Cape Times
BATTLE LINES DRAWN AHEAD OF COALITION TALKS
THE battle to govern South Africa's municipalities is shifting from the ballot box to the negotiating table, with political parties preparing for coalition talks as early results from the 2026 Local Government Elections point to more hung...
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MILLIONS VOTE, DEMANDING BETTER SERVICES AND LEADERSHIP
MILLIONS of South Africans turned out at voting stations across the country yesterday to exercise their democratic right, with long queues reported in townships and suburban communities as voters decided who should lead their municipalities for the...
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ALARM OVER 11 -HOUR TH MUNICIPAL HIRING
PARLIAMENT'S local government oversight committee has raised concerns about municipalities that are making last-minute appointments and also issuing large contracts on the eve of tomorrow's local government elections, which may overburden the incoming...
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SA ON CUSP OF WATERSHED ELECTIONS
THE Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has received the green light from parliamentary committees overseeing its preparations for Wednesday's local government elections, but concerns remain over ballot security, technical challenges and the...
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BAT TLE OVER GENERAL MKHWANAZI’S POLICING ROLE
THE proposed appointment of KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi to head the Hawks has sparked debate over whether he should lead the elite crime-fighting unit or be considered for the country's top policing...
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‘I WAS COERCED’ – CAT MATLALA
BUSINESSMAN Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala has alleged that his former lawyer, advocate Bronwynne Forbay, influenced how he answered questions about former deputy police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya during his testimony before Parliament’s ad hoc...
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Another property blow for “MaMkhize”
THE Durban High Court has authorised the sale of five properties linked to controversial businesswoman Shauwn “MaMkhize” Mkhize, with the estates costing the South African Revenue Service (SARS) nearly R200 000 a month in private security. Judge...
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CORRUPTION IS DEEPLY ENTRENCHED – MADLANGA
CORRUPTION has become so deeply embedded in South Africa’s fabric that imagining the country without it is nearly impossible, according to Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga. Speaking at the 2026 Oliver Tambo Memorial Lecture, he warned that the billions lost...
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RAF FOREIGN CLAIMANT ROW REIGNITES
TRANSPORT Minister Barbara Creecy has confirmed a review of the Road Accident Fund's (RAF) legislation to address its financial sustainability, rising medical and legal costs, and clarify who qualifies for compensation following road accidents. The...
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CUSTOMARY RULES SHUT WOMEN OUT OF LAND OWNERSHIP
RURAL women continue to face discrimination in accessing land as customary practices that favour men are prioritised over the equality provisions of South Africa’s constitutional democracy. This is a finding of the Commission for Gender Equality...
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RELIEF AT THE PUMPS AS INFLATION RISKS LOOM
SOUTH Africans will get temporary relief from punishing fuel costs after Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced a R10 billion fuel levy cut, but economists have cautioned that the intervention offers only a brief reprieve from the inflationary...
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MINI BUDGET FACES TOUGH FISCAL TEST
SOUTH Africa’s weak growth, rising public debt and mounting cost-of-living pressures will come under scrutiny when Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana tables the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) today, amid calls for greater investment, better...
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PRESSURE MOUNTS FOR R10BN FUEL RELIEF PLAN
GOVERNMENT is considering further measures to cushion consumers against soaring fuel prices as pressure mounts on President Cyril Ramaphosa's administration to unlock a proposed R10 billion intervention aimed at easing the burden on households, workers...
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ESKOM’S MUNICIPAL DEBT SOARS TO R122BN
MUNICIPALITIES owe Eskom just over R122 billion in unpaid debt, and the power utility says the National Treasury’s debt relief programme has not worked as only nine of the 71 indebted municipalities are complying with the payment plan. Eskom’s Junaid...
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POLITICAL KILLINGS SURGE AHEAD OF ELECTIONS
A NEW report has revealed political killings have spread beyond traditional hotspots, with 43 people killed in 45 attacks between January and September this year. The report, by the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC) also...
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FIERCE BACKLASH OVER ESKOM HIKES
THE prospect of further electricity cost pressures has drawn strong objections from civil society, political representatives and local government, warning that struggling households could bear a disproportionate burden under Eskom's proposed tariff...
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POLICE, SANDF IN ARREST STANDOFF
SOUTH African police face a precarious operational dilemma after highlevel briefings warned that arresting six SANDF Special Forces members could spark an armed confrontation between state security agencies. The soldiers, wanted in connection with the...
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VIOLENCE ERUPTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS ASYLUM RULING FUELS FRESH UNREST
TENSIONS over South Africa’s asylum ruling spilled onto the streets, with protests and clashes reported in Durban, Gauteng and the Eastern Cape as communities demand government intervention over the influx of asylum seekers at Home Affairs offices and...
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SASSA’S R211M PAYOUT TO DEAD
SOCIAL grant disburser, SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) paid over R1.3billion in the period between April 2025 and March 2026 to people who are ineligible to receive the grants. The Auditor-General’s (AG) office told Parliament this week that...
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WOMEN DEMAND POWER AT THE POLLS
AS POLITICAL parties prepare the ground for the upcoming local government elections, a call has been made for them to field more female candidates in future elections amid concerns that men continue to dominate candidate lists. According to the...
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‘SANDF VEHICLE FLEET CRISIS UNDERMINES OPERATION PROSPER’
THE South African National Defence Force's (SANDF) crime-fighting efforts under Operation Prosper are facing severe operational hurdles due to an ageing, unreliable, and poorly maintained vehicle fleet. Defence Minister Angie Motshekga confirmed these...
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ILLICIT DIESEL ‘BLENDING’ GRIPS SA
DIESEL illegally blended with illuminating paraffin could account for as much as 7% of South Africa’s diesel market, or up to 800 million litres a year, according to new industry research cited by the Fuels Industry Association of South Africa...
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‘POLICE RAPE CASES SURGE’
CIVIL society organisations have expressed deep concern over the latest gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) statistics from the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), pointing to the alarming involvement of law enforcement officers...
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PACKED PRISONS NEAR ‘BREAKING POINT’
POLITICAL parties are calling for the overhaul of the criminal justice system not only to address the overcrowding problem in South Africa's prisons, but to also deal with court backlogs which they say are a major contributor to the prisons...
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RAMAPHOSA RAMPS UP BATTLE AGAINST GBV
PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has announced four immediate measures to fight the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) amid national outrage following the discovery of multiple bodies of women across Ekurhuleni over the past two months....
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MASS SHOOTINGS PUT ILLICIT FIREARMS TRADE UNDER SPOTLIGHT
MASS shootings across the country that left 27 dead and 26 others injured have placed the illicit trade of firearms in sharp focus raising questions not only about who the gunmen are, but how the perpetrators obtained their firearms. Ian Cameron,...
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INSIDE THE SECOND MCHUNU POLICE RAID
POLICE have launched a second search of properties linked to suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, targeting six devices, including cellphones and an iPad, identified by telephone and IMEI numbers. However, only one phone was confiscated during the...
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General Sibiya faces rape, trafficking and grooming charges
SUSPENDED Deputy National Commissioner Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya has appeared in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court in Johannesburg, facing five charges, including rape, trafficking in persons and sexual grooming of a child. Sibiya was arrested...
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WORLD WATCHES SA’S FIGHT AGAINST GBV
THE murders of nine women in Ekurhuleni have drawn international concern with the United Nations and Amnesty International South Africa saying it was “deeply alarmed” by the crimes. This as the South African Police Services (SAPS) yesterday confirmed...
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FEMICIDE: ‘MEN, RISE UP, STAND UP’
THE trail of women’s bodies found in Ekurhuleni has cast a grim light on South Africa’s gender-based violence (GBV) crisis raising questions about the behaviour of men and what they doing to confront violence and challenge the culture that enables...
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‘WEAPONISED’ CASES AGAINST TOP COPS
THE withdrawal of charges against senior South African Police Service (SAPS) leadership has ignited a debate on whether disciplinary and criminal processes were being weaponised to settle internal scores or manipulated by criminal syndicates to...
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‘DON’T EXPECT CHEAPER ELECTRICITY OVERNIGHT’
SOUTH Africa’s Eskom restructuring is entering a decisive phase, with government betting on an independent transmission operator to strengthen competition and the power system, but the promise of cheaper and more reliable electricity is not...
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R40.5BN ESKOM DEBT CRISIS DEEPENS
FINANCE Minister Enoch Godongwana says 50 of 71 municipalities in Eskom's debt-relief programme have failed to keep current accounts up to date and collectively owe the power utility R40.5 billion. “As of August 7, 2026, the 50 (or 78 percent) of the...
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AIRPORTS BATTLE THEFT, DRUG SMUGGLING
GENERAL theft and narcotics smuggling remain the dominant security challenges at South Africa’s major aviation hubs, according to parliamentary data covering OR Tambo, Cape Town and King Shaka international airports over three financial years from...
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NSFAS FUNDING GAP WIDENS TO R33 BILLION
HIGHER Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela has sounded the alarm over the financial sustainability of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), warning that its funding shortfall could balloon to R33 billion by 2029 unless government...
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GDP DECLINE EXPOSES SA’S JOBS CRUNCH
SOUTH Africa’s economic recovery has hit a stumbling block, with the economy contracting in the second quarter of 2026 as several key industries also shed jobs. According to the latest gross domestic product (GDP) figures from Statistics South Africa...
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RISING LIVING COSTS PUSH HOUSEHOLDS TO BREAKING POINT
HOUSEHOLDS are running out of room in their monthly budgets as the cost of keeping the lights on, getting to work and putting food on the table consumes an ever-larger share of their income, turning the cost-of-living crisis into a battle over what...
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INSIDE SA’S HIJACKED-BUILDING CRISIS
FOR years, hijacked and illegally occupied buildings have remained a stark symbol of South Africa’s housing crisis, urban decay, and weak enforcement, a problem stretching across major cities and provinces. From Cape Town to Johannesburg and to...
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HOME AFFAIRS VISA FRAUD SCANDAL
HOME Affairs officials allegedly took kickbacks from foreign nationals to ignore fraudulent documents and approve visas for applicants who did not qualify, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has revealed. The SIU confirmed that 205 visas were...
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FUEL PRICE SHOCK: CALLS GROW FOR TAX RELIEF
PRESSURE is mounting on government to take further steps to reduce the tax burden built into South Africa's fuel price as tensions between Iran and the United States continue to drive oil-market volatility and add pressure to household budgets. The...
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CRIME REPORTING GAP EXPOSES CRISIS OF TRUST IN POLICE – STATS SA
CITIZENS are increasingly taking their safety into their own hands, with new data revealing a gap between people’s experience of crime and their willingness to report it to police, raising fresh questions about public trust in law enforcement. The...
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MKHWANAZI PAID R1.27M WHILE IN JAIL
PROLONGED suspensions of hundreds of public servants with full pay, is costing the state about R800 million a year, with the spotlight now on suspended Ekurhuleni Deputy Chief of Police Julius Mkhwanazi who has been paid more than R1.2m while awaiting...
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AIRPORTS UNDER ORGANISED CRIME SIEGE
SOUTH Africa's major international airports and associated air-cargo facilities have been flagged as strategic organised crime priority areas with dozens of narcotics-smuggling cases emanating from the country's ports of entry. These high-traffic hubs...
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ALL BLACKS BRACE FOR BOKS FURY
HISTORY suggests the Springboks are their most dangerous when wounded, and all eyes will be on Cape Town as they ready for the second Test that South Africa cannot afford to lose. The Springboks have their backs to the wall, and the All Blacks have...
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EL NIÑO THREATENS FOOD PRICES IN SOUTH AFRICA
SOUTH Africa’s record maize harvest and improved water reserves should protect against immediate food shortages, but a strengthening El Niño could reduce agricultural output and push food prices higher next year. El Niño is a climate pattern...
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SA CAUGHT IN IRAN SANCTIONS CROSSFIRE
SOUTH Africa faces a fresh diplomatic and economic balancing act after the Trump administration threatened countries doing business with Iran with secondary sanctions, seeing the fallout potentially extending far beyond its limited trade with...
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SHOCK AT 50 000 GBVF CASES IN A YEAR
SOUTH Africa’s fight against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) faces renewed scrutiny following the release of sobering police statistics for the 2025/26 financial year. Acting Police Minister Professor Firoz Cachalia reported that 50 511 GBVF...
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POLITICAL KILLINGS THREATEN ELECTIONS
AN increase in the number of councillors being killed ahead of the November 4 Local Government Elections has raised fears that they are being targeted and killed due to fierce competition over access to municipal resources, state tenders, and well-paid...
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SA’S DEADLY BUILDINGS REVEALED
THE deaths of 17 people have exposed serious cracks in the country’s building safety system, with investigations pointing to weak enforcement, inadequate oversight and professional failures. Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson...
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FADIEL ADAMS REVEALS CRIME INTELLIGENCE ‘SLUSH FUND’
NATIONAL Coloured Congress leader and MP Fadiel Adams has levelled serious allegations of financial mismanagement, nepotism and abuse of investigative powers within Crime Intelligence during his testimony before the Madlanga Commission of...
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R5.1BN NSFAS FUNDING SCANDAL EXPOSED
HIGHER Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela has welcomed damning findings by the Public Protector into systemic failures at the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), saying the problems underpinning the investigation were among the...
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2026 LOCAL ELECTIONS MAY BE ‘DEADLIEST’
SOUTH Africa is still months away from its local government elections, but a string of politically linked killings and attacks has raises fears that the battle for municipal power could turn deadlier as November approaches. Research cited by...
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SIU investigation launched into Justice Department’s R49.8 million digitisation project disruptions
A R49.8 million Justice Department digitisation project has been referred to the SIU and Hawks for investigation after the department was allegedly denied access to State records held by a private service provider, disrupting services at the Master of...
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IMPEACHMENT FIGHT HEADS BACK TO COURT
THE Constitutional Court’s refusal to urgently hear the African Transformation Movement’s (ATM) challenge to the suspension of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s impeachment proceedings has reignited a political and constitutional battle over...
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345 000 JOIN JOBLESS RANKS
SOUTH Africa’s unemployment crisis has deepened, with the national jobless rate climbing to 33.6% in the second quarter of 2026 as employment continued to decline and 345 000 more people joined the ranks of the unemployed. The latest Quarterly Labour...
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QUALIFIED BUT JOBLESS: SA’S DOCTOR CRISIS DEEPENS
NEWLY qualified doctors in South Africa are struggling to find permanent employment after completing compulsory community service, with medical organisations warning that funding constraints, frozen posts, and poor workforce planning are leaving...
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ILLICIT MEDICINE TRADE FACES CRACKDOWN
PHARMACEUTICALS Made in South Africa (Pharmisa) has called for urgent government intervention to tackle the growing illicit trade in medicines, warning that the illegal market now involves healthcare practitioners as well. Pharmisa chairperson Stavros...
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PARLIAMENT TO PROBE ALLEGED HIJAB DISCRIMINATION BY POLICE
THE Portfolio Committee on Police is set to engage with Acting Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Sizakhele Dyantyi, after a Muslim woman's firearm licence application was rejected, allegedly because she was wearing a hijab on her...
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SAPS RESET AMID MADLANGA PROBE
AS ALLEGATIONS of corruption and political interference in senior police and criminal justice structures unfold at the Madlanga Commission, four new provincial police commissioners have taken office, with a mandate to strengthen detective services,...
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‘Leave the country’: Recording captures Johnson advising prosecutor to dodge Commission
FORMER Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) head Advocate Andrea Johnson allegedly advised prosecutor Drushantha Ramsamy to leave the country if she was summoned to testify before the Madlanga Commission, according to a cellphone...
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ARRESTS A MISTAKE, SAYS JOHNSON
THE Independent Directorate Against Corruption's (IDAC) arrest of Crime Intelligence head Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo and other senior police officials linked to the alleged irregular appointment of Brigadier Dineo Mokwele was...
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BELL EMERGES AS IDAC CONTENDER
DEPUTY National Director of Public Prosecutions (DNDPP) and former National Prosecuting Authority's Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Nicolette Bell's name has emerged as a possible successor to replace former Advocate Andrea...
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NPA PULLS PLUG ON KHUMALO CASE
THE National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has withdrawn charges against Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo, Brigadier Dineo Mokwele, Major-General Nozipho Madondo and their co-accused, following a directive from National Director of Public Prosecutions...
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ATM turns to ConCourt for clarity on impeachment process after court victory
THE African Transformation Movement (ATM) is set to urgently approach the Constitutional Court for clarity on the implementation of the Section 89 impeachment process against President Cyril Ramaphosa. The party said it had instructed its legal team...
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RAMAPHOSA FACES A HIGH-STAKES FIGHT
WHILE President Cyril Ramaphosa argues that an interdict is necessary to prevent irreparable harm, legal experts and analysts say a victory in court today would merely delay accountability and deepen perceptions of unequal treatment before the...
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ANDREW CHAUKE CLEARED OF MISCONDUCT
THE South Gauteng Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Andrew Chauke has been cleared of all misconduct allegations and declared fit to hold office. The decision comes after the Nkabinde Commission of Inquiry released its final report, which has...
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IDAC BOSS KEEPS MUM OVER ALLEGATIONS
INDEPENDENT Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) head Advocate Andrea Johnson told the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry that she would invoke her right against self-incrimination as allegations of criminal conduct against her are now before the National...
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ANC intensifies search for Cape Town mayoral candidate
SEVERAL candidates are vying to become the ANC’s Cape Town mayoral candidate as the party seeks to rebuild its support in a city where it suffered a major setback, securing just 18% of the vote in the 2021 local government elections. Interviews with...
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Eight arrested for spaza shop extortion, murders
WESTERN Cape police have intensified their crackdown on extortion syndicates targeting spaza shops across the province, arresting eight suspects in separate operations in Franschhoek and Bonteheuwel linked to a string of extortion-related...
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