SIU Uncovers Alleged R58m Ekurhuleni Land Transfer Scheme

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has uncovered what it says was a fraudulent scheme involving the transfer of 208 municipal stands in Villa Liza, near Boksburg, into private hands, with the properties collectively valued at about R58 million.

The investigation found that the transfers, which took place between 2018 and 2022, were allegedly carried out without Ekurhuleni Municipality council resolutions or lawful authority.

SIU head Leonard Lekgetho said on Wednesday that the municipality didREAD MORE

The Chancellor of the Zulu nation, Inkosi Malusi Zondi, has written to the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and asked it to shed light on the proposed transaction with the Vision Group to bail out struggling sugar giant, Tongaat Hullet.

Zondi says he is concerned about the secrecy around the deal and that, should there be a misstep, the collapse of Tongaat Hullet will not only hit the economy of KwaZulu-Natal, but it will also hitREAD MORE

The discovery of another woman’s body in KwaThema, Springs, has pushed the number of women whose deaths are being investigated across Ekurhuleni to eight, prompting an intensified police operation and a R400,000 reward for information that could lead to an arrest.

Acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane confirmed the latest developments on Tuesday night, saying the number of cases under investigation had been revised upwards after police identified another case that had initially not been includedREAD MORE

A Limpopo man is crying foul after a travel agency, Travel and Sport, charged him a 100 percent cancellation fee on the US trip for his daughter even though he cancelled a month in advance.

Mokoto Valley Mahlane says Travel and Sport has refused to refund him the entire R30,000 paid towards the 2023 educational tour for his then Grade 10 daughter, Kgothatso, who had been selected to join a group of about 50 learners from Hoerskool MerenskyREAD MORE

Trade union Solidarity has lodged a complaint with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) against Amazon Web Services (AWS), accusing the technology giant of discriminating against all South African businesses with white ownership.

The complaint, according to the trade union’s media release on Tuesday, centres on an AWS development and acceleration programme for small businesses seeking to grow their AWS operations and become partners in Amazon’s Partner Network. Solidarity claims the programme requires applicants to beREAD MORE

Suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi and five co-accused will remain behind bars after the Brakpan Magistrate’s Court denied them bail in connection with the murder of Emmanuel Mbense.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) successfully opposed the bail applications of all six accused on Tuesday, with the court finding that they had failed to place sufficient evidence before it to demonstrate exceptional circumstances that would justify their release in the interests ofREAD MORE

The number of women found dead in Ekurhuleni since July has risen to seven, with police confirming that the body of another woman was discovered floating in a river in Clayville on 7 September.

The latest discovery, near the Mall of Tembisa, has added to mounting concern over a series of deaths that has left communities across the metro fearful and prompted President Cyril Ramaphosa to direct police to urgently

Deputy President Paul Mashatile has moved to reassure South Africans about his health, saying his recovery from a recent “minor” medical procedure is progressing well but that his doctors have advised him to continue resting.

Mashatile gave the update in a statement released on social media on Tuesday as questions continued over his health and absence from some official duties.

In the statement, the Deputy President said he was regaining strength each day and would remain onREAD MORE

President Cyril Ramaphosa has directed police to prioritise investigations into the deaths of women whose bodies have been discovered in Ekurhuleni over the past two months, as concern grows over the possibility that some of the killings could be linked.

The latest discovery was made in KwaThema, Springs, on Tuesday morning, bringing to six the number of women whose bodies have been found in the Ekurhuleni district during the past two months.

Five bodies had previously beenREAD MORE

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on South Africans to use the public participation process to challenge what it describes as unfair electricity pricing, warning that consumers could face further financial pressure if proposed changes are adopted without stronger protections.

DA spokesperson on electricity and energy Kevin Mileham said South Africans have until September 27 to comment on the Department of Electricity and Energy’s Revised Electricity Pricing Policy.

Mileham urged households and businesses to make submissions beforeREAD MORE