Sowetan

FATIGUED WORKER DIES AT OFFICE...

● Aunt says her call centre agent niece collapsed and died in the work toilet after falling ill ● She ended up calling the ambulance for Dhladhla as her manager at Cartrack allegedly delayed sending her to the hospital

INSIDE INSURERS SCAM TARGETING PENSIONERS

● Lobby group helps victims who thought they gave their ID numbers for free food offer to people who claimed to be Sassa officials

‘HAWKS IGNORED DRUGS HEIST WARNING'

● Col Jacob tells Madlanga inquiry his unit neglected securing R200m cocaine after attempted break-in at storage ● Investigating officer in the 541kg narcotics haul at Durban port admits partial blame for the missing drugs

RESIDENTS TO PAY FOR JOBURG FAILURES

Johannesburg residents will soon pay a fixed water levy of about R124 a month as Joburg Water scrambles to raise billions needed for infrastructure upgrades. The proposed increase in the fixed connection fee planned to start in July, on top of the...

TOUGH AHEAD TIMES

President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged South Africans to tighten their belts, saying the attack by the US and Israel on Iran continues to disrupt the global economy, hampering job creation and economic growth. Delivering the Presidency Budget Vote in the...

EVICT NO MONEY ‘HIJACKERS’ TO

Johannesburg is too broke to afford rehousing occupants of 59 hijacked buildings it has reclaimed. The city has been on a clean-up campaign to take control of hijacked buildings and demolish illegal structures, and still faces the mammoth task of...

BAFANA’S WORLD CUP VISA LIFELINE

● Minister McKenzie reveals breakthrough for group to travel after initial setback with few travel approvals outstanding

R6M ‘MY STOLEN MANSION’ ID BOUGHT

Four months after illegally registering a shell company using a stolen ID, Oscar Nobungwana, 33, received almost R8m from a businessman allegedly at the centre of a syndicate linked to the looting of R2bn from Tembisa Hospital. The Special...

OUR TEAM, OUR PRIDE

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has conceded trimming his squad from 32 to 26 for the Fifa World Cup was the most difficult task he’s had to do. Broos broke hearts of six players by leaving them out of the squad which leaves for the World cup this...

Downs paint Mamelodi yellow

Mamelodi Sundowns players went on an open bus tour through the streets of Pretoria yesterday, celebrating winning the CAF Champions League trophy in Morocco on Sunday./Muzi

MOGOTSI’S ‘BROWN LIES’

● Self-proclaimed political fixer gave police runaround when they sought him to give a statement on his alleged assassination attempt ● Court hears how he avoided calls from investigators, claimed to be seeing a doctor, later a sangoma before a...

TRUCK WATER WARNING

More than R314m has been spent by Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni on outsourced water tanker services over the past three financial years. As Gauteng faces water infrastructure maintenance later this month, in June and July, more water trucking services...

I-WEEKEND ENKULU!

SATURDAY Orlando Pirates' last chance to win the Premiership for the first time in 14 years. The Soweto giants need victory over relegation-threatened Orbit College. Anything less would mean Mamelodi Sundowns are crowned PSL champs again — for the 9th...

TAINTED LEADER ANC RUN FOR WON’T MAYOR

As the ANC opened its public nomination for the selection of mayoral candidates, embattled Tshwane ANC regional chairperson Eugene Modise has recused himself from the race for mayoral chains. Deputy mayor Modise’s withdrawal, though not yet nominated...

DADA SENDS S.O.S. TO MINISTER

Joburg mayor Dada Morero has made a desperate plea to electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa to save the city from being plunged into darkness due rising Eskom debt. Morero is set to meet Ramokgopa before the end of the month to come up with a...

ESKOM’S TO UNPLUG THREAT JOZI

Eskom’s renewed threat to plunge Joburg into darkness over R5.2bn debt will have dire consequences on residents and businesses. The power utility has given the city until July 8 to clear its arrears and debt or face disconnections. This means...

Downs one match from Africa champs crown

Mamelodi Sundowns have one hand on the CAF Champions League title after their hard-fought 1-0 win over AS FAR in the first leg here yesterday. Aubrey Modiba scored the only goal in the first half, and Masandawana will take a 1-0 lead to Morocco in the...

SEKUSELE KANCANE

● If Soweto giants win against Durban City tomorrow they’ll grab gold medals ahead of Sundowns who play Champs League final on Sunday

JOE FERRARI’S ‘RULE OF FEAR’

For three years, taxi boss Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni allegedly extorted protection fees from a mine owner using fear and intimidation. This is the state’s case against the 60-year-old Sibanyoni, who is feared by many in his community. He appeared...

DA READY TO RISK GNU COLLAPS

DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis has insisted that his party cannot be expected to shield President Cyril Ramaphosa from the Phala Phala controversy. He said the party would not cower to external pressure, even if their refusal meant the collapse of the...

WOUNDED ‘BUFFALO’ FIGHTS ON

● He announces plans to take the battle to court to have the the Section 89 independent panel report set aside

WHY PKTT POUNCED ON TOP COPS

The weekend arrests of Feroz Khan, head of crime counter intelligence, and Gauteng hawks head Maj-Gen Ebrahim Kadwa is linked to their alleged interference with a Durban businessman’s arrest in 2021. According to Sowetan sources, in May 2021 law...

WAGE DADA'S HEADACHE R10BN

● Samwu mulls strike action against City of Joburg after finance minister pulled the plug on hefty pay hike for employees ● Mayor Morero to plead for funds to avert crisis in a hastily arranged meeting with Godongwana today

R24m TOILET RIP—OFF

More than 20 families are forced to share two communal toilets they built themselves, while the state spent R24m on 30 nearby ablution facilities they can’t use. The Gauteng human settlements department confirmed yesterday that it had spent over...

SA ON HIGH ALERT

The National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) says it has teams on standby monitoring areas in danger of being flooded because they are experiencing heavy rains and is ready to respond to any eventuality. This comes as the SA Weather Service (SAWS)...

DON’T PANIC

The national department of health and experts have urged the public not to panic over fears of possibly contracting hantavirus as it is not “easily” transmitted from human to human. This comes after two passengers, a husband and wife, died after...

12 SURVIVING IN THE MONTHS DARK

It has been a year since 46 households at Ebony Park Phase 1, in Midrand, last had electricity. Residents said they are suffering financial strain as a result — one resident pays R500 a week for gas, and another paid R40,000 for a solar power...

Bellarmine Mugabe, son of late Zimbabwean president, walks out of the Alexandra magistrate's court after his deportation order was made yesterday.

Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe has been fined R600,000 and will be deported to his hometown in Zimbabwe after a shooting at the family’s property in Hyde Park, Johannesburg. His cousin, Tobias Matondze, was ordered to serve jail time by the Alexandra...

CORRUPTION EKURHULENI CRACKDOWN

Ekurhuleni city manager Kagiso Lerutla is believed to be the senior official who was arrested yesterday. According to sources who spoke to the Sowetan on condition of anonymity, Lerutla is expected to appear at the Boksburg magistrate’s court today...

JUJU'S FREEDOM FIGHT

662 USED GHOST TO LOOT WORKERS UIF

Only a R74 balance remained in Nikluis Manuel’s bank account five years after he used 662 ghost workers to claim R19.1m for Covid-19 employee relief fund. Manuel allegedly used bogus documents to swindle the Temporary Employee-Employer Relief Scheme...

WILL MALEMA DODGE THE BULLET?

EFF leader Julius Malema has urged his supporters not to panic as he’s willing to fight tooth and nail to avoid going to jail as he awaits his fate. Speaking to eNCA last night in KuGompo (East London), Eastern Cape, where he’s due to appear for...

INSIDE NKOSI'S 'STOLEN' DOCKETS

The state has accused police sergeant Fannie Nkosi of stealing closed dockets that he hid at his home, suggesting he closed the cases to frustrate investigations. Nkosi was arrested after the discovery of six dockets at his home. The dockets were...

NEW ERA FOR DA AS HILL-LEWIS TAKES OVER THE REINS AS PARTY LEADER

Newly elected DA federal chairperson Solly Msimanga and new party leader Geordin Hill-Lewis raise hands at the party federal congress at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand yesterday.

MNISI’S LIFE OF BLING

Gareth Mnisi, the man who is alleged to have manipulated tenders in the City of Tshwane, lived a life of luxury, amassing wealth that a high court has found he has been dishonest about. Yesterday, the Tshwane CFO made a brief appearance at the...

MEASLY 15-YEAR PAYOUTS WAIT FOR

Denis Mutugue, 64, worked for the Aurora Gold Mine for 27 years, earning a salary of R1,718 until the company collapsed in 2011. Since then, he’s been waiting for his R10,993 severance package, which he hopes will significantly change his family’s...

WHY WERE HEIST DOCKETS AT HIS HOME?

When police raided Sgt Fannie Nkosi’s Pretoria home, they found cash-in-transit (CIT) and hijacking dockets that had been closed because there were no leads. According to national police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe, the dockets were illegally in...

EASTER MADNESS

In just three days of the 2026 Easter holidays, traffic officer arrested almost 1,000 drunk drivers on SA roads. According to Simon Zwane from the Road Traffic Management Corporation, the staggering 934 arrests made from Thursaday to Saturday were 263...

EFF TAKES OVER GAUTENG TREASURY

Julius Malema’s EFF has for the first time entered the provincial government - with Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi announcing Nkululeko Dunga as finance MEC. Dunga is the EFF’s first MEC since its inception, a move that could change the political...

PARAFFIN USERS TO NOW PAY DOUBLE

More than 500,000 households that rely on paraffin as a source of energy are set to bear the brunt of record high fuel increases announced yesterday. This after the price of paraffin more than doubled, rising by R11,67 per litre to R23,19. The...

SHOCK TAXI FARE HIKES ON THE CARDS

Taxi associations are preparing to hike their fares this week and pass the cost of fuel increases on to consumers already hard-pressed by the high cost of living. Bus operators have also warned that they would be looking to government subsidies to...

SHIELD CITIZENS FROM FUEL HIKES

President Cyril Ramaphosa has directed finance minister Enoch Godongwana and a cabinet task team to find ways to cushion South Africans from the looming fuel hike that kicks in from the beginning of April. Ramaphosa told delegates at the ANC Limpopo...

ANC ELECTIONS FACE COURT DILEMMA

The ANC in the Eastern Cape will proceed with its high-stakes provincial elective conference this weekend despite a high court interdict and threats of contempt of court proceedings. The party confirmed late yesterday that it would go ahead with the...

DISORDER STATE OF

The country’s security cluster has been plunged further into crisis after national police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola was summoned to appear in court next month over the R360m health tender awarded to Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala. Experts say this...

CHARGE FRESH BID SODI’S TO ENABLERS

● City says labour court judgment enables the matter to be properly addressed after initial process found group guilty on just one charge

President Cyril Ramaphosa participating

in the final sendoff of the remains of 63 Khoi and San people during a ceremony held at Steinkopf, Northern Cape, yesterday.

FUELS LOOMING BULK BUYING HIKE

With a week to go before the expected record fuel price hike, demand for diesel has surged in parts of Gauteng with reported bulk buying and stock-piling in some areas. Motorists are bracing for steep increases in April, with projections of up to...

SABC presenter Vusiwe Ngcobo helps coach Hugo Broos with fresh air during the Bafana Bafana squad announcement at SABC Studios in Johannesburg yesterday.

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has defended his inclusion of Orlando Pirates skipper Nkosinathi Sibisi in his final squad to face Panama, suggesting the criticism the 30-year-old defender has been subjected to of late was unfair. Bafana will face...

METROS CUTS POWER TO 36 INDEBTED SCHOOLS

At least 36 schools in Gauteng have had their electricity disconnected due to nonpayment, while more than hundred others have been served with letters to cut them off. Ekurhuleni metro municipality has sent notices to disconnect electricity to 138...

COPS VANISH, STATION STRIPPED

Residents of a North West township have to travel to town to report incidents of crime or certify documents because their police station has ceased to operate. The satellite station in Boikhutsong, outside Lichtenburg, first abandoned by police, is...

‘HIRED TO DO A CLEAN JOB’

Target shooting, military-style training and trips to overseas shooting training competitions for elite police. This is how Matipandile Sotheni, 42, the man accused of murdering Marius van der Merwe, identified as Witness D at the Madlanga commission...

EX-SAPS TASK FORCE MEMBER ARRESTED

An alleged shooter of Witness D has been identified as a former member of the elite SAPS task force and his marksmanship is believed to have linked him to the murder. The suspect was arrested on Saturday by the task team investigating allegations that...

LUXURY SPLURGE ON CAT’S MONEY?

Days after receiving a “loan” from Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala, suspended police organised crime boss Maj-Gen Richard Shibiri went to Sandton, where he splurged on designer sneakers and sandals. This was revealed at the Madlanga commission yesterday, where...

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...