Celani Sikhakhanebrings you KwaZulu-Natal’s latest news.
Msinga: Former ANC Treasurer General Dr Zweli Mkhize says the combination of Jacob Zuma and the Maskandi group Izingane Zoma boosted the ANC’s popularity before the 2009 elections. Mkhize spoke in Msinga at the funeral of Busani Ntshebe Khuzwayo, the group’s lead guitarist. He said Zuma’s charisma, mixed with the catchy Maskandi music, gave the party major appeal. The group released a CD called Msholozi, named after Zuma, which Mkhize says was played in minibus taxis across the country. He said ANC leaders bought the CD and encouraged taxi drivers to play it everywhere, helping the party connect with ordinary people. “The support for Zuma and the popularity of Izingane Zoma helped the ANC win a two-thirds majority,” said Mkhize. Former president Zuma was also at the funeral and could be seen laughing and chatting with Mkhize during the service.
UKZN: Top scientist Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim has joined the ranks of the world’s greatest minds. She has been named a Fellow of the Royal Society, the world’s oldest scientific academy, founded in 1660. As a Fellow, she joins the likes of Stephen Hawking, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein. She is now one of only seven South Africans in the Society, along with Wits Vice-Chancellor Professor Zeblon Vilakazi, tuberculosis expert Professor Valerie Mizrahi, epidemiologist Professor Salim Abdool Karim, chemist Professor Tebello Nyokong, physicist Professor Bernie Fanaroff and theoretical physicist Professor George Ellis.
EThekwini: EThekwini’s Deputy Mayor has raised the alarm over teenage pregnancies and abortion rates. She says an average of 582 teenagers a month accessed safe abortion services at city health centres between January and March this year. This number does not include unsafe terminations done outside the system. She shared these shocking numbers at the Travelling Indaba taking place in Durban. The city also revealed the 10 schools with the highest number of learner pregnancies during the same period.
Pictured above: Former ANC Treasury General Dr Zweli Mkhize and Former President and MKP leader Jacob Zuma at the funeral of Busani Ntshebe Khuzwayo in Msinga over the weekend.
Image source: @Absolute_Kganki
