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…
The Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to deploy members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to Gauteng and other affected parts of the country to combat illegal mining and violent criminal networks known as zama zamas. The intervention, announced during the State of the Nation Address in Parliament last week, signals the seriousness of the crisis and the urgent need for a coordinated, forceful response to dismantle criminal syndicates…
The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) in Gauteng has expressed anger and deep concern over electricity disconnections affecting schools in Ekurhuleni, blaming the crisis on the Gauteng Department of Education’s failure to settle municipal accounts. In a strongly worded statement, the youth league said it is unacceptable that learners are forced to study in darkness because the department has allegedly not met its financial obligations to municipalities. The ANCYL described schools as “constitutional instruments of transformation and development,” arguing…
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) says it will write to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Thoko Didiza, requesting the removal of African National Congress (ANC) MP Malusi Gigaba as co-chairperson of Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Defence. EFF MP Carl Niehaus argues that while Gigaba faces corruption charges, it is inappropriate for him to remain in the position. The pair engaged in a war of words during a committee meeting on Friday over the matter, with Gigaba arguing that…