A 32-year-old Gauteng woman who allegedly sold her two-year-old son to unknown individuals will remain in custody until she possibly applies for a bail application on Friday, November 29. The unnamed woman appeared in the Vanderbijlpark Magistrates’ Court on Monday on charges of human trafficking, conspiracy to commit robbery, and making a false statement to the police. Lumka Mahanjana, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Regional Spokesperson for Gauteng Division, has confirmed the woman allegedly sold the child to unknown people on…

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has been authorised to probe security and VIP protection tenders in the eThekwini municipality in KwaZulu-Natal. The investigation, approved by President Cyril Ramaphosa, will scrutinise tenders awarded between January 2004 and November 2024. The SIU investigation seeks to determine whether the process to award these tenders was conducted fairly and transparently and if the service providers delivered according to the tender specifications. Moreover, the investigation will ascertain if there was any unlawful or improper conduct…

The Deputy Director of the North West Department of Public Works and Roads, Mmapitsi Virginia Seate appeared in the Mmabatho Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, November 13, facing 54 counts of fraud related to falsified travel expense claims.  According to a joint statement by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Seate (51) was arrested earlier in the day by the Mahikeng-based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit. Her arrest follows an investigation into alleged fraudulent…

The Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party has accused the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) of selective prosecution and weaponising the judicial system. It also claims President Cyril Ramaphosa is using the NPA to fight his political battles and prevent the party from challenging the African National Congress (ANC) in the general elections on May 29. The Electoral Court sitting in Bloemfontein is expected to deliver a verdict in the case between the ANC and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). The governing…

While South Africa is making steady progress in its efforts to be removed from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list, it will require “a significant effort” from all relevant authorities in the country to meet the deadline at the end of January 2025 to address remaining shortcomings identified by FATF, according to the National Treasury. South Africa’s grey listing woes started in 2019, when the global financial crime watchdog FATF red-flagged the country for high levels of corruption. This…

The Speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, has denied the widely publicized allegations of personally benefiting from military tenders during her time as South Africa’s Minister of Defence and Military Veterans. According to the Sunday Times on Sunday, a whistleblower identified Mapisa-Nqakula as one of the beneficiaries in an affidavit to the Independent Directorate of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). It added that businesswoman Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu had decided to testify against South Africa’s legislative branch leader, who served as…

Law enforcement authorities have obtained a preservation order preventing former National Lotteries Commission (NLC) chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda and others from using properties and luxury vehicles bought with money siphoned from the lottery fund. The order follows a series of investigations by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) that uncovered fraud and corruption valued at approximately R344 million. The probes found that board members, senior employees, their family members and friends enriched themselves with NLC grants allocated for projects to assist in…