The Lowvelder
Zama zamas are untouchable, say residents
SCHOEMANSKLOOF - “A law unto themselves.” This is how locals in the Montrose area describe the zama zamas operating in the picturesque Schoemanskloof Valley - not only because of their illegal mining activities, but also due to the alleged pollution...
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Wet weather wreaks havoc in the Lowveld
MBOMBELA - This past festive season will be remembered as one of the wettest in recent history, and fears are mounting that more heavy rain in the coming week could cause widespread chaos. The South African Weather Service (SAWS) confirmed last year...
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10 buses destroyed by fire in Barberton
BARBERTON - Buscor commuter services in the area will not be disrupted, despite 10 buses being destroyed by fire in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Police and forensic investigators have launched an investigation to assess the extent of the...
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Vrou se wrede dood skok gemeenskap
MBOMBELA - Die wrede moord op Karin van Aardt (64) op 5 Desember in Kaapstad het skokgolwe deur die Laeveld gestuur en ’n stroom huldeblyke vir die geliefde oudonderwyseres en inwoner van Bateleur ontketen. Karin en haar man, Herman, was op pad na...
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Man shot dead outside SummerBlaze festival
MBOMBELA - The fourth annual 013 SummerBlaze music festival drew more than 50 000 people to Mbombela Stadium over the weekend, but the celebrations ended in tragedy when Calvin Kunene (25) was shot dead outside the venue early on Sunday...
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Lowveld community rallies behind Picasso’s
On Sunday the festive hum of conversation filled Picasso’s Mexican Taqueria as diners gathered for a sold-out performance by Black Mamba Man. As is always the case on Sundays, the vibe was great. It would, however, only last so long as hours later the...
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Game relocated for Marloth conservation
MARLOTH PARK - More than 1 000 wild animals were relocated in October as part of an urgent effort to restore balance in the drought-stricken holiday town and wildlife sanctuary. For years, Marloth Park has struggled with severe overpopulation. The 3...
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DIRTY DIESEL
KOMATIPOORT - According to a Lowveld fuel retailer who spoke to Lowvelder on strict condition of anonymity, fuel fraud involving adulterated diesel and underdeclared duties has become rampant along the South Africa-Mozambique trade corridor. It was...
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Tswale goes from cage to command
PATERSON - A match made in heaven. This is how Loodt Büchner, the owner of the Bellevue Forest Reserve, situated in the Eastern Cape, described the integration of Tswale into his new environment on Tuesday. “This was meant to be, and the whole process...
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Local tourism takes hit amid flight halt
MBOMBELA - Flight operations at KMI Airport were severely disrupted this week after South Africa’s Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) failed to meet critical regulatory deadlines required to maintain the validity of instrument flight...
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Bafana Bafana seal 2026 World Cup berth
MBOMBELA - Trailing Benin by two log points in Group C of the CAF section of World Cup qualifiers, and needing a favour from Nigeria against the group-toppers, the odds of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup weren’t entirely in Bafana Bafana’s...
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The Lowveld’s warrior traverses the Gobi
Damien Kühn proved just how much of a warrior he is when, on Tuesday, he completed the Ultra Gobi 400 Race - an unsupported 400km ultra-endurance race through China’s harsh Gobi Desert. Kühn finished the race in just over four days, placing within the...
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Fred Daniel awarded R306m in damages
PRETORIA - In a landmark ruling handed down by Judge Neil Tuchten in the Gauteng High Court on Tuesday, former deputy president, the late David Mabuza, was implicated in a co-ordinated campaign that sabotaged a major conservation and tourism initiative...
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Court drops Joubert’s murder charge
MBOMBELA - The murder charge against Sonell Joubert (43) was struck off the roll by the Tonga Magistrate’s Court on Monday following the prosecution’s unsuccessful application for a further postponement to continue investigations. This was confirmed...
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EK IS NIE DOOD NIE!
MALALANE - Zietta Janse van Rensburg se ma leef. In hofstuk na hofstuk en korrespondensie, herhaal Janse van Rensburg die leuen dat haar ma dood is, en Isabel Barnard is moeg daarvoor. In April vanjaar het Janse van Rensburg Laevelder ingesluit in...
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Finally free: Tswale finally finds his forever home after 20 years
MBOMBELA - He now lives at Bellevue Forest Reserve, where he has successfully integrated with wild elephants and has found a herd to call home. Tswale spent more than 20 years at Lowhill Farm, where he was used for educational purposes and human...
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Safety volunteers pay the price for heroism
MALALANE - The tragic death of two safety volunteers, Zelma D’Hollander and Donovan Prince, while assisting at an accident scene along the N4 over the weekend, has shocked the community. The volunteers responded to the scene where a truck had...
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Egpaar sterf in ’n motorfietsongeluk
MBOMBELA - Die gemeenskap rou ná ’n motorfietsongeluk Saterdag, 16 Augustus, op die Sudwala-Sabiepad, die lewens van Thys (57) en Liz Smith (61) geëis het. Die egpaar van 20 jaar het aan ’n motorfietsbyeenkoms deelgeneem - ’n fondsinsameling wat deur...
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Stakeholders and MEC discuss Panorama Route maintenance
MBOMBELA - A promising meeting took place on Monday, August 11, when the MEC of the Mpumalanga Department of Economic Development and Tourism (Dedet), Jesta Sidell, the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA), and the Kruger Lowveld Chamber of...
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Young woman found 10 hours after crash
MBOMBELA - The first thing Xolani Mthembu did when he spotted someone lying in the grass behind a tree was check for a pulse. “And when I saw her chest move slightly, I knew she was alive and needed urgent help,” he recalled. The woman he found was...
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Springboks remain
Mbombela Stadium remains a happy hunting ground for the Springboks after they dismantled Georgia on Saturday in the final test of the Castle Lager Incoming Series. The Boks seem to kick into a different gear when they come knocking on Mbombela...
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Kolisi’s back for the Boks
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi was named on Tuesday in Rassie Erasmus’ side for the upcoming test against Georgia, marking his return to the side for the first time this year. Kolisi will be seven tests away from reaching the 100-test milestone after...
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Suiwer genot in die hart van die Laeveld
Elke aspek, van die kunsuitstallings tot die klank, die produksies, die kos, die vermaak vir die kinders, en natuurlik daardie reusagtige skerm agter die hoofverhoog met SA se grootste name, is met noukeurigheid en passie saamgestel om ’n onvergeetlike...
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Innibos vier 21 jaar van lekkerte - bederf feesgangers stukkend
MBOMBELA - Met ’n feestelike seremoniële afskop by Hoërskool Bergvlam, het die Toyota Innibos Laeveld Nasionale Kunstefees Dinsdagaand amptelik begin. Die opening, met Leah Mabuza, die LUR van kultuur, sport en ontspanning as spreker, was nie net ’n...
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A town in turmoil
WHITE RIVER - The quiet streets of this Lowveld town were stirred by protests and tension on Wednesday morning as Marco Schalekamp (41) appeared in the White River Magistrate’s Court for a bail application. He stands accused of fatally shooting Pieter...
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Shooting suspect surrenders to police
WHITE RIVER - The man, allegedly at the centre of a recent shooting, Marco Schalekamp (42), handed himself over to police on June 17. He faces charges of murder and attempted murder following the fatal shooting of Pieter Burger and the critical...
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WITRIVIER MOORD Pa vra geregtigheid na seun se dood
WITRIVIER - “Hy was my beste pêl my hero, en alles wat ek wens ek kon gewees het.” Só het Pieter Burger sy seun wat hy verlede Donderdag in die ouderdom van 21 aan die dood moes afstaan, beskryf. Pieter Burger jr. is in die vroeë oggendure noodlottig...
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Clash at court heightens tensions in assault case
WHITE RIVER - A chance meeting in the corridors of White River Magistrate’s Court’s on Monday, led to a tense confrontation between Magistrate Thomas Sibuyi and Barend Byliefeldt, a central figure in an ongoing assault case. Byliefeldt was in court to...
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Jenna Clifford
WHITE RIVER - A Lowveld gem with a larger-than-life personality, Jenna Clifford, was laid to rest at an intimate life celebration at her farm next to Longmere Dam on Tuesday. With only her closest friends and family present, Clifford was buried in...
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Vulture poisonings an ecological crisis
MARLOTH PARK - A devastating wave of vulture poisonings is ravaging the Lowveld, with 102 vultures found dead in Lionspruit Reserve on May 18. This followed just two weeks after 123 vultures perished in the Kruger National Park. Conservationists fear...
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Brutal Farm assault
RENOSTERKOP - A 73-year-old pensioner narrowly escaped with his life after a brutal attack that left him with severe head trauma. Jan Jurgens (74) and his wife, Antoinette (72), live on a farm along the Uitkyk Road. On Monday, at around 18:45, Jan was...
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CITY’S SPENDING UNDER SIU REVIEW
MBOMBELA - Allegations of financial mismanagement in the municipality have been under scrutiny for several years. Concerns over corruption, fraud, irregular tender processes, maladministration and violations of the Municipal Finance Management Act...
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Tswale roams free
Tswale, the renowned Mpumalanga elephant, is thriving at an undisclosed location. His handler and keeper of the past 21 years, Amos Jivendava, told Lowvelder on Tuesday during an exclusive visit, that Tswale is ‘in paradise’.
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Beloved Divergent officer dies a hero
MBOMBELA - The tragic killing of Bongani Matenjwa, a Divergent Ops armed reaction officer, has sent shockwaves through the community. Matenjwa (32), who joined the security company just two months ago, was fatally shot at Riverside Mall while pursuing...
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TRAGEDY ON N4
Above: The scene of the accident. Insert: Aqhama Mnconywa with her mother Akhona, who died in the accident.
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Cops crack down on illegal gold mining
MBOMBELA - The police task team deployed to combat illegal mining had massive successes during the past week when no less than 91 suspects were arrested in Operation Vala Umgodi. The first breakthrough came last Thursday when 37 suspects were arrested...
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Survivor encourages others to speak out
MBOMBELA - When Stefny-Ann du Preez was 15, she moved to the city to live with her father, Lourens’ new family, excited for a fresh start. Little did she know that on January 20, 2018, life as she knew it would change forever. “During December 2017,...
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Butterflies steal the spotlight at stadium
MBOMBELA - In what can only be described as nature’s audacious protest against organised sports, Mbombela Stadium witnessed an unprecedented flutter of events during the SA Cup clash between the Airlink Pumas and the Toyota Cheetahs. On Human Rights...
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GRIP faces great financial challenges
MBOMBELA - “We are navigating our ship in the dark and there is no lighthouse.” This is how GRIP’s CEO, Tarryn Lokotsch, described the current state of affairs due to the loss of funding. GRIP has lost 52% of its annual funding, which amounts to about...
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Man killed in case of ‘mistaken identity’
CORK - Dr Ezrom Mathumbu, a politician, pastor and former manager in the Kruger National Park (KNP), was tragically killed on March 5 in what is suspected to be a case of mistaken identity. The incident occurred near Cork Village while Mathumbu was...
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SARS blamed for lack of winners’ payment
Last year he told his organising committee and the suppliers that the sponsorship funds were in the trust account of an attorney. However, he refused to tell Lowvelder which attorney. One of the reasons he gave when he could not fulfil his financial...
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JOUBERT’S LATEST EVIDENCE FAILS TO SWAY COURT
STRYDOM BLOK - Murder-accused Sonell Joubert (43) was denied bail in the Tonga Magistrate’s Court on Monday. Magistrate Ningi Neko delivered the judgment during Joubert’s fourth appearance since Jurgens Nel’s body was found on Lowhills Farm on...
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35 Kruger rhinos killed so far in 2025
SKUKUZA - More than 35 rhinos have already been poached for their horns in the Kruger National Park since the beginning of this year. A black rhino bull was killed near Paul Kruger Gate on Saturday morning at about 08:00. The criminals are ingenious,...
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Mystery of Jurgens Nel’s death deepens
TONGA - The death of Jurgens Nel, who was found dead (allegedly murdered) in his room on the farm Lowhills, and a voicenote he had sent a week before his death, have left more questions than answers. The Onderberg community has been in shock since...
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Two brutal farm attacks at Hilltop
MBOMBELA - Two neighbouring families are reeling from two traumatic house robberies that recently took place on a Hilltop farm. As if that was not enough, another house was burgled on the same day as one of the robberies. One of the two victims of one...
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Guest house owner will not drop charges
MARLOTH PARK - “I don’t have anything to do with that woman!” So Juan Viljoen, a ‘fiancé’ and roommate of the notorious ‘Marloth swindler’, Larissa Maritz, told Lowvelder earlier this week. For the last few years, Maritz has been on many people’s...
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‘Vrek Ferreira’ lets patients down again
MBOMBELA - Rob Ferreira Hospital is facing serious allegations of mistreatment, with numerous patients and their families stepping forward to voice their grievances. This wave of allegations follows an exposé by Lowvelder about troubling experiences...
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Marloth ‘scammer’ creates holiday hell
MARLOTH PARK - “All of us have a history. If I were guilty, my *ss would have been in jail by now.” These were apparently the words of this holiday village’s notorious ‘swindler’, Larissa Maritz, as she tried to convince the visitors who had bookings...
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Festive bloodbath for Kruger rhinos
KRUGER PARK - A staggering 27% of all rhinos poached in the Kruger National Park last year is understood to have been slaughtered in December. Three of these were slaughtered for their horns around Christmas, and another at New Year’s Eve, leaving two...
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Norris roars to glory
Veteran Shaun Norris enjoys his moment in the sun with the Alfred Dunhill Championship trophy, becoming the 10th South African to win this coveted title. He and 152 other professionals battled the heat and stiff competition at Leopard Creek Country...
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Fire Station doused
MBOMBELA - Residents living in the jurisdiction of the City of Mbombela (CoM) are facing potential disasters following the attachment of some of the municipality’s firefighting vehicles. With the festive season in full swing, it remains to be seen...
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Tax issue results in marathon owing R1.4m to suppliers
MBOMBELA - The Mpumalanga Marathon NPO’s organisers of this wouldbe prestigious inaugural event have ignited outrage among suppliers who have not only taken legal action, but also filed criminal charges of fraud and theft against it. Caleb Lekhuleni,...
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High-speed accident shocks community
MBOMBELA - The community is reeling in shock following a tragic highspeed accident that claimed the lives of two widely known individuals in the early hours of Sunday. The fatal crash, which has been widely circulated on social media, took place at the...
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Airing goes ahead after failed court application
MBOMBELA - The highly anticipated probe by Carte Blanche into the alleged fraudulent activities of notorious Malalane attorney Zietta Janse van Rensburg aired as scheduled on Sunday night. Her attempt to stop the programme with an ‘extremely’ urgent...
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‘Total mayhem’ at Geotrail meeting
BARBERTON - An apparent effort to disrupt a meeting the community involved in the geotrail near this town had with a national minister left a Mpumalanga MEC with an egg on her face. Makhosazane Masilela, the Mpumalanga MEC for economic development and...
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NO-GO ZONE Political unrest at Mozambican border reaches boiling point
KOMATIPOORT - The ongoing violent political protests in Mozambique has led to the temporary closure of the Lebombo Border on Tuesday night, November 5. With the festive season rapidly approaching, this has adversely affected business and holiday...
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Outcry over unsafe roads after 5 killed
killed on impact. Amoné is currently being treated by a SCHOEMANSKLOOF - “She looks, acts trauma specialist in the Milpark Hospital in and is just as strong as her father. She has his Johannesburg. soul and spirit.” She was sitting in the back of the...
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Club stalwart killed in double murder on N4
MBOMBELA - One of the two women found shot and killed in the mysterious double murder on the N4 towards Middelburg on Sunday was identified as the of City of Mbombela Marathon Club’s deputy secretary, Ayanda Maphalala Ngobeni. This murder, a shooting,...
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MEN IMPRISONED UNDERGROUND
GRASKOP - The traumatic experiences and cruel treatment endured by over 40 survivors of alleged human trafficking in an illegal mine were revealed in the Graskop Regional Court on Tuesday. ‘A journey to hell’, is how a one of the victims described it....
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Factory in Rocky Drift burns down
ROCKY DRIFT - A devastating fire broke out at an ice lolly manufacturing plant on Monday, reducing the structure to cinders. The fire spread from a nearby veld fire, jumping through some pallets that were stacked up outside and quickly engulfing the...
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Tackler and tackled tell what went down
MBOMBELA - “It was just a moment of weakness - I honestly did not mean any harm.” Those were the words of Hendro Vergottini, the now famous pitch invader who stole the show after the Springboks vs Argentina rugby test match at a sold-out Mbombela...
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The boks are ready for los Pumas
MBOMBELA - The time has officially come. The Springboks will take on Argentina in the Battle of Mbombela at Mbombela Stadium this Saturday to determine the winners of the 2024 Rugby Championship. This weekend’s clash will have the most at stake of...
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Zama zamas butcher beloved family dog
SABIE - Luna, a beloved family Rottweiler, was butchered by zama zamas just over a week ago. This after Luna is understood to have jumped over Jacques and Stephanie van Rensburg’s perimeter wall some time before September 4, while they were away on an...
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Two tourist attacks mar Tourism Month
EMANZANA - The attempted hijacking of four foreign tourists in two consecutive incidents on Tuesday seemingly poured cold water on Tourism Month celebrations. The incidents come as the three accused of murdering German tourist Jörg Schnarr (67) on...
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