Daily Dispatch
Twenty-nine parties lock horns in BCM
Twenty-nine political parties and five independent candidates will contest the November 4 local government elections in Buffalo City Metro, vying for representation in the 100-seat council. The final candidate list released by the Electoral Commission...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Mandela’s mayoral bid hits election-list snag
Nkosi Mandla Zwelivelile Mandela’s ambition of becoming the next mayor of the King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality has hit a snag. Despite being touted as the ANC’S favourite to take over the reins as the new KSD mayor, Mandela will be unable to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Pupil stabbed to death in classroom
Just over a year after an Eastern Cape family transferred their 16-year-old grandson to another school in the hope of shielding him from violence, he was stabbed to death, allegedly by another pupil, in a classroom at his new school. The incident,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Metro’s running community remembers slain jogger and highlights safety concerns
For many women in SA, the decision to go for a run is no longer simply about finding time to exercise. It can also mean considering who else will be on the road, how isolated the route is and whether they will make it home safely. Against that...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Detectives hunt possible third Tete shooter
Investigators are hunting for a possible third shooter and another firearm believed to have been used in the executionstyle killing of former world boxing champion Zolani Tete. Police insiders believe the missing gun could be in the hands of a suspect...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Zwelitsha courthouse: broken toilets, leaking roof, growing frustration
Broken toilets at Zwelitsha magistrate’s court in Qonce leave female court officials sharing a restroom with their male counterparts. They hate it, complaining it places them at risk of sexual harassment. Most of the toilets in the sizeable and busy...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Double threat for casino: job cuts, licence uncertainty
The jobs of 277 Hemingways Casino employees are under threat, with the casino warning that it could be forced to close if its operating licence is not extended or renewed before September 25. Even if the licence is secured, however, 74 workers could...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Metro ordered to pay Transnet R12.5m after defaulting on debt
Buffalo City Metro has been ordered to pay Transnet more than R12.5m after defaulting on an acknowledged debt over unpaid rent for the Orient Theatre Complex in Kugompo City, forcing the parastatal to take the cashstrapped metro to court. The high...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Threats and defections as UDM takes fight to Buffalo City Metro
As the race for control of Buffalo City Metro intensifies ahead of the November 4 local government elections, claims of intimidation have emerged. The UDM said it opened a case with police in Kugompo City after threats directed at its mayoral...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Rhoode in spotlight again over Mfazi and Phala Phala
Presidential Protection Unit head Maj-gen Wally Rhoode may face further scrutiny after former Crime Intelligence analyst Pilasande Dotyeni laid a perjury complaint against him. Dotyeni opened the perjury case at the Rosebank police station on Monday...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Eastern Cape tapestry that carried climate story to the world goes under hammer
A giant tapestry stitched by 43 artists in the small Eastern Cape coastal village of Hamburg, and later admired by President Cyril Ramaphosa at a global climate summit, is going under the hammer. The 5m x 2m artwork, Umlibo, will be auctioned by...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
ANC launches two-pronged strategy over Eastern Cape candidate lists debacle
The ANC is launching an investigation into the alleged manipulation of its Eastern Cape candidate lists after discovering that the names of several prominent candidates were removed shortly before the party submitted its lists to the Electoral...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Tete murder accused claims boxer was behind shooting that paralysed him
The 22-year-old man accused of masterminding the murder of former world boxing champion Zolani Tete has claimed the slain boxer was behind the 2025 shooting that left him paralysed. Uzuzole Goqwana made the allegation in his formal bail application...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Sardine die-off spreads to BCM and Wild Coast
Thousands of dead sardines are washing ashore in Buffalo City and along the Wild Coast as a mass die-off that reached the Eastern Cape last week spreads further east along SA’S coastline. The latest reports follow thousands of sardines washing ashore...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Panic after claims ANC failed to register candidates in four municipalities
Confusion and uncertainty gripped the ANC in the Eastern Cape over the weekend amid claims that the party failed to register its councillor candidate lists on time in four municipalities ahead of the November 4 local government elections. The claims...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
South African tourists among missing as Nepal death toll rises
Six South African tourists are believed to be among the more than 1,000 people who are missing after devastating floods and landslides at the Nepal-tibet border. At time of writing on Thursday, 362 people were confirmed dead and more than 1,300...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
No SA boxing pro will fight for less than R20,000 —Mckenzie
As from next year, no South African professional boxer will be “exploited” and fight for purse money of less than R20,000. The undertaking was made on Wednesday by sport, arts & culture minister Gayton Mckenzie, while addressing a packed Orient...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Cops zero in on fifth suspect in Tete murder
Police are closing in on a fifth suspect linked to the murder of former two-time world champion boxer Zolani Tete, with detectives now hunting a man believed to have driven the getaway car after the shooting. The suspect is believed to have fled the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
President deciding on boxing hero Tete’s funeral, Mabuyane says
The Eastern Cape is waiting for President Cyril Ramaphosa to decide whether slain former two-time world boxing champion Zolani Tete will be accorded a state funeral, as the province mourns one of its most celebrated sporting figures. That is according...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Tete received death threats for two years
Numerous threatening texts sent to slain two-time world champ and his manager SIVENATHI GOSA, MESULI ZIFO and MPUMZI MSHWESHWE For the past two years, slain two-time world boxing champion Zolani Tete allegedly feared for his life because of numerous...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Young designer takes fashion dreams to runway
Nine-year-old Malkia Kogo has gone from sketching dresses in design books to seeing her own creations on the runway. Malkia officially launched her debut 23-look children’s fashion collection, Princess Malkia Couture, at the South Africa Kids Fashion...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Golf club secures decade-long lease
The East London Golf Club has finally put pen to paper and signed a 10-year lease with Buffalo City Metro, allowing the club to continue operating from its Bunkers Hill grounds in Kugompo City. The agreement, which is effective from August 1, follows...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
E Cape pilots online school admissions
The Eastern Cape government is piloting an online pupil admissions system in four districts — while acknowledging that parents may face obstacles similar to those experienced in Gauteng and the Western Cape. The department has begun piloting an Online...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Parties poised to roll out big guns in mayoral race
The race for the Buffalo City Metro mayoral chain is heating up ahead of the November 4 local government elections as political parties prepare to unleash their big guns to battle it out for control of the city. A number of prominent leaders in the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Brain drain bleeds E Cape dry
Malungisa Soga* dreamed of becoming a successful entrepreneur and job creator in the Eastern Cape when he registered his company in 2014. Starting out as a supplier of goods and services to provincial government departments and municipalities, he...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Teachers blocked from posts as qualifications not recognised
Hundreds of Eastern Cape grade R teachers have been blocked from securing permanent government jobs after qualifications they obtained through a state-funded training programme nearly two decades ago were allegedly never properly accredited, prompting...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Buffalo City throws lifeline to cash-strapped pensioners
Thousands of pensioners in Buffalo City will receive relief from the metro’s controversial monthly basic electricity charge after it officially rolled out a new tariff that exempts qualifying senior citizens from paying the fixed fee. The National...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Hawks zero in on fake Madiba shirts
A crackdown by the Hawks on counterfeit designer clothing has reignited calls for tougher laws against fake goods after investigators raided a company allegedly selling counterfeit Madiba shirts worth about R150,000 in Kugompo City and Mthatha. The...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Rights watchdog lashes BCM over decaying sewer system
The Buffalo City Metro has come under fire from the SA Human Rights Commission, which accused the municipality of violating residents’ constitutional rights by failing to address wastewater pollution and deteriorating sanitation infrastructure dating...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
From long queues to locked gates: EC probes clinic claims
The Eastern Cape government will investigate claims that some clinics in BCM are closing early and turning patients away without assisting them. The probe has been initiated in response to inquiries by the Daily Dispatch whose reporters have been...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
New hope sparks for GBV survivors and families with landmark inquiry
On paper, South Africa has laws, policies and institutions to protect survivors of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF). In reality, too many people are still waiting for justice and support. Survivors and their families in the Eastern Cape have...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Breakthrough in fight against EC rail infrastructure looting
The arrest of two men and recovery of suspected stolen Transnet railway infrastructure worth about R10m at a scrap metal yard in Qonce have shone a spotlight on how vandalism cripples rail services. The arrests come as the Passenger Rail Agency of SA...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Legal battles loom over Graaff-reinet, EL renaming
Major legal battles over recent decisions to change the names of East London and Graaff-reinet are on the cards. Sport, arts & culture minister Gayton Mckenzie indicated this week that he would oppose Afriforum’s bid to overturn the recent renaming of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
EC villagers still waiting for bridge over troubled waters
Four years ago, South Africans were shocked by video footage of Zoliswa Mfanekiso being ferried across the raging Mzintlava River inside a large blue plastic container. Today, little has changed for the residents of Dikidikini village, in...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Future of grand prix circuit hangs by a thread
The future of the iconic East London Grand Prix Circuit is hanging by a thread — even as the city explores ambitions of attracting a major international racing event. The Border Motorsport Club has accused the Buffalo City Metropolitan Development...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Kugompo City’s homelessness crisis sparks fresh calls for action
The growing number of homeless people sleeping on pavements, under bridges and in public spaces across Kugompo City has prompted renewed calls for the government to develop a co-ordinated strategy to tackle homelessness, as community organisations warn...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Senior officials ‘resist’ efforts to turn metro around — MEC
An intervention team sent by the national government late last year to help turn around the state of affairs at the troubled Buffalo City Metro was met with so much “resistance”that the team had since reported the challenges to provincial and national...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Brazen hijacking gangs staying one step ahead of the law
Armed men using a vehicle fitted with blue lights ambushed a Kugompo City’s family’s white Mitsubishi people carrier in the early hours of July 8, forcing the driver and his wife out before speeding off in the vehicle that provided the family’s only...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Withheld Treasury funds released to Buffalo City
Buffalo City Metro has been given the green light by the National Treasury to access its annual R1.29bn equitable share allocation after the grants were initially withheld over the city’s persistent failure to deal with unauthorised, irregular,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Foreign nationals say fear has turned them into fugitives
Fear has spread through parts of the Eastern Cape as undocumented foreign nationals abandon their homes, leave their jobs and, in some cases, pay thousands of rands to return to their home countries amid escalating anti-illegal immigration...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Shocking: 1,287 mob killings, 606 injuries, 10 convictions
Vigilante attacks have claimed the lives of nearly 1,300 people in the Eastern Cape in four years, with hundreds of others surviving brutal assaults that often left permanent injuries. This is revealed in a report tabled in the Bhisho...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Metro misses Treasury deadline on R50m Duncan Village project
Buffalo City Metro has failed to meet a National Treasury deadline to formally conclude a R49.7m European Union-funded development project in Duncan Village. Its flagship buyback centre remains unfinished. The city, however, insists that the project,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
R154m police civil claims blow for EC
Eastern Cape police have cost taxpayers more than R154m in successful civil claims over the past four years, with nearly 6,000 more lawsuits still pending, according to a report tabled in the Bhisho legislature. The claims, ranging from unlawful...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Traditional leaders plan Zim trip to tackle migration tensions
King of Amampondo asemnyandeni Ndamase Ndamase is due to lead a regional diplomatic drive to tackle growing tensions over migration, with Zimbabwe becoming the first stop in an effort by South African monarchs to engage SADC heads of state and fellow...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Metro not ready to roll out new traffic offences system
Buffalo City Metro says it is not yet ready to implement SA’S sweeping new Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) system, despite the national rollout beginning this month after a high court ruling cleared the way for its...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Action demanded on ‘shocking state’ of E Cape police stations
Dozens of police stations in the Eastern Cape are facing an operational crisis, with nearly 40 running the risk of possible closure over deteriorating infrastructure and unsafe working conditions. The looming threat follows a campaign by the Police...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
US tech giant’s R1.5bn green investment to create 11000 jobs
US technology giant Amazon has backed a R1.5bn environmental restoration project in the Eastern Cape expected to create more than 11,000 sustainable long-term jobs over the next decade while helping revive one of SA’S most threatened ecosystems. This...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
SAHRC report lifts lid on how sex-pest teachers continue to escape detection
Nearly 1,000 complaints of alleged sexual abuse were reported in Eastern Cape schools during the 2024/2025 financial year, but only two teachers were removed from the profession during this period. This is according to a South African Human Rights...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Feared unrest fails to materialise as Eastern Cape protests remain peaceful
Fears of widespread unrest, which prompted one of the Eastern Cape’s biggest security deployments in recent years, failed to materialise on Tuesday, with protests across the province remaining largely peaceful. More than 14,000 security personnel were...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Metro’s cable theft crisis takes dangerous new twist
Buffalo City’s cable-theft crisis has taken a dangerous new turn, with thieves ripping open underground infrastructure and leaving a trail of exposed manholes that residents warn could cost lives. Across Southernwood, manhole covers have been removed...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Four years after Enyobeni, underage binge-drinking is unabated in BCM
Four years after the Enyobeni Tavern tragedy claimed the lives of 21 young people, underage drinking remains rife across Buffalo City Metro’s townships. A Dispatch team spent Saturday night criss-crossing the metro, speaking to children, residents and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Four years on, bereaved Enyobeni families describe ‘everlasting pain’
Four years after 21 young people died in the Enyobeni Tavern disaster, their families say they remain trapped in the trauma of that night as they await an inquest ruling to determine if anyone will be held to account for it. For survivor Amila Dyabha,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Marchers slam R600m police spend saying ‘we will be peaceful’
Anti-immigrant protest leaders in Kugompo City have challenged the government’s planned R600m security operation ahead of planned June 30 demonstrations, describing it as wasteful expenditure and declaring they are prepared to go to jail for their...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Brics billions could be game-changer for BCM
Buffalo City’s business community has welcomed plans to channel part of a R16.4bn Brics-backed infrastructure loan to the metro, but warned that residents and businesses must not be forced to repay the debt through higher tariffs and service...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Metro’s soaring legal costs revealed
A Buffalo City Metro report detailing more than R166m in legal costs over four years was pulled from a public council meeting after ANC councillors objected to it being discussed in an open session. The report — which reveals that the metro dealt with...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Taxi commuters face big fare increases
Thousands of Eastern Cape commuters will have to dig deeper into their pockets from July 1 after taxi union Santaco agreed on major fare increases, adding hundreds of rands a month to the transport bills of already struggling workers. The SA National...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Tidal pool pollution claims spark health fears
The Gonubie tidal pool has been contaminated with sewage for years — without any public warnings being issued, according to residents. But the Buffalo City Metro has denied this, with an official asserting that “there is currently no sewage being...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Zoning dispute could force closure of care home for disabled children
A high court review application brought by a local property trust could result in the closure of a coastal care home for children with severe disabilities and complex medical needs near Kwelera. The ithemba Home, run by Dr Ranjana Gigi and her husband...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
ANC trip returns to haunt mayor, MM
Senior politicians and officials at the King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality are expected to face fraud and corruption charges over the alleged misuse of municipal funds arising from a trip to attend an ANC rally in Kwazulu-natal two years ago. The...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘I’m still here, applying, ready to work’
Fifty years after the youth of 1976 took to the streets demanding equal education, many young people in the Eastern Cape say unemployment is the defining struggle of their generation. For Simphiwe Zendoda Ngqoshela, the promise that education would...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Families frustrated by slow progress in child rape cases
For several months, a Kugompo City mother has been making long and costly trips to court in the hope of seeing progress in a rape case involving her 11year-old son. Instead, she says, each visit ends the same way: no meaningful update. Court...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Long walk to school for thousands
Nearly a quarter of a million pupils in Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Bay walk to school each day, with a new Stats SA report shedding light on the scale of the daily journeys many children undertake simply to access education. The figures reveal...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Metro by-election puts ANC-SACP alliance to test
The ANC and South African Communist Party (SACP) are headed for an electoral showdown in Buffalo City Metro, with the alliance partners set to compete directly for votes in next week’s by-elections. The June 17 polls in the metro’s wards 1 (Braelyn,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Crackdown on illegal drug rehab centres
The Eastern Cape social development department has launched legal action against eight unregistered rehabilitation facilities in Buffalo City and Mthatha. This is amid intensified efforts to shut down centres accused of operating illegally and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Families seek help after torrential rain
Hundreds of Eastern Cape residents were left displaced after torrential rain flooded homes and left informal settlements under water as a powerful cut-off low weather system swept across the Eastern Cape. More than 200 Buffalo City residents sought...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Confusion over school closures amid severe weather warnings
Some schools across the Eastern Cape remained open on Wednesday despite an education department directive suspending classes in three districts affected by a level 8 weather warning. The confusion — exacerbated by unofficial messages and screenshots...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Mandla Mandela set for return to frontline politics
In a surprise political comeback that could see him return to frontline public office, Nkosi Mandla Zwelivelile Mandela has emerged as the ANC’S preferred candidate to lead the troubled King Sabata Dalindyebo (KSD) municipality in Mthatha after the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Government housing payment shakeup may worsen backlog
Thousands of Eastern Cape families waiting for state houses could face additional delays after the province changed how it pays for housing — a move which could cripple emerging contractors and slow delivery. The Eastern Cape department of human...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Chaotic council pushes through budget
Buffalo City Metro residents and businesses face steep electricity and water tariff increases from July after the ANC pushed through a R12.8bn budget by the narrowest possible margin following a chaotic council sitting on Thursday. The budget,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Legal battles loom over EC name changes
The newly gazetted names of Kugompo City and Robert Sobukwe Town face fresh legal challenges. Lobby group Afriforum has approached the high court in Pretoria to challenge the renaming of Graaff-reinet to Robert Sobukwe Town, while National Community...
Read Full Story (Page 1)