The Weekend View

While much of the focus has been on the Madlanga Commission and the Ad-Hoc Committee, there is another inquiry that has heard jaw-dropping testimony in Parliament. The Standing Committee on Public Accounts probe has revealed shocking allegations of lengthy disciplinary processes and exorbitant amounts spent to protect the entity's former CEO, among other serious inefficiencies in the Road Accident...

DRC rebel forces THIS WEEK entered the last government-held city in the country's mineral-rich eastern province, in an offensive that has forced thousands to flee across the border into Burundi. The escalation in fighting and takeover of Uvira comes despite the peace deal brokered by US President Donald Trump last week between DRC's President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwanda's Paul Kagame to end...

With festive spending at its peak, cash-strapped consumers have been advised to consider taking up part-time work to cushion the impact of the high cost of living on their Christmas shopping. Financial advice platforms such as JustMoney say a concerning number of consumers fear that their finances will not meet the demands placed on them. This was revealed in JustMoney's recent large-scale survey,...

Long distance taxi operators have been warned to prioritise passenger safety over this busy festive season. As thousands of holidaymakers begin their festive season travels across the country, in Cape Town, the South African National Taxi Council hosted safety awareness engagements with various stakeholders, including the Western Cape Department of Mobility and the Cape Organisation for the Democr...

At least one person has been killed and about 14 others were rescued with injuries when a Hindu temple collapsed in Redcliffe, Verulam. Builders were working on the multi-storey temple when it crashed down, trapping at least five people.  A preliminary report from the Ethekwini Municipality says the building was illegal as it did not have approved building plans.  Zanele Buthelezi has mo...

ANC Deputy President Paul Mashatile has dismissed claims that President Cyril Ramaphosa will not complete his five-year term. Speaking at a media briefing with the Parliamentary Press Gallery Association on Thursday, Mashatile said the upcoming ANC National General Council (NGC) discussions should not be misinterpreted as succession battles. The ANC is preparing for its National General Council, w...

The United Nations Human Rights Chief is warning that Sudan risked another El Fasher amidst fierce fighting that was now spreading across the central Kordofan region that is raising fresh fears of further atrocities. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces seized the capital of North Darfur last month following a year long siege, marked by widespread killings of civilians, sexual violence and tortur...

Betway Premiership log leaders, Orlando Pirates, have secured a second knockout cup this season. The Buccaneers, who were crowned MTN-8 champions in September, needed a goal in extra time to break down a gritty Marumo Gallants at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane. Relief finally arrived for Pirates just before the end of the first half of extra time. Striker, Relebohile Mofokeng found the back...

The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) and the Madlanga Commission have confirmed that they will brief the media in due course over the killing of Marius van der  Merwe, also referred to as Witness D during his testimony at the commission. Members of the security cluster met on Saturday, where they identified a need to heighten security measures with the assista...

ActionSA has condemned the killing of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry's 'Witness D'. He was shot and killed in front of his family in the driveway of their home in Brakpan in the east of Johannesburg yesterday evening. The party says that relevant authorities should make the protection of whistleblowers and witnesses their priority. It has called on law enforcement officers to swiftly arrest th...

As the festive season gets well underway, consumers have been warned to exercise caution when transacting, particularly when making online purchases. In an effort to address this, one of South Africa's biggest banking facilities, Capitec, has rolled out an AI-driven security ecosystem, which has prevented more than R300 million in fraud this year. The bank says this initiative has also blocked 80-...

ActionSA has condemned the killing of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry's 'Witness D'. He was shot and killed in front of his family in the driveway of their home in Brakpan in the east of Johannesburg yesterday evening. The party says that relevant authorities should make the protection of whistleblowers and witnesses their priority. It has called on law enforcement officers to swiftly arrest th...

South Africa has hit back at United States (US) Secretary of State Marco Rubio after he announced that Washington will not invite Pretoria to the G20 during the US presidency. In a detailed response, the South African government says no single country has the authority to bar a founding G20 member. Pretoria dismissed Rubio's claims that South Africa harbours racism or tolerates violence against Af...

The Congress of South African Trade Unions marks its 40th anniversary with a celebratory rally taking place at Dobsonville Stadium. COSATU, founded at the height of apartheid, grew into a powerful voice for workers, driving national strikes, shaping labour policy, and championing key gains such as the minimum wage, gender equality, HIV treatment access, and major economic interventions, including...

Orlando Pirates head into today's Carling Knockout final at Peter Mokaba Stadium determined to end a 14-year drought in the competition. The match which kicks-off today at 18:00,  Polokwane is sold out and expected to be packed to the rafters. Buccaneers captain Nkosinathi Sibisi says the long wait has fired up the squad, while coach Abdeslam Ouaddou credits their recent momentum to hard work...

The Chief of the South African Navy, Vice Admiral Monde Lobese recently came under fire following his criticism of National Treasury's decision to reduce funding for the country's naval state security operations. Speaking to members of the navy, Lobese made a frank and candid assessment of the South African Navy and an admission that borders are porous due to underfunding. He added that while Sout...

The Activists and Citizens Forum has described alleged criminal cartel kingpin, Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala's appearance before Parliament's Ad Hoc Committee, as a waste of time and tax payer money. This comes after Matlala concluded his 2 days of testimony before the committee as members of Parliament investigate allegations of corruption and political interference in the country's justice system. The...

 The Springboks finished the 2025 season in style with a 73-0 demolition of Wales in Cardiff YESTERDAY, inflicting a record home defeat on their hosts. It was the second worst defeat in Wales' history behind the 96-13 hammering handed out by the Springboks in Pretoria in 1998. Meanwhile in continental soccer, Kaizer Chiefs snatched a last-gasp 1-all draw against Egyptian giants Zamalek in the...

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi says Wales will get a well prepared South African side when the two sides meet in Cardiff on Saturday in the final match of the international season. The Springboks are shooting for a second successive unbeaten end of year tour, and enter their final match of the year as the overwhelming favourites against Wales. Meanwhile in continental soccer....Mamelodi Sundowns ea...

As the renewal season for medical aid cover draws to a close, consumers have been urged to thoroughly study what their current medical aid covers and what the competition is offering for the same price bracket. The sector's renewal window opens every October and closes in December, with members notified of the upcoming year's changes and their medical aid's plans for the next financial year. The e...

The Council for the advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC) has criticised the criteria used to select candidates for the position of National Director of Public Prosecution, saying the advisory panel tasked with selecting the next NDPP focused too much on legal practitioners handling high-profile cases, while discriminating against those in lower courts. Six candidates have now been...

Acting Police Minister, Professor Firoz Cachalia says the biggest takeaway from the latest quarterly crime statistics is the clear picture they provide of crime trends across the first half of the 2025/26 financial year.  Cachalia made these remarks during the release of the Quarterly Crime Statistics for the first and second quarters of the 2025/26 financial year at a press briefing in Preto...

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the decision to allow a group of 153 Palestinians nationals into the country was driven by compassion, however their status is still being reviewed. This comes after the Border Management Authority initially denied entry to the group due to incomplete documentation. According to the BMA, the Palestinian passengers were not allowed to disembark from the aircraft as th...

United States (US) President Donald Trump has rolled back tariffs on over a 100 food products, including such staples as coffee, beef, bananas and oranges, in the face of growing anger among American consumers about the high cost of groceries. He signed an executive order on Friday allowing a range of food products to escape his sweeping tariffs. The move comes as his administration faces mounting...

The G20 will be diminished under the leadership of the United States that will assume the Presidency of the bloc from South Africa later this month. That's the view of leading development economist Prof Jayati Ghosh, who also serves as a member of the G20 Extraordinary Committee of Independent Experts on Global Inequality. Ghosh, who is a development economist based at the University of Massachuse...