & Associates, opposed the joinder, arguing that the exploration right had lapsed and that Shell had no legal standing in the case. Advocate Matthew Chaskalson SC, for the applicants, made two main points against Shell's joinder application: first, that Shell has no legal interest in the review since it does not yet hold the EA; second, the exploration right Shell claims expired and rights cannot be extended indefinitely amid bureaucratic delays. Ultimately, the applicants argued that Shell's interest was restricted to its exploration right and, although it intends to take the transfer of the EA, it has not yet made that application, which means Shell just has a commercial interest at this stage and should not be allowed to join the case. However, responding to this, Advocate Chris Loxton SC, representing Teepsa, said the applicants lost sight of the fact that the joint venture, Shell and Teepsa were granted a right in terms of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act to explore. Loxton said this right was exercisable by any of the joint venture partners, provided they had the EA. According to Loxton, the exploration activities are intended to benefit all members of the consortium, not just Shell, in a commercial sense. Loxton emphasised that Shell's interest is not just commercial but a real legal right, including the right to gain knowledge from exploration. If the review succeeds and the EA is set aside, Shell's rights would be directly affected. He said, 'The exploration undertaken benefits every member of the consortium. Shell's interest is not vague or commercial; it is a real right directly affected by this case.' Following this, the court heard the applicants and Teepsa's arguments on the merits. Chaskalson challenged the EA, saying it was based on an inadequate environmental impact assessment. Key concerns included failure to consider socio-economic impacts, climate change risks and procedural flaws like insufficient public consultation. He argued that the public was not properly consulted about the exploration for Block 5/6/7 and that, without this public participation, the government could not make a fair and equitable decision. Chaskalson further said that TotalEnergies did not properly assess the climate change impacts of both exploration and future production, and that the project conflicts with South Africa's commitments under the Paris Agreement, as a commercially viable oil or gas project would increase greenhouse gas emissions. Loxton countered that the applicants confused exploration with production. He said the environmental impact of exploration is very different from that of production and that climate change effects relate mainly to production, not exploration activity. On the challenge to the rationality of granting the EA, Teepsa argued that the National Environmental Management Act does not require complete knowledge of all potential consequences before authorisation can be granted and that the decision was rationally connected to the information available. The court adjourned with proceedings set to continue on Tuesday and Wednesday. Nationwide solidarity Activists from several organisations gathered outside TotalEnergies' Johannesburg head office on Monday in solidarity with the Western Cape communities that were challenging the offshore oil drilling approval. Carrying placards reading 'total removal of oil and gas in Africa' and 'Africa's resources = Western imperialism's bloodline', protesters stood with coastal communities and small-scale fishers taking legal action against the French multinational. Attendees included activists from the Climate Justice Coalition, StopEACOP, Sisonke Revolutionary Movement, Ekurhuleni Environmental Organisation, Socialist Youth Movement and Mining Affected Communities United in Action, representing various parts of Gauteng. The protest formed part of a broader, continent-wide campaign — backed by 110 organisations across Africa — demanding that TotalEnergies withdraw from fossil fuel projects and support a clean, community-led energy future. StopEACOP Campaign Coordinator Zaki Mamdoo said the court case is just one front in a growing push to expel Total from Africa. 'Oppression, exploitation and extraction are in the DNA of a company like Total,' he said. 'Even when we talk about renewables, we're calling for socially owned energy systems democratically run by communities, workers and the state. It's an anti-corporate, anti-profit vision for our energy future.' Reading a statement aloud before he handed the memorandum over to Total SA, Mamdoo said: 'Total, your time in Africa is up.' Sibu Duma, communications officer for TotalEnergies South Africa, accepted the memorandum on behalf of the company, saying it would be shared internally and 'addressed accordingly', as it had been after protests in 2022 – although protest organiser Kholwani Simelane noted that promised meeting after a 2022 protest never materialised. 'TotalEnergies fully respects the right to demonstrate, freedom of expression, and promotes transparent and constructive dialogue with all its stakeholders,' said Duma. Simelane said they had gathered in Johannesburg in solidarity with coastal communities '[not] simply because oil and gas exploration affects the livelihoods of coastal communities, but also because African people for the longest time have depended on the ocean as a source of living towards our spirituality and also the well-being of the biodiversity of the ocean, itself.' A member of the Climate Justice Coalition, Simelane added that their activism goes beyond coastal solidarity, aiming to show how environmental justice intersects with broader struggles. 'Because that speaks to livelihood, sustainability, and socio-economical issues that are facing South Africa,' he said. Gift Radebe, a member of Mining Affected Communities United in Action, grew up and still lives in Phola, a mining town in Mpumalanga's coal belt. Although his community's experience is with coal mining rather than oil exploration, Radebe has witnessed first-hand the environmental and social impacts fossil fuel extraction has on local communities. 'The challenge we face is a complete absence of accountability,' said Radebe. 'If more mining licences are granted to companies to expand from coal and gas into oil and gas, we will face even more problems. 'Look at the Western Cape, where oil exploration is already causing serious issues. People who depend on fishing for food and income are suffering.' DM
Zawya
21-03-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Google South Africa launches $109mln cloud region in JHB, offering local businesses access to the world's best data warehouse
Google South Africa announced its launch of the new Google Cloud region in Johannesburg on 16 March 2025. This infrastructure investment marks a giant step forward in business and technology transformation, not only for South Africa, but the continent. As a result of the establishment of the region, Africa will now have access to the best data warehouse platform in the world. The project – the first in Africa – will see South Africa join Google Cloud's global network of 40 regions and 121 zones worldwide. These regions deliver Google Cloud services to more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. 'Bringing Google Cloud services closer to our local customers will enable them to innovate and securely deliver faster, more reliable experiences to their own customers. This will also contribute a cumulative US$2.1 billion to South Africa's Gross Domestic Product and support the creation of more than 40 000 jobs by 2030' comments Ferdinand Steenkamp, Co-Founder at Tregter, a locally founded data company based in Cape Town. 'With Africa's internet economy estimated to reach $180 billion by 2025, this sector will account for 5.2% of the continent's GDP. Google South Africa's secure, high-performance, low-latency cloud service will put South Africa at the cutting edge of this technological revolution on the continent' he adds. This critical investment also marks a significant step towards the fulfilment of Google's commitment to invest $1 billion to boost Africa's digital transformation. This is an important contribution to the infrastructure needed to nurture the continent's tech talents and enhance the startup ecosystem that will produce Africa's homegrown tech leaders. In addition to the infrastructure investment, Google South African has also hosted training for learners and business owners in programmes like Cloud OnBoard, Cloud Hero and Google Hustle Academy, which cover technology topics like generative AI (gen AI), machine learning (ML), application and infrastructure modernisation, data and analytics, and digital marketing. The launch of Google Cloud will also enhance the numerous programmes Google operates for African startups including Black Founders Fund Africa and Google for Startups Accelerator Africa, which has supported 106 startups across 17 African countries — startups that have collectively raised over $263 million in funding and created over 2 800 direct jobs. 'Google South Africa will inevitably play a part in creating a more level playing field for African tech entrepreneurs, bringing substantial benefits to businesses beyond the tech sector, offering a launchpad for broader efforts to power the growth of Africa's tech sector' concludes Steenkamp.
