The Upington District Court has sentenced a 51-year-old man to seven years of direct imprisonment for violating a Protection Order.
A 51-year-old man has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment after he violated a protection order.The man's partner, with whom he shares two children, took out the protection order in 2019 following a history of abuse. As per the order, the man was not allowed to abuse her verbally, emotionally or physically.
In November last year, the woman returned home after staying over at a friend's. "The accused became aggressive, verbally abusing her with vulgar insults and accusations of infidelity. The victim did not engage, walked away, and reported the incident to the South African Police Service (SAPS). The accused was arrested on November 19 and appeared in court on November 21," said National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson in the Northern Cape, Mojalefa Senokoatsane.
Last month, the man pleaded guilty and was convicted.
"During sentencing, Prosecutor at the Upington District Court, Benise Swartz presented evidence that the accused had been previously convicted twice for similar offences against the same victim, both times receiving wholly suspended sentences. The State emphasised that gender-based violence (GBV) is a persistent crisis and that women have the right to live without fear or intimidation," Senokoatsane added. The man was further declared unfit to possess a firearm. By Se-Anne Rall, IOL
The death toll from two explosions in Bukavu in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has risen to 16, government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said late Friday.
The explosions occurred Thursday at the heart of Bukavu shortly after a political rally in support of the M23 rebels. The government and M23 accused each other of perpetrating the blasts.
M23 claims control over several territories in eastern DRC, including Bukavu and Goma, the provincial capitals of South Kivu and North Kivu. On Friday, M23 appointed a "governor" of South Kivu, after establishing a parallel administration in North Kivu in mid-February.
The ongoing conflict between M23 and the DRC government is deeply rooted in the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and longstanding ethnic tensions.
The DRC accuses Rwanda of supporting M23, while Rwanda claims that the DRC army has allied with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, a rebel group accused of participating in the genocide against Tutsis.
The conflict has led to massive population displacements and a worsening humanitarian crisis. Tensions remain high despite diplomatic and military efforts to end the hostilities.
A meeting of foreign ministers from the Southern African Development Community and the East African Community, initially scheduled for Friday in Harare, Zimbabwe, did not take place for unknown reasons.
The joint SADC-EAC summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, three weeks ago represents the latest peace mechanism to address the crisis in the Great Lakes region.Source: Xinhua Editor: Zhang Chaoyan
Israel says unclear if there is ‘common ground to negotiate’.US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, may join the talks.
Talks over the second phase of the ceasefire are meant to negotiate a complete end to the war, including the return of all remaining living captives in Gaza and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the territory.
Officials from Israel joined mediators from Qatar and the United States in Cairo on Thursday for “intensive discussions”, Egypt’s state information service said.
According to Israel, there are 59 captives remaining in Gaza, 24 of whom are still believed to be alive. Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said the government is uncertain about the prospects of reaching a deal, adding the Israeli team in Cairo would have to “see whether we have common ground to negotiate”.
“We said we are ready to extend the framework [of phase one] in return for the release of more hostages,” Sa’ar said at a news conference Thursday. “If it is possible, we’ll do that.”
It remains to be seen whether a deal can be reconciled given the declared war objectives of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who, with US President Donald Trump’s backing, has pledged to eliminate Hamas.
“Israel has been telling us for months now, with word and deed, that it doesn’t actually intend to end the war,” Mohamad Elmasry, a political analyst at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, told Al Jazeera.
“Barring Hamas leaving Gaza, which is not going to happen, Israel is fully intent I think on going back to war.”
Hamas says Israel ‘planning to escalate again’
The negotiations come after Hamas handed over the remains of four captives overnight on Thursday, in exchange for more than 600 Palestinian prisoners, in the last planned swap of the ceasefire’s first phase.
Israel had postponed the release of 46 of these prisoners, all women and children, due to delays in verifying the bodies of four of the captives it received.
Further violating the terms of the deal, Israeli officials said they would not withdraw as planned from the Philadelphi Corridor – the long strip of land bordering Egypt. Israel’s military is supposed to begin pulling out of the corridor on Saturday and finish doing so within eight days.
Hamas official Basem Naim told Al Jazeera he believes Israel is “planning to escalate again” despite Hamas being “committed to the deal”.
“We have already done our duties according to the deal, and we are ready to continue implementing the deal,” said Naim, adding the group should be actively involved in phase two negotiations.
The ceasefire, which began on January 19, halted 15 months of war that erupted after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,100 people and took more than 200 captive.
Israel’s war in Gaza has since killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children, according to Palestinian health officials, while displacing more than 90 percent of the enclave’s population and destroying most of the Gaza Strip.
Personnel under the Green Nairobi initiative deployed fumigation machines, water boozers, and cleaning equipment, following a restoration order by National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).
City Hall has dispatched its staff to Parklands’ Stima Plaza and parts of Ngara to undertake a comprehensive fumigation, sanitation, and cleanup exercise, days after apologizing for a dramatic garbage dump.
Personnel under the Green Nairobi initiative deployed fumigation machines, water boozers, and cleaning equipment, on Saturday following a restoration order by National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).
Public Health Chief Officer Tom Nyakaba, who oversaw the exercise, confirmed City Hall’s commitment to hygene, confirming that crucial services like water and sewer lines had been fully connected.
“It is our duty to ensure that people live and work in a clean environment. Today, we are here at Stima Plaza to assure occupants that their surroundings are safe and hygienic,” Nyakaba stated.
The cleanup, scheduled for the weekend when foot traffic is lower, saw Green Army teams fumigate both the interior and exterior of the building, while water boozers with treated water washed down roads in Ngara.
“This is part of an ongoing citywide exercise to clean up Nairobi, now extending into estates in a coordinated manner. Our teams are also deployed in various parts of the city today,” Nyakaba added.
Resolved differences
City Hall termed the move as commitment to the resolution of a long-standing dispute between Nairobi City County Government (NCCG) and Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) over unpaid wayleave fees amounting to Sh4.8 billion and electricity bills owed by the county.
Governor Johnson Sakaja, who addressed the issue following a high-level intervention by the Head of Public Service Felix Koskei, confirmed that he and Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi had agreed to work on resolving the matter.
“We have agreed to take up the issue with the CS and find a lasting solution,” he told reporters in a solo press conference following the meeting convened by Koskei.
“An unfortunate incident occurred where one of our trucks tipped garbage in the area. That was not the intention, and within 30 minutes, we had cleared it. We are investigating the matter internally,” Sakaja assured. Capital News
Kenya plans to expand the Nairobi-Mombasa highway, with help from its European Union friends, to alleviate chronic traffic congestion, enhance road safety, and boost regional trade.
For years, this vital artery has been the bane of motorists’ existence, plagued by relentless traffic jams and a penchant for accidents, especially between Kwa Jomvu and Mariakani.
The grand plan is to transform this overworked two-lane stretch into a four- and six-lane dual carriageway, promising smoother rides for the throngs of commuters and cargo haulers who brave it daily.
President William Ruto, at the project’s kickoff in Mariakani, couldn’t contain his strategy, touting infrastructure expansion as the secret sauce for economic prosperity.
This road is the backbone of the Northern Corridor, linking Mombasa’s bustling port to landlocked neighbours like Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. As East Africa’s busiest trade route, its facelift is poised to supercharge regional commerce by slashing transport costs and turbocharging efficiency at Mombasa’s port, the gateway to East and Central Africa.
The enhancements are expected to improve road safety, reduce travel time, lower emissions, and facilitate smoother trade flows. The project will significantly impact regional commerce by cutting transport costs and increasing efficiency at the port of Mombasa, a key gateway for East and Central Africa
The road upgrade is a flagship initiative under the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, which is investing in sustainable infrastructure across Africa. The project has secured financial backing from key European institutions, including a €100 million (Sh13.6 billion) concessional loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB Global) and the German Development Bank (KfW). Additionally, the European Union has provided a €20 million (Sh2.7 billion) grant, while the Kenyan government is contributing €20 million (Sh2.7 billion) to the project.
Turbocharging travel times
Jozef Síkela, EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, emphasized the significance of the collaboration, stating, “This project is a prime example of quality infrastructure made possible through the Kenya-EU partnership. Beyond roads, we are strengthening Kenya’s economic foundation and boosting trade in the East African Community.”
EIB Vice President Thomas Östros echoed these sentiments, highlighting the crucial role of sustainable transport in driving economic growth and inclusion.
The Kwa Jomvu-Mariakani expansion is just one component of the broader modernization of the Northern Corridor. Other key projects under the EU’s €150 billion Global Gateway EU-Africa Investment Package include the ongoing Mombasa-Kilifi Road and Kitale-Morpus Road upgrades, as well as the recently completed Isebania-Kisii-Ahero highway and its feeder roads.
Upon completion, the newly expanded Kwa Jomvu-Mariakani road will accommodate 20,000 vehicles daily, drastically improving logistics and commuter experiences.
In a parallel plot twist, the ambitious Usahihi Expressway is gearing up to redefine the Nairobi-Mombasa commute. This 440-kilometer, four-lane marvel aims to shrink the grueling 10-hour journey to a breezy four and a half hours.
Everstrong Capital, a U.S.-based infrastructure investment maestro, inked a $3.6 billion deal with the Kenya National Highways Authority to bring this vision to life.
Road promises not only to turbocharge travel times but also to bolster regional connectivity and economic prospects. With construction slated to kick off soon, the this is set to become a game-changer in Kenya’s transport sector. By Reuben Mwambingu, People Daily
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