Update@Noon

Long-haul bus company Intercape is taking legal action Police Minister Bheki Cele for failing to implement a safety plan to prevent its buses from being attacked. The bus company says since it opened its first case on March 4, 2020, not  a suspect arrested has been or prosecuted. It says a further 164 more criminal cases were opened still no response. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Intercape CEO, Johann...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has officially appointed the new SABC Board. In a statement released by the Presidency this morning, the president approved 12 names including former SABC head of News, Phathiswa Magopeni and former SABC journalist, Mpho Tsedu. Former National Youth Development Agency CEO, Khathutshelo Ramukumba has been appointed as Chairperson of the board. This past weekend marked exac...

Tshwane Executive Mayor, Cilliers Brink has painted a bleak picture of the metro's financial state. This comes after the work that has been done to put together the adjustment budget and the draft budget for the upcoming 2023/24 financial year. Brink briefed the media earlier today where he noted that the city's expenses exceed its income. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Mayor of Tshwane Cilliers Brink.....

The fraud and corruption trial of former president Jacob Zuma and French arms company, Thales has been adjourned to August 15th by the Pietermaritzburg High Court. The trial has again been postponed for arguments related to Zuma's application to have lead prosecutor Billy Downer removed from the matter. Addressing the court, State prosecutor Advocate Billy Downer told the court that the State had...

The state has dropped charges of murder and arson against 65-year-old Zolile Sekeleni who is a father of Dr Nandipha Magudumana. The state has indicated that after investigations there is no evidence linking Sekeleni to those charges.  He is expected to be back in court on the 16th of May. His 3 co-accused, including his daughter Dr Nandipha Magudumana,  IT expert Teboho Lipholo and dismissed G4S...

Convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester's girlfriend Dr Nandipha Magudumana will remain in custody while her father Zolile Sekeleni has been released on ten- thousand rand bail. The state says it will object  bail for Magudumana and her two co-accused former G4s employee Senohe Matsoara  and Teboho Lipholo. The case has been postponed to third and forth of May for bail application. In today's c...

Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi says convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester did not register any identification with the department. Bester and his girlfriend, Dr Nandipha Magudumana were arrested in Tanzania last week and found with multiple passports. Both Bester and Magudumana have since appeared in court on different dates. Addressing the media in Pretoria, Dr Motsoaledi says int...

The case against convicted murderer and rapist, Thabo Bester has been postponed to May 16. He has been remanded in custody. He has abandoned bail but has indicated that he reserves his right to apply for it at an appropriate time. Bester's legal team addressed members of the media

The case against convicted murderer and rapist Thabo Bester has been postponed to the 16th of May in the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court. He is facing a string of charges including escaping from lawful custody, defeating the ends of justice, violation of a dead body and fraud. Bester, together with his girlfriend Dr Nandipha Magudumana returned to South Africa yesterday morning, after their arrest...

The High Court in Pretoria is currently hearing arguments challenging the Home Affairs Department's decision to terminate the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit. The Helen Suzman Foundation,  Zimbabwean Immigration Federation, African Amity and 29 others are challenging the decision in court and seek  to have the termination of the permits declared unlawful.  Over 178,000 permit holders, currently lawful...

The Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court has postponed to the 17th of April 2023, a case against  39-year-old former security company G4S employee and the 65-year-old father of Dr Nandipha Magudumana. Cornelius SekelenI and  Senohe Matsoara are charged with aiding and abetting a convicted prisoner to escape from lawful custody.

 Limpho Hani, the widow of late SACP general-secretary, Chris Hani has called on the ANC-led government to start paying attention to South Africans who are living in abject poverty, as the cost of living escalates. She was speaking at the 30th anniversary commemoration of her husband's death at Thomas Memorial Park in Ekurhuleni. Hani was killed by a Polish immigrant Janus Walusz on this day in 19...

 Here is the most bizarre true story. He felt a weird cool sensation, up his hip area thinking it's a bottle that might have not closed properly and water might have been dripping down his shirt. As he turned to the left and looked down he saw a cobra....yes that's correct, a COBRA moving its head backwards underneath the seat. That was Mbombela pilot Rudolph Erasmus' encounter with an extra passe...

Justice Minister, Ronald Lamola says his department intends to appeal the United Arab Emirates decision to deny South Africa's extradition request for Rajesh and Atul Gupta. The brothers were understood to have been in custody in a Dubai prison following last year's high-profile arrest. However, reports have emerged that the brothers were spotted in Switzerland late last month. Gupta family member...

Justice Minister, Ronald Lamola says he became aware of the failed extradition of the Gupta brothers from the United Arab Emirates only late last night. This despite Rajesh and Atul Gupta possibly being released from custody in the UAE from as early as the 13th of February earlier in the year. The brothers were understood to have been in custody in a Dubai prison following last year's high-profile...

Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity, Kgosientso Ramokgopa, says there are many choices and difficult decisions that are going to be made going forward for the future  to resolve load shedding.   He has been updating the media and South Africans on the power station visits conducted last month. Ramokgopa has highlighted the poor quality of coal at Eskom and a lack of morale among...

Frankfort in the Free State has been experiencing less frequent load shedding thanks to an independent power producer in the area, Rural Maintenance. The company has been managing power distribution in the town for over a decade and was contracted by the Mafude Local Municipality. Through purchasing electricity from four local solar farms at a more affordable rate than Eskom, Rural Maintenance dis...

Members of the subCommittee on Communication and Digital Technologies have welcomed the legal advice given by parliament's legal services in reference to the appointment of the SABC board. This after President Cyril Ramaphosa's letter to the National Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, seeking clarity on the three additional names to the list of SABC board candidates was declared unlawful. That's acc...

The number of suspected cash-in-transit robbers who have died following a shoot-out with police in Sebokeng in the Vaal this morning, has risen to nine. One suspect has succumbed to gunshot wounds in hospital while eight others died at the crime scene. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Police spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe who joined the team on the line from Sebokeng, where the police minister and...

 The Democratic Alliance (DA) says the instability witnessed in the various metro governments across the country has spurred it (DA) to table legislation in Parliament which would stabilize these governments. The DA says it's submitting a suite of bills to prepare Parliament for the possibility of local, provincial and national coalition governments. DA Chief Whip Siviwe Gwarube says its critical...

Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana has decided to withdraw the exemption of Eskom from the Public Finance Management Act. Godongwana appeared before  Parliament's Standing committees on the Auditor-General, Finance, Public Accounts, Appropriations and the Public Enterprises Portfolio this morning. He says they are suspending the decision following a meeting with the Auditor General to have further...

Suspended Public Protector, Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane has described the conduct of the Chairperson of the Section 194 Portfolio Committee inquiry - Richard Dyantyi -  as a mockery of justice. Advocate Mkhwebane was reacting to the interaction between herself and Dyantyi at the start of Yesterday's proceedings. Since then, she has also given the inquiry into her fitness to hold office an ultimatu...

Solidarity, says it has recieved a legal letter addressed from the State Attorney announced that the state of disaster pertaining to the energy crisis would be withdrawn today. It says it was furhtermore requested to withdraw its court application to have this state of disaster scrapped. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to head of Solidarity's research institute, Connie Mulder.

The Section 194 parliamentary committee inquiry into the fitness to hold office of suspended Public Protector, Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane kicked off once more today with flares and tension between committee chairperson Richard Dyantyi and Mkhwebane. This as the committee continues with its work despite objections from Mkhwebane following the withdrawal of her legal fees by the office of the publi...

The digital news outlet Ground Up is reporting that the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) and trade and industry minister Ebrahim Patel, are concerned that no one involved in the fraud and corruption, has yet been formally charged and prosecuted. The trade and industry minister Ebrahim Patel, MPs and the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) chairperson Prof Barney Pityana have all expressed conce...