Prof LenkaBula Calls for Action on Public Service Ills as 25th SAAPAM Conference Opens

Speaking at the 25th SAAPAM Annual Conference in Durban, Prof Puleng LenkaBula called for a transformed, professional and accountable public service that puts communities at the centre of development.

Moving beyond diagnosing the challenges facing the public sector to actively addressing them is critical to strengthening South Africa’s public service, University of South Africa (Unisa) Principal and Vice-Chancellor Prof Puleng LenkaBula has said.

Delivering the welcome address at the opening of the 25th AnnualREAD MORE

Businessman Lawrence Chamurwa Mudzinganyama, whose confrontation with women at a Randburg restaurant sparked widespread public outrage after a video of the incident went viral, has appeared in court facing multiple criminal charges.

The Zimbabwean national, Mudzinganyama, 40, appeared before the Randburg Magistrates’ Court on Thursday following his arrest on September 20 in connection with the incident at Vlamo Restaurant.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) saidREAD MORE

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy will on Thursday officially launch South Africa’s 2026 October Transport Month campaign, with the country’s transport system, road safety and the performance of major transport entities set to come under scrutiny.

The launch takes place at the UNISA School of Business Leadership in Midrand, Gauteng, where Creecy will deliver the keynote address under the theme, “Progress in improving reliability, safety, sustainability and affordability of the transport system.”

The high-level event is being hostedREAD MORE

City Power has restored 45% of the electricity supply affected by the latest fire at its Central Substation, bringing power back to key parts of Johannesburg’s inner city earlier than initially anticipated.

The power utility said the milestone was reached by 7pm on Wednesday, September 30, after technical teams worked around the clock to repair damaged infrastructure and reconfigure the network.

City Power had previously indicated that restoring supply could take at least seven days following theREAD MORE

A former financial adviser who admitted diverting millions of rand belonging to Old Mutual clients into a company he controlled has been convicted of fraud and money laundering.

The Bellville Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Tuesday, 30 September 2026, found Farouk Khan (45) guilty on 16 counts of fraud and one count of money laundering.

Khan, a former employee and financial advisor at Alchemy Financial Services, an Old Mutual agency franchise, was arrested in September 2024 followingREAD MORE

More than 5,000 cases of alleged police misconduct were registered by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) in the 2025/26 financial year, including hundreds involving gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF).

IPID registered 5,259 cases between April 2025 and March 2026, with assault and torture accounting for the largest share at 3,468 cases.

The figures were contained in IPID’s 2025/26 Annual Report, tabled in Parliament on Wednesday by Police Minister Firoz Cachalia.

The report also recorded 669READ MORE

Two Home Affairs officials have on Wednesday appeared in the Protea Magistrates’ Court in connection with an investigation into an alleged passport racket in which foreign nationals are believed to have paid as much as R100,000 for South African travel documents.

Aluwani Andries Netshidaulu and Nthombifuthi Phyllis Mokwebo were arrested on Tuesday, 29 September, during an operation linked to Project Humulani, an investigation that has been running since 2021.

They face charges of racketeering, corruption, fraud andREAD MORE

What started as a quiet effort by friends of the late Munghana Lonene FM presenter Foster “Mafosi” Chauke to support his grieving family has snowballed into a remarkable show of solidarity, with the funeral fund now standing at R82,900.

The latest figure represents an increase of R33,900 since African Times reported that R49,000 and counting had already been raised as Mafosi’s friends rallied behind his family following his sudden death.

And with just one day left forREAD MORE

Bafana Bafana’s Cairo adventure is not over yet. Fresh from a commanding 5-0 victory over Eritrea, South Africa will remain in the Egyptian capital for a few more days before facing the hosts, the Pharaohs, in an international friendly on Sunday.

The emphatic win over Eritrea has given Bafana valuable momentum in their pursuit of a place at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, with Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania set to jointly host the continental tournament next June.

READ MORE

By the time this goes to print, the number may have changed again. As I write, at least nine, possibly ten, women have been found dead in and around Kempton Park since mid-July, most half-naked, several with visible bruising, left along the same stretch of the R21 and its surrounding veld.

Police have not confirmed a serial killer, but they have confirmed something almost as chilling: concerning similarities across the deaths. Among them is Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, 38,READ MORE