Author: The Free Stater

By Okla Joneson The Lowdown: 2020 has been a busy year for South African rapper, producer, and songwriter Nsikayesizwe David Junior Ngcobo, better known as Nasty C. After signing a joint venture deal with Def Jam Records in March, Ngcobo released the visual EP Lost Files as well as a collaborative mixtape with DJ Whoo Kid entitled Zulu. Nasty C has been extremely popular on the African music scene for some time and now finds his star rising during these recent months in the United States. With his third studio album, Nasty C hopes to elevate his status abroad as…

President Cyril Ramaphosa sought to stamp his authority on the governing African National Congress (ANC) on Monday, saying that party officials must take leave from their positions if charged with corruption and resign if convicted. The ANC has been buffeted in recent weeks by reports of graft during the coronavirus crisis, putting Ramaphosa under pressure as he has pledged to clean up the party’s reputation after a decade of scandals under his predecessor, Jacob Zuma. Ramaphosa wrote to ANC members earlier this month saying the party “does stand as accused number one”, prompting a major backlash from Zuma and his…

Rwanda said it had arrested Paul Rusesabagina – the man who was hailed a hero in a Hollywood movie about the country’s 1994 genocide – on terrorism charges, and paraded him in front of the media in handcuffs. Rusesabagina was played by Don Cheadle in the Oscar-nominated film Hotel Rwanda which told the story of how he used his job as a hotel manager and his connections with the Hutu elite to protect Tutsis fleeing the slaughter. On Monday, two police officers brought the 66-year-old to a press conference at the headquarters of the Rwanda Investigations Bureau and let media…

Staff Reporter A baby who was stolen from her mother by a Welkom woman about seven months ago when she was only three months old has been reunited with her parents in Lesotho.The baby, now 10 months old, was handed over to the biological parents on Monday by Free State Acting Premier Mamiki Qabathe in Maseru, Lesotho.“I wish to thank the government of Lesotho which worked together with our government in ensuring that the child is brought back to her parents safe and sound,” Qabathe said as she handed over the child who has been kept in a place of…

Staff Reporter The Free State Department of Education says registration for learners starting school next year or those transferring to other schools is now open. The registration will be open until the end of October.“The registration is open for learners who will be admitted to schools for the first time, those starting high school and even those changing schools,” the department said in a statement issued by spokesperson Howard Ndaba.According to the statement, these are learners starting Grade R, Grade 1, Grade 8 and those changing schools in different grades. Admission will be on first-come, first-served basis.Application forms are available…

Staff Reporter Judgment has been reserved in an application brought to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) by former president Jacob Zuma against a High Court ruling which ordered him to pay legal costs after losing his bid to take the Public Protector’s report on state capture on review. Lead counsel for Zuma, Advocate Muzi Sikhakhane, told a full bench of the SCA via video conference on Friday that there was no justification that Zuma was wrong by taking the matter on appeal to warrant the costs order. He said Zuma was never opposed to the setting up of a…

Dear Mr President, Mr President Ramaphosa, as one of the members of the ANC, I have also received your open letter, written to all members of the ANC. This is indeed an unusual act by the leader of our movement. Given the nature and seriousness of the matters raised in your letter, I have decided to take an unusual decision to respond to your letter, in writing, which is something I am not used to because I normally favour engaging in a discussion within our structures, rather than writing a letter. Mr President, like other members of the ANC, I…

Staff Reporter Authorities at the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court have been told to make adjustments to their infrastructure and operations in order to accommodate more cases of gender-based violence (GBV). Deputy Minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Thembi Siweya, said this in response to a presentation by court management during her visit on Thursday to assess the impact of COVID-19 and what was being done to address any challenges. She said the court needs to review its structure so it can accommodate more support staff for GBV victims when they testify in the dedicated sexual offences courts.…

Staff Reporter Having a high number of people living in an area might not necessarily promote the spread of the coronavirus, but lack of meaningful economic activity could promote a rapid spread of the disease, a University of the Free State (UFS) lecturer has said. Professor Ivan Turok, from the UFS Department of Economics and Finance and the Centre for Development Support, says the problem with the spread of COVID-19 is not about high volumes of people in an area, but the level of economic activity in that place. Turok, who was part of a webinar discussion on ‘Urban Living…

Staff Reporter Former President Jacob Zuma’s appeal against a High Court ruling which found the Public Protector’s Report on state capture appropriate and binding, will be heard in the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) this Friday. The hearing will be heard via video conference.According to court papers, Zuma wants the SCA to determine if the North Gauteng High Court was right when it slapped him with a costs order when he initially took the state capture report on review and lost.He also wants the Bloemfontein-based court to decide whether it was reckless for him in his capacity as the then…