Author: Kgaogelo Magolego

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a warning of heavy rainfall expected over the coming weekend and throughout the summer season. On Thursday, the service briefed the media in Pretoria, attributing the severe weather conditions to La Niña — a climate pattern in which cooler-than-normal sea surface temperatures occur in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. This phenomenon typically results in above-normal rainfall, thunderstorms and strong winds over parts of South Africa. The briefing was addressed by two senior weather forecasters and a scientist, who urged the public to take weather warnings seriously. Senior Forecaster Lehlohonolo Thobela said…

The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) has renewed its call for President Cyril Ramaphosa to remove National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Shamila Batohi, following what the party describes as damaging testimony she gave before the Nkabinde Commission of Inquiry. MKP Acting Parliamentary Leader Des van Royen on Wednesday lodged formal complaints with the Independent Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), citing evidence presented under oath at the commission. “This is not the first time we are calling for her removal,” van Royen said. “We already called for her suspension in June due to similar issues.…

City of Tshwane Deputy Mayor Bonzo Modise has been re-elected as the ANC’s Tshwane regional chairperson following the party’s long-delayed regional conference in Centurion. Modise was declared the winner after his challenger, Frans Boshielo, failed to secure the required 25 percent nomination threshold to qualify for the ballot. The conference had been postponed four times before finally proceeding this week, largely due to internal disputes and a series of court challenges. Attempts to interdict the gathering were ultimately unsuccessful. In other outcomes, George Matjila was elected regional secretary after being nominated unopposed. City of Tshwane MMC for Transport Tlangi Mogale…

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has compared the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Helen Zille to an “old Ford Cortina,” saying Johannesburg needs fresh leadership rather than a “failed pensioner.” Speaking at the ANC’s Tshwane regional conference in Centurion on Saturday, Lesufi, also co-convener of the ANC’s Provincial Task Team, urged party members to end factional battles and focus on reclaiming control of the three metropolitan municipalities. “We can’t continue to squabble amongst each other when we should all be working to regain power. We lost power, comrades,” Lesufi said. Addressing DA plans to bring Zille to Johannesburg, he added: “Johannesburg does not…

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, who also serves as co-convener of the ANC’s provincial interim leadership, has issued a stark warning to party members embroiled in factional battles, cautioning that the African National Congress could collapse if internal fighting over leadership positions continues. Lesufi was delivering the opening address at the long-delayed ANC Tshwane regional conference, which eventually got underway in Centurion after several postponements caused by disputes and legal challenges. The conference was postponed four times following disagreements over branch general meetings, which culminated in internal disputes and a court challenge. Supporters of City of Tshwane MMC for Utility Services…

The ANC’s elective conference in Tshwane got off to a slow start on Friday, with delegate registration delayed amid reports of a renewed court challenge. This follows an urgent application brought on Thursday by a disgruntled faction in the Pretoria High Court seeking to interdict the conference. The court dismissed the application. Outgoing regional secretary George Matjila downplayed the legal challenge, noting that it had no impact on the conference’s progress. “We had two applicants, mainly from Ward 33 and Ward 20—Mawiga and Soshanguve respectively. The matter stemmed from rulings issued by the PDRCA, which directed that the branches be…

The City of Tshwane is set to pilot a program that will allow recyclable waste collectors to sell materials such as metals and bottles directly to the municipality, as part of efforts to clean up the Pretoria CBD. The initiative, announced by MMC for Environment Obakeng Ramabodu, comes alongside a crackdown on establishments contributing to litter and public filth. Ramabodu, together with Mayor Nasiphi Moya and MMC for Corporate and Shared Services Kholofelo Morobedi, visited Bloed Street, a hotspot for littering, to highlight the program. “People who collect recyclables often walk around without knowing where to take them. By providing…

In a chilling escalation of South Africa’s whistleblower crisis, former Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) officer and private security owner Marius “Vlam” van der Merwe—known as “Witness D” at the Madlanga Commission—was gunned down outside his Brakpan home on December 5, 2025, in full view of his wife and children. CCTV footage captured him confronting his attackers, drawing his weapon in self-defense before being fatally shot multiple times, possibly with an AK-47. Police have identified three persons of interest, with one in custody, and investigations by the South African Police Service (SAPS) and Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) are ongoing.…

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has publicly challenged the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) to discipline its high-profile member, AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, over his participation in what the government describes as an Israeli-funded campaign aimed at discrediting South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The controversy erupted after King Dalindyebo returned from a fully sponsored trip to Israel in late November 2025, during which he met senior Israeli officials and visited sites affected by the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack. Upon his return, the king featured in a slick social-media advertisement – widely…

Tears flowed outside the Gauteng High Court on Tuesday as hundreds of North West Transport Investment (NTI) employees demanded immediate payment of salaries unpaid throughout 2025. Established in 1973 as a parastatal wholly owned by the North West Provincial Government, NTI—through its subsidiary Northwest Star—has long been a cornerstone of public transport in the North West Province, serving commuters since the Bophuthatswana era. However, chronic mismanagement, financial irregularities and forensic probes dating back to 2013 have plagued the entity, leading to judicial management in 2007 and conversion to a state-owned company. By 2019, NTI faced R264 million in liabilities amid…