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Madlanga Commission | Extraordinary measures are needed to tackle state capture: World Bank expert

State capture and the infiltration of criminal justice institutions are not uniquely South African problems. That’s according to World Bank Senior Financial Sector Specialist and Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (StAR) member, Laura Pop, who says the phenomenon is playing out across the globe. Pop was testifying at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Wednesday, drawing on her work in anti-corruption, anti-money laundering and asset recovery programmes across several countries. She […]

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Matlala Trial | Court allows State to use Kekana’s hospital notes in cross-examination

The Johannesburg High Court has cleared the State to use disputed hospital records to challenge Musa Kekana’s credibility, rejecting a defence objection that the notes amounted to inadmissible hearsay. The ruling came as Kekana faced sustained cross-examination over his account of his April 2024 arrest, including allegations that police suffocated him with a plastic bag and restrained him with a belt. Presiding Judge, Cassim Moosa, ruled on Wednesday that the […]

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ANC to appeal Electoral Court ruling over 181 excluded candidates

The African National Congress (ANC) is taking its fight over 181 candidates excluded from the local government election ballot to the next level. The party says it will appeal an Electoral Court ruling dismissing its application to have the candidates from six municipalities included in the IEC’s Online Candidate Nomination System after the 28 August deadline. The ANC approached the court earlier this month, seeking an extension after arguing that […]

todaySeptember 16, 2026 22

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Calls mount for Masemola’s reinstatement as national police boss

Calls are mounting for Fannie Masemola to be reinstated as South Africa's National Police Commissioner after the withdrawal of PFMA charges against him. The move follows National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) head, Andy Mothibi's, decision to withdraw Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) charges brought against Masemola by the Independent Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), saying a review found no reasonable prospects of a successful prosecution. Masemola faced four charges under Section 38 […]

todaySeptember 16, 2026 55

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Wolvaardt rediscovers form as Proteas breeze past Zimbabwe

Proteas Women skipper, Laura Wolvaardt’s, record-equalling century helped South Africa cruise to an 80-run victory over Zimbabwe in the third T20I, securing a convincing win and an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. Wolvaardt brought up her fourth T20I century, taking her overall international tally to 18 and drawing level with India’s, Smriti Mandhana, for the most centuries in women’s cricket. She also smashed an unbeaten 126 off just […]

todaySeptember 15, 2026 45

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Madlanga Commission | JMPD kidnapping, extortion claims exposed

The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has heard explosive allegations of kidnapping, extortion and alleged protection of criminal syndicates within the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD). JMPD K9 Unit Sergeant Rico van Wyk, told the Commission on Tuesday that officers, Johannes Mokgatle and Zwelibanzi Mgujulwa, were allegedly involved in a kidnapping and extortion incident on 29 September 2021. Van Wyk says the alleged victim reported that the officers abducted him and […]

todaySeptember 15, 2026 203

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Matlala Trial | Kekana’s torture claims under scrutiny

Alleged hitman, Musa Kekana, has accused police of using torture to extract information from him following his arrest, telling the Johannesburg High Court that officers allegedly suffocated him with a plastic bag until he lost consciousness and coughed up blood. Kekana, the first accused in the attempted-murder trial involving alleged underworld figure, Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala, gave evidence in a trial-within-a-trial on Tuesday, which is focused on whether evidence obtained following […]

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Majodina apologises after vulgar outburst as ANC faces backlash

Water and Sanitation Minister, Pemmy Majodina, has received mixed reactions to her apology following a heated exchange with a member of the public in Kouga. Some have welcomed the apology, arguing that ministers are human and can make mistakes, while others have criticised Majodina, saying she should have learnt from a similar incident involving Johannesburg Mayor, Dada Morero. Majodina was heard using derogatory language on 9 September during the launch […]

todaySeptember 15, 2026 20

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Millions spent on anti-illegal immigration protests, but not enough for GBV: Activist

Community members and gender-based violence activists have questioned the government's priorities, asking how millions of rand can be spent on deploying security resources during anti-illegal immigration protests while the country's GBV and femicide crisis remains under-resourced. A visibly distraught GBV activist, Sihle Sibisi, has slammed government over what she describes as a failure to show the same urgency in tackling violence against women and girls. Sibisi, from the Kwanele Foundation, […]

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OPINION | Whoever owns the data owns the truth: Capitec, the DA, and the quiet enclosure of South Africa’s information economy

In June 2024, in the aftermath of an election in which voter turnout fell to 58.57%, I argued that South Africa's democracy was in crisis, not simply because people had stopped voting, but because the alternatives on offer were themselves financed and shaped by the same captains of capital who had long protected the status quo. Parties like Rise Mzansi, ActionSA and BOSA, I maintained, were not vanguards of "new […]

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