ATM Urges President Cyril Ramaphosa To Establish Eastern Cape Stock Theft Task Team After Corruption Claims

The African Transformation Movement (ATM) has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa requesting the urgent establishment of a dedicated Eastern Cape Stock Theft and Cross Border Livestock Crime Task Team, saying organised syndicates and allegations of corruption within law enforcement are fuelling a crisis that is devastating rural communities.

In a letter dated 4 August, addressed to Ramaphosa and copied to Acting Police Minister Professor Firoz Cachalia, the party called for a province-wide, multidisciplinary task team to tackle stockREAD MORE

South Africa faces a real capacity cliff between 2029 and March 2030: roughly 9.5 GW of dispatchable capacity, driven mostly by coal retirements under Minimum Emission Standards and the expiry of the Cahora Bassa import contract. IRP 2025’s answer — around 6 GW of imported LNG-fired CCGT — solves the availability problem on paper, but converts it into an affordability and currency problem that current planning barely models. Worse, NERSA‘s new electricity Trading Rules (Version 3,READ MORE

The Gauteng Department of Health has rejected claims by the Democratic Alliance (DA) that a patient was left permanently blind because of broken equipment at Steve Biko Academic Hospital’s Eye Clinic, saying the patient’s medical history does not support that conclusion.

The dispute follows a statement issued by the DA on Monday, in which the party alleged that delays in repairing critical ophthalmology equipment resulted in a patient permanently losing vision in one eye afterREAD MORE

Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) has secured the release of the body of a deceased minor child after intervening in a dispute over the classification of a refugee patient at Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria.

The organisation said the family was initially prevented from proceeding with burial arrangements after being presented with a hospital account of R112,000. Following urgent intervention by LHR, the hospital reviewed the patient’s classification, reducing the outstanding amount to R750READ MORE

The National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Office for Ethics and Accountability (OEA) has confirmed that a senior advocate attached to the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) in Johannesburg received payments from businessman Howard Mashaba, giving official confirmation to allegations first reported by African Times earlier this year.

In a letter dated 30 July 2026, the Special Director of Public Prosecutions and head of the OEA, Advocate KarenREAD MORE

South Africa’s voters’ roll has surpassed the 29 million mark after nearly 1.8 million people interacted with the Electoral Commission during the final voter registration weekend ahead of the 4 November Local Government Elections.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) announced on Monday that 1 794 051 citizens either visited one of the country’s 23 699 registration stations or used the online voter registration portal on 1 and 2 August to register, inspect or update theirREAD MORE

The criminal case against alleged political fixer Oupa Brown Mogotsi has been postponed to 20 August after the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court dismissed an application by the defence seeking further particulars from the State, including the identities and residential addresses of witnesses expected to testify.

The court ruled on Monday that the names and addresses of witnesses would remain confidential, citing security concerns raised by the prosecution.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), theREAD MORE

Motorists will get some relief at the pumps this week after the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources announced a 52 cents per litre cut in the price of petrol, while diesel users will face steep increases from Wednesday, 5 August 2026.

The monthly fuel price adjustments, announced by the Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources on Monday, come after a decline in international crude oil prices helped lower the cost of petrol. However, rising global diesel pricesREAD MORE

The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) arrested 166 motorists for driving under the influence of alcohol during a week-long road safety operation aimed at reducing crashes and improving compliance with traffic laws across the city.

In a statement issued on Monday, the department said the arrests were made during high-visibility operations, roadblocks and routine patrols conducted between 27 July and 2 August 2026.

JMPD spokesperson Superintendent Xolani Fihla said the department remains committed toREAD MORE

The Democratic Alliance’s legal challenge against the Expropriation Act is being heard in the Western Cape High Court, with the party arguing that the legislation is unconstitutional and was not lawfully passed through Parliament.

Speaking outside court on Monday, DA Federal Chairperson Bonginkosi Madikizela said the party believes the Act violates the Constitution and that the parliamentary process leading to its adoption was fundamentally flawed.

Madikizela said the DA was asking the court to declare the ActREAD MORE