South Africa & African Continent

Three confirmed dead in plane crash on mountain pass in southern Cape  –  Emergency services have confirmed the death of three people in an aircraft crash earlier on Thursday near a mountain pass between Mossel Bay and Oudtshoorn in the southern Cape.

Mango flight special ends in chaos as frustrated customers lose money for no bookings  –  A flight special run by Mango airlines on Tuesday ended in chaos as hundreds of irate customers complained that they did not get bookings despite parting with their money.

Pedestrians accounted for most festive season road deaths – Mbalula  –  ‘The main causes of fatal crashes over this period were pedestrians, single vehicles overturning, hit-and-runs and head-on collisions,’ Mabalula said.

Portuguese banker named in Isabel dos Santos probe found dead  –  According to Portuguese media reports, da Cunha was the head of private banking at Eurobic and the account manager of Isabel dos Santos.

Eskom

Eskom reliability is at an all-time low, and may worsen, says CSIR report  –  The reliability of the entire Eskom power system is at its worst level in the utility’s 97-year history, and it may get even worse

#ZondoCommission

An interim state capture report could speed up prosecutions  –  there are growing calls for the commission to issue an interim report to enable a speedy and firm flush of the rot still lodged in the system.

With or without Zuma and the Guptas, the state capture commission will go on, says Zondo  –  Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo on Thursday said the state capture commission would continue with or without another appearance by former President Jacob Zuma, 

Courts

Aggett Inquest: ‘Neil was killed and his body hanged,’ partner tells court  –  Dr Elizabeth Floyd testified that when she saw Aggett’s body after he died, ‘there were no marks of any kind on his neck’ and no swelling either.

Business, Money & The Economy

My tips for Tito  –  Ahead of the February budget.

Australia fires live:

Homes feared lost in NSW bushfires as six firefighters reported injured – latest updates  –   Sydney covered in thick smoke haze. Follow the latest news and live updates

China coronavirus:

Fears infections will rise as hundreds of millions travel  –  China is battling to contain a deadly coronavirus in its Hubei province, as hundreds of millions of Chinese prepare to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Technology

George Soros Says Facebook Is Conspiring to Re-Elect Trump – Soros has used his annual Davos speech as a platform to criticize the social media giant in the past. 

Slow Internet in South Africa to continue for much longer  –  South African Internet users who are experiencing slow international connectivity speeds will have to wait until at least next week for the issue to be resolved.