Author: Malebogo Putu

South African police have arrested two men in Kanana in connection with the theft of eight cattle, following an intelligence-led operation carried out on Saturday, 17 January 2026, the South African Police Service said. The arrests were made by members of the Kanana police, supported by the Provincial Crime Intelligence Overt Team, Provincial Criminal Record and Crime Scene Management, and the Stilfontein Stock Theft and Endangered Species (STES) Unit, according to a media statement issued by Constable Thuto Bobelo. Preliminary investigations revealed that Crime Intelligence had received information regarding the whereabouts of suspects linked to a reported case of stock…

In a bold escalation of his long-standing interest in acquiring Greenland, President Donald J. Trump issued a stark warning on January 17, 2026, threatening tariffs on eight European nations unless a deal is reached for the United States to purchase the vast Arctic territory from Denmark. The move has sparked widespread condemnation from NATO allies, highlighting fractures within the alliance and raising questions about the future of Arctic security amid rising geopolitical competition from Russia and China. Trump’s statement, posted on Truth Social, emphasized Greenland’s strategic importance, claiming that “China and Russia want Greenland, and there is not a thing…

In the shadow of South Africa’s bustling highways and porous borders, a shadowy economy thrives, one carton at a time. Illicit cigarettes, smuggled from neighboring countries like Zimbabwe and sold at a fraction of legal prices, now dominate an estimated 75 percent of the market. This underground trade isn’t just a nuisance, it’s a multibillion rand juggernaut eroding tax revenues, fueling organized crime, and now, forcing major corporations to shutter operations. The recent announcement by British American Tobacco South Africa (BATSA) to close its Heidelberg manufacturing facility underscores a stark reality: when crime pays better than compliance, legitimate businesses and…

More than six months after the death of former Zambian President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, his remains continue to lie in a South African morgue, ensnared in a protracted legal and emotional tug-of-war between his family and the Zambian government. As of December 23, 2025, the latest twist in this saga came when South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal granted the Lungu family permission to challenge a prior High Court ruling that favoured repatriation of the body to Zambia. This decision prolongs the uncertainty, highlighting deep-seated political divisions and questions of national versus personal dignity in one of Africa’s most unusual…

In a bid to accelerate a long-delayed infrastructure upgrade, South Africa’s Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister David Mahlobo and Deputy Minister in the Presidency Kenny Morolong conducted an oversight visit on Tuesday to the Brits Water Treatment Works in the North West province. The inspection comes amid mounting pressure to resolve chronic water shortages that have plagued the Madibeng Local Municipality for over a decade, affecting tens of thousands of residents in this resource-rich but inequality-scarred region. The Brits Water Treatment Works, a flagship project of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), is designed to bolster water supply for…

The number of people arrested for violating traffic laws since the start of December has increased by 16.2% compared to the same period last year, largely due to intensified law enforcement operations being conducted nationwide. In addition, 53 pedestrians were arrested for jaywalking on freeways, and 26 motorists were arrested for attempting to bribe traffic officers. This is according to the preliminary report of the 365 Days Arrive Alive Road Safety Campaign for the 2025 festive season, which was released by the Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy for 1 December – 16 December 2025, during a media briefing on Friday…

South African police in Mpumalanga province arrested eight suspects and seized five AK-47 rifles, explosives and three stolen vehicles in a raid on Monday that thwarted a planned robbery, authorities said. The operation, conducted in Vosman near Witbank, followed intelligence gathered on Friday indicating that a group of heavily armed individuals had gathered at a house on a plot to prepare for a robbery, according to a statement by Brigadier Donald Mdhluli of the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Mpumalanga. A joint team comprising the Pienaar and Witbank Tactical Response Teams, the Tracking Team, the Nkangala District Anti-Hijacking Task…

A 38-year-old Ethiopian national was arrested on Monday for possession of suspected stolen property after police discovered he was driving a vehicle reported stolen two years earlier, authorities said. The arrest occurred during a routine roadblock operation at the Middelburg Toll Plaza in Mpumalanga province, according to a statement released by the South African Police Service (SAPS). Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane, a spokesperson for the SAPS in Mpumalanga, said police stopped a grey Nissan NP200 with Gauteng registration plates at about 11:50 a.m. The vehicle was occupied by a single male driver. After the driver granted permission for a search,…

South African police in North West province, in coordination with other law enforcement agencies, arrested 1,941 suspects over a two-week period as part of high-density Operation Shanela II Safer Festive Season operations, authorities said Monday. The arrests, conducted from Dec. 8 to Dec. 21, targeted a range of offenses including murder, rape, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, common assault, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, dealing in drugs, dealing in liquor, and possession of drugs, according to a media statement by Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone of the South African Police Service in North West. Additionally, 287 suspects were…

A regional court in Mothibistad, Northern Cape province, has sentenced two men to 20 years’ imprisonment each for the 2013 murder of Itumeleng Mabihi, the South African Police Service said. Madaka Boikanyo Bless, 35, and Nonei Brown Michael, 38, were convicted in the Mothibistad Regional Court for the killing of Mr. Mabihi, 30, according to a statement released by Warrant Officer Molefi Shemane of the South African Police Service in the Northern Cape. The incident took place on March 28, 2013, at approximately 11 p.m., at a shebeen in Eifell Village, Heuningvlei. Police from Heuningvlei responded to a murder complaint…