The Weekend View

One woman has died, while her child and partner sustained serious burn wounds following a fire that destroyed between 13 and 14 shacks at the Swapo Informal Settlement in Copesville, Pietermaritzburg. KwaZulu-Natal Transport and Human Settlements MEC Siboniso Duma says he was contacted by a distressed community leader at around 3:30 this morning. Duma says teams from his office, provincial and nat...

The Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and alleged Corruption in the Criminal Justice System, commonly known as the Madlanga Commission, has welcomed the final extension of its deadline announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The Commission says the extension to  25 January 2027 will allow it to hear outstanding testimony and finalise its report. The Commi...

Police say two suspects have been arrested, while three others were fatally wounded following a 72-hour operation into the murder of two police officers in Libode, near Mthatha. The officers were killed while responding to a robbery at a spaza shop. Police say an AK47, three handguns and ammunition have been recovered. Charges including attempted murder, illegal possession of firearms and ammuniti...

For South Africa's landlords, few situations are as financially damaging as a tenant who stops paying rent but remains in the property. While their rental income has come to a stop, they'll still have to cover rates, levies, insurance and in some cases, monthly bond repayments. But even after cancelling the lease, the way South Africa's eviction laws are structured, it means that a landlord cannot...

Applications for special votes for the 2026 Local Government Elections will open on Monday, the 21st of September. The IEC says the application period will close on the 12th of October at 5pm. Special votes are available to registered voters who cannot physically travel to their voting station, as well as essential service workers, media personnel and voters who can reach their voting station but...

US President Donald Trump says he is banning three major news outlets – CNN, MS NOW and Politico – from the White House in his latest threat to the independent press. The move is almost ​certain to face legal challenges as free-speech experts said it conflicts with the US Constitution's First Amendment protections for free speech and a free press. Here is a snippet of President Tr...

The National Health Department has warned of the rapid increase in MPOX  cases, with 18 confirmed cases and one probable case recorded across South Africa. The department says the Western Cape has recorded the highest number of cases, while three have been reported in Gauteng and one in KwaZulu-Natal. Health officials say people who have been in close contact with an infected person are urged...

Disaster Management Teams in KwaZulu-Natal have been on standby for any eventuality overnight as persistent rains continue to batter various parts of the province. In eThekwini, disaster teams have opened the Isipingo Canal in order to prevent flooding along the R103 of the Industrial area. Mud slides have also been reported in Umsinga where stones have fallen onto the R33 road due to prolonged ra...

Social movements including various sectors of society have expressed great displeasure and impatience towards law enforcement authorities setting deadlines for meaningful engagements aimed at effectively dealing with the murder of women and children. In Ekurhuleni, many took to the streets leading pickets at various police stations. This follows the discovery of a woman's body in Villa Liza in Bok...

Freedom Front Plus leader Corné Mulder says coalition governments could become the new norm in municipalities after the November elections.  He was speaking in Pretoria today as the party launched its 2026 local government election manifesto, outlining a ten-point plan focused on service delivery, accountability and tackling maladministration.  Zara Groenewald reports.

What happens after the tax is collected? And who ultimately pays when government needs more revenue? With South Africa heading towards the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement, questions around VAT, tax increases, economic growth, fiscal sustainability and the future of SARS are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. These questions will take centre stage at the South African Institute of Taxat...

A spokesperson in the office of Water and Sanitation minister, Pemmy Majodina, says she is not available for comment, after an incident at a recent government event at Kouga municipality in the Eastern Cape. A video is trending on social media, where Majodina can be heard allegedly swearing at a member of the public. Two parties in Parliament have laid complaints at the Joint Committee on Ethics a...

It's been almost a year since the Madlanga Commission was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa, following Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi's controversial press briefing on 6 July 2025. During the briefing, Mkhwanazi made allegations of criminal infiltration within law enforcement agencies and political interference in these institutions. Since its establishment, the Commission has heard...

AmaZuluKing MisuZulu ka Zwelithini has used this year's Umkhosi Wo Mhlanga, or Reed Dance, to call on the nation to take a stronger stand against gender-based violence. Speaking during the annual cultural gathering at Emashobeni Royal Palace in uPhongolo, the King urged men and communities to respect and protect women and girls. His message comes as the Reed Dance continues to provide a platform f...

COSATU says preparations to host its 15th National Congress at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand from the 14th to the 17th of September this week are on track. The union says it expects 1800 delegates to be in attendance including members from its sixteen union affiliates. The congress will see the election of the new leadership who will be tasked with taking the resolutions and the agenda of...

When South Africa's two-pot retirement system was introduced, the big question was whether people would treat their retirement savings as easy money to dip into, or leave it alone for retirement. Two years later, the data tells a more complicated story – one driven primarily by real financial pressure.   A survey conducted by Momentum Corporate on the two-pot system and who is making th...

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli has expressed his frustration over the absence of representatives from countries whose nationals are among the refugees camped outside the Department of Home Affairs offices in Che Guevara Road for about four months now.  He visited the offices yesterday (FRIDAY) , together with the Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Congo to South Africa John Kalunga N...

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has warned that South Africa is likely to experience below-normal rainfall and above-normal temperatures this spring as a strong El Niño event develops in the Pacific Ocean. According to the weather service, the latest predictions indicate that El Niño is likely to intensify further and could become the strongest event in living memory. Accord...

AZAPO President, Nelvis Qekema, says the seventh democratic local government elections should be about the full restoration of the dignity of black people who are still living in squalor over three decades after the attainment of their freedom. He insists this would be a fitting tribute to the late Black Consciousness Movement Leader, Steve Bantu Biko. The late BCM leader was killed by the aparthe...

The freedom front plus will target structural change within municipalities come the local government elections. This comes as the Freedom Front Plus is set to launch their local government elections manifesto in Pretoria TODAY. National Spokesperson, Wouter Wessels spoke on what voters can expect the party to focus on if successful after the November 4th polls. Zara Groenewald reports...

TODAY'S South African Football Association's elective congress could be a watershed moment for football in South Africa. Incumbent, Danny Jordaan, will bid for a fourth term as president of the association, while businessman, Sandile Zungu, has promised to transform football and take it to new heights. A SAFA National Executive Committee meeting in preparation of the congress in Midrand, was disru...

President Cyril Ramaphosa says BRICS countries must build local manufacturing industries and move beyond being suppliers of raw materials and consumers of goods produced elsewhere. Speaking at the opening of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India, Ramaphosa said the BRICS block should use shifting global trade patterns, technological advances and climate challenges as an opportunity to build a...

Government has come out strongly condemning the fatal chaos which resulted from Spring Day festivities on Tuesday.  What was meant to be a joyful celebration on the 1st of September descended into turmoil as youths lined up the streets, hurling buckets of water at motorists and passersby.  This turned fatal in Cullinan, east of Pretoria, where 21-year-old Tshepang Nyathi was stabbed to d...

Political parties in KwaZulu-Natal are to meet this month in a summit aimed at promoting peace and tolerance ahead of the Local Government Elections on November 4.  Premier Thami Ntuli says the gathering - which will involve parties contesting elections and the Independent Electoral Commission - is in part rallying stakeholders to ensure peaceful, free, and fair elections.  This comes in...

Build One South Africa (BOSA) supporters braved the cold Johannesburg weather to gather at Fairview Primary School to launch the party's first local government election manifesto. Party leader, Dr Mmusi Maimane delivered the keynote address and outlined five key priorities. These include reliable basic services, local jobs and economic growth, safer communities, clean government and accountable le...