Publication
GO!DURBAN RUNS ON RATEPAYERS’ FUMES
FACING threats of funding cuts from the national government, ethekwini Municipality will now use its own funds to support operations and infrastructure for the embattled Go!durban transport project. The council was briefed and approved a plan, in...
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A-G TO AUDIT HOUSING PROGRAMME
THE continued implementation of the Infill Housing Programme in Phoenix is set to be audited by the Office of the Auditor-general of SA following concerns of irregularities. Actionsa MP Alan Beesley has written to the Kwazulu-natal office of the...
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‘How did you get those millions, Colonel?’
KWAZULU-NATAL (KZN) Hawks Colonel Deena Govender has failed to give the Madlanga Commission a clear explanation of up to R2.3 million in payments deposited into his bank account. These payments were received around the time of a deadly 2023 police...
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‘No more kid gloves over govt debt’
COUNCILLORS and ratepayers are calling for stronger action against government departments that owe ethekwini Municipality billions of rand, following concerns that they are treated with “kid gloves” while ordinary residents face service disconnections...
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Durban race: parties turn up the heat
AS THE Independent Electoral Commission of SA prepares for a flood of last-minute submissions of candidate lists today, major political parties in ethekwini are consolidating their political campaigns in what promises to be a hotly contested local...
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New development company aims to rejuvenate inner city
PLANS by the ethekwini Municipality to establish its own development company to drive economic growth and inner-city rejuvenation have been given the go-ahead. The Economic Development and Planning Committee has endorsed the feasibility study for the...
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‘Cat’ quizzed on R4m given to taxi boss
A R4-MILLION payment has pulled Hangwani Morgan Maumela, Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, and the late taxi boss, Jotham “King Mswazi” Msibi, into the same financial spotlight, after Whatsapp evidence showed Matlala forwarding Maumela’s payment record to...
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ANC fears ‘revolt’ over Mayoral list
ANC members in Kwazulu-natal believe that fear of a “revolt” forced party leadership to pull back from announcing the party’s mayoral candidates for different municipalities this past weekend. Ordinary ANC members who spoke to the Daily News yesterday...
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Smaller parties to play kingmaker
AS SMALLER parties are gearing up for the kingmaker role in the ethekwini Municipality after the local government elections, they have warned potential coalition partners that they will not be enticed by positions to join alliances. They have outlined...
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Dept halts KZN water restrictions
THE umngeni-uthukela Water Board heaved a sigh of relief following the Department of Water and Sanitation’s decision to halt water restrictions that impacted major municipalities in Kwazulu-natal. However, the board has urged municipalities to...
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Parties brace for age of coalitions
KWAZULU-NATAL’S electorate should prepare for coalition governments, as major political parties are already positioning themselves to form alliances in a bid to gain control of key municipalities after the November elections. The IFP has openly...
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Ire at SADC leaders’ jet-setting lifestyle
AS THE SADC Heads of State Summit concluded its business in Durban yesterday, pressure groups and international relations experts have called out African leaders for their display of opulence while their citizens suffer. The March and March movement,...
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MKP ethekwini mayoral race hots up
AS THE Umkhonto wesizwe Party (MKP) prepares to unveil its mayoral candidates this week, speculation in ethekwini has reached fever pitch, with three names emerging as the frontrunners for nomination. Former ethekwini Mayor Zandile Gumede, MKP first...
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Call to ‘pay councillors equally
KWAZULU-NATAL MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Thulasizwe Buthelezi, has called for the standardisation of councillors’ remuneration, saying the current model is unfair to smaller municipalities. Buthelezi said it does not...
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ethekwini leads SA in job creation
THE ethekwini Municipality is creating jobs for its residents, with close to 90,000 people having been employed in the past few months. A report by the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for the second quarter of 2026, released by Statistics SA, has...
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Explosive claim about SAPS 'hit squads'
LEN John, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) Deputy Director for Investigations in Kwazulu-natal, has alleged that SAPS "hit squads", operating under the guise of task teams, have been killing suspects linked to cash-intransit...
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‘Violence, intimidation driving women from local govt’
THE representation of women in leadership positions in local government is on a steady decline, with the threat of violence and intimidation discouraging them from assuming political office. This is according to a report titled Gains Made, Gains Lost,...
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Anger and fear in Durban after ANC councillor’s murder
SHOCK and outrage have gripped the Klaarwater community after an ANC councillor was gunned down yesterday, sparking fears of escalating political violence in the province. Cedric Khwela, a Ward 17 councillor, was shot dead at his office in Klaarwater...
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Mchunu’s alleged involvement in IDAC probes revealed
SUSPENDED Police Minister Senzo Mchunu allegedly told Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) former head Advocate Andrea Johnson that he intended to “clean up” the SAPS Crime Intelligence unit, which is led by Lieutenant-general Dumisani...
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Death by water tanker reignites anger
THE death of a 39-year-old man in Umbumbulu, who was run over by a water tanker, has reignited anger over using these vehicles to deliver water to communities. Several organisations have criticised this practice following the death of Celani Zungu on...
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Crime time bomb ticking as Metro Police budget gets tighter
FEARS of an escalation in crime are mounting in Durban because the ethekwini Metro Police wants to cut its overtime budget by millions of rands. There are concerns that police visibility will be compromised and crime-fighting efforts...
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Service delivery hopes rise
DURBAN businesses have demonstrated growing confidence in the ethekwini Municipality’s ability to respond to service delivery challenges, despite a sharp decline in the overall business confidence in the city. The latest report on the Business...
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‘ANDREA JOHNSON LIED ON THE STAND’
A STATE Advocate from the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), Drushantha Ramsamy, has accused former IDAC head Advocate Andrea Johnson, of lying under oath and fabricating documents related to an affidavit by MP Fadiel Adams. Ramsamy...
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CITY INVESTS R11.3m FOR SADC SUMMIT
THE ethekwini Municipality will spend R11.3 million to upgrade Durban’s ICC for the 46th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit. The Durban ICC is hosting the SADC industrialisation week until tomorrow. President Cyril Ramaphosa is...
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ZUMA SHAKES UP MK PARTY TOP BRASS
THE umkhonto wesizwe (MK) Party says it has established a new Strategic Presidential Team (SPT) as its highest decision-making and strategic leadership body. This comes as party president Jacob Zuma dissolved the previous Presidential Task Team (PTT)...
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YOU DON’T SCARE US, ANC TELLS MKP
THE ANC in ethekwini said it was not bothered by the acquisition of ‘politically dormant’ Zandile Gumede by Jacob Zuma’s umkhonto wesizwe Party (MKP), despite popular sentiment being that the former Durban mayor could be their trump card in the...
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I I QUIT, QUIT, SAYS UNDER FIRE IDAC BOSS
INVESTIGATING Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) head Advocate Andrea Johnson has asked to be released from office. Johnson, a career prosecutor with three decades of service, made the request in a letter to the national director of public...
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‘STATE WITNESS WAS RUDE TO FERREL’
FERREL Govender’s legal team yesterday claimed that the State witness whom their client allegedly threatened routinely used derogatory language during their telephone conversations. The claim follows the playing of recorded phone calls in the Durban...
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'YOU’RE GOING TO DIE!’ COURT HEARS
“YOU’RE going to die! I’m coming for you.” Those were the words allegedly uttered by former Pro Secure CEO Ferrel Govender to a Durban businessman who had previously been in a relationship with Govender’s then-girlfriend, Varushka Maharaj, the Durban...
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COURT SLAMS BRAKES ON ARRESTS
THE Durban High Court on Monday stayed the execution of arrest warrants issued in June 2026 against controversial Kwazulu-natal taxi boss Siyabonga Thomas Getsemane, his daughter, and two other applicants. The order followed an urgent application...
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Cops raid notorious Durban crime den
IN AN ONGOING effort to curb crime and improve the image of Durban’s city centre, a multi-departmental operation spearheaded by police was conducted at a notorious building in the early hours of yesterday. The squalid building, located on Lancers Road...
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WE FLED VIOLENCE, BUT ARE SUFFERING
FEARING for their lives, many documented refugees have been living on the pavements on the edge of Durban’s CBD for eight weeks, including women and children, who fled from their homes around the city when they were threatened with violence. Rights...
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DURBAN CBD CRIME DROPS 28%
THE City is winning its war on crime and grime in the Durban's Central Business District precinct. Through a strategic partnership between Ensure Ubuntu, a private security, cleaning, and urban management firm, the municipality has made significant...
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‘JUSTICE HAS FINALLY PREVAILED’
THE mastermind behind the hijacking of a Chester Butcheries meat truck, during which metro police officer Errol George Ogle was killed, was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Durban High Court yesterday. Ogle’s wife Faith welcomed the court...
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KING FIRES HIS TOP AIDE AGAIN
AMAZULU King Misuzulu kazwelithini has once again removed Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi from the position of Traditional Prime Minister, ushering in a fresh leadership change within the Zulu Nation’s traditional structures. The announcement was made...
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MK PARTY LANDS MAJOR BLOW TO ANC
JACOB Zuma's umkhonto wesizwe Party has scored one of its most significant political recruits in Kwazulu-natal, appointing former ethekwini mayor Zandile Gumede to a senior provincial leadership position as it intensifies efforts to challenge the ANC'S...
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CHURCH HEAD PARDONS KING’S SLUR
NAZARETH Baptist Church leader Mduduzi Shembe has called for an end to the circulation of a viral video in which Amazulu King Misuzulu kazwelithini referred to him as an idiot. Shembe said he had already forgiven the monarch. The video clip, which...
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COUNCILS SCRAMBLE TO AVOID CRISIS
KWAZULU-NATAL municipalities impacted by National Treasury’s decision to temporarily withhold the current month’s equitable share transfers due to non-compliance with financial governance standards are pressed to get their houses in order. The...
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R240m PSYCH HOSPITAL FOR S COAST
A NEW 28-bed mental health inpatient and outpatient state-of-the-art psychiatric hospital in the pipeline for Port Shepstone on Kwazulu-natal’s South Coast, will not only be a boost for healthcare in the region, it also promises economic growth and...
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CITY AIMS FOR LUCRATIVE WORLD CUP
ANOTHER money-spinning opportunity is looming for Durban through the staging of ICC Men's Cricket World Cup next year. According to the report, the ethekwini Municipality will submit a non-committal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to negotiate and...
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‘IT WILL BE OUR BLOOD OR VICTORY’
FOLLOWING its special National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held on Friday, July 3, the March and March Movement has officially adopted a comprehensive threemonth action plan to address the complexities of irregular migration in South...
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MINISTER SLAMS ZUMA’S INDIA VISIT
THE recent private visit of former president Jacob Zuma to India has reignited a fierce debate within South African political circles, prompting contrasting reactions from key government figures. Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, did...
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WE SENT HOME 20 000, SAYS MAYOR
THE ethekwini Municipality has effectively managed the large-scale repatriation of undocumented immigrants from sites in Sherwood and the Durban drive-in, overseeing the departure of over 20000 individuals through a co-ordinated strategy. Mayor Cyril...
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JULY TO PUMP R1bn INTO DURBAN
AS ANTICIPATION builds for Africa’s premier horse racing, the city’s economy is set to receive a massive boost, with the projections nearing R1 billion for this year alone. This marks an extraordinary turnaround for an industry that faced potential...
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GOVERNMENT MUST ACT NOW!
IN A DAY of dramatic tension as South Africa held its breath while marches against illegal immigration took place countrywide, the leader of March and March yesterday spoke about the issues of youth unemployment and immigration challenges in Durban...
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SOUTH AFRICA HOLDS ITS BREATH
WITH protests targeting illegal immigrants expected across South Africa today, law enforcement agencies are urging the public to remain vigilant. In Kwazulu-natal, the provincial government has indicated that there will be a strong contingent of law...
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‘KZN CANNOT BE SET ALIGHT AGAIN’
KWAZULU-NATAL Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli has issued a stern warning against a repeat of the devastating civil unrest of July 2021, urging citizens to reject violence and lawlessness ahead of planned protests tomorrow. Speaking against the backdrop of...
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‘BAFANA THE PRIDE OF OUR NATION’
IN A MOMENT that will be etched in the annals of South African sports history, the national football team, Bafana Bafana, triumphed over South Korea 1-0 at the Estadio Monterrey yesterday, securing a spot in the knock-out stages of the Fifa World Cup...
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WHERE IS THE ACCOUNTABILITY?
AS THE JUNE 30 deadline for illegal immigrants to leave South Africa intensifies, March and March leader, Jacinta Ngobese-zuma has called on the government to shoulder the responsibility of illegal immigration, which she says has resulted in millions...
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‘EVERYBODY JUST STAY CALM’
MALAWIAN High Commission official Mufti Sulaiman has called for calm and restraint amid escalating tensions leading up to a highly anticipated protest scheduled for June 30. Sulaiman made his remarks on the sidelines of the old Durban drive-in, where...
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SAPS, MILITARY GO ON HIGH ALERT
THE SAPS and other law enforcement agencies said they were ready for the much-anticipated nationwide protest action against illegal immigration on June 30. The protest, organised by civic movement March and March and other interest groups, is in line...
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MAYOR: WE’LL REPATRIATE THEM SAFELY
ETHEKWINI Municipality Mayor Cyril Xaba has assured the community that the city is well prepared to handle the ongoing repatriation and deportation process involving Malawian nationals currently being accommodated in Durban. Speaking at a media...
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RESIDENTS’ CONCERN AT MIGRANT INFLUX
AS SHERWOOD grapples with an unprecedented influx of more than 10 000 foreign nationals camping outside the local community hall, residents have raised concerns about hygiene, safety and the overall impact on their neighbourhood. The situation has...
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HUMANITARIAN CRISIS SPILLS OVER
A VOLATILE humanitarian crisis unfolding at Durban's Sherwood Hall spilled into fresh chaos yesterday with clashes breaking out and police forced to intervene as thousands of displaced Malawian nationals remain camped at the site amid growing...
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Save our citizens, cries Malawi
THE Malawian government has appealed for financial donations and humanitarian assistance to help bring home thousands of its citizens stranded in South Africa, saying the scale of the repatriation effort has placed unprecedented pressure on its...
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COMRADES RECORDS SMASHED
IN BAGGING her fourth consecutive Comrades Marathon victory yesterday to go with her maiden triumph in 2019, South Africa’s Gerda Steyn told the media afterwards that she had “run it like it’s my last race”. Steyn’s exertions over the nearly...
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URGENT TALKS TO EASE TENSIONS
IN A BID to alleviate rising tensions and uncertainty surrounding foreign nationals in Kwazulu-natal, Premier Thami Ntuli convened a high-level meeting with the High Commissioner of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to South Africa at the Premier’s...
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DESPERATE MALAWIANS FLOOD REFUGE
A SIGNIFICANT influx of Malawian nationals and other foreign citizens has emerged at Sherwood Hall in Durban as they try beat the June 30 deadline for illegal immigrants to leave South Africa. Official reports indicate that what began with 67...
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RAMAPHOSA FACES BACKLASH
PARLIAMENT’S Home Affairs Committee has called for the urgent implementation of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s directives to address illegal migration, saying government departments must act swiftly to ensure the plans announced by the President are...
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CYRIL’S 5-POINT PLAN FOR FOREIGNERS
PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday announced five actions the government will be implementing to tackle growing frustrations around immigration and illegal migrants, Some of the key actions include a concerted crackdown on violations of existing...
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ALL EYES ON TOP COP OVER DRUG BUST
SENIOR Hawks officer Colonel Gavin Jacob came under criticism for issuing instructions while on leave, directing an investigating officer in a cocaine seizure worth R200million to send drug samples to the Amanzimtoti Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL)...
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R200M COCAINE BUST FLAWS
COLONEL Gavin Jacob, commander of the Hawks’ Durban Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit, conceded it was concerning that the clearing agent was not present when the seal was broken on a container holding 541kg of cocaine worth R200 million at...
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CONCERN AT BULLYING, HARASSMENT
PARENTS at Reddam House Umhlanga Preparatory School have accused the institution of disregarding serious concerns about a persistent pattern of bullying, harassment and physical aggression allegedly taking place at the school. Families spoke to the...
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WHY WAS HE GIVEN LIE DETECTOR TEST?
WARRANT Officer Karl Sander underwent a polygraph test regarding the theft of 541kg of cocaine bricks worth R200 million despite never having worked at the Port Shepstone Hawks office where the drugs were stolen during a November 2021...
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KING MISUZULU CLEARS THE AIR
AMAZULU King Misuzulu kazwelithini has finally clarified the continued presence of his former Private Secretary, Arnold Nododile in the royal family’s circles despite the announcement of his dismissal by the Traditional Prime Minister Reverend...
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CITY BLEW R8.3m, FACES BACKLASH
THE ethekwini Municipality is facing severe criticism after revelations surfaced regarding R8.3 million in irregular expenditure linked to a skills development programme initiated by the entity in 2021. Reports of an alleged cover-up aimed at...
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Ndabeni: ‘Stop handing over spaza shops to foreigners’
THE Minister of Small Business Development, Stella Ndabeni, has threatened to withdraw funding for spaza shops after many locals applied and handed shops back to foreigners. Speaking at the South Africa Funeral Practitioners Association international...
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HOMELESS SHELTER PROJECT STALLS
THE ethekwini Municipality has outlined several reasons for delaying the construction of the 800-bed Sakhithemba Homeless Shelter in Illovo, south of Durban. The municipality stated in previous reports that the shelter was one of the measures being...
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NOT TRUE, SAYS KING’S CHANCELLOR
INKOSI Malusi Zondi, the Zulu Royal Chancellor, has dismissed recent allegations of extortion contained in a media report claiming that he solicited R8.5 million from Stefanutti Stocks Holdings Limited for “security protection”. The report alleged...
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‘DURBAN IS NOT COLLAPSING’
ETHEKWINI Municipality City Manager Musa Mbhele has hit back at criticism that he had steered the city towards collapse. Instead, he insisted that Durban had undergone steady transformation under his leadership and that the entity’s long-term outlook...
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IMMIGRATION TENSIONS EXPLODE
VIOLENT confrontations between locals and foreign nationals outside the Diakonia Centre in Durban’s CBD yesterday lent credence to growing calls by the ANC in Kwazulu-natal and other stakeholders for an urgent multi-sector intervention to address...
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RESIDENTS SAY NO TO TARIFF HIKES
A LARGE group of Durban residents took to the streets yesterday in protest against the ethekwini Municipality’s proposed 2026/2027 budget and planned tariff increases, which they argued would place greater financial strain on households already...
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SAVE US, CRY FOREIGN NATIONALS
DURBAN'S central business district has again become a flashpoint of unrest, as foreign nationals camped outside the Durban Central Police Station demanding protection amid fears for their safety. Hundreds of foreign nationals sought refuge from what...
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NPA prosecutor accused of soliciting
THE National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has been drawn into a matter involving serious allegations of corruption brought against one of its leading prosecutors, Richard Chabalala. It was alleged that Chabalala, who is attached to the NPA’S...
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Scopa zeroes in on City’s finances
THE ethekwini Municipality has been instructed to investigate a range of alleged acts of corruption and improper conduct within its administration, with Mayor Cyril Xaba expected to provide the entity’s responses to Parliament’s Standing Committee on...
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KING WANTS TO FIRE BOARD
AMAZULU King Misuzulu kazwelithini has called for another dissolution of the Ingonyama Trust Board following the resignation of the fifth board member, Nomusa Zulu, on Wednesday. The nine-member board now has three active members, who are Deputy...
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