AK-47 Attack on Taxi Boss Takes Centre Stage in Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala Trial

The State on Tuesday called its first witness in the attempted murder trial of alleged underworld figure Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and his four co-accused, with a security guard giving dramatic testimony about exchanging gunfire with suspected hitmen armed with AK-47 assault rifles during an alleged attempt on the life of Mpumalanga taxi boss Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni.

Matlala is standing trial alongside his wife Tsakani Matlala, Musa Kekana, Tiego Floyd Mabusela and Zandile Nthabiseng Nzama before the Gauteng DivisionREAD MORE

Suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department Deputy Chief Julius Mkhwanazi and his former girlfriend, known only as Witness K, have been granted bail of R5,000 each by the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court after appearing on charges linked to the alleged theft of precious stones worth R14.9 million.

The pair appeared side by side in the dock on Tuesday after their arrest on Friday in separate operations in Alberton, Ekurhuleni, and Kensington,READ MORE

The sentencing proceedings of two former apartheid police officers convicted of the 1987 murder of Congress of South African Students (COSAS) activist Caiphus Nyoka have been postponed after one of the accused cited ill health.

Former apartheid police sergeants Abraham Hercules Engelbrecht, 61, and Pieter Stander, 60, appeared before the Pretoria High Court sitting in Benoni on Tuesday for sentencing after they were found guilty on 2 December 2025 of the premeditated murder of Nyoka.

According toREAD MORE

Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela has initiated the process to appoint an Independent Assessor at the University of Venda following escalating governance challenges, including the precautionary suspension of the institution’s Vice Chancellor and Principal and its Chief Operating Officer.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the minister expressed concern that efforts to resolve internal disputes through the university’s governance structures had failed, prompting him to invoke powers available under the Higher Education Act.

The interventionREAD MORE

Advocate Daniel Malesela Teffo has been acquitted on all six disciplinary charges brought against him by the Legal Practice Council (LPC) in 2023, a development that could pave the way for his return to the legal profession.

The outcome means the findings that led to Teffo being struck from the roll of advocates have effectively fallen away. According to information released following the disciplinary proceedings, the LPC is now expected to take steps to reinstate him and restoreREAD MORE

The technology uses an electrochemical process to improve the treatment of persistent organic pollutants in flowing water

Researchers from the South Ural State University, a partner of TV BRICS, have developed and tested an electrochemical water treatment system designed to remove persistent textile dyes from wastewater. The study was carried out in collaboration with international scientists and focuses on improving the purification of industrial effluents, as reported by the university’s

The trial of controversial businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and four co-accused got underway in the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Johannesburg on Monday, with all five accused pleading not guilty to a string of charges linked to three alleged attempted murder incidents.

Matlala is standing trial alongside Tsakani Matlala, Musa Kekana, Tiego Floyd Mabusela and Zandile Nthabiseng Nzama.

The five accused collectively face 25 charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, unlawful possession ofREAD MORE

He identified infrastructure development and cybersecurity as key conditions for digital growth

China can support BRICS countries in their digital transformation in three key areas: infrastructure, e-commerce platforms and innovation coordination. This was stated by Xie Hongjun, Researcher at the BRICS Research Centre at the University of International Business and Economics of China, in the TV BRICS programme BRICSdialogue.

According to Xie Hongjun, over the past decade ChinaREAD MORE

The National Prosecuting Authority’s Assets Forfeiture Unit has secured a final forfeiture order for assets worth about R326 million linked to the alleged Maumela syndicate, which is accused of benefiting from large-scale procurement fraud and corruption at Tembisa Hospital.

The order was granted by the High Court in Johannesburg on Monday, almost a year after the court issued a preservation order on 14 August 2025 to prevent the disposal of the assets while investigations continued.

The forfeitedREAD MORE

The nationwide initiative aims to broaden access to free medical services during the country’s rainy season

Ethiopia has launched an expanded nationwide volunteer health service programme that is expected to provide free medical care to around 20 million people during the rainy season, as reported by Fana Media Corporation (FMC), a partner of TV BRICS.

Minister of Health Mekdes Daba said the volunteer health service programme, introduced byREAD MORE