The Police in Hendrina are probing a farm attack The incident reportedly occurred on Thursday night in Hendrina where the life of a male victim was sadly cut short during this horrific incident a neighbour became concerned after receiving a call from the victim’s employer indicating that he had not reported to work that day The neighbour went to check on the victim and discovered a disturbing scene they found the male victim under a canopy with no sign of life An older man was also found inside a vehicle on the property Investigations into the circumstances surrounding this incident are ongoing “It has been confirmed that a robbery was committed during which the suspects stole various items including mobile phones before fleeing the scene The victim’s wife was later found to have been kidnapped and dropped off at Embalenhle and these items are believed to have been stolen during the robbery,” reads the police statement and the Police have initiated an investigation into this tragic incident Home | South Africa A 26-year-old man is expected to appear at the Hendrina Magistrate’s Court in Mpumalanga for the alleged rape of a 6-year-old girl It is alleged that two children were sent to buy some items at the accused’s shop when the incident happened Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Donald Mdhluli says the other child ran away when the shopkeeper made his moves on them Mdhlui says the youngest of the two was left behind and allegedly raped He says the case was reported to the police’s Family Violence The accused was traced and arrested on Saturday — SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) April 7, 2025 In a country where young voices are often drowned out by bureaucracy and inaction Hendrina Kudhingililwa decided it was time to build a platform where the youth could not only be heard but also become active changemakers As the founder and president of Tukwatha Youth Organisation Kudhingililwa says her mission has always been about raising responsible empowered young Namibians who lead with courage and integrity “Tukwatha was born out of a desire to create responsible empowered young people who are not only aware of the issues affecting them but are also actively involved in addressing them We wanted to stop the cycle of blame and inaction by building platforms for dialogue and community engagement,” Kudhingililwa says one of the organisation’s standout initiatives is the Career Launch Programme focused on placing young people directly into employment as licensed financial advisers She says the programme ensures that selected youth receive comprehensive training and guaranteed three-year contracts – changing lives by offering real “Young people are not the leaders of tomorrow – they are leaders today and the courage to lead with purpose,” Kudhingililwa says Kudhingililwa has created countless success stories of youth stepping into leadership roles across different sectors Her hope is that programmes like the Career Launch Programme will not only launch careers but also inspire a generation to pursue lives of purpose copyright in the content of this website vest in The Free Press of Namibia (Proprietary) Limited (Registration No 85/058) The unauthorized making of copies or use of this material constitutes a copyright infringment under the Namibian Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Protection Act Powered by PageSuite © 2025 The Namibian. 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According to police, the incident reportedly occurred last Thursday at about 6pm when the girl was sent to buy items from a tuck shop. Police spokesperson Brig Donald Mdhluli said the case was reported to the police and investigated by members of the family violence, child protection and sexual offences (FCS) unit.  Mdhluli said the suspect was traced and arrested on Saturday. Mpumalanga acting police commissioner Maj-Gen Zeph Mkhwanazi condemned the attack on the minor. He commended the FCS unit members for the arrest of the suspect and reiterated the SAPS's commitment to ensuring the protection of vulnerable groups, especially children. “We will spare no effort to ensure justice is served for the victim in this case. Our investigators, working closely with the prosecution, will see that the suspect faces the full consequences of his alleged actions,” Mkhwanazi said. Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now Please read our Comment Policy before commenting Mpumalanga police are investigating a case of murder robbery and rape following a farm attack in Hendrina This after a 45-year-old man was killed and his parents injured on their farm on Thursday The deceased was allegedly hit with a blunt object in the head Mpumalanga Police spokesperson Donald Mdhluli says the mother of the deceased who was allegedly kidnapped was found alive near Embalenhle Mdhlulli has called on the public to assist with information that could lead to the arrest of the suspects — SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) November 30, 2024 Please check your email and enter your one time pin below:   Open in Gmail Sorry there was an error loading the audio Local business interests in South Africa’s power capital are putting their hands up for an opportunity to participate in keeping the lights on, amid controversial plans to retire 50% of Eskom’s coal-fired plants in the coming years.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads The Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) a coalition of businesses based in the Mpumalanga coal-mining and farming belt is proposing a private takeover and repurposing of power plants in the region being decommissioned as part of the Just Energy Transition (JET) Anna-Marth Ott, chief executive of the MCCI, said it was important for the regional business community to ensure the economy it operated in remained strong and that their businesses ran profitably. Unions, community members and employees in the coal industry are concerned their livelihoods and local infrastructure will implode as a result of the decommissioning and it’s as if they are gleeful that the towns are going to be ghost towns and we’re going to suffer and it’s going to be the worst economic impact for us,” Ott said “I’ve got very bad news for you — if it happens here A large portion of the income generated through Sandton is generated here.” Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO Anna-Marth Ott: ‘I’ve got very bad news for you — if it happens here it will impact everybody.’ (Photo: Dianah Chiyangwa) “We really wanted Komati because the gas line [from Mozambique to Secunda] goes right past the power station We thought we could turn Hendrina into an energy generation university as well,” she said A nearby source of gas would be an attraction to investors interested in repurposing stations from coal to gas the chamber turned its attention to the next in line in SA’s coal power-plant decommissioning plans a small mining and farming town which falls under the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality it is one of the country’s biggest and oldest power stations and is set to be decommissioned between 2023 and 2025 “Steve Tshwete Municipality is where Middelburg Hendrina and Pullens Hope and all the towns within the region fall So what happens in one town affects the rest of the municipality It’s where our principal income comes from,” Ott said “We are working on establishing a consortium we are hoping to then establish something similar within the municipal area of Steve Tshwete Municipality.” A preferred model, according to Ott, would be to revert to the old operational plan of the former Electricity Supply Commission (Escom), which would be run as a cooperative.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads Escom was set up as a public utility to supply a growing demand for a reliable and cheap source of electricity The company changed its name to Eskom in 1987 by combining the two acronyms it was then using The Steve Tshwete Local Municipality is home to about 120 coal mines but not all of them supply local power stations Although talks around future energy generation are now focused on renewable resources Ott said there should not be a total shift away from coal because of baseload electricity demand — referring to the minimum constant level of electricity needed to meet demand Repurposing would involve multi-usage of the different units at Hendrina Power Station, she said. “We may try hydro [power] in one, hydrogen in another and a new coal-burning system in the other. The idea is to find the most optimal green solution for energy usage in the area.”advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads “Not all of them are giving coal to the power stations — only a few are So unless things drastically change in the rest of the world The details of how the Hendrina takeover would work were not yet clear and no agreements had been concluded “We know it’s going to take a lot of money to repurpose the power station “It’s more expensive sometimes to repurpose Or do you want to have [nothing but] gravestones in our region?” Infrastructure built for Optimum coal mine near Pullens Hope crumbles after the mine’s owners fled South Africa to evade prosecution over their alleged involvement in corruption Repurposing the plant into a gas-generating facility was an option and despite his continued support for coal-powered stations owing to SA’s abundance of quality coal Oberholzer reportedly said alternative energy sources should be fully explored Nine coal-fired power stations owned by Eskom are scheduled to be decommissioned by 2035 as part of the JET in an effort to reduce the electricity sector’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions which made up 45% of the country’s total emissions in 2017 South Africa’s newly appointed electricity minister has in recent weeks indicated that decommissioning plans are likely to be delayed to stave off ongoing blackouts He has also expressed interest in public-private partnerships to fund solutions for the energy crisis Questions sent to Eskom about the decommissioning plans at Hendrina station remained unanswered at the time of publication Officials at the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality said the municipality supported the MCCI approach particularly if it meant reduced tariffs for electricity consumers The municipality covers an area of just under 4,000km² in Mpumalanga “Eskom was built in the past from small independent power producers so the chamber of commerce could be successful in taking over the power station and definitely we as a municipality will support that,” said Ntokozo Gubevu the director of electrical engineering services at the municipality “The decommissioning and repurposing of the power plant will bring benefits in terms of power purchases.” the municipality bought electricity from Eskom and sold it on to consumers at the Eskom rate “At the municipality we are looking forward to having more IPPs [independent power producers] generating more electricity for the municipality because we believe our ratepayers will get relief from the current high electricity tariffs.” Gubevu added that though the decommissioning of Hendrina Power Station would not have an immediate impact on the municipal electricity supply it would directly affect Hendrina and neighbouring communities that were currently receiving services such as water directly from Eskom “There is a [water] pipeline going from the plant all the way to our Hendrina residential area as well as KwaZamokuhle location so those areas will be affected by decommissioning the station and we’ll have to look at alternative ways to get the water supply to those areas,” he said an economist at the Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies said water might be one of the most pressing challenges arising from the decommissioning of Hendrina Power Station An easy solution would be to transfer the provision of water and sanitation services to the affected areas back to the municipality “But that still raises some questions about whether the municipality will have the resources to maintain and operate those services,” he said a resident of Mpumalanga and a campaigner at the non-profit environmental justice organisation GroundWork said he was opposed to the MCCI’s plans to privatise energy production we also have to be very clear that we do not want to see our energy system in private hands,” he said “What the chamber of commerce is doing is a perfect example of how our national government is planning to privatise energy generation we don’t want to see our energy system being privatised.” Mnguni said the MCCI’s plans to repurpose Hendrina Power Station and build scrubbers that would remove sulphur emissions to comply with air quality regulations were unrealistic “Given our current energy crisis, we desperately need enough energy — as in yesterday. The current estimate of refurbishing the plant is about R40-billion, so I don’t think they are being realistic,” said Mnguni. He was referring to a parliamentary response by the Department of Public Enterprises in November 2022 estimating that the repurposing of Hendrina Camden and Grootvlei power stations in Mpumalanga for renewable sources would cost about R44-billion “What I fear is that we will see increased levels of pollution that will have a negative impact on people’s health and nobody will be held accountable We’ve seen how our government has failed in terms of air quality governance how the health department is absent when it comes to making sure that air pollution does not affect people’s health it’s very critical to make sure that we get our government to begin to construct renewable energy plants that will be owned by the state and the public Activist Ronesa Mtshweni says new mines are being proposed but old ones such as this mine near Carolina remain unrehabilitated an activist and founder of Womandla Community Development in Carolina spoke to Oxpeckers about the fears on the ground sparked by the decommissioning of Hendrina Power Station “People are in fear because they benefited from that power station; they benefited from the nearby mines and now that the power station is closing down they just don’t know what’s going to happen to them what’s going to happen to their livelihoods,” she said Mtshweni said talks about the JET had not been transparent and there was little to no real awareness about it or how people could adapt to the changes that it would bring what I understand [from] a just transition is that the word ‘just’ means that we’re all going to benefit from it Is it true we all are going to benefit from it Especially looking at the fact that our area is surrounded by so many mines.” Mtshweni has been a part of the coal value chain all her life: her father was a coal mine worker and she herself worked in a coal mine for seven years Now she is fighting against coal mining because she says she has seen the pain it has caused and the problems that communities are left to deal with “We have an issue of water pollution in our area There are so many trucks moving in and out and there are so many issues related to blasting.” “but the mines that were done before have not been rehabilitated and none of those programmes are putting back into the community There’s no skills development that has been done “I know that in Middelburg they are pushing the just transition — there are already youth programmes being developed What’s happening to the other towns?” she asked This investigation by Oxpeckers Investigative Environmental Journalism, in partnership with Climate Home News, is part of our Reporting South Africa’s Renewables Revolution produced with the support of the Pulitzer Center The Oxpeckers #PowerTracker project is supported by the African Climate Foundation’s New Economy Campaigns Hub For tickets to Daily Maverick’s The Gathering Earth Edition, click here ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " Morney Vos from Specialised Security Services confirmed this morning that Luschka Taljaard (27) and her son Daniel were found in Pretoria after Luschka called her husband to inform them that they were at a Sasol Fuel Station Several involved parties rushed to Pretoria to confirm their well-being before both mother and son were admitted into hospital Investigator Vos could only clarify that Luschka and Daniel were admitted for observation and that she was found in a deeply traumatised state without any physical injury to his knowledge He further said that Luschka “did not want to talk” Their safe return has brought an end to and almost 24-hour search since their disappearance on Thursday The discovery of their abandoned vehicle at the entrance to the Kwazamokuhle township further stirred up panic within the community previously stated that Luschka had not gone missing but chose to disappear of her own free will after she was seen in video footage riding in a silver double cab An eye witness report also alleged that she climbed into that vehicle after abandoning her own everyone is just happy they have been found safe,” said Vos Article: Caxton publication, Middelburg Observer Home | Business The envisaged re-opening of the Gupta-owned Optimum Coal Mine in Hendrina This comes after the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) called for the business rescue process at the mine to be halted It is reported that the NPA is intending to forfeit the assets of the mine claiming that they are the proceeds of crime The Optimum Coal Mine was placed under business rescue in 2018. About 4 500 workers who were retrenched, have pinned their hopes on the business rescue practitioners re-opening the mine. But now the NPA is reportedly intending to forfeit the assets of the mine.   National Union of Mineworkers’ Branch Secretary, Richard Mguzulu, says the former workers are disappointed by the new developments.  “Only when we are about to start recalling the retrenched employees then there’s a matter that comes from the NPA that says the process of fully transferring mining rights mustn’t continue, because of the Gupta buying it from the previous owners with a dirty money. So, our concern … we are not saying that the NPA should not apply the law if there is a need, but they need to check that there’s livelihoods behind this whole thing.”  Legal representative of the business rescue practitioners, Bouwer van Niekerk, confirms that they were contacted by the NPA’s Asset Forfeiture Unit regarding their intention.  Van Niekerk says this happens while there’s an interdict against the implementation of the current business rescue plan.  “There’s an interdict against the convening of a meeting in terms of companies act to vote on a business rescue plan for Optimum Coal Terminal. That is the company that holds the export allocation. The adoption of that plan is necessary for the final adoption of the Optimum Coal Mine plan. That application for the interdict was launched by the directors of Tegeta.”  The NPA has promised to comment on the matter soon.  This is the third sabotage incident reported at the power utility's facilities in the past few days. “Chairperson, I was informed by management of Eskom this morning that yet another incident has taken place at the Hendrina power station, where an important cable which is required to start a unit that was undergoing repairs and to get it synchronised with the rest of the system was cut,” he said. Gordhan, speaking in parliament, said: “So these flexible copper bars which are required to synchronise this unit to the rest of the power infrastructure were stolen and the reactor earth bars, as they are called, were also stolen obviously by people working within the power station.” He said corruption, disruption and sabotage must be combated, whether they are from within SOEs or from “counter-revolutionary quarters” and criminals outside SOEs. Eskom on Thursday confirmed that sabotage, most likely by its own employees, was behind the breakdowns at the Tutuka power station in Mpumalanga this week.  The power utility confirmed that a cable was severed at Tutuka while the power station was finalising preparations to return unit 5 to service. “The damage to the cable had the effect of delaying the unit’s return to service by three days, as it took some time to locate the fault.” TimesLIVE could not immediately reach Eskom for comment. The story will be updated soon. Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now The Middelburg Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation Unit has arrested two women on charges of fraud a manager at Eskom’s Hendrina Power Station Mahweliri and Sewla were charged alongside Mahweliri’s company Sekgotodi says Mahweliri denied that she was doing business with Eskom it was revealed that she was a shareholder of NKG and Dithari Both companies were conducting business with Eskom and this was discovered on the declaration forms and tender documents submitted by NKG and Dithari Funding to Eskom,” says Sekgotodi The case was referred to the Hawks for further investigation and the team linked the accused after witness statements had been obtained “The investigation was finalised and the case was presented to the prosecutor for decision After the public prosecutor analysed the case docket and saw there was a prima facie case against the accused he issued a warrant of arrest against them.” The suspects appeared in the Hendrina Magistrate’s Court on February 7 and were granted R50 000 bail each when the accused will appear in the Middelburg Specialised Commercial Crime Court Read original story on www.citizen.co.za The Hawks’ Middelburg-based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit arrested Nontuthubo Surprise Mahweliri (44) a manager at Eskom’s Hendrina Power Station in Mpumalanga Mahweliri and Sewla were charged alongside Mahwerili’s company NKG Trading Investment, and Dithari Funding, of which Sewla is a director. According to the Hawks, Mahweliri had denied she was doing business with Eskom.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads it was revealed that [Mahwerili] was a shareholder at NKG and Dithari “This was discovered on the declaration forms and tender documents submitted by NKG and Dithari Funding to Eskom Eskom suffered an actual loss of R1,082,884.51,” said Mpumalanga Hawks spokesperson Captain Dineo Sekgotodi Mahwerili and Sewla appeared in the Hendrina Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday and were released on R50,000 bail The matter was postponed to 19 February at the Middelburg Specialised Commercial Crime Court.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads Other people arrested and charged with alleged Eskom fraud and corruption in Mpumalanga include Nozipho Ntuli a senior buyer at Eskom’s coal-fired Duvha Power Station and three c0- accused: George Edward Sekatane (43) Alfred Lebohang Sekatane (60) and Thulani Harris Mkhabela (40) They were arrested in March 2023 in Witbank on fraud and corruption charges The alleged fraud and corruption at Duvha Power Station occurred between 2016 and 2019 when contracts were allegedly awarded without adhering to established supply chain management processes Further investigation by the Hawks revealed that the companies Phoenix and Itereleng Masheleng On 17 March 2023 a senior buyer at the Matla Power Station in Mpumalanga Nkosi, 71-year-old Rabela Sarah Jones and her son Godfrey Jason Jones (46) were accused of defrauding the power utility of R14.7-million. Two months later, Portuguese national Maria Cantelo (53) was also linked to the corruption and fraud and appeared in the Hendrina Specialised Commercial Crimes Court A fifth suspect in that case, Patric Patrese Jones (55) was arrested on September 7 in Gordon’s Bay The NPA has, however, been criticised for failing to successfully prosecute complex financial crimes related to Eskom.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads the R2.2-billion Kusile State Capture corruption case was struck off the roll in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Middelburg on 21 November due to “unreasonable delays” after the NPA’s Investigating Directorate (ID) requested yet another postponement Read more in Daily Maverick: NPA’s bungled Matshela Koko Kusile corruption case sounds alarm bells over directorate’s preparedness to prosecute However, the ID has said it is confident that the case will be re-enrolled as soon as the remaining aspects of the investigation are completed. DMadvertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads There should be a new crime: economic terrorism/ treason Delays benefit the guilty while they live it up out on bail – it would be in their interests to speed them up if they were in prison If you think logic would ever apply in South Africa I agree – time for talking to start and actions to be taken With middle names like ‘Surprise’ and ‘Innocentia’ … I am not surprised at all by all the innocence Hahaha… somebody was surprised and innocence was guilty These crooks have all stolen money from SA tax payers in the long run The charges should be treason and the jail terms life That’ll put the cat among the pigeons who get fat thanks to crooked tenders etc I’d like to see an economic TRC introduced when we’re rid of the ANC (won’t happen under their disgusting watch) It would be simple: ‘fess up and pay back the money A year in prison for each count and/or R1m stolen unless you can dish concrete dirt on others that leads to their arrest and successful prosecution life in prison with no parole for any amount it seems likely that these investigations were all launched whilst de Ruyter was at the helm But these are the rats and mice in the system While this is seen as a success the real perps are off the hook One wonders if the officials in the NPA are complicit in having the real case struck off the role ie perhaps they have been paid off by the crooks to muddy the waters It would be interesting to do some research into the NPA Some say that it is under-sustained economically others that the leaders are not up to the task and also that the NPA is undermanned Top Management at the NPA isn’t fit for purpose….that’s why Ramaphosa appointed them By the looks is that Mpumalanga region is the biggest problematic of Eskom’s corruption as mostly if it is not coal and oil and blowing of power station generators as mostly managers are involved in the most corruption thats includes foreigners doing a corrupt businesses with them So it is high time that Eskom board and Hawks and PP must sit down together to make sure whoever is involved must be arrested and all of their assests must be attached by the ASSETS FORFEITURE to attched everything they have then to all to lose their benefits from Eskom De Ruyter stated that Eskom was losing a BILLION rand (ZAR1,000,000,000) a MONTH due to corruption (source: moneyweb 12feb23) The Hawks arrest and charge these two amateur criminals That’s just a drop in the Eskom bucket Simply shying away from the big and important cases having been waved off SARS,FIC,SARB etc asleep at the wheel while the newly advantaged swan around their expensive estates in high-end cars completely immune and oblivious thinking it’s all quite normal and acceptable the true “missing middle”(actually the taxpaying cohort) diminishing by the day due to job losses and emigration Ex-CEO Andre de Ruyter’s work is starting to pay off The main culprits (who are ANC cadres or linked to ANC cadres) are still at large but 1 million compared to the billions already stolen…. how many of these morons are serving jail time Sadly these people are just smallfry and are arrested and prosecuted merely as examples of something being done This is usually the case and the examples are usually women – not just in SA but around the world Lets just get an election date already and vote these criminals out the biggest of the bunch is CR 😏 Let us hope this Hawks and NPA they have evidence on the arrest of above suspects The new road will be much safer than the existing road with provision of 3-meter paved shoulders provision of passing lanes and upgrading of the roadway through the town section Road construction is one of the most challenging and demanding jobs Every project brings new challenges which require civil engineers to think out of the box The upgrading of the N11 from Hendrina to the Hendrina power station undertaken by the South African National Roads Agency (SOC) Limited (SANRAL) is one such example The road is an important route for coal haulage and transportation of agricultural produce in Mpumalanga it carries 2 500 to 3 000 vehicles in one direction per day The main aim of the project is to strengthen the existing pavement which is past its structural design life and is generally in a poor condition and introduce new features to make it safer for motorists the project presented contractors with some technical challenges the project had to be split into 18 separate construction sections because of the various difficulties encountered and complexity of dealing with construction of bridges building of a temporary bypass for accommodating of passing traffic various services in the way such as water mains “The first test was to build a bypass along the new road to accommodate passing traffic,” said Hlahla A major challenge was the relocation of services along the road such as the Telkom and Dark Fibre optic cables and dealing with two water main pipes that run parallel to the road It was found that the water mains were in the way for the widening and reconstruction of major culverts and bridges and had to be diverted in order to accommodate the road The deviation of these water mains (which service the town from the Optimum mine) was a major headache and impacted negatively on the contractor’s construction programme Hlahla said: “We encountered a very high-water table under the road in the town section which required installation of a new subsoil drainage system to deal with the underground water The municipality were called in to ensure that the high-water table was not artificially created by leaking of municipal water mains SANRAL had a good working relationship with the local municipality “We are also going to be upgrading the intersection at the Hendrina Secondary School into a traffic circle and will be installing new LED street lighting as well as implementing 5 new bus-stop shelters for convenience of non- motorists.”  previously designed for a speed of 80km per hour will now be much safer and wider to accommodate vehicles travelling at 100km per hour Project title: Upgrading of the N11 from Hendrina to the Hendrina Power station (20km) Project value: R 275-million – 20% to be allocated to SMMEs including women owned and youth owned Project scope: Construction of layer works widening of lanes – to 3,7m with 3m surfaced shoulders a traffic circle and reconstruction of kerbs Duration: Original contract duration 26 months – delays of 5 months encountered Information gathered after a foiled cash-in-transit (CIT) robbery in Hendrina who was arrested more than a month after the incident on suspicion that he was one of the suspects who managed to flee the scene Abel Nkosingphile Msimango (44) is charged with conspiracy to commit robbery with aggravating circumstances and possession of firearms and explosives and appeared before the Hendrina Magistrate’s Court on Thursday His arrest on September 14 follows a series of events after a foiled CIT heist in Hendrina on August 4 Police clamped down on a safe house in Hendrina after receiving information that a CIT robbery was about to take place A shoot-out ensued resulting in the arrest of nine suspects while two others escaped Five of the suspects arrested were found in the vicinity of the house two inside and three hiding in a nearby caravan while four were caught after a high-speed chase with police It is believed that Msimango was one of the two suspects who succeeded in escaping hijacking several vehicles as they made their way towards Elukwatini Of the 10 men accused of being involved in the Hendrina foiled CIT heist police have discovered that several have had previous run-ins with the law: All ten suspects remain in custody until their next court appearance Read original story on ridgetimes.co.za Hendrina residents awoke to warfare on their doorstep this morning after a shoot-out between CIT robbers and police ensued in the streets They have been ordered to stay indoors while police search for the remaining suspects the shootout was the result of an ambush laid by authorities who caught wind of a planned CIT heist It is alleged that 17 suspects were hiding for two days in a known drug-house in Brink Street where they planned on robbing a cash-in-transit vehicle today Helicopters are also engaged in aerial searches Information was received that four suspects have since been arrested on the Arnot road after trying to flee in a Mercedes The Arnot road has been closed and the N11 Middelburg/Hendrina is currently carrying heavy traffic Travellers intending on passing through Hendrina are advised that the situation is volatile reports suggest that the worst of the gunfire has died down who have been hiding under their beds for most of the morning are still requested to remain locked in their homes where several blocks have been cordoned off by authorities who are still conducting their search and investigation Read original story on mobserver.co.za please click the box below to let us know you're not a robot Get the most important global markets news at your fingertips with a Bloomberg.com subscription ← → Close ties between the ruling elite and the coal industry have helped perpetuate South Africa’s dependence on the dirtiest fossil fuel for electricity But now residents of the nation’s most coal-intensive region are suing to force the government to clean up choking air pollution Thomas Mnguni often woke to find the windows and floors of his home covered in a layer of black dust Living between two coal mines and a landfill in Middelburg he and his family breathed some of the country’s most polluted air When Mnguni’s son developed symptoms of asthma a doctor recommended that the family move to a different part of town But others in the area aren’t so fortunate Residents of Middelburg and other communities in an industrialized swath of the Highveld are well acquainted with air pollution and its toll on health The area — located east of Johannesburg and with a population of 4.7 million — is riddled with coal mines in his work as a community campaigner for the environmental group groundWork has met many others dealing with the health consequences of the poor air quality Researchers estimate that heightened air pollution levels in the Highveld cause hundreds of early deaths every year. A 2019 Greenpeace report ranked the region among the highest in the world for emissions of two dangerous pollutants “It’s emblematic of one of the worst situations of air pollution in the world,” says David Boyd a United Nations specialist on human rights and the environment A substantial portion of the Highveld’s population lives in townships — underdeveloped areas on the outskirts of towns— among the mines or in the shadows of industrial facilities Last year, environmental groups, including groundWork and the Vukani Environmental Movement, filed suit against the South African government for its failure to clean up the choking air pollution arguing that it violates the residents’ constitutional right to “an environment that is not harmful to their health and well-being.” The case will be heard in court in May lawyers involved in the litigation recently announced It’s the first court case in South Africa to challenge air pollution on the basis of this constitutional right but the litigation could have implications internationally as well While few countries recognize clean air as a fundamental right more than 150 acknowledge the right to a healthy environment He says the South Africa case could make tackling air pollution a human rights obligation it’s not clear that the right to a healthy environment includes the right to breathe clean air.” In a 2019 analysis an air pollution expert consulting with the Centre for Environmental Rights sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide levels in the Highveld’s industrial region are 10 times higher than those the WHO considers safe for human health a general practitioner at a local hospital asthma cases also tend to be more severe and often land people in the hospital which she suspects may be due to the pollution fine particulate matter from the Highveld’s 12 coal-fired power plants and two refineries likely causes at least 300 early deaths per year Thirteen years after the South African government vowed to clean up the Highveld’s air and the majority of those goals haven’t been achieved,” says Timothy Lloyd an attorney at the Centre for Environmental Rights who is handling the ongoing lawsuit “We still see these really toxic levels of air pollution.” South Africa’s unemployment rate is roughly 30 percent and groundWork’s Mnguni says people often move to the Highveld seeking work in coal-related industries The hope of getting a job in the mines is the reason that Promise Mabilo coordinator of the Vukani Environmental Movement his illness often kept him home from school when meteorological phenomena called inversions trap pollution near the ground the air is so thick “you can’t even see your neighbor,” she says Many of the region’s monitoring stations are not functional according to the government’s midterm review of the Highveld management plan And although the government tightened sulfur dioxide emissions standards for combustion installations in April the limits are still significantly weaker than China’s and India’s — two other developing nations with high levels of pollution Eskom estimates that bringing its entire fleet of power stations into compliance with emissions limits for all pollutants would cost about 300 billion rand ($19.4 billion) the company plans to pursue a lower-cost option by retrofitting plants to control particulate matter and decommissioning 10 of its coal-fired power plants in or near the Highveld by 2040 How Kenya’s push for development is threatening its famed wild lands. Read more For now, however, coal remains the country’s favored energy source. According to a federal energy plan it will make up the bulk of South Africa’s energy mix at least until 2030 Mnguni hopes that a favorable court ruling on the 2019 suit will force the government to hold polluters accountable the government’s track record isn’t encouraging “They seem to be defending industries more than defending basic human rights,” he says they are stuck relying on the same industries that make them sick “We are trapped in this place,” says Mnguni Chloe Williams is a Canadian freelance journalist, covering energy, environmental health, and neuroscience. Her work has appeared in Audubon, Popular Science, and Spectrum. She lives in Edmonton, Alberta. More about Chloe Williams → Never miss an article. Subscribe to the E360 Newsletter → Eskom Chief Operating Officer Jan Oberholzer expressed his support towards the Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s plan to buy Hendrina Power Station from Eskom to provide uninterrupted electricity supply to Middelburg and its surrounding areas The plant will be entirely decommissioned in 2024 Komati has been repurposed but Oberholzer told attendees of a recent meeting that Eskom has agreed to a different path for Hendrina by allowing independent operators to table their plans for the plant with multiple presentations expected once Eskom invites proposals who is in regular consultation with President Cyril Ramaphosa promised to relay the chamber’s intentions to the highest office where he believes a newly-appointed minister of electricity will be the catalyst to unite government departments to not only reshape Eskom into different entities but to loosen the monopoly Eskom has had on power generation in the country The Hendrina plant can be repurposed into a gas generating facility which Oberholzer said he’s also fully in agreement with Despite his continued support for coal-powered stations due to the country’s abundance of quality coal he says alternative energy sources should be fully explored Oberholzer has less than a month left in office but says he will personally advocate for Middelburg and assist wherever he can to have the chamber’s plan to overtake Hendrina succeed Read original story on www.citizen.co.za A young mother and her four-year-old son who disappeared from their home in Hendrina in Mpumalanga on Thursday confirmed this morning that Luschka Taljaard (27) and her son Daniel were found in Pretoria after she called her husband to inform him that they were at a Sasol fuel station Several involved parties rushed to Pretoria to confirm their well-being before both mother and son were admitted to hospital Vos could only clarify that Luschka and Daniel were admitted for observation and that she was found in a deeply traumatised state without any physical injury to his knowledge He further says that she ‘did not want to talk’ The discovery of their abandoned vehicle at the entrance to the Kwazamokuhle township outside Hendrina Vos, however, previously stated that Taljaard had not gone missing, but chose to disappear of her own free will after she was seen in video footage riding in a silver double cab An eyewitness report also alleged that she climbed into that vehicle after abandoning her own everyone is just happy they have been found safe,” says Vos Read original story on www.citizen.co.za