Correctional Services boss Makgothi Thobakgale has revealed that the multiple escapee who was recaptured in Brits last week was allegedly forced out of Rooigrond Maximum Correctional Centre in Mahikeng by prison officials. Thobakgale told the Madlanga Commission that officials pressured Khomotso Madiba into fleeing to prevent him from revealing their alleged role in a previous escape. The commissioner said he interviewed Madiba after his recapture and learned that he had allegedly been pressured into escaping. “The inmate that we just…

A bitter power struggle between two senior ANC figures has spilled into the courts, with the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg reserving judgment in Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula’s defamation case against ANC NEC member Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. The case centres on explosive allegations that money was used to influence the outcome of the ANC’s 2022 Nasrec elective conference where Mbalula was elected secretary-general and Cyril Ramaphosa secured a second term as party president. Dlamini-Zuma has stood by her claims that Mbalula distributed…

The North West Department of Health has found no evidence of physical assault in its investigation into the death of 40-year-old mental health care user Quiton DuPlessis at Witrand Specialised Hospital. However, the probe uncovered broader weaknesses in patient care and hospital operations. Health MEC Jonas Sello Lehari released the findings during a media briefing in Mmabatho on Thursday, following an investigation commissioned after public concern and allegations of abuse surrounding DuPlessis’ death in June 2025. The investigation team reviewed…