MaNgwabe opens up about her baby’s developmental struggles
During a family outing, Mbali “MaNgwabe” Mseleku shared that her youngest child, Zenande, was born with a cleft palate. Doctors explained that it is related to underdevelopment, and they conducted scans to ensure her brain’s full development. Zenande has undergone two procedures to repair the cleft palate, with the first one not being successful.
Zenande’s father, Musa, admitted that it was his first experience with such a condition, and he was initially scared and nervous. He praised MaNgwabe for being a great mother and handling the challenges exceptionally well. After weeks of criticism on social media, people now understand MaNgwabe’s overprotectiveness for her kids, acknowledging her dedication to their well-being.
Here’s what is happening in and affecting South Africa today:
Date Set for Plan to Tackle SA’s Biggest Challenges:
The government and big business (comprising the 125 CEOs who signed the pledge) have agreed to publish an action plan by the end of August to tackle three priority areas – including energy, transport and logistics, and crime and corruption. [Business Day]
Cause of JHB Explosion:
The City of Joburg has confirmed the explosion that rocked Lillian Ngoyi Street (formerly Bree Street) was caused by methane gas. The city also estimates that the cost to rebuild would be R178 million. City manager Floyd Brink said the estimated cost of repairs was likely to increase when work is carried out in the area. [EWN]
SA Banks Tighten Their Purse Strings:
Bank lending slowed in June to its slowest pace in the last 12 months, signaling caution from financial institutions about low economic growth and increasing consumer debt. This came as rating agency Fitch recommended South African banks be more conservative in their approach to lending for the foreseeable future. Banks have flagged rising bad debt as limiting their growth in 2023, with Absa saying in July that it expects credit impairments to rise substantially towards the end of the year. [Daily Investor]
Airlink in Hot Water:
The Competition Tribunal has started hearings against Airlink on allegations of excessive and predatory pricing for its flights on the Johannesburg-Mthatha-Johannesburg route. The Commission investigated three complaints against the local airline for contravening the Competition Act and abusing its dominance on the route and in the regional airline market. [News24]
Markets:
The South African rand slumped further on Wednesday (2 August) after tumbling as much as 2% on Tuesday, as risk-off sentiment increased on concerns about global economic growth and a credit rating agency downgraded the United States. On Thursday (3 August), the rand was trading at R18.48/$, R20.20/€, and R23.47/£. Brent crude is trading at $83.37 a barrel. [Reuters]
