The Witness (South Africa)
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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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,...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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)...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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....
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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U.S. to expand Afrikaner ‘refugee programme’
The Trump administration is preparing to dramatically expand its controversial refugee programme for Afrikaners, with reports indicating that a further 10 000 could be resettled in the United States under claims of an unfolding “humanitarian emergency”...
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Northdale Hospital billing dispute investigated
Questions are mounting over the fate of more than R17 million apparently paid by Northdale Hospital to the Msunduzi Municipality for electricity, after the municipality revealed that the payments do not appear on its billing system and launched a...
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ConCourt blocks govt powers to decide where doctors may work
The Constitutional Court has dealt a major blow to the rollout of the National Health Insurance (NHI) by striking down controversial provisions that would have given government sweeping powers to control where doctors, nurses and healthcare facilities...
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R1 trillion infrastructure plan must go hand in hand with municipal reform: Ramaphosa
President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced South Africa’s biggest infrastructure investment drive since the advent of democracy in 1994, with government set to spend R1 trillion over the next three years on energy, water, transport, and other major...
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Progress caucus turns Parliament into Phala Phala battleground
The National Assembly turned into a fresh political battleground on Thursday as parties aligned under the “progress caucus” banner staged a dramatic walkout during President Cyril Ramaphosa’s question-and-answer session over the Phala Phala...
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ICT dream shattered as thieves loot school lab days after launch
Just days after celebrating what many believed would be a turning point for Asibemunye High School, principal Thandi Makamu now finds herself trying to comfort devastated pupils after criminals looted a newly launched R1,4 million ICT lab, stealing 30...
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Drug syndicates accused of exploiting disabled people
Drug syndicates operating in Pietermaritzburg are allegedly exploiting people living with disabilities to transport and sell narcotics in Edendale and surrounding areas. Community leaders have warned that vulnerable individuals are being manipulated...
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Outcry over R17 million water tanker contract amid failing municipal fleet
Msunduzi Municipality is under fire for spending R17 million on hiring 12 private water tankers while nearly 10 of its own tankers remained broken down and parked at municipal workshops. Ratepayer organisations have accused the municipality of wasting...
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Shock as missing N3 engineer found dead in shallow grave
The body of missing civil engineer Willem Adriaan Len Du Toit (66) was found buried in a shallow grave on a farm near Crammond on Friday, ending days of desperate appeals for information about his disappearance. Du Toit, who worked as a subconsultant...
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Sadtu stands by Bragin amid fresh protests
The appointment of former Merchiston Preparatory School headmaster Llewellyn Bragin as principal of Nottingham Road Primary School has sparked outrage among parents and the wider Midlands community, despite the South African Democratic Teachers Union...
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KZN Transport dept mum on R84 mln border wall scandal
The numbers do not add up, and neither do the bricks. A border wall project meant to secure South Africa’s frontier with Mozambique is at the centre of a deepening scandal, with tens of millions spent, kilometres missing, and serious questions over how...
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Home Affairs intensifies corruption crackdown as arrests, dismissals mount
In the face of mounting pressure over undocumented migration — much of it linked to corruption within the Department of Home Affairs — the department has intensified a sweeping internal crackdown, with officials being arrested, dismissed and...
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Nigeria demands answers from SA amid growing protests targeting migrants
South Africa’s Acting High Commissioner to Nigeria, Bobby Moroe, will today face tough questions from the Nigerian government following a wave of protests and, in some cases, attacks on African foreign nationals living in South Africa. The meeting at...
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PMB businesses urged to get interdicts against civic organisation disruptions
Pietermaritzburg central police station acting station commander Nerashie Laalmohan has implored local businesses to obtain a mandatory interdict to prevent bodies claiming to be civic organisations from entering their premises and disrupting...
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Msinsi disputes pollution claims as Albert Falls fishing classic cancellation sparks concern
Msinsi Holdings has rejected claims that sewage inflow into the Albert Falls Dam is compromising water quality, following the cancellation of the annual Albert Falls Bass Classic last weekend after organisers raised concerns about possible effluent...
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Concern as vaping spreads among primary school pupils
South Africa’s growing vaping crisis among pupils has taken a troubling turn, with primary school children now being found in possession of e-cigarettes, raising fresh alarm among educators and parents. The development signals a shift in the spread of...
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Ramaphosa puts failing municipalities at centre of his Freedom Day message
President Cyril Ramaphosa has placed struggling municipalities at the centre of South Africa’s democratic project, warning that the durability of freedom now hinges on the state’s ability to deliver basic services. Speaking at the national Freedom Day...
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More arrests will follow, pledges Premier Ntuli at mass funeral
Seven coffins were carried onto the Stanger High School sports field on Sunday morning as hundreds gathered for the mass funeral of the Monswamy family. Relatives clung to one another, some overcome with emotion, while friends, neighbours and...
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Chilling details emerge as three held for Newark family massacre
As chilling details emerge from the abduction and brutal murder of seven members of a Newark family this week, a first responder has described how tracking a stolen cellphone led to the arrest of three suspects. The family — Allen Monswamy (52), his...
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‘Not your job’: Mkhwanazi slams rising vigilante crackdown on foreign nationals
KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has warned that growing anti-foreigner protests risk turning dangerous and discriminatory, with marches increasingly targeting black African foreign nationals. Mkhwanazi said...
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Pressure mounts on Ramaphosa as Masemola faces serious PFMA charges
The criminal case against National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola has sent shockwaves through the public sector, reinforcing that accounting officers can be held criminally liable for breaches of the Public Finance Management Act...
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Mayor confronts driver accused of selling relief water to residents
A water tanker contracted by the municipality that was meant to bring relief to desperate communities has been caught at the centre of an alleged cashfor-water scheme, exposing how residents may have been exploited while taps ran dry. uMgungundlovu...
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New bill targets those who profit from land invasions
Those who organise land invasions, even where no money changes hands, could face fines of up to R2 million under a proposed bill aimed at curbing a growing problem that has increasingly burdened both government and private property owners. The...
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Pappas weighs uMngeni exit
Uncertainty over the political future of uMngeni Municipality Mayor Chris Pappas (pictured) has sparked concern among residents, with many fearing the municipality could lose momentum if he does not return for a second term. Pappas confirmed to The...
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Sassa queue spots sold for cash as desperate applicants wait for hours
Desperate grant applicants are being forced to pay for a place in line at the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) offices on Bombay Road in Pietermaritzburg, as opportunists cash in on long queues and failing systems. Residents say an...
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Msunduzi takes Laco leader to court over Facebook posts
Msunduzi Municipality has turned to the courts in a bid to force the removal of social media posts by a Labour and Civic Organisation (Laco) leader, arguing that the content unlawfully exposes the personal information of its employees and risks...
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Elandskop residents forced to drink rainwater as water crisis deepens
More than two months without running water has pushed a vulnerable community in Elandskop to the brink, with pensioners forced to walk long distances to fetch heavy buckets of water or drink unsafe rainwater. Taps in the area have run completely dry,...
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Change sweeps across DA federal leadership as KZN’s Sarupen rises
As sweeping changes reshape the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) federal leadership, Pietermaritzburg-born Deputy Minister of Finance Ashor Sarupen has emerged as one of the new faces at the top of the party, replacing Helen Zille as the party’s new federal...
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Nearly half of KZN drivers may have fraudulent licences
An investigation has been launched at the Mkondeni Driving Licence Testing Centre (DLTC) in Pietermaritzburg after the arrest of a learner driver and her driving instructor on Wednesday lifted the lid on an alleged fraud network operating at what was...
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Foreign nationals forced to flee after violent attacks near Howick
Tensions in Mpophomeni township, near Howick, boiled over into violence on Tuesday night as a group of residents looted a shop and stormed homes in what is believed to be a targeted effort to drive out foreign nationals. The unrest in the Kwa-Chief...
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Shock letter calls on Madlanga and Mkhwanazi to probe Meyiwa murder
A letter purportedly written by Longwe Twala to the mother of slain footballer Senzo Meyiwa has reignited questions around one of South Africa’s most contested murder cases, with calls for the involvement of the Madlanga Commission and KwaZulu-Natal...
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Crime and neglect deepen KZN’s water, sanitation crisis
Criminal activity and chronic under-resourcing of sewer infrastructure are compounding a growing water and sanitation crisis in KwaZulu-Natal. Nationally, nearly half of all treated drinking water is lost before it reaches consumers, while losses in...
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Surgeons battle extreme heat as Grey’s theatres fail
Operating conditions at Grey’s Hospital have deteriorated to the point where surgeons are struggling to prevent sweat from contaminating open wounds, as extreme heat and failing infrastructure disrupt critical procedures. Unreliable cooling systems...
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