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Stanfield trial resumes with police sergeant still testifying

Published

Testimony by a Milnerton police sergeant continues in the Western Cape High Court on Monday. Ralph Stanfield and his wife Nicole Johnson face theft, robbery and fraud charges over an alleged car theft at a Brooklyn security complex.

The charges relate to an incident at the Palm Springs security complex in Brooklyn in November 2022. Stanfield, described as an alleged underworld figure, and Johnson are on trial with 12 others in a racketeering case.

Under cross-examination, the sergeant was asked why he believed Stanfield owned a black BMW. The sergeant said Stanfield convinced him he was the owner because Stanfield said he had used the vehicle's tracker to trace the car to the complex.

Key facts

Who
Ralph Stanfield (alleged underworld figure, accused in trial); Nicole Johnson (Stanfield's wife, accused in trial); Milnerton Police Station (police station where the witness, a police sergeant, is based); Milnerton police sergeant (witness cross-examined over vehicle ownership checks and release of the vehicle)
What
Testimony by a Milnerton police sergeant continues in the trial of Ralph Stanfield and Nicole Johnson, who face theft, robbery and fraud charges linked to an incident at the Palm Springs security complex in Brooklyn in November 2022. Under cross-examination, the sergeant was questioned about why he believed Stanfield owned a black BMW.
When
26 October 2026
Where
Western Cape High Court, Palm Springs security complex, Brooklyn
Status
Reported

Elections Hot

What you need to know

Voting in the 2026 Local Government Elections is under way at 23,696 stations, and the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) reported a smooth start on 4 November. Stations opened at 7am and close at 9pm, and by 10am preliminary figures showed 3,523,691 voters had cast ballots.

There were problems: unused ballot papers were stolen from Mnyameni Secondary School near Durban, police opened a case, and the IEC relieved the station staff of duty. Some voters in Tshwane said they were turned away for wearing party shirts, but the IEC denied this and said only mayoral candidates' entourages were barred.

ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe told members not to query the results or discredit the IEC, while the IEC said false online claims show routine procedures as fraud.

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US mid-terms Heating up

What you need to know

Democrats won back both the US House and Senate in the midterm elections held on 3 November, according to media projections. Exit polls showed voters were angry about high prices and the direction of the country, and rebuked President Donald Trump.

Before the vote, US forces struck targets on Qeshm Island in Iran, while Republicans struggled to defend the war against Iran on the campaign trail. Iranian officials said US voters rejected the war, and Tehran stayed on high alert for possible new US strikes.

Markets reacted, with the dollar hitting a one-month low and the rand firming to around R16.55, as analysts pointed to fears of gridlock in Washington.

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AI Cooling

What you need to know

Nvidia has told its cloud computing clients to sell at least 51% of their services to non-Chinese companies, according to five people with knowledge of the matter. Anthropic said it has committed to spend close to $900bn on AI infrastructure, and that its computing costs are rising faster than its revenues.

Elsewhere, reports from unnamed sources say OpenAI's latest funding round is falling short of expectations, and a judge let the NAACP pollution case against xAI proceed. In South Africa, the VAST AI investment scheme went offline on 30 October after withdrawals marked approved did not arrive, according to a news investigation.

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