A man sentenced to life imprisonment for series of rape

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By REGINALD KANYANE

2 July 2025- A man (36) was sentenced to life imprisonment and additional 25 years by the Molopo Regional Court for series of rape. The accused, Bongani Ntoro (36) raped four women and a girl (12) between 2007 and 2010 in Magogoe, Tloung and Seweding villages in Mahikeng.

The North West police spokesperson, Captain Mpho Manyoba said Ntoro would, in committing the crimes, cover his face to conceal his identity. Manyoba said following intensive and meticulous investigations, which were applauded by the court, Ntoro was linked with the evil deeds through forensic DNA leads.

“The long arm of the law caught up with him at Mahikeng Taxi Rank on 17 May 2024. The state ensured that the accused was denied bail and had been in custody until he was sentenced.

“He was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment for three counts of housebreaking with intent to rape, life imprisonment for three counts of rape and six year imprisonment for sexual offence.

“Ntoro was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment for two counts of aggravated robbery. The sentences will run concurrently with life imprisonment,” she said.

Meanwhile, the North West Police Commissioner, Major General Patrick Asaneng thanked the investigating officer, Sergeant Tshepiso Makunye, Reservist Constable Makabe, the state prosecutor, advocate Kefentse Diseko and all other role players for their concerted and tireless efforts.

“The arrest,  successful prosecution, conviction and life sentence imposed on this merciless sexual predator is the apt response to the President’s directive and the actualization of the government’s multi-sectoral Gender Based Violence & Femicide National Strategic Plan’ six pillars approach, especially the pillars on Prevention and Rebuilding Social Cohesion, Justice, Safety and Protection as well as Response, Care, Support and Healing.

“The dedication, commitment, proficiency and excellent work by the police and prosecution in securing conviction and long prison sentence is inspiring, appreciated and commendable and will further strengthen the fight against the scourge of  GBVF, especially sexual assault and sexual violence against women and children’” said Asaneng.

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Thread with caution at WAFCON – Motau 

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Picture: Banyana Banyana player, Amogelang Motau during training

By OBAKENG MAJE

2 July 2025 – Banyana Banyana midfielder Amogelang Motau says the Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) champions should thread with caution in the continental tournament. The Sasol-sponsored South Africans senior women’s national team are in Casablanca, Morocco and have been hard at work preparing for their opening game against Ghana on 7 July in the upcoming CAF WAFCON.

In the second match they will be up against Tanzania on Friday, 11 July 2025, they will then have a date with Mali in the last fixture of the group stages on 14 July.

Although they are the defending champions, Motau says in truth they are contenders just like all the other 11 nations that will gather for the North African tournament.

“That’s the mentality they’re (technical team) trying to instill in us that we come into this tournament just like we came into the last one, we’re contenders, we take it one game at a time. The focus is on ourselves, the analysis team will do the work that’s needed for them to inform us about the game but other than that we’re going well,” said Motau, who is also one of the three co-captains in the squad alongside Refiloe Jane and Lebohang Ramalepe.

Coach Dr Desiree Ellis’ charges have been in Morocco for almost a week and Motau says this was a masterstroke with temperatures hovering above 30 degrees Celsius.

“The mood is becoming great, we’ve been struggling a little bit with the heat, but I think we’re acclimatizing, and everyone is coming into camp, just one player short but I think we’re getting the hang of it. Our rhythm is getting up even today the session had to be cut a little bit because of the weather but I think again we’re acclimatizing and we’re getting there,” she added.

All South Africa’s group stage matches will take place at the Honneur Stadium in Oujda, where Banyana Banyana will have their base camp.

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Democratic Alliance laid criminal charges against ANC Minister

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Picture: Minister of Human Settlements, Thembi Simelane

By AGISANANG SCUFF

2 July 2025- The Democratic Alliance (DA) said it can reveal that the criminal investigation against ANC Minister, Thembi Simelane is underway. The DA said it has laid charges Simelane with the SAPS and the investigating officer has now been assigned to investigate the complaint.

Adv. Glynnis Breytenbach MP DA Spokesperson on Justice and Constitutional Development, advocate Glynnis Breytenbach said Simelane is yet another ANC Minister in the National Executive of President Cyril Ramaphosa under investigation for a serious crime. According to Breytenbach, they have previously laid charges of corruption against the Minister of Human Settlements, Thembi Simelane, alleging theft of more than R700 000 by fraudulently billing Eskom when she worked for Vitrovian.

“Eskom is reported to have used Vitrovian, a consulting firm, to suppress protests at the Kusile Power Plant during its construction. Vitrovian’s charges to Eskom appeared to have been severely inflated and Eskom was allegedly invoiced by Vitrovian for work done by employees that did not exist.

“Simelane’s signature appears on the very first of these fraudulent invoices, directly implicating her in the scandal. This is the latest criminal investigation into Simelane, who also faces serious criminal allegations for involvement in the looting of VBS Bank while she was the Executive Mayor of Polokwane,” she said.

Breytenbach further said the DA is confident that the South African Police Service will conduct a thorough investigation into these serious allegations. She added that, the DA has for a long time now called for Ramaphosa to remove Simelane from the National Executive, along with all ANC Ministers and ANC Deputy Ministers under the cloud of corruption.

“It is time for Ramaphosa to act against ANC corruption,” said Breytenbach.

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Committee adopted terms of reference for inquiry

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Picture: The Chairperson of Committee, Songezo Zibi

By BAKANG MOKOTO

2 July 2025- The Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) has adopted the terms of reference for the inquiry it has launched into evidence of and allegations of maladministration, financial impropriety and the misuse of public funds at the Road Accident Fund (RAF). The inquiry will be a Member led process and will focus from the 2020/21 to 2024/25 financial years, however actions that happened before this period that might have an impact on current issues will be considered.

The Chairperson of Committee, Songezo Zibi said the terms of reference cover seven main areas and their financial implication. Zibi said this includes government’s failures and ministerial and board oversight, financial management and compliance with the Public Finance Management Act and other legislation. Zibi said procurement and supply chain management irregularities, legal and litigation expenditure, fraud, corruption and whistle-blower reports, are some of issues that will be discussed.

“Automation and claims processing, government and human resource matters. The committee will call witnesses that include but are not limited to the RAF Board, past and present, RAF executives, whistleblowers, expert witnesses and directly affected or implicated stakeholders to testify under oath.

“Should anyone refuse to appear, SCOPA has the authority to subpoena them through the Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures Act. The inquiry will be conducted by the committee in terms of the rules of the National Assembly, however external legal and forensic experts may be brought in to support the enquiry as necessary,” he said.

Zibi further said while witnesses may consult their lawyers privately, legal representatives cannot speak during hearings. He added that, for questions to other witnesses must be submitted in writing to him.

“Anyone directly affected by provisional findings can respond in writing before the final report is adopted. All submissions will be considered. Hearings will be open and broadcast on Parliament TV and social media where possible and evidence will be published on the Parliamentary website, unless legally confidential, to ensure public participation.

“As the terms of reference clearly state, the enquiry is an inquisitory rather than an adversarial process, designed to facilitate a heightened and more structured oversight process. It was necessitated by the myriads of allegations and information received by the committee in respect of alleged maladministration, financial impropriety and the misuse of public funds at the RAF,” said Zibi. 

He said inquiry is about uncovering the truth, holding the RAF accountable, and ensuring that public money serves its rightful purpose of supporting victims. Zibi said the committee aims to begin the inquiry in mid-September 2025, with the goal of completing by end of October 2025, however, these timelines may be adjusted if necessary.

“Meetings will take place in Cape Town’s Parliamentary precinct or any other venue to be determined by the Chairperson. Hybrid or virtual sessions may be held to ensure broad participation.

“SCOPA may also issue interim reports or refer matters to law enforcement where appropriate during the course of its work,” he said.

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Committee to table a report regarding Visvin Reddy’s behaviour

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Picture: Member of Parliament, Visvin Reddy

By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

2 July 2025- The Powers and Privileges Committee has resolved to refer the matter, at the request of the Speaker of the National Assembly (NA), relating to the conduct of Visvin Reddy during the sitting of the 4 March 2025, to Parliament’s Disciplinary Committee. The committee agreed that although Reddy’s actions do not constitute contempt of Parliament as per Section 12 of the Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures Act, his actions do constitute misconduct.

The Chairperson of the Committee, Weziwe Tikana-Gxotiwe said: “The matter was referred to the committee by the Speaker of the National Assembly in terms of rule 214 of the NA Rules. The committee will table its report to the NA for consideration.

“The committee also considered another matter referred by the Speaker relating to the conduct of Marlon Daniels on 2 April 2025. The committee resolved to proceed with a formal inquiry to determine, through oral evidence, whether Daniels’ actions constituted contempt of Parliament in terms of the Act and NA Rules.”

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Committee welcomes the establishment of NWRIA

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By REGINALD KANYANE

2 July 2015- The Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation said it welcomes the commendable progress made by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) in establishing the National Water Resources Infrastructure Agency (NWRIA), but called for a strong governance framework and mitigation of risk to ensure its success. The committee said while it acknowledges the value proposition offered by rationalisation of various entities within the DWS to a single entity to ensure effective development and maintenance of the country’s water infrastructure, it is important that risk mitigation procedures are built into the system to ensure efficiency and success.

The Chairperson of the Committee, Leon Basson said the effective operation of assets and ensuring revenue collection through water sales is critical to the sustainability of the entity. Basson also said that the agency must not end up like other state-owned entities that have struggled due to governance and administrative challenges.

“In addition, the committee remains acutely aware that there is a general challenge of debt within the water value chain, hence the call for safeguards to ensure that the agency does not suffer in the long term due to non-payment for services.

“Furthermore, some members raised a concern that leveraging assets had an inherent risk of placing South Africa’s water sovereignty at risk if the agency is unable to repay loans taken for infrastructure development. Nonetheless, the committee highlighted that the Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority’s (TCTA’s) 40-year history of repaying its loans is enough assurance that the NWRIA can do likewise,” he said.

Basson further said the committee has long called for public-private partnerships as a way of attracting additional investments in the water sector. He added that potential to triple the current annual investment in the development of water infrastructure should be encouraged in line with the need to fully unlock water’s socio-economic potential.

“The committee noted and welcomed the assurance that commendable work has been done to ensure that the NWRIA is established by April 2026. In line with this, the committee noted that the Minister intends to gazette a notice opening applications to serve on the NWRIA board.

“The committee called on the department to ensure that a strong board is appointed with the skills to ensure that the agency operates on solid ground. It is also important that the department keeps it promise that TCTA and DWS employees will be transferred with the same conditions of service,” said Basson.

He said the committee reiterates that employees remain a critical pillar of the NWRIA’s work and retaining skills is critical to its success. Basson said for its part, the committee has committed to finalising the NWRIA Amendment Bill, a technical Bill that was tabled in Parliament on 24 April 2025.

“The committee will enhance processes to finalise the Bill to ensure that the agency is established as per the timeline.

“Meanwhile, the committee has called for periodic updates on the establishment process,” he said.

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Banyana Banyana player, Regina Mogolola calls for team effort ahead of WAFCON

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Picture: Banyana Banyana player, Regina Mogolola

By OBAKENG MAJE

2 July 2025- Banyana Banyana midfielder Regina Mogolola believes that only teamwork will help the South African senior women’s national team in their effort to defend the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title they won back in 2022. Mogolola was speaking after an energy-sapping training session in Casablanca, Morocco, where the Sasol-sponsored African Champions are continuing with their preparations ahead of the tournament that kicks off on Saturday.

“We are feeling good, and we are prepared. We know what it will take to defend our title, and we will have to work as a team – play for one another, support each other, fight for one another. So, teamwork will win the day, unlike in tennis where you are on your own,” said Mogolola.

The WAFCON will take place between 5-26 July 2025 and coach Dr Desiree Ellis’ charges will be based in Oujda.

Mogolola makes a return to the national team setup after an absence of seven years and she is looking forward to the tournament – she won silver in 2018 in Ghana with Banyana Banyana in the same competition.

“It’s nice to come and learn again. I am excited, and I am looking forward to representing the country. I also appreciate the opportunity that I got the call up again, but it’s all about working hard and not giving up when faced with challenges,” she said.

The African Champions will depart Casablanca on Friday and travel to their base camp in Oujda. First up will be a clash against Ghana in the tournament on Monday. They will then tackle Tanzania and Mali on 11 July and 14 July 2025, respectively.

All the Group C matches will be played at the Honneur Stadium in Oudja.

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‘Food safety remains our top priority’

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Picture: A farmer harvesting spinach/Supplied

By AGISANANG SCUFF

1 July 2025- The National Consumer Commission has issued 45 Compliance Notices to 45 non-compliant suppliers of goods across South Africa after uncovering numerous contraventions of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA), Act 68 of 2008. This follows a series of nationwide compliance and monitoring inspections to ascertain compliance with the provisions of the CPA.

The National Consumer Commission (NCC) spokesperson, Phetho Ntaba said during these inspections, the NCC discovered that some suppliers were selling expired and spoiled food items, including dairy products, meat products, maize meal, eggs, snacks, biscuits, and noodles. Ntaba said in some cases, items had no expiry or best-before dates (date markings). 

“This violates Section 55(2) of the CPA, which guarantees consumers the right to safe, usable and good quality goods. Date markings assist consumers in determining the shelf life and safety of the products before making any purchase.

“Some suppliers continue to sell products like wors, chicken pieces, and other foodstuffs without the proper labelling. This contravenes Section 24 of the CPA. Failure to label goods in accordance with the CPA is a contravention of section 24, read with regulation 6 of the CPA,” she said.

Ntaba further said the CPA provides that a trade description must be applied to the goods or any covering or be attached to the goods, and the labels must not contain misleading information. She added that the NCC discovered that suppliers, especially in rural and peri–urban areas, displayed goods like noodles, sugar, soup and canned foods without any visible pricing.

“This violates Section 23(3), which requires all goods for sale to have prices on them or adjacent to them to ensure transparency of the pricing and consumer choice. Another observation was a widespread disregard of section 26(2-3) wherein suppliers failed to issue complete sale records or receipts to consumers as per the CPA.

“Suppliers of goods and services must issue sales records for every transaction made by consumers. The sales record must include the supplier’s name and address, product description, quantity, price and total amount paid by the consumer, including VAT,” said Ntaba.

She said affected suppliers have been instructed to remedy non-compliance by removing and destroying non-compliant goods from their shelves, properly labelling all products in accordance with the CPA and its regulations, including food and household goods and where applicable, to ensure that prices are displayed on or near all products available for sale and to issue accurate sales records and receipts with all mandatory transaction information. 

Ntaba said investigations against other suppliers are at an advanced stage. She said should any businesses fail to adhere to the terms of the Compliance Notices, the NCC may refer them to the National Consumer Tribunal (Tribunal).

Meanwhile, the NCC’s acting Commissioner, Hardin Ratshisusu said: “The Tribunal may impose an administrative fine of up to R1 million or 10% of the supplier’s annual turnover. Pursuant to issuing these compliance notices.

“Food safety remains our top priority. This enforcement is part of targeted action to stem the sale of unsafe products to unsuspecting consumers. The NCC will continue collaboration with other regulators to ensure compliance with the CPA and related legislation.”

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Committee applauds DCS for baking its own bread  

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By BAKANG MOKOTO

1 July 2025 – The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services said it has noted with concern the steep increase in the price of the bread procured by the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) – the price increased from R13.36 in 2024/25 to R22.95 per loaf in 2025/26. The committee said it received a briefing from the DCS on the use of consultants and an update on the establishment of bakeries in correctional centres, including the cost breakdown on bread supplied by external suppliers versus internal sources.

The Chairperson of the Committee, Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng said the members of the committee expressed their dissatisfaction, indicating that the DCS is now paying more per loaf for the bulk supply of bread than a normal South African pays in a retail store.

“It cannot be that we are paying so much. We note and welcome the input by the Minister that the procedure of appointment of contractors is being re-worked, as the price is excessive.

“Nonetheless, the committee commended the DCS’s efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in baking its own bread, which has led to savings of over R27.4m for the 2024/25 financial year. Although the committee is pleased with this effort, much more needs to be done to ensure that all correctional facilities have their own bakeries,” she said.

Ramolobeng further said the committee heard that currently the DCS has 11 bakeries nationally that are managed by correctional officials. She added that these bakeries contribute towards the implementation of self-sufficiency and sustainability.

“They also provide work opportunities to offenders and contribute to offender skills development and cost savings. The first departmental bakery was opened in 1992 at Kgosi Mampuru II facility. Since then, additional bakeries have been established across six regions.

“The Standerton and Pietermaritzburg bakeries were opened during the 2024/25 financial year, and the Durban bakery was commissioned on 23 June 2025 for test baking. When it becomes operational, 12 correctional centres will have bakeries,” said Ramolobeng.

She said the committee heard that in the 2024/25 financial year, 5.27 million loaves of bread were required/ordered from departmental bakeries and just over five million were baked – a shortfall of 270 870. Ramolobeng said these loaves of bread had to be procured from outside suppliers, costing the DCS almost double what it would have, if the bread was baked in a correctional facility.

“In the past financial year, it cost DCS R7.91 to bake a loaf of bread compared to R13.36 it paid to buy it from an outside supplier. Regarding the use of consultants, the committee heard that the DCS has a historical challenge in governance matters and non-compliance with prescripts in highly regulated areas.

“This has contributed to the perception of poor performance in certain areas of the DCS. To resolve these challenges, the DCS undertook an assessment, identifying skills gaps and using outside expertise in efforts to improve performance,” she said.

Ramolobeng said in the 2024/25 financial year, the DCS spent R119 273 000 on consultants. She said the committee raised concerns about this, enquiring whether skills were transferred to stop this reliance on consultants.

“The committee was assured that the transfer of skills forms part of the DCS’s contracts with consultants,” she said.

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