Sowetan

Safa official blasts McKenzie for Fifa threat after meeting brawl

South African Football Association national executive member Gladwyn White has called out sports minister Gayton McKenzie after his threat to involve CAF and Fifa in long-standing internal squabbles at SA’s national body. Following a near-violent NEC...

FIRST ZONDO BIG CLAIMS SCALP

Vincent Smith’s conviction and sentencing have been widely welcomed by civil society, saying they hope this will open doors for other Bosasa accused to be successfully prosecuted. Smith is the first high-profile political figure to be convicted over...

David Miller congratulates Kagiso Rabada after taking the wicket of New Zealand's Tim Seifert in an ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal Kolkata, India, yesterday. NZ went on to beat SA by nine wickets.

The Proteas suffered an ugly capitulation in the ICC T20 World Cup semifinal that was reminiscent of meltdowns of the past. SA were out-thought and outplayed by New Zealand, who restricted them to 169/8 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata yesterday and reached...

HOW BUILDING TRAGEDY CONTRACTOR FLOUTED LAWS

The company behind the collapsed Joburg building that killed at least nine workers on Monday was not registered with the SA construction regulatory body, and municipal officials cannot find its owners. The National Home Builders Registration Council...

Rescue workers remove a body from the rubble where six other people died after a building under construction collapsed in Ormonde, Johannesburg, yesterday.

Six people were killed when an office block under construction in Ormonde, south of Johannesburg, collapsed yesterday afternoon. Two others were reportedly trapped under the rubble, while three could not be accounted for. The incident occurred at...

100 DETAINEES ON THE RUN

● Broken police holding cells, outdated CCTV technology and corrupt officers are contributing factors to high escapes at police stations ● Expert warns that the escapees are worsening the country’s crime burden while SAPS is unstable as 220 officers...

HEADS ON THE BLOCK

Always one to shoot straight from the hip, Kaizer Chiefs co-coach Cedric Kaze sees the Soweto derby as a perfect chance to be in the Amakhosi faithful’s good books. Heading into this fixture, Amakhosi – who lost 1-2 to Stellenbosch at the same venue...

Finance minister Enoch Godongwana delivering his 2026 budget speech in Cape Town yesterday.

The national government plans to toughen up its management of provincial governments and municipalities and the finance minister plans to visit Gauteng leaders to address water problems affecting the province. Finance minister Enoch Godongwana told a...

PLAYING CAT MOUSE AND

Political fixer and self-described “crime intelligence agent” Brown Mogotsi has told parliament that while he initially investigated alleged criminal mastermind Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala, he eventually turned to him for assistance with other...

A Tembisa resident stokes the fires at a road barricade during the community protest over lack of water and electricity in the area.

Residents in Tembisa yesterday blocked several roads with burning tyres and rubble, allowing only police vehicles and ambulances to pass. The protest, which included elderly residents, young people, and school-going children, was directed at what...

ZAMA-ZAMA FEAR STILL STALKS SPORONG

Sibongile*, a resident of the Sporong informal settlement on the West Rand, has not slept in her home for nearly a month. She is so fearful that every night she takes her three children to go and sleep with friends whose homes are closer to the mobile...

MUGABE SONS’ SHOOTING DRAMA

A Hyde Park security guard has revealed that the shooting at the home of the late Robert Mugabe’s sons that left a gardener badly wounded was not the first time gunshots were heard from the sprawling mansion. According to the man who asked to remain...

Cat is no friend of mine — Sibiya

THE ALFRED Duma local municipality in KZN has suspended a senior official for allegedly raping an intern who was assigned to his department. According to allegations, the manager, 46, in the department of administration and records had insisted on...

Farewell, human rights champion

Washington — Charismatic US civil rights leader Rev Jesse Jackson, an eloquent Baptist minister raised in the segregated south who became a close associate of Martin Luther King Jr and twice ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, has died, his...

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

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

FOOLS GOLD?

*Zoleka, a single mother, dug up two buckets of soil believed to have traces of gold and managed to made enough money to buy her kids food and nappies. She was among dozens of residents of Gugulethu section in Payneville, Springs, on the East Rand,...

FLUSH ARMY OUT TO ZAMA-ZAMAS

President Cyril Ramaphosa has resolved to deploy soldiers to communities under siege from illegal mining activities in Gauteng and gangsters in the Western Cape. Ramaphosa made the announcement during his state of the nation address (Sona) before the...

Police members rehearse

as they prepare for the 2026 state of the nation address by President Cyril Ramaphosa in Cape Town this evening.

DRY OF BELOVED DARKNESS CITY

Days without a reliable water supply, the reliance on tankers for the precious liquid, hundreds of rand spent on petrol and diesel for generators, and mounting business losses have become part of daily life for some Johannesburg residents. Service...

EMPTY SCHOOL PROMISES IN RUINS FOR

Ceilings collapsing during lessons, more than 100 pupils squeezed into a single classroom and lessons taking place on a veranda or under a tree. This is the dire state of affairs at Mpfariseni Secondary School in Thohoyandou — one of 1,800 Limpopo...

GIRLFRIEND ALLOWANCE OR COOL DRINK?

Six months after Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala secured a R350m SAPS tender, he allegedly sent R38,000 to his “girlfriend”, who is tasked with overseeing the implementation of the same tender he had just scored. A month later, in February, he charmed her with...

STEENHUISEN EXIT SPARKS CONTEST

The announcement by DA leader John Steenhuisen that he would not seek re-election has sparked a leadership race to succeed him that could see Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis competing against Gauteng provincial leader Solly Msimanga. The two...

RESIDENTS STATE FAILURES BRIDGE

● Told by municipality that there’s no money, Vaal community helped by a businessman, construct pedestrian crossing over a dangerous stream ● A group of pensioners tired of sewage stench, take matters into their hands to fix their sewerage system...

AT LOGGERHEADS

The fight in the police top brass took a dramatic turn at the weekend with a public fallout between KZN police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and provincial Hawks head Maj-Gen Lesetja Senona. The drama between Mkhwanazi and Senona escalated...

MADLANGA STINGS

The head of the Hawks in KwaZulu-Natal suspects that the theft of 541kg of cocaine with an estimated street value of R200m from a Hawks storage facility was an inside job, saying he suspects they were “sold out” by an insider. Maj-Gen Lesetja Senona...

EXPOSED

The Madlanga Commission has used WhatsApp chats to demonstrate that KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Maj-Gen Lesetja Senona still maintained a questionable relationship with alleged drug cartel member Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala. This was despite learning that...

HOW TURNED GUN FATAL TEST

A woman charged with the murder of a five-year-old boy was allegedly testing the gun inside her yard when a shot went off and a bullet struck the child. This is according to neighbours who rushed to the scene where little Obakeng Minyuku lay bleeding...

TESTIMONY WIILL THIIS MCHUNU? SIINK

Suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu allegedly interfered with investigations into the cases of ward councillors, coerced a witness to lie to the Madlanga commission and tried to implicate the crime intelligence boss in the killing of Sindiso...

INSIDE SCHOOL INVADED BY ZAMA-ZAMAS

Residents of a mining village near Carletonville, west of Johannesburg, are pleading for government’s intervention to rid their area of illegal miners who seized an abandoned school seven years ago and turned it into no-go zone. Locals in the village...

A DISORDER WEEK OF

A vehicle transporting school children bursting into flames; a bakkie crashing into a bus ferrying 109 pupils; 60 vehicles impounded; and the driver behind the deadly scholar transport crash in the Vaal charged with 14 murders. These are the troubling...

New ticketing system hiccups

Spectators who attended Tuesday’s league fixture between Kaizer Chiefs and Golden Arrows at FNB Stadium couldn’t hide their frustration at the venue’s new ticketing system, with many calling for it to be scrapped as they fear the delays it caused could...

ZAMA-ZAMA 600 FLEE HOMES TERROR,

Violence and extortion by zama-zamas forced more than 400 families to flee the Sporong informal settlement in Randfontein to a community hall, where they now live under cramped and unhygienic conditions. Thirteen days ago, more than 600 people left...

CATASTROPHE

The body of 45-year-old Esther Mathenjwa, who was swept away in a stream on Wednesday night, has been recovered by community members in Msholozi village outside Mbombela in Mpumalanga. Mathenjwa was returning home at about 9pm when she was overpowered...

HEROES BEHIND MATRIC SUCCESS

Lerato Ramabodu is on cloud nine after nailing another 100% pass rate in physical science for his matric class of 2025. This is a feat he has achieved since 2017 when he started teaching the subject. Ramabodu, 31, was born in Phomolong near Hennenman...

FAMILIES PUSHED TO THE BRINK

CYRIL FLIES INTO SERVICE DELIVERY MESS

ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday questioned his team on whether the homes he was made to visit during his door-to-door in Rustenburg were not told what to say to him prior to his arrival. Although he said it in jest, Ramaphosa – confronted with...

‘Don’t worry, US will not invade SA’

President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has a tense relationship with US president Donald Trump over the claims of a “white genocide” in SA, says he’s not worried about any possible invasion by the US. This comes after the US conducted a military strike...

RAMAPHOSA UNSCATHED EMERGES

President Cyril Ramaphosa used the closing session of the ANC’s national general council (NGC) to defend the party’s decision to continue the government of national unity (GNU), warning that elements within the coalition were attempting to dilute the...

SANDLANA'S 3 IDs LEAP OF FAITH

Mike Sandlana, the leader of a faction of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC) – whose nationality is also a subject of police investigation – has three dubious IDs, one registered on a date that does not exist. These revelations were...

DUMPSITE ALEX’S CARS, BODIES FOR

Bodies, an abandoned Ferrari, and a money safe left behind by criminals. These are some of the peculiar discoveries previously made at the notorious rubbish dumping site in Alexandra, where a vehicle linked to Witness D’s killing was found this...

HOW LAWYER SCAMMED HOMEBUYERS

A disbarred lawyer who is accused of scamming prospective home buyers of their hard-earned money is now facing five more charges related to fraud and is said to be a person of interest in at least 20 other cases. Emoldah Manamela, a former...

IN THE KNOW, ON THE MOVE

The South African men’s team, the Blitzbok, celebrate winning the men’s final of the HSBC SVNS Cape Town at DHL Stadium yesterday. SA narrowly beat Argentina 21-19 in the final.

President Ramaphosa Rand Water commended

President Ramaphosa commended Rand Water for its "excellent, proficient, and effective work," and congratulated the team for creating 871 jobs and training 2,000 community members in construction and other skills #TellingTheRandWaterGreatStories

HOW MKHWANAZI GAVE CAT FREE PASS

Suspended Ekurhuleni metro police department (EMPD) deputy chief Brig Julius Mkhwanazi has admitted to the Madlanga commission he entered into an agreement with attempted murder accused and tenderpreneur Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala without any...

Suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu, chats with his legal team led by Adv Tembeka Ngcukaitobi at the Madlanga commission in Pretoria.

Suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu started his testimony at the Madlanga commission yesterday by saying he has never been accused of corruption until July 6. On that Sunday morning, Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, in a media briefieng, told the nation...

TWO FAMILIES’ DREAMS SHATTERED

Plans were afoot for slain Const Maselelo Montja to conclude lobola negotiations on December 6, where there would be celebration and joy. His family and that of his partner had planned that after negotiations were finalised, there would be a huge...

CYRIL CALLS TRUMP BLUFF ON G20

“We must make it clear that South Africa is one of the founding members of the G20, and South Africa is therefore a member of the G20 in its own name and right. We will continue to participate as a full, active and constructive member of the...

ADMITS, DENIES, FORGETS

“No, no, no. I can’t remember. If that’s what you say. I don’t agree.” These words of denial, disagreement and claims of amnesia themed tenderpreneur and attempted murder accused Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s testimony at the ad hoc committee probing...

CAT LOOK DRAGGED WHAT THE IN

Tenderpreneur and attempted murder accused Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala has accused Bheki Cele of lying and claimed he had given the former police minister R500,000 in cash. Matlala told the parliamentary ad hoc committee sitting at Kgosi Mampuru II...

FIGHT VICTIM’S IN FLOODWATERS 15-HOUR

One of the divers who rescued a woman after she spent more than 12 hours clinging to a branch of a tree in an overflowing Free State river says she was barely hanging on, with her entire body submerged and only her face above the water. Phuthaditjhaba...

‘MOM, WE’RE LOSING HOPE’

“We are getting by, even though it’s painful, but hope is starting to disappear.” This is part of a voice note that an MK Party military training recruit sent to his 69-year-old mother, Phumla Zuma, on WhatsApp after finding himself being deployed in...

TEEN TAKES OWN LIFE AFTER ABUSE

A grieving Mpumalanga father has been left with unanswered questions after his 16-year-old daughter took her life shortly after telling him that she had just been sexually assaulted. In addition to having to deal with his daughter’s suicide, he ended...

‘YOU‘RE FIT, CAN BE MAKOTI’

“You are fit and you would make a perfect makoti for my family.” This is what a grade 10 teacher allegedly told one of his pupils repeatedly during class at Boksburg High School in Ekurhuleni last year. The comments led to the teacher’s dismal...

MKHWANAZI’S SHIELD CRUMBLES

Almost a year after Ekurhuleni police boss Brig Julius Mkhwanazi was charged with dishonesty and entering into questionable deals with tenderpreneur Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, a report commissioned by the metro whitewashed the serious charges he was...

HOW FIRE WIPED OUT TEEN’S FAMILY

Hours after a fire ravaged his home, killing his parents and three siblings, the 19-year-old sole survivor spent yesterday morning sifting through the ashes trying to salvage whatever he could from the rubble that once was his family home. Among the...

SURGE IN POLITICAL KILLINGS

In the days leading up to his killing, KwaZulu-Natal’s Mandeni councillor Phendukani Mabhida had written a letter to the council alleging corruption. He would later receive a threatening call, warning him his days were numbered. In the letter which...

EMFULENI SEWAGE SPILL THREAT TO JOBS

A collapsed sewer line is threatening operations of businesses in Emfuleni in the Vaal with one owner revealing this week that he stands to lose his chicken franchise license owing to poor hygienic conditions in the premises where he operates. The...

BABY LABOUR DIES ROOM FROM FALL

A Soweto mother is demanding justice after her newborn baby died just nine days after she gave birth, claiming it was due to negligence by clinic staff. Phumla Gubudela alleges that a nurse at Zola Clinic instructed her to stand up during the last...

MOGOTSI’S STAGE FRIGHT

It was just after 9pm on Monday night when a couple sitting outside their home in Vosloorus witnessed a red Chevrolet travelling at high speed suddenly went off the road and screeched to a halt in an open space. Moments later, the sole occupant of the...

PAROLEE DEMANDS TAXIS PAY ‘PROTECTION FEE’

A convicted criminal on parole has been accused of extorting taxi drivers in Bronkhorstspruit, a town 50km east of Pretoria, and making them pay R30 for every load of passengers they pick up at the taxi rank. The taxi drivers, who are members of the...

World Cup heartbreak for Proteas

India beat SA by 52 runs to win the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup final last night, writing their way into the history books by winning their first title. Chasing 299, SA looked in contention at one stage, but Deepti Sharma’s breakthrough sparked a...

WORKER ELECTRICAL SHOCK SPARKS HOSPITAL PROTEST

Fed-up kitchen staff at the Sebokeng Hospital in Gauteng downed tools yesterday after one of their colleagues was shocked allegedly by an exposed live electrical wire while washing pots. Their protest forced the hospital CEO, Dr Peter Motlhaoleng, and...

UNHOLY HEIST

A day before robbers pulled an audicious robbery at the Bryanston Methodist Church, worshippers had gathered for a Rhona service Malihambe! — a thanksgiving where congregants pledged thousands of rands in offerings. This is according to insiders who...

R310M RANK GETS INCOMPLETE R46M

After spending R310.7m for building a double storey taxi rank that remains unusable 14 years later, the Limpopo government has committed another R46.9m for its completion. The facility in the Thohoyandou CBD, billed a “game-changer that would enhance...

42 STAFF TO TEST 29 000 GUNS

Because of the staggering backlog of ballistic testing staff, it took police over a year to link five guns to nearly 30 serious crimes, including more than 20 murders, two attempted murders and four cash-in-transit robberies. The murders include that...

Queen Qhawe takes crown for kids with learning difficulties

Qhawekazi Mazaleni from Gonubie, East London, was crowned Miss SA at the weekend. In her first interview as the titleholder, she speaks to Sowetan about her plans: Sowetan: How was it like waking up this morning (Sunday)? Mazaleni: It only started to...

CELE LINKS MATLALA TO MCHUNU’S PRESIDENTIAL BID

ANC succession battles have been thrust into the centre of allegations of corruption among the police’s top brass. This comes after former police minister Bheki Cele revealed that his successor Senzo Mchunu’s political ambitions to become ANC...

SHUT LESUFI DOWN WAS AMAPANYAZA PUSHED TO

The now dissolved Gauteng Crime Prevention Wardens (CPW), also known as Amapanyaza, did not have powers to exercise police work. The Gauteng government acted outside the law in establishing the law enforcement unit. This is the view of the Public...

MENTAL HEALTH TOLL SPARKS TEACHER EXODUS

At least 60 Gauteng educators cited mental health issues for taking early retirement between 2023 and 2024, while 1,599 across SA quit early due to ill-health and stress during the same period. The Gauteng education department said at least 261...