Author: Malebogo Putu
A 43 year old Zimbabwean national has been convicted in the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court for the murder of her two young children after poisoning them in a Johannesburg park nearly three years ago. Lister Nkomo was found guilty on two counts of murder for the deaths of her two year old daughter and seven month old son. The children died on June 3, 2023, at Empire Park in Parktown after ingesting poison allegedly administered by their mother. According to evidence presented in court, Nkomo contacted her sister on the day of the incident and indicated that she was in trouble…
Three men were arrested after police allegedly found them transporting suspected stolen cattle in a vehicle travelling from North West to the Free State, authorities said on Thursday. According to the South African Police Service, members of Provincial Intelligence received information during the early hours of Thursday morning about a white Isuzu bakkie towing a trailer in the Derby and Ventersdorp area. Investigations later revealed that the vehicle was heading towards Parys while carrying cattle. Police activated various law enforcement units, including officers in Parys, while community members also assisted in tracking the vehicle. The suspects were eventually intercepted and…
A 38 year old man was arrested during a joint law enforcement operation in Acornhoek after police allegedly discovered illicit cigarettes and an unlicensed firearm at a local spaza shop, the South African Police Service said. The operation was conducted by the South African Police Service in collaboration with the Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison, as well as the Stock Theft Unit, as part of ongoing compliance inspections targeting spaza shops and livestock benchmark operations within the Acornhoek policing area. According to police, officers visited a spaza shop situated at the Acornhoek Old Complex during the inspection campaign.…
A swift response by members of the Tsolo Crime Prevention Unit (CPU) led to the recovery of 100 sheep suspected to have been stolen from a kraal in the Sidwadweni locality on Monday evening, police said. Authorities received a complaint at approximately 9:30 p.m. on May 4, prompting an immediate search operation. Within an hour, officers traced and located the abandoned flock in a nearby area. The sheep, estimated to be worth R180,000, were found unharmed and returned to their rightful owner. No arrests have been made, and investigations into the theft are ongoing. The OR Tambo District Commissioner, Major…
The Acting Provincial Police Commissioner of North West, Major General (Dr) Ryno Naidoo, has commended members of the provincial diving and search-and-rescue units for their bravery and swift response following flash floods that swept through parts of the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District. Heavy rainfall triggered sudden flooding across several communities, placing lives at risk and prompting urgent rescue operations led by the South African Police Service (SAPS). Members of the North West Provincial Diving Unit, working alongside the Vryburg K9 Search and Rescue Unit, have been operating continuously since the early hours of May 1, when the first distress…
A joint anti crime operation targeting illegal mining activities in Gauteng has led to the arrest of six undocumented foreign nationals and the seizure of equipment and materials worth more than R300,000, authorities said. The operation, conducted on April 29, 2026, brought together members of the Solomon Mahlangu Regiment’s Charlie Company and the South African Police Service. It focused on the Primrose area, specifically the Makausi informal settlement, which has been identified as a hotspot for illicit mining and related criminal activity. Officials reported that the six individuals were arrested for contravening the Immigration Act by being in the country…
EFF leader says prosecutors are “going for the kill” ahead of sentencing in East London court The leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters, Julius Malema, says prosecutors are seeking a 15 year prison sentence as his firearm discharge case enters its final phase, with sentencing proceedings set to begin next week. Malema is expected to appear before the East London Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday and Thursday, where a magistrate will determine his sentence following his conviction on multiple firearm related charges. The case stems from an incident in 2018 during the party’s fifth anniversary rally at Sisa Dukashe Stadium in…
Two men from Mankweng appeared in the Polokwane Magistrates’ Court on Friday facing charges of murder and attempted murder in the shooting death of 25 year old Lekompo music producer Gadifele “Lastborn” Maimela. Masheleng July Mashishi, 25, and Karabo Kgoroshi Lucas Mothiba, 27, are accused of forcing their way into a property in Polokwane on April 6, 2026, where a confrontation erupted after the victims confronted them at the gate. According to National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Mashudu Malabi, Maimela was with friends at his residence when they asked him to request a Bolt ride for them. After arranging the transport,…
South African Police Service members arrested three suspects and recovered five unlicensed firearms, including an AK-47 assault rifle, during an intelligence-driven operation targeting extortion-related crime in Hout Bay on Wednesday morning. Acting on intelligence, members of the Anti-Economic Crime Task Team and the Counterfeit and Illicit Policing Team searched premises linked to individuals believed to be involved in extortion activities. During the searches, officers confiscated an AK-47 assault rifle with 30 rounds of ammunition, three 9mm pistols, a .38 Special revolver, and an assortment of ammunition. The suspects, aged between 25 and 36, face charges of possession of unlicensed firearms…
President Advocate Duma Gideon Boko of Botswana participates today in the One Health Summit in Lyon, France, which coincides with World Health Day. The summit, hosted by the French Government as a flagship event of its G7 Presidency, brings together heads of state and government, international organizations, scientists, the private sector, youth, and civil society. It focuses on the interdependence of human, animal, plant, and ecosystem health, and promotes coordinated, science based approaches to shared threats such as zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, sustainable food systems, and exposure to pollution. The gathering highlights the Quadripartite partnership involving the Food and Agriculture…