Update@Noon

The Constitutional Court has dismissed, with costs, the uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) political party and Dr. John Hlophe's bid to appeal the interim interdict that bars him from serving on the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). The court , in an order dated 15 April - refused the application for leave to appeal as "no case has been made out for a direct appeal. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to SABC reporter, Ca...

Two men accused of the murder of alleged Western Cape underworld figure and businessman, Mark Lifman, have made a brief appearance at the George Magistrate's Court. Lifman was gunned down in the parking lot of the Garden Route mall in November while on trial with several co-accused including alleged gang boss Jerome Booysen, on a raft of charges. He was scheduled to appear in the High Court the ne...

President Cyril Ramaphosa is on an oversight visit to the Eastern Cape over the next two days where he will engage with the Provincial Executive Committee and check on infrastructural developments and investments at the Port of Ngqura in Gqeberha. The Port is one of the country's newest deep water ports designed for high-efficient container handling and large vessels. Plans on fighting increasing...

The kidnapping and human trafficking trial in the Joshlin Smith case has resumed in the Cape High Court, sitting in Saldanha Bay. A trial-within-a-trial is continuing over the admissibility of confession statements of  two of the accused. The pair is claiming that police tortured and coerced them into giving the so-called confessions. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to SABC Reporter, Andile Mbanjwa

All 18 accused in the 255 million rand Asbestos roof removal fraud and corruption case are back in the Free State High Court for trial. The accused include several business affiliates of former Free State Premier Ace Magashule, former MEC for Human Settlement Olly Mlamleli and businessman Edwin Sodi. The commencement of the much-anticipated trial follows lengthy postponements and applications to h...

Stellies will move up to third with a win and still have games in hand over their nearest rivals. After a poor run, AmaZulu bounced back with a win a a couple of weeks ago but the Cape Side are firm favourites. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to SABC Sports News Anchor, Jon Gericke

President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Mcebisi Jonas as his Special Envoy to the United States of America, serving as the official representative of the President and the government of the Republic of South Africa. In this role, Jonas is entrusted with the responsibility to advance South Africa's diplomatic, trade and bilateral priorities. He will now lead negotiations, foster strategic partnersh...

The Community of Eersterust, East of Pretoria has vowed to shutdown the township from today over poor service delivery. The action is in retaliation to especially a lack of street lights. The community's anger reached boiling point this past week after a young man was  recently hijacked and killed in front of his house. The community blame the lack of streets lights which they claim have rend...

The National Prosecutions Authority will be presenting evidence in the Pietermaritzburg High Court, to have the initial findings, into the deaths of iconic anti-apartheid figures Former ANC President, Generla Chief Luthuli, and renowned human rights lawyer, Griffiths Mxenge, overturned. This follows the reopening of  inquests into the deaths of the two by the Director of Public Prosecutions i...

Former Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has highlighted the protection of whistle-blowers as one of the measures to fight corruption in South Africa.  Speaking at the Nelson Mandela University's Fisheries Law Enforcement Academy's Anti-corruption Conference, Zondo also highlighted the importance of whistleblowers in the fight for a corruption-free South Africa and the role of the Government of Nat...

Protest marches across the country continue to call for justice for a seven year old girl from Matatiele in the Eastern Cape that was allegedly raped while at school. Students in Soweto will be embarking on a peaceful march from Vilakazi Street to Orlando Court then to Diepkloof police station to deliver their memorandum. Meanwhile, in Matatiele, several religious groups are holding a prayer sessi...

One of the accused in the Joshlin Smith disappearance case has told the Western Cape High Court that men presumed to be police officers assaulted him in March last year. Jacquen Appollis is testifying in-a-trial-within-a-trial as the court tries to determine the admissibility of confession statements allegedly made by himself and Steveno Van Rhyn. The pair alleges that the men tortured them when t...

Police Minister, Senzo Mchunu says he is happy with the outcomes of the National Policing Summit. The three-day summit was aimed at adapting policing strategies to a changing criminal landscape and enhancing crime-fighting methods. The summit saw delegates participating in robust engagements, providing candid feedback as well as constructive guidance in respect of the type of policing we should ha...

GOOD Party Secretary General, Brett Herron says members of parliament who are part of the Government of National Unity seem confused about whether they are members of government or the opposition. Herron says this follows what he describes as a 'secret' trip by members of parliament in the GNU to Israel. He further alleges that the four MP's include two from the Democratic Alliance and another two...

Home Affairs Minister, Dr Leon Schreiber has unveiled a new tech to help the Border Management Authority combat corruption and tighten SA's border security. The upgrades include surveillance drones, body cameras for Border Management Authority (BMA) officers, and other advanced equipment designed to fight corruption and stop illegal border crossings. Dr Schreiber says four high-tech drones will be...

Orlando Pirates joined Mamelodi Sundowns in the CAF Champions League semifinals. Sundowns come up against Al Ahly while the the Bucaneers beat MC Alger 1-0 on aggregate to book a final four spot against another Cairo side, Pyramids. Pirates coach, Jose Riviera, faced the media after the post-match crowd troubles. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to SABC Sports Anchor, Jon Gericke 

As the US import tariffs come into effect today, fruit growers have already expressed concern over exports. The Western Cape is said export billions of rands in fruit to the US annually. The Citrus Growers' Association of Southern Africa (CGA) has warned that the tariffs imposed by the US will hurt South African citrus farms and the rural communities. The CGA is calling on the South African govern...

Home Affairs Minister, Dr Leon Schreiber has called on voters to occupy the centre position of the country's electoral processes. He was delivering the opening address at the two day International Conference of the Electoral Reform Consultation Panel discussions currently ongoing in Boksburg on the East Rand of Gauteng. Electoral reforms that are up for discussion include ways to increase voter tu...

President Cyril Ramaphosa says gender-based violence continues unabated across the world, even in countries with progressive laws advancing gender equality. Ramaphosa was addressing the International Association of Women Judges Conference (IAWJ) hosted in Cape Town. He says men should be in the forefront of the struggle because it's them (men) who violate women.

A joint operation with Johannesburg Water and City Power officials is currently underway in Hillbrow, Johannesburg. The entities are disconnecting illegal water and power connections in hijacked buildings. Theft and vandalism is said to have severely disrupted essential services resulting in the revenue loss for the city. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Joburg Water spokesperson, Nombuso Shabalala to tel...

U.S. markets opened in positive territory today bringing a reprieve from the huge sell-off that has epitomized the last number of days in the wake of President Donald Trump's global tariff trawl. The slightly more positive sentiment is being put down to an indication from the White House that it was open to bilateral negotiations with some countries despite growing tensions between the world's lar...

The butting of heads and blame game have been identified as part of the challenges facing the country's criminal justice system at the second day of the National Police Forum currently underway in Ekurhuleni. The summit forms part of engagements to explore viable policing strategies in tackling crime in the country. Yesterday, President Cyril Ramaphosa called for measures to boost police morale wh...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for the reinforcement of a culture of honesty and integrity within the South African Police Service. He was speaking a short while ago at the opening of the inaugural police summit currently ongoing at the Emperors Palace Convention Centre in Gauteng. The three day summit is an attempt at addressing the country's high crime levels by reflecting on current polic...

ANC Secretary General, Fikile Mbalula says a the party has not taken a decision on the future participation of the DA in Government of National Unity (GNU). This after DA, which is thie ANC's biggest GNU partner did not vote to support the fiscal policy framework last week. Various ANC officials have since called for the DA to exit the GNU stating that the party cannot play opposition and still wa...

The ANC's National Executive Committee will meet today to discuss the way forward regarding the government of national unity. This follows the passing of the budget last week where the key partner, the DA voted against. Deputy President Paul Mashatile has emphasised the importance of the GNU mandate to make South Africa work. He was speaking to the media on the sidelines of the Ahmed Kathrada Foun...