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The chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development, Xola Nqola, has welcomed the appointment of Advocate Ntuthuzelo Vanara as acting head of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC). Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi announced the appointment on Thursday. Advocate Vanara has more than 25 years of experience, including as a legal adviser in Parliament. He is currently chief legal counsel at the Special Investigating Unit (SIU).

Tshwane Metro Police Department senior superintendent Isaac Mahamba has expressed concern over incidents of violence and vandalism linked to Spring Day celebrations in the city’s townships. Mahamba said a 21-year-old man was stabbed to death by his 53-year-old neighbour in Cullinan after the older man became angry when he was splashed with water. “We condemn such incidents, and it’s being investigated by the local police station, and the man has been arrested.

Statistics South Africa says the number of households affected by housebreaking declined significantly between April 2025 and March 2026. The latest data shows the number of affected households fell from 2.605 million to 2.345 million, while the proportion of households affected dropped from 13% to 11.5%. However, Stats SA says the figures must be considered against the level of crime that goes unreported to police.

Members of Parliament sitting in the impeachment committee have decided to rescind a decision to appoint Advocate Thandazani Madonsela as the evidence leader. The decision to withdraw the recommendation was taken through a vote today following legal advice. 18 members voted to rescind the recommendation while 9 others voted to keep Madonsela.

AmaBhungane investigative journalist Susan Comrie says Eskom’s decision to appoint certain companies as diesel suppliers raises concerns about its procurement processes. This follows Eskom’s admission that it made around three billion rand in irregular payments to diesel suppliers. Comrie says Eskom has been investigating the payments for more than a year through a forensic probe.

Two foreign nationals, Kelvin Ike (36) and Okeke Joseph Sunday (52) have been arrested for drug possession worth R1.5 million. According to the police, the operation was conducted after receiving information about suspects allegedly selling drugs in Parliament Street, Central. A third man was found in possession of a large amount of cash, which he could not satisfactorily account for, and an enquiry has been opened into it.

The Pretoria Magistrates’ Court sentenced Lehlogonolo Mongwe (28) of Hammanskraal for the rape of a 17-year-old girl to 14 years’ direct imprisonment. In addition to the custodial sentence, the court ordered that Mongwe’s name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders and declared him unfit to possess a firearm. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomed the sentence.

The 2026/2027 first quarter crime statistics have revealed an overall decline in contact crimes. The Acting Minister of Police, Mr Firoz Cachalia, released the statistics covering the period between April and July this year at a media briefing in Pretoria. Other categories of crime that showed a decline include robberies and cash-in-transit heists. Cachalia says contact crimes such as murder have shown a downward trajectory.

Gift of the Givers founder and chairman Dr Imtiaz Sooliman said the organisation is in contact with the families of six South Africans who remain missing after flash floods in Nepal. The six were reported missing after a massive flash flood hit the country’s border region with Tibet, China, on Wednesday. “I am in contact with families of all six missing people,” he stated.

The Special Tribunal has ordered the architect behind the controversial security upgrades at former President Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla residence to repay more than R147 million to the National Treasury. Minenhle Makhanya, who served as the architect and principal agent for the Nkandla project, was ordered to personally repay the money after the tribunal found that his unlawful conduct had caused significant financial losses to the state.