Publication
ANC wins Concourt bid as IEC weighs ballot reprint impact
THE ANC has won its Constitutional Court bid to reinstate candidates in six municipalities ahead of the November 4 local government elections, with the ruling coming as the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has already printed 66% of ballot...
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Scopa targets municipal governance, revenue failures
PARLIAMENT’S public accounts watchdog is considering an inquiry into systemic failures in local government after finding serious governance, revenue, and infrastructure problems across seven municipalities, including five metros. Having heard from...
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POLITICAL KILLINGS SURGE AHEAD OF 2026 POLLS
THE new report has called on the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) to be supported and funded, as political assassinations have transcended historical hotspots, migrating into provinces that have traditionally experienced low levels of political...
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BACKLASH OVER ESKOM TARIFF HIKES
THE prospect of further electricity cost pressures has drawn strong objections from civil society, political representatives, and local government, warning that struggling households could bear a disproportionate burden under Eskom’s proposed tariff...
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SANDF ARRESTS RISK SECURITY SHOWDOWN
SOUTH African police face a precarious operational dilemma after high-level briefings warned that arresting six SANDF Special Forces members could spark an armed confrontation between state security agencies. The soldiers, wanted in connection with...
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ASYLUM RULING FUELS FRESH UNREST
TENSIONS over South Africa’s asylum ruling are spilling onto the streets, with protests and clashes reported in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and the Eastern Cape as communities demand government intervention over the influx of asylum seekers at Home Affairs...
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Concourt asylum ruling puts Home Affairs capacity under scrutiny
SOUTH Africa’s capacity to manage its asylum system is under renewed scrutiny following a Constitutional Court judgment that has widened access to the asylum process, raising questions about the state’s ability to process applications and manage people...
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FUEL HIKE THREATENS HOUSEHOLD BUDGETS
FOR millions of South Africans, the question facing them today is not how much more they will pay at the pump, but what they will have to give up to afford the journey to work, school, the shops, or home. Petrol 93 rose by R3.12 a litre and 95 by...
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AGEING SANDF FLEET HAMPERS OPERATION PROSPER
THE South African National Defence Force’s (SANDF) crime-fighting efforts under Operation Prosper are facing severe operational hurdles due to an ageing, unreliable, and poorly maintained vehicle fleet. Defence Minister Angie Motshekga confirmed these...
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ILLICIT DIESEL BLENDING THREATENS SA FUEL MARKET
DIESEL illegally blended with illuminating paraffin could account for as much as 7% of South Africa’s diesel market, or up to 800 million litres a year, according to new industry research cited by the Fuels Industry Association of South Africa...
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Sibiya allegedly plied young women with alcohol
THE Randburg Magistrate’s Court has heard allegations that girls were plied with alcohol and asked to twerk during a “Dare or Double Dare” drinking game at The Grand in Sandton, involving suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General...
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HOW GANGS TURN SA PRISONS INTO CRIME HUBS
POLITICAL parties are calling for the overhaul of the criminal justice system not only to address the overcrowding problem in South Africa’s prisons, but to also deal with court backlogs which they say are a major contributor to the prisons...
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More woes for Sibiya as he claims sex with 18-year-old was consensual
THE South African Police Service has confirmed that suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya will face an internal disciplinary process on October 5. Speaking outside the Randburg Magistrate’s Court yesterday,...
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WhatsApp trail exposes alleged R2m taxi extortion racket
WHATSAPP messages presented to the Madlanga Commission have detailed allegations that taxi bosses Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni and Bafana “King of the Sky” Sindane used threats, intimidation, and the prospect of violent disruption to extract money from...
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27 KILLED IN TWIN MASS SHOOTINGS
TWENTY-seven people have been killed and another 26 wounded in mass shootings in Gauteng and the Western Cape in the space of hours, as police hunt the gunmen and questions mount over how heavily armed criminals are obtaining firearms. The shootings...
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SECOND RAID ON MCHUNU TARGETS HIS DEVICES
THE second police raid on properties linked to suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu was built around a narrow target: At least six devices, including cellphones and an iPad, identified by telephone numbers, IMEI numbers, and periods of use. However,...
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SOUTH AFRICANS ‘PAYING TO SKIP SERVICE QUEUES’
SOUTH Africans trying to access healthcare, social grants, and identity documents are allegedly paying to jump long queues, with complaints of queue-selling and bribery emerging at Home Affairs, SASSA offices, and public health facilities. This comes...
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Taxi boss fights use of WhatsApp messages
MPUMALANGA taxi boss Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni has objected to the Madlanga Commission using cellphone and WhatsApp material obtained in connection with his pending criminal case, calling it an “absolute abuse and open-ended violation” of his privacy and...
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DRUGS AND VIOLENCE PUT SA SCHOOLS UNDER SIEGE
VIOLENCE, drugs and indiscipline are raising growing concerns about safety in South African schools, with police raids uncovering dangerous weapons and suspected illegal substances, while teacher unions warn that educators are increasingly facing...
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NSFAS funding model ‘unsustainable’, Manamela warns
HIGHER Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela has sounded the alarm over the financial sustainability of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), warning that its funding shortfall could balloon to R33 billion by 2029 unless the...
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HOW JMPD OFFICER STOLE R1.5M FROM MOTORIST
A JOHANNESBURG Metro Police Department (JMPD) officer is behind bars after a roadside operation involving R1.5 million in cash ended with his arrest for corruption. The incident happened on August 12, 2023, when the officer stopped a motorist and...
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CASH CRUNCH FOR SA HOUSEHOLDS
SOUTH African households are running out of room in their monthly budgets as the cost of keeping the lights on, getting to work and putting food on the table consumes an ever-larger share of their income, turning the cost-of-living crisis into a battle...
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HIJACKED-BUILDING CRISIS: STATE RECOVERS ONLY 20 PROPERTIES
FOR years, hijacked and illegally occupied buildings have remained a stark symbol of South Africa’s housing crisis, urban decay, and weak enforcement, a problem stretching across major cities and provinces. From Johannesburg and Cape Town to...
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Home Affairs officials ‘paid to ignore’ fraudulent visas
HOME Affairs officials allegedly took kickbacks from foreign nationals to ignore fraudulent supporting documents and approve visas for applicants who did not qualify, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has revealed. The SIU has confirmed that 205...
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‘I have no knowledge’: Lebeya denies knowing Big Five Cartel
RETIRED Hawks head, Dr Godfrey Lebeya, has denied knowing about the alleged Big Five Cartel or its suspected members, including the late taxi boss, Jotham “King Mswazi” Msibi, despite evidence placing several prominent names under fire. Lebeya told...
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CRIME VICTIMS TURN AWAY FROM POLICE AS TRUST COLLAPSES
SOUTH Africans are increasingly taking their safety into their own hands, with new crime data revealing a gap between people’s experience of crime and their willingness to report it to police, raising fresh questions about public trust in law...
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Coalition turmoil puts SA municipal services at risk - study
SOUTH Africa’s growing reliance on coalition governments is increasingly being felt beyond council chambers, with political instability disrupting budgets, delaying projects, and threatening basic services such as water, sanitation, and waste...
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Major airports flagged as organised-crime hotspots
SOUTH Africa’s major international airports and associated air-cargo facilities have been flagged as strategic organised crime priority areas with dozens of narcotics-smuggling cases emanating from the country’s ports of entry. These high-traffic hubs...
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SOUTH AFRICANS MISSING AFTER NEPAL FLASH FLOODS
RESCUE teams waded through mud yesterday, searching for more than 1 400 people missing after flash floods and landslides struck the Nepal border, as the death toll rose sharply to at least 362, with entire villages swept away. A glacier collapse in...
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SA BRACES FOR POSSIBLE FOOD PRICE PRESSURE
SOUTH Africa’s record maize harvest and improved water reserves should protect against immediate food shortages, but a strengthening El Niño could reduce agricultural output and push food prices higher next year. El Niño is a climate pattern...
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TRUMP’S IRAN SANCTIONS TEST SA’S DIPLOMACY
SOUTH Africa faces a fresh diplomatic and economic balancing act after the Trump administration threatened countries doing business with Iran with secondary sanctions, with the fallout potentially extending far beyond its limited trade with...
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SOUTH AFRICA FACES GBV EPIDEMIC
SOUTH Africa’s fight against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) faces renewed scrutiny following the release of sobering police statistics for the 2025/26 financial year. Acting Police Minister Professor Firoz Cachalia reported that 50 511 GBVF...
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Ramaphosa unveils ANC’s manifesto for local governance
THE ANC held its manifesto launch at Riverside Park, near Diepsloot, yesterday with party President Cyril Ramaphosa saying that despite gains, there remained serious weaknesses in the functioning of local government. With the local government...
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SA’S DEADLY CONSTRUCTION FAILURES
THE deaths of 17 people in four building incidents have exposed serious cracks in the country’s building safety system, with investigations pointing to weak enforcement, inadequate oversight, and professional failures. Public Works and Infrastructure...
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SCOPA REVEALS 90% OF SIU REFERRALS FALL FLAT
THE briefing between Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa), the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the Hawks triggered outcry over state corruption and collapsing ethical standards. The...
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ROADS UNDER ATTACK
From rocks thrown off bridges to smash-and-grab attacks and robberies, motorists across South Africa face violent threats that can turn an ordinary journey into a tragedy in seconds. Call for an urgent need for enhanced safety measures to protect...
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MATLALA’S TESTIMONY ROCKS SAPS
ALLEGED crime mastermind and tenderpreneur Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala has told the Madlanga Commission that suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu allegedly wanted to remove Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo as Crime Intelligence head and replace him...
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BORDER CONTROL CHALLENGES
MORE than 4 200 undocumented foreign nationals were intercepted attempting to enter South Africa outside formal ports of entry between April and July, highlighting continued gaps in border control even as almost 90 000 people were repatriated. Border...
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SOUTH AFRICA’S DOCTOR DILEMMA
SOUTH Africa had 1 518 vacant medical posts at the end of March, but the National Department of Health says it does not know how many doctors who completed community service remain unemployed. The disclosure comes as medical organisations continue to...
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UNDERCOVER KILLERS?
LEN John, 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-in-transit (CIT)...
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SOUTH AFRICA’S JOB MARKET IN FREEFALL
SOUTH Africa’s unemployment rate has risen to 33.6% in the second quarter of 2026, with 345 000 more people joining the ranks of the unemployed as employment continued to decline, according to the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) released by...
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SA’s doctor unemployment crisis deepens
NEWLY qualified doctors in South Africa are struggling to find permanent employment after completing compulsory community service, with medical organisations warning that funding constraints, frozen posts, and poor workforce planning are leaving...
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ILLICIT TRADE IN MEDICINES ON THE RISE IN SA
PHARMACEUTICALS Made in South Africa (Pharmisa) has called for urgent government intervention to combat the illicit trade in medicines, warning that the illegal market now also involves healthcare practitioners. The warning was made by Pharmisa...
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MURDER AND COVER-UP
MORE than four years after Brakpan businessman Emmanuel Mbense was murdered and his body dumped in a dam, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has made a breakthrough with the arrest of five suspects, including law enforcement...
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HOW DIESEL PRICE HIKE WILL HIT YOUR POCKET
WHILE petrol prices drop, South Africa's diesel costs surge, threatening to drive up food and transport prices, squeezing households and businesses already under pressure. South Africans may be paying less for petrol from today, but the sharp increase...
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MORITA FORESTRY LEAVES INVESTORS IN FINANCIAL RUINS
WHAT started as a R350 investment promising R12 a day has ended in heartbreak for thousands of South Africans after the alleged Morita Forestry investment scheme collapsed, leaving victims counting their losses and questioning how promises of easy...
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COURIER HIJACKINGS SPIKE IN GAUTENG
A GROWING wave of hijackings targeting courier vehicles has sparked concern in Gauteng, with authorities warning that organised criminal syndicates are increasingly targeting delivery drivers transporting valuable goods across the province. The...
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EXPLOSIVE CALL PUTS JOHNSON IN THE LIMELIGHT
PROCEEDINGS heard a cellphone recording where the former head of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), Advocate Andrea Johnson, allegedly tells prosecutor Drushantha Ramsamy to leave the country if she is summoned to give evidence...
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JOHNSON DEEMS IDAC’S ARREST OF KHUMALO NEEDLESS
IT WAS unnecessary for the Independent Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) to arrest the head of Crime Intelligence, Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo, and other senior police officials in connection with Brigadier Dineo Mokwele’s alleged irregular...
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Advocate Nicolette Bell poised to take the reigns at IDAC
ADVOCATE Nicolette Bell, the Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions (DNDPP), is expected to succeed former Advocate Andrea Johnson as the head of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC). This comes after rumours that Bell will...
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MORE CALLS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AS JOHNSON STEPS DOWN
THE government has been called to take real disciplinary action against Advocate Andrea Johnson, who recently resigned as the head of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), and ensure that she does not escape accountability by merely...
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Keeping Madlanga findings secret sparks concern
PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that the names and findings from the Madlanga Commission’s second interim report will remain under wraps until the inquiry concludes. This decision has sparked public concern and frustration, with many fearing...
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MCKENZIE ACCUSED OF ‘JOBS-FOR-PALS’ SCHEME
THE DA wants Public Protector Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka to launch an investigation against Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie for allegedly breaching the Executive Ethics Code by operating a “jobs-for-pals” scheme and misappropriating...
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EXPERTS TELL HOW TO ROOT OUT THE ROT INSIDE SAPS
THE South African Police Service (SAPS) finds itself at a crossroads, as experts demand a sweeping transformation that tackles the root causes of its integrity and leadership crises, rather than settling for surface-level solutions. Policing analysts...
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CALLS FOR MAUMELA TO FACE JUSTICE IN CORRUPTION SCANDAL
THERE are growing calls for the government to ensure that businessman Hangwani Maumela, accused of looting over R2 billion from Tembisa Hospital, faces the same justice as any other citizen, regardless of his political ties. This is according to the...
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R326M SEIZED IN TEMBISA HOSPITAL CORRUPTION FIGHT
IN A significant development for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in its fight against corruption related to the Tembisa Hospital procurement scandal, the Johannesburg High Court has ordered the final forfeiture of assets valued at...
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MCHUNU'S APOLOGY TO MALEMA DOESN'T END COURT WAR
THE fight is far from over, even though social commentator Ngizwe Mchunu has apologised to EFF leader Julius Malema for making defamatory remarks. The court is now scheduled to hear oral testimony regarding the ongoing controversy. Malema now...
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COURT CONSIDERS RAMAPHOSA’S CASE
MAKASHULE Gana, Chairperson of the Impeachment Committee, has submitted the committee’s list of potential evidence leaders to Constitutional Legal Services to confirm the availability of senior counsel for the task. Gana was speaking outside of...
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GOVERNANCE CRISIS HITS PIC
AS INTERNAL power struggles continue to threaten the state asset manager, the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) is experiencing a worsening governance crisis. This is according to the Association for the Monitoring and Advocacy of Government...
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Nersa faces legal action over R54bn dispute
AFRIFORUM has applied to the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria for an urgent court order against the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) in a bid to obtain answers to the R54 billion Eskom revenue dispute. The application followed a lapse of...
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IDAC boss’s ‘useless’ sick note stalls Madlanga Inquiry
ADVOCATE Andrea Johnson, the head of the Investigative Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), called in sick yesterday when she was scheduled to testify, causing the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry to lose a day of proceedings. The deadlines for the...
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Delays in SAPS re-vetting raise alarm over corruption
RISE Mzansi says it is alarmed by delays in re-vetting and lifestyle audits for senior SAPS management, warning that internal corruption has infiltrated the highest ranks far worse than anticipated. This was after acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia...
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Hawks asked to probe Dimpane over R360m contract
PUBLIC Interest SA has lodged a criminal complaint with the Hawks against acting SAPS National Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane over alleged contraventions of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) linked to the controversial R360...
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Crunch time as Joburg’s R3.6bn funds are frozen
THE City of Johannesburg is among 69 municipalities across the country that the National Treasury revealed it has temporarily withheld R13.5 billion in equitable share allocations from. Joburg alone has had R3.6bn frozen. The announcement was made by...
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WhatsApp links Malema to ‘plot’ to oust spy boss
THE Madlanga Commission of Inquiry heard evidence yesterday implicating EFF leader Julius Malema in an alleged plot with Major-General Feroz Khan and suspected tobacco smuggler Mohammed “Mo” Sayed to oust former Crime Intelligence Inspector-General...
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ATM CALLS FOR PATERNAL RIGHTS REFORM IN SA
THE African Transformation Movement (ATM) has urged the Portfolio Committee on Social Development of Parliament to look into the issue of fathers being denied meaningful access to their children, which it claims is a growing but mostly ignored...
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HOW MKHWANAZI’S BRIEFING SHOOK SA
IT IS exactly a year today, July 6, since KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s explosive media briefing where he accused top politicians and police officials, including suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and...
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PP asked to probe Tony Leon’s firm
IN A formal complaint to the Public Protector, ActionSA has asked that Resolve Communications, the PR company founded by former Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Tony Leon, be investigated for allegedly interacting with ministers in the Government of...
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PULE’S RETURN SPARKS OUTRAGE
THE ANC congratulated President Cyril Ramaphosa for appointing controversial former communication minister Dina Pule back into the Cabinet, 13 years after then-president Jacob Zuma fired her for unethical behaviour. Ramaphosa announced Pule’s...
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MP testifies about R10 million bribe offer to shield Khan
VUSI Shongwe, an MP for the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), testified before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry yesterday that he received an offer of R10 million during a virtual meeting in Durban with Major-General Feroz Khan, the suspended head of...
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