The police have officially confirmed that they have arrested three top political office bearers at the Nongoma Local Municipality in northern KwaZulu-Natal earlier on Friday. However, they did not reveal the charges except that the suspects will appear in court on Monday where they would be presented with the charge sheet. “The SAPS confirms that there are politicians and officials attached to the Nongoma Local Municipality that have been arrested. They are expected to appear in court on Monday morning.…

A senior North West ANC politician is in hot water for allegedly threatening to break a local councillor’s private parts, castrate him and resurrect his dead mother.  Provincial Deputy Secretary and Education MEC Viola Ntsetsao Motsumi allegedly insulted Mahikeng Ward 10 councillor Obakeng Kgonare and accused him of spreading false rumours about her.  Kgonare opened a crimen injuria case against Motsumi at the Mmabatho Police Station on Wednesday, November 20. The ward councillor confirmed to African Times that he laid…

Former ANC Treasurer-General Dr Mathews Phosa has shared some intricate details regarding the events leading to Jacob Zuma’s recall as president in February 2018. Phosa said Zuma was so aggrieved by the ANC’s decision to recall him that he wanted to challenge the vote of no confidence against him in court. Phosa revealed the mooted court application in an interview with Newzroom Afrika on Thursday, discussing his book, Witness to Power, with host Aldrin Sampear. The vote of no confidence route…

The leader of Economic Freedom Fighters in Limpopo, Lawrence Mapoulo, has accused Premier Phophi Ramathuba and Legislature Speaker Makoma Makhurupetje of tribalism and nepotism, alleging they only hire Vhavenda and Balobedu in their offices at the expense of Bapedi and Vatsonga-speaking people. Mapoulo addressed his party members during a service delivery march outside the Office of the Premier on Wednesday, November 13. In a video circulating on social media, Mapoulo is heard pointing accusing fingers at Ramathuba and Makhurupetje. Tribalism…

The Limpopo ANC has sought the wisdom and guidance of a traditional healer ahead of a crucial by-election in Thabazimbi, in a move one political analyst says is common among politicians but may help de-colonise minds and make people embrace African spirituality more than influence voter behaviour. Last week, ANC provincial executive committee (PEC) member and Premier Phophi Ramathuba and provincial ANC Youth League (ANCYL) Chairperson Ernest Tonny Rachoene were seen consulting an unnamed traditional healer during a campaign before…

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has swiftly moved to prevent a total split with the South African National Civic Organisation, the fourth member of the alliance. Yesterday, the party met with the civic organization’s leadership to iron out their differences and map a way forward following last week’s “divorce.” The meeting over the matter continued today (Monday) and it was joined by COSATU and the SACP in the province. The meeting was called after last week SANCO announced that it was…

A leader of the South African Communist Party (SACP) in KwaZulu-Natal has made bold claims that during the negotiations, the ANC focused on managing white fears and abandoned black people. Themba Mthembu who is the provincial secretary of the communist party also claimed that the coalition the country has now was hatched back in 1986 during the early stages of the negotiations between the ANC and the apartheid government. Mthembu made these claims on Thursday during a roundtable discussion organized…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has described Russian leader Vladimir Putin as a “valuable ally and a friend” who supported him when South Africa entered uncharted waters after the May general elections. He told Putin he had formed the Government of National Unity (GNU) with several opposition parties to stabilise South Africa politically after the governing African National Congress received 40% of the national vote. Putin was widely expected to use the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, to show the world…

Nkululeko Dunga, former MMC for Finance in the City of Ekurhuleni and Chairperson of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Gauteng, survived an assassination attempt in the early hours of Wednesday, 02 October 2024.  According to a media statement from the EFF, the attack occurred at Dunga’s family home in Ekurhuleni. The statement details that at approximately midnight, suspicious footsteps were heard on the roof, prompting Dunga’s son to request a security check. Around 2 am, security personnel conducting patrols…

In the 1970s, Capital owners, led by the Randlords under Oppenheimer, initiated a political strategy to protect their economic interests amidst growing discontent from the black majority. Despite clashing with apartheid’s segregation, the Randlords’ economic power steered the path to the ‘political miracle’ of 1994. They foresaw the need for a strategic shift to maintain economic control while appeasing international pressure, engaging in behind-the-scenes negotiations, lobbying and forming alliances to influence favourable political outcomes. The Randlords’ interventions mastered a ‘soft’…