Black Motion’s Thabo Smols & Rakgadi’s lil princess has arrived

Black Motion's Thabo Smols is a daddy to a baby girl with Rakgadi Sedy Koetle.

Father’s Day turned out to be super special for Black Motion’s Thabo Smols, who welcomed his first bundle of joy with bae Rakgadi Sedy Koetle recently.

Thabo made the exciting announcement on Instagram on Sunday and had an avalanche of congratulatory messages across social media.

“Happy first Father’s Day to me… (It’s a) long story but thank you baba… you made it possible for me to feel this way. Rakgadi Sedy Koetle thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Thabo wrote on his post.

The new mommy also shared a heartfelt message to her man and their baby girl.

“Father of my daughter: On your first Father’s Day… where do I begin? God has blessed me beyond measures. This is all God and his power. He showed us that no one can get in the way of his will! Thank you for being with me every step of the way and never missing a single moment of this journey.”

Rakgadi went on to gush about the dotting daddy, she’s seen Thabo become.

“You are an amazing dad and may God bless you with all your heart’s desires. You two are my heaven sent. Happy Father’s Day from me and your little princess”

Check the snaps below:

Gang shootout at New Jersey arts festival kills 1, injures 22

ARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT At least one person was killed and more than a dozen were left injured after a shooting at the Art All Night Festival in Trenton, New Jersey, USA, on Tuesday June 17, 2018.

A suspected gunman was shot dead and 22 people were injured on Sunday after a dispute among rival gangs erupted into gunfire at an all-night arts festival in Trenton, New Jersey, officials said.

One of the shooting victims was a 13-year-old boy who was in extremely critical condition, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri told a news conference. Three others were in critical condition.

At least two people opened fire around 2:45am at the annual Art All Night event in Trenton, about 60 miles (100 km) southwest of New York City.

The dead suspect was identified by police as Tahaij Wells, 33, and another suspect, Amir Armstrong, 23, was in police custody.

Of the 22 people injured, 17 people of them were shot, Onofri said, and multiple weapons were recovered from the scene.

Officials believe the suspect was killed by police, and the case was being treated as an officer-involved shooting, Onofri said.

More than 1,000 people were believed to have been at the festival when the violence started.

“It absolutely could have been worse, given the confined space and the number of shots that appear to have been fired,” Onofri told a news conference.

“The shooting appears to be related to several neighbourhood gangs from here in the city of Trenton having a dispute at the venue,” Onofri said.

Organizers canceled the remainder of the event, billed as “24 hours of community, creativity and inspiration.” The festival typically draws more than 30,000 visitors to view work from more than 1,500 artists as well as exhibitions of glass blowing and woodwork, The Trentonian reported on its website. About 50 bands also play on three stages.

“We’re still processing much of this and we don’t have many answers at this time but please know that our staff, our volunteers, our artists and musicians all seem to be healthy and accounted for,” the organizers wrote on Facebook on Sunday. “Our sincere, heartfelt sympathies are with those who were injured.”

The New Jersey shooting occurred amid a debate about US gun laws that was given fresh impetus by the massacre in February of 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Florida.

“It is a fact that our cities as well as our suburbs throughout America are experiencing an increase in public shootings and public unrest such as this,” Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson told the news conference. “This isn’t just a random act of violence. This is a public health issue.”

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy spoke at a Trenton church on Sunday, noting that he signed six gun control bills into law on Wednesday but saying the proliferation of guns required a national solution.

“Congress needs to act,” Murphy said.

Basetsana and Romeo Kumalo hit back at sex rumour

Romeo and Basetsana Kumalo have laid a crimen injuria charge.

Celebrity couple Basetsana and Romeo Kumalo have laid criminal charges and are applying for a protection order against an author who allegedly started a rumour that they had appeared in a gay sex video.

In their official response released yesterday, the couple said it had been enormously challenging to stay silent over the past week since the rumour surfaced.

“Our silence thus far has not been because there is any merit or truth in these allegations — but simply because we have been so deeply shocked and hurt by the salacious content and manner in which it has been recklessly shared and spread,” they said in a statement.

Social media was abuzz with a claim that Romeo had participated in a sex act with a popular South African rap artist while Basetsana watched. The act was said to have been filmed.

“The allegations allude to a sex tape which does not exist. The source of the allegations is an author whom we have never met, spoken to or had any dealings with,” the couple said.

“We can only deduce for reasons which remain unclear that the motivation behind these unfounded and salacious rumours was nothing but pure malice, and perhaps an attempt by the author to create publicity and boost her book sales.”

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On June 5 a tweet under the Twitter handle @JackiePhamotse read: “Just over heard a painful conversation, a Female TV mogul … Pleading with one of my girls to not share videos of her drunk and her husband rimming a celebrity boy!!!!! What the hell!!! Kanti what kind of marriages do we have now!!!! I have asked to see this video.”

This was followed later by the tweet: “Just saw this video! Hayibo these old men have serious stamina!!! No wonder this poor woman is drinking so much. Imagine your yellow bone husband rimming a rapper in your house and you as the wife are watching and one of your friends is secretly videotaping.”

Those who responded to her claimed to know the identities of those mentioned in her tweet.

Phamotse has not responded to a Sunday Times request for comment.

The tweet did not name the couple, but Twitter was soon awash with rumours that it was the high-profile former Miss South Africa and her businessman husband.

The Kumalos decided to take a stand against the author and the “keyboard warriors who so swiftly jump on the bandwagon to share harmful content”.

They have laid a crimen injuria charge against the author and are weighing action against media that carried the rumour.

Ditch your policy, Nhlanhla Nene tells Busisiwe Mkhwebane

Public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane was reprimanded by Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene.

Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene has read the riot act to the public protector, instructing her to withdraw a policy on the appointment of advisers because she did not follow proper procedure in adopting it.

His move comes after Busisiwe Mkhwebane unilaterally drafted and implemented a policy on the appointment of a special adviser in February that deviates from normal recruitment processes and is silent on the qualifications required.

It has now emerged that Mkhwebane implemented the policy without consulting Nene, as required by the Public Protector Act, approaching him only in March, a month after she put the disputed policy in place.

In his letter sent to Mkhwebane two Mondays ago, Nene asked Mkhwebane to drop her policy, to allow for proper consultation with the National Treasury as required by the act.

The National Treasury has carefully considered the content of both the letter and policy on the appointment of special advisers to the executive authority,” Nene wrote.

“It is noted that the policy was approved on 14 February 2018 and came into effect on that date. However, in terms of the process set out in section 3(10) of Public Protector Act, the public protector is required to consult the minister of finance when exercising powers in terms of section 3(1) and 3(9).

“In this case, however, the policy has been approved before consultation with the minister of finance.

“Based on the above facts, I propose the withdrawal of the policy to allow for due consultation with the minister of finance as required by section 3(10) of the act. Once consultation with the minister of finance has been concluded, then the public protector can table the document at the National Assembly within 14 days after making the determination.”

Mkhwebane appointed Sibusiso Nyembe on a three-month contract in April based on the now contested policy, at the level of a chief director, a post that comes with a gross monthly salary of about R100,000. Mkhwebane’s office sai

Explaining the policy to MPs this week, Mkhwebane told the portfolio committee on justice that she went ahead with Nyembe’s appointment as Nene delayed responding to her consultation and National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete did not respond at all.

Mkhwebane also argued that the Public Protector Act was “very clear” and indicated beyond doubt that the functions of the protector could not be halted while waiting for consultation processes to unfold. “That was done in terms of that understanding.”

Mkhwebane said the consultations with Nene and the National Assembly were about determining the adviser’s salary level, not about the policy itself.

When consultations took place with former finance minister Malusi Gigaba on the organogram of her office, he only showed interest in the financial implications, she said.

“Accordingly, it is my considered view that the policy and anything done under it … [including] the comment which is expected from the National Assembly should be more on the compensation as to why I decided on salary level 14.”

Mkhwebane said Nyembe, who is a conveyancer by profession and has a qualification in banking law, had expertise in various fields. His expertise strengthened her office’s legal services and answered the need to deal with responses to the process of appeal and litigation before court.

Gunfire and mayhem as cash-in-transit gang strikes in Cape Town

Wet bank notes lay stuck to the tarmac around a badly damaged G4S cash-in-transit van after it was shot at during an apparent heist on a busy motorway in Cape Town on Monday.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Brenda Muridili confirmed that there had been a cash-in-transit incident on Jakes Gerwel Drive (formerly Vanguard Drive).

A team of forensic experts were coming the scene for clues just before 11am‚ watched by hundreds of bystanders. A security officer‚ wearing a G4S uniform‚ walked around with his head covered by a bandage.

It was unclear if any money was taken but video footage taken by witnesses recorded several gunshots being fired‚ causing mayhem in early-morning traffic as motorists tried to get away from the scene.

Police Forensics on the scene at a cash in transit heist on the Jakes Gerwel road in Athlone, Cape Town on June 18, 2018. 
Image: ESA ALEXANDER/SUNDAY TIMES

The road was cordoned off as residents of Hanover Park and Manenberg gathered nearby‚ some suggesting that if the wind picked up the wet cash would blow in their direction.

The side of the cash van appeared to have been ripped open. There were bullet impact marks on the front windows. Initial reports suggested that two cash vans were targeted‚ but this could not be confirmed.

City of Cape Town spokesperson Richard Coleman confirmed that Jakes Gerwel Drive was closed in both directions between Weltevreden and Turfhall Road.

This is a developing story.