Author: newsnote correspondent

South Africa, Eswatini and Zambia on Monday became the first countries in Africa to administer lenacapavir, a groundbreaking injectable drug that reduces the risk of HIV infection by more than 99.9%, effectively functioning as a long-acting vaccine. The twice-yearly injection marks the most powerful HIV prevention tool ever made publicly available and was launched on World AIDS Day in the three countries hardest hit by the epidemic. In South Africa, which has the world’s largest HIV burden with one in five adults living with the virus, the first doses were given under a Unitaid-funded programme led by the Wits Reproductive…

Gauteng police have launched a large-scale manhunt following the fatal shooting of two SAPS officers during a routine patrol in Ivory Park on Friday evening. A Sergeant and a Constable were ambushed by unknown suspects who opened fire on the officers before fleeing the scene with their service rifles and cellphones. National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola has condemned the attack and directed Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Tommy Mthombeni to mobilise maximum resources to track down the perpetrators. A specialised task team of detectives has been deployed to lead the investigation. “The killing of police officers while performing their duties is…

A 37-year-old female runner is fighting for her life after being struck by an allegedly drunk taxi driver during Saturday’s Soweto Marathon. The incident happened on Soweto Highway when the driver ignored road closures and ploughed into participants. Johannesburg Metro Police (JMPD) officers on traffic-point duty gave chase and arrested the suspect within seconds as he attempted to flee. JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla confirmed the driver recorded a breathalyser reading of 0.26 – more than five times the legal limit of 0.05 for ordinary drivers and well over the 0.10 limit for professional permit holders in South Africa. “The runner…

World champions South Africa produced one of the most devastating performances in modern Test rugby history on Saturday evening, annihilating Wales 73-0 to inflict the heaviest defeat ever suffered by the Dragons on home soil. In a match played outside World Rugby’s regulated international window, both teams were without overseas-based players. While Wales were shorn of experienced leaders and forced to field a largely developmental side, Rassie Erasmus still named a starting XV containing 12 players with previous Test caps and a bench featuring the infamous “Bomb Squad” heavy artillery. The gulf was apparent from the first whistle and became…

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi has delivered a robust defence of Saturday’s controversial Test match against Wales, insisting the fixture outside World Rugby’s regulated international window is “good for both teams” despite widespread criticism. The match at the Principality Stadium has been heavily debated in the build-up, with Wales missing 13 England- and France-based players who were not released by their clubs and South Africa also fielding a second-string side. Many in Welsh rugby have questioned the value of the fixture, but double World Cup-winning skipper Kolisi rejected the negativity in forthright fashion. “I know a lot of people in the…

Lesotho’s Khoarahlane Seutloali produced a devastating late surge to claim the 2025 Soweto Marathon title on Saturday, winning in 2:20:09. The Hollywood Athletics Club runner edged out a high-quality field in one of the tightest finishes in recent years, holding off South Africa’s Ntsindiso Mphakathi (Entsika AC) by 15 seconds. Mphakathi took second place in 2:20:24 to become the first South African finisher, while defending champion Onalenna Khonkhobe (Nedbank RC/Botswana) completed the podium in 2:20:39. Former track specialist George Kusche finished a strong fourth in 2:20:47, just 38 seconds off the winner.In the women’s race, Kenyan Margaret Jepchumba (Nedbank RC)…

Soweto will come alive on Saturday, 29 November, when more than 18,000 runners tackle the 2025 African Bank Soweto Marathon, affectionately known as “The People’s Race”. The historic event features a full 42 km marathon starting at 05:00, a 21 km half-marathon at 06:00, and a 10 km fun run at 07:00. All races begin at Nasrec Expo Centre and finish inside the iconic FNB Stadium, taking participants past landmarks such as the Hector Pieterson Memorial, Mandela House, and Vilakazi Street. Race director Danny Blumberg said organisers have focused on delivering “a great runner experience” with refreshed routes, ample hydration…

Tensions at the highest levels of the South African Police Service (SAPS) over the controversial 2018 disbandment of the KwaZulu-Natal Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) were laid bare on Friday when Acting Deputy National Commissioner Hilda Senthumule described her “touch-and-go” relationship with her former boss, Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya. Testifying before the Justice Mandlanga Commission of Inquiry into political killings in KwaZulu-Natal, Senthumule told the panel that the decision to dissolve the specialised unit created deep divisions at police headquarters. “I will not say it was one of the best relationships,” Senthumule said of her interactions with Sibiya, the then-head of…

Thousands of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) supporters marched to the Constitutional Court in Braamfontein on Friday, accusing the apex court of deliberately shielding President Cyril Ramaphosa by delaying judgment in the long-running Phala Phala matter. The red berets are demanding the immediate release of the court’s ruling on their 2024 application, which challenges Parliament’s rejection of a Section 89 panel report that found prima facie evidence of serious misconduct by Ramaphosa following the 2020 theft of large sums of foreign currency from his Phala Phala game farm. The Constitutional Court heard arguments on 28 November 2024 – exactly one year…

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former president Jacob Zuma and a prominent Member of Parliament for the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, has resigned from the National Assembly and all party structures with immediate effect, following explosive allegations that she orchestrated the recruitment of 17 young South African men to fight on Russia’s frontlines in the Ukraine war. The resignation was announced by MK Party national chairperson Nathi Nhleko during a tense press briefing in Durban on Friday, where party officials sought to distance themselves from the controversy. “Comrade Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla has tendered her resignation from the National Assembly and all public…