5 May 2026 – A stepfather (46) from Olievenhoutbosch appeared briefly at the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court for his first appearance. He is facing two counts of rape for allegedly raping his stepdaughter (16).
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson in Gauteng, Lumka Mahanjana said on two separate occasions, on 31 January 2026 and 18 April 2026, the stepfather raped his stepdaughter at their place of residence in Olievenhoutbosch when the mother was not around, and the victim was left in his care. Mahanjana said after the second incident, the victim reported the matter to the aunt, who in turn told the mother.
“The mother then reported the matter to the police, and the stepfather was arrested on 03 May 2026 and is remanded in custody. The matter has been postponed to 12 May 2026 for bail investigations. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) intends to oppose his release on bail,” she said.
5 May 2026 – The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirms that Ponatsego Anna Ngwenya (45), from Soshanguve, a former General Manager at Royal Funerals, appeared before the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on charges of fraud exceeding R500 000. Ngwenya was granted bail of R30 000.
The NPA regional spokesperson in Gauteng, Lumka Mahanjana said it is alleged that during her employment at Royal Funerals, Ngwenya defrauded the company by instructing clients to make funeral policy payments directly into her personal bank account. Mahanjana said in some instances, she allegedly collected cash payments from clients, claiming that the company’s payment system was offline.
“The alleged fraud came to light when the company identified that several client policies had lapsed. Upon contacting affected clients to address the lapses, the company was informed that payments had been made directly to Ngwenya.
“The matter was subsequently reported to the police, and following an investigation, Ngwenya was arrested on 15 April 2026. During her court appearance, the State did not oppose bail, as she was not considered a flight risk. The case has been postponed to 9 June 2026 for further investigations,” she said.
Mahanjana further said the NPA remains committed to prosecuting fraud and protecting the public from financial exploitation.
Picture: Embattled Minister of Social Development, Sisisi Tolashe
By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
5 May 2026 – The Portfolio Committee on Social Development will receive a briefing tomorrow from the Department of Social Development on a forensic investigation into departmental appointments. The committee will also hear the outcome of an investigation conducted by the Public Service Commission into appointments linked to the Minister.
The Chairperson of the Social Development, Bridget Masango said the department will further be required to account for the Presidency’s findings that the Minister of Social Development violated provisions of the Public Service Act. Masango said these relate specifically to the handling of disciplinary action against the former Director-General, as well as the process followed in advertising the vacancy for a new Director-General.
“Furthermore, the committee will also receive responses from the department on allegations surrounding the appointment of the Minister’s so-called “Food Aide”. The meeting will take place at M514, 5th Floor, Marks Building, Parliament in Cape Town on Wednesday at 9am.
Picture: Drakenstein Correctional Centre in the Western Cape
By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
5 May 2026 – The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services today conducted an oversight visit to the Drakenstein Correctional Centre in the Western Cape, expressing concern over the high number of suspensions of officials linked to disciplinary cases in the management area. The committee said the Drakenstein Management Area includes the Maximum Section, Maximum A Section, Maximum B Section, and Stellenbosch Correctional Centre.
The Chairperson of the Committee, Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng said during the 2025/26 financial year, 65 disciplinary cases were registered. Ramolobeng noted that nationally the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) recorded 130 such cases, making Drakenstein the largest contributor.
“This is a significant number of disciplinary cases. The figure is extremely high and may point to management failures or a lack of effective systems. We previously urged the National Commissioner to focus on the Drakenstein Management Area, and this confirms why.
“The committee had resolved at the start of its term to prioritise physical oversight visits to correctional facilities. To date, the committee has visited Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, and Limpopo, and last week conducted oversight visits in Mpumalanga,” she said.
Ramolobeng further said during today’s visit, the committee conducted a walkabout of the kitchen, bakery, school, medical unit, several workshops, and inmate cells. She added that the bakery unit was commended for producing approximately 1,500 loaves of bread per day, supplying several other centres.
“This is commendable and contributes to self-sustainability. It is also an effective cost-cutting measure for the department. However, we observed that two of the three mixers are not functioning and one oven is also broken. In the kitchen, four of the 10 pots are not working, and some workshop machinery is also out of order.
“This is concerning, as it places additional strain on the remaining equipment and increases the risk of further breakdowns. These issues require urgent attention,” said Ramolobeng.
She said following the debriefing session, the committee also raised concerns about the amount of contraband found in the management area during 2025/26. Ramolobeng said this included 634 cell phones and 595 mandrax tablets.
“The committee also raised concerns about the practice of serving lunch and dinner together to inmates, noting that this is not in line with the department’s standard operating procedures. Overcrowding was another key issue highlighted.
“We have noted that overcrowding generally contributes to security incidents. The Drakenstein Management Area’s facilities can accommodate 1 361 bed spaces but currently houses 1 851 inmates, including 227 mental healthcare users,” she said.
Ramolobeng said the committee also received a preliminary report on the unnatural death of an inmate in March. She said it was informed that the investigation has not yet been concluded, with early indications suggesting gang-related causes.
“The committee was unable to cover all areas of the facility during the visit and will return for a more comprehensive inspection, as well as to follow up on its recommendations to the department,” said Ramolobeng.
5 May 2026 – The Portfolio Committee on Health will on 6 May 2026, be briefed by the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi on the implications of the hantavirus outbreak. The committee said the briefing will focus on the findings of the department’s investigation into the outbreak, the measures that have been implemented to contain the spread of the virus, and the lessons identified to strengthen the resilience and effectiveness of South Africa’s health security systems.
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee, Faith Muthambi said the briefing follows a media statement issued yesterday by the committee, in which the committee noted the Department of Health’s confirmation of fatalities and a critical illness linked to a severe acute respiratory infection involving international cruise ship passengers, as well as the subsequent confirmation that one patient in a South African hospital tested positive for the hantavirus.
Muthambi said the committee also noted the coordinated response by national and provincial health authorities, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases and international partners, and reiterated the importance of strict adherence to infection prevention and control protocols, transparency, vigilance and ongoing public communication as investigations continue.
“The briefing will take place virtually on 6 May 2026 at 8:30am. Members of the public may follow sittings live on Parliament TV (DStv Channel 408), via live stream on Parliament YouTube channel and Twitter page on the links below. You may subscribe to the Parliament YouTube channel to receive instant notification of live feeds,” she said.
5 May 2026 – The Portfolio Committee on Tourism today considered Budget Vote 38: Tourism and the 2026/27 annual performance plans (APPs) of the Department of Tourism and South African Tourism (SA Tourism), which were tabled on 31 March 2027. The committee noted South Africa’s strong tourism recovery in 2025 with 10.5 million international arrivals, up 17.7% from 2024 and 2.6% above 2019 pre-Covid levels, according to Statistics SA.
The Chairperson of the Committee, Ronalda Nalumango said the committee noted that the recovery is led by regional African travel, which account for 75.2% of arrivals, supported by improved air access, visa reforms and targeted marketing. Nalumango said the tourism sector supports 1.88 million direct and indirect jobs, confirming tourism as a major employment driver.
“Having reviewed the 2025–2030 strategic plans and 2026/27 APPs, the committee found the documents lacking in critical areas. It recommended that the Minister submit addendums addressing full sector recovery, governance, transformation and geographic spread. With 54% of Vote 38 transferred to SA Tourism, governance and financial performance at the entity remain key oversight concerns.
“The committee is concerned that outdated strategies, such as National Heritage and Cultural Tourism Strategy 2013, Domestic Tourism Growth Strategy 2012–2020, Rural Tourism Strategy 2012, Service Excellence Strategy 2016 and the Climate Change Plan 2010 are not listed for review, despite being slated for three- to five-year reviews,” she said.
Nalumango further said the committee noted that Budget Vote 38 is R2.54bn and that SA Tourism gets R1.278bn, whilst the budget remains inadequate given tourism’s 10% GDP contribution. She added that the committee also raised concerns about accountability at the SA Tourism Board and that the Board did not appear for the APP presentation.
“The committee also noted that the department has not provided clarity on the tabling of the Tourism Amendment Bill. Furthermore, there are no mechanisms shown for the high-performance culture or audit improvement, after the qualified audit with material irregularity.
“The committee further noted that jobs created are often short-term Extended Public Works Programme roles, with no tracking to permanent employment. In addition, communities in villages, towns and small dorpies are not adequately involved,” said Nalumango.
She said the committee noted that safety initiatives are limited to mainstream tourist sites and not townships. Nalumango said in addition, false international narratives about things like “white genocide” have the potential to harm tourism and the department has no clear campaign to counteract this false narrative.
“It also noted that tourism monitors are not deployed to villages, townships and small dorpies. The committee also noted that there is no resilience strategy for off-peak tourism or shocks like geopolitical instability and that the APP lacks contingency plans.
“There are also no line-item budgets or evaluations showing conversion from campaigns to bookings/spend, which will provide an indication on the outcomes of campaigns. In terms of infrastructure projects, the committee noted that project delays, cost overruns, DBSA performance issues and lack of consequence management have been reported,” she said.
Nalumango said going forward, the committee recommends the Minister to engage with the Minister of Finance for a budget commensurate with the sector’s GDP/job contribution. She said the committee also recommended that the department table the Tourism Amendment Bill in 2026/27.
“The Minister is also encouraged to ensure that the department and SA Tourism submit APP addendums addressing the gaps and conduct impact assessments of all 2026/27 programmes. The department must also improve governance, financial management and reporting.
“More importantly, the Minister must strengthen oversight of the SA Tourism Board and appoint a permanent Board. As previously indicated the department must also include the Tourism Growth Partnership Plan Dashboard in quarterly reports,” said Nalumango.
She said the committee also recommended SA Tourism to develop a dashboard for a tourism route development marketing plan and intensify work in villages, townships and small towns. Nalumango said importantly, the department must publish the Tourism Transformation Fund beneficiaries list.
“The committee views the Vote 38 budget as insufficient for the mandate, given tourism’s economic role. Governance failures at SA Tourism require urgent action to restore financial credibility. While the 2026/27 APPs are comprehensive, they lack impact measurement and value-for-money mechanisms,” she said.
Setshwantsho: Mmelaelwa o latofadiwang ka maiteko a polao
Ka OBAKENG MAJE
5 Motsheganong 2026 – Monna wa dingwaga di le 34 o solofetswe go tlhagelela kwa kgotlhatshekelo ya Taung mo letsatsing la kamoso mabapi le maiteko a kgothoso e tseneletseng kwa motseng wa Dryharts, gaufi le Taung. Go begwa fa banna ba le bararo ba ba neng ba tlhometse go utlwala, ba ile ba itatlhela ka lebenkele lengwe teng kwa motseng o, mme ba leka go tshwara poo.
Go begwa fa banna ba, ba ne ba tlhometse ka sethunya ga mmogo le dithipa. Go begwa fa maletamotse a ne a tsiboga le go ba kgatlhantsa.
Go begwa fa banna ba le babedi ba ile ba le botsa phokoje, fa maletamotse a ile a tsenya a le mongwe dinala. Go begwa fa maletamotse ba ile ba nna le puisano e e seng monate e tshesanyane le mmelaelwa mabapi le tiragalo e.
Sebueledi sa sepodisi mo sedikeng sa Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, Warrant Officer Tryphosa van Rooyen are sepodisi se butse kgetsi ya maiteko a kgothoso e tsheneletseng, gonne banna ba ga ba tsaya sepe ka motsi wa tiragalo. Van Rooyen are mmelaelwa o tla tlhagelela kwa kgotlhatshekelo ya Taung mo letsatsing la kamoso.
“Dipalatlisiso di a tswelela mo kgetsing e,” van Rooyen wa tlhalosa.
5 Motsheganong 2026 – Sepodisi sa Taung se batlisisa kgetsi ya polao. Se, se tla morago ga gore monna wa dingwaga di le 33 a tlhabiwe le go bolawa maabane bosigo kwa renkeng ya ditekesi ya Taung. Go begwa fa moswi o a itsegeng ka Resego “Jahman” Malepe a ne a tsena mo nganyisanong ga mmogo le monna mongwe, mme seo sa lebisa kwa ntweng.
Sebueledi sa sepodisi mo sedikeng sa Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, Warrant Officer Tryphosa van Rooyen are go begwa fa mmelaelwa a ile a tlhaba moswi ka sengwe se se motswi mo mmeleng. Van Rooyen are ba thuso ya potlako ba ile ba bilediwa kwa lefelong la tiragalo.
“Fela, ba ile ba shupa fa motswasetlhabelo a setse a balelelwa le badimo. Kgetsi ya polao e butswe, fela ga go ope o a tshwerweng go fitlha ga jaana. Dipatlisiso mo kgetsing e, ditsweletse,” van Rooyen wa tlhalosa.
Kgabagare, go begwa fa sepodisi se itse mmelaelwa, mme se mmeile maroa.
The Guardian 