The South African Police Service (SAPS) has confirmed that the employee who deleted the criminal records of Stuart James Scharnick, a close associate of suspended Deputy Police Commissioner for Crime Detection Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya, is based at the national Criminal Records Centre in Pretoria, not in KwaZulu-Natal as initially believed. This revelation came during a press briefing in Durban on Thursday, where acting provincial commissioner for detection, Major-General Anthony Gopaul, provided a detailed account of Scharnick’s criminal history and ongoing…

As South Africa prepares to observe the annual 21 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Child Abuse, courts across the country have delivered heavy sentences to perpetrators of rape, murder, and abuse, reaffirming the justice system’s commitment to protecting women and children. In the North West, the Christiana Regional Court sentenced Boikanyo Seemohela (30) to 18 years in prison for raping his nine-year-old nephew in 2021. The incident occurred while Seemohela, the victim, and his mother were staying…

ANC Member of Parliament and former Minister of Public Enterprises Dr Malusi Gigaba is expected to hand himself over to police in Pretoria on Friday morning, following a summons from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) related to alleged corruption at Transnet during his time in office. Gigaba’s summons forms part of an ongoing State Capture investigation into alleged irregular procurement processes at Transnet. The case reportedly relates to multi-billion-rand contracts awarded during his tenure as Public Enterprises Minister. While the…

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has obtained an interim preservation order to freeze assets worth about R900 million linked to one of the alleged syndicates that benefited from irregular contracts at Tembisa Hospital. On Thursday, 9 October 2025, the SIU and a Curator appointed by the Special Tribunal, supported by the South African Police Service (SAPS) and Johannesburg Metro Police, launched the first phase of the operation to secure assets connected to the hospital scandal. The coordinated operation took place…

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…