The Witness (South Africa)
MK Party replaces eThekwini mayoral candidate amid list row
Former president Jacob Zuma (pictured) has dropped the MK Party’s eThekwini mayoral candidate, Zandile Hlophe-Mkhwanazi, just three weeks after she was unveiled to contest what is widely regarded as the crown jewel of KwaZulu-Natal’s November 4 local...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Business cautiously optimistic after frank talks with Msunduzi
Business leaders have emerged cautiously optimistic from two days of frank talks with Msunduzi Municipality over the state of Pietermaritzburg’s infrastructure and economy, with further meetings expected to explore practical partnerships that could...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Business sector confronts Msunduzi over city’s crumbling infrastructure
Pietermaritzburg’s business community has put Msunduzi Municipality on the spot over the city’s deteriorating infrastructure, unreliable services and security concerns, warning that these challenges could undermine investment and economic growth. The...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Witchcraft fears after skull, ritual items found on graves
A human skull perched on a gravestone, a black fowl pierced with a knife, a burnt red candle and a red sheet are among a series of unsettling discoveries at Mountain Rise Cemetery that have raised fears the graveyard is being used for witchcraft and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Four years on, fumigator faces court over Durban couple’s deaths
Four years after her son and daughter-in-law were found dead in their Durban apartment, Zoë Molver’s painstaking fight for answers has reached a significant turning point, with two counts of culpable homicide now opened against the fumigator allegedly...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Thousands of pensioners swindled in ‘grant shark’ trap, Sassa warns
Thousands of social grant beneficiaries are being left short of money after being duped into signing up for financial products they believed would give them supermarket vouchers, food and other benefits. The beneficiaries only discovered they had been...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Contraceptive pill blunder sparks legal action from nearly 500 women
Nearly 500 South African women have approached attorneys after falling pregnant while using a contraceptive pill that was recalled because some packs contained the wrong sequence of tablets. LHL Attorneys is investigating a potential class action...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
PMB fast-food outlet shut down over labour, building violations
A Pietermaritzburg fast-food outlet was shut down yesterday after authorities found workers earning R100 for 12-hour shifts and uncovered serious health, building and immigration violations. The crackdown, led by KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Deadly virus stalks SA’s sardines
South Africa’s sardines are dying by the thousands, with a suspected killer virus spreading concern along the coast and fears mounting that the latest mass deaths could be the first wave of a far bigger marine crisis. The latest mass stranding...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Tatham Art Gallery under strain
One of Pietermaritzburg’s cultural landmarks is under growing strain, with the Tatham Art Gallery battling weakened governance, reduced public engagement and the loss of services that once drew visitors through its doors. Concerns have been raised by...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
KZN families cling to hope after deadly Nepal floods
The desperate search for six South Africans missing after devastating flash floods swept through Nepal has left families anxiously awaiting news. Five of those missing are understood to be from KwaZulu-Natal, including two elderly couples from...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
GNU parties rally behind Didiza as motion of no confidence fails
The Phala Phala saga has put National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza in the firing line, with MPs yesterday trading blows over her handling of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s legal challenge to Parliament’s processes. The EFF-sponsored motion of no...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Crippling Msunduzi strike ends
Msunduzi residents and businesses can finally breathe a sigh of relief after the municipality and the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) reached a deal yesterday, ending a strike that has battered service delivery across the city. The...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Tempers flare as Msunduzi workers protest salary delay
Tempers flared at Msunduzi Municipality’s council chambers yesterday as workers demanded answers over delayed salaries, with some saying bounced debit orders had left them facing financial penalties. Mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla apologised to employees...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Families raise alarm after Richmond boot camp deaths
Two Durban families are mourning the deaths of their sons after sending them to a Richmond discipline boot camp in the hope that they would overcome drug problems. A third family is grappling with the trauma of the alleged rape of their 30-year-old...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
KZN family wins court battle over allegedly fraudulent will
A KwaZulu-Natal family has won the latest round in a court battle that began after an unsigned, undated will surfaced and a man they say had no relationship with their deceased relative was appointed executor. The family alleges that the man withdrew...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Comrades Marathon to honour its roots at historic 100th running
The Comrades Marathon will mark its historic 100th running next year with a record field of 28 000 runners, a prize purse of more than R8,9 million and a centenary celebration built around the race’s heritage and military roots. Organisers officially...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Power pricing shake-up puts Nersa and municipalities under scrutiny
A sweeping overhaul of South Africa’s electricity pricing system is set to place municipalities and Eskom under far greater scrutiny while giving consumers stronger protection against being forced to pay for inefficiency, electricity losses and bad...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Matlala frustrates Madlanga Commission
Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala (pictured) yesterday frustrated the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry by refusing to answer questions about other high-profile witnesses and co-accused in criminal matters. Aided by Advocate Annelene van den Heever, Matlala invoked...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Southern African leaders gather in Durban for major economic push
Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders yesterday descended on Durban’s beachfront to honour one of the region’s liberation struggle stalwarts. Led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, the SADC Heads of State laid wreaths at the statue of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
NEWS FLASH
More than 60 South Africans are serving in Russia’s war against Ukraine, with at least 10 killed, according to a Ukrainian project that has published the names of 69 South African nationals fighting for Russian forces. The list, published by I Want to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Commission hears evidence of alleged police hit squads in KZN
The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry yesterday turned its attention to KwaZulu-Natal, where evidence emerged of alleged police hit squads targeting suspects linked to cash-in-transit (CIT) robberies, taxi violence and drug syndicates. The commission,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
MKP regional convenor accuses colleagues of smear campaign to plot her removal
Hot on the heels of former president Jacob Zuma’s massive leadership shake-up in the MK Party, which saw the party’s first deputy president John Hlophe removed, Zuma has withdrawn the appointment of Moses Mabhida regional convenor, Cebile Zuma. An MK...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Mkondeni licence centre delays crush young job seekers’ hopes
Ongoing disruptions at Mkondeni’s driving licence testing centre are taking a mounting financial toll on unemployed applicants and local driving schools, as people who queue from as early as 2am are repeatedly turned away. Applicants are forced to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
No rebuilding as Msunduzi clears devastated Jika Joe site
Msunduzi Municipality will move heavy machinery into Jika Joe today to clear the area destroyed by Saturday’s devastating fire, while working with humanitarian organisations to assist hundreds of residents left without homes, food, clothing and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Zuma’s Nkandla falling apart
More than R246 million was spent on former president Jacob Zuma’s controversial Nkandla homestead. Now, as the property reportedly falls into disrepair, Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson insists it is not his department’s...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Police activate 72-hour plan after deadly weekend violence
Police have launched a 72-hour manhunt after six people were killed in a spate of apparently unrelated shootings and stabbings across the Mountain Rise policing precinct. Among the victims was a man who was shot dead while walking home with his...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Zuma axes Hlophe, Nhleko as MK Party leadership shake-up deepens
Former president and MK Party leader Jacob Zuma has announced sweeping changes to the party’s leadership structure, removing first deputy president John Hlophe and national chairperson Nkosinathi Nhleko from their positions with immediate effect. The...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
King issues stern rebuke to social media plotters
Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini has issued a stern warning to those allegedly plotting to destabilise the monarchy through fake news and the weaponisation of videos circulating on social media. The claims were confirmed yesterday by the King’s...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Comrades centenary on track as CMA cuts ties with KZNA and ASA
It is full steam ahead for the centenary Comrades Marathon despite members overwhelmingly voting to sever ties with KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA) and Athletics South Africa (ASA), setting the stage for a dramatic split in South African athletics. The...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Boy (14) fights for his life after gunmen kill mother, baby sister
A 14-year-old boy, who lost his mother and oneyear-old sister when gunmen stormed their Yellowwood Park home on Wednesday night, remained in a critical condition in hospital yesterday. The teenager was shot in the neck, chest and arm during the attack...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Thousands of uncollected IDs threaten voter registration in PMB
The partnership between private emergency medical services provider Mi7 and BMW Pietermaritzburg, part of the Supertech Group, entered a new phase yesterday with the donation of a new BMW X3 emergency response vehicle aimed at strengthening life-saving...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Aarto hits KZN roads with first fines issued
KwaZulu-Natal motorists have now had their first taste of Aarto and, for one driver, it came in the form of a freshly printed infringement notice handed over at the Mariannhill Toll Plaza yesterday morning. It was the first Administrative Adjudication...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Crime-hit Plessislaer named priority precinct in national police overhaul
Pietermaritzburg’s crime-ridden Plessislaer policing precinct, which has ranked among South Africa’s most violent crime hotspots for years, is set to receive a significant policing boost after being identified as one of the country’s priority precincts...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Lion Park residents face a long and costly wait for electricity
More than 1 400 households in the Lion Park area, who were getting electricity through a sprawling illegal network, now face a long and potentially costly road back onto the grid. Eskom recently ripped out the unauthorised network, removing more than...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Abandoned container tuckshops cause a stink
Abandoned shipping containers that once operated as tuckshops have become a refuge for vagrants and alleged drug users, leaving residents living near an illegal dumping site in Pietermaritz Street fearing for their safety and demanding urgent...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Ebola rapidly spreading in Africa, over 1 000 dead
The Ebola outbreak declared in May has killed more than 1 000 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said yesterday. A total of 2 473 cases of the deadly virus, including 999 deaths, have been...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Four jailed for 35 years as KZN schools battle theft and vandalism
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education has lost more than R14 million to theft and vandalism at schools over the past three years, as criminals increasingly target technology intended to modernise classrooms and expand digital learning. The scale...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Scathing report lays bare extent of sewage crisis at Albert Falls Dam
A scathing uMngeni-uThukela Water report has laid bare the extent of sewage pollution in the Albert Falls catchment, documenting raw sewage flowing from broken sewer systems, overflowing pump stations and poorly functioning wastewater plants into...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Toyota’s R10 bln Hilux investment vote of confidence in SA: Ramaphosa
President Cyril Ramaphosa has hailed Toyota South Africa Motors’ R10,4 billion investment in the production of the ninth-generation Hilux as a strong demonstration that the government’s efforts to create an environment conducive to investment are...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Lion Park area plunged into darkness after Eskom removes illegal transformers
Residents of Lion Park Road near Lynnfield Park were left in the dark after Eskom disconnected and removed 54 illegally connected transformers supplying electricity to about 1 400 households. The disconnections led to major disruptions after the MR477...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Call for police probe after ailing grandmother held during protest
The Northern Areas Ratepayers and Residents Association (Narra) has called on police to investigate the conduct of officers who handcuffed and detained a 70-year-old widow who recently underwent heart surgery during an operation in Pietermaritzburg’s...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Fire crews contain New England Road landfill blaze as investigation continues
Msunduzi Municipality has deployed more than three firefighting teams to contain a fire at the New England Road Landfill Site, as investigations continue into the cause of the first major blaze at the landfill since the devastating fire of 2020. The...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Hundreds left homeless as blaze rips through Jika Joe informal settlement
Msunduzi firefighters battled for four hours to bring a devastating blaze under control after it swept through the Jika Joe informal settlement in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday night, destroying 427 homes and leaving hundreds of people without...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Love triangle ends in horror as Taylors Halt couple burn to death
A Taylors Halt father and his girlfriend died after they were trapped inside a burning house, with his family claiming the attack followed threats linked to a bitter love triangle involving the mother of his children. Mzomuhle Shezi and his...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Questions mount after teenager in FBI-linked Ballito bomb case released
Questions are mounting after a 15-year-old Zimbali teenager, accused of attempting to detonate an explosive device at Ballito Junction Mall, was arrested last week and released from police custody this week after the matter was not enrolled in the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Grief and anger grip Willowfontein after missing girl’s body found in veld
Grief and anger swept through Willowfontein in Pietermaritzburg after the body of a missing nineyear-old girl was discovered in the veld that residents had tirelessly searched for days. The discovery of Nonjabulwenhle Nzimande’s body yesterday morning...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Acsa seeks urgent funding for Pietermaritzburg Airport upgrade
Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) is exploring multiple funding options to modernise Pietermaritzburg Airport as a newly updated Airport Master Plan warns that ageing infrastructure is hampering the facility’s growth and long-term competitiveness as...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Immigration tensions pose long-term threat to economy, experts warn
Growing tensions around illegal immigration could pose a serious long-term threat to South Africa’s economy if left unresolved, economists have warned, saying prolonged instability could undermine investor confidence, job creation and economic...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
RAMAPHOSA WELCOMES GOOGLE AI AND CLOUD INVESTMENT IN SA
Motorists in Pietermaritzburg will soon be among the first in KwaZulu-Natal to face the long-delayed Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) demerit points system — a traffic enforcement regime government believes could be a game...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
BOERBOEL TIKTOK STAR DRAWS ATTENTION FROM CROWDS AND BREEDERS IN PARYS
Newcastle’s favourite Boerboel went international when Maximus, owned by Unique Boerboels, competed at the South African Boerboel Society International Show at the Afridome in Parys last weekend. Breeders from across South Africa and beyond gathered...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Premier: ‘KZN will not burn again’
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli has vowed that the province will not relive the devastation of the July 2021 unrest, warning that while residents have a constitutional right to protest over undocumented migration, any attempt to incite violence,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Msunduzi rejects criticism as tensions rise over electricity tariff methodology
A tense standoff is looming ahead of the planned June 30 protests, with organisers vowing to proceed despite eThekwini Municipality withholding permission for demonstrations over state security concerns. The escalating dispute has set protest...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
KZN Correctional Services boss Nxele lived beyond his means, court hears
Suspended KwaZulu-Natal Correctional Services regional commissioner Mnikelwa Nxele allegedly failed to declare R11,3 million in income while accumulating properties worth about R4 million, with the State arguing that this showed he had been living...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Preschool centres seek landmark ruling on children’s right to early education
More than 1 000 preschool teachers and caregivers gathered outside the Pietermaritzburg High Court yesterday as human rights lawyers continued their legal battle against the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education (KZNDoE). The government has failed to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Govt says army is on standby to maintain law and order
Government says security forces are on full operational readiness ahead of the anti-illegal immigration protests planned for June 30, with police finalising operational plans and strengthening co-ordination with the Defence Ministry to maintain law and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Repatriation bid collapses as hundreds of Malawians remain stranded in PMB
Hundreds of displaced undocumented Malawian nationals in Pietermaritzburg remain stranded after an attempt to transport them to Durban for repatriation failed, forcing many back to an overcrowded temporary shelter and worsening an already fragile...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
KZN closes in on syndicate behind R250 million machinery theft spree
Pietermaritzburg has been identified as a key target of a sophisticated criminal syndicate that has stolen more than R250 million worth of construction machinery and transport vehicles from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport over the past two...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
NO DEAL
Residents and businesses across Pietermaritzburg face the prospect of further service disruptions after hopes of ending the crippling municipal strike were dashed yesterday when marathon talks between the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu)...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Hope grows for Tongaat Hulett rescue ahead of court showdown
With the Durban High Court set to hear the liquidation application against sugar giant Tongaat Hulett today, there is growing optimism that the 134-year-old company will avoid collapse, preserving thousands of jobs and securing the livelihoods of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Msunduzi strike sparks calls for presidential intervention
As thousands of Msunduzi residents and businesses endured a fifth day without electricity yesterday, frustrated community members appealed directly to President Cyril Ramaphosa and KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli for intervention, saying the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Repatriation under way as Malawian exodus from Durban swells to 10 000
What began as a gathering of a few hundred frightened people seeking safety has grown into one of the largest repatriation efforts involving Malawian nationals. Yesterday afternoon, buses provided by the Malawian government began transporting some of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
KZN Premier assures United Nations govt will protect foreign nationals
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli has assured the United Nations that the provincial government will protect foreign nationals living in the province, even as tensions over immigration continue to escalate in parts of KwaZulu-Natal. Ntuli’s remarks...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Mystery deepens as missing church leader’s body found in shallow grave
The family of late eNyonini Church president Thami Nkonyane has filed an urgent court application to exhume human remains from a shallow grave discovered at the church’s pastors’ quarters, believing it could be the final resting place of the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Ramaphosa warns anti-immigration groups: Only the state may enforce the law
President Cyril Ramaphosa has issued a strong warning against vigilantism, declaring that only authorised government officials have the power to enforce South Africa’s immigration laws amid growing tensions over illegal immigration. In a national...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Cash-strapped Education Department hit with R955 million repayment bill
The cash-strapped KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education has been dealt another major financial blow after the KZN Legislature resolved that R955 million in unauthorised expenditure incurred over several financial years must be repaid to the Provincial...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Fuel price hikes squeeze businesses and households as food costs surge
Relentless fuel price increases are beginning to take a visible toll on Pietermaritzburg’s economy, with businesses, commuters and households feeling the impact. The price of 93-octane petrol is now R27,95 a litre, while 95-octane petrol costs R28,06....
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Tensions rise as Mozambique condemns attacks on its citizens
Mozambique has accused South Africa of failing to protect its citizens after five Mozambicans were reportedly killed in what it described as xenophobic attacks in Mossel Bay over the weekend. South Africa has, however, rebutted the claim that five...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Msunduzi waste workers down tools over salary dispute
Refuse collection services across Msunduzi face further disruptions after municipal waste management workers blocked access to the city’s Havelock Road depot and vowed to continue protesting until long-standing salary grading disputes are...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
High-profile candidates emerge in race for Msunduzi mayoral position
Four high-profile names have emerged as front-runners in the race to become the next mayor of Msunduzi, as the ANC moves swiftly to finalise its mayoral candidates ahead of the November municipal elections. The candidates submitted by the ANC’s Moses...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Baby clothes scam leaves PMB woman traumatised
What began as a simple request for help buying baby clothes at a Pietermaritzburg shopping centre ended in terror for a young woman who was allegedly targeted by criminals posing as police officers. The incident has sparked fresh fears over an...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Tough questions for Msunduzi in Parliament
Msunduzi Municipality’s leadership faced tough questions in Parliament yesterday over how the municipality removed forensic investigations from the office of the chief internal audit executive and placed the function under the municipal manager. The...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Ramaphosa bids to block impeachment process
President Cyril Ramaphosa has launched a fierce legal counterattack against the controversial Phala Phala panel report, dismissing its findings as “hearsay” and accusing the independent panel of relying on untested and potentially unlawfully obtained...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Family torn apart as woman appears in court over sister’s killing
What began as a simmering feud between two sisters has now ended in bloodshed, heartbreak and a family torn apart. A woman accused of plotting the murder of her own sister appeared briefly in the Camperdown Magistrate’s Court yesterday, alongside an...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Ambassadors snub SA’s Africa Day celebrations
South Africa’s official Africa Day celebrations today have been overshadowed by a diplomatic snub from African diplomats skipping the event over safety concerns for foreign nationals, as a UKZN political analyst warns that rising hostility towards...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Suspended Msunduzi officials’ salaries are bleeding City’s coffers
A Msunduzi municipal employee accused of murder is among four suspended officials who cost the cash-strapped municipality more than R300 000 in salaries in January alone, despite not fulfilling their duties. The suspended workers, including senior...
Read Full Story (Page 1)