The Gauteng Department of Education has promised to enlist the help of law enforcement agencies to help prevent Operation Dudula from disrupting the province's academic programme in the new academic year.
This comes as Operation Dudula visited some Soweto schools, with allegations that they prioritise undocumented illegal foreigners in their system.
Yesterday, the movement and its leader, Zandile Dabula, who have been criticised for their nationwide campaign aimed at preventing illegal foreigners from accessing health care, delivered warning letters to 11 Soweto schools ahead of the next academic year.
The movement said it was calling on public schools in townships to prioritise South African learners over foreign nationals, with the movement adding that this initiative is part of a broader campaign ahead of next year’s local government elections.
"We have been to four schools now, and we have a target of 11 schools. We are glad that some of the schools do admit the wrongs that are happening in their schools. Another issue that we do have is undocumented South Africans. They are not getting help from Home Affairs when they are given three months' probation to become documented," Dabula said.
The campaign began with a visit to the Lofentse High School for Girls in Orlando East, Soweto, and Noordgesig Primary School, among others, where "warning letters", stating that no South African child would be deprived of education in favour of foreign nationals, were delivered.
The campaign comes just two days after the EFF in Gauteng opened a criminal case against the movement, accusing the militant group of inciting violence and unlawfully targeting foreign nationals at public healthcare facilities in South Africa.
This was confirmed on Sunday by the Gauteng police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo, who revealed that investigations are underway.
According to the EFF, the case relates to the death of a one-year-old baby whose mother was allegedly denied access to healthcare at a public health facility.
This campaign has also been slammed by Gauteng provincial MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, who said: "Health services are for everybody. It doesn’t matter whether that mother is having a child who is Malawian, but that child is a child that doesn’t deserve to die.”
Reacting to the latest school campaign, provincial spokesperson for the Gauteng Department of Education, Steve Mabona, said the province has a duty to provide education to all children, including those deemed undocumented and illegal, as there are also South Africans who may be undocumented.
"All children of school-going age must be in school. Now it is even worse because there is Grade R, and the law dictates that they must be taught. We argue that it is not only foreigners who are undocumented. We do have South Africans who are undocumented. We also work closely with the Department of Home Affairs, and we guide parents on how to get their children documented," he said.
On the upcoming campaign set to start in the new year at schools across the country, Mabona said the department will not allow for schooling to be disrupted by those seeking to prevent undocumented children from accessing education.
"It is not unreasonable for anyone who is here in the country illegally to be deported, but that is the work of Home Affairs...Unfortunately, as a department, we cannot enter into their plan. But as a department, we have a responsibility to work very closely with the law enforcement agencies to make sure that there is law and order in our schools.
"Anything that you do, as long as it is within the confines of the law, should not be a problem. But if you go into our schools and do anything unlawful, then the law enforcement agencies must assist us," Mabona said.
*This article was first published by IOL News
Six suspects — including five Mexican nationals and a South African — have appeared before the Volksrust Magistrate’s Court following the dramatic discovery of a multimillion-rand clandestine drug laboratory on a farm in Mpumalanga.
The suspects, identified as Isabel Antonio Quintero Corrales (36), Hector Manuel Valenzuela Ontiveros (36), Luis Alberto Osorio Viscarra (31), Jose Omar Molina Jimenez (36), Nicanor Molina Jimenez (48), and Bafana Samson Magubane (61), were arrested during a police raid at Ousehoutklood farm outside Volksrust.
Police swooped in after a whistle-blower reported a foul chemical smell in the area. On arrival, officers discovered a fully operational drug laboratory containing chemicals, crystal meth, and sophisticated manufacturing equipment.
Magubane was also found in possession of three 9mm live rounds but was unable to produce a firearm licence. He now faces an additional charge under the Firearms Control Act.
According to authorities, the five Mexican nationals were carrying travel documents which are now under scrutiny. The Department of Home Affairs will be roped in to verify their legality.
The case has been postponed to Friday, 26 September 2025, to allow for the services of a Spanish interpreter.
Possible cartel links under probe
The Hawks’ Secunda-based Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit has taken over the probe, with detectives now investigating potential international cartel links.
The bust comes just months after a similar clandestine laboratory was uncovered in Standerton, less than 100km away, where equipment, chemicals, and drugs worth more than R50 million were seized.
Hawks provincial head in Mpumalanga, Major General Nico Gerber, hailed the community’s role in helping to crack the case. “Together, we can do more in squeezing the space for drug syndicates. The Hawks have taken over investigation and will investigate the links and involvement of the Mexican nationals arrested,” he said.
*This article was first published by IOL News
Masemola testified at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry in Pretoria on Monday, which is investigating allegations of police corruption.
National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola has revealed that he informed President Cyril Ramaphosa about Police Minister Senzo Mchunu's attempt to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT)
Masemola testified at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry in Pretoria on Monday, which is investigating allegations of police corruption.
A significant part of his testimony centered on efforts to dissolve the task team.
KZN police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has alleged that Mchunu may have sought the disbandment to shield criminal syndicates.
Masemola said that, although he opposed Mchunu's bid to disband the PKTT, he eventually conceded to the instruction because of mounting pressure.
He said once it became evident that Mchunu was determined to dissolve the unit, he escalated the matter to the president as a last resort.
"The only avenue I know is the president. In this case, General Mkhwanazi did report this to the portfolio committee of police, with no assistance, and I can't go to court and take the minister to court."
At the heart of the issue was the interpretation of Section 207(2) of the Constitution, which states that the national police commissioner must exercise control over SAPS in line with the directions of the police minister.
Masemola admits that Mchunu's instruction to disband the political killings task team was not supported by the constitution.
Despite this, he still conceded to the minister's order.
*This article was first published by Eye Witness News
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By: Lerato Mutlanyane
Police have recovered another body at the Bloemspruit Waste Water Treatment Works earlier today, raising concerns after the first discovery at the facility in July 2025 and prompting investigations into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
According to reports, at about 09:00 a municipal worker spotted a naked male body floating at the Heidedal waste plant. Police were alerted immediately, and SAPS divers retrieved the decomposed body.
Police spokesperson Constable Maselela Langa said the cause of the incident remains unclear.
“We are requesting members of the public to come forward to assist in identifying the deceased, as his whereabouts are still unknown,” Langa said.
Workers at the plant suggested the body may have been dumped into a drain elsewhere before being carried through pipelines to the sewage dam.
Mangaung Metro Municipality spokesperson Qondile Khedama confirmed that similar incidents were reported in July 2025, as well as in 2023 and 2024.
“Relevant authorities have been contacted, and the matter is being dealt with accordingly. We are calling on the community to assist the municipality in safeguarding public infrastructure so that we can all receive the expected services,” said Khedama.
This upcoming hearing stems from a long battle to reform South Africa’s approach to sexual offences, particularly how consent is treated in court.
An anti-gender-based violence (GBV) organisation, the Embrace Project, is calling for justice for victims of sexual abuse as it prepares for another landmark hearing at the Constitutional Court to change parts of the Sexual Offences Act.
This upcoming hearing stems from a long battle to reform South Africa’s approach to sexual offences, particularly how consent is treated in court.
The Pretoria High Court previously ruled that some parts of the act that view consent as subjective are unconstitutional.
The NGO and a rape survivor took the Minister of Justice to court in 2021, arguing that the Sexual Offences Act allows perpetrators of sexual violence to argue that they believe there was consent, even if there wasn't.
Director at Embrace Project Lee-Anne Germanos said there have been many cases where justice has been denied, including instances where the courts favour the perpetrator of rape who said the victim’s silence could be seen as consent.
"She couldn’t find the perpetrator guilty of rape because the State couldn’t prove without reasonable doubt that he had intended to rape her, in other words, because she failed to express outward resistance either verbal or show it, the court had to believe the perpetrator’s version."
In 2024, the organisation scored a victory in the Pretoria High Court that ruled that some parts of the act were unconstitutional.
This week, the Constitutional Court must confirm or reject the ruling for it to take full effect.
*This article was first published by Eye Witness News
