Author: Kgaogelo Magolego
Police acted swiftly to round up suspects linked to the killing of two officers at Ziphunzana Location in Libode near Mthatha in the Eastern Cape on Friday. Just hours after the Acting National Police Commissioner General Puleng Dimpane directed that maximum resources be allocated to track and arrest those responsible for murdering the two officers who were shot and killed while responding to an armed robbery at a spaza shop at Ziphunzana Location in Libode near Mthatha, officers rounded up suspects in three different locations were some of them died in shootouts with police while two were arrested. The Acting…
President Cyril Ramaphosa has extended the term of the Madlanga Commission to 25 January 2027 to allow it to interview all persons of interest. The Presidency announced the decision in a statement on Saturday morning, indicating that the extension is a “final” one. Ramaphosa previously granted the commission an extension to 16 November after it raised concerns about time constraints amid increasingly evasive “witnesses”. The latest decision was prompted by similar frustrations. In addition to implicated individuals such as Feroz Khan, who until his recent dismissal was the SAPS deputy head of Crime Intelligence, and North West businessman Suleiman Carrim,…
The situation is tense in Inanda Township, north-west of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, where controversial figure Ngizwe Mchunu and a group of his followers clashed with EFF leaders over his attempts to undermine the party’s provincial manifesto launch. Mchunu, who has publicly vowed to prevent the EFF from holding any major rallies in the province, is staging a rival event in the form of a cultural festival at an adjacent venue, a move that has stirred tensions. The EFF has since filed criminal charges against Mchunu following a heated confrontation involving EFF national elections coordinator Mcini Tshwaku and KwaZulu-Natal provincial chairperson…
Men’s general attitudes towards women have come under the spotlight in South Africa, where the nation is reeling from shock following the recent discovery of the bodies of nine women in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, in Gauteng province. On Friday, several marches were held to the local police station, where protesters demanded swift action from law enforcement agencies, as well as measures to protect women, children and other vulnerable groups. “If you look at these crimes and the way they have been committed, you can see that they were committed by men. That’s why we are here to say to our…
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 re-arrested last week. I had to interview that inmate with my head of security, because of the information that he…
The inability of the Department of Correctional Services to guard the entire perimeter of prisons has been exploited by inmates and community members to smuggle contraband into the facilities. Head of Department Marothi Thobakgale appeared before the Madlanga Commission, where he painted a worrying picture of criminality in the country’s jails. Thobakgale cited the size of prisons as making it nearly impossible to guard their perimeters around the clock. “The integrated security system is a force multiplier. And it reduces reliance on, as I indicated in the statement, manual processes. For instance, in cases where you don’t have the integrated…
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) is yet to adjudicate on several complaints lodged by political parties against their rivals over alleged unethical campaigning. Among the matters before the commission is a complaint by the African National Congress (ANC) against the Democratic Alliance (DA) over the alleged presence of DA employees at the ANC’s manifesto launch in Diepsloot, Johannesburg. Two DA employees were reportedly spotted filming and gathering content at the ANC manifesto launch. The IEC confirmed during a media briefing in Centurion on Wednesday that it had received a complaint from the ANC and was awaiting the DA’s…
For the upcoming local government elections, some South African voters will have to choose their preferred political parties from double-column ballot papers. The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) attributes the new ballot configuration in some municipalities to the unusually high number of contestants expected to participate in the elections. A total of 136,790 candidates are set to contest the upcoming elections, with 10,478 local council seats up for grabs. Most of the candidates are standing under the banners of political parties. Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Masego Sheburi said the double-column ballot papers would be necessary in metropolitan municipalities where…
Police are investigating the death of a woman whose body was discovered in Dawn Park, Boksburg, on Thursday morning, bringing to nine the number of women whose bodies have been found across parts of Ekurhuleni since July. The latest victim was found half-naked and wrapped in a sheet beside a road in Dawn Park. Her identity has not yet been released. The discovery has heightened concern among residents, with communities in Boksburg and surrounding areas calling for answers and increased efforts to protect women. Police, however, have cautioned against drawing conclusions about the deaths before investigations are completed. Authorities have…
Chairperson of the Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System, Mbuyiseli Madlanga, has raised concern that allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi appear to be supported by evidence emerging before the commission. Madlanga made the observation during brief remarks on Thursday to mark the first anniversary of the commission’s establishment. “Unfortunately, what is emerging from the evidence is that there are indications of serious criminality within the criminal justice system and that this is the result of the infiltration of, and undue influence on, the criminal justice system by elements…