A political war of words has erupted between the Gauteng Provincial Government and the Democratic Alliance (DA) over the declaration of Gauteng Crime Prevention Wardens, known as Amapanyaza, as Peace Officers — with accusations of opportunism, illegality and political grandstanding flying across the aisle. The row follows a joint announcement by the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Development, the Ministry of Police and the Gauteng Provincial Government confirming that qualifying traffic wardens had been declared Peace Officers after what the…

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana on Wednesday delivered a Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), calling for collective discipline to stabilise public finances while ensuring the protection of South Africa’s most vulnerable citizens. The Minister said that after years of fiscal strain, South Africa’s debt will finally stabilise at 77.9% of GDP this year and begin to decline over the medium term. The deficit, he said, was smaller than forecast earlier in the year, showing progress in government’s commitment to restore credibility…

The financially crippled Emfuleni Local Municipality has once again come under fierce criticism, this time for allegedly spending almost R12 million on grave-digging contracts between 2022 and 2025, despite having municipal staff capable of doing the job. According to a written response by Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Jacob Mamabolo, Emfuleni appointed four private companies, Busines Eneriso, Luselo and Seithuto JV, and Downtown Spares, to provide grave-digging services. The total cost of the contracts amounted to…

What was meant to be a hopeful journey home for dozens of travellers from Johannesburg to Zimbabwe turned into a scene of horror and heartbreak on Sunday evening, when a cross-border bus plunged down a steep embankment along the N1 near Ingwe Lodge in Limpopo. The devastating crash claimed 42 lives, including seven children, and left 49 others injured, six of them critically. Among the dead was a 10-month-old baby, according to rescue officials. The bus, carrying passengers from Zimbabwe…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has engaged in a critical phone call with United States President Donald Trump as South Africa stares down the possibility of damaging US tariffs that could hit key sectors and cost thousands of jobs. The early morning call on Wednesday, 6 August 2025, focused on bilateral trade and came amid growing concern that Washington may soon impose punitive tariffs on South African exports — a move that could severely disrupt trade relations and push the already fragile…

Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s visit to Mangaung for a high-profile cleaning campaign has sparked fierce backlash from the Democratic Alliance (DA), which has labelled the trip a “desperate PR stunt” intended to divert public attention from the deputy president’s deepening ethics scandals. The cleaning campaign, held under the theme “Bontle Ke Botho: A Free State That Works for All”, is part of the national Clean Cities and Towns Campaign, launched in Kliptown in June. While the government claims the campaign…

The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) has strongly denied explosive allegations made by the Democratic Alliance (DA), which claim that its officers are under pressure to issue traffic fines amounting to R7,000 per day. The department has labelled the accusation “misleading” and “damaging to the integrity of law enforcement in the city.” Speaking out after the DA released a statement on Monday alleging politically motivated revenue targets in the JMPD, the department’s spokesperson, Superintendent Xolani Fihla, said such claims were…

In a rare move to underscore accountability among senior office-bearers, Parliament’s Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests has imposed a R10 000 fine on Deputy President Paul Mashatile for failing to declare a registrable gift — specifically, a diamond — within the legally required timeframe. The fine, announced this week, has been criticised by some as merely a “slap on the wrist” for one of the country’s most powerful political figures. Mashatile, who returned to Parliament following the 2024 general…

South Africa’s century-long tradition of elite pact-making began with the 1910 Union, which forged white unity through excluding black South Africans from political life. In response, black elites—mostly Christianised African professionals and chiefs, collectively known as amazemtiti or ‘Black Englishmen’—formed the ANC in 1912, hoping to counter this settler compact through petitions and appeals to imperial justice. “Tell England that we are not the barbarians they think we are.”—Sol Plaatje, 1914 formal protest letter to King George V against the…

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has revealed that former Police Minister Senzo Mchunu is now the subject of a criminal investigation by the South African Police Service (SAPS), adding yet another twist in the deepening crisis at the top of the country’s security leadership. DA Deputy Chief Whip Baxolile Nodada announced on Wednesday that a senior Lieutenant Colonel has been appointed to investigate charges laid by the party against Mchunu last week. The charges relate to allegations that Mchunu misled Parliament…