A trial within a trial of six men accused of the murder of 18 people at Ngobozana village in Lusikisiki is expected to resume on Tuesday at the Mthatha High Court sitting in Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape.   The State has called two witnesses, Sergeant Nqaba Gqala and Captain Yalekile Sonkqayi.  Gqala is the officer who took accused number two, Aphiwe Ndende, to the commissioned officer who took a statement from Ndende. Sonkqayi …

At least 400 people were killed and 250 injured in an air strike by Pakistan on a drug users rehabilitation hospital in Kabul, a spokesman of the Afghan Taliban government said on Tuesday, a sharp escalation in the conflict between the neighbours. Pakistan rejected the claim as false and misleading and said it “precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support …

Economists, business managers and trade unions expect inflation to average a record low of 3.6 % over the next five years. The group of professionals participated in a survey by the Bureau for Economic Research. Their expectation follows government’s decision to anchor inflation at the new 3% target, give or take one percentage point. Economist at the Bureau for Economic …

National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola will appear before Parliament’s Ad Hoc committee looking into national security concerns on Tuesday morning. Masemola is returning to the committee to answer some of the matters that arose during the course of the committee hearings. During his evidence in October last year, the committee heard of his preference for gradually winding down the …

United States President Donald Trump has suggested that he would “take” the island nation of Cuba, adding that it would be a great hour. Trump was responding to media questions in the Oval Office amid an ongoing US oil blockage that has imperilled Cuba’s already battered economy and affected communications, the healthcare system and transportation, among others. The New York …

Their ‘crime’ is punishable by life imprisonment in Uganda. Arua city official Job Richard Matua claims that the defendants will flee from Uganda if they are released on bail. (Photo courtesy of YouTube) Ugandan police have again arrested two women accused of kissing in public in  violation of the country’s harsh Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) 2023. Anti-gay advocates claim that the …

South Africa’s political discourse often invokes the rule of law as if it were a self-sufficient cure for the country’s deep social wounds. No political party embraces this language more emphatically than the Democratic Alliance. Its messaging repeatedly emphasises legality, institutional discipline and predictability in governance. These are undeniably important values in any constitutional democracy. Yet elevating the rule of …

Persistent rainfall in three districts in Limpopo continues to damage critical infrastructure. Vhembe and Mopani Districts have been the hardest hit, with some areas receiving over 100 mm of rain in the last 48 hours. The heavy downpours have wreaked havoc, with bridges collapsing and cutting off communities. A bridge at Tshikunda outside Thohoyandou, which connects the village to nearby …

US President Donald Trump has warned that North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) faced a “very bad” future if allies failed to support US efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz. Over the weekend, Trump also called specifically on China, France, Japan and South Korea to secure the Strait with an announcement on a potential coalition of countries to police the …

Presidents Jacob Zuma and Thabo Mbeki are adamant that Justice Sisi Khampepe must recuse herself as Chairperson of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Cases Inquiry. This on the grounds that the prior roles she held may compromise her impartiality. Over the next two days, a full bench of the South Gauteng High Court, in Johannesburg, will hear the two …

Former MC Alger coach, Rulani Mokwena, is receiving consular assistance from the South African mission in Algeria after he was arrested for the alleged violation of the country’s currency regulations. The mission says it’s in touch with Mokwena. Mokwena was reportedly stopped by customs officials at Houari Boumediene Airport in Algiers amid allegations of attempting to leave the country with …

Crime expert Willem Els has raised concerns that some Special Task Force members are now being recruited by organised crime syndicates because of the skills they possess. The remarks come in light of the arrest of a suspect in the murder of Marius van der Merwe, also known as Witness-D at the Madlanga Commission in Pretoria. Matipandile Sotheni, a former …

Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe says the evolving tensions in the Middle East is having a negative impact on global oil prices. Mantashe says oil prices are expected to increase sharply next month due to the conflict in the region. He was delivering the keynote address at the 5th annual Southern Africa Oil and Gas Conference, in …

It has been confirmed that Parliament has laid criminal charges against private investigator, Paul O’Sullivan. This was announced at a housekeeping meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee looking into national security concerns. The charges flow from a threatening message O’Sullivan allegedly sent to a witness, Chief of Staff in the Ministry of Police Cedrick Nkabinde, while Nkabinde was appearing before …

The Madlanga Commission in Pretoria has heard how suspended South African Police Service (SAPS) Organised Crime Head Major-General Richard Shibiri allegedly had an interest in Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala’s SAPS tender because Matlala complained to him about it. This is according to Sergeant Fannie Nkosi, a member of the Gauteng Organised Crime Unit who has been testifying. Evidence before the Commission …