The King of the Zulu nation wants total control of the Ingonyama Trust, which controls millions of hectares of tribal land across KwaZulu-Natal. As a result, King Misuzulu KaZwelithini has appointed retired Judge Isaac Madondo and Advocate Thembeka Ngcukaitobi to lead the process to change the legislation that will see the devolving of the powers to appoint the Ingonyama Trust board from the Minister of Land Affairs and Rural Development and given to him. Currently, the King appoints a portion…

Mpumalanga-based billionaire businessman Robert Gumede, whose Vision Group acquired the debt of Tongaat Hulett, has undertaken to save the historic sugar and milling company from liquidation. During a meeting with King Misuzulu kaZwelithini on Wednesday, Gumede outlined his vision to repurpose the company, emphasising its critical economic role within the Zulu kingdom. Also present were the Royal Chancellor, Inkosi Malusi Zondi, and the Traditional Prime Minister, Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi. The undertaking comes despite Tongaat Hulett’s business rescue practitioners having already…

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Public Works and Infrastructure, Martin Meyer, has declared that the once-feared construction mafia that disrupted projects and extorted money from contractors has been decimated, and almost all projects are on track. Speaking on Tuesday evening in Phoenix, north of Durban, Meyer provided an update on his department’s performance for the 2024-2025 financial year. He said the upgrading of the Menzi High School in Umlazi, Durban, which had been stalled by the mafia for years, is now complete…

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli has once again warned employers to stop hiring illegal immigrants, saying that it is against the law and would land them in trouble. Ntuli said the scourge of illegal immigration has effects on the economy of the province and other sectors. He was speaking in Durban on Tuesday during a one-day multi-sectoral session engagement on social cohesion and immigration enforcement. “I must, in fact, stamp the message from the State of the Nation Address (SONA), which…

The Constitutional Court (Concourt) has refused to grant Prince Simakade leave to appeal the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) ruling that effectively recognized King Misuzulu KaZwelithini as the rightful King of the Zulu nation. This effectively ends the fight for the Zulu throne, which started in 2021 following the passing of King Goodwill Zwelithini. The apex court said the appeal had no prospects of sucess, hence it turned it down without a hearing. Prince Simakade initially won at the Pretoria…

Police in KwaZulu-Natal have launched a manhunt for two suspects who broke into the Mthonjaneni Local Municipality offices in Melmoth and made off with laptops containing sensitive financial information. The brazen break-in occurred late yesterday at the municipality’s finance department. The suspects were captured on CCTV fleeing the scene in a white Polo parked across the road. According to a source within the municipality, the stolen laptops contained sensitive information about the finances and financial transactions of the municipality. The…

The former Mayor of Nongoma Local Municipality in northern KwaZulu-Natal, Clifford “Mshangane” Ndabandaba, has abruptly resigned as a councillor and executive committee (exco) member in the municipality. Ndabandaba, who is currently facing multiple corruption charges alongside the ANC’s Babongile Sithole and former EFF councillor Sabelo Nkosi for the alleged looting of municipal funds during their tenure, submitted his resignation in a letter dated 19 February 2026. He did not state any reason for the sudden departure. “I am writing to…

The bank account of the IFP-led Uthukela District Municipality in Ladysmith, northern KwaZulu-Natal, has been attached following a court order obtained by a service provider owed millions for work rendered. The attachment was made public by Councillor Thys Janse van Rensburg, who revealed that a High Court settlement in October 2025 required the municipality to pay RASP Consulting R3 million. Van Rensburg said that despite the municipality having an available balance of approximately R12 million in December 2025, Municipal Manager…

Despite holding talks with the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) over the weekend in Durban, the National Freedom Party (NFP) has confirmed it remains outside the KwaZulu-Natal Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) and will back efforts to unseat Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli. In a statement on Tuesday, the NFP said discussions with the IFP are ongoing but have not yet concluded. It added that it is happy to remain in the opposition benches of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature in Pietermaritzburg. “Our position stands…

A truck driver is facing arrest and prosecution for allegedly taking a picture of his naked ex-girlfriend and later circulating it without her permission. The alleged incident happened on New Year’s Day this year while the driver employed by Dirk Lotter Transport was transporting goods between Durban and Johannesburg. The victim would not be named to shield her from secondary humiliation. The victim said she was drunk when the incident occurred. “While I was naked inside his truck and drunk,…