Did a senior High Court judge order the assassination of another judge?* We (GroundUp) have learnt that a report has been handed to the Minister of Justice that a senior judge may have ordered the assassination of another judge. The allegation was made by an awaiting trial prisoner. The report finds that the allegation cannot […]

South Africans have laid to rest the tragic teenager, Nathaniel Julies, who was allegedly gunned down by police officers in Eldorado Park, Johannesburg. With some disruption between EFF supporters and local residents, who accused the EFF of trying to hijack the funeral for their own party promotion, a service for the slain 16-year-old was conducted […]

On Wednesday the Auditor General released publicly the final first special audit report into COVID government expenditure made under TERS till the end of July – including UIF COVID-19 Ters transactions – indicating serious risks and violations. As a result, the Unemployment Insurance Found Commissioner Teboho Maruping was suspended. Here are some of the AG’s […]

The head of department for Human Settlements in Mpumalanga, who has made statements in the media before on behalf of the province, has appeared in court after it was discovered he has been living in South Africa illegally for 25 years and claimed on three separate occasions to have been born in different places in […]

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen says it is unfortunate that, in leaving the party he (until recently) wished to lead, John Moodey – who resigned as DA Gauteng Leader yesterday – has “spread blatant falsehoods which appear to be an attempt to justify his reasons for leaving”. Addressing the media today, Steenhuisen said it’s […]

Kebone Masange, the head of the department of human settlements in Mpumalanga, was arrested in Pretoria today by Home Affairs officials for allegedly being in possession of numerous identity documents, according to a news report in City Press. The story also said that he had not been vetted for the position when he got it […]

Poor financial management by public institutions once again reared its ugly head in South Africa during the disbursement of COVID-19 relief scheme funds, an audit report has found. The synopsis is contained in Auditor-General Kimi Makwetu’s first of a series of special reports on the financial management of government’s R500 billion COVID-19 relief package. The […]

Despite Eskom’s inability to meet the country’s electricity needs and plunging everyone into darkness with loadshedding – taken to Stage 4 today – the government rejects alternatives because it wants Eskom to keep its monopoly, according to the Democratic Alliance. “At a time when the country desperately needs economic growth, Eskom once again plunges us […]

Three crew members in a salvage operation following the devastating Mauritius Oil Spill disaster have died and a fourth is missing after an accident at sea. With a looming threat of a second oil spill in Mauritius, Greenpeace is calling for transparency. Greenpeace said that on 31 August, around 19h30 Mauritius local time, a barge […]

As cold weather persists through many parts of South Africa, Eskom has said it would move loadshedding from Stage 2 to Stage 4 today – the first time since March – because of high demand and multiple unit breakdowns. “Eskom regrets to announce that loadshedding will move from Stage 2 to stage 4 at 15:00 […]

The ANC Parliamentary Caucus says it condemns the brutal assault of former Comrades champion, Nick Bester, who was attacked while training and is currently fighting for his life in ICU. This comes as Bester’s son has announced a R50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the three men who attacked his father. In […]

The discovery on Saturday of the charred remains of a woman in Mthwalume, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), has raised concerns that a third suspect may be involved in the spate of murders in the area. The latest body brings the number of women killed in the area to six, in just four months. According to the Area […]

Bafana Ndhlovu (43), better known as the ‘child whisperer’, has worked with horses for the last 36 years… and after a freak accident that destroyed his vehicle (see photo below), the horse-riding community has come together to help him get back on his feet. Born to the stables Bafana’s love for horses started at the […]

South Africa now has 627 041 cumulative cases of COVID-19 after 1 985 new infections were identified on Monday. This comes as the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that while people are experiencing pandemic fatigue, the COVID-19 pandemic is not over. “WHO fully supports efforts to re-open economies and societies. We want to see […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday expressed his condolences to the family and friends of retired South African National Defence Force Surgeon-General, Lieutenant-General Vejay Ramlakan, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 62. The former Surgeon-General contributed to the liberation of all South Africans as one of the founding members of the United Democratic Front […]

When South Africans express shock at corruption, few seem to know that it is perhaps the country’s oldest tradition. Citizen anger about corruption, a constant theme in South African political debate, reacts to a very real problem. This was underlined recently by news that well-connected people had enriched themselves at the expense of efforts to […]

Former elite athlete Nick Bester has been hospitalised after being badly beaten up by attackers, while he was training on Sunday. Update: Nick Bester thanks police for arresting suspects who attacked him in Magaliesberg area. Bester – a former Comrades champion (who won in 1991) – is one of South Africa’s top sportsman. He was […]

A KwaZulu-Natal couple, Glen and Vida Rafferty, were tragically shot dead on Saturday night on their Normandien farm, near Newcastle, as they entered their home after visiting friends. Speaking from the scene of the crime on Sunday, Glen’s nephew Roland Collyer told the SABC that it did not appear to be a robbery. Firearms were […]

A North West woman and her children have survived a “traumatic attack” on a farm in Broederstroom. This is the fourth farm attack in just two days  in the Hartbeespoort area in the North West. The news comes today – Saturday 29 August – as protests are being held at the Union Buildings to raise […]

Nine people and nine companies have appeared in the Bloemfontein Regional Court in connection with 286 charges that include fraud, money laundering, and corruption by both a public officer and private persons. The money stolen amounted to over R7 million, which the suspects allegedly divided among themselves. The National Prosecuting Authority today named the accused […]

The Zandile Gumede story seems to go from disaster to disaster … for the African National Congress. Today the disgraced former eThekwini mayor was told to take a leave of absence from the KwaZulu-Natal legislature – a job she only got last week – but with her full R1.1 million salary. “Life, it seems, is […]

Tragically, at least four, if not 17, dolphins washed up dead on the shores of Mauritius this morning, and another four ailing dolphins were found stranded. This comes one month after Japanese vessel MV Wakashio ran aground, causing an oil spill although local authorities claim there is no link. Greenpeace has called for an urgent […]

Eight-year-old Clarence Solomons lost his life during a protest over a house demolition, after being hit by a stray bullet. The Elsies River woman whose house was demolished by the City of Cape Town’s law enforcement says she now has to share her mother’s small flat with six other people. She wants the City to […]

Social media users were shocked this week by the emergence of videos on Twitter that show Standerton in a state of chaos, with rubbish strewn across streets. The garbage has apparently been piling up for approximately three months in the Lekwa Municipality, reportedly as a result of a garbage collectors strike. Several local residents said […]

A Johannesburg businessman has been released on bail of R50,000, after being charged with defrauding the city of R7.5 million for undelivered computers. Deon Pillay, the sole director of Esizwe Techology, is accused of taking payment of almost R7.5 million for 570 computers that were never delivered to the city. He is charged by the […]