Newspapers from South Africa

Seven life terms for serial rapist

MTUNZINI High Court on Friday sentenced a rapist to seven life terms in prison plus an additional 155 years after he pleaded guilty to all charges against him. Muzikhona Mthethwa (33) was sentenced on Friday after he was found guilty on nine rape...

Police launch probe after fake Facebook Thornville land sale

Police are investigating a case of fraud after land earmarked for a major mixed-use business and housing development near Thornville, Pietermaritzburg, was allegedly advertised for sale on social media without the consent of the registered owner. The...

‘Help us bury our boy’

Not donning any hat like the woman in the haunting video of the murder of e-hailing driver Isaac Satlat, an emotionless 24-year-old Dikeledi Tears Mphela appeared with two co-accused in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Mphela, Goitsione...

Amakhosi agunyazwe ukuqinisekisa omazisi nezitifiketi

UNDUNANKULU wakwazulu-natal, umnuz Thami Ntuli, inhloko yomnyango wezokuphepha Kwazulu-natal ebambile, unkk Nokuthula Khanyile, ukhomishana wamaphoyisa Kwazulu-natal, ulieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, nosihlalo wabaholi bomdabu Kwazulu-natal,...

Dikeledi Mphela and fellow suspects Goitsione Machidi and McClaren Mushwana in the Pretoria magistrate’s court for the murder of e-hailing driver, Isaac Satlat.

A Limpopo man, who is from the same neighbourhood as the woman arrested for her alleged role in the murder of an e-hailing driver, said he didn’t expect to see Dikeledi Mphela trending on social media, much less linked to the murder of Isaac Satlat,...

Sugar: salvation for sector on the brink

Minister of trade, industry & competition Parks Tau has handed the embattled sugar industry greater autonomy to rein in cheap imports in one of the biggest regulatory reforms of the sector in a generation. The move comes as the industry’s bastion,...

SALGA PUSHES BACK ON CR’S THREAT OF CRIMINAL CHARGES

THE South African Local Government Association (SALGA) has pushed back against “forcing” municipalities to deliver water to communities under the threat of criminal prosecution. It warned that taking the municipality to court is short-sighted and...

Herzlia sports grounds closure faces community resistance

RESIDENTS and dog owners in Van Riebeeck Park are raising concerns regarding the announced closure of the Herzlia sports grounds to the general public, effective March 1. The community argues that this closure breaches the existing lease agreement,...

‘Fire the implicated and walk the plank’, Ramaphosa told

RENOWNED politician and anti-apartheid activist Reverend Dr Allan Boesak has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to fire officials implicated before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee and the Madlanga Commission – and has gone further, urging the President...

Fourth suspect in Bolt driver murder case surrenders to police

IN A shocking development, the last of four suspects in the murder of 22-yearold Bolt driver Isaac Satlat surrendered to police yesterday, in Atteridgeville. He is expected to appear before the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court today. Earlier the same day,...

Water crisis: SALGA slams threat of criminal charges for municipalities

THE South African Local Government Association (SALGA) has pushed back against a move to “force” municipalities to deliver water to communities under the threat of criminal prosecution. The public entity composed of South Africa's local governments...

Calls grow to bring the army to Bay

While Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane has joined the call for President Cyril Ramaphosa to send the army to Nelson Mandela Bay, residents in the northern areas say they want soldiers to root out entrenched gang activity that has gripped their...

‘Help us bury our boy’

The family of slain Nigerian e-hailing driver Isaac Satlat have made an emotional plea for financial aid. ‘We need funds to take him back home so he can be laid to rest in his hometown,’ his uncle, Otila Onoja, told eNCA. The trio accused of strangling...

Private residence landlords accuse student leaders of extortion racket

Several landlords of private student accommodation across the Eastern Cape have alleged extortion by some student leaders, claiming they are being forced to pay monthly kickbacks to secure student placements in their residences. The landlords, who did...

GROWER PANIC

THOUSANDS of local sugar cane growers are anxiously awaiting a high court decision on the future of Tongaat Hulett's operations. This as the company's Business Rescue Practitioners (BRPs) have approached the High Court of South Africa, KZN Division,...

Luya enkantolo olweGems, othisha abayichithayo

ZISABISA ngokuyilwa nangezinkantolo eyengcindezelo ezithi zibhekene nayo izinyunyana zakuleli, ezikhala ngeMedical Aid kahulumeni, okuthiwa imelene nemihlomulo yezisebenzi. Lokhu kuvezwe yiNational Teachers Union (Natu), ngaphansi kweFederation of...

Is it a happy 8 years in office, Mr President?

AS PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa marks eight years in office today, his tenure has been marked by an ever-growing chorus of disappointment and unmet promises. Sworn in on February 15, 2018, following the swift resignation of Jacob Zuma, Ramaphosa’s...

NYDA OFFICIALS BLOW R1M ON NEW YORK TRIP

The chairperson of the National Youth Development Agency – the government entity created to fund youth entrepreneurship activities – sent its executive chairperson and four other officials on a seven-day trip to New York at a cost of...

CLUELESS!

● As the government scrambled to put a Band-Aid on the national water crisis, the sheer scale of ineptitude and incompetence in Johannesburg told the story of a city drowning in broken promises. President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged the enormity of...

60 years later, it’s still Valentine’s (Every) Day

IN AN age of dating apps and love expressed through emojis, comes an old-fashioned love story that has endured for more than 60 years. Two days before Valentine’s Day, Sam,88, and Babes,79, Doorasamy celebrated 60 years of marriage, but still look at...

WORDS TO ACTION:

FOLLOWING the classification of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) as a National Disaster in late 2025, the national conversation has shifted from legislative progress to a demand for immediate, measurable action. A year after President Cyril...

SONA PROMISES: ‘DOESN’T HOLD WATER’

AS PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa warned in his State of the Nation Address that water shortages are becoming a national crisis, Johannesburg residents spent the week protesting prolonged outages and demanding urgent intervention. Across several suburbs,...

KZN name change will cost billions

KING Misuzulu kaZwelithini’s call to cull “Natal” from the KwaZulu-Natal has drawn pushback from many quarters. Some argued that the province’s history and identity would be affected, but most are concerned the move would carry astronomical cost...

Inkaba Farming Project brings opportunities in Mpumalanga

Inkaba Farming Project, founded by 36-year-old Mfanzile Maseko, is a practical example of how agriculture can unlock economic potential in South Africa’s rural areas. Based in Mooiplaas in the Gert Sibande District Municipality, the enterprise is...

Profiles in leadership

Basic Education DG Hubert Mathanzima Mweli is driving transformation in SA’s schools

New cases of foot-and-mouth disease suspected

Following the confirmation of foot-andmouth disease (FMD) in cattle tested on a dairy farm near Hartenbos on Wednesday 11 February, new suspected cases have arisen. This is according to a joint statement released by the Garden Route District...

PUTS YOUNG MECHANIC’S

Delays in surgery at Grey's Hospital, caused by the broken air-conditioning system, are leaving patients waiting in pain, with some facing the risk of permanent health complications as operations are repeatedly postponed. Among them is 21-year-old...

I-CONNECT PAGE IS BACK! fights back

Send us your pictures with caption, including full names to [email protected]

COVER

Russian operatives claim to have drafted Mali’s new minerals charter, organised a “CAR for Trump” rally in the Central African Republic, and paid newspapers to publish stories. What documents refer to as “The Company” operated out of St Petersburg and...

VICTIM’S PAST IN WITNESS PROTECTION RAISES ALARM

AN EYEWITNESS who was placed under witness protection and fled to Kimberley for his safety was stabbed to death in Craven Street in the CBD. The release of a suspect implicated in the brutal murder has raised troubling concerns about the protection of...

C YRIL TALKS TOUGH

Shipped with love A South Korean mayor has apologised for suggesting that women from Southeast Asia be imported to South Korea to boost the country’s birth rate, Agence France-Presse reports. Jindo County Mayor Kim Hee-soo was addressing an audience...

Call for premier to rein in ‘failing’ Ndlambe

The Office of the Premier has confirmed receiving the Kenton-on-Sea Ratepayers Association’s January 30 request to have Ndlambe placed under administration. However, it says, the province’s intervention in terms of Section 139 is not undertaken...

BEK-EN-KLOUSEER SKOK

TUINROETE - Ná bykans ’n week van gespanne afwagting is die vermoedelike geval van bek-en-klouseer (BKS) op ’n suiwelplaas naby Hartenbos op Woensdag 12 Februarie deur die staatsveearts, dr. Leana Janse van Rensburg, as positief bevestig. Die plaas is...

O’SULLIVAN ‘A BLATANT NAME DROPPER’

SOUTH Africa’s first post-apartheid national police commissioner, George Fivaz, has described controversial forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan as a “blatant name-dropper” who seeks attention by creating the impression that he is a big police...

Nizamia Primary School antibullying awareness campaign

In the wake of a widely shared video showing a violent bullying incident at a Pietermaritzburg school, Nizamia Islamic School hosted an event on Tuesday urging pupils to choose kindness and reject discrimination, as religious and education leaders...

BEK-EN KLOUSEER

2 000 dosisse plaaslik-vervaardigde entstof aanvanklik vir Lim bestem Bladsy 2

Out with the old, in with the new

PAGES 4 & 5

Valentine's SPECIAL

Rose care 101 Chocolate with benefits Your bedroom, rebooted

News from around the world

ACOUPLE from Florida in the US is suing the fertility clinic they used because the baby the woman gave birth to in mid-december is not their biological child. Tiffany Score and Steven Mills have filed a lawsuit against IVF Life Inc. – which operates as...

Water crisis peaks amid network failures

MBOMBELA - Residents across Mbombela, White River, and Umjindi continue to endure prolonged and recurring water outages despite high dam levels and repeated assurances from authorities. Interviews and written responses from Silulumanzi, municipal...

RAAD

Vra vir Irma: My familie dink ek is vreemd Welstand: Moenie slaaptyd na jou foon gryp Geldsake: Dek só jou foon teen diefstal of skade Blink planne: Slim stappe met skoene koop Jou sterre

Visually impaired Diplock rows into SA colours

On the water, Tanna Diplock does not rely on sight. She listens. She feels. She trusts the rhythm beneath her the surge of the boat, the click of the oars, the slide of the seats. Stroke by stroke, she knows exactly where she is meant to be. That...

DISCOVERY’S R4BN PROPERTY BET

Financial services giant Discovery’s surprise purchase of its plush Sandton headquarters for an eyewatering R4.05bn has no doubt raised eyebrows among some shareholders. Granted, the 92,000m² building, in a prime spot just off Rivonia Road and Sandton...

ALSO INTERVIEWS WITH…

Magama: I was scared to even play Macuphu: I’ve made a lot of mistakes Arendse: Cardoso knows what he’s doing

FMD threat escalates

The farmers in Outeniqualand are facing increasing uncertainty and anxiety following the outbreak of footand-mouth disease (FMD) on the district’s doorstep. The threat of the disease spreading is adding to the pressure from the ongoing drought they...

Bek-en-klouseer-nagmerrie

Die erns van bek-en-klouseer is Dinsdagaand tydens die Volmoed-boerevereniging se vergadering bespreek. Met ’n moontlike geval van bek-en-klouseer in die Mosselbaaiomgewing is boere deur Agri Wes-Kaap (AWK) gemaan om bepalings wat op die aankoop en...

Water shortages, power outages and refuse backlogs fuel mounting frustration across uMhlathuze

RESIDENTS' frustrations mount as the persistent lack of service delivery, including water shortages and sporadic power outages, plague the City of uMhlathuze. On Wednesday morning, schools and clinics were severely affected, while commuters were left...

Lunyembezana usapho lentombi yeNkciyo ebethwe lizulu

Usapho lukaLathitha Nako (18), obhubhe emva kokubethwa lizulu ngethuba elele ebhedini, luthi okona kubuhlungu kubo kukuba le nzwakazi ibiza kuba ngeyokuqala ukuphumelela uGrade 12 kolu sapho. Esi sehlo senzeke kwindawo yaseBuhlanyanga, eLusikisiki,...

End of an era at Knysna Secondary

KNYSNA - Knysna Secondary School recently bid farewell to Basil Manuel, a long-serving educator and deputy principal, who retired at the end of January after an extraordinary 40 years of service to the school and the wider Knysna community. Manuel’s...

BULWER STREET SEX TRADE DRIVES OUT BUSINESSES

Awoman bathing on the pavement outside a doctor's rooms, with her belongings spread across Bulwer Street, has become a daily reality for businesses and residents in Pietermaritzburg's city centre. When Maritzburg Sun visited the area last week, the...

Family outraged as thunee attempted murder suspect is released on R1 000 bail

THE parents of Keith Govender, who remains in an induced coma after being stabbed during a thunee card game, are appealing for free legal advice after the suspect was granted R1 000 bail. The family believe the justice system has failed them as their...

Managing stalk borer in maize

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THE FIRST AI MUSIC ALBUM IS HERE

diepe waters-ster stephanie baartman: ‘SÓherbouEkmylewe ná ek wegstap van mishandeling . . .’

TOP TRAVEL OF THE MONTH

Seychelles offers families visa-free paradise with eternal summer, stunning beaches, rich nature, cultural immersion, and endless adventures.

Enjoy the Good Life at The Lawns

Your every day, all-day restaurant in Cape Town. Whether you're soaking up the sun with family or catching up with friends, The Lawns offers the perfect space for everyone. Bring your kids, bring your dogs, and experience a relaxed dining atmosphere...

CLASSIC AND CONTEMPORARY FRENCH

At Le coin Français – ‘The French Corner’ – Chef Patron Darren Badenhorst creates multi-course tasting menus that blend classical technique with Franschhoek provenance. Fine cuisine | Fine Art | Fine Wines 2024 JHP Gourmet Guide Awards 2-Plates...

ED’S LETTER

THE INDUSTRY’S NEXT GEAR The South African motor industry entered 2026 on a surprisingly confident note. After a bruising few years, 2025 delivered a return to pre-COVID sales levels, restoring a sense of stability many believed might take far longer...

From the editor’s desk

The Toyota stand at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show was fascinating for several reasons, not least because the brand chose not to unveil the otherwise showstopping ninth-generation Hilux and impressivelooking GR GT supercar there. Instead, while the...

Interior Trends.

What a ‘newspaper’ means in 2026

Jock McConnachie’s recent post on Grahamstown Eye raises essential questions about what we mean when we call Grocott’s Mail “the oldest independent community newspaper in South Africa”. His challenge is that we should focus more on “hard” municipal...

Aimee Barrett-Theron

The trailblazing referee reflects on breaking barriers, earning respect at the elite level, and the performances that took her from player to world-class rugby official.

Best XI

By his own admission, Walter Rautmann has coached well over 600 players in what was a nomadic career in top-flight football. We put him in the unenviable position of choosing his best 11.

Stilbaai laat waai!

COVER

The rifle on the cover is a rare .505 Magnum rifle by George Gibbs of Bristol, manufactured in approximately 1927.

Cover

PHOTO PETER VAN NOORD PHOTO TAKEN AT THE GOUKOU RIVER MOUTH IN STILL BAY

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6 Great stayovers

Hike, climb, cast a fly…

GEARED FOR SCHOOL

HOT TOPIC

28 PUZZLES

2025 gq grooming awards

ama qamata's

Next Chapter

Don’t wait

There’s something about the first few months of a new year that tricks you into believing you still have time. Time to catch up later, to phone later, to plan later. It feels normal; the calendar still looks wide open, the holiday memories are fresh...

Moenie wag nie

Daar is iets aan hierdie beginmaande van ’n nuwe jaar wat ’n mens laat glo jy het tyd. Tyd waarmee jy later weer kan inhaal, later weer bel en later weer beplan. Dis normaal, want die kalender is eintlik nog relatief oop, die vakansieherinneringe vars...

EXPLOSIVE ELECTRICITY POWERING OUR WORLD

EXPLOSIVE ELECTRICITY POWERING OUR WORLD

Van plaas tot gholflandgoed op Robertson: Só leer mens ‘kleiner dink’

Hanli hou van die tuin se kothuisgevoel en dit pas by die voorkoms van die huis. Vingerhoedjies, bitterbos (Scabiosa columbaria), salie, vergeet-my-nietjies (Cynoglossum amabile) en vlooikruid blom in die bedding wat deur lamsore (Stachys byzantina)...

CELEBRATING the best IN THE INDUSTRY

Tobias Maier, CEO of DHL Africa, on the role the continent is playing in shaping global logistics

Q & A What are the opportunities in global trade as we go into 2026? Global trade is very volatile, with tariffs in particular driving that instability. During COVID times there was a lot of talk about more regionalised trade patterns emerging, but...

‘We downsized from a farm to a pocket-sized plot’

TESTED

Crossfire LRF-CF1400 Rangefinder Viper HD 10x42 Binocular Crossfire 20-60x80 Spotting Scope Mountain Pass Tripod

Baywatch se PAMELA ANDERSON

Baywatch se PAMELA ANDERSON Die nuwe sy ná skandes en pyn

EDITORS NOTE

The act of giving – and receiving – at this time of year can be truly special. And no, it doesn’t have to involve crowded shopping malls or maxed-out credit cards. Sometimes the most meaningful gifts are the ones that aren’t wrapped in glittering paper...

Unwanted Guests

I expect Ben and Clare will be on our doorstep again this year,’ I said to my hubby Jake. ‘They’ll be looking forward to tucking into the usual buffet.’ Jake and I laid on an upmarket buffet (for just us four) for Christmas Eve lunch. We had to...

VOORBLADFOTO

CHARL STOLS PANGOLIN PHOTO SAFARIS IG: @charl_stols pangolinphoto.com

Decoding Digital: The New Rules of Business

Dear Reader, As we head into the final stretch of the year, we bring you an edition that could not be more relevant. The digital revolution is not just on the horizon; it is already shaping the way we live, work and grow. In this issue, we explore...

1 MAZHOU

Campsite 10 level sites ranging from small to very spacious, all with ample shade. Each has electricity and a tap. Guests may use the swimming pool next door at Limpopo Forest Tented Camp. Ablutions 1 small, neat bathroom, with a kitchen...

Cook the whole menu ahead!

Ahead of her time The secret? All the heavy lifting is done with dishes that practically cook themselves, leaving you to scatter pink strawberries and rose petals around the table, basking in smug-host glory

PUPILS CREATE SOCCER BALLS FOR UNDERPRIVILEGED SCHOOLS

In a creative blend of recycling and community spirit, Etham College grade seven pupils have transformed discarded plastic into soccer balls for underprivileged schools. Shaneen Ulyate, the teacher who led the project, said it aimed to promote both...

TRENDS TO MAKE YOUR OWN

Mocha Mousse Bobbin furniture Green all over! Curated maximalism Colour drenching Gallery walls

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Lank leef die

Dit is met 'n mengelmoes van emosies dat ek aankondig dat hierdie einste koerant van 27 Februarie 2025 wat jy nou in jou hande vashou, die heel laaste papieruitgawe van Graaff-Reinet Advertiser sal wees. Maar, hier is die goeie nuus: dit is geensins...

IBIZONYUSWA NGO-R150 IMPESHENI YEZALUKAZI, BESE KWELULWA ISIBONELELO SABANGASEBENZI

BHEKI NDLOVANA KUVELA ukuthi impesheni yezalukazi ibizokwenyuswa ngemali ethe xaxa kulesi sabelomali obekufanele sethulwe ePhalamende ngoLwesithathu kodwa sabhuntsha. Enkulumeni yesabelomali eputshukile, okubikwa ukuthi ibizokwethulwa nguNgqongqoshe...