Author name: Scott Balson

The Regional Court in KwaBhaca has sentenced Vusumzi Mcitwa (33) to 10 years of direct imprisonment for the murder of Sihle Maya. The incident occurred on 4 August 2023 at approximately 16:45. Mcitwa and the victim were drinking with friends at a local tavern when a heated argument escalated into a deadly altercation. Mcitwa stabbed […]

Xolani Ndabezitha, 29, was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment on 11 February 2026 for the murder of Sergeant Joseph Kutu. The Mpumalanga High Court in Middelburg handed down the sentence after Ndabezitha pleaded guilty. Sgt Kutu, 43, was attached to the Witbank Tactical Response Team. He was killed in July 2021. According to the Hawks’

Elrico Bradley Leroy Hartebees (30), from Niekerkshoop in the Northern Cape, has been sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment after the Regional Court in Griekwastad found him guilty of rape. The incident occurred on 24 November 2023. The victim was walking to visit her boyfriend when she was attacked from behind by an unknown man. According

Police responding to a security alert at Kloof Gold Mine on Thursday, 12 February 2026, came under fire from a group of approximately 100 illegal miners. According to police reports, some of the miners were carrying rifles. Upon police arrival, the group dispersed and began shooting at officers. A shootout ensued between police and the

The Gauteng Provincial Illegal Mining Stabilisation Team has arrested two suspects, aged 30, for possession of suspected stolen goods and possession of illegal mining equipment. According to police, the arrests were made on Wednesday, 11 February 2026, after the suspects were found in possession of suspected stolen goods and gold-bearing material. Officers seized bags of

A 54-year-old African male defence attorney has been arrested in Ventersburg following a duly authorised entrapment operation conducted by Provincial Organised Crime Investigations, the Provincial Tracking Team, and the Provincial Technical Support Unit of Crime Intelligence. The suspect is the legal representative for three accused persons facing charges related to the theft of agricultural seed

A 49-year-old foreign national was arrested on Thursday, 12 February 2026, after members of the Welkom Anti-Gang Unit recovered an unlicensed firearm and ammunition at Monontsa Village in Qwaqwa. According to police, the arrest followed a community tip-off regarding a person allegedly in possession of an unlicensed firearm in the area. Officers operationalised the information,

Magdeline Chengeta (54) has been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment or a R50,000 fine by the Mogwase Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 12 February 2026, following her conviction on charges of illegal mining and fraud. Chengeta was arrested in July 2023 by members of the Rustenburg-based Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit, in collaboration with Bafokeng Public

More than 200,000 children across the Gauteng province remain unable to attend school as a strike by small bus operators, contracted and unpaid by the Gauteng Education Department, enters another day without resolution – despite what officials described as a breakthrough agreement reached just 24 hours earlier. Community leaders and parents gathered in Villa Liza,

The City of Tshwane’s water distribution network is buckling under severe strain, with critical reservoirs running dry and affected communities reporting a complete breakdown in communication from municipal authorities. The City has confirmed that inflows from Rand Water remain at persistently low levels, a situation exacerbated by continued high consumption across the metro. The main