The Witness (South Africa)
Royal Show to go ahead as farmers urged to stand together amid FMD crisis
As the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak continues to place farming communities in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands under strain, there is a growing call for unity and mutual support across the sector. It is against this backdrop that the Royal...
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ConCourt ruling tightens marriage property rules under customary law
U.S. President Donald Trump ruled out using force to take Greenland for the first time as he addressed world leaders in Davos yesterday, but demanded “immediate negotiations” to acquire the island from Denmark. Trump’s quest to take control of...
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KwaSizabantu Mission embroiled in yet another sexual abuse scandal
Dairy farmers in the Midlands say they have been instructed to shut down a foot-andmouth disease (FMD) disinfection point in Karkloof Road, outside Howick, due to a lack of authorisation. The farmers set up the disinfection point in response to the...
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High court confirms eviction of grieving parents from son’s home
Two elderly parents who moved into their late son’s home in Phoenix at his invitation must vacate the property by the end of July following a KwaZulu-Natal High Court ruling — even though the judge criticised their daughter-in-law’s conduct as...
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High court forces tariff rethink for Msunduzi and three metros
Msunduzi Municipality’s electricity tariffs for the 2024/25 financial year will have to be recalculated after the Gauteng High Court ordered the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) to redo tariff determinations for four municipalities by...
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KZN’s top pupil Ethan Naicker shines as six districts place in national top 10
Despite grappling with personal challenges and periods of self-doubt, Port Shepstone Secondary School pupil Ethan Naicker rose to become KwaZulu-Natal’s top achiever in the 2025 National Senior Certificate examinations, reinforcing the province’s...
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Farmers demand access to vaccines as foot-and-mouth disease devastates KZN
KwaZulu-Natal farmers and agricultural organisations are escalating pressure on the state over the uncontrolled spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), warning that vaccine shortages and bureaucratic delays have left the province on the brink. With...
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NFP withdrawal raises risk of government deadlock in KZN
The stability of KwaZulu-Natal’s government of provincial unity (GPU) has once again been thrown into doubt following the National Freedom Party’s (NFP) announcement that it is withdrawing from the governing arrangement. The move has exposed deepening...
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Experts challenge Pietermaritzburg’s ‘most dangerous city in the world’ label
Pietermaritzburg has been thrust into the global spotlight after a crowdsourced survey ranked it the “most dangerous city in the world”. Local experts, however, say the finding paints a misleading picture of a city that is far safer than the figures...
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Newcastle MM survives second hit attempt
A senior Newcastle municipal manager has survived a second hit on him in just over six months, at the same spot near the entrance to a gated residential area in the town. Senior executive director for corporate services, Dr Prince Dumisani Thabethe,...
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Police launch hunt following brutal assault on woman in tavern
What should have been a period of celebration turned into horror for a woman who was brutally assaulted at a tavern in Pietermaritzburg during the festive season. The incident, which occurred at a tavern in Imbali on December 28, has sparked widespread...
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KZN hospitality industry poised for major growth
Despite disruptions caused by recent floods that battered parts of KwaZulu-Natal’s coastal towns of Margate and Port Shepstone, the province’s hospitality industry is on course to rake in hundreds of millions of rands over the festive period. The...
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KZN agriculture sector in shock after brutal murder of Afasa chair
Grief has gripped a Sweetwaters family and sent shockwaves through KwaZulu-Natal’s farming community following the brutal killing of respected businessman and farmer Mbongeni Skhakhane. The 50-year-old was shot dead in his bedroom last Friday night,...
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Missing UKZN student’s body found buried in shallow grave
The Mchunu family in Ladysmith will spend Christmas in mourning following the brutal murder of their daughter, Simpiwe Mchunu, a University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) student whose body was recovered from a shallow grave by police on Monday. Mchunu (23)...
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Farmers urge Ramaphosa to intervene as FMD crisis deepens
A Midlands agriculturist, concerned about the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) crisis, has appealed to President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene and help not only stressed farmers and their suffering animals, but also protect food security and jobs. “We must...
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Howick woman can finally plan her wedding after identity ordeal
For years, a Howick woman lived in limbo — officially invisible, unable to access basic services and forced to put her future on hold after her identity document was stolen and used by someone else. Her dream of getting married was also...
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MPs party into the early hours, leave restaurant bill unpaid
Members of Parliament’s Correctional Services portfolio committee ran up a hefty R31 433 bill (pictured) during what amounted to a late-night booze-fuelled gathering at a high-end uMhlanga restaurant, where top-shelf whisky, cognac and tequila flowed...
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No-confidence motion fails, but MK Party signals legal challenge ahead
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli survived an MK Party motion of no confidence yesterday, after a chaotic sitting of the KZN Legislature in which the motion was ultimately defeated. The MK Party, which tabled the motion and holds 37 of the...
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Tourism surge to inject more than R13 bln into KZN economy
KwaZulu-Natal is heading for a bumper festive season, with tourism authorities reporting a strong surge in visitor numbers as the province enters its peak holiday period. The influx of visitors is expected to reach the million mark over the festive...
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Probe widens as leaked matric papers reach far more pupils
Evidence is mounting that the National Senior Certificate exam leak could extend far beyond the small cluster of Pretoria schools first identified, after investigators found the breach was more extensive than initially believed. Education Minister...
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