Police have confirmed arrests linked to incidents reported during special voting, warning that any attempts to disrupt Wednesday’s local government elections will be met with decisive action.

This masala fried fish recipe combines fragrant spices and lemon in a simple marinade, with practical advice for frying fish until golden and tender.

The Springboks are taking the Nations Championship very seriously, after coach Rassie Erasmus named a full-strength team to take on Italy in the first match of their end-of-year-tour in Turin on Saturday afternoon. With them currently top of the South section log, equal on points with the All Blacks but ahead on points difference, the Boks know they have no room to slip up or they could be passed. The top team in the South section will take on the top team on the North section log, which is currently France, on the Finals Weekend later this month, and those teams will battle it out for the Nations Championship title. During their home run of Nations Championship games back in July, the Boks did not seem as serious about the new competition, after they heavily rotated their squad over all three matches and gave a number of players debuts. Erasmus backed a strong team for their opener against England, but then rotated heavily for the matches against Scotland and Wales, but still won each game relatively comfortably with a bonus point, 45-21, 42-28 and 43-0 respectively. The Bok boss also handed first Test caps to Paul de Villiers, who has since become a key member of the squad, Ruben van Heerden, Carlu Sadie and youngsters Vusi Moyo (20) and Jaco Williams (21), during those matches. But now with the competition hitting the business end with three big away games before the Finals Weekend, the Boks look to be taking things more seriously. Despite having a 37-man squad in Europe, and some fringe players expected to get some game time, Erasmus has gone with his strongest possible lineup against Italy, and it is unlikely that he will rotate much for their bigger matches against France and Ireland. Everyone competing “It’s a cup that everybody is competing for. We rolled the dice a little bit in that last game (one-off Test) against Australia (in September), and that didn’t go too well. But some guys got game time in Perth,” explained Erasmus when he named his team for this weekend’s match. “However, now it’s three important games and, yes, the biggest competition is the World Cup next year. So, we are trying to build for that. But as a team you also want to try and be in the running for this Nations Championship cup when it comes to the play-offs or final round. “So yes, we obviously are taking it seriously. We didn’t have a lot of training time like the other teams. We’ve been fortunate with about 10 to 12 Japan-based players who’ve been here with some of the coaches since last weekend. We had our first training session on Monday afternoon, so everyone is now on the same page.” During Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against the All Blacks, Erasmus backed an essentially full-strength team in every game and explained that they were trying to simulate the same conditions of the World Cup knockout stages, and they may look to do the same over their next four matches. “We are a year out from the World Cup and although one does want to experiment and try things, you also want to maintain momentum,” said Erasmus. “I had a beer with Italy’s coach (Gonzalo Quesada) yesterday (Sunday) in London, and we all want to try combinations. But you also want the people to keep faith in the players and for them to trust you.” The Boks’ match against Italy on Saturday kicks off at 1.40pm.

A woman’s bid to hold the Gauteng Department of Education accountable for its handling of a sexual harassment complaint against her former manager has been unsuccessful, with the Equality Court ruling that the dispute must be dealt with through the labour-law system. Evelyn Kedibone Mokobane turned to the court after raising concerns about how the department dealt with allegations of sexual harassment she reported in October 2022. Gauteng education accused of mishandling sexual harassment complaint The complaint was directed against her manager at the time, whom she accused of making sexual remarks and advances towards her despite knowing that his behaviour was unwanted. Mokobane maintained that the provincial department’s handling of the matter was unfair, accusing officials of bias and of failing to take appropriate steps to address her allegations. Among her concerns was the department’s decision not to place the accused manager on precautionary suspension while the allegations were being investigated. Instead, a preliminary investigation was conducted while he remained in the workplace. Mokobane argued that this created an opportunity for the manager to collude with another alleged victim. She further claimed that a witness had overheard a conversation between the two individuals and brought it to the attention of labour officials, but the report allegedly went unaddressed. The applicant argued that the department’s conduct amounted to unfair discrimination and infringed her rights. Woman wanted disciplinary proceedings restarted Mokobane approached the Equality Court seeking an order compelling the department to conduct the disciplinary process again, this time through an independent panel with expertise and knowledge in sexual harassment. She also wanted senior officials, whom she accused of acting unethically and with bias, to face consequences. Her demands extended to senior managers who allegedly failed to respond to her repeated requests for a transfer. She further sought financial compensation, claiming that the department’s actions had exposed her and her partner to “major depression”, resulting in prolonged treatment. The department challenged the litigation, maintaining that the dispute concerned an employment-related issue and should be addressed through the appropriate labour-law mechanisms. Equality Court not the appropriate forum Judge Nelisa Phiwokazi Mali noted Mokobane’s contention that her case went beyond an “ordinary labour dispute”, but found that the remedies she was seeking were matters outside the Equality Court’s purview. Mali held that the dispute was a “labour issue, not discrimination”. “The fact that labour law provides for the resolution of disputes between employee and employer does not make it any less systemic and institutional discrimination based on gender and the relative status or ranking of officials in the employ of the respondent,” the judgment reads. “The Equality Court is not empowered to grant these remedies under Pepuda, which aims to eliminate unfair discrimination and promote equality, not to supervise an employer’s internal disciplinary and managerial decisions,” Mali further wrote. CCMA or Labour Court The judge explained that the law provides alternative avenues for employees seeking to challenge employment-related decisions, including referring disputes to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). Should the dispute remain unresolved, it may proceed to the Labour Court. “The applicant’s grievance is with the adequacy and fairness of the employer’s response, which is a matter for the labour-law forum.” The court ultimately ruled that it did not have the jurisdiction to entertain Mokobane’s application and dismissed the matter.

KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has called for calm after gunmen killed two people linked to political parties ahead of the local government elections. His warning follows the murder of uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party regional organiser Lastborn Shazi at his home in uMzumbe on Monday, 2 November. A day earlier, attackers allegedly killed ActionSA activist Victoria Ntombi Mkhize, 63, near her home in Maphumulo. Speaking at a police deployment parade in Durban on Tuesday, Mkhwanazi urged political parties to put their differences aside and allow investigators to establish the motives behind the killings. “We don’t want to lose any of our leaders, or any citizen for that matter, through competition over political parties,” he said. Mkhwanazi cautioned against linking the murders to political rivalries before police completed their investigations. MK Party organiser killed at home According to reports, gunmen attacked Shazi while he attended a virtual election planning meeting at his home on Monday night. The MK Party has called on the Political Killings Task Team to investigate the murder and arrest those responsible. Shazi’s death came a day after attackers allegedly stabbed and strangled Mkhize, whose child is an ActionSA ward candidate. Police are investigating both murders and have not confirmed whether politics played a role. Mkhwanazi warns officers ahead of elections Mkhwanazi also warned police officers against taking sides during Wednesday’s elections. Addressing officers at Hoy Park in Durban, he instructed them to remain politically neutral and act against anyone who threatens voters or election officials. He urged officers to exercise restraint when facing provocation but warned that police would not tolerate attempts to disrupt voting. Police plan to deploy additional officers across KwaZulu-Natal, where authorities have identified 165 high-risk voting stations. Officers will monitor polling stations, escort election materials and respond to incidents that threaten the voting process. 20 murders recorded ahead of elections The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) confirmed on Sunday that police had recorded 20 murders involving political representatives, party members and supporters during the election period. Police arrested seven suspects in connection with the killings. Gauteng recorded seven murders, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with six. NATJOINTS also reported 139 election-related criminal cases nationwide, which led to 48 arrests. Mkhwanazi urged political parties to settle their differences peacefully as voters prepare to head to the polls on Wednesday, 4 November.

MK Party MP Andile Mngxitama has seemingly backtracked on his comments mocking the farm attack on North West cattle farmer, Donovan Marx. The outspoken politician came under fire after he claimed that chopping off Marx’s ears was “symbolic” to “denote the refusal of land thieves to listen”. Five suspects – including one who once worked on the farm – have since been arrested in connection with the incident. ANDILE MNGXITAMA BACKTRACKS ON FARM ATTACK COMMENTS Speaking to IOL, Andile Mngxitama responded to the backlash of his comments mocking the farm attack on Donovan Marx last week. The MK Party MP defiantly claimed that his words were “taken out of context”, accusing his critics of “selective outrage”. He said: “I won’t apologise for something that they chose to take out of context. They have a selective outrage over crime in this country, and that’s what they must explain instead. Our black farmworkers are facing daily abuse, yet there’s no outrage and no justice. One white farmer is attacked, and there is this mass hysteria and the suspects are arrested within days. Speaking of his comments mocking Marx’s injuries, he added: “When I said ears are symbolic for listening, I did not take away the horrible crime against the farmer, which we condemn. I meant it metaphorically that we need to listen to the cries of black farmworkers too, and the issue around land ownership, which remains unresolved”. Mngxitama’s comments come shortly after EFF leader Julius Malema – known for singing the controversial struggle song Kill The Boer – also publicly condemned the farm attack. Malema said during a rally at the Orlando Stadium over the weekend: “Comrades, the chant, ‘Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer,’ was never meant in a literal sense. We never called for the literal killing of human beings. “We will never call for the literal killing of human beings. The killing on the farms of our own farmers must stop. We never promote the killing of white farmers or black farmers. How can we kill the people who are feeding us? The outspoken party leader called on police to hand over the suspects to the EFF. He added: “Those people who have killed that farmer in Ventersdorp must be brought here to Orlando Stadium. We want to teach them a lesson because the police have failed them.” SAHRC RESPONDS TO MK PARTY MP’S TWEET Meanwhile, the South African Human Rights Commission has formally responded to calls to act on Andile Mngxitama’s tweet about the recent farm attack. SAHRC Commissioner Tshepo Madlingozi told The South African in a statement: “The South African Human Rights Commission confirms that it has received complaints against Mr Andile Mngxitama regarding a post on Mr Donovan Marx. The Commission is assessing the complaints in line with its Complaint Handling Procedure.   “The decision of the assessment will be communicated in due course as empowered by section 13(3)(b) of the South African Human Rights Commission Act 40 of 2013 (SAHRC Act), read with section 20 of the Equality Act, 2000”.  It continued: “The Commission wishes to remind members of the public that the right to freedom of expression is not absolute. The Constitution and the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act of 2000 prohibit utterances that are intended to be harmful or propagate hatred on any of the listed grounds. ”

ACT's Nomvuyiso Batyi says Icasa's draft Sim rules give the regulator powers it doesn't have.

South African risk managers rank cyber incidents and business interruption above global averages.