VP Justice Foundation Calls for Accountability as IPID Investigates KZN Hawks Officer

The VP Justice Foundation has welcomed an investigation involving KwaZulu-Natal Hawks Lieutenant Colonel Deenadayalan “Deena” Govender, saying no police officer should be shielded from scrutiny regardless of rank or position.

The foundation’s comments follow a search conducted by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) at Govender’s residence amid allegations raised at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, which has heard evidence relating to controversial police operations and shootings.

The investigation has drawn attention to questions surrounding R2.3 million deposited into Govender’sREAD MORE

Senators and experts discuss the group’s priorities on the 20th anniversary of its creation

Over the past 20 years, BRICS has formed an effective multi-level architecture of cooperation, but for further growth it is important to maintain momentum and avoid creating excessive formal structures. This was stated by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov at the round table “Improving the Effectiveness of International Cooperation in the BRICS Format”.

The event was timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the group’s creation and wasREAD MORE

Pastor Thandekile Sibiya, who allegedly received more than R1 million in suspected money-laundering transactions, has been released on R10,000 bail in a R114 million Mpumalanga education tender scandal involving the renovation of 21 dilapidated schools.

Sibiya appeared before the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 15 October 2026, following her arrest by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), also known as the Hawks, a day earlier.

Her husband, Pastor Bongani Sibiya, who is also implicated in the case, has reportedlyREAD MORE

The world’s first regional agreement on the digital economy will be signed in November

At the 49th ASEAN Summit in November 2026, the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) will be signed. It is the world’s first legally binding regional-scale agreement regulating the digital economy. ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn said this in an exclusive interview with TV BRICS.

Negotiations on DEFA began in September 2023 and concluded in May 2026. The member states are currently conducting an internal legal review ofREAD MORE

President Cyril Ramaphosa has lifted the precautionary suspension of National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola, clearing the way for him to resume his duties on Monday, 19 October.

The Presidency announced the decision on Friday, following the withdrawal of criminal charges against Masemola in September.

Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Ramaphosa and Masemola had agreed to the commissioner’s precautionary suspension in April 2026, after Masemola appeared in the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court to face charges relating to alleged contraventions of theREAD MORE

A former North West ANC regional treasurer and businessman has reportedly been arrested at OR Tambo International Airport after failing to appear before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.

Although sources have identified the 49-year-old man arrested by the Commissions Recommendations Task Team (CRTT) on Thursday evening, African Times cannot reveal his identity until he appears in court. The man was reportedly apprehended moments before he was due to board an international flight.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) national spokespersonREAD MORE

What does it take to build a healthier future for more than 1.4 billion people?

From expanding access to healthcare to promoting healthier lifestyles, discover how President Xi Jinping is leading China’s efforts to improve people’s health and well-being in our latest Xictionary.

African Times has published this article in partnership with Xinhua News Agency

A 46-year-old man accused of gunning down four people and injuring three others as African National Congress (ANC) supporters returned from a memorial service in Katlehong North appeared in the Palmridge Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

Fani Sibeko faces four counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder following the deadly shooting on Tuesday, 13 October, which claimed the lives of four young people aged between 21 and 27.

He is also charged with discharging a firearm in a publicREAD MORE

CHENGDU, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) — When Ngorcog was a child growing up on the vast grasslands of Sichuan Province in southwest China, she never imagined that barley and fruit would one day “fall from the sky.”

For the young Tibetan woman, cargo transport used to rely on horses and yaks, and later, trucks. Today, the 25-year-old has a new role: pilot of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

“Learning to fly drones was difficult at first, but it was also fascinating,” sheREAD MORE

BEIJING, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) — China’s foreign trade maintained sound momentum in the first three quarters of 2026, with both exports and imports growing rapidly and the overall growth rate reaching its highest level for the same period in five years, official data showed Wednesday.

The country’s total imports and exports rose 18.8 percent year on year to 39.94 trillion yuan (about 5.94 trillion U.S. dollars) in the January-September period, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

Growth acceleratedREAD MORE