North West businessman and ANC member Suleiman Carrim was rushed to a private Johannesburg hospital after suffering a suspected heart attack at a gym in Sandton.

Paramedics were called to the scene after staff raised the alarm. Carrim was taken to the hospital.

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This comes a day before he was scheduled to resume testimony before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.

Carrim’s testimony has been central to the commission’s probe into alleged corruption and tender manipulation.

He faces accusations of attempting to influence Police Minister Senzo Mchunu to revive a cancelled R360 million SAPS tender for Medicare24, a company owned by Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.

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In addition, the commission is investigating claims that Carrim facilitated payments through a company registered in his sister’s name to help alleged tender fraudster Hangwani Maumela circumvent a SARS preservation order, which raised suspicions of money laundering.

His previous appearances before the commission in March 2026 were marked by Carrim’s bid to testify in-camera, which was rejected. He had argued that threats against his life and family warranted private proceedings, but the commission insisted on public transparency.

This is a developing story

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Oscar’s current club, Sao Paulo, said in a statement that the player had been discharged on Sunday.

It added that extensive tests had revealed Oscar had “experienced an episode of vasovagal syncope,” a common cause in fainting after a sudden drop in blood pressure or heart rate.

“Stable and clinically well throughout his hospital stay, the athlete will now follow a medical program of rest for the next few days,” the statement continued.

Oscar was taken by ambulance to Einstein Hospital Israelita on Tuesday after collapsing during pre-season testing. He was reportedly unconscious for about two minutes and his club said at the time that he “presented a complication with cardiac changes.”

The 34-year-old has a contract with Sao Paulo until 2027. He returned to his boyhood club on a free transfer last December after a long spell in China.

Oscar won one Europa League title and two Premier League trophies with Chelsea, which he joined in 2012.

He moved to Shanghai in the middle of Chelsea’s 2016-17 season for a transfer fee reported to be $73 million. He won three Super League titles in China and became a fan favorite in Asia.

Oscar played for Brazil at the 2014 World Cup where he scored the only goal in its 7-1 semifinal defeat to Germany, which went on to win the tournament.

AP

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Brazilian media reported that Oscar was doing tests on an exercise bicycle when he collapsed and was unconscious for about two minutes.

The 34-year-old was then taken to hospital in an ambulance.

“During tests carried out on Tuesday morning, at SuperCT, as part of pre-season preparation, athlete Oscar presented a complication with cardiac changes, and was promptly treated by the club’s professionals and the medical team from Einstein Hospital Israelita, who were present at the scene,” Sao Paulo said in a statement.

“The player was then taken to the hospital, where he is clinically stable and remains under observation for further tests to clarify the diagnosis.”

Oscar has a contract with Sao Paulo until 2027. He returned to his boyhood club on a free transfer last December after a long spell in China.

Oscar won one Europa League title and two Premier League trophies with Chelsea, which he joined in 2012.

He moved to Shanghai in the middle of Chelsea’s 2016-17 season for a transfer fee reported to be $73 million. He won three Super League titles in China and became a fan favorite in Asia.

Oscar played for Brazil at the 2014 World Cup where he scored the only goal in its 7-1 semifinal defeat to Germany, which went on to win the tournament.

-AP

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Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe has been hospitalized with an acute case of gastroenteritis, the Spanish club said Thursday.

World Cup winner Mbappe missed Madrid’s opening game at the Club World Cup against Saudi Arabian team Al Hilal in Miami on Wednesday because of a fever.

Coach Xabi Alonso said he hoped the France international would be available for the team’s next game against Pachuca on Sunday. But his hospitalization casts doubt over what part he might be able to play in the monthlong tournament in the United States.

Madrid said Mbappe would “undergo a series of tests and follow the appropriate course of treatment.”

Mbappe’s absence is a blow to the tournament, which FIFA president Gianni Infantino hopes will be one of the elite events in soccer and rival competitions like the Champions League and Premier League in popularity and value.

After Lionel Messi, Mbappe is arguably the biggest star in the show, with Madrid one of the favorites to lift the trophy in the inaugural edition of the tournament.

But a crowd of more than 62,000 at Hard Rock Stadium missed out on a rare chance to see him in person in the U.S. when he was unavailable for Madrid’s surprise 1-1 draw by Al Hilal on Wednesday.

Gastroenteritis is also known as stomach flu and symptoms can include vomiting and diarrhea.

Mbappe’s hospitalization comes almost exactly one year after he sustained a broken nose at the European Championship and had to wear a face mask to continue playing in the tournament.

AP

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Israeli airstrikes across Gaza killed at least 25 people on Friday including children, hospital workers said, as the new U.S. ambassador to Israel made his first public appearance in Jerusalem.

The dead included 15 people killed in three strikes on the southern city of Khan Younis, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies. Ten people were killed in Jabaliya, including eight from the same home, according to the Indonesian Hospital, where the bodies were brought.

The strikes came a day after more than two dozen people died in Gaza as Israel continued attacks, pressuring Hamas to return the hostages and disarm.

U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee visited the Western Wall on Friday, the holiest Jewish prayer site in Jerusalem’s Old City. He inserted a prayer into the wall, which he said was handwritten by U.S. President Donald Trump. “Those are his initials, D.T.,“ said Huckabee while showing the note to the media.

In his first act as ambassador, Huckabee said Trump told him to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Huckabee also said every effort was being made to bring home the remaining hostages held by Hamas. A one-time presidential hopeful, Huckabee has acknowledged his past support for Israel’s right to annex the West Bank and incorporate its Palestinian population into Israel but said it would not be his “prerogative” to carry out that policy.

During his first term, Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital over Palestinian objections and moved the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv. Palestinians seek the eastern part of the city, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, as their future capital.

Huckabee’s arrival comes at a pivotal time in the 18-month war, as international mediators including the U.S. are trying to get a broken ceasefire back on track.

Israel is demanding that Hamas release more hostages at the start of any new ceasefire and ultimately agree to disarm and leave the territory. Israel has said it plans to occupy large “security zones” inside Gaza.

Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas’ negotiating delegation, said Thursday the group had rejected Israel’s latest proposal along those lines. He reiterated Hamas’ stance that it will return hostages only in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a lasting truce, as called for in the now-defunct ceasefire agreement reached in January.

Hamas currently holds 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive.

Friday’s airstrikes came a day after aid groups raised alarm over Israel’s blockade of Gaza, where it has barred entry of all food and other goods for more than six weeks. Thousands of children have become malnourished, and most people are barely eating one meal a day as stocks dwindle, the United Nations said.

Israel’s Defense Minister says the blockade is one of the “central pressure tactics” against Hamas, which Israel accuses of siphoning off aid to maintain its rule. Aid workers deny there is significant diversion of aid, saying the U.N. closely monitors distribution. Rights groups have called it a “starvation tactic.”

The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Most of the hostages have since been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Israel’s offensive has since killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The war has destroyed vast parts of Gaza and most of its food production capabilities. The war has displaced around 90% of the population, with hundreds of thousands of people living in tent camps and bombed-out buildings.

AP

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The Economic Freedom Fighters has used Easter to draw a connection between the teachings of Christ and the ongoing struggles of the oppressed, both in South Africa and in Gaza.

It extended it wishes to Christians on Friday, while condemning the violence faced by Palestinian civilians under apartheid Israel.

Domestically, it criticised rising inequality, VAT hikes and the political alliances it said betrayed the poor and working class.

“Like Christ, the EFF continues to wage a struggle for economic freedom because we know, as Jesus knew, that the suffering of the poor is not a natural condition, it is the result of political betrayal and moral decay,” EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo said in a statement on Friday.

“In a South Africa where the ruling elite chooses to increase VAT on basic goods instead of taxing wealth, where a Government of National Unity partners with former oppressors and where children are not safe in their schools — the Easter message stands as a call to rise and resist.”

The EFF drew attention to the ongoing suffering of the Palestinian Christians and civilians in Gaza, who continued to endure unimaginable hardship under what it describes as the brutality of apartheid Israel.

Highlighting the recent bombing of a Christian hospital on Palm Sunday, which was one of the remaining sanctuaries for the wounded, the party condemned the escalating violence, calling it a direct assault on human dignity and sacred spaces.

“Already, entire communities have been displaced, some of the oldest churches destroyed, and lives lost in a brutal genocide that the global community continues to ignore. We stand firmly in solidarity with the Christians of Palestine who now commemorate Easter under bombs and rubble,” Thambo added.

The EFF has also issued a call for responsible travel over the Easter weekend, urging all road users to exercise caution and prioritise safety. Emphasising that road safety was a collective responsibility, the party stressed that the spirit of Easter should go beyond symbolic gestures

“… and we appeal to all citizens to drive with care and respect for life. Let this also be a time of generosity and compassion: give to the less fortunate, break bread with your family, and reflect on the true essence of this holy period,” Thambo said.

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Several hundred people and possibly even thousands may have been killed when the most powerful cyclone in nearly a century hit the French Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte, a senior local French official said.

“I think there will certainly be several hundreds, maybe we will reach a thousand, even several thousands,” prefect Francois-Xavier Bieuville said on local media channel Mayotte La 1ere.

Asked about the death toll from Cyclone Chido, the French interior ministry said “it will be difficult to account for all victims” and a figure could not be determined at this stage.

Cyclone Chido hit Mayotte overnight, Meteo-France said, with winds of more than 200 kph (124 mph), damaging housing, government buildings and a hospital. It was the strongest storm in more than 90 years to hit the islands, the forecaster said.

“Honestly, what we are experiencing is a tragedy, you feel like you are in the aftermath of a nuclear war… I saw an entire neighborhood disappear,” Mohamed Ishmael, a resident of Mayotte’s capital Mamoudzou, told Reuters by phone.

Aerial footage shared by the French gendarmerie showed the wreckage of hundreds of makeshift houses strewn across the hills of one of Mayotte’s islands, which have been a focal point for illegal immigration from nearby Comoros.

Local media images showed a mother pushing a newborn baby’s crib along the flooded corridor of Mayotte’s hospital. Capsized police boats lay onshore while coconut trees had crashed through the roofs of many buildings.

“My thoughts are with our compatriots in Mayotte, who have gone through the most horrific few hours, and who have, for some, lost everything, lost their lives,” French President Emmanuel Macron said.

In the last few decades thousands of people have attempted to make the crossing from Comoros, off the coast of East Africa, to Mayotte, which has a higher standard of living and access to the French welfare system.

Over 100,000 undocumented migrants live in Mayotte, according to the French interior ministry.

It was difficult to ascertain the precise death toll after the cyclone, which also raised concerns about access to food, water and sanitation, authorities said.

“For the toll, it’s going to be complicated, because Mayotte is a Muslim land where the dead are buried within 24 hours,” a French interior ministry official said earlier.

Located nearly 8,000 km (5,000 miles) from Paris, Mayotte is significantly poorer than the rest of France and has grappled with gang violence and social unrest for decades.

More than three-quarters of the people in Mayotte live below the French poverty line. Tensions were stoked earlier this year by a water shortage.

An air bridge was being put in place from Reunion island, another French overseas territory on the other side of Madagascar, the government said.

The disaster is the first challenge faced by Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, days after he was named by Macron following the collapse of the previous government.

The cyclone went on to hit northern Mozambique on Sunday, but the full extent of the impact was not clear. Internet monitor NetBlocks said on X that heavy rain and winds had damaged power and telecommunications infrastructure.

In Comoros, two people were slightly injured, 24 displaced, and 21 homes were destroyed, authorities said.

France colonised Mayotte in 1843 and annexed the whole archipelago, including Comoros, in 1904.

In a 1974 referendum, 95% backed separation but 63% on Mayotte voted to stay French. Grande Comore, Anjouan and Moheli declared independence in 1975. Mayotte is still ruled from Paris.

Reuters

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