The Border Management Authority (BMA) confirmed on Thursday that border guards, working alongside law enforcement agencies, seized a large quantity of methaqualone — commonly known as “ABBA” and used in the manufacturing of mandrax — during a stop-and-search operation conducted on 27 May. According to the BMA, the truck was travelling from Malawi into South Africa when it was flagged for inspection at the busy border post, one of the region’s key commercial and migration corridors linking South Africa with…

ActionSA has called for a criminal investigation into the controversial repair project at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, following a scathing report by the Public Protector that uncovered alleged maladministration, financial irregularities and project management failures linked to the hospital’s reconstruction after the devastating 2021 fire. On Monday, ActionSA Member of Parliament Dr Kgosi Letlape confirmed the party would formally request the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, commonly known as the Hawks, to launch an inquiry into the conduct of…

A sweeping anti-corruption operation by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) has resulted in the arrest of 13 law enforcement officers in Gauteng, exposing what authorities say is a troubling pattern of criminal conduct within the very ranks tasked with upholding the law. Nine officers are expected to appear before the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Friday, facing charges of corruption, extortion and trespassing following their arrest in the early hours of Thursday. The arrests were triggered by a complaint…

The Hawks have widened the raid in Newcastle by including the home of a roads contractor who reportedly won several tenders to build local roads on behalf of the northern KwaZulu-Natal municipality. This morning, the elite crime-fighting unit pounced at the plush home of Roshan Deochand, the owner of Sizela Transport, the company that won the tenders. According to sources, the home is also used as an office for the company, hence the Hawks pounced on it and took several…

The Hawks have conducted a sweeping raid at the troubled Newcastle Local Municipality in northern KwaZulu-Natal and confiscated electronic gadgets of senior officials and a large volume of documents. The raid took over 11 hours, and at the time this report was compiled, the Hawks were still on site in the offices in central Newcastle, mining data from the computer servers of the municipality. The IFP-run municipality has been in the spotlight after it was alleged that some politicians and…

Two women accused of orchestrating an alleged fraud and corruption scheme involving more than R800,000 at the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (Sedfa) briefly appeared in the Tzaneen Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, where they were granted bail of R20,000 each. Phaladi Ramadimetje Maggie, a financial advisor at Sedfa, and her co-accused Audrey Gavasa Ndlovu, a director at Nubian Notes, face charges of corruption, fraud, theft and money laundering. Their case was postponed to May to allow for further investigation…

Three suspects were shot dead during a high-speed chase and shootout with the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation in Crystal Park, Benoni, in the early hours of Thursday morning. According to the Hawks, the incident unfolded after members of the Tactical Operations Management Section (TOMS) acted on intelligence about a group allegedly linked to a spate of hijackings and kidnappings along Elm Road in Crystal Park. Officers conducted a tactical patrol in the area and, at around 20:30, spotted a…

Two suspects have been arrested in Limpopo in connection with an alleged corruption and fraud scheme involving more than R800,000 at the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (Sedfa). The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, commonly known as the Hawks, confirmed the arrests on Wednesday following a lengthy probe into alleged financial misconduct at Sedfa’s Tzaneen offices. The suspects, a 58-year-old company director and her company, along with a 49-year-old financial advisor, were apprehended on 17 March 2026 by the…

Three senior officials from the National Department of Health have appeared in court on charges of fraud and theft following an investigation by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation. Malixole Mahlathi, Phineas Mamogale and Sabelo Buthelezi were served with warrants of arrest on Monday morning and later appeared in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court. The arrests form part of a probe by the Hawks’ National Serious Corruption Investigation unit into alleged irregularities linked to public funds. The case stems…

Ten teenage boys believed to be victims of human trafficking were rescued in a coordinated law enforcement operation in Johannesburg, while a 47-year-old foreign national was arrested and is expected to appear in court this week. According to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks), the rescue on Tuesday followed a joint operation involving Fox Security, the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD), SAPS Mondeor and the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit specialising in trafficking in persons. The incident…