Limpopo – Sixteen illegal miners were arrested in Limpopo – Sekhukhune and Waterberg district after being found in possession of unpolished Chrome and mining equipment yesterday. The suspects, with ages ranging 26 between 41, were detained at Spitzkop, Botshabelo Hostel – Tukakgomo and Dwaalboom – Batavia Old Gold Mine in Thabazimbi as part of the ongoing Operation Vala Umgodi. The police’s Vala Umgodi Task Team conducted a series of high-visibility patrols that resulted in the recovery of a firearm and…

Limpopo – Six awaiting trialists and a police officer died when a vehicle they were traveling in collided with a heavy duty truck along the R101 road between Mokopane and Mokgophong in Limpopo (today). The number of casualties rose to seven after one of the injured inmates died on arrival in hospital. Spokesperson for the SAPS in Limpopo Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba said the police vehicle was transporting eleven inmates to the Naboomspruit Magistrate’s Court when it collided with a truck,…

The usually bustling Maponya Mall was eerily quiet this morning as hundreds of angry Pimville residents blocked access roads, barricaded taxi ranks, and vowed not to let the centre reopen until management commits to guaranteeing the safety of shoppers and transport operators. The community’s stand comes less than 12 hours after a 35-year-old e-hailing driver, described by relatives as a “dedicated breadwinner and family man,” was gunned down and his vehicle set alight in what police suspect is the latest…

A former police officer of Muila Village was yesterday sentenced to 16 years imprisonment for the use of a marked state vehicle to escort smugglers transporting illicit cigarettes through his policing area. Appearing before the Polokwane Specialised Commercial Crimes Court yesterday, Godfrey Avhasei Matheledza (41) was convicted and sentenced for two counts of corruption. The second accused in the matter, Fulufhelo Mathada, died before the trial commenced. In return, Matheledza and his colleague would receive gratification of R1 830.00 from…

Soweto woke up on Thursday morning to the smell of burnt metal and the echo of gunfire still haunting the night. Outside Maponya Mall, a charred shell of what was once a working man’s livelihood stood as a grim reminder of how far the long-running war between minibus taxi operators and e-hailing drivers has spiralled. On Wednesday night, 13 August 2025, the deadly tensions flared again. Police say an e-hailing driver was waiting at the mall’s entrance when four armed…

The high-profile fraud and corruption case against South African Police Service (SAPS) Crime Intelligence boss Lieutenant General Dumisani Khumalo and six of his co-accused has been postponed to 8 September 2025 for further disclosure of particulars, consultations, and the setting of a date for transfer to the regional court. Khumalo, who serves as the Divisional Commissioner for Crime Intelligence, appeared alongside senior SAPS officials Major General Philani Lushaba, Major General Nosipho Precious Madondo, Major General Josias Lekalaka, Major General Zwelithini…

A disturbing video showing two women being brutally assaulted by men believed to be foreign nationals has ignited nationwide outrage and renewed calls for urgent action against gender-based violence (GBV). The footage, widely circulated on social media over the past few days, shows two men (Nigerian accent) slapping, punching, and dragging the women while accusing them of theft. The victims can be heard crying out for help, their pleas ignored as bystanders record the scene. According to community members who…

The Bellville Regional Court has sentenced 50-year-old Ferdinand Fortuin to five years’ direct imprisonment after he made a series of hoax bomb threats targeting government offices, a major transport hub, and his own workplace — all in an attempt to avoid going to work. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed on Monday, 11 August, that Fortuin’s conviction stemmed from a bizarre incident in November last year when he called police claiming he had planted explosives at the Department of Water…

A disturbing pattern of violence against women has gripped the Gauteng suburb of Silverton, after police discovered the fourth burned body of a woman near the Watloo train station in Silvertondale on Monday afternoon. Gauteng police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili confirmed to African Times that officers were called to the gruesome scene at approximately 15:30 on 4 August 2025, where the charred remains of an unidentified woman were found along Stormvoel Street, a stretch notorious for being poorly lit and…

The Free State High Court has found 26 Zimbabwean men guilty of stealing Transnet copper cables and damaging other infrastructure, worth a combined R29 million, in the province’s Xhariep district. The men were also found guilty of tampering and involvement in informal gang-related activities, which police said indicated crime. They were charged under the Prevention of Organised Crime (POCA) Act. According to Sergeant Mahlomola Kareli, of the Free State SAPS, the men’s criminal activities occurred in Springfontein and Bethulie between…