Australia hammer South Africa in the first T20I at Durban (Photo Source: Twitter)
The first T20I encounter between South Africa and Australia, part of the Australia tour of South Africa 2023, took place at Kingsmead in Durban on Wednesday. After winning the toss, South Africa chose to bowl first, setting the stage for a competitive battle.
Australia Innings:
Australia posted a formidable total of 226-6 in their allotted 20 overs. The batting highlights included a powerful knock from newly-appointed captain Mitchell Marsh, who scored a remarkable 92 not out off 49 deliveries. Tim David also played a pivotal role with a quickfire 64 runs off 28 balls. Their efforts contributed significantly to Australia’s commanding total.
Bowling figures for South Africa:
Lizaad Williams emerged as the standout bowler for South Africa, securing three crucial wickets while conceding 44 runs. Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee and Tabraiz Shamsi each claimed a wicket, albeit conceding runs in the process.
South Africa Innings:
In pursuit of Australia’s formidable target, South Africa struggled and managed to score 115/10 in 15.3 overs. Reeza Hendricks showcased an impressive performance with the bat, amassing 56 runs off 43 balls. However, remaining South Africa line-up struggled against the Australian bowlers.
Bowling figures for Australia:
Tanveer Sangha shone with the white leather on his T20I debut, capturing four wickets while conceding 31 runs. Marcus Stoinis and Spencer Johnson also contributed significantly with three and two wickets, respectively.
The building in the central business district has been described as an “informal settlement” where homeless people had moved in looking for accommodation.
At least 74 people have been killed in a fire in a multi-storey building in South Africa’s biggest city, authorities have said.
Officials said 55 more were injured in the blaze in Johannesburg, which broke out in the middle of the night.
Robert Mulaudzi, a spokesman for the emergency services, has warned the number of fatalities may rise further – as more people could be trapped inside.
There were “obstructions” everywhere, and this would have made it difficult to escape.
Firefighters work at the scene of a deadly blaze
Firefighters have been currently going from floor to floor – working slowly through the building’s five storeys.
“Over 20 years in the service, I’ve never come across something like this,” Mr Mulaudzi added.
Witnesses saw people throwing babies from the burning building in an attempt to save them – and at least one man jumped to his death.
Seven of the victims were children – and the youngest was a year old.
One woman who escaped the flames with her grown son and a two-year-old said she didn’t know what had happened to two other children in her family.
The building in the central business district has been described as an “informal settlement” where homeless people had moved in looking for accommodation. Some of the victims may have been renting rooms from criminal gangs.
According to witnesses, at least 200 people may have been living there – maybe more – and many of them were foreign nationals.
People looking for their loved ones have been warned that chances of finding them alive are “very slim”.
One woman looking for her daughter tearfully told reporters: “This is not a place where somebody can live. I was trying to get her to come back home so she could get back to the life she was living before.”
PM Modi said that he looks forward to holding bilateral meetings with “some of the leaders present in Johannesburg”.
PM Narendra Modi Embarks On 4-day Visit To South Africa, Greece; Will Attend BRICS Summit |
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on a four-day visit to South Africa and Greece. In South Africa, PM Modi will attend the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg from August 22-24 at the invitation of the country’s president Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa.
PM Modi said that BRICS has been actively engaged in fostering a robust collaboration agenda across diverse sectors, and serves as a platform to deliberate upon issues of significance for the entire Global South.
PM Modi said that he looks forward to holding bilateral meetings with “some of the leaders present in Johannesburg”.
“BRICS has been pursuing a strong cooperation agenda across various sectors. We value that BRICS has become a platform for discussing and deliberating on issues of concern for the entire Global South, including development imperatives and reform of the multilateral system,â? the PM said in a statement.
About BRICS Summit
BRICS is a grouping of the world economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
BRICS summit will be held from August 22-24. This will be PM Modi’s third visit to South Africa and the trip marks the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between India and South Africa.
This year’s BRICS is under the presidency of South Africa. The theme of this year’s summit is: “BRICS and Africa: Partnership for mutually accelerated growth, sustainable development and inclusive multilateralism.” This will be the first in-person BRICS Summit after three consecutive years of virtual meetings owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Al Jazeera investigation reveals a well-known money launderer as a previously missing link in the Gupta state capture.
One of South Africa’s biggest money launderers was behind three companies that played a key role in the country’s state capture by the controversial Gupta brothers under former President Jacob Zuma, Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit (I-Unit) has found.
The three companies, Varlozone, Zokubyte and Coral General Traders, were identified by the Zondo Commission — an investigation set up by the South African government — as conduits used for fraud and the capture of state funds by a small group of South African politicians and businessmen.
Yet the investigators appointed by the Zondo Commission were unable to identify who managed these companies and transferred looted South African money abroad on behalf of the Guptas.
Now, documents obtained by Al Jazeera show that the person behind Varlozone, Coral General Trading and Zokubyte was Mohamed Khan, also known as Mo Dollars, a well-known South African money launderer.
“That payment was done by Mohamed,” whistleblower Dawood Khan, Mohamed’s brother and former employee, told Al Jazeera.
State capture is a form of corruption where a small group of people influences the decision-making process of a state for personal gain. South Africa’s current government, under President Cyril Ramaphosa, has accused two brothers of the Gupta family of businessmen — which became synonymous with state capture under Zuma — of plundering the country’s funds through a systematic web of corruption. The brothers were arrested last June in the United Arab Emirates. But last week, the UAE dismissed South Africa’s request that the Gupta siblings be extradited.
The new revelation, identifying Mohamed Khan as the previously missing link in the Gupta state capture case, is part of Gold Mafia, a four-part investigative series into several gold smuggling and money laundering gangs operating in Southern Africa.
Whatsapp messages between Mohamed Khan and a bribed bank officer, obtained by Al Jazeera, show how Zokubyte and Varlozone were used to launder money [Al Jazeera]Gupta brothers
The Zondo Commission was established in 2018 to investigate reports of state capture, corruption and fraud mainly by the Guptas, an influential South African family with Indian roots.
Since their arrival in South Africa in 1993, the Guptas managed to build a vast business empire and they eventually came to wield enormous influence in the country, allowing them to obtain large amounts of state funds that they laundered offshore.
As their power grew, the Guptas were awarded state contracts, allegedly bribed politicians and even had influence over ministerial appointments in Zuma’s government. Such was their clout that in 2013, they managed to use a South African military airport to bring hundreds of guests from India for a wedding, sparking a national controversy.
The money obtained in the state capture was sent abroad through a network of companies and eventually seemed to vanish. Zokubyte, Coral General Trading and Varlozone were all part of that network, dubbed “the spiderweb” by investigators.
Among the investigators appointed by the Zondo Commission was Paul Holden, an anti-money laundering expert. “We were basically looking at the flow of money into this network from the state capture and we knew it was going through a money laundering network,” he told Al Jazeera.
A breakthrough came when the commission was able to determine a direct link between the money from the state capture and the Guptas through transactions from South African company Varlozone to Dubai-based company Griffin Line General Trading.
Griffin Line General Trading was known to be controlled by the Guptas. But the owner of Varlozone, Shah Bukhari, was just a frontman. In reality, the company was run by Khan, a prolific money launderer who has worked for cigarette don and gold smuggler Simon Rudland, helping him transfer more than $100m abroad. Khan also bribed employees in several South African banks to help with the money laundering operation.
From South Africa to Hong Kong
Documents obtained by Al Jazeera show that money was moved from several companies to the accounts of Varlozone and Zokubyte. Varlozone then moved $1.8m of state capture money offshore over six months. Zokubyte laundered at least $600,000 of funds looted from the state. Coral General Traders acted as a pooling account — where money from multiple accounts can be kept temporarily — for funds to be moved offshore.
The money was sent abroad through a process called “merchanting”, which involves the creation of fake invoices to suggest that the transfer of funds is an advance payment for goods to be imported. No goods are actually ever sent, and companies at both ends of the chain — those invoicing for products meant to be sent, and those ostensibly buying these imports — are controlled by the same individuals.
The invoices mostly came from Hong Kong-based front companies, some of which were owned by Khan as well.
All three companies made these payments through Sasfin Bank, one of the banks where Khan had bribed employees, including Hussain Choonara, who was in charge of Sasfin Bank’s foreign exchange payments at the time.
