Simba 'had so many big dreams and plans’... Driver to be charged over Simba Mhere crash #RIPSimba

Cape Town – As the shocking news spreads of the death of Simba Mhere, Top Billing presenter on SABC3 in a horrific car crash on Saturday morning, the South African television business and those who knew him describe his passing as “a devastating loss”.

Eight people died in the car crash in which Mhere, the son of missionary parents, was killed on Saturday morning on the N3 near the Marlboro offramp.

The driver who caused the crash will be caused with reckless driving according to the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD).

Mhere was on his way to the Oliver Thambo International Airport to fly to Cape Town's J&B Met this afternoon. In 2013 Mhere was voted most stylist man in South Africa, and in 2014 favourite TV presenter.

"It is with terrible pain that we reflect on the passing of our beloved Simba Mhere," says Top Billing, produced by Tswelopele Productions. "We are truly heartbroken".

"It is with great sadness that SABC3 received the news about the passing of Simba Mhere, presenter on SABC3's Top Billing and Presenter Search on 3," says the SABC in a statement.

"Our beloved colleague and friend passed away in a tragic car accident earlier today. Simba Mhere brought great character and charisma in everything he did and for that he will be sorely missed."

"Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family, Simba Mhere's friends and associates, his fans, viewers of SABC3 and the rest of South Africa."

"We wish to plead with the public to give the family some privacy during this sad time. SABC3 will communicate all the relevant details in due course."

'He had so many big dreams and plans'

The longtime Top Billing presenter Janez Vermeiren who's worked with Mhere told Channel24 that his death is "a devastating loss".

"For us to lose a human being of that caliber is devastating. I was standing in the shower after hearing the news and going through all of the conversations we've had over the years – his dreams and aspirations. He had so many big dreams and plans that's shattered now that he's in heaven".

"It's devastating to lose someone so nice. In this industry you get a lot of people who are nice to you in front of you but then not so nice when you're back is turned. Simba Mhere was nice 100% of the time. A devastating loss," says Vermeiren.

The charismatic presenter was a TV natural and became a Top Billing presenter after winning the Top Billing Presenter Search in 2010 after he was chosen as the winner out of 5 000 contestants who entered.

Mhere's death comes ironically just two days after a Top Billing special episode was broadcast on Thursday night, and which will be repeated on Sunday on SABC3, in which both Mhere and co-presenter Jonathan Boynton-Lee, who won in 2012, both looked back and reflected on how the show has changed their lives.

‘He had so many big dreams and plans’

The longtime Top Billing presenter Janez Vermeiren who've worked with Simba Mhere told Channel24 that his death is "a devastating loss".

"For us to lose a human being of that calibre is devastating. I was standing in the shower after hearing the news and going through all of the conversations we've had over the years – his dreams and aspirations. He had so many big dreams and plans that's shattered now that he's in heaven".

"It's devastating to lose someone so nice. In this industry you get a lot of people who are nice to you in front of you but then not so nice when you're back is turned. Simba Mhere was nice 100% of the time. A devastating loss," says Vermeiren.

The charismatic presenter was a TV natural and became a Top Billing presenter after winning the Top Billing Presenter Search in 2010 after he was chosen as the winner out of 5 000 contestants who entered.

Simba Mhere's untimely and shocking death comes ironically just two days after a Top Billing special episode was broadcast on Thursday night, and which will be repeated on Sunday on SABC3, in which both Simba Mhere and co-presenter Jonathan Boynton-Lee who won in 2012 both looked back and reflected on how the show has changed their lives.

Driver to be charged - with culpable homocide 

Johannesburg - The driver of a VW Polo which crashed into TV presenter Simba Mhere's car, killing him and another passenger, faces charges of reckless and negligent driving and culpable homicide, according to reports. 

The popular Top Billing presenter died in a car accident near OR Tambo International Airport on Saturday morning, the SABC reported.

Eyewitness News reported that Mhere was travelling on William Nicol Road when his Mitsubishi collided with a VW Polo and a Mazda. 

Johannesburg Metro Police confirmed to EWN that the driver of the VW Polo will be charged. The driver reportedly crossed over the middle island and collided with Mhere's car. 

The third passenger in the car, Mhere's father, survived the crash. 

According to reports, Mhere was on his way to the airport to board a flight to Cape Town, where he was due to attend the J&B Met horse race.

According to his profile on the Top Billing website, Mhere was born in Zimbabwe and moved to Johannesburg as a baby. He attended Randpark High School and studied at the University of Johannesburg. He won the Top Billing Presenter Search in 2010.

Africa to send 7 500 troops to fight Boko Haram

Ammunition seized by the Nigerian forces from Islamist extremist group Boko Haram.

Addis Ababa - African leaders have agreed to send 7 500 troops to fight the Boko Haram insurgency in northeast Nigeria, an African Union official said Saturday.

The move came after the council urged heads of state to endorse the deployment of troops from five West African countries to fight the terror group, said the head of the African Union's Peace and Security Council, Samil Chergui.

African leaders who are members of the 54-nation African Union are meeting in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa for a two-day summit that ends Saturday.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon earlier said he support the AU's move to send a force to fight Boko Haram. Boko Haram is increasing its attacks as Nigeria prepares for 14 February elections. Thousands have been killed in the 5-year insurgency.

African nations have opened up a new international front in the war on terror. On Thursday, neighbouring Chad sent a war plane and troops that drove the extremists out of a northeastern Nigeria border town in the first such act by foreign troops on Nigerian soil.

Chad's victory, and the need for foreign troops, is an embarrassment to Nigeria's once-mighty military, brought low by corruption and politics. The foreign intervention comes just two weeks before hotly contested national elections in which President Goodluck Jonathan is seeking another term.

Chergui said Chad's operation against Boko Haram was a result of a bilateral arrangement between the Chad and Cameroon.

"It is conducted as part of a bilateral agreement and arrangement between the two countries. The AU, however, will launch the force in the future," he said.

Chad: 123 Boko Haram militants killed in Cameroon

Chadian troops. (Rebecca Blackwell, AP)

Three soldiers and 123 Boko Haram militants were killed when the Islamist group attacked a Chadian army contingent in northern Cameroon, the Chadian military said on Friday.

Twelve soldiers were wounded in the attacks staged by the Islamist group on Thursday and Friday near the border town of Fotokol, according to a military statement read out on national television.

Chad sent a convoy of troops and military vehicles into neighbouring Cameroon on 17 January to deal with the growing threat Boko Haram poses in the region.

'Enemy repelled'

"The enemy was repelled by our defensive forces," the general staff's statement said, adding that the troops had "routed" the Islamists in the second attack.

The soldiers were killed by improvised explosive devices, the statement said.

A senior Cameroonian security source said the Chadian troops were deployed to the town, which sits opposite a Nigerian town under Boko Haram control and is also close to the border with Chad, on Wednesday.

Boko Haram frequently stages attacks on Fotokol from their base in the Nigerian town of Gamboru, which is just 500 metres away.

Chad has called on countries in the region to form a broad coalition in the fight against the Islamist group. The country has already deployed its army along its borders as well as sending the additional contingent to Cameroon.

Chad's President Idriss Deby has also expressed intentions of taking back the strategic Nigerian town of Baga from Boko Haram, situated on Lake Chad.

Multinational Task Force

The African Union called Friday for a regional five-nation force of 7 500 troops to defeat the "horrendous" rise of Boko Haram.

The group's uprising has become a regional crisis, with the four directly affected countries - Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria - agreeing along with Benin to boost cooperation to contain the threat and to form a Multinational Joint Task Force.

More than 13 000 people have been killed and more than one million made homeless by Boko Haram violence since 2009.

BMW i8

Design

The front appears extremely low and wide. Everything is arranged to be optimally aerodynamic. Drag of only 0.26 cW leaves no doubt that the BMW i8 is a sports car.

Long wheelbase, short overhangs, solid status as it crouches on the street: the BMW i8 has all the characteristics of a full-blooded sports car. The front appears extremely low and wide. Everything is arranged to be optimally aerodynamic.

Dynamic proportions show off its acceleration potential even when it’s standing still; and yet it doesn’t rely on being a pure-blooded sports car. Its aesthetics always follow a functional goal: for example, more aerodynamics for maximum efficiency and absolute performance.

Surfaces and lines overlap and interlock, a method known as ‘layering’. This joins all the surfaces harmoniously and allows compact and unbelievably agile look.

All lighting elements are completely in LED and low-beam and high-beam are widely spaced. The optional high-beam headlights with laser light technology (available in a special edition from the end of 2014 onwards) include a typical BMW i U-shaped frame.

The consistently sporty look of the exterior is continued seamlessly in the interior of the BMW i8. All elements are light and dynamically positioned. In the interior, the layering principle creates a novel relationship between functionality and clear form.

Drive.

Combustion engine and electric drive interact precisely, while the exceptional control of all flows of energy results in an optimal combination of efficiency and dynamics.

A BMW TwinPower Turbo 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with 170 kW (231 hp) of peak performance and the electric drivetrain with 96 kW (131 hp) accelerate the BMW i8 from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.4 s. And all this with consumption of just 2.5 l/100 km and CO2 emissions of 59 g/km.

Efficiency.

Thanks to the innovative LifeDrive vehicle architecture, the BMW i8 fulfils the ideal conditions for weight-optimised construction – with an extremely low centre of gravity 50:50 axle distribution. The perfect basis for the characteristics of a classic sports car.

BMW i3

Spectacularly innovative.

The consistently sustainable design of the BMW i3 makes it the perfect vehicle for urban environments in the megacity. It opens a new chapter of a visionary design language for BMW, which is tailor-made for electric vehicles.

Exterior design.

The aerodynamic exterior design with the opposing doors, the characteristic black band and the large wheels create a dynamic impression about the BMW i3's driving agility even when it's standing still.

Interior design.

The innovative LifeDrive architecture with carbon fibre passenger compartment provides an especially roomy feeling in the interior (in part thanks to absence of a center tunnel) and is characterized by the use of high-quality, sustainable materials. 

Sustainable materials.

The interior of the BMW i3 is distinguished by the visible use of natural materials. The natural fibers in the side trim and the instrument panel have a sustainable construction and underscore the sustainability and the premium quality of BMW i.

BMW eDrive.

BMW eDrive is a new development in the scope of BMW EfficientDynamics technology. Intelligent energy management links the battery and engine in a particularly efficient manner. In the ideal driving mode, the BMW i3 is capable of a purely electrical range of up to 200 km on a single charge. 

Electric motor.

The electric motor of the BMW i3 provides 125 kW/170 hp with a torque of 250 Nm The full torque is immediately available from a standing start. This gives the BMW i3 a particularly high agility in every situation and provides for impressive acceleration values.

Dynamics.

The BMW i3 accelerates from 0 to 60 km/h in under 4 seconds, and to 100 km/h in only 7.2 seconds (7.9 seconds in the version with Range Extender). Equally impressive: The nearly silent driving experience.

Battery.

Power is supplied by a specially developed lithium ion high-voltage battery. The intelligent heating/cooling system of the high-voltage battery contributes significantly to both the performance and service life of the cells.

Intelligent energy management.

The electrical components of the BMW i3 consume very little energy. The interior heating system saves up to 30% power in comparison to a conventional electric heating system. Energy-saving LEDs are used for the interior lighting and are also available as an option for the exterior lighting.

One-pedal feeling.

If you take your foot off the accelerator pedal in the BMW i3, the electric motor feeds the energy gained from the motion of the wheels back into the high-voltage battery. This recuperation of energy generates a braking torque which effectively decelerates the vehicle.

Convenient electromobility.

The BMW i3 can not only be charged quickly, easily, and conveniently at home using the Wallbox or the charging cable, it can also be charged on the go from a continuously increasing number of official charging stations.

BMW i Wallbox.

If you have your own parking space at home, you can easily charge the BMW i3 using the BMW i Wallbox. This charging station, which is mounted to the wall of the house or the garage, charges the BMW i3 up to 30% faster than the charging cable supplied as standard.

Charging on the go.

The navigation of the BMW i3 supports you during the search for suitable charging options while on the move, which are displayed in the vehicle, on the BMW i Remote App, and in the BMW ConnectedDrive Internet portal and are taken into account by the range assistant.

Green energy included.

Because BMW i stands for a seamless sustainability in e-mobility, you can also conclude a green energy contract from a selected BMW i Partner, if desired.

Intelligent networking.

As the first car to come fully connected as standard, the BMW i3 benefits from BMW i ConnectedDrive solutions designed especially for electric cars – e.g. BMW i Navigation, the BMW i Remote App and the BMW TeleServices.

BMW i Navigation.

The centerpiece of BMW i Navigation is the Driving Range Assistant with its dynamic range map, which takes account of all relevant factors to determine the most efficient route: battery charge level, driving style, traffic conditions, and topographic features of the route.

BMW i Remote App.

With the BMW i Remote App for iOS and Android, you can receive detailed information about the current status of the BMW i3 at any time. This includes, for example, range display, battery condition and state of charge, service messages, and also the vehicle location.

BMW TeleServices.

BMW TeleServices are a comprehensive package of customer services with which the BMW i3 is able to communicate with the driver or the BMW i Partner directly in order to inform about pending maintenance or necessary services and transfer the relevant data directly. 

Zelda La Grange (Late Nelson Mandela's PA) apologises for Her racial Twitter Comments - some say she's wolf in sheep skin After naming herself Zelda Van Riebeeck

 

Zelda la Grange and Nelson Mandela (Foto24)

Late president Nelson Mandela's assistant Zelda La Grange issued a 14-take apology on her Twitter account on Saturday as well as a media statement after comments that whites did not feel welcome in South Africa.

"I apologise unconditionally and without reservation to all South Africans who were offended by my tweets this morning," she said in a statement.

"There is no "but" when hurting people who have nothing to do with your frustration. I am sorry," said La Grange who had also reverted to her Twitter name "Zelda" after using "Zelda van Riebeeck" during her Twitter outburst.

She said she had been out of the country for a week and tried to catch up on the news overnight.

"The three main stories in the week's news from South Africa referred to whites, colonialism and/or apartheid [president Jacob Zuma saying all the country's problems started when Jan van Riebeeck arrived in 1652; Zuma calling journalist Max du Preez a racist and the ANC opposing a street in Cape Town being named after former president FW de Klerk]," she said.

She said she then saw on the television screen in the airplane a headline - the only item that referred to South Africa: "South Africa in worst debt of 20 years: Rand softens".

"No article. Just a headline and I got angry. In an attempt to express my disdain at events, I failed to provide context and it appeared that I was generalising," she said.

"My example of white people calling me a "white whore" was interpreted as me saying I have black friends and I defend black people all the time, therefore I am exempt from a lashing when I step out of line. That is simply not the case." In her apology, which was similar to the 14 takes she sent on Twitter, La Grange said: "Colonisation was a terrible thing that happened to our country, but I cannot erase or change it. I apologise for glamorising it, but there are times when I feel it is regarded as the only wrong thing to have happened to this country.

" Yet we have a system that still wrongs people every day. Sorry if I have ruined your faith in me."

She said Madiba was the hardest on her and her first apology went to him for appearing to generalise. "I am a proud South African Afrikaner wanting to build the future of our country. I cannot speak on anyone's behalf, but I can tell you how I feel."

She said : "We are all frustrated and angry about the state of affairs for different reasons. But that frustration is not limited to race or culture."

She said all that the racial "blame game" achieved was to distract from the real problems.

"These are corruption, mismanagement, inequality and the delivery of basic services.

"On any day our democracy is better than apartheid. But it does not mean we should not be critical of our state of affairs."

Twitter row

Earlier on Twitter she wrote on @zeldalagrangeSA: "I'm sure comments like: unafrican to have dogs, stress is western creation, Van Riebeeck etc all good for investment in SA".

In a follow up tweet she said she would call Jan van Riebeeck on to ask him what he was thinking when he sailed to Africa.

City Press editor Ferial Haffajee responded saying: "@ZeldalaGrangeSA but Zeldina, in a newish South Africa, why must one group with less melanin have a larger welcome mat, if we're equal?"

Zeldina was Mandela's nickname for La Grange.

La Grange said she would ask French President Francois Hollande if he wanted her because "the organisation that praises [Zimbabwean president Robert] Mugabe but condemns [former president FW] De Klerk doesn't want us in SA".

"Yes Mr De Klerk was the last Apartheid President and gave in under pressure BUT he could have held onto power = civil war," she tweeted.

"De Klerk surrendered power or he could have stayed in power like the other anarchists and corrupt heads of state around us.

"If I was a white investor I would more or less leave now. It's very clear from Jacob Zuma whites are not wanted or needed in South Africa."

She said next time a white business man from America or Europe brought an investment with job opportunities, they should be told they were not wanted in SA.

She said white foreign investors should stop making BEE partners rich and that Zuma made it clear that white people were not welcome in South Africa.

"Oh wait. Whites' tax money is good enough for Nkandla but then you constantly have to be brutalized", she Tweeted.

#ZeldaDoesntEvenKnow

The tweets caused a stir with various hash tags being formed including #Zeldalagrange, #zelda and #ZeldaDoesntEvenKnow.

The latter hashtag featured comments on black South Africans' experiences of racial discrimination.

@MTshwete wrote: When the CPT club has reached its black quota limit and you have to call your boy to come out so that you can swap #*ZeldaDoesntEvenKnow.

@SiyaBeyile wrote: When you crossing road and the white folk lock their car doors as you walking past #*ZeldaDoesntEvenKnow.

Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema tweeted that he thought she made a mistake and that she "will come around".

Radio presenter Redi Tlhabi tweeted at La Grange "Yr lamentation about whites not welcome suggests that being South African is a plot u have internalised rather than an irrevocable identity," she tweeted.

"I don't understand why you need anyone to welcome you to your home unless at a deep level you function through the prism of "us" and "them"".

Tlhabi said it was not just "white tax" that built Zuma's homestead in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal but the taxes of all South Africans.

Another user, @ChristineQunta said: "What people with a dislocated consciousness like @ZeldalaGrangeSA shows once more is that rainbow nationism only postponed things". At an ANC birthday fundraiser, Zuma told guests "all the trouble began" in 1652 when Van Riebeeck landed in the Cape. Van Riebeeck was an administrator for the Dutch East India company who set up a refreshment station in 1652 in Cape Town for fleets rounding the Cape.

SA History online noted that: "For centuries most writers of South African history regarded the arrival of Europeans in this southern region of Africa as the starting point of South African history.

For more info about her racial tweets click this link https://twitter.com/zeldalagrangesa/status/556347777970868224