Brown Mogotsi has attributed his absence from the Madlanga Commission to severe jetlag, which he says triggered diarrhoea, dizziness and general illness following his appearance before an ad hoc parliamentary committee in Cape Town. The committee is investigating allegations of drug cartel infiltration and political interference in the criminal justice system. Mogotsi’s scheduled testimony before the commission last week had to be postponed after he failed to appear. When he finally took the stand on Wednesday, he admitted he was…

Mosiuoa Gerard Patrick Lekota, the renowned anti-apartheid struggle icon, former Minister of Defence, and founding leader of the Congress of the People (COPE), passed away in the early hours of Wednesday at a Johannesburg hospital following a prolonged illness. He was 77.Lekota, affectionately known as “Terror” from his youthful soccer days, was confirmed dead by COPE deputy leader Teboho Loate, who described the loss as following “a period of illness.” A family member, K Lekota, added that he died in…

The Higher Education Department will not be held to ransom by officials resisting governance reforms within the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs). Speaking to the media in Pretoria on Tuesday, Minister Buti Manamela said the department remains committed to implementing reforms despite ongoing legal challenges. “Our interventions have attracted litigation. I will not litigate these matters in public — that is the function of the courts, and we respect the judicial process. What I will say is this: governance…