Cape Times
PHALA PHALA FALLOUT DEEPENS ANC CRISIS
A DRAWN-out and highly public impeachment inquiry into the Phala Phala scandal could prove deeply damaging to the ANC if President Cyril Ramaphosa refuses to step down. This is the view of political analysts as the landmark Constitutional Court ruling...
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CONCOURT COULD SHAKE GNU TO CORE
SHOuLD the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) rule against Parliament today, it could push the Government of National unity (GNu) to the brink. That is the view of a number of analysts as the ConCourt is expected to deliver judgment today on whether...
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D-DAY FOR RAMAPHOSA
THE Constitutional Court (ConCourt) ruling could go a long way to repairing the extensive reputational damage to government institutions that found themselves “scrambling to protect” President Cyril Ramaphosa after the Phala Phala scandal broke into...
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‘HAWKS COCAINE HEIST PLANNED’
THE sequence of events after the seizure of 541 bricks of cocaine valued at R200 million from a Durban depot in 2021 – culminating in the theft of drugs from the Hawks’ storage facility in Port Shepstone – was “by design”. This was according to the...
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NSFAS under administration again
MINISTER of Higher Education and Training Buti Manamela has placed the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) under administration due to governance instability, audit failures and operational breakdowns affecting student funding. Speaking...
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City urged not to ‘waste taxpayer money’ on tariffs ruling
THE South African Property Owners' Association (SAPOA) has urged the City not to waste further taxpayer money and accept the Western Cape High Court judgement that found certain fixed charges should not be linked to property value. This comes as the...
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MPs question SANDF effectiveness on Cape Flats
THE deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has been slammed as a complete failure in Parliament as killings continue unabated on the Cape Flats. Acting Police minister Firoz Cachalia appeared before the police portfolio...
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SADTC set to oppose court bid by universities in escalating Dental Technology Accreditation dispute
THE South African Dental Technicians Council (SADTC) confirmed it is preparing to oppose legal action brought by three universities, signaling an escalating battle over the accreditation of dental technology programmes that has left students across the...
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STRUGGLE FOR ECONOMIC FREEDOM CONTINUES
THIRTY-two years into South Africa's democracy, the promise of constitutional equality continues to clash with lived experience, as millions remain shut out of the economic freedom that was meant to follow political liberation, a gap that, in many...
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OPPOSITION FLAGS SAPS LEADERSHIP INSTABILITY
OPPOSITION parties have raised concerns about the growing trend of key positions in the security cluster being filled on an acting basis. This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday announced the precautionary suspension of National Police...
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SAHRC cannot issue binding directives, ConCourt rules
IF the South African Human Rights Commission’s (SAHRC) recommendations are ignored, it, or affected parties, must approach a court for relief on the merits of the matter, the Constitutional Court has ruled, finding the Commission does not have the...
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SACP REJECTS ANC DUAL MEMBERSHIP DIRECTIVE
THE South African Communist Party (SACP) has ordered its members to disregard the ANC's instruction for those with dual membership to state in writing which party they will campaign for in the upcoming local government elections. The party said it...
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STATE ATTORNEY CLAIMS CHALLENGED
A REPORT claiming the State Attorney is meeting transformation targets in the allocation of briefs has been met with sharp scepticism, with black legal practitioners instead launching a scathing critique of the Department of Justice, accusing it of...
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JULIUS MKHWANAZI HAS HIS DAY IN COURT
EKuRHuLENI Metro Police Department (EMPD) suspended deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi is expected to appear in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court today on charges of fraud, corruption, and defeating the ends of justice. Mkhwanazi’s arrest on Saturday...
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Cape Town job seekers injured in stadium ‘stampede’
THERE was chaos at Athlone Stadium yesterday when some 25 000 job seekers showed up at the City’s ‘A Day of 1 000 Opportunities’ event, and a number of people were injured in a reported stampede. SAPS Public Order Policing made use of a stun grenade...
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Malema awaits sentence as State seeks 15-year jail term
EFF leader Julius Malema will learn his fate in the Magistrate’s Court in KuGompo City today as the State pushes for a prison term of up to 15 years. Magistrate Twanet Olivier heard final arguments from the defence and the State before postponing the...
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Fraudulent marriage certificates, permits sold for R500
FRAUDULENT marriages and life partnerships were primary mechanisms for immigration fraud, often involving foreign “pastors and prophets” who would enter on visitor visas before entering into sham unions to secure Permanent Residence Permits...
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MEYER’S DA FUTURE HANGS IN BALANCE
AFTER more than a decade in the DA’s top leadership structures, Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism MEC Ivan Meyer has been left in the cold following a bruising defeat to Solly Msimanga in the race for federal chairperson at the party’s...
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HILL-LEWIS SETS SIGHTS ON NATIONAL POWER
NEWLY elected DA leader Geordin HillLewis says his leadership will be defined by a singular mission: expanding the DA’s electoral base and positioning it to take control of national government in the coming years. Speaking shortly after his election...
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DA MEC REDUCES COUNCILLOR’S SANCTION
LOCAL Government MEC Anton Bredell has declined to explain why he reduced a recommended 12-month suspension for Cederberg councillor John Hayes to one month. Hayes now faces action in the Equality Court by the SAHRC over a 2023 social media post...
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HAYES FACES EQUALITY COURT OVER ‘HATE SPEECH’
THE South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has hauled DA councillor Dr John Hayes to the Equality Court over a social media post in which he compared a political protest to monkeys and baboons looting. The 2023 post targeted Economic Freedom...
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CPUT ACCREDITATION CRISIS DEEPENS
CAPE Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) students are demanding answers on the status of the accreditation of the institution’s dental programme after the South African Dental Technicians Council (SADTC) said it was currently suspended, citing...
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Drunk driving spikes over Easter long weekend
DRuNK driving arrests increased by a staggering 39% over the Easter long weekend. The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) said 934 motorists were arrested nationwide from last week Thursday to Saturday. RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane yesterday...
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SA’S COST OF LIVING CRISIS DEEPENS – REPORT
ELECTRICITY prices surged by a staggering 85% between 2020 and early 2026. Water prices followed a similar upward trajectory, rising by 68%. This was significantly above overall inflation, which increased by 30% over the same period. The Competition...
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Fuel price surge prompts panic at petrol stations
DOzENS of filling stations across the country ran dry yesterday as motorists scrambled to fill up with petrol and diesel ahead of the drastic fuel price hike at midnight. And though the government cushioned the blow at the last minute, announcing a R3...
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SA BRACES FOR FUEL, ELECTRICITY HIKE
SOUTH Africans are bracing for a double blow to their pockets tomorrow, when record-high petrol and diesel price increases are expected to come into effect, along with increased Eskom tariffs. Petrol prices are expected to increase by R5.31 a litre...
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LPC SEEKS SUSPENSION OF LAWYER DOUGLAS SHAW
THE Gauteng arm of the Legal Practice Council (LPC) is of the opinion that lawyer Douglas Shaw not only brought the legal profession into disrepute but also committed a criminal offence when he appeared in the High Court without a Fidelity Fund...
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US pressure forces France to disinvite SA from G7 Summit, Pretoria says
THE United States put pressure on France to disinvite President Cyril Ramaphosa from the G7 summit in the French town of Évian in June, the presidency says. It marks the latest episode after months of fractured ties over a range of issues, from South...
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MASEMOLA SUMMONED IN R360M TENDER CASE
POLIcE commissioner-General Fannie Masemola has welcomed any investigation or due process that seeks to address allegations of wrongdoing after authorities confirmed that he was issued with a notice to appear in court over the R360 million SAPS tender...
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MINISTER CONDEMNS MURDER OF LAWYER
JUSTICE and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has condemned the fatal shooting of a 35-year-old lawyer in Johannesburg’s CBD as a direct threat to South Africa’s constitutional order. Chinette Gallichan was killed on Monday morning...
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MASHATILE SLAMS ‘FALSE MEETING’ WITH MATLALA
DEPUTY President Paul Mashatile has rejected claims that he met or planned to meet with alleged cartel leader Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala as categorically ‘untrue.’ The claims, raised by Gauteng Organised Crime Unit officer Sergeant Fannie Nkosi during...
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Crime rates rival war zones with 26 000 annual deaths
PORTFOLIO Committee on Defence and Military Veterans chairperson, Dakota Legoete, has likened South Africa’s crime crisis to active conflict zones, with more than 26 000 people killed in a single year. Legoete made the stark assessment during a Peace...
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MKHWANAZI: VETTING UNIT IS ‘DIRTY’
KWAZULU-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, whose security clearance expired in 2018, said if he had the power to, he would dismiss the entire vetting unit, starting with head Major-General Feroz Khan. Mkhwanazi made the...
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ELITE POLICE OFFICERS DRAWN INTO CRIME
THE growing trend of highly skilled police officers being lured away by private security companies and criminal syndicates has come under scrutiny following the shocking revelation of Matipandile Sotheni’s alleged involvement in organised...
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WITNESS DISCLOSED CONFIDENTIAL SAPS DOCUMENTS TO MATLALA
GAUTENG Organised Crime Unit officer Sergeant Fannie Nkosi testified before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry yesterday that he shared confidential internal SAPS communications regarding the termination of a R360 million contract awarded to Vusimuzi...
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MCHUNU MAKES U-TURN ON STEP-ASIDE DECISION
NOW that preparations for his presentations before the Ad Hoc Committee and Madlanga Commission are over, suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu believes he is ready to resume his political responsibilities. Mchunu's spokesperson Sithembiso Mshengu...
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HOW MATLALA’S MONEY BANKROLLED TOP COP’S LIFESTYLE
THE Madlanga Commission has challenged suspended head of the SAPS Organised Crime Unit, Richard Shibiri’s claim that he borrowed money from Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala to cover expenses, after bank records showed he spent nearly R20 000 at Gucci and Louis...
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Shibiri denies discussing police matters with Matlala
SUSPENDED organised crime head, Maj-Gen. Richard Shibiri, has denied ever discussing police operations with alleged tycoon, Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, despite records showing the two were in contact around the time police raided Matlala's home. Shibiri...
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Court mandates review of school placement for twins
THE Western Cape Education Department (WCED) says it is exploring the option to appeal a Western Cape High Court order to review the placement of Grade 1 twins. The six-year-old boys were supposed to start their Grade 1 schooling this year, but three...
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‘Mogotsi and Matlala played me’ – Carrim
NORTH West businessman and ANC member, Suliman Carrim, said he was “played” by long-time associate Brown Mogotsi and alleged underworld tycoon, Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, a saga that left him R8.2 million out of pocket. Carrim told the Madlanga...
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SOUTH AFRICANS RETURN AMID IRAN CONFLICT
MANY South Africans have begun returning home as limited flight operations resume following regional airspace closures caused by the escalating conflict in the Middle East. This follows the Department of International Relations and Cooperation's...
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Abdullah Ibrahim to grace the Cape Town International Jazz Festival stage for historic performance
FEW musicians have shaped the sound and soul of South African jazz quite like Abdullah Ibrahim. The 91-year-old pianist and composer will return to the stage at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF), performing on March 27 to 28, as part...
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WINDE FACES BACKLASH OVER ETHICS
PREmIER Alan Winde has indicated his intent to appeal the Provincial Parliament's Conduct Committee findings that he breached the Code of Conduct by failing to disclose sponsored foreign travel to the United States. This comes as opposition parties in...
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SANDF DEPLOYMENT SIGNALS CRIME INTEL COLLAPSE
THE deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Gauteng has been described as an admission that crime intelligence and police services have collapsed. Experts say the deployment of the defence...
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TRUMP WON’T RULE OUT SENDING TROOPS INTO IRAN
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has refused to rule out sending ground troops into Iran as he warned that the spreading Middle East war, unleashed by US-Israeli strikes, could last longer than a month. Israel yesterday traded fire with Iran-backed group...
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‘NO LIMIT’ TO IRAN’S SELF-DEFENCE AMID US-ISRAEL BOMBARDMENTS
A TOP Iranian official on Sunday rejected President Donald Trump's warning not to retaliate against massive US-Israel bombardments, saying there would be “no limit” to the country's self-defense. “Nobody can tell us that you don't have any right to...
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South Africans recruited for Russia war have died
THE two South African men who died after being lured to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war were not linked to the 17 allegedly recruited via the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), but another group, says International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald...
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TAX INCREASES OFF THE TABLE FOR NOW
THE government intends withdrawing the R20 billion in tax increases previously proposed in the May 2025 Budget, following a positive revision of tax revenue by R21.3bn. “The improving fiscal position allows us enough room to withdraw the proposed tax...
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Ex-prosecutions boss implicates former minister in obstructing TRC case
FORMER Justice Minister Brigitte Mabandla has been placed among the leaders who allegedly interfered with the prosecution of apartheid-era human rights violations. This emerged when former Acting National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Dr...
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HOME AFFAIRS OFFICIALS SOLD SA TO ‘HIGHEST BIDDER’
CORRUPT Home Affairs officials scored millions of rands from fraudulent Visa applications, which were underpinned by fake documentation. The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) said cellphone analysis confirmed direct communication between officials and...
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BREAKTHROUGH IN GLOBAL TRAFFICKING SCAM
ON THE day the UN called on governments to clamp down on scam centres, which have mushroomed in Southeast Asia with hundreds of thousands of people trafficked into forced labour, the Hawks made a breakthrough with the arrest of two suspected human...
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MEN IN RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR NOW SAFE
THE four South African men who returned from the Russia-Ukraine conflict on Wednesday spent their first day back in the country deposing statements and handing over their phones to the police. The men had been kept in a safe place in Johannesburg to...
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TOP COP CASTS DOUBT ON PKTT ‘SUCCESSES’
SUSPENDED Deputy National Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya attempted to downplay the impact of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), saying most dockets removed from the elite unit were “already stagnant” at time they were taken away. Only 18%...
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Reverend Jesse Jackson hailed as servant leader for the oppressed, voiceless, and overlooked
JESSE Jackson, who died yesterday aged 84, had a three-pronged career of civil rights, liberal missions and political activism, and his White House bids in the 1980s helped lay the groundwork for the election of America's first Black president two...
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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...
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‘KEEP CADRES AWAY FROM WATER CRISIS RESPONSE’
CADRE deployment in water management could worsen the crisis in the coming years despite President Cyril Ramaphosa announcing the establishment of the National Water Crisis Committee to be chaired by him. This is according to governance experts, who...
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SOLDIERS TO BE DEPLOYED WITHIN DAYS, HINTS RAMAPHOSA
AREAS affected by gang violence in the Western Cape and illegal mining in Gauteng can expect the presence of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in the coming days, says President Cyril Ramaphosa. “I have directed the Minister of Police...
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ALL SET FOR LAST SONA AT CITY HALL
NATIONAL Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza has hinted at this year's State of the Nation Address (Sona) as being the last to be delivered at the Cape Town City Hall. The hall has been made available for the gathering since a large section of Parliament...
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“I’m loyal to South Africa”: Paul O’Sullivan rejects foreign spy allegations
FORENSIC fraud examiner Paul O'Sullivan pledged his ‘loyalty' to South Africa, saying he never performed any foreign agency activities in the country. He has citizenship of three countries - South Africa, Ireland and the United Kingdom, it emerged...
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ZILLE SIGNALS SUPPORT FOR HILL-LEWIS
CAPE Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis's rise to the top of the Democratic Alliance now appears all but inevitable, with political analysts saying his ascent has effectively been sealed following glowing public praise from DA federal council chairperson...
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INFORMANT QUESTIONED OVER KEY WITNESS’S MURDER
POLICE informant Wiandre Pretorius, who died by suicide at an Astron Energy filling station in Brakpan on Gauteng's East Rand, was the first person of interest questioned by the police following the brutal murder of Marius van der Merwe. Van der...
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HILL-LEWIS EYES SECOND TERM AS MAYOR
CAPE Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, who has been touted as a potential candidate to replace DA leader John Steenhuisen, has hinted at running for a second term as mayor. However he was not among newly announced DA mayoral candidates for eight...
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HPCSA opposes Dr Wouter Basson’s bid to permanently halt disciplinary proceedings linked to Project Coast
THE Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) is set to oppose Dr Wouter Basson’s latest court bid to stop the disciplinary action taken against him, saying it was in the interest of justice that the man known as the head of a top-secret...
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NPA hails landmark conviction of ex-crime intel officer for fraud, money laundering
FORMER police officer Paul Scheepers has become the first to be convicted for being in possession of a cell phone grabber/locator without ministerial exemption and use of multiple accounts to conceal R5.59 million in proceeds of unlawful...
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St Francis Bay vessel fire sparks pollution fears
THE South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) has issued a navigation warning due to the presence of the sunken vessel FV Western Star, which poses a hazard to maritime traffic. The 40-foot vessel owned by Knysna Fishing Company sank yesterday,...
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‘SHUT ISRAELI EMBASSY IN SA’
THE South African government should now shutdown the Israeli embassy after the expulsion of Ariel Seidman, the Chargé d'Affaires of the Israeli Embassy. EFF leader Julius Malema made this call when addressing the first day of the party's 3rd National...
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How refusing R45m ‘Grabber’ funding for ANC ‘cost’ ex-Crime Intelligence official
FORMER Crime Intelligence's Secret Services Account head Tiyani Lincoln Hlungwani's problems intensified when he apparently refused to authorise the R45 million to buy a grabber machine for the Crime Intelligence. Hlungwana told MPs at the Ad Hoc...
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ISRAELI OFFICIALS’ VISIT COULD LAND HOSPITAL CHIEFS IN HOT WATER
REFUSING Israel's donation would have amounted to defying AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, say two Eastern Cape hospitals chief executive officers as the provincial government awaits a report on alleged breach of government protocol. King...
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MATLALA ALSO BANKROLLED TOP COP’S LIFESTYLE, INQUIRY TOLD
SUSPECTED crime kingpin, Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, allegedly shared information with KwaZulu-Natal SAPS Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi about a Sandton house where suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General...
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Scholar transport tragedy opens old ‘Blackheath train-crossing wounds’
POLICE Minister Senzo Mchunu allegedly promised an undercover operative “a free” and “happy life” if he provided false information to the Madlanga Commission of inquiry. The commission is probing allegations that Mchunu, who has since been placed on...
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I feel like I am dreaming, says mother of youngest scholar tragedy victim
SIX-YEAR-OLD Ofentse Jayden Vinger had only attended school three days before his life was cut short during the Vanderbijlpark scholar transport accident that also claimed the lives of 13 other children. In a moving funeral service, where Ofense,...
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South Africa marks another historic step in the battle against HIV/AIDS
THE launch of a first-in-human clinical trial at the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation (DTHF) site at Groote Schuur Hospital has been hailed as a historic step toward contributing to the development of an HIV vaccine in Southern Africa. The first...
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TRUMP BACKTRACKS ON THREATS IN GREENLAND
GREENLAND’S government unveiled a new brochure yesterday offering advice to the population in the event of a “crisis” in the territory, which US President Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed to seize from his country’s ally Denmark. Guidance includes...
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GREENLAND NOT UP FOR NEGOTIATION – EU TELLS WEF
EUROPEAN Commission President Ursula von der Leyen drew a line in the sand in the wake of US President Donald Trump's threat to seize Greenland, saying its sovereignty and territorial integrity were not up for negotiation. Greenland's strategic...
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DEATHS OF LEARNERS SPARK CALLS TO TIGHTEN SCHOLAR TRANSPORT REGULATIONS
ONE of the drivers involved in the Vanderbijlpark deadly crash that claimed the lives of 14 learners had been reprimanded last week for reckless driving behaviour, says Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane. According to preliminary reports, the...
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DECLARE W CAPE GUN VIOLENCE STATE OF EMERGENCY
THE killing of eight people during a shooting linked to extortion in Philippi East has ignited calls for the provincial government to declare gun violence in the Western Cape a state of emergency. Three suspects opened fire at a tavern in the Marikana...
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