Author: Silver Sibiya

ANC Gauteng Chairperson Panyaza Lesufi has voiced concern over the party’s continued electoral decline, pointing to corruption, deepening unemployment and the influx of undocumented foreign nationals as some of the key factors eroding public trust. Lesufi delivered the remarks during the opening of the ANC Greater Johannesburg Regional Conference in Woodmead in Johannesburg on Wednesday night. He said unemployment, in particular, has had a significant impact on voter sentiment and has contributed to frustrations among communities that feel neglected. “There is eight critical issues where the African National Congress is absent high on the list is unemployment,” he said. Lesufi…

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola admitted his side’s defensive frailties after a heart-stopping 5-4 victory over Fulham on Tuesday night at Craven Cottage, a result that keeps the Premier League title race firmly alive. City, who raced into a seemingly unassailable 5-1 lead just after the hour mark, were forced into a desperate rearguard action as Fulham mounted a ferocious comeback, scoring three goals in 21 minutes and nearly snatching a point with a last-gasp effort cleared off the line. The win catapults City to within two points of leaders Arsenal (30 points from 13 games), though that margin could…

ANC regional chairperson and City of Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero is set to go head-to-head with regional secretary and MMC for Finance Loyiso Masuku as the party’s 15th Greater Johannesburg Regional Conference gets underway today. The Greater Johannesburg Region, one of the ANC’s most influential structures, will elect new leadership at a time when the party faces growing pressure to stabilise governance in the country’s economic hub. Leadership contests in the region often mirror national political dynamics and can significantly impact coalition arrangements in the city. Morero, who is seeking another term as regional chairperson, is said to have secured…

High unemployment and desperate economic conditions are driving South Africans to accept deadly mercenary contracts in the Russia-Ukraine war, a leading security analyst has warned. Willem Els, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), was reacting to Monday’s court appearance of five South African men arrested for allegedly contravening the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act. The suspects were detained while reportedly en route to join Russian forces fighting in Ukraine. Els said recruiters are exploiting joblessness by dangling astronomical salaries — with some victims promised up to $40 000 (roughly R720 000) per month. “The socio-economic issues…

The motion of no confidence against the City of Joburg Mayor, Dada Morero, has been withdrawn. This was confirmed to Newsnote on the sidelines of the council sitting by UDM leader Yongama Zigeme, who is part of the Minority Governing Parties that initiated the motion. Zigeme says they held a meeting on Monday night where they agreed to withdraw the motion. “Those are some of the issues that other parties were there to say ‘yes we feel the pinch we feel the pain but let us have a way instead of a motion, let’s find a way going forward in…

five South African suspects appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court in Gauteng for their first court appearance, facing charges of contravening the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act (No. 15 of 1998). The group was arrested over the weekend following a tip-off to police at OR Tambo International Airport, where four of the men were allegedly intercepted while attempting to board a flight to Russia via the United Arab Emirates. The investigation, led by the Hawks’ Crimes Against the State (CATS) unit, revealed that the suspects were linked to the illegal recruitment of South Africans to join Russian forces…

The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) has criticised the South African government for failing to address deteriorating conditions in public clinics and for the slow rollout of six-month antiretroviral (ARV) refills — warning that these shortcomings are driving people out of the health system and threatening the country’s HIV response. TAC says key populations — including sex workers, people who use drugs, and trans and queer communities — remain among those at highest risk. Yet poor clinic conditions continue to obstruct access to both HIV prevention and treatment services.The organisation also cautioned that scientific breakthroughs, such as the new six-monthly HIV-prevention…

Survivors of the deadly Usindiso Building fire are taking the City of Johannesburg to court, accusing it of failing to prevent the tragedy that claimed 76 lives in Marshalltown in August 2023. The group, represented by activist Alfred Moyo, says the City must compensate them for the trauma, injuries and loss of belongings they suffered when the hijacked, City-owned building went up in flames. Moyo told Newsnote on Sunday that survivors want the metro to be held accountable. He says it is disappointing that the findings of the Khampepe Commission of Inquiry have not been implemented more than a year…

Lesotho’s Joseph Seotlali and Kenya’s Margaret Jepchumba were crowned champions of the 2025 Soweto Marathon on Saturday after battling through persistent rain to claim victory in the men’s and women’s 42 km races respectively. Seotlali crossed the finish line, winning time of 2:20:09, holding off a fast-finishing South African duo in one of the closest elite races in recent years. Local favourite Ntsindiso Mphakathi delighted the home crowd by taking silver in 2:20:24, just 15 seconds behind the winner, while defending champion Onalenna Khonkhobe (North West) secured bronze in 2:20:39. In the women’s race, Margaret Jepchumba produced a dominant performance…

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…