LIMPOPO – The Police in Ritavi outside Tzaneen, South Africa, have opened two counts of murder and Inquest after a 51-year-old man and his two daughters – aged 9 and 13 –  tragically burned to death in their house in Nkowankowa Township this morning at about 07h00. According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), […]

An experiment by the Fire Engineering Research Unit at Stellenbosch University (FireSUN) has shown how rapidly fires can spread in informal settlements even under light wind conditions. Twenty shacks were ignited in five minutes. In an experiment to see how quickly fires spread in informal settlements, 20 shacks ignited in five minutes. After 16 minutes […]

The following is an open letter to President Ramaphosa, written by Theo de Jager, head of the SA Agri Initiative (SAAi), an organisation that represents the interests of family farmers… Dear Pres. Ramaphosa Your open letter earlier today to South Africans in general and farmers in particular refers. Thank you for writing it. At least […]

The commuter train from Cape Town to Kraaifontein reopened today, although it is already suffering from delays of up to an hour because of operational problems and faulty signalling equipment. “The service will operate Monday to Friday from 05h50 and end at 19h00 from Kraaifontein – Monte-Vista via Bellville to Cape Town. We look forward […]

The top-ranking South African Police Service officer arrested during a predawn raid in connection with a 2017 SAPS multi-million rand tender has appeared in court, where she was identified as Lieutenant General Bonang Mgwenya, the highest-ranking female police officer in the country. Bonang, deputy national commissioner, who is responsible for human resource management, is the […]

“Ramaphosa’s words on farm murders ring hollow, we need to see action,” says Dianne Kohler Barnard MP – DA Shadow Minister of State Security – in a press statement on Monday, responding to the South African President’s weekly newsletter in which he said the killing of young Free State farm manager Brendin Horner “should anger […]

“Not everything that came out of this Covid-19 situation was bad,” says aspiring artist Njabulo Khuzani. Khuzani is one of the many homeless people who were moved into eThekwini Homeless shelters across Durban since March as part of the municipality’s attempt to mitigate the spread of Covid-19. Dozens of homeless people in Durban have been […]

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has launched a toll-free number in order for South Africans to be able to “expeditiously lodge misconduct complaints” against “rogue” police officers. Speaking at the launch on Monday, Police Minister Bheki Cele said while he was confident that the majority of police officers were hardworking, dedicated and honest, there […]

The Expropriation Bill 2020 has been submitted to Parliament for introduction. The bill, which is set to replace the Expropriation Act of 1975 that is inconsistent with the Constitution, was gazetted on 09 October 2020. The bill is part of the work of government in ensuring that a comprehensive land redistribution for agricultural purpose, human […]

A high-ranking South African Police Service (SAPS) officer has been arrested during a predawn raid in connection with a 2017 SAPS multi-million rand tender, becoming the 13th accused expected to appear before the Palm Ridge Magistrates Court on charges of corruption, fraud, theft and money laundering. UPDATE: The officer, identified as Bonang Mgwenya, is the […]

In his weekly letter, President Cyril Ramaphosa has addressed the issue of farm attacks and crime in South Africa, saying that the brutal murder of young farm manager Brendin Horner less than two weeks ago, and many other deaths in South Africa, should anger everyone. Ramaphosa has often been criticised for avoiding the farm murder […]

The South African government has initiated a process to formalise and regulate the country’s large, yet informal minibus taxi industry, with a view to making it viable and free of violence. The government envisions the industry being restructured “along legally recognised business units” that pay corporate tax and comply with labour laws. Formalisation will eventually […]

The South African Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula, has sent his condolences following a shocking fatal accident in KwaZulu-Natal in which 13 family members tragically perished, while two others sustained serious injuries. Fikile said: “We are deeply saddened by this horrific collision. These untimely deaths have left a void in the lives of many. We […]

Tomorrow the Democratic Alliance (DA) says it will lay criminal charges against EFF leader, Julius Malema, and EFF Member of Parliament, Nazier Paulsen, for social media posts that they say incite violence. On Wednesday, following Tuesday’s protests by farmers in Senekal in the Free State, Malema tweeted: “Magwala a chechele morago! (Cowards move to the […]

The wheels of justice are grinding slowly at one of South Africa’s most important courts. The Pretoria High Court (or Gauteng Division as it is also known), has its home in the administrative capital of the country and jurisdiction-wise hears most cases involving legal challenges to government, many of which are deemed urgent. However, according […]

Astor Mansions, one of the most iconic Art Deco buildings of central Johannesburg, has been down on its luck lately. And even more so today, when fire broke out on the ground floor. The cause of the fire in the residential building hasn’t been made known yet, and it apparently only damaged the ground floor, […]

Eskom’s maintenance efforts, which will help reduce load shedding, are likely to bear fruit next year, says Eskom Chief Executive Officer André de Ruyter. Speaking at the two-day Joburg Indaba that concluded on Thursday, de Ruyter said plans are in place to enable Eskom to achieve operational stability and, subsequently, significantly reduce the risk of […]

A former police officer, Post Office cleaner and two civilians were arrested on Wednesday, for alleged corruption and extortion, following a sting operation between the Hawks Serious Corruption Investigation Unit and Provincial Anti-Corruption Unit. This comes after the Virginia Post Office manager in the Free State was allegedly approached and lured by one of her […]

In a recent interview with News24, Police Minister, Bheki Cele, scapegoated and victim-blamed farmers for the brutality, torture, rape, mutilation and murder of farmers and their families. To state that the motive for these brutal attacks is due to worker conditions show utter ignorance on the part of the Minister… writes Dianne Kohler Barnard MP […]

Gauteng Premier David Makhura has dismissed Health MEC Bandile Masuku for his failure to execute his duties over the procurement of personal protective equipment in the department. Masuku was one of the first government people fingered for PPE contract irregularities. The demotion comes after the Special Investigations Unit found that Masuku had failed to carry […]

The Western Cape Division of the High Court has dismissed Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s application to stop a parliamentary inquiry into her fitness to hold office. After the Democratic Alliance was granted a request by the Speaker, Thandi Modise, for an investigation into the public protector’s fitness to hold office, Mkhwebane launched a court case […]

After repeatedly excusing himself from appearing before the Zondo Commission investigation state capture, and demanding that the commission chief recuse himself, former president Jacob Zuma will be issued a summons to appear at 10 am on the 16 to 20 November, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo ordered today. “Failure to comply with the instructions of […]

Antigen tests for SARS-CoV-2 detection will be rolled out to all ports of entry in South Africa with immediate effect. The purpose of the rollout is to ensure level 1 travel regulations are met – which stipulate that all travellers who arrive at a port of entry without a certified negative SARS-CoV-2 PCR test result […]

As the threat of a COVID-19 pandemic emerged earlier this year, many felt a sense of apprehension about what would happen when it reached Africa. Concerns over the combination of overstretched and underfunded health systems and the existing load of infectious and non-infectious diseases often led to it being talked about in apocalyptic terms. However, […]

The number of COVID-19 deaths in South Africa continues to climb after 160 more people succumbed to COVID-19 on Thursday. Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has expressed his concern about the noticeable spike in the number of deaths in recent weeks. However, according to the Minister, the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) confirmed there […]