The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) today conducted a high-profile raid on a luxury property linked to businessman Hangwani Morgan Maumela, the alleged kingpin behind the multibillion-rand corruption scandal at Tembisa Hospital. The swoop, which took place in Sandton, marks one of the most significant moves yet in the ongoing investigation into the hospital tender syndicate that has rocked South Africa’s public health sector. SIU investigators, supported by members of the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU), seized luxury cars, art pieces, furniture,…

Former Deputy Minister of Correctional Services Thabang Makwetla appeared before the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Wednesday, facing charges of fraud and contravening the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act (PRECCA). His appearance marks the latest in a string of prosecutions linked to the explosive BOSASA scandal, which continues to implicate senior political figures years after it first broke. Makwetla, who handed himself over at the Brackendowns SAPS on Wednesday morning, was granted R10 000 bail. The…

The East London Magistrate’s Court has found Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema guilty of firearm-related charges stemming from a rally in Mdantsane in 2018. The judgment, hailed by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) as a victory for the rule of law, has reignited fierce political debate about the state’s pursuit of Malema and the wider implications for opposition politics in South Africa. Magistrate Annette Olivier, delivering judgment, said the evidence presented by the state had been conclusive. “Indeed,…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has formally established an inquiry to determine the fitness of Advocate Andrew Chauke to continue serving as Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The announcement, made on Monday, follows Chauke’s suspension in July this year, after a cloud of allegations surrounding his conduct threatened to undermine confidence in the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). The inquiry has been set up in terms of Section 12(6)(a) of the National Prosecuting Authority Act of 1998, which empowers the President to probe…

The bail application of Bafana Mahungela (22), accused of the brutal murder of Delta Park High School teacher, Kirsten Kluyts, has been referred to the High Court after the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court dismissed his attempt to secure bail based on new facts. On Friday, the court upheld the State’s objection, ruling that it lacked jurisdiction to hear Mahungela’s latest bail bid. The matter will now be heard in the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Johannesburg, where his trial…

The National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) announced late Thursday evening that it had successfully seized luxury homes, vehicles, and other assets linked to syndicates accused of looting Tembisa Hospital. But hours after the announcement, questions remain: where are the pictures? In past high-profile seizures, the AFU has paraded evidence before the media—rows of Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Bentleys, and mansions splashed across front pages. The prosecutions of Edwin Sodi and Hamilton Ndlovu, for example, were accompanied by widely circulated…

South African courts this week delivered a string of heavy sentences in cases involving rape, child abuse, and violent crimes against women and children, underscoring the judiciary’s growing intolerance of gender-based violence (GBV). In one of the most chilling cases, the Evander Magistrates’ Court in Mpumalanga on Wednesday sentenced 39-year-old Khutso Christopher Seopa to four life terms plus 45 years’ imprisonment. Seopa was convicted of raping four women, kidnapping two, and committing additional crimes, including robbery, unlawful possession of a…

South African courts have in recent days handed down a series of notable convictions and heavy sentences in sexual offences cases, reflecting the country’s ongoing struggle against gender-based violence (GBV) and the justice system’s efforts to respond with severity. On Thursday, the Fraserburg Regional Court in the Northern Cape sentenced 37-year-old Dawid Bitterbos to four life terms for repeatedly raping his 10-year-old stepdaughter between 2017 and 2020. Bitterbos was convicted on four counts of rape of a minor under Section…

Limpopo – A 32-year-old man, Christopher Mgiba from Mokutung Village was yesterday convicted and sentenced to a two life imprisonment by the Polokwane High Court for murder of his former employers and setting their residence ablaze with their bodies inside to conceal his crime. An additional 46 years was for a string of serious offences including housebreaking, murder, attempted robbery,, arson, theft and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The court ordered that sentences run concurrently with the…

Limpopo – A former police officer, Thabo Moses Mokwana (42) and his cousin, Modirela Maxwell Mokwana (45) of Motsephiri Village, have been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by the Polokwane High Court for the murder, seven years of which is for kidnapping and three years’ imprisonment for defeating the ends of justice. The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently with the count of murder, and the effective sentence to be served is life imprisonment. The court also declared…