The use of Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s abandoned plea deal statement at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has sparked a legal dispute, with his defence warning that the ruling allowing the document could undermine future plea negotiations with the state. Matlala’s legal representative, Annelene van den Heever, has indicated that the defence intends to challenge commission chairperson Mbuyiseli Madlanga’s decision permitting questions about the statement, which was prepared during negotiations with the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac). The statement, which was…
Herman Mashaba has officially been announced as ActionSA’s mayoral candidate for the City of Johannesburg. The announcement was made at a party event in Orlando East, Soweto, ahead of the upcoming Local Government Elections scheduled for later this year. Mashaba previously served as Johannesburg’s mayor after the 2016 municipal elections. He resigned in 2019 following a political fallout with then Democratic Alliance federal chair Helen Zille over disagreements on governance and coalition politics. Positioning himself as a reform candidate, Mashaba…
President Cyril Ramaphosa lauded the courage and dedication of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) during a stirring keynote address at the annual Armed Forces Day commemoration, drawing parallels to the heroic final moments of soldiers aboard the ill-fated SS Mendi over a century ago. In his speech, Ramaphosa recounted the tragic sinking of the SS Mendi on February 21, 1917, during World War I, where more than 600 South African troops perished in the icy waters of the…
Senior police leadership has closed ranks amid persistent allegations that high-ranking officers underwent cosmetic procedures allegedly funded by suspected criminal mastermind Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala. At a media briefing in Pretoria on Friday to announce crime statistics, National Commissioner Major-General Fannie Masemola invited Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia to stand and defend General Khosi Senthumule, the Deputy National Commissioner responsible for forensics, who is the latest senior official to be linked to Matlala. Another of Masemola’s deputies, Shadrack Sibiya — currently…