Gauteng police have recovered seven rifles, a pistol, a hijacked BMW X5 and other equipment believed to have been intended for a cash-in-transit (CIT) robbery after raiding a suspected gang safe house in Daveyton, Ekurhuleni. The operation, carried out on Wednesday evening by members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD), followed intelligence linking the suspects to a number of serious and violent crimes committed across Gauteng. Although the suspected gang members managed…

Two senior officials from the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality have been released on bail after appearing in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, following a weekend in custody on charges of fraud and corruption. Suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) Deputy Chief Julius Mkhwanazi and Ekurhuleni City Manager Kagiso Lerutla were each granted bail of R30,000. The pair face charges of fraud, corruption and defeating the ends of justice in a case that has drawn widespread public attention. The court ruled…

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba is expected to hand-deliver a memorandum to Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia on Tuesday, calling for immediate national intervention in the disappearance of 27-year-old Mazwi Mpumelelo Kubheka and escalating safety concerns in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni. Kubheka, a local spaza shop owner, was reported missing on 2 April after leaving his home to deposit money at a bank. He was last seen in Marimba Gardens and has not been found. Nearly a month later, no arrests have been…

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Gauteng has welcomed the tabling of a motion by its caucus in the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality council seeking to remove registered indigent households from the municipality’s debtors’ list and shield them from debt collection measures. The motion, scheduled to be debated at council at Germiston City Hall, proposes that all households officially recognised as indigent be removed from the city’s debtors’ database and have their qualifying municipal debt written off in accordance…

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has rejected new positions offered to its councillors in the City of Ekurhuleni’s Mayoral Committee, following a dramatic midnight reshuffle announced by Executive Mayor Nkosiphindile Xhakaza. The red berets say they will not form part of the newly constituted Mayoral Committee and will instead take up seats on the opposition benches, accusing Xhakaza of sidelining their councillors and undermining prior coalition understandings. In a strongly worded statement, the party confirmed that two of its councillors…

The political storm in the City of Ekurhuleni deepened on Wednesday after ActionSA rejected claims that one of its senior leaders, Cllr Xolani Khumalo, had been appointed to the Mayoral Committee by Executive Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza. The party has described as “entirely fabricated” a media statement circulating after Tuesday night’s dramatic reshuffle, which listed Khumalo as the new MMC for Community Services and By-Law Enforcement. The reshuffle, announced just before midnight, saw Mayor Xhakaza unveil what he termed “strategic changes”…

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Tembisa South has called on the City of Ekurhuleni to urgently accelerate bulk sewerage upgrade projects in the area, saying years of persistent sewer overflows have stripped residents of their dignity and exposed them to serious health risks. The call follows confirmation by the metro that two major bulk sewer projects are currently underway in Tembisa as part of a multi-year infrastructure programme scheduled to run until 2028. DA Political Head for Tembisa South, Refiloe…

Motorists travelling along Johan Rissik Road near the Marathon informal settlement in Primrose, Ekurhuleni, fear it is only a matter of time before tragedy strikes, following the appearance of a growing sinkhole on one of the busiest routes linking Germiston, Johannesburg, Bedfordview and surrounding areas. Driving along Johan Rissik Road, motorists are met with yellow plastic barricades hastily placed to prevent vehicles from plunging into the sinkhole, which residents say first appeared more than a month ago. Two full lanes…

The Mngwevu family is mourning the death of Andile Mngwevu, the Ekurhuleni MMC for Roads and Transport, whose remains were recovered in Mozambique following a weeks-long search and rescue operation after severe flooding swept through the region. Mngwevu died after the vehicle he was travelling in was swept away by floodwaters in the Chokwé region of southern Mozambique last week, during a period of intense rainfall that has caused widespread devastation across parts of southern Africa. He was travelling with…

Close to a hundred grannies from Thokoza braved a chilly winter morning to celebrate Women’s Month with a spirited 4km Fun Walk aimed at promoting healthy living and active ageing. The event, themed “Ageing Gracefully for the Elderly”, was hosted by the City of Ekurhuleni’s MMC for Community Services, Cllr Bridget Thusi, in collaboration with the Sukuma Mbokodo Support Group. From the moment they gathered at Kathorus Welfare in Yende Street, the energy was infectious. Dressed in sports gear, sunhats…