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ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa has promised to resuscitate the country’s ailing economy while implementing the ruling party's policies on free education and radical economic transformation.

In his maiden January 8 statement at East London's Absa stadium on Saturday, Ramaphosa attempted to reassure investors by painting a picture perfect South Africa under his rule.

He said the party required a programme of fundamental and radical change.

"We are going to restore our focus on building an economy in which all South Africans can flourish. An economy which benefits the people of our country as a whole rather than just to benefit a few privileged individuals and families in our country."

He added that the party wanted an open and diverse economy that will provide opportunities for all, especially young people and women.

This economy he said, would welcome investment.

"We must not have an economy that discourages and chases away investors from investing in South Africa."

He invited all investors from all over the world to come to South Africa to invest so that the country's economy could grow "so that we can create jobs, so that we can end poverty, so that we can reduce inequality," he added.

South Africa's status has suffered one downgrade after another by ratings agencies.

The country has also been under great strain with expected growth for the year at less than 2% due to recent political uncertainty in the ANC.

President Jacob Zuma's cabinet reshuffles have also fuelled the fire putting investor confidence in the country at an all-time low since the party took over in 1994.

Ramaphosa who now takes over from Zuma as party president will have to clean up the economy.

He was the preferred candidate of business with markets responding positively to him during his campaign and victory in December at the ANC elective conference against former African Union commission chair Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

However, Ramaphosa's business acumen will be challenged during his term as president of the ruling party.

He is tasked with implementing Zuma's fee-free education proclamation, radical economic transformation as well as land redistribution without compensation.

Attempting to ease investor confidence, Ramaphosa said land will be redistributed while meeting the constitutional requirement of redress.

He added that the party would ensure that fee-free higher education for those families earning less than R350 000 would be implemented in a gradual process.

"As we accumulate more and more money, as we mobilise resources. We are going to realise this historic objective."

A man is in hot water after marrying the daughter of his wife – without divorcing his wife first.

According to Pennlive, Christopher Hauptmann (44) from Shamokin in Pennsylvania, America did not try to defend himself against a bunch of charges when he appeared in court last week.

Among the charges was that of bigamy, which is the offence in America of marrying someone while already being married to another person.

Hauptmann married Shannon Deitrich in 2015 in Florida. But then a year later, he wedded Kaylee Durovick, Deitrich’s daughter. He was still married to Deitrich at the time.

Durovick and Hauptmann are still together.

Other charges Hauptmann faces are the illegal possession of a firearm. He apparently lied when he applied to buy guns that he didn’t have any previous convictions. Actually, Hauptmann did have a conviction for drugs, which means he can’t own a gun.

Judge Paige Rosini sentenced Hauptmann to a year minus a day to two years minus a day in prison followed by 10 years' probation. He was given credit for the 332 days he has been in jail, unable to post bail.

The rand weakened in midday trade yesterday to its worst in nearly three weeks after the ANC said an early exit for President Jacob Zuma had not been discussed at a party meeting.

Initially hit by softening demand for emerging market assets as global bond yields picked up, the rand’s losses accelerated to a session-low R12.55 shortly after the ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule told reporters Zuma’s removal was not on the agenda of a meeting of the party’s top decision-making body.

At 1pm the rand was 1.4% weaker at R12.5075 to the dollar, slightly better than the slide to its weakest level since December26.

By 5pm, the rand had recovered somewhat, bidding at R12.4529 to the greenback, but 2.73c softer than at the same time on Tuesday.

The rand has swung between R12.2275 and the upper R12.50s for the first two weeks of the year, pushed and pulled by mostly rumour-fuelled bets of a Zuma resignation before his term ends next year.

“The rand, and markets generally, at the moment have been very headline driven. And the ANC meeting only ends tomorrow so there will be more headlines and that means rand volatility should continue,” said trader at RMB, Jim Bryson.

“It’s really difficult to call, it needs to close above (R)12.52 to get out of these ranges, but a test of around (R)12.20 cannot be totally discounted,” Bryson said.

The rand has rallied since mid-December, supported by investors’ hopes that the newly elected leader ANC head Cyril Ramaphosa would push through business-friendly policies.

The rally has since stalled, with signs of higher rates in the US shifting some of the focus back to fundamentals, although analysts said a decision on Zuma remained the main swing factor.

“He (Ramaphosa) is likely to do everything in his power to reduce Zuma’s influence and to facilitate a rapid end to his time in power. That is rand positive,” said analyst at Frankfurt-based Commerzbank, Elisabeth Andreae.

Meanwhile, in equities, the benchmark JSE Top40 index slipped 0.03% to 53167.96 points while the broader all share index declined 0.22% to close at 59979.63 points.

Cape Town – The DA’s Cape Metro executive has decided to recommend to its higher bosses that Patricia De Lille be removed as the mayor of the City of Cape Town.

Grant Twigg, DA metro leader, said: “Patricia De Lille has lost the confidence of the Metro Executive, the relevant political authority. We are of the view that the City of Cape Town requires stability, unity and functionality – which we believe she cannot deliver.”

“I communicated our recommendations to party leadership and trust they will act swiftly in the best interests of the organization. All public representatives are accountable to its party and voters, and as party leadership we need to ensure that all deployees are acting in the best interests of voters as well as the organization, and not themselves. The metro executive has not taken these decisions lightly but after careful consideration and deliberation,” Twigg said.

He also said the DA caucus will not support De Lille’s proposed drought levy.

Speculation has been rife that De Lille will be axed following two investigations and several allegations of corruptions which De Lille has all denied.

De Lille told the Cape Argus that she will be taking legal action against the DA should they decide on removing her.

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A suspect is expected in court in Limpopo in the first week of 2018 following his arrest for allegedly killing a white lion.

 Captain Moatshe Ngoepe Limpopo Police Spokesman  told TimesLIVE four poachers allegedly killed the lion in January 2017.

The second suspect was arrested last week‚ Ngoepe said.

One man was arrested a year ago‚ with police searching the others.

"We happened to identify the suspects days later [after the incident]. One was arrested. All along we were looking for the other three."

The first suspect is in custody and his trial is not yet completed.

Asked how the suspects were identified‚ Ngoepe just said "through our sources".

The man will appear in the magistrate's court in Senwabarwana‚ also known as Bochum‚ this week.

Durban - Two people have been killed in an early morning crash in Pinetown near Durban on New Year's Day.

Private emergency services provider Rescue Care spokesperson Garrith Jamieson said the accident occurred on the Dumisanya Makhanya freeway just outside Claremont in Pinetown.

"Just after 4am, Rescue Care paramedics were called to the scene to find that a vehicle had somehow lost control and come to rest on its roof in a ditch on the roadside. 

"Paramedics assessed the scene and found that there had been seven occupants in the vehicle at the time of the collision,"he said. "Unfortunately a male and a female, believed to be in their 30s, had suffered major injuries and there was nothing more anyone could do for them and they were declared deceased at the scene. 

"A further five people had sustained various injuries and were stabilised on the scene before being transported to various Durban Hospitals for the further care that they required."

Police were on the scene to investigate the cause of the accident.

African News Agency/ANA

Harare - Car horns blared and cheering crowds waving the national flag thronged the streets of Zimbabwe's capital Harare on Tuesday after news broke that President Robert Mugabe had resigned after 37 years in power.

The announcement came after days of mounting pressure on the 93-year-old leader, whose long and authoritarian rule made him feared by many of his citizens.

"We are just so happy that things are finally going to change," Togo Ndhlalambi, 32, a hairdresser, told AFP.

"We woke up every morning waiting for this day. This country has been through tough times."

After a week of political turmoil, Zimbabweans reacted with shock, disbelief and delight.

"I am so happy that Mugabe is gone, 37 years under a dictatorship is not a joke," said Tinashe Chakanetsa, 18.

"I am hoping for a new Zimbabwe ruled by the people and not by one person.

"We need leaders who are selected by the people and not rulers. I am looking forward to get a job after our economy recovers."

Massive crowds gathered within minutes of the surprise announcement made to a meeting of parliamentary lawmakers who were discussing a motion to impeach Mugabe.

At the Rainbow Towers conference centre where the MPs were gathered, a framed portrait of the president was ripped from the wall, torn apart and stamped to pieces by a cheering crowd..

"It's shocking, that guy (was) powerful, very powerful," said Barber Wright Chirombe, one of those who joined the euphoric street celebrations.

Across the city, men danced, women sang and many were in tears, brandishing national flags and often praising General Constantino Chiwenga -- the man who led the army takeover that finally triggered the crisis that overthrew the ageing president.

"We were reduced to worthless people under Mugabe," said Yeukai Magwari, 33, a vendor dancing with uniformed domestic maids in the Avondale neighbourhood of the capital.

"From now on we don't want to see our elderly men and women sleeping in queues outside banks, and people reduced to being destitute after going to college," he said.

Tendai Chaitezvi, 29, a bank employee, celebrated with friends at the Fiesta bar in the Avenues district as music was blasted from several car stereos.

"The situation in the country under this man was rough," he said. "A lot of our friends went abroad in search of jobs and were wondering how we managed to survive back here.

"There is suddenly a sense of optimism now. Today is the start of hoping that things will get back to normal."

Leah Macharaga, 37, was born in 1980, the same year that Mugabe came to power. "I hated that man," she said simply.

The news came shortly before dusk in Harare, and as dark fell cars careened through the unlit streets.

"I am happy beyond words. Now we expect a better future for our country than the hardship we endured under Mugabe," Modesta Macharaga, 35, told AFP. 

Some locals immediately focused on the country's uncertain future, and likely next president Emmerson Mnangagwa, a former Mugabe ally with a reputation as a ZANU-PF party hardliner responsible for violent crackdowns on dissent.

"Mugabe's resignation must be followed by the resignation of all those have surrounded him," Munyaradzi Chihota, 40, a businessman in Harare, told AFP.

"We need a complete overhaul, not just the removal of one person at the top. With any elements of ZANU PF still in power I doubt that we will move forward."

"We hate ZANU-PF and we don't want to replace a dictator with another dictator," said Oscar Muponda, a office worker in the capital.

In Zimbabwe's second city of Bulawayo, Mandla Mpofu, 63, a lawyer gathered with friends at the Continental Bar.

"It has been years and years of suffering and here is freedom at last. I am going to celebrate late tonight."

The EFF has fired six of its councillors in the Mogale City council for voting with the ANC.

The EFF’s Central Command Team took this decision after they met on Saturday after the completion of a disciplinary process.

"On 11 July 2017, six EFF councillors contravened the EFF decision not to attend the Mogale City Budget-vote council meeting in which the ANC needed its budget to be passed. These councillors not only helped for a council meeting quorum to be constituted, they also voted in favour of the proposed ANC budget," said EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi in a statement.

"The organisation took exception to this conduct as it returned the public purse in the hands of the ANC. This is the same ANC that the people of Mogale City removed from the government following the 2016 local government elections outcomes. It is the same ANC that has been looting the public purse since 1994 to the exclusion and marginalisation of our people."

According to Ndlozi, the mandate not to vote with the ANC is consistent with the "non-negotiable cardinal pillar number seven" – their policy position to fight corruption.  

"Thus these six councillors, namely Ms Nhlanhla Shilubane, Ms Nomonde Nkatu, Ms Lemogang Modisane, Mr Eric Baloyi, Mr Edward Motsitsi and Mr Simanga Mkhumbeni, essentially betrayed our revolutionary tenet. Accordingly they have been expelled," said Ndlozi.

He said the EFF Central Command Team confirmed the sentence the party’s National Disciplinary Committee, as required by the EFF’s code of conduct. 

"The six EFF councillors have the right to appeal, however, the expulsion sentence is in effect even when under appeal. The EFF will communicate with the Mogale City Municipal Manager so as to declare the six vacancies and so that the EFF can replace all the six councillors," said Ndlozi.

The EFF obtained nine seats in the Mogale municipal council, which has 77 seats, of which the ANC occupies 38. All nine EFF seats were obtained through the proportional party list, so the expulsion of the six councillors would not require by-elections.

CAPE TOWN - Triple murder accused Henri van Breda has told the court he wishes that he had done more to save his family from an axe-wielding killer.

Testifying in his trial this week, Van Breda was also made to demonstrate how an intruder attacked his relatives with an axe.

He says he also couldn’t bring himself to help his family.

“If I have been thinking clearly I probably would have done these things. If I hadn’t been so scared.”

Van Breda is on trial for the murder his parents and older brother and for seriously injuring his sister in an attack at their Stellenbosch home in 2015.

During cross examination on Wednesday, prosecutor Susan Galloway questioned why the intruder would enter the house unarmed.

“It would be strange had a person planned to enter your house and attack the family that they come armed inadequately or unarmed. So they were, in actual fact, ill-prepared for the attack.”

A few months ago, Van Breda's lawyer Advocate Matthys Combrink argued that the axe found on the crime scene might have been one of two used in the attacks.

Prosecutor Susan Galloway asked Van Breda what he thinks about the possibility of a second axe.

“I don’t know. But I only saw one of them. I only saw one of the attackers and he was holding the one axe.”

Van Breda said it’s likely that the other attacker, who he only heard in the house, could have had a second axe.

But Galloway pressed harder.

“Did you ever see another axe other than exhibit 111C (the axe)?”

Van Breda responded: “No”

Van Breda claims the attacker must have come to the house unarmed, and taken a knife from one of the kitchen drawers, and the axe from the pantry where it had been kept.