Daily Dispatch
Roads closed, buses roll in as Malema returns to court
East London roads have been cordoned off, with hundreds of EFF supporters from across the country shuttled to the city on Thursday, ahead of Julius Malema’s sentencing proceedings in the city’s regional court. Malema has been found guilty of charges...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Unpaid hospital gas bills spark R360m lawsuit against state
The state faces a lawsuit from an essential national health service provider claiming R360m in unpaid invoices, some from eight years ago, adding to the departments’ troubles after the auditor-general recently flagged eight provinces for R24bn in...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Pupils forced to compete for seats as overcrowding hits EC school
Pupils at Zameka Senior Secondary School in the Eastern Cape say getting a seat in class is on a first come, first served basis due to severe overcrowding. A Grade 11 pupil revealed that her class had 89 pupils in 2025, forcing some to stand or listen...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Wind-fuelled fire rips through farmlands near Port Alfred
Driven by near gale-force winds, the speed and force of a fire that in 24 hours destroyed homes, vehicles and farmlands northeast of Port Alfred on Sunday and Monday, shocked even the most experienced firefighters. Two landowners and some staff lost...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
BCM against the ropes in sponsorship fallout
The Buffalo City Metro’s failure to honour a sponsorship agreement with a prominent Eastern Cape boxing promoter has come back to haunt the city — almost 20 municipal vehicles have been attached and may now be auctioned off. The vehicles were attached...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
SIU to investigate controversial Buffalo City beachfront projects
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) is set to launch a full investigation into Buffalo City Metro’s controversial contracts involving the Leighandre “Baby Lee ” Jegels Recreational Park, popularly known as The Stoep, and the recently renovated Marina...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Matric class of 2025 slightly off the pace
The matric class of 2025 in the Eastern Cape has fallen short of achieving the targeted 87% pass rate, recording a slight decline compared with last year’s record performance. The pass rate in the province dropped by 0.7 percentage points, from 84.9%...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Department confident of smooth start to school year, despite concerns
It is all systems go for the reopening of schools this week, the Eastern Cape education department says. This is despite scepticism from some stakeholders who flagged a number of challenges they said would hamper the smooth transition into the new...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Harrowing tales of child abuse and neglect in EC
In just six months in 2025, more than 1,600 vulnerable children in the Eastern Cape had to be moved from their homes and housed at various places of safety by the provincial government. They had been victims of rape and physical abuse, mostly at the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Drunk-driving arrests drive drop in festive road deaths
The Eastern Cape has recorded a huge decline in the number of serious vehicle accidents and deaths on the roads since the festive season began on December 1. Fatalities had plunged by 66 compared with the same period last year while the number of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Sunrise paddle turns into brush with sharks for teens
A peaceful early-morning paddle in the ocean near East London resulted in a frightening encounter for two 18-year-olds on Monday when their small boat was circled by two sharks, one of which came so close that its tail struck them as it swam away. The...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Calls for action over spate of teen births in province
Out of 395 babies that made their grand entrance into the world on Christmas and New Year’s Day, 88 were delivered by teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19. A total of 187 babies were born on Christmas Day and on New Year’s Day, 208 mother welcomed...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘New’ R42m conference centre still unused — eight years on
Despite the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency’s (ECPTA) assurance that the state-of-theart Cape Morgan Conference Centre would be operational by the end of 2023, the multimillion-rand facility remains unused. “We thought some people from around...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
East London’s big dirty secret
Public toilets meant to serve thousands of residents and workers in the Buffalo City Metro are in such an appalling condition that some are being used as makeshift kitchens, while others are avoided entirely because of filth, safety risks and fears of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Mabuyane primed for move up the ranks
Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane has officially stated his interest in contesting one of the ANC’S top seven leadership positions. While the official lobbying season for the ANC national leadership race is yet to be opened, Mabuyane, who serves as...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Chaos at Bhisho Hospital
Bhisho Hospital patients were forced to discharge themselves, some were sent to recover at home and others were moved to other hospitals amid chaos at the hospital aggravated by this week’s heavy storm, which left a trail of destruction in many...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Mighty storm leaves trail of destruction in region
A storm swept across parts of the Amathole district and Buffalo City Metro on Tuesday, damaging electricity infrastructure, flattening homes and leaving dozens of families displaced. Strong winds, heavy rain and hail tore off rooftops, uprooted trees...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
From Mdantsane to the Springboks: Dumke remembered as trailblazer
Springbok Women blindside flanker and former Border Ladies captain Lusanda Dumke had high hopes of returning to the national team — but on Tuesday she lost her battle with cancer. The East London rugby sensation, who was named SA Rugby Women’s Player...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Metro approves R20m to upgrade Buffalo Park Cricket Stadium
Buffalo City Metro has thrown its weight behind a bid to host the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup, with the council on Monday approving a R20m boost to upgrade the Buffalo Park Stadium. With millions of rands in economic spinoffs expected should the city...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Bhisho frees up land for development
With hopes of boosting economic growth and creating job opportunities, the Eastern Cape government is looking to generate millions in profits as it prepares to lease more than 60 hectares, comprising 72 properties across the province. These properties...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Musical brings burst of sunshine during challenging times
The beloved musical, Annie, began its run at the Guild Theatre on Thursday and will be on until December 21, delivering a message of hope, resilience and optimism at a moment when its themes feel urgently relevant. Backed by the award-winning Wela...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Minister changes game as battle for Fish River enters new era
With rival investors fighting over invalid leases — and one staging an unauthorised sod-turning ceremony at the shuttered Fish River Resort — land affairs minister Mzwanele Nyhontso has moved to restore order. He has ushered in a new community trust...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Whistleblower sparks inquiry into Frere irregularities
East London’s Frere Hospital is facing fresh scrutiny following allegations of irregular appointments, maladministration and financial misconduct — claims now being taken to the office of the public protector and parliament’s appropriations...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Ebuhlanti ready for festive season after R31m upgrade
The long-awaited and controversial Marina Glen redevelopment project is finally complete, ending months of construction, delays and anticipation from East London residents. The leisure and recreation site located along the city’s beachfront, popularly...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Iconic fashion brand Maxhosa set to move production to the ELIDZ
In a scoop for the East London IDZ, internationally recognised fashion house Maxhosa Africa is bringing its production and manufacturing unit there. The move, already in progress, will see the brand consolidate its base in East London, with plans for...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Metro shines light on Qonce for festive kick-off
A festive spirit is lighting up Buffalo City Metro as the city gears up for popular annual switching on of the Christmas lights. This year, the event heads to the picturesque Botanical Gardens in Qonce on Saturday. BCM spokesperson Bongani Fuzile...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Warning about water quality as vandals strike
With just days to go before the metro declares the holiday season open and welcomes visitors to the city, the Buffalo City Metro on Wednesday issued an urgent alert for residents in East London and Mdantsane to boil their tap water before drinking it....
Read Full Story (Page 1)
BATTLE FOR POWER
The next three days are going to determine the future of Princess Faku’s mayorship of Buffalo City, as her party in the region finally sits to elect new leadership. Faku is set to face strong contestation from a former ally and current senior manager...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
R4.9m golden handshake for ousted CEO
The Buffalo City Metro Development Agency forked out R4.95m in an out-ofcourt settlement to get rid of CEO Bulumko Nelana after the Makhanda high court repeatedly ruled against his dismissal and ordered he be reinstated. The court previously referred...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Dust-up over BCM inspectors
Despite calls from its own staff and opposition political parties for the city to increase the number of its health and safety inspectors ahead of the festive season, Buffalo City Metro maintains that it has enough “fully capable” staff to do the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Abuse of funds exposed while rugby takes hit
While Eastern Cape Sports Confederation president Mzondeleli Qotoyi allegedly enjoyed meals, fuel and other benefits paid for from confederation funds, club rugby teams were left scrambling to cover their own travel and accommodation costs and prize...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Fury greets BCM’S new tariff plan
Buffalo City Metro’s battle over electricity tariffs has reignited, with residents accusing the city of trying to rush a new “token” public participation process through even as a court battle over the legality of its “basic service” charges...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Fish River Resort renovations underway despite lease dispute
An American-based company has taken over the site of the shuttered Fish River Resort despite its lease agreement being declared invalid. The company says it will increase the capacity of the 126room hotel to 250 rooms, revamp the Gary Player-designed...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Health forced to cough up R5m for negligence
The Eastern Cape health department has been told to pay a patient R5m just a month after it was ordered by the Bhisho High Court to pay out R12m to a mother whose child suffered brain injury at birth, which caused cerebral palsy. The same court is now...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Legal Aid lawyers buckling under crushing caseload
The public defenders of suspects accused of a range of serious crimes are buckling under the strain. So dire is the situation that between the Bhisho high court and the East London circuit high court, there are just two Legal Aid practitioners...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Battle with metro over electricity tariffs far from over
While Buffalo City residents may have won their recent Bhisho high court battle with the metro over its “basic charge” added to its electricity tariffs, the fight is far from over. The judgment will be put on hold as the city is set to appeal. The...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
E Cape beaches gear up for festive season
With the festive season fast approaching, coastal municipalities across the Eastern Cape are stepping up safety measures at popular beaches. Buffalo City Metro spokesperson Bongani Fuzile said all 12 of its swimming beaches were ready to welcome...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Residents step up to restore pride to BCM suburbs
Buffalo City Metro residents are rolling up their sleeves to transform their neighbourhoods, taking on cleaning and maintenance work themselves in a grassroots effort to restore pride and order to the city. Residents in several areas have organised...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Ratepayers win tariff hike battle
Buffalo City Metro residents have won a big victory in their battle against the city’s controversial electricity tariff hikes imposed last year. The Bhisho high court has ruled in favour of an application brought against the city by various...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Metro is epicentre of GBV crisis
Buffalo City Metro’s alarming rise in domestic violence and rape cases has drawn the attention of parliament, with the Cambridge police station emerging as the epicentre of the crisis. During the 2024/2025 financial year, the metro recorded the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Cash van rammed and bombed in N6 heist
A brazen cash-in-transit heist unfolded on a busy stretch of the N6 near East London on Tuesday, where a heavily armed gang of 18 attackers rammed and blew up a G4S armoured vehicle, forcing two security guards to flee for their lives The gang is...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Clinic guard killed, another critical after horror attack
A woman security guard was killed execution-style and another is in critical condition after an early-morning attack on an Eastern Cape clinic. The two guards were ambushed while on duty at the Xhwili Clinic in Bhityi, outside Mthatha. Their hands...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
EFF calls on East Cape councillors to stop their municipal duties
The EFF in the Eastern Cape has banned all its MPLS and councillors from participating in any activities in their municipalities and in the Bhisho legislature. This, the party says, is because it wants all its public representatives in the province to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Chippa’s academy booted from R466m jobs project
The Eastern Cape government has cut Chippa Mpengesi’s Chippa Training Academy (CTA) from its R466m skills training programme due to noncompliance and failure to pay beneficiaries on time. Mpengesi’s company was awarded a R32m contract for the project...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Metro approves R29m ‘hardship relief’ for staff
To restore “harmonious relations” with the workforce who recently went on strike, BCM on Wednesday approved a R29m sweetener to be shared among thousands of unionised staff. As part of the settlement reached with recently striking workers, the city...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Learn-to-swim project makes a splash among Tsolo residents
Growing up in Siphaqeni village in Flagstaff, Tsolo businesswoman Kholeka Cele never learnt how to swim, even though many children spent their days in rivers and dams. It was only after becoming a mother and watching her children take to the water...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Metro pledges R79m ‘smart’ disaster centre
Buffalo City Metro has announced plans for the construction of a “new and compliant” R79m disaster management centre — just a week after a damning Bhisho report lamented the city’s lack of disaster preparedness. Metro spokesperson Bongani Fuzile on...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Explosive claims of corruption against top WSU officials
Testimony by the CEO of a security company contracted by Walter Sisulu University (WSU) has levelled allegations of serious corruption, extortion and employment irregularities against at least six senior university officials. In an affidavit,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
BCM’S disaster management centre in crisis
The Bhisho legislature has raised serious concerns about operations at the Buffalo City Metro’s disaster management centre, recommending that the provincial government step in to help the municipality address its glaring challenges. The understaffed...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
EL waterfront dream is a step closer to reality
An official sod-turning ceremony this week has reignited a dream to turn the East London harbour into a vibrant waterfront tourism hub. The stop-start R147m Latimer’s Landing project at the Port of East London was first announced in 2019, and back...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Dire state of social services laid bare
The provincial government’s social welfare system in Buffalo City is in crisis, leaving residents desperate and officials struggling to work amid toxic offices, snake infestations and a staggering shortage of social workers. Community members told the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Alarming lag in school building programme
Despite the Eastern Cape education department receiving an unqualified audit opinion for the previous financial year, parliamentarians were “devastated” by the revelation that it had achieved just 10% of its targets for infrastructure development —...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Payment dispute delays completion of R169m East London special school
Plans to complete a R169m state-of-the-art special school in Amalinda by the first quarter of 2026 are in jeopardy as tension brews between the provincial government and construction company. The project, in the works for nearly a decade, has been...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
State to oppose bail for educator facing prostitution charges
The state plans to oppose bail for an East London primary school deputy principal accused of running a human trafficking and prostitution ring involving girls and young women at a well-known city brothel. The 52-year-old woman, facing eight counts of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Desperation lives under the Esplanade
Beneath the surface of East London’s iconic Esplanade, a network of sinkholes has become a refuge for the city’s destitute — men and women who have slipped through every social safety net. Among them is former dancer Xhantilomzi Kotobe, who now lives...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Ginsberg creche founded by Steve Biko in ruins
A landmark Early Childhood Development Centre (ECDC) in Ginsberg near Qonce — cofounded by anti-apartheid icon Steve Biko — is on the brink of collapse after years of neglect, vandalism and storm damage. Staff accuse the provincial government of being...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Thousands of pupils miss school amid scholar transport boycott
Thousands of Eastern Cape pupils who rely on scholar transport missed the first day of the final term on Monday as taxi operators withdrew the service because the provincial government still owes them money. This had a major impact on schools whose...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
New R200m mall brings jobs and hope
More than a decade after announcing plans to build a R200m shopping mall in the heartland of Engcobo, his mother’s place of birth, Eastern Cape-born property mogul Sisa Ngebulana is about to make good on his promise. And he has promised to bring more...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
R500m bill after UFH arson mayhem
The violent three-day protest action by University of Fort Hare students may cost the institution half a billion rand as a result of fire damage and vandalism. The university confirmed this on Thursday after a dramatic week of violence in which three...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
I’m sorry, WSU VC tells shot students’ families
A tearful Walter Sisulu University vice-chancellor Prof Rushiella Songca on Wednesday used her appearance at the commission of inquiry into the shooting of a number of students at her university to offer her “sincere apology” to the families of the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Trio listed on sex offenders’ register are still teaching
Three Eastern Cape teachers are still teaching children at schools in the province despite their names appearing on the National Register of Sexual Offenders. Their cases involve three charges of rape and one of assault. An individual is listed on the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Metro is neither dysfunctional nor cash-strapped, says mayor
“Buffalo City Metro is not perfect. It has significant challenges, many of them well illustrated. But it is neither dysfunctional nor cash-strapped.” This was the message of BCM mayor Princess Faku when city bosses appeared before two multiparty...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
15 accused found guilty of horrific assault, burning four youths to death
An Eastern Cape father, watching in horror as a mob of community members beat his son to a pulp, begged him to die before being burned alive, while a traumatised nine-yearold cried hysterically, pleading for her mother’s life. While the country...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Mandela family praying for safe return of Mandla
“Be strong.” This is the message from former MP Nkosi Mandla Mandela to his worried family on Wednesday before the Global Sumud Flotilla, which he is part of, was intercepted by Israeli forces en route to Gaza, creating an international outcry. The...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Malema to fight guilty verdict all the way to highest court
For a revolutionary, going to prison is a badge of honour, EFF leader Julius Malema said after being found guilty on firearm charges. These include unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, discharging a firearm in a built-up area, reckless...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Seven teachers suspended over shocking sexual harassment claims
Seven St John’s College teachers have been placed on precautionary suspension by the Eastern Cape education department in the wake of sexual harassment allegations by pupils at the Mthatha school. Provincial education spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Metro’s 48-hour ultimatum Samwu workers’ strike turns nasty, with sewage dumped in municipal buildings
Municipal services in Buffalo City were thrown into chaos on Wednesday as hundreds of striking SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) members marched to the East London City Hall after allegedly dumping raw sewage in municipal buildings and vowing not to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Metro braces for service disruption as workers strike
Buffalo City residents face the threat of disruption of services after municipal workers, led by the SA Municipal Workers Union, the biggest union in the city, downed tools on Tuesday. The strike, which has spread across East London, Mdantsane and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Wild Coast communities take Shell battle to Concourt
Wild Coast communities and environmental groups will gather in force at the Constitutional Court on Tuesday where their lawyers will challenge a Supreme Court of Appeal decision allowing oil giant Shell to renew its controversial seismic oil...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Eastern Cape could be key in presidential succession race
The Eastern Cape is set to be a key player in the ANC’S national succession debate, with party insiders saying a team lobbying support for deputy president Paul Mashatile is wooing ANC chair Oscar Mabuyane to take his place as the party’s deputy...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
70 E Cape children died of hunger in 7 months this year
The deaths of 70 Eastern Cape children from the start of the year to July have been linked to severe acute malnutrition. On Friday, premier Oscar Mabuyane is expected to appear before the SA Human Rights Commission after being subpoenaed to detail the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Sassa flags 19,000 EC beneficiaries
A wheelchair-bound woman says she has not received her disability grant since July after being flagged as one of nearly 19,000 Eastern Cape beneficiaries whose financial status has been called into question. The South African Social Security Agency...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
R10bn needed to rescue metro’s failing water systems
Decades of neglect have left Buffalo City Metro’s water and sewerage systems on the brink of collapse, with officials now seeking R10bn, with private sector help, to bring failing treatment plants back up to standard. While the metro needs more than...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Inquest ‘won’t bring back my children’
The family of Sigqibo Mpendulo has lived with unanswered questions and unhealed wounds for more than three decades, since the night five schoolboys were shot dead in his Mthatha home during an apartheidera military raid. “This inquest will not wake up...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Stock thieves bleed E Cape farmers dry
Rampant stock theft is delivering a hammer blow to the Eastern Cape economy, putting jobs at risk as desperate farmers targeted by relentless thieves feel they have little option but to let their employees go. In one of the latest setbacks, workers...
Read Full Story (Page 1)