Lawyers refuse to represent Zuma - Real News. Scrolla.Africa

Tuesday 27 April
                                              2021, 0426

Real News. Scrolla.Africa

Lawyers refuse to represent Zuma
Lungani Zungu

Jacob Zuma is still battling to find lawyers to represent him for
his Arms Deal pre-trial in three weeks.

His son Edward and his brother Khanya say no lawyer wants to
represent him.

"We don't know what will happen when he goes to court
because no one wants to be associated with him," said Khanya.

Zuma was dumped by Mabuza Inc, leading to senior council
Muzi Sikhakhane also ditching him.
Msholozi has not said who will represent him when he appears
in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on 17 May.

Khanya said: "At this stage, we don't know who will represent
my brother. We will see when he goes to court."

Zuma's son Edward said the former president is still searching
for legal representatives.

"We don't know who will be my father's lawyer. We will see
when he goes to court."

Zuma is facing corruption charges stemming from a R500,000-
a-year bribe secured by his former financial adviser Shabir Shaik
from French Arms company Thales.

Edward said the family met when Mabuza Inc dumped them.

"We were trying to find a solution to the legal crisis we are
facing as a family. But the former president will go to court in
May."

Last week, during his late birthday celebration organised by the
South African Civic Organisation (Sanco), Zuma said that his
own party, the ANC, is "dead."

Edward shares the same view.

"Some people have changed the ANC and are using our
organisation to target other people."

He wouldn’t say who these people are, who are using the party
process to fight their political enemies.

Pule Mabe, an ANC spokesperson, declined to comment.

"As the ANC we will not comment on legal issues concerning
our members."

Zuma's ally Ace Magashule, ANC secretary-general also had
nothing to say on the matter.

"I have heard the former president say that our party is dead. I
have got nothing to say."

Picture source: @PresJGZuma

South Africa vaccine rollout to resume
on Wednesday
Arthur Greene

               The rollout of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19
               vaccine will resume on Wednesday, the health
               ministry has announced, after it was put on hold
earlier this month.

Researchers will resume vaccine rollout through the Sisonke
Programme, the study which has so far administered over
290,000 jabs to the country’s health care workers.

The vaccine was suspended on 16 April upon the
recommendation of US regulators due to extremely rare cases
of blood clots.

On Friday, these regulators gave the J&J vaccine the green light,
whilst European regulators have also said that the vaccine’s
benefits outweigh its risks.

In a statement released on Monday, Health Minister Zweli
Mkhize said, “It is much better to have the vaccine than to
avoid taking it for fear of getting a blood clot."

This will be welcome news to the government, who have placed
an order of 31 million doses of the J&J vaccine, with the first
commercial batch of 1.1 million doses due to be dispatched in
the coming days.

The government has also secured 30 million doses of the Pfizer
vaccine and expects the first 650,000 doses to arrive within the
next month, in preparation for the country’s second phase of
its vaccination programme.

Starting from 17 May, essential workers, elderly people and
adults with comorbidities will begin to receive the vaccine.

Picture source: ABC News

Teacher with a heart of gold wins
international award
Doreen Mokgolo

Co-founder of the African School for Excellence,
Nohlanhla Masina, has proven that hard work does
pay off.

She was recently crowned the winner in the sub-Saharan Africa
regional stage of the Cambridge International Schools
Dedicated Teacher Awards.

Her love for her community led to her opening a prestigious
high school in Tsakani township, Ekurhuleni in 2013.

Masina says that she identified that many first year tertiary
students from townships lacked basic skills even to express
themselves in English.

“I decided to dedicate myself to improving the state of
education in township schools by offering free extra lessons.

“This motivated me to open the school, catering for my
community,” she added.

She was nominated for the work she put in during the country’s
hard lockdown restrictions, when learning in formal classes was
suspended.

She took the challenge to teach six classes in four subjects:
Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics and Global Perspective and
Research for grade 11 and 12.

“We were unable to fill the positions. I then decided to step-up
to take over the classes because I had in the past facilitated
them.

“I could not allow the learners, especially those in matric to be
left behind in their studies,” she explained.

Masina added that, as part of the programme, she instituted
WhatsApp classes to be able to reach all the learners, ensuring
that every one of them received internet data and an external
keyboard from the school.

Through all these sacrifices, the 2020 matric class achieved an
80 percent pass with a bachelor, which is by far the best results
it has ever had.

The award automatically paves the way for Masina to compete
in the global category where she will go up against the winners
from other regions across the globe.

Masina holds a MSc (med) Pharmaceutics, BSc Honours in
Biochemistry and Cell Biology and a BSc in Biological Sciences
all from the University of the Witwaterstrand.

She has been recognised as one of the Mail & Guardian 200
Young South Africans for her work in education.

“I am more scared of the cops than
criminals”
Palesa Morudu

Palesa Morudu is a South African writer based in Washington
DC. After yet another police shooting of a black man in the US,
she reports on police violence and the unanswered questions
about the killing of the South African Lindani Myeni in Hawaii.

My everyday deep fear about living in the United States is an
encounter with the police.

I am more fearful of the cops than any random criminal in the
streets.

Last year alone, police killed 1,127 people according to a
comprehensive report on police violence from Mapping Police
Violence (MPV).

Four months into 2021 the MPV says “there have only been
three days… where the police did not kill someone.” 335 people
have so far been killed.

One of them is Lindani Myeni, a native of South Africa, who was
killed by the police in Honolulu, Hawaii on 14 April. Myeni had
just recently moved to the United States with his American wife
and their two small children.

In a Facebook post full of American flag emojis that has since
been removed, Myeni seemed clearly excited about his
decision to move to the United States.

He said, “Thank you America for taking care of me and my
family and showing me true family values. A country with a

hard and sad history but yet find a way for an African man from
Ubombo to feel completely free…”

The circumstances of his killing are unclear. According to the
Honolulu police and the partial bodycam footage they released,
Myeni attacked them as they confronted him after responding
to a 911 call about a burglary. A woman can be heard in the
body cam screaming “it is him” in reference to Myeni. The
police are yet to release the 911 tapes, the dispatch recordings,
and the full body-worn cam footage for a full picture to
emerge. They claim that Myeni was a violent man and that the
police were in the fight for their lives.

His widow Lindsay Myeni and her lawyer Jim Bickerton are
demanding a full disclosure of what transpired. They have filed
a suit for wrongful death against the City and County of
Honolulu and the unknown police officers who killed him. “The
last thing I wanted to do was to have to go to court just a week
after Lindani’s death, but our requests for information have
been ignored. I trust that asking a jury of our peers to look at
this case will help us get the information we need and the
justice Lindani deserves,” Lindsay said.

But will he get justice?

The data in the MPV report on police killings tells the horror
story of policing in the United States. It points to cops who are
quick to go for their guns and shoot, and often when seemingly
responding to “suspected non-violent offences.” Of the 1,127
people killed last year, 96 percent were shot dead by police. Of
the total, 601 cases involved police responding to a suspected
non-violent offence, and 121 involved alleged traffic violations.

According to the report “black people were more likely to be
killed by police, more likely to be unarmed and less likely to be
threatening someone when killed.”

The report says only 16 cops were charged with a crime in all
the cases of a police shooting in 2020.
One of them is former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek
Chauvin, who murdered George Floyd in May last year. The
entire world saw Chauvin snuff the life out of Floyd for 9
minutes and 37 seconds in a video captured by Darnella Frazier,
the teenager who also testified for the state at Chauvin’s trial.

Jerry Blackwell, the prosecuting attorney, told the jury that the
case “isn’t that complicated… It’s so simple that a child could
understand it. In fact, a child — the nine-year-old girl who was
among the bystanders at the scene on 25 May 2020, and
testified at the trial — did understand it.” He said, “you can

believe your eyes… It was what you thought it was. It was what
you saw.”

Only one cop, Chauvin, among the 16 who were charged, has so
far been convicted. In a twisted way, Floyd’s case was in a
sense easy. The weight of eyewitness and video evidence, and
police who were willing to testify against him, meant that
Chauvin could not escape a guilty verdict. The New York Times
noted that “the outcome was a rarity in America: Very few
prosecutors have ever convicted a police officer of murder for
killing on the job.”

In Myeni’s case, there are seemingly three sets of witnesses
who know what took place. It is the woman who screamed “it is
him;” the police; and Myeni, who is now dead. Until a full
picture emerges of what transpired on the evening of 14 April,
his name is now added to a long and continually growing list of
victims of American police violence.

Myeni’s remains arrive in South Africa on Friday. May he rest in
peace. The cops who killed him should be held to account. The
South African government and its people must demand
#JusticeForMyeni.

Picture source: TheSouthAfrican

The groom who refused to dance at his
own wedding
Arthur Greene

                For many couples, the first dance is one of the
                most significant moments of their wedding day.

It can be a beautiful moment of synchronicity and intimacy for
all their loved ones to witness.

For many others, it’s just one of the highlights of the reception,
a lighthearted boogie to get the party going.

For one couple in Northern Nigeria, however, a first dance was
never on the cards - but their hired DJ had other ideas.

In a viral video, the groom is seen refusing to dance at his own
wedding, and issues a stern warning to the DJ for forcing him
into doing so.

The excruciating clip shows the happy couple walking down the
aisle, surrounded by dozens of loved ones.

As the smiling couple, immaculately dressed in their wedding
garments, walk slowly towards their seats, the DJ thinks it is the
perfect time to start talking into his blaring microphone.

He suggests that the couple dance to the music that’s playing, a
suggestion which the groom sternly turns down.

But the DJ insists, and at this point the bride begins to look
uncomfortable as she is caught between continuing to stand
around and just getting on with a dance.

But her husband-to-be stands his ground, and then gives the
MC a stern telling off, even unleashing a finger wag.

If you ask us, the MC didn’t need to go and make a song and
dance about it!

Picture source: Tania Tamara

Teams call for social media blackout in
response to online racism
Dylan Bettencourt

The ten professional associations in English
football, as well as the clubs playing under them,
will shut down their social media from Friday 30
April until Monday 3 May. This is in response to the ongoing
racist abuse of black players on their social media platforms.

The associations sent a letter to social media platforms
requesting that they take more drastic steps to deal with online
discrimination.

They outlined that the most efficient way to do this was by
filtering, blocking and faster takedowns of posts which are
deemed offensive.

The UK government has also been called to take further action
in the fight against online abuse by strengthening their Online
Safety Bill so that social media platforms are held more
accountable for what takes place on their specific platforms.

Richard Masters, Premier League Chief Executive said: “The
Premier League and our clubs stand alongside football in
staging this boycott to highlight the urgent need for social
media companies to do more in eliminating racial hatred.”

Sanjay Bhandari, Chair of Kick It Out, an organisation created to
challenge discrimination in the football world said: “Social
media is now sadly a regular vessel for toxic abuse. This boycott
signifies our collective anger at the damage this causes to the
people who play, watch and work in the game.”

The Premier League previously took the initiative of taking the
knee before kick-off to display their solidarity with the Black
Lives Matter campaign and this boycott marks an increased
effort towards removing racism from the sport.

Picture source: @SkyNews

Why an octopus deserved to win an
Oscar
Arthur Greene

                The success of an Oscar-winning documentary
                and a recent landmark study have combined to
                teach the world that octopuses deserve our good
care.

Last September, the unlikely friendship formed between a Cape
Town filmmaker called Craig Foster and a wild octopus won the
affections of viewers all over the world.

While last month, a groundbreaking study published in iScience
provided the strongest evidence yet that octopuses feel pain in
the same way that mammals do.

The experiment, led by Robyn Crook at her lab in San Francisco
State University in the US, involved letting an octopus choose
to linger in either a spotted room or a striped room.

She then injected a mildly stinging acetic acid into one of the
octopus’s arms in its preferred room. The next day she let it
choose which room to linger in again.

All seven octopuses which were tested chose the room they
hadn’t initially preferred, indicating they suffered emotional
trauma because of the pain caused to them.

A fish pain researcher at the University of Gothenburg in
Sweden, Lynne Sneddon, says the study “shows beyond a
doubt that [octopuses] are capable of experiencing pain.”

On Sunday evening, co-directors Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed
took home the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature
for My Octopus Teacher.

In her speech, Ehrlich said, “I know there are many South
Africans awake watching right now. In many ways, this really is
a tiny personal story that played out in a seaforest at the very
tip of Africa, but on a more universal level, I hope that it
provided a glimpse of a different kind of relationship between
human beings and the natural world.”

The intelligence and emotional complexity of the octopus in the
documentary has been scientifically supported by Crook’s
study, bolstering the case for establishing welfare regulations
for these animals.

Public support is shifting in favour of these creatures, which are
still farmed for food across the globe.

Picture source: @mubi

AmaZulu want it all, especially
Sundowns’ top spot
Dylan Bettencourt

Durban outfit AmaZulu retained their second place position
with a win over TS Galaxy on Saturday. Coach Benni McCarthy
and his men find themselves just three points behind first place
Mamelodi Sundowns, having played two more games than the
league leaders.

Former Bafana Bafana striker McCarthy has done an amazing
job in Durban and his AmaZulu team remain unbeaten in 14
games. This form will pile up the pressure on Sundowns, who
looked sure to walk away with the league title once again.

Two wins in their last five games for the Brazilians has allowed
AmaZulu to gain an element of hope in the title race.

Speaking after their victory, McCarthy said: “We are delighted
with the performance, the attitude of the players, and the way
we handled ourselves. We have now put the pressure back on
everyone else, Sundowns and Golden Arrows, who had
overtaken us.”

He went on to say his side were disappointed to come away
from the game against league leaders Sundowns with just a
point just three days ago, as he felt his team deserved more
from the game.

Up next for Sundowns is a massive clash with third placed
Golden Arrows and then Orlando Pirates, who are in fourth
place.

These are two crucial encounters for Sundowns, who will see
the fixtures as must wins if they are to assert their dominance
in the league.

AmaZulu face Cape Town City and Golden Arrows in their next
two fixtures, but they will need to win all six of their final

matches if they want to steal the DStv Premiership from
Sundowns.

Picture source: @TimesLive

Downs Ladies come out with guns
blazing to defend their title
Timmy T Maranda

             Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies got their title
             defence off to a good start following a 4-0 win
             over Golden Ladies FC on Saturday at the
Groenkloof Stadium in Pretoria.

Goals from Morifi Chuene, Lehlogonolo Mashigo and a brace by
Bongiwe Thusi secured the victory for them in the season
opener.

Downs’ victory over Golden Ladies moves them to second on
the table behind early pace-setters and league debutants JVW
FC, after their victory over Ma-Indies at the Thohoyandou
Stadium.

Last year, the now-defending champions clinched the maiden
SAFA Women's National League, without facing any defeats, in
a season disrupted by Covid-19.

Sundowns coach Jerry Tshabalala expressed his excitement
with a clean sheet and a win but bemoaned his team’s poor
finishing in front of goal.

"I am happy for three points but I am not fairly happy, I am
worried we are missing a lot of chances and we need to work
on our finishing," said Tshabalala.

"I don't want to put pressure on my girls, taking into account
it's our first game, but it's a work in progress, we will go train
and work on it,” the coach added.

He concluded, "I think the score is not a true reflection of the
game, we should have put 10 past them. I am also happy that
we didn't concede a single goal."

In their next match, Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies FC will face
Durban Ladies on Saturday at the Princess Magogo Stadium in
Kwamashu, kick-off 15h00.

Other SWNL results:

Ma-Indies 1-5 JVW FC
Richmond United 3-6 First Touch FC
Tsunami Queens FC 4-1 Coal City Wizards
TUT Football Club 2-2 UWC FC
University of UJ 1-1 Bloemfontein Celtic FC
Thunderbirds Ladies 2-0 Durban Ladies FC

Video source: @MamelodiSundownsladies

Eden Hazard gets his match against
former club, Chelsea
Menzi Magubane

Now that the European Super League drama is
over, it's time for the UEFA Champions League to
take the centre stage again.

On Tuesday Real Madrid will host Chelsea at Estadio Alfredo Di
Stefano, in Madrid at 9pm in the first semi-final of this season's
competition.

The spotlight, though, will be on Eden Hazard, who is back
following an injury that has seen him miss over a month of Los
Blancos games. The dribbling wizard is in line to face his former
team Chelsea.

The Belgium captain has endured a tough and frustrating time
since joining Madrid at the beginning of last season, with
persistent injuries preventing him from showing his best form.
That is hopefully behind him as his wish of facing Chelsea will
soon come true.

In 2019, Hazard said he would love to face Chelsea in the
Champions League one day.

"I hope that we are drawn against each other in the Champions
League and every season so we can meet again," he said.

Speaking after his side dropped points in the La Liga title race,
his coach Zinedine Zidane delivered a glowing verdict on
Hazard's 15-minute cameo performance on Saturday and
revealed his plans for the 30 year old.

“I liked Hazard’s performance. He can be a very important
player for us, he can contribute a lot to us," said Zidane on
Football Espana.

Meanwhile, the Blues mentor Thomas Tuchel has told his young
squad to embrace the experience of facing Los Blancos.

This will be Chelsea's first semi-final in Europe's elite
competition since 2014. They also have a squad that is filled
with new signings and academy players who have never before
reached this stage.

"It's a big challenge and after it, we will be smarter and better.
This will be a huge experience together. We are very happy to
arrive at this level. This is what you dream of as a little boy, to
play international games against Real Madrid," said Tuchel.

Picture source: @brfootball