Cape Town – With summer fast approaching and Cape Town residents expected to head to the beach in their droves, red flags have been raised about the number of trained lifeguards at one of the city’s most dangerous and busy beaches.

Lifeguards at Monwabisi beach on the False Bay coast are leaving because of the appalling conditions, putting a strain on the remaining volunteers charged with the safety of beachgoers during the busy holidays.

Monwabisi Surf Lifesaving’s clubhouse and tower are disappearing under sand and squatters have moved in. There are filthy blankets and rubbish is piled high in the vacant buildings, which are covered in graffiti. Lifeguards, who spend long hours on the beach, have no shelter and don’t even have a toilet nearby.

For more http://www.iol.co.za

He had a great showing at the Peace & Safety concert at the Mmabatho Convention Centre on Saturday where he played alongside crowd-pleasers such as Winnie Mashaba and the esteemed MTN Joyous Celebration. DRUM actually had a chance to spend time with him backstage. The Gospel crooner was a happy camper driving back (home) to Gauteng but no one would have imagined a hijacking that nearly put an end to his life was waiting for him.

Sechaba Pali was driving around Hammanskraal on Sunday when he picked up two female hitchhikers – an act of kindness that almost ended his life.

For more http://www.drum.co.za

WATCH: Riot police have moved in on striking workers on the steps of Parliament, firing stun grenades and ordering them to leave the grounds.

Courtesy: http://www.news24.com

President Jacob Zuma has responded to the much-talked about new multi-billion Presidential jet that was reportedly being purchased.

The presidency has requested information from the Department of Defence regarding the jet.

Speaking exclusively to the SABC, President Zuma says he is happy that the Defence Force has been able to clarify the issue.

Meanwhile, Zuma says gone are the days where former colonies dictates terms of trade for those they earlier colonised.

President Zuma was responding to the reports that America has issued an ultimatum to South Africa to meet US requirements before it can be included on the AGOA agreement.

For more http://www.sabc.co.za

Watch the video below

Thousands of Galeshewe residents took to the streets, marching to the local police station, protesting against the disbanding of an anti-crime group’s operations.

The group mobilises members of the community to help combat crime and gangsters.

The residents say this group has been helpful in curbing crime in their area.

The streets of Galeshewe came to a standstill when the residents sang and marched to the police station to hand over a memorandum of their grievances.

They state in the memorandum that they are totally against the disbanding of the group by the police.

March organiser Tebogo Obusitse says all they are doing is making sure that the community members are safe.

For more http://www.sabc.co.za

The South African Cities Network CEO, Sithole Mbanga, says cities are cautiously doing well but they are still under pressure.

Urbanisation trends suggest that by 2050 around 80% of the population will live in cities.

Cities are the largest contributor to the national economy and their role is becoming increasingly important.

The recently-released State of the City Finance report indicates that in the past five years, cities spent a combined R117-billion on capital-related projects.

Speaking on AM Live, Mbanga says the cities economies have not grown and they are not finding easy ways of furthering their bases of revenue.

For more http://www.sabc.co.za

Five people have died and six others critical injured in a collision between a van and a truck between Fort Beaufort and Seymour in the Eastern Cape.

The injured have been admitted to hospital.

Community Safety Renaissance spokesperson Tshepo Machaea says the road has been closed.

“On the R67 between Fort  Beaufort and Seymour on the way to Queenstown we have an accident there which claimed five lives and six people very critical have been taken to hospital. The road is still closed.”

For more http://www.sabc.co.za

The South African Child Gauge has released a study which shows that more than half of all young people in the country live in poverty and are faced with low education and unemployment.

The Gauge, which is the annual publication of the Children’s Institute at the University of Cape Town, focussed on the youth between the ages of 15 and 24.

Senior researcher in the UCT’s Poverty and Inequality Initiative, Dr Ariane De Lannoy says, “We find that a large portion of young people continue to live in poverty, about 58% of youths live in households with income below R620 per person per month and in general young  people’s situation isn’t that great, their education outcome are quiet low.”

For more http://www.sabc.co.za

BY REGINALD KANYANE

A 31 year-old award-winning actor, Presley Chweneyagae said he was ready to regain his niche in the film industry. North West-born actor encouraged young people to embark on acting. He said that the world needs to know about the untold stories from South Africans.

“To me acting came natural. I started acting at the age of 13. We need to preserve our heritage, our history. Filming industry encourages more tourists to visit the areas and that augurs well for the economy. I started at Mmabana Mmabatho where I learnt acting skills and polished my talent.

“If you want to be the best actor, you must make sure that you know your script. Nobody wants an awkward person standing up there, mouth open with no words coming out. Make sure your emotion reaches every corner of the room. Remember, you are not yourself. You forget everything you are and be who the character is. It’s not you playing the character, it’s you speaking. Immerse you in the character,” he said.

Chweneyagae who starred in an award-winning movie called Tsotsi, said he has been working at theatre. He said Tsotsi movie which was directed by Gavin Hood and produced by Peter Fudakowski gave him a good platform to launch his career.

“The film envisaged the South African story. Tsotsi went on to win the 2006 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It was also nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film in 2006. I am currently negotiating a deal with one of the biggest productions in South Africa. So if all go well, I will be in one of Mzansi’s favourite soapies from next year.

“I am busy working with a United Kingdom-based home theatre production. The same project is in Brazil and other parts of the world. We identify any ordinary person and reflect on their lives. We are required to resemble the life of that individual and perform it for them. I worked on many films so far like Zama-Zama, Inumber Number, and others.” he said.

Chweneyagae who recently took part in Soweto marathon said he was amazed about the newly-built film studio in Mmabana Mmabatho in Mahikeng. He said that will assist in developing young and raw talents in the province. He mentioned that he was busy with rural development projects in filming.

-TDN

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