Author: Malebogo Putu

Authorities investigating the murder of an elderly South African couple in the Kruger National Park believe the victims’ missing vehicle may have crossed into neighbouring Mozambique through a damaged fence in the northern section of the reserve. The victims, Dina Marais (73) and Ernst Marais (71) from Mossel Bay, were found dead in the Levubu River near Crooks Corner on Friday afternoon after tourists spotted two bodies floating in the water and alerted park authorities. The couple had last been seen on Wednesday morning, 20 May, at the Pafuri picnic site in the northern region of the park. A search…

Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille has expressed condolences following the discovery of the bodies of a South African couple in the Kruger National Park, amid a police investigation now treating the case as murder and hijacking. The victims have been identified as Dina Marais (73) and Ernst Marais (71) from Mossel Bay. Their bodies were recovered from the Levubu River in the northern section of the park. De Lille said she was saddened by the incident and extended sympathies to the family and friends of the deceased. “The safety of all travellers is of utmost importance to the tourism industry.…

Police have launched a murder and hijacking investigation after the bodies of an elderly couple were found in the Levubu River in the northern section of the Kruger National Park, officials said. The victims, Dina Marais (73) and Ernst Marais (71) from Mossel Bay, were last seen on Wednesday morning, 20 May, at the Pafuri picnic site. When they failed to return to their accommodation, a search operation was initiated by park authorities and law enforcement agencies. On Friday afternoon, tourists alerted officials after spotting two bodies floating in the Levubu River near Crooks Corner. The bodies were later recovered…

South Africa has received a boost in investor confidence after Moody’s revised the country’s sovereign credit rating outlook from stable to positive, while affirming its long-term foreign- and local-currency ratings at Ba2. The decision, announced alongside comments from the South African government, places the country in a unique position among Group of Twenty (G20) members, with the National Treasury noting that it is currently the only G20 economy with a positive outlook from Moody’s. The upgrade comes despite a broader trend of sovereign rating pressure globally, with more than 23 sovereign credit ratings reportedly downgraded or negatively affected since the…

Seventeen suspects have been arrested following a coordinated anti illegal mining operation conducted in the Pilgrim’s Rest area on Saturday, 23 May 2026, involving the South African Police Service, local security companies, Farm Watch members, and other law enforcement stakeholders. The suspects, aged between 19 and 53, were arrested for offences linked to illegal mining activities. They face charges relating to contraventions of the Immigration Act of South Africa, as well as possession of gold-bearing material (GBM) and gold bearing equipment (GBE). The operation forms part of ongoing efforts to curb illegal mining and related criminal activities in the region,…

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations has arrested Adys Lastres Morera, a lawful permanent resident of Cuban origin, citing what authorities describe as “serious adverse foreign policy consequences” linked to her continued presence in the United States. According to a statement by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Lastres Morera was taken into custody in Miami on May 22. Officials say she is “removable” under provisions of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act following a determination by the U.S. Department of State on May 20. HSI officials allege that Lastres Morera has familial ties to senior figures within…

Police in the Western Cape have launched an intensive manhunt following two separate shooting incidents in which six men were killed within hours of each other in Makhaza and Harare on Sunday night and early Monday morning. In the first incident, three men aged between 20 and 24 were shot and killed inside an informal dwelling in Khonkxa Street, Makhaza, at about 19:30 on Sunday, 24 May 2026. According to police, family members reported hearing gunshots before discovering the victims inside the structure with fatal gunshot wounds. In a second incident in Endlovini, Harare, three adult men in their thirties…

A manhunt has been launched for an unknown suspect following the alleged rape of two women and an armed robbery in Ramaroka village outside Bolobedu in Limpopo earlier this month. According to police, the incident occurred on Saturday night, 3 May 2026, at about 9pm after an 18 year old woman accepted a lift from a man driving a silver Toyota Avanza while she was in Kheshokholwe village. The driver allegedly told the woman he was travelling to Mohlabaneng village. Along the way, at the Mokwakwaila four way stop, he picked up another female passenger who was also heading to…

Alleged political fixer Brown Mogotsi is expected to apply for bail at the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday as he faces a string of charges linked to what police believe was a staged assassination attempt last year. Mogotsi faces charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, discharging a firearm in a built-up area, defeating the ends of justice and perjury after allegedly orchestrating a fake hit on his life in November 2025. His bail application was postponed last week after prosecutors requested additional time to verify his residential address. The 49 year old was arrested on May 15…

Former President Thabo Mbeki has distanced the African National Congress from the controversial Phala Phala scandal, saying the matter concerns President Cyril Ramaphosa in his private capacity as a businessman and should not consume the governing party. Speaking on the long running controversy surrounding the theft of foreign currency from Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo, Mbeki said Parliament was correct to allow due processes to continue in order to establish the facts. “I think the speaker is actually correct in saying, okay, Parliamentarians, let’s constitute this committee and this committee must do its work,” Mbeki said. “The President…