Police spent R368 million to deploy officers during the EFF's one-day national shutdown about load shedding and corruption. The finance boss at SAPS testified that they had to station cops across provinces even though the protest ended up being peaceful with no major violence. EFF leader Julius Malema grilled her about why they burned through so much cash for a single day compared to the week-long riots back in 2021 that only cost R945 million total.
The party's spokesperson went off on social media, saying the government wasted taxpayer money because of paranoia and bias against the EFF. He pointed out that the demonstration achieved its goals through empty taxi ranks and closed shopping centers without anyone getting hurt. The whole...
The agriculture department clapped back at farmer groups, saying the product registration system is totally broken. Officials pointed out they cleared about 90 percent of applications over five years and launched a digital platform that lets people submit stuff online instead of hauling paperwork to government offices. Minister John Steenhuisen said the new tech cuts through bureaucratic nonsense and speeds everything up for companies that get their forms right from the start.
Around 5,730 applications are still backed up waiting for approvals on pesticides and animal feed products. The government blamed incomplete submissions and needing input from other agencies for the holdups. They also shut down rumors about running out of Rift...
Deputy President Paul Mashatile told parliament that water systems across the country are basically falling apart, with only two-thirds of them working properly and most having worse quality than before. The government guy blamed terrible municipal management, broken infrastructure nobody fixes, skilled workers being nonexistent, and straight-up theft of money meant for repairs. Millions of people are dealing with taps running dry while leaking pipes waste billions of liters every year.
The administration wants to tackle this by getting private companies involved in projects, cracking down on corruption with water tanker contracts, and pushing people to snitch on vandals who keep destroying pipes. They set up a task force and...
Officials in KwaZulu-Natal are pushing municipalities to crack down harder on people who build houses close to rivers after flash flooding killed one person and left two others missing. Heavy rainfall hit New Hanover and turned the Njasuthi River into a monster that washed away homes in an informal settlement where about 100 residents were affected. The provincial government minister said stricter enforcement of building codes could prevent deaths because many structures were put up without proper permits in dangerous zones.
A woman named Zanele Ndlela disappeared when her rented room got swept away despite trying to grab onto a tree. Her family wants to recover her body for burial and closure. Search teams are still hunting for the...
The Political Killings Task Team burned through about R435 million of taxpayer cash since getting started back in 2018, according to the police finance chief who testified at a parliamentary hearing. Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane broke down the spending and said most went to overtime pay plus travel costs because team members get pulled from different provinces and need hotels and meals. She also mentioned that overtime claims for this year are still getting processed.
The committee is looking into whether senior officials interfered with police work to protect criminals, especially after the task team got shut down. Some people are wondering if all that money actually did anything since political murders are still happening a lot...
The ANC is pumping up Moody's decision to bump Eskom's credit rating as proof that their energy reforms are working. The power utility has been keeping the lights on without load shedding for months and got financial help from a massive government bailout that lets them fix their aging infrastructure instead of drowning in debt.
South Africa also got upgraded by S&P for the first time in almost twenty years because tax collection has been solid and the budget situation looks better. Fitch kept their rating steady, but everyone seems to think things are moving in the right direction. Lower borrowing costs mean more money for actual projects instead of just paying off interest.
The government says it needs to keep pushing reforms and...
Pirates grinded out a win against Chippa at home after a pretty rough first half, where they couldn't break through. The Buccaneers finally cracked the defense when Evidence Makgopa scored off the bench, then Oswin Appollis sealed it late for a 2-0 result. The win puts them level with Sundowns at the top of the table.
Coach Abdeslam Ouaddou switched things up at halftime and it worked out. Relebohile Mofokeng got back into the starting lineup and caused problems with his speed. Chippa sits dead last after their eighth loss and they're struggling hard to get out of the relegation zone.
Defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi didn't play because he's apparently close to joining the Chicago Fire in MLS. The backline held up fine without him, though...
The uMkhonto weSizwe Party wants to file criminal charges against two people who testified at Parliament. They claim violence monitor Mary de Haas lied about having a doctorate when she actually just has a master's degree. The university confirmed she holds an honorary research position and is not a professor. During her testimony, she refused to name her sources, which ticked off committee members who said her evidence was mostly hearsay.
The second complaint targets forensic investigator Paul O'Sullivan for sending a text message to a witness that said, "Get ready you lying crook" while hearings were happening. The party says this breaks intimidation laws and messes with parliamentary processes. Both complaints are getting filed...
Some dude got killed after getting into a gunfight with military soldiers who were trying to stop his vehicle at a farm up in Limpopo. The army spotted a Nissan Navara that a bank wanted back because someone had stopped making payments on it for months. When they tried to pull the truck over, the people inside started blasting. One guy took hits and ran into the bush, where he died. His buddy got away and cops are still hunting for him.
Police opened a murder investigation and seized the vehicle for evidence. The whole thing went down on a farm in Tshamutumbu, which is kind of remote. Nobody from the military got hurt, but the community is shaken because farm areas already feel sketchy enough without shootouts happening. Authorities...
