The former Chief Justice has lashed out at the Hawks, saying he had no similar faith in them as he had with the former Scorpions. Raymond Zondo says the Scorpions were very effective, and the corrupt lot in the country feared them, and corruption was largely contained. He then lamented the decision of the ANC, which was taken in 2007 in Polokwane, to disband them and replace them with the Hawks. Zondo was speaking in Johannesburg at an anti-corruption event…

One of the alleged crime kingpins recently exposed by Lt. Gen. Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi as having a tight stranglehold on senior SAPS officials and ANC leaders is embroiled in a citizenship scandal in the neighbouring Kingdom of Eswatini. Vusumuzi “Cat” Matlala allegedly holds the citizenship of the kingdom, and it is believed that it was fraudulently obtained. It is not clear why Matlala, who is currently in custody for other cases, needed the citizenship of the impoverished country while he was…

The controversial Dr Nobuhle Nkabane has been sacked months after her SETA boards chairpersons and her conduct before parliament sparked controversy. Defiant to the very end, Nkabane, the former Minister of Higher Education and Training, decided to announce her resignation before President Cyril Ramaphosa could announce her axing. In her pre-emptive press statement, she thanked Ramaphosa for the opportunity to serve as the minister and said it was a privilege. “It has been a privilege to lead this important portfolio,…

A South African national who is stranded in the Asian country of Vietnam near China has reached out to the public via social media to help him raise funds to pay a fine for overstaying in the country before he can be allowed to leave. Zenzele Makulula (also known as Zulu) from Mandeni in KwaZulu-Natal, was working in the country, but later lost his job and his temporary residence card (TRC) was revoked, leaving him vulnerable to arrest. He was…

A month after the devastating floods that hit OR Tambo and Amathole district municipalities and other parts of the Eastern Cape, emergency services are still searching for the body of a child who was swept away. This was revealed by the province’s MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Zolile Williams, while giving the latest update on disaster management response and recovery. Williams said the floods on 9 and 10 June brought devastation beyond the two districts as some parts…

The government of the Kingdom of Eswatini has confirmed that it is housing five dangerous criminals deported from the USA on Tuesday night. The government said the convicted criminals are being held in secure facilities, with no room for escape. The kingdom has only one maximum security prison, which is located at Sidwashini in Mbabane, the capital of Eswatini, almost 30 kilometres away from the border with South Africa on the side of Mpumalanga province. The assurance comes amid fears…

The Premier of Mpumalanga, Mandla Ndlovu, has wielded the axe just a year into the 7th administration and fired the embattled former MEC for Education, Cathy Dlamini. Dlamini, who presided over the R2 million laptop scandal and allegedly shielded the officials who are fingered, was replaced by Lindi Masina, the outgoing Speaker of the Mpumalanga provincial legislature. Masina’s position would be taken over by Makhosazana Masilela. Ndlovu told Masina that among the immediate tasks for the department is a pass…

A group of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) has renewed calls for developing countries to tax the super-rich and stop tax abuse by multinational companies to raise funds for their developmental needs. The NGOs, including African Monitor, Aid Link Organization-South Sudan, Alternative Information and Development Centre (AIDC), Child’s Destiny and Development Organisation (CHIDDO), Committee on Fiscal Studies, COSATU, Economic Justice Network, Fight Inequality Alliance (FIA), Friedrich Ebert Stiftung South Africa, and Health Taxes Alliance South Africa, say South Africa remains the most…

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) will open an inquest to unearth the truth into the May 1985 murder of three Port Elizabeth freedom fighters known as the PEBCO Three – Sipho Samuel Hashe, Qaqawuli Godolozi and Twasile Champion Galela. This follows a nod from the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Ronald Lamola, after the Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Barry Madolo, recommended that it should be reopened. Unlike in other cases like those of Chief Albert Luthuli and…

Parliament’s portfolio committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) is set to descend on the troubled Maluti-A-Phofung local municipality in the Free State to demand answers after the entity obtained one of the worst audit findings since the advent of local governments in 1996. The visit would take place on July 24 and 25 this year. The pending visit was communicated by Dr Zweli Mkhize, the chairperson of the committee, in a letter addressed to the Mayor, Malekula Melato,…