Author: Malebogo Putu

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…

Police in the KwaZulu-Natal have arrested two suspects, aged 23 and 31, on charges of possessing property suspected to be stolen after recovering 21 head of livestock in separate operations, authorities said. In a statement released Tuesday, Lieutenant Colonel Paul Magwaza of the South African Police Service in KwaZulu-Natal said the arrests followed operations conducted in the Hlabeni and Sdangeni areas on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, and Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. “On Monday, 22 December 2025, police received information regarding stolen sheep at Sdangeni area,” Lt. Col. Magwaza said. “Members responded swiftly and recovered nine (9) sheep. A 23-year-old suspect…

As festive season celebrations get underway, the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) has called on young people to avoid alcohol and substance abuse.The department warns that while this period is often one of “celebration, rest and social connection,” it also gives rise to troubling and dangerous behaviours that can turn joy into tragedy. “[It] is also a period that consistently records increased levels of alcohol and substance abuse, which contribute to road accidents, crime, family conflict, unsafe sexual behaviour, and heightened incidents of gender-based violence and femicide.“These outcomes stand in direct contradiction to the government’s commitment to…

The Gauteng Provincial Government has commended the South African Police Service for tracking and arresting a suspect wanted in connection with a deadly shooting in Saulsville, Pretoria. “The Gauteng Provincial Government commends the South African Police Service for its coordinated and relentless enforcement effort which led to the identification, tracking, and arrest of a suspect in connection with the horrific shooting at the Saulsville Hostel in Atteridgeville. The nationwide hunt for the suspects culminated in the arrest of a 32- year-old man in Limpopo,” said the provincial government said on Tuesday.On 6 December 2024, three suspects shot and killed 12 people…