(Gemma Ritchie/M&G)
In local headlines:
The Star
- City ill equipped for blazes
The City of Joburg has admitted that it doesn’t have the necessary equipment to extinguish fires in the metro, with an alarming number of buildings condemned as death traps.
- King Zwelithini calls for probe into cultural village
King Goodwill Zwelithini has called on the government to launch an investigation into what he said was corruption in the construction of the cultural precinct at his eNyokeni Royal Palace in Nongoma, northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Business Day
- Bain & Co replaces SA head, to repay Sars fee
Consultancy Bain & Co has replaced its South African head and offered to pay back money earned for work done at the South African Revenue Service (Sars), which it admits was used for a “different agenda” than originally intended.
- Director’s share sales added to MTN’s woes
The slide in MTN’s shares last week to the weakest level in more than a decade was compounded by forced selling by a director because of a financial instrument, a monetary contract between parties, that he took with a bank in 2009, the mobile operator said in a stock exchange filing.
- Puffing Musk could see Tesla go up in smoke
There was a time when Elon Musk’s live-streamed puff of marijuana would have only enhanced the image of an iconoclastic business magnate who cannot be bother by social convention in his quest to change the world. But an ill-advised tweet in August by SA-born Tesla CEO led to serious questions about his stability and self-medication.
The Citizen
- China loan: DA demands deal disclosure
The opposition is preparing to exercise the Promotion of Access to Information Act to get to the bottom of the secretive terms and conditions of the R33-billion loan agreement by the China Development Bank to power utility Eskom.
- ANC denies coup plot allegations
An alleged plot by supporters of ex-president Jacob Zuma to remove President Cyril Ramaphosa may have been brewing for months, according to an expert.
- Catzavelos food business to close
The racism drama surrounding Johannesburg businessman Adam Catzavelos appears to be far from over, as one of his family restaurants, The Smokehouse and Grill, looks set to shut its doors.
Sowetan
- Seven perish in candle fire
Seven family members perished in a fire believed to have been caused by a candle at Koster, North West, at the weekend.
In global headlines
Serena Williams wasn’t raised to play tennis like everyone else.
Coached in relative isolation on the public courts of Compton, California, along with her older sister Venus, she learned the game from self-taught tennis parents who spurned the traditional junior circuit, believing their daughters’ performances one day would speak for themselves.
Throughout her 23-year pro career, Williams has done just that — winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles, which broke Steffi Graf’s Open era record, and four Olympic gold medals among an unprecedented trophy haul. She also redefined women’s tennis, ushering in a new era of power, athleticism and skill. (The Washington Post)
Electric and other ultra-low emission cars, vans and taxis could be given special green number plates to boost awareness and increase the use of environmentally “clean” driving.
Green plates are already used in Norway, Canada and China on green vehicles including electric and hydrogen cars, making them both distinct and visible to other road others. (The Guardian)
SpaceX aims for orbit today in its first flight since August 5, the high-tempo company’s longest break between launches this year.
Elon Musk’s rocket-maker will use a new “Block 5” Falcon 9 rocket to launch Telstar 18 Vantage, a communications satellite built by SSL, a US satellite-maker, and operated by the Canadian telecommunications firm Telesat. It will orbit high above Asia and Oceania, providing broadband connections to a variety of customers. (Quartz)