Author: Malebogo Putu

A barber convicted of raping four minor boys was sentenced to four concurrent life terms, while three individuals received 15-year prison terms for stealing copper cables worth millions, South African police announced. “The Free State police welcomes the sentence handed down by the Wesselsbron Regional Court on Wednesday, 30 October 2025, in the case of a barber who preyed on little boys,” said Sergeant Mahlomola Kareli, a police spokesman in Free State. The suspect was found guilty on four counts of rape involving boys aged 12, 13, 15, and 15. “He has been sentenced to life imprisonment on each count…

Eastern Cape Police arrested a 34-year-old man early Wednesday for possession of an unlicensed AK-47 assault rifle, ammunition and drugs during an intelligence-driven operation in the OR Tambo District, authorities said. The arrest was carried out by the Mthatha-based OR Tambo District Task Team in Moyeni locality, Marubeni A/A, Libode, at about 03:00 on Nov. 5, 2025, as part of intensified Safer Festive Season operations, according to a statement by Capt. Welile Matyolo, a police spokesman in the Eastern Cape. Officers recovered the unlicensed AK-47 with ammunition, dagga bompies, sachets of Tik and an undisclosed amount of cash believed to…

Former Deputy President of the Afrika Mayibuye Movement, Nolubabalo Mcinga, has expressed deep frustration over what she describes as a leadership crisis within the organization. Speaking in conversation with the SABC, Mcinga said the movement’s leadership was plagued by internal problems and a lack of empathy for the struggles of its members. “The Afrika Mayibuye leadership has a lot of problems,” she said. “I had challenges with my children’s school fees and all, and you have a president next to you who cannot listen to your problems or assist you in your challenges.” Mcinga questioned the moral standing of leaders…

The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), the country’s third-largest parliamentary bloc, announced Tuesday the immediate replacement of its chief whip, Colleen Makhubele, with Des van Rooyen, a former finance minister whose four day tenure in 2015 triggered a currency crisis and cemented his reputation as a polarizing figure in post-apartheid governance. The move, confirmed in a media statement released by MKP spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela, signals a strategic consolidation of leadership within the party’s parliamentary caucus as it seeks to sharpen discipline and align more closely with its radical economic transformation agenda. The uMkhonto weSizwe Party is pleased to announce the appointment…

Molimisi Baaitsi, the 31-year-old Lekompo sensation known to fans as Dr Nel, was discovered dead on a rural road in Botshabelo Village early Sunday, just hours after headlining the grand opening of a local pub, police said. Limpopo provincial police opened a culpable homicide docket after the artist’s body was found face-down along Ga-Seleka, Phetogo Drive, at approximately 4 a.m. on 2 November 2025. Emergency medical personnel from Witpoort pronounced him dead at the scene. “Preliminary information indicates the deceased had performed at the venue earlier that morning,” Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, provincial police spokesman, said in a statement. A post-mortem…

A 43-year-old woman from Seraleng, near Rustenburg, appeared before the Rustenburg Magistrates’ Court on Monday in connection with the alleged murder of her 20-year-old daughter. The accused, identified as Caroline “Granny” Mpane, abandoned her right to apply for bail. The case was postponed to December 12, 2025, to allow for further investigation. According to court proceedings, the DNA test results are still pending and are expected to play a crucial role in the investigation. Authorities said the results would help confirm whether the human remains found in the family yard were indeed those of Mpane’s daughter and assist in determining…

South African police in the Free State province have detailed a series of violent incidents over the past week, including farm attacks, home invasions, taxi rank shootings, a family dispute and the sexual assault and murder of a three-year-old girl, resulting in multiple deaths, injuries and arrests. In Glen, the lifeless body of three-year-old Katleho Joy Leeuw was discovered dumped in bushes by a passer-by on Saturday, 25 October 2025, after she was reported missing by her mother Vuyiswa on 23 October 2025 while playing in her backyard, according to a media release by Walter Macala, spokesperson for the Department…

Police in the Free State province arrested multiple suspects on drug possession and dealing charges during operations spanning October 28-30, 2025, confiscating narcotics with a combined street value exceeding R71,000. In Mafube, a 31-year-old African male was arrested for possession of suspected drugs. “On Thursday, 30 October 2025, at about 13:30, the Sasolburg Public Order Policing were policing the Mafube precinct when they received information about a male selling drugs at the informal settlement near a certain primary school,” Sergeant Josephine Rani of the South African Police Service in Free State stated. “Upon arrival at the place, the members found…

A 43-year-old woman is scheduled to appear in the Rustenburg Magistrates’ Court on Monday on charges of murder and defeating the ends of justice after human remains believed to be those of her 20-year-old daughter were exhumed from the family yard, police said. The suspect was arrested Thursday by Boitekong police at her home in Seraleng, near Rustenburg, according to a statement from Col. Adéle Myburgh, a spokeswoman for the South African Police Service in North West. A concerned family member became suspicious after not seeing the accused’s daughter for several months. Upon questioning the mother, she indicated that her…

In a laboratory at the University of the Witwatersrand, researchers are harnessing the power of nanotechnology to challenge one of humanity’s oldest adversaries: tuberculosis. A new inhalable nanosystem, developed by postdoctoral researcher Dr. Lindokuhle Ngema at the Wits Advanced Drug Delivery Platform (WADDP), promises to deliver TB medications directly to the lungs, where the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis conceals itself. The innovation, detailed in a university release dated Oct. 28, represents a potential shift in how the world treats this persistent disease. The nanocarrier, described as a miniature container for medicine, can encapsulate all four standard TB drugs—rifampicin, isoniazid, ethambutol, and…