Sowetan

JMPD TOO BROKE FOR FUEL

Johannesburg residents could be left more exposed to crime and bylaw violations as the metro police department’s fuel crisis threatens to reduce the number of patrol vehicles in the city. The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) has warned...

MINING GIVES CONSUMERS SOME RELIEF

Higher corporate dividends and VAT collections buoyed by rising mineral prices, lift Treasury’s tax revenue forecast by R17.1bn

Proteas captain Temba Bavuma celebrates his century during day three of the second 2026 Dafabet Test series match against Australia at St Georges Park in Gqeberha yesterday.

Former president Thabo Mbeki at the TRC Cases Inquiry yesterday.

The inquiry examines allegations of political interference and delays in the investigation and prosecution of apartheid-era crimes.

VOTE BOYCOTT OVER WATER

Lack of clean water from taps and ongoing sewage problems are just some of the reasons some Hammanskraal residents say they will not vote in the upcoming local government elections in November. One of several townships struggling for years with access...

CITY OUTGUNNED POWER IN CABLE WAR

● Joburg power company struggles to ward off heavily armed syndicates operating in tunnels and sewers to steal electricity infrastructure ● Businesses in CBD count the cost of outages after 13 substation fires this year, including eight at a central...

MY ‘I WATCHED SON DIE’

The father of one of the seven people shot in Katlehong on Tuesday has recalled kneeling next to his badly injured son, watching him gasp for breath and try to speak, but not a word coming out. Speaking to Sowetan in the aftermath of the shooting that...

SA'S HUNGER PAIN WORSENS

● As political parties pitch solutions to hunger in Joburg, data shows rural female-headed families are the hardest hit

SALE HOW BUST WATCH TRIO

Purchase of slain runner Moselakgomo's Garmin timekeeper retailing at R11,000 led to the arrest of three suspects, with two getting bail Shop owner who allegedly bought the item for R900 before reselling it for R4,000 remains in custody for...

HOW ‘KILLER’ PASTOR LURED VICTIM

A 36-year-old pastor who had gone into hiding after allegedly raping a 43-year-old woman and killing her three-month-old daughter has been arrested in Diepsloot after residents recognised him at a tavern where he had sought shelter from rain. The...

NKOSI WILL SIBIYA? SINK

● Disgraced police sergeant expected to testify at the DC hearing about money allegedly collected on Sibiya’s behalf ● Police boss faces seven charges of misconduct, including his alleged links with suspected cartel member Cat Matlala

'I CAN WIPE OUT YOUR FAMILY'

“What are you busy with, do you know that it can take me a minute to wipe you and your family out?” This is what embattled suspended deputy national police commissioner Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya is alleged to have said in a call to the father of a...

HOW BRAKES PUTCO ON PUT FERRARI’S BID

The SA Police Service (SAPS) has clarified a viral video showing a police officer making a gesture across his throat during court proceedings involving suspended deputy national police commissioner Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya, saying the gesture was...

DEFENCE ‘CONSENT’ OUTRAGE

● President announces key measures to curb gender-based violence including nationwide audits of unresolved murders, rapes

TAXI BOSS EXTORTION RING EXPOSED

Demanding R100,000 monthly payments in an alleged extortion scheme, paying the legal fees of convicted hitmen and allegedly having police officers at his disposal to offer him escorts whenever he wanted. These are some of the allegations that emerged...

BLOODY WEEKEND

Just 100 metres from Dora’s Tavern in Wedela Extension 3, near Carletonville on the West Rand, the bloodstained ground tells the story of the horror that unfolded on Saturday night and left 17 people dead. At the scene, blood stains remained scattered...

NO IN KILLINGS HERITAGE

A national shame. This is how President Cyril Ramaphosa describes the gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) incidents currently sweeping the country, including the murders of women whose naked bodies were recently found on the streets of...

INSIDE SIBIYA'S RAPE CASE

Suspended deputy national police commissioner Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya allegedly coerced a 16-year-old girl to send him lewd images of herself and plied another teenager with alcohol, then allegedly raped her after she passed out. These allegations are...

USA TO WANTS MEND TIES MBEKI

US ambassador to SA Leo Bozell yesterday said the SA government would do well to appoint former president Thabo Mbeki as a special diplomatic envoy to break the growing bilateral impasse between the two countries. The proposal comes amid escalating...

Caiphus Semenya

performs during the opening night of Caiphus Semenya Songbook at the Joburg Theatre. The production traces the life and multi-decade musical catalogue of the legendary singer-composer.

EKURHULENI LAND SCAM PANIC

Hundreds of Ekurhuleni homeowners could possibly lose their houses as investigations uncovered they were constructed on illegally sold municipal land. Panic and uncertainty have set in among homeowners in Villa Liza near Boksburg, as the Special...

INSIDE NEGLECTED POLICE STATION

For nearly 10 years, the holding cells at Protea police station have stood empty, neglected and decaying while officers travel 5km to detain suspects. The absence of functioning cells at the station means police officers who arrest suspects must first...

ENOUGH!

● At first, police said they had discovered the bodies of four women. Then it was five, and then six and seven. By late yesterday, the number had climbed to eight. How many more must die before the nation acts to stop these killings? We appeal to...

ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe and SACP general secretary Solly Mapaila during the Cosatu 15th national congress held at Gallagher Conference Centre in Midrand, Johannesburg.

Labour federation Cosatu yesterday laid the blame for the crumbling state of local government squarely at the feet of its ally, the ANC, accusing it of presiding over decay and corruption in municipalities it governs. In what could be a shift in the...

FEAR GRIPS KEMPTON PARK

Police believe that an area in Kempton Park is a potential dumping ground for killers after four women’s bodies were dumped in the bushy area across the freeway from the OR Tambo International Airport. The fourth corpse, found behind a local hotel, on...

CHANGE OR CONTINUITY

This weekend, South African football will turn its attention to an important event: the election of the president of the South African Football Association (Safa). The significance of this election extends far beyond the football fraternity. Safa...

R40m CRÈCHES STAND EMPTY

Two of the three early childhood development (ECD) centres built as part of former Ekurhuleni executive mayor Mzwandile Masina’s “legacy projects” in 2019 have been abandoned after the city spent R57.4m to build them. Poor management, late salary...

I don’t know the difference between a wig and weave — Nosiviwe

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has denied receiving R300,000 bribe money that was hidden in a wig, saying she does not know the difference between a weave and a wig as she usually opts for a headwrap or a shaved head. Mapisa-Nqakula, former defence and...

SCHOOL EXISTS ONLY THAT ON PAPER

● Umkhumbane learners have been boycotting classes for a week over overcrowding, poor facilities and bullying by pupils where they are being accommodated

GAUTENG STORM BRACES FURY FOR MORE

Gauteng metros remain on high alert following severe weather that battered parts of the province over the weekend, with more heavy rain, thunderstorms, and localised flooding expected. The South African Weather Service (SAWS) yesterday said Gauteng is...

DO OR DIE IN RUGBY'S BREATEST RIVALRY

Springbok and All Blacks fans heading to FNB Stadium tomorrow have been warned to plan their journeys well in advance as the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) is expecting heavy traffic and severe delays around the Nasrec precinct. SA...

Saturday’s rugby flypast put on hold

The flypast many South Africans had been looking forward to before the Springboks clash against the All Blacks at FNB Stadium in Soweto on Saturday has been cancelled. The tradition that has been ongoing since 1995 has now been put on hold after last...

A PITSO BETTER RETURNS COACH

Newly appointed Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane says he is in a better position now to coach the national team than he was 14 years ago when he was sacked by the SA Football Association. When Mosimane first managed Bafana, between 2010 and 2012, he...

R370,000 IN ATM DEPOSITS IN ONE HOUR

● Senior Hawks cop accused of 172 extra-judicial killings in KZN struggles to explain 37 R10,000 deposits into his home loan account ● Commissioners dismiss Govender’s explanation for the unusual night-time transactions as “nonsensical” and raise...

BOY’S HORROR ‘CIRCUMCISION’

A Tshwane schoolboy is in pain after he was allegedly circumcised by four older pupils in school toilets. Police have opened a case of assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm following the ordeal suffered by the grade 5 pupil at Sinqobile...

ESTATE SHAME FEUD STEVE KEKANA FOR

An unresolved and bitter legal dispute over the estate of late music icon Steve Kekana, who died in 2021, continues to drive a wedge through his family. His five children, aged between 38 and 48, are pleading poverty and blame their stepmother,...

BOSASA THE COST COLLAPSE OF

More than 4,500 former employees of Bosasa, now African Global Operations, say they’ve been left struggling for years as they wait for their outstanding salaries, retrenchment benefits and other payments after the company’s liquidation in 2019. The...

CAT’S WEB UNRAVELS

WhatsApp messages have drawn strong financial connections between Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala, tender tycoon Hangwani Maumela and the late taxi boss Jothan Msibi. For the first time yesterday, the Madlanga commission heard from Matlala how he was connected...

VICTIMS MORE FORWARD STEP

The family of the late chief Hlengani Maswanganyi has joined a list of alleged victims of fraud committed by attorney Charlotte Tibana and her flashy metro cop husband Peter “Greater Gagash” Nonyane. The Maswanganyi royal family in Giyani, Limpopo,...

ANOTHER ANC PLEADS CHANCE FOR

The ANC has presented its 2026 local government elections manifesto anchored on six promises. These include the provision of quality services and infrastructure; driving investment and job creation; ensuring safe, clean, and healthy communities;...

Lillian Ngoyi Street in Joburg’s CBD is still undergoing rehabilitation despite the authorities saying the project will meet its August 30 deadline.

With less than two weeks remaining for the City of Johannesburg complete the rehabilitation of Lilian Ngoyi Street, several key components of the R230m project are still far from being finished. The city set August 30 as the deadline for the...

JOKES, JABS & JEERS

While Fadiel Adams MP spent most of Wednesday at the Madlanga commission denying allegations against him, he also kept the chairperson and commissioners amused and irritated with his jokes and theatrics. His appearance last week ended with parliament...

HOW GOT G-WAGON COP ARRESTED FLASHY

A suspicion over the source of funds used to purchase a R1.65m Mercedes-Benz AMG G63 at a Pretoria dealership in 2024 is what led to the arrest of Tshwane metro police officer Peter Nonyane, 36, also known as “Lamasweet” or “Greater Gagash...

‘I DON’T WANT TO INCRIMINATE MYSELF’

● Matlala repeatedly invokes constitutional right as Madlanga inquiry probes R228m SAPS tender, alleged impala gift and R15m 'loan' ● Lawyer clashes with evidence leader over whether answers could expose crime-accused tenderpreneur to further criminal...

CONTRACTOR LIFTS LID ON R16M THEFT

A whistleblower who accused Gauteng government officials, consultants and contractors of siphoning R16.9m from a school construction project says he alerted the department over a year ago about the irregularities but nothing was done. His allegations...

HOW ‘GRIEVING’ I NAILED PARTNER

When the charred body of a young mother was found inside a Mercedes-Benz engulfed by flames in Midrand in 2023, it was initially thought her death was due to a freak accident possibly caused by a mechanical failure. Young mother Mahlako Rabalao was...

Lorcia rocks Umthetho

Actor Sthembiso “SK” Khoza is back on the small screen with a character that demanded he delve deeper and not rely solely on the physical performance. Khoza portrays Zola in a new Netflix crime drama Umthetho, a seven-part SA adaptation of Brazilian...

MIGRANTS R300m TO HOME SEND

The mass repatriation of undocumented foreign nationals has cost the state almost R293m, more than five times the department of home affairs’ annual allocation for deportations. The department is now seeking additional funding for an operation it says...

KILLED WHILE OUT TO BUY FIREWOOD

The families of Jaydin Magerman and Rolene Lessing, two of the four people gunned down in Reiger Park, Boksburg in Ekurhuleni, on Friday night, believe the women were deliberately targeted. Chris Landsberg, who is representing both families, told...

Bring back the magic, Banyana!

As Banyana Banyana prepare for a high-stakes Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) quarterfinal against hosts Morocco tomorrow night, students and sporting personalities have rallied behind the defending champions, urging them to bring home another...

’SECURED HOW NOSIVIWE THE BAG’

The daughter and sister of the woman in the centre of the corruption and money laundering trial of former defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula have testified about accompanying her to deliver cash bribes allegedly meant for the former...

ZUMA PARTY’S SPHITHIPHITHI

Former president Jacob Zuma has elevated his son, Duduzane Zuma , to the powerful position of first deputy president of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party in a dramatic leadership shake-up that signals the clearest indication yet of who he wants to...

Banyana stand united as one

Banyana Banyana legends Portia Modise and Noko Matlou have chalked up the team’s struggles at the ongoing Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) in Morocco to shoddy preparations and lack of support. “I am not surprised to see Banyana struggling,”...

BANYANA VOW POWER TO PROGRESS IN WAFCON

Banyana Banyana utility defender Bongeka Gamede says the door is still open for them to qualify to the quarterfinals of the ongoing Wafcon in Morocco, even though their fate is in Ivory Coast’s hands. Banyana remain bottom of Group B after drawing...

MADLANGA TRIGGERS SHAKE-UP IDAC

Explosive revelations at the Madlanga inquiry have triggered a major shake-up of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac). Minister of justice and constitutional development Mmamoloko Kubayi and the national director of public...

TARGETED? UNJUSTLY

Outgoing Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) head Andrea Johnson has admitted that the decision to join suspended police commissioner Fannie Masemola in a criminal case alongside people charged with corruption and fraud was not based on...

R9m SPORTS CENTRE

A barren piece of land that served as an illegal dumping site was allegedly used in a fraudulent scheme to steal R9m from the National Lotteries Commission (NLC). In 2021, Jeremane Petrus Sedibe, 54, of Protea Glen in Soweto, applied for NLC funding,...

SHAMEFUL

National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) head Adv Andy Mothibi has withdrawn the prosecution of police crime intelligence officials, including its head Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo, who were arrested over an alleged corrupt hiring of an engineer in...

INSIDE GAMBLING SA’S ADDICTION

● Meet a gambler who lost everything, including his marriage, his career, more than R1m, and nearly ended his life ● Philips got addicted to the habit at only 13, is one of thousands of South Africans who have sought help to overcome the addiction

BAFANA PITSO RETURN EYES

Revered SA coach Pitso Mosimane has confirmed he has held talks with the SA Football Association (Safa) about the possibility of replacing Hugo Broos at Bafana Bafana. Broos initially said he’d retire after the Fifa World Cup but it seems Safa wants...

DAMAGING ‘ERROR’

● Idac boss concedes to Madlanga inquiry that corruption complaint against crime intelligence head failed the NPA Act’s legal test ● Commission questions the directorate’s mandate and competence after it sought an affidavit from MP Fadiel Adams...

HOW ‘FERRARI’ JOE CHEATED DEATH

The Johannesburg high court was yesterday taken back to the chaotic night that taxi boss Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni drove into Centurion Golf Estate in his red Ferrari, only to be ambushed a few moments later by gunmen with AK47s travelling in a white BMW...

MAUMELA EMPIRE GOING GONE!

● Alleged Tembisa Hospital looter suffers hammer blow as court grants NPA final forfeiture of his R326m assets ● Civil groups hail return of recovered funds to Gauteng health but call for criminal prosecutions to follow

WHY SO EXPENSIVE MEAT IS

You are likely paying R12.10 more for a kilogram of beef mince meat than you did a year ago. The price of boerewors has also increased by R14.56 per kilogram and chicken portions by R5.96, while beef, pork and mutton sausages have risen by almost R20...

I’LL RECEIPTS BRING — GAYTON

Sports minister Gayton McKenzie has promised to provide receipts of his department’s R31m World Cup junket as criticism for the splurge gains momentum. As the 2026 Fifa World Cup comes to an end this weekend, McKenzie has found himself trying to put...

IS MCHUNU OFF THE HOOK?

Parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has found no evidence of criminality against police minister Senzo Mchunu but concluded that serious governance and integrity...

MADLANGA OF DELAYS

When the head of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) submitted a medical certificate before the Madlanga commission on Monday morning which excused her from taking the stand, she became the ninth witness to have their testimony...

Police open inquest into the death of Bafana Bafana player Jayden Adams

Norway and England players observe a moment of silence before their World Cup game in Miami in memory of Bafana Bafana star Jayden Adams, who passed away on Saturday.

HOW MASHAZI & CO MILKED EKURHULENI

● Former EMPD boss faced disciplinary process for an unlawful blue-light deal for vehicles belonging to suspected crime boss Cat Matlala

Police and the SA National Defence Force members,

accompanied by Sibanye Protection Services, arrested over 200 people over illegal mining activities during Operation Prosper conducted at Losberg Kloof Mine in Westonaria yesterday.