Crime: latest posts

Police spokesperson Nobuntu Gantana said the presiding officer was in the queue at the station at the time. The officer dismissed the women's claims.

Gantana said the two suspects were being processed after their arrest. Police allege the women posed as an official of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).Share

The parade in Durban on Tuesday included SAPS officers, army members and staff of the road traffic inspectorate. Mkhwanazi, the KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner and a Lieutenant General, told them to deal decisively with anyone who tries to disrupt the elections.

He said officers must enforce the electoral act and the other laws of the country without compromise. He also told them not to take political sides.

Mkhwanazi said the police must treat every political party and all members of the public in the same way.Share

Analysts and experts blame North Korean hackers for the theft from Binance. They say the tokens were worth billions of dollars. Binance is a crypto exchange.

Experts say the hackers are breaking the tokens into small packages in an attempt to hide their tracks. Analysts expect the laundering to take months.Share

Two teenagers brought the case. Plaintiff S.J. is 16 and from Illinois. Plaintiff K.D.B. is 18 and from Mississippi. Their attorneys say the platform was designed to be addictive and caused depression, anxiety and eating disorders.

The plaintiffs say they began using YouTube as early as age 3 and the other platforms around age 9. They blame compulsive habits on features such as autoplay and infinite scroll. The companies reject the claims and say they have acted to make their apps safe places for young people.

Attorneys John Morgan and Emily Jeffcott act for K.D.B. They said the settlements let them keep building toward holding social media companies accountable for the effect on children. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel had been expected to testify. A Snap spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the first case, which ended in March, a Los Angeles jury awarded a young woman $6m (R100m) in damages against Meta and YouTube. In August, Meta settled with nearly every US state and territory over teen harm lawsuits, worth up to $18bn. About $5bn of that depends on states reaching similar settlements with Snap, TikTok and YouTube.Share

The party said Shazi was shot at his homestead in Umzumbe, in the Ugu area. Police did not immediately respond to queries and had not given further details. One report called him a regional coordinator and said he was in a virtual meeting on election plans.

Party spokesperson Mkhuseli Mlengane said KwaZulu-Natal has a painful history of political killings. The party said anyone who planned or helped with the killing must be identified and brought to justice. One report said the party also asked the Independent Police Investigative Directorate to investigate.

ActionSA representative Zwakele Mncwango said the motive is not known and that people must rely on police investigations. He said it is hard to call the killing political if Shazi received no threats. The elections take place on 4 November 2026.Share

The New York Times and other news outlets are the plaintiffs in the case. They claim Brave distributed their copyrighted content to its own customers without permission.

The outlets named Anthropic and Perplexity as customers that allegedly received the content. These are claims by the plaintiffs, and Brave is the defendant.Share

The provincial taxi registrar suspended the CATA Langa Intertownship Taxi Association for at least six months. Mediators will meet the two associations separately. Further talks are planned for next Tuesday.

Sileku said both associations committed to ending the killings and working with government. He said they are committed to what they agreed, and there will be no fighting or killings. He added that court interdicts are in place to hold operators accountable.

Sileku said police and law enforcement are deployed at taxi ranks. "We will continue monitoring the situation on a daily basis."Share

The crash happened in April 2023 on the N12 between Warrenton and Kimberley in the Northern Cape. Mokgoro was injured in the collision and died a year later. Mmelesi and Mokgoro had a partnership of 14 years.

A truck driver involved in the crash testified at the trial. He said Mokgoro's driver was parked on the side of the road without hazard lights on. He also said the driver then failed to indicate before making a U-turn.Share

OR Tambo District Municipality has over 1 000 voting districts and over 1100 voting stations. Police said the district has limited police officials for that number of sites.

Ncatha said the three high-risk voting stations are linked to the number of officers to be deployed. He said a police chopper has been made available.

Ncatha explained how the district was categorised. He said: "The categorisation was done and concluded by our intelligence community."Share

Lebeya retired as Hawks head in May 2025. Cachalia said his decision does not stop cabinet from exercising its mind. He said the decision needs a cabinet process and a parliamentary process to be complete.

Cachalia also defended announcing the appointment. He said the police service is criticised for being indecisive and for having too many acting appointments.

Mkhwanazi joined the South African Police Service as a student constable in 1993. He became KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner in December 2018. At a media briefing on 6 July 2025, he alleged that criminal syndicates had infiltrated law enforcement and that senior political and police figures had interfered in sensitive investigations.Share

Ithuba Lottery and Ringeta Consortium brought the review. The court declared the licence agreement invalid but suspended that declaration for two consecutive six-month periods. It told Tau to reconsider the award without the report of the ministerial committee.

The court found that Tau acted unfairly in procedure and in substance. It said he secretly appointed a separate ministerial committee to re-evaluate the bids outside the Request for Proposals process. One report said the National Lotteries Commission must pay costs.

Sizekhaya said the decision concerned a technical issue in the award process. It said the court made no adverse findings against it on any of the grounds Ithuba and Ringeta raised. The company said tickets are still on sale, draws will go ahead and prizes will be paid.

Sizekhaya said the court suspended its order to protect the public interest, because good causes depend on the lottery running without interruption.Share

The investigation found that VAST AI never rented out anything and that its list of verified withdrawals was fake. The finding came from an analysis of the platform's code. The scheme's pitch promised to turn R50 000 into R350 000 in two days.

Products cost from R100 for two days to R40 000 for 400 days. At the top VIP10 level, the scheme promised a salary of R300 000 a month. VAST's Telegram channel had 16 400 subscribers.

The operators told members they faced a financial audit. They said the "National Treasury of South Africa" told them to withhold funds for Personal Income Tax. Quentin Peason, named as a manager of a WhatsApp group called AI Working Group, blamed a compliance review and delays in cross-border settlement. He promised 10 times compensation.

A journalist who investigated the scheme said the payment gateway appears to be Chinese-operated and illicit. The journalist also said the platform looks like a reusable system built in Chinese for many countries. It may be run by a syndicate like Morita Forestry, an earlier scheme that used similar tactics.Share

Magistrate Peter Manthata handed down the judgment on Monday. The court found David and Froliana Joseph guilty of conspiracy to commit housebreaking with intent to steal, and of theft of the dollars. David was also found guilty of housebreaking and money laundering.

David calls himself a "diamond boy". The court accepted that he used the money to buy luxury vehicles. They were a VW Golf R7, a BMW M5, two Mercedes-Benz G63Ses and a Porsche Carrera.

The cash was stolen in February 2020 from the Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo.Share

Seven men are on trial for the murder of rapper Kiernan "AKA" Forbes. The state alleges the Mercedes-Benz was the getaway car after the February 2023 shooting outside Wish restaurant. Dlamini also said she collected a piece of clothing.

The defence asked Dlamini whether she knew that many cars in the Morningside area looked the same. It suggested the team had collected evidence from the wrong car.

The state also alleges that accused Mziwelithini Gwabeni leased a grey VW Polo and a Hyundai Grand i10 from Sonwabile Bani. It says spotters used the cars to track AKA's movements. Cross-examination of tracker expert Carel Rothmann did not go ahead on Monday because the defence was not ready.Share

Warrick "DJ Warras" Stock was shot and killed outside the Zambezi Building in Johannesburg on 16 December 2025. Co-accused Joaquim Pacula shot Stock.

Pacula was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Buthelezi and Majola will stand trial on the same killing.Share

ActionSA's KwaZulu-Natal chairperson, Zwakele Mncwango, said the party was disturbed by two serious incidents involving its members and their families over the weekend. He said the timing, just days before the elections, is deeply concerning. He called on the South African Police Service (SAPS) to investigate.

Preliminary reports said Mkhize was stabbed with a knife and strangled just outside her home. She was an activist and the party's candidate in Mnyameni, in the Maphumulo Local Municipality.

Mncwango said: "Political differences must never lead to violence or loss of life". At least 50 people have died in suspected political murders this election year.

A September report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime counted 43 suspected political assassinations since January. Police have opened 139 election-related criminal cases and arrested 48 suspects. National police commissioner General Fannie Masemola said KwaZulu-Natal has the highest number of high-risk voting stations in the country.Share

The IEC said the theft was reported to the uMkomaas police station. It also reported other incidents in its KwaZulu-Natal special voting update, including police escort and vehicle delays. The commission said the delays and problems at voting stations had been attended to.

In Umzinto, MK Party members approached a voting station at Umzinto Town Hall and asked for information about how election material is distributed. The IEC said a person who claimed to be a Political Liaison Committee (PLC) member was also at the hall. It said that person had not taken part in earlier PLC meetings.

The IEC said PLC members were reminded that the storage locations of election materials are confidential and may not be disclosed to unauthorised persons.

The IEC approved 362,878 special vote applications in KwaZulu-Natal. Of these, 211,449 are for visits to voting stations and 151,429 are for home visits. The province has 5,028 voting stations, and 4,988 of them received applications. The other 40 received none and will not open for special voting.Share

Turok acts for Wingfield residents through the legal organisation Ndifuna Ukwazi. She says the interim order also blocks the city from stopping residents rebuilding their shacks. She said: "only the Ndabeni Communal Property Trust can obtain an eviction order to remove my clients."

The city says it stepped in to protect land owned by the Ndabeni Communal Property Trust from a mass land invasion in Kensington. JP Smith, the city's Mayco Member for Safety and Security, said six community members with a court order had permission to build on site on Sunday. He said about 50 more people without a court order joined them and began to put up structures.

The matter is due back in court on 26 November 2026. The court will then decide whether the interim order should be made permanent.Share

The department says 28 approved Sporong households still wait for homes. It is processing 19 further applications. Spokesperson Tahir Sema said 26 households received houses on 29 October. He said delays in completing housing units slowed the relocations.

Sema also said illegal mining around Sporong creates safety challenges for residents and officials. He said the remaining households will join the next allocation, with other targeted informal settlements in the Rand West City local municipality.

Resident Maria Motlhasadi said people live in fear because they do not know what will happen in the festive season, and they still have trauma. Residents said the government response was short-lived. They said soldiers stayed only a few days and the mobile police station left about four months ago without explanation.

Community leader Elsie Mokobane said there have been no further attacks since the interventions.Share

The judgment came on Friday, 30 October. The husband must pay up to R230,000 for a forensic accountant and up to R34,590 for an industrial psychologist. The fee contribution is payable in eight monthly instalments of R32,401.25 from 30 November. The accountant's fees are payable when invoices are presented.

Stanton found that the husband had not made full and frank disclosure of his financial affairs. She said the wife needed enough financial backing to fight the divorce on an equal footing. In the judgment she said: "The applicant is entitled to a contribution sufficient to secure equality of arms in the divorce proceedings,"

The husband had offered R150,000 towards her legal costs. He called the legal bill "shocking, astonishing and absurd" and said the expensive experts were unnecessary. He also said a forensic accountant was premature because discovery was not complete. His legal team said the woman should use qualified local experts where possible.

The woman first sought R915,400 in legal fees and R265,190 for expert investigations. The husband is the sole director and shareholder of a private company. His declared monthly salary is R15,832.97, and he offered R30,000 a month towards the maintenance of the two minor children.Share

Saayman testified for the defence in the attempted murder trial of Vusumuzi "Cat" Matlala. His evidence forms part of a trial-within-a-trial over whether evidence obtained on the day of Kekana's arrest is admissible. Kekana is accused number one.

Saayman questioned why blood alcohol results were missing. He said they could have shown whether Kekana was acutely intoxicated during the earlier admission. He also said Kekana's alcohol use during the 4 March hospitalisation does not necessarily prove that intoxication directly caused his condition.

State witness Dr Pooja Panicker said Kekana was admitted after taking alcohol and cocaine. She said he lost consciousness and suffered respiratory failure, and doctors had to intubate him. Kekana says poisoning caused his condition, not drugs and alcohol.

Matlala, Kekana and three co-accused face 25 charges in total. These include 11 counts of attempted murder.Share

Judge Cassim Moosa explained the postponement in court on Monday. He said the court heard almost two weeks earlier that Nzama would write the exam. Nzama is the daughter of co-accused Musa Kekana.

The State accuses Matlala of orchestrating three failed assassination attempts between August 2022 and January 2024. The alleged targets are Tebogo Thobejane, Joe Sibanyoni and Seunkie Mokubung. These are claims by the State.

The court is now hearing the accused's challenges to the admissibility of evidence from State witnesses. Kekana says police assaulted him after his arrest in April 2024. On Monday medical expert Prof Gert Saayman answered questions about Kekana's medical records.Share

The court rejected Agrizzi's attempt to limit the amount to money he received personally. It also found that he failed to fully disclose his financial affairs. The court found that he concealed assets, including property abroad.

Agrizzi was convicted last year on three counts of corruption and one of money laundering. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) commented on the judgment. It said the ruling sends a clear message that people who take part in corruption face jail and can lose the financial proceeds of their crimes.Share

Acting Judge MJ Motshekga found that Ster-Kinekor had not proven a rule that bans tasting popcorn. The company also did not prove that Mogano knew of such a rule. The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) had earlier found the dismissal unfair.

Ster-Kinekor argued that the commissioner misunderstood the evidence by accepting that Mogano tasted the popcorn and did not eat it. It also said the commissioner ran the arbitration in a biased way. Motshekga said: "These findings are supported by the record, and the outcome is one that a reasonable commissioner could reach."

Complex manager Tyran Naicker said Mogano was eating the popcorn. Mogano said she put only a few kernels in her mouth to check the salt. She said Naicker had told her to taste it in future but not to eat it.

The incident happened on 30 June 2023, and the company dismissed Mogano on 14 July 2023. She had worked for the company since May 2014.Share

The attempted murder charge relates to the girl's exposure to HIV. The state's case, as the NPA described it, is that the man meant to kill his daughter. It says he had unprotected sex with her while he knew he was HIV-positive.

NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the man told the court on 23 May 2025 that his partner had shown him pornographic material. He said she claimed to have found it on the girl's cellphone. The girl was 13 at the time of the offences and is now 14.

Prosecutor Chandre Minnaar handled the case. The girl gave a victim impact statement, which she compiled with court preparation officer Deonett Boltney. Adrian Mopp, the Western Cape director of public prosecutions, welcomed the sentence. He said violence against women and children were matters of serious national concern.

The NPA said the sentence sent a clear message. It said those who violate the dignity, bodily integrity and safety of children will face the full might of the law.Share

Police accuse Makhanya of verbally attacking provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi in a video on social media. He faces charges of crimen injuria and inciting violence. The fact sheet places the rally at Princess Magogo Stadium in Greenwood Park.

State prosecutor Nkululeko Mosia asked for bail of R10,000. Advocate Mzonjani Zulu, for Makhanya, said his client is unemployed and could afford only R1,000. Magistrate B Singh set bail at R7,000.

Singh said Makhanya laughed in the dock, which she took as a sign of disregard for the law. The magistrate told him: "This is a serious matter, you need to take it seriously".Share

The interdict applies to the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA), the Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (CODETA) and their members. The violence has hit parts of Cape Town, including Khayelitsha.

Mawande Jara, chairperson of the Khayelitsha Development Forum, said violence went on for two days in affected communities. He said residents fear to take or use any form of transport.

Jara welcomed the court order. He said: "We are grateful for the High Court decision to ensure that there is stability and calm in our communities".Share

IEC KwaZulu-Natal electoral officer Ntombfuthi Masinga cautioned parties that camp outside voting stations. She said the tables and tents are not official IEC tables. She said parties use them to track who has voted, so they can persuade registered voters who have not yet voted.

Masinga said the tables are not a place for drinking. In her words: "Those are also not tables for people to get drinks and be drunk and start harassing voters before they get into voting stations." She said that if it happens again, the South African Police Service will deal with it.

Reports also gave 331 as the number of high-risk voting stations that police identified nationally. They said 2.6m voters are set to cast special ballots.Share

Dyantyi said police are ready to keep voters safe. She said police had adjusted their deployments and are using intelligence officers to gather information. The deployment comes amid taxi violence and gang activity in the province.

She said law enforcement agencies are working together to keep people safe and let voting go ahead without disruption. Delft was among the places named in connection with the policing plans.

Dyantyi said: "We are excited as law enforcement agencies because it is our duty and task to ensure that we present an environment that is conducive for the people."Share

Binance made the claim about the 95% itself, and the figure has not been confirmed by another source. The exchange did not say in the available facts how the breach happened.Share