Making headlines: Judgment in the Ahmed Timol inquest to be handed down; Moerane Commission hears that corruption in ANC-led municipalities affects service delivery; And, Zuma to visit DRC

For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Thabi Madiba.

Judgment in the Ahmed Timol inquest to be handed down

Judgment in the Ahmed Timol inquest is expected to be handed down in the North Gauteng High Court today.

After months of testimonies and deliberation, South Africans will hear whether someone should be held liable for the death of the anti-apartheid activist, who police alleged jumped out of a window on the 10th floor of John Vorster Square in Johannesburg in 1971.

A press briefing is expected to be held after the announcement of the judgment, the family said last night.

While Timol's death on October 27, 1971, was ruled a suicide, a private investigation launched by the Timol family into his death uncovered new evidence which was presented to the National Prosecuting Authority.

The NPA agreed to reopen an inquest conducted in 1972, which had ruled that Timol had killed himself and had not been brutally murdered by the apartheid security branch police while he was in detention.

Moerane Commission hears that corruption in ANC-led municipalities affects service delivery

Corruption and looting of as much as R78-million from the State are affecting service delivery in the ANC-run Harry Gwala District Municipality, the Moerane Commission heard yesterday.

Thabiso Zulu, former ANC Youth League regional secretary in the ANC's Harry Gwala Region, told the commission investigating political killings in KwaZulu-Natal that he had tried numerous times to fight corruption but "was let down by police".

Zulu, a self-proclaimed "anti-corruption crusader", told the commission that he had documents proving that some senior officials and councillors in the district were looting millions of rands.

And, Zuma to visit DRC

President Jacob Zuma will visit Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday, in his capacity as chairperson of the Southern African Development Community.

The presidency said yesterday in a statement, that the President will hold discussions with President Joseph Kabila on the issues of peace and security in the Great Lakes region, particularly the situation in the DRC.

Reports from the DRC yesterday quoted that country’s electoral commission saying the vote to replace Kabila, whose term expired in December, expected by the end of the year will now not happen before the start of 2019.

Kabila has been allowed to stay on in power in exchange for guarantees that elections will be held.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today
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