Author: Motlhaping Modise
A man described as dangerous and a wanted underground illegal mining kingpin has been fatally shot during an intelligence-driven tracing operation by the South African Police Service (SAPS) National Intervention Unit (NIU) in Carletonville, Gauteng, on Sunday. National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the operation formed part of ongoing efforts by SAPS to dismantle illegal mining syndicates and disrupt violent criminal activities associated with illegal mining in the Carletonville area. “The suspect was cornered by members of the NIU, who proceeded to a residence on Sunday where he was believed to be staying. Upon arrival, police announced their presence…
The North West Department of Public Works and Roads’ multi-million-rand road special maintenance project, covering 58km, is under the microscope. This follows President Cyril Ramaphosa’s signing of Proclamation 340 of 2026, unleashing the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to probe explosive allegations of corruption, irregular expenditure and serious maladministration at the department. At the heart of the investigation is a single R150.4 million tender for the maintenance of Road P152/1 between Setlagole and Delareyville, with investigators on a mission to claw back every cent lost to the state. SIU national spokesperson Selby Makgotho said the investigation will focus on the procurement…
North-West University (NWU) has confirmed that construction of the newly accredited Desmond Tutu School of Medicine building at its Potchefstroom Campus has commenced and is expected to be completed by the middle of next year. The university will establish the school next year following the accreditation of its Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) programme by the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) of the Council on Higher Education (CHE). The six-year, 940-credit programme will be offered in contact mode at the Potchefstroom Campus. Speaking on YOU FM Newshour, the inaugural Chief Director and Head of the School, Professor…
The Foundation for Human Rights (FHR) says it is hard at work pushing for the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development to reopen another window for victims of apartheid-era human rights violations to apply for reparations. This comes after Minister Mamoloko Kubayi confirmed that R498 million has been paid to victims through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) reparations programme. Kubayi was responding to questions in the National Council of Provinces on Tuesday regarding progress made in implementing TRC reparations and interventions. She indicated that regulations providing for a once-off individual reparation grant of R30,000 were published in 2003 and…
A team of infrastructure experts dispatched by the North West Department of Education to two schools engulfed by fire over the weekend near Rustenburg will soon provide a comprehensive report to quantify the extent of the damage to the affected schools. In the first incident, a fire destroyed the school hall at Matlhare Mokautu Secondary School in Monakato Township on Friday, while another blaze gutted a block of five workshops and a storeroom at Sewagodimo Technical School in Pella Village on Sunday. Speaking on YOU FM Newshour, the Director of Communications at the Department, Dr Elias Malindi, revealed that both…
Eskom has restricted 101 companies, suppliers and their implicated owners and directors from doing business with the power utility, with some facing bans of up to 10 years. The affected suppliers have also been listed on the National Treasury Database of Restricted Suppliers following formal disciplinary processes into serious misconduct, including fraud, corruption and procurement irregularities. Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said the restrictions form part of the utility’s ongoing efforts to strengthen governance and controls and combat crime, fraud and corruption. “These restrictions relate to cases from 2015 until 31 March 2026, with most cases stemming from the 2016–2022 timeframe,”…
The City of Matlosana Local Municipality in Klerksdorp has been found to be on the wrong side of the law again. The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has released its investigative report into a complaint concerning the municipality’s discontinuation of the Free Basic Alternative Energy (FBAE) programme. The commission reported that the decision to discontinue the programme severely affected poor and vulnerable households living in areas without access to electricity, including unemployed and child-headed households that could not afford to purchase paraffin themselves. The FBAE programme was introduced by the municipality during the 2012/13 financial year to provide paraffin…
Pressure is mounting on Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela to resign following a scathing Section 7(9) notice issued by Public Protector Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka over the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). The investigation found what the Public Protector described as significant systemic failures, governance breakdowns and widespread improper funding allocations within NSFAS. The South African Union of Students (SAUS) has joined calls for President Cyril Ramaphosa to remove Manamela from his Cabinet. Speaking on YOU FM’s Newshour, SAUS Treasurer-General Nkosinathi Mabilane said NSFAS had experienced systemic failures and persistent governance problems for years, despite being placed under…
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training, Tebogo Letsie, has called for disciplinary action against National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) officials who authorised improper funding for more than 40,000 students at a cost of R5.1 billion. This follows a damning Public Protector report into NSFAS and the improper funding of students. According to the report, approximately 40,000 students across 76 higher education institutions were improperly funded, amounting to R5.1 billion. Speaking on YOU FM Newshour, Letsie said the Public Protector’s findings were concerning but not entirely surprising, given the persistent governance, administrative and system challenges…
Today, Sunday, 16 August 2026, marks 14 years since the tragic 2012 Marikana massacre, when 34 striking Lonmin platinum mineworkers near Rustenburg in the North West were gunned down by police at the koppie where the mineworkers had gathered. The striking miners were demanding a living wage of R12,500 from Lonmin, now owned by Sibanye. The company refused to negotiate, and six mineworkers, two SAPS members and two security guards were murdered in the week leading up to the massacre. The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) continues to condemn the stagnant living conditions of local miners and their…