The State’s third witness in the attempted murder trial involving alleged criminal kingpin Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, his wife Tsakani and three co-accused has denied assaulting alleged hitman Musa Kekana during his arrest. The testimony forms part of an ongoing trial-within-a-trial to determine the admissibility of evidence obtained following Kekana’s arrest, hours after the murder of Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart. Under cross-examination by Kekana’s lawyer, Advocate Riaan Gissing, Police Captain Phimi Sekgobela rejected allegations that Kekana was harassed or assaulted during…

The government has expressed concern over the number of deaths recorded during the 2026 winter customary initiation school season. By the time the initiation schools closed, a total of 47 initiates, all male, had died. Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni described the fatalities as unacceptable, saying the government was doing everything possible to ensure the safety of initiates. “Cabinet conveyed its heartfelt condolences to the families of the 47 initiates who lost their lives during the 2026 Winter Customary…

Johannesburg Water and the City of Johannesburg are exploring innovative, water-efficient sanitation technologies to address a sanitation backlog affecting more than 103,000 households, particularly in informal settlements. The utility is hosting the Advancing Water-Efficient Sanitation Solutions Symposium on 30 and 31 July, bringing together government officials, researchers, industry experts, financiers, community organisations and development partners to identify practical alternatives to conventional sanitation systems. The symposium is being held in partnership with the Department of Water and Sanitation, the Development Bank…