Author: The Free Stater

While the historical action film The Woman King is Thuso Mbedu’s first feature film, it’s been a long time coming. The Underground Railroad actress has overcome a number of challenges in her life so far, and said she’s been “living on survival mode” for most of the time. “The first challenge that I had to overcome was growing up in South Africa. I was raised by my grandmother, I lost my mother to a brain tumor at the age of four,” Mbedu said in an emotional instalment of The Wrap’s “How She Did It”, presented by Johnnie Walker. “In high…

The ANC national leadership has endorsed Mxolisi Dukwana as the party’s preferred candidate for the position of premier of the Free State province. He is now all set to take over from Sisi Ntombela, who was forced to step down this week after suffering a massive political setback. After interviewing three candidates to fill up the post on Tuesday, the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) settled for Dukwana – recently elected the party’s chairperson in the Free State – as the most suitable for the job. The other two in consideration for the top office were Ketso Makume and Dibolelo…

The Free State will have a new premier by the end of this week after the incumbent, Sisi Ntombela, resigned on Tuesday. Mxolisi Dukwana is the hot favourite to replace her. Ntombela’s decision to quit as premier and a member of the provincial legislature did not come as a surprise. Her future has been hanging in the balance since she lost to Dukwana in the race for the ANC Free State chairperson’s position last month. The party’s provincial spokesperson, Jabu Mbalula, said a new premier will be announced by Friday. “By the end of this week we should have everything…

Free State police are investigating a case of common assault after a group of white men allegedly attacked two black teens at the Maselspoort Resort outside Bloemfontein on Christmas Day. A video of the apparently racially motivated confrontation has gone viral on social media. In the video, a white man is seen slapping a 13-year-old boy, who is then thrown back into the pool when he tries to get up. The man then appears to try to choke another boy, aged 18. Attempts to break up the confrontation fail and the situation escalates when another man pulls the younger teen’s…

The death toll from a fuel tanker explosion in Gauteng at the weekend has climbed to 18, regional health authorities said on Monday. A truck carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) got stuck under a bridge in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg, on Saturday, causing a leak and explosion that initially killed 10 people and unleashed widespread damage. A further eight people have since died of severe burns and injuries, the regional health department said in a statement. Nine of the 18 victims worked at the nearby Tambo Memorial Hospital, including a driver and eight nurses, after the explosion blew out its…

President Cyril Ramaphosa defied the ‘farmgate’ scandal to win re-election as the governing ANC’s leader. He defeated Zweli Mkhize by 2 476 votes to 1 897. Ramaphosa won despite facing allegations that he sought to cover up the theft of foreign currency amounting to at least US$580 000 from his private game farm in 2020. A panel of legal experts appointed by the speaker of parliament said he had a case to answer as he may have both violated the constitution and broken an anti-corruption law. Ramaphosa has however denied any wrongdoing and has launched legal action to annul the…

The Free State High Court has dismissed an application brought by three of the accused in the R25-million Nulane Investment corruption case. Dinesh Patel and Ronica Ragavan, together with Island Investments 180 (Pty) Ltd, filed a special entry application arguing that the information presented by the state was too little for them to adequately prepare for trial. The trial is set for January 23 to March 3 next year. Initially, the accused unsuccessfully brought an application to compel the state to furnish them with further and clear particulars in order to prepare for their criminal trial. A special entry application…

The year-end break is upon us, and we are even going to get an extra day of holiday. You need to be ready for this time of year. Firstly, your cleaner will be off for a few days’ well-earned rest. What are you going to do about keeping your place clean, putting out rubbish bins and the like? Will one of the owners or trustees help? Many property owners are likely to be on holiday, which means many of the units will be standing empty for as long as a month. What extra security are you putting into place?…

At least 13 people have died following a motor vehicle accident on the N1 between the Verkeerdevlei Plaza and Winburg in the Free State province in the early hours of Monday. In a statement, the provincial Department of Police, Roads and Transport said it is believed that around 03:25am a truck collided with a taxi on the N1, 17 kilometres before the Verkeerdevlei Plaza on the way to Winburg. Thirteen people were declared dead on the scene, according to the department. Two passengers were critically injured while one sustained minor injuries and they were taken to the Pelonomi Hospital in Bloemfontein. The south-bound…

Bloemfontein police have opened an inquiry into the cause of the fire that broke out at Samson’s Building, popularly known as China City Mall, on Monday night. No casualties have been reported but the fire is said to have caused extensive damage to the building which is situated at the corner of Charlotte Maxeke and Fitchardt streets in the city centre. Police spokesperson for Mangaung Lieutenant Colonel Thabo Covane said in a statement police on patrol at about 7pm on Monday noticed smoke coming from the rooftop of the shopping complex and decided to investigate. “The Fire Brigade . .…