Author: Kgaogelo Magolego
The African National Congress (ANC) has raised concerns that some service providers may be deliberately damaging infrastructure in and around Pretoria to create business opportunities for themselves. Speaking at a media briefing in the capital, the ANC Tshwane Regional Executive Committee said the city is currently spending substantial amounts on emergency repairs for infrastructure damaged under questionable circumstances. “We are of the view that some of these incidents are orchestrated as money-making schemes — acts of sabotage so that certain companies can be appointed. We must investigate how and why this is happening. We cannot allow this to continue unabated,”…
Fundraising efforts are underway to assist the family of 22-year-old e-hailing driver Isaac Satlat, who was tragically killed during a hijacking. His family plans to take his body back to Nigeria for burial. The attack, captured on dashcam, went viral and shocked communities across South Africa. Satlat’s alleged killers — Dikeledi Mphela, Goitsione Machidi, and McClaren Mushwana — made a brief appearance at the Pretoria Magistrates Court, where their case was postponed to 23 February. Speaking on behalf of the family, spokesperson Solomon Ashos explained that Isaac had only his father in South Africa, while his mother and siblings remain…
The Madlanga Commission has heard further disturbing testimony detailing alleged brazen criminality within the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD). Appearing before the commission on Friday, Thulani Magagula, Director of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), accused the metro police department of routinely allowing officers facing serious criminal charges to remain on duty. Magagula told the commission that, based on IPID’s experience with EMPD, the department would often receive investigation reports, register them internally, and then take no meaningful disciplinary action. Instead, IPID would proceed with criminal investigations independently, with departmental consequences only following once a court had secured a conviction.…
The City of Tshwane has launched a new intervention aimed at empowering young people amid rising youth unemployment in the capital. Executive Mayor Nasiphi Moya unveiled the Ithuba Youth Development Programme on Thursday, calling on the private sector to partner with the municipality in driving economic activity and expanding opportunities for young residents. The programme is designed to improve young people’s employability and support their participation in the mainstream economy. It will assist youth with practical needs such as obtaining driver’s licences and starting their own businesses, helping to remove common barriers to employment and entrepreneurship. Youth unemployment “a daily…
The Madlanga Commission has concluded that Vusimuzi Cat Matlala never intended to hand over any vehicles to the Ekurhuleni Metro. The commission found that suspended officials—Deputy Police Chief Julius Mkhwanazi, Head of Legal Services Imogen Mashazi, and City Manager Kemi Behari—colluded to have the municipality pay for the registration of Matlala’s vehicles under the guise of a donation, fully aware that the fleet would never be transferred. While previous testimonies showed Mkhwanazi played a central role in securing municipal funds for the registrations, Behari, whose two-day testimony ended on Tuesday, was identified as an enabler of wrongdoing. He wrote letters…
Radio presenter and entertainer Sibusiso “DJ Sbu” Leope has denied any involvement in alleged corruption at the embattled Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality after being named as a purported beneficiary of graft. The allegations were made by the municipality’s suspended head of legal services, advocate Kemi Behari, who claimed that Leope and his long-time business associate, Thembinkosi “TK” Nciza — a former ANC Gauteng provincial secretary — benefited from corrupt activities within the metro. Behari further alleged that attempts to take action against them were met with resistance. Behari made the claims while giving evidence in a process in which he sought…
Mounting calls have emerged for ActionSA and its Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate, Xolani Khumalo, to be held accountable following the fatal shooting of a man during the filming of his Moja Love reality television show in Windsor East, Johannesburg, on Sunday. According to Khumalo, the deceased — whom he identified as a Nigerian national — was killed during a confrontation with alleged drug dealers. “I can confirm that there was a shooting incident during an anti-drug operation yesterday. A Nigerian suspect was shot,” Khumalo said in a post on X. “We are facing violent resistance from drug syndicates, but we must…
The Madlanga Commission in Pretoria is investigating claims that Kemi Behari, suspended head of legal services at Ekurhuleni Municipality, used his position to protect Julius Mkhwanazi, the suspended deputy chief of the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD). EMPD Chief Jabulani Mapiaye testified last year that Behari, together with a municipal HR official, went out of their way to shield Mkhwanazi from having to account for his actions. Behari took the stand on Monday, claiming he had been victimized after stopping what he described as a “looting spree” of lawyers colluding with municipal officials. He denied any involvement in withdrawing charges…
Police have reiterated their confidence that they have arrested the correct suspects in the murder of Warris Stark, popularly known as DJ Warras. National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola addressed the matter during a media briefing in Pretoria, seeking to allay public concerns that the wrong individuals may have been apprehended in connection with the DJ’s killing. Doubts emerged after initial police reports described the suspected shooter as having dreadlocks. However, the first suspect arrested, Victor Majola, is bald, and weeks later a second suspect—also bald—was taken into custody. Masemola explained that investigators believe the shooter, whom police are convinced is…
President Cyril Ramaphosa has suggested that the South African Revenue Service (SARS) would have collapsed if not for his interventions. Speaking at the SARS National Command Center in Brooklyn, Pretoria, on Thursday, Ramaphosa said there were concerted efforts to rescue the institution, which he halted through measures including the establishment of a commission of inquiry. He described these interventions as part of the achievements of his early days in office—efforts he believes are often overlooked by critics. “People often refer to a period they call ‘Ramaphoria,’ and suggest that nothing significant happened then. But if there was anything we did…