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Chronic Power Outages Plague Ekurhuleni Suburbs, Frustrating Residents
Residents in the Germiston and Primrose suburbs of the Ekurhuleni metro municipality, South Africa, are grappling with persistent power outages that last much longer than promised by the municipality, reports TimesLIVE. Due to cable faults, substations blowing up, overloading, and cable theft, residents often experience electricity cuts that can last for a week or more. Some households rely on costly generators during these outages, exacerbating financial burdens. Despite repeatedly contacting the municipality, technicians frequently take longer than expected to address the issues, leading to food spoilage, safety concerns, and business disruptions.
District Development Model Struggles to Gain Govt Support
South Africa’s district development model (DDM), designed to address issues in the country’s municipalities, is encountering hurdles in getting government departments on board, reports News24. Despite approval from the Cabinet in 2019 and pilot programmes in three areas, including KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo, the DDM faces a lack of involvement from national departments in most provinces. This has led to challenges related to integration, alignment, and participation, making it challenging to realize the DDM’s objectives. As of March 2023, significant funding has been allocated to the programme. To address these issues, calls have been made for better coordination, improved commitments, and the need to enhance the capacity of municipalities to spend wisely. Some members of Parliament have expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the DDM’s implementation.
European Court of Human Rights to Rule on Caster Semenya’s Case
The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has agreed to rule on the case of South African athlete Caster Semenya, a double Olympic 800m champion, who has been barred from competing due to her refusal to take medication to lower her testosterone levels, reports eNCA. After an initial ruling in Semenya’s favour, Swiss authorities and World Athletics sought to bring the case to the Grand Chamber. Despite her legal victories, the decision does not immediately pave the way for her return to competition without medication. Semenya, who has consistently refused to take drugs to reduce her testosterone levels, continues to contest the regulations set by the athletics’ governing body. Semenya won Olympic gold at the 2012 London Games and at Rio in 2016 and collected world titles in 2009, 2011, and 2017.
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