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Here’s your daily news update: An easy-to-read selection of our top stories.
Picture: iStock / The Citizen / Cheryl Kahla
News today includes a young child allegedly testing positive for tik (crystal meth) after consuming edibles from a party pack bought at a sweet shop in George.
Meanwhile, state witness Lourentia Lombard testified that Joshlin Smith’s mother told her she sold Joshlin to a sangoma for R20 000.
Furthermore, South Africa’s top banks recently revealed the amounts spent on salaries for their CEOs and staff members.
Weather tomorrow: 15 March 2025
The weather service warns severe weather will continue to batter KwaZulu-Natal during the weekend, and that North West, Free State, and Northern Cape should also brace for severe thunderstorms and possible flooding, with damage to infrastructure and property expected. Full weather forecast here.
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‘Unusual behaviour’: George cops investigating ‘tik in party pack’ incident
A young child has allegedly tested positive for tik (crystal meth) after consuming edibles from a party pack bought at a sweet shop in George.
Southern Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Chris Spies confirmed to The Citizen that the parents of the child opened a case at the George police station following the alleged incident on Friday, 7 March 2025.
The investigation into the matter is ongoing and the origin of the substance is being established.
CONTINUE READING: ‘Unusual behaviour’: George cops investigating ‘tik in party pack’ incident
Joshlin Smith trial: Court told missing girl was sold to sangoma for R20 000
Allegations about Joshlin Smith being sold to a sangoma were heard on Friday in the high-profile trial surrounding the six-year-old girl’s disappearance.
Lourentia (Rens) Lombard, a friend of Kelly Smith, the mother of missing Joshlin, took the stand at the Western Cape Circuit High Court in Saldanha.
Picture: Gallo Images/Jaco Marais.
Lombard was previously arrested and accused of the kidnapping and human trafficking of Joshlin.
The charges against Lombaard were dropped after she became a state witness.
CONTINUE READING: Joshlin Smith trial: Court told missing girl was sold to sangoma for R20 000
Here is how much CEOs of SA’s four banks and their staff earn
Chief executive officers (CEOs) of many large corporates earn millions of rands due to their immense responsibility for a company’s success or failure.
At the same time, they possess specialised skills and experience.
Standard Bank released its financial results on Thursday, showing the bank recorded headline earnings of R45 billion.
The man responsible for that growth is Sim Tshabalala, who, as CEO of the bank walked away with over R89 million in remuneration.
CONTINUE READING: Here is how much CEOs of SA’s four banks and their staff earn
Marriage is a declining tradition in SA: Stats SA reveals who’s not tying the knot
According to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) marriage is a declining tradition among South Africans.
Stats SA recently released its report on South Africa’s evolving cultural landscape. The report focuses on religion, marriage, and the languages spoken in the country.
Stats SA said that over the past 26 years, attitudes toward equality, individual rights, and personal freedom have redefined how South Africans approach marriage, leading to a decline in formal unions.
CONTINUE READING: Marriage is a declining tradition in SA: Stats SA reveals who’s not tying the knot
Sassa grant officials nabbed in Joburg CBD raid, others evade arrest because ‘they are on leave’
Three South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) grant administrators were arrested on Friday in a morning raid on the agency’s offices in the Johannesburg CBD.
The police and agency officials pounced on the offices in a crackdown as part of a wider operation following the arrest of four suspects, including two females and one Ethiopian national, in Soweto last month.
The group was caught using fraudulent Sassa cards to withdraw money at a Shoprite store. They had 139 Sassa cards in their possession.
CONTINUE READING: Sassa grant officials nabbed in Joburg CBD raid, others evade arrest because ‘they are on leave’
Here are five more stories of the day:
- SA Rugby Player of the Year: The last 30 winners
- ‘We are not scared of anybody’: Holomisa on R1.6bn withdrawal from DRC
- City Power explains why the lights are off so often
- ‘Loads of water, not a drop to drink’: Here’s why a full Vaal Dam doesn’t mean less water outages
- Vicki Terblanche murder: Reinhardt Leach sentenced
Yesterday’s News recap
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