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This comes after a forensic investigation by the provincial forensic audit unit uncovered financial irregularities in the department.

The head of the Gauteng Community Safety Department, Nontsikelelo Sisulu and the chief financial officer COO), Mduduzi Malope have been suspended with immediate effect.

This comes after a forensic investigation by the provincial forensic audit unit uncovered financial irregularities in the department.

Over the weekend, the provincial government released a second batch of forensic investigation reports with some dealing with allegations of corruption between officials and service providers.

The 39 reports cover a number of departments within the provincial government, from the Gauteng Gambling Board to tourism and health.

Premier Panyaza Lesufi said the suspensions are a precautionary measure to ensure fair and unbiased investigations.

“The provincial government is committed to restoring public trust by  upholding the highest standards of integrity. We maintain a zero-tolerance stance against corruption and misconduct. Through proactive and corrective measures, we will strengthen governance, ensure the ethical and responsible use of public funds, and safeguard the interests of Gauteng residents,” said Lesufi.

*This article was first published by Eye Witness News

The US department of homeland security has indicated that the group deported to Eswatini have been convicted of serious crimes, including child rape and murder.

Government says it’s concerned about the impact deported criminals from the United States to neighbouring Eswatini could have on the country’s security. 

While the nature of Eswatini’s agreement with the US is unclear, its government has confirmed that at least five inmates are being held in its prisons, and the expectation is that more could follow. 

The move has drawn widespread criticism that the US is using African countries as a dumping ground for foreign nationals it regards as undesirable.

As US President Donald Trump comes down hard on African nations through new trade tariffs, it’s believed that Eswatini has agreed to take the prisoners as a way to get into Trump’s good graces.

Trump has been on a mission to deport foreign nationals from US prisons since the start of the year, but in the case of those accepted by Eswatini, it’s believed their home countries of Jamaica, Laos, Cuba, Yemen and Vietnam did not want to accept them.

The US department of homeland security has indicated that the group deported to Eswatini have been convicted of serious crimes, including child rape and murder.

International relations spokesperson, Chrispin Phiri, said the decision could also impact South Africa.

"Whilst respecting the sovereign decision of the government of Eswatini, the government of the Republic of South Africa is deeply concerned about the profile of these individuals and the potential adverse impact on South Africa’s national security and immigration policy, given the geographical proximity of the two sisterly countries."

Eswatini government spokesperson, Thabile Mdluli, said the plan was to colloborate with the International Organisation for Migration to facilitate the inmates' return to their native countries.

*This article was first published by Eye Witness News

Fraud-accused Maluti-A-Phofung Local Municipality member of the mayoral committee for Social Development Pastor Mary Crockett is expected to apply for bail at the Phuthaditjhaba Magistrate’s Court.

A senior ANC ward councillor in the troubled Free State-based Maluti-A-Phofung Local Municipality is expected to appear before the Phuthaditjhaba Magistrate’s Court to face fraud charges.

Member of the mayoral committee (MMC) for Social Development, Pastor Mary Crockett, is scheduled to apply for bail on Wednesday after being arrested over the weekend for fraud, following accusations that she has been selling government houses and vacant sites in the area.

On Monday, Crockett made a brief appearance, but the case of fraud against the Ward 28 councillor was remanded to Wednesday, August 6, and she remains behind bars.

Free State police spokesperson Warrant Officer Mmako Mophiring confirmed that Crockett has been charged with fraud.

DA councillor Ana Motaung said the party believed it would be better that she be replaced as MMC pending the outcome of the case against her.

“Only the MEC (Free State Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Saki Mokoena) can remove her as a councillor, which he won’t do until there is a court finding.

“But the mayor (of Maluti-A-Phofung, Malekula Melato) has the power to replace her as MMC,” she explained.

Motaung added that the mayor appointed her, and she can remove her.

“The DA will commit to monitoring the court proceedings until the matter is fully resolved.”

Maluti-A-Phofung spokesperson Thabo Khessah said it is still early days for Melato to make a determination on whether or not to sack Crockett.

“MMC Crockett still has to appear in court and follow due court processes. We need to emphasise that she hasn’t been found guilty of any crime. Like any other person, she’s presumed innocent until proven otherwise,” he stated.

ANC Thabo Mofutsanyana regional secretary Jeff Mohapi said: “The ANC awaits a report regarding the matter of which upon a receipt of such a report, it will act accordingly.”

Crockett, known internationally as HIV/Aids pastor, has featured in a number of international publications and television news channels and for a number of years has run the Pheko Ka Kopanelo Development Centre to assist orphaned children.

*This article was first published by IOL News

A man who was dismissed for refusing to work an extra hour lost an appeal at the Labour Court in Johannesburg.

Lymon Sibusio Vilakazi, who began his journey with Avragystix as a sales agent in June 2022, initially entered into a one-month training contract before signing a permanent contract with a three-month probation period in July.

His entanglement with company policies began in August when he declined a request to extend his workday by just one hour, despite the provision that he could leave an hour earlier the following day.

Shortly after, Vilakazi faced accusations of gross negligence after using an incorrect dispositioning of hot leads which resulted in an escalation from the client.

Following the incident, he was served with a notice of suspension and a notice to attend a disciplinary inquiry where he faced dual allegations of gross insubordination and negligence

Dissatisfied with the outcome, Vilakazi sent an email to the company's Human Resources Manager, Neo Makhene, raising concerns about premeditation, bias, and presumptuousness regarding his suspension.

He requested Makhene to respond to certain questions which he had posed to her in his email. The next day, he sent another email advising that her failure to respond was hindering his ability to prepare.

Makhene replied his email responding to the questions and advised that details of the charges would be provided in the hearing. She also indicated that he could be given access to his work ‘machine’, should he need access for purposes of preparation.

Unhappy with the reply, he referred an unfair labour practice dispute to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) claiming that he had been unfairly suspended and wanted an upliftment on his suspension.

The CCMA notified the parties that the matter had been set down for September 2022. Meanwhile, Vilakazi's employer held disciplinary inquiry as scheduled and he failed to attend.

When contacted to enquire about his non-attendance, Vilakazi informed both the chairperson and Makhene that he would not be attending the inquiry. His reason was that the CCMA proceedings needed to be concluded before the disciplinary inquiry could move forward.

As a result, the hearing proceeded in his absence and the outcome of the inquiry was delivered a couple of days later and he was found guilty of both charges and was subsequently dismissed. He was informed about the outcome on September 1, 2022.

The CCMA then moved the dispute for arbitration to October 2022 after conciliation had failed.

After the first day of arbitration, Vilakazi applied for the recusal of the commissioner appointed to arbitrate the matter. He alleged that the commissioner was biased and listed a number of reasons in support of his contention of bias.

The commissioner considered the application and found that no sound basis had been laid to show apprehension of bias, nonetheless, he recused himself.

The arbitration started afresh before a new commissioner, Khulekani Xamesi and it was concluded in December 2022.

During closing arguments, Vilakazi lodged yet another recusal application alleging that Xamesi “arrogantly” allowed a company witness to stay in in the room while he was testifying.

Vilakazi was of the view that allowing the witness to be in the room was “messing with the whole process” and accused Xamesi of acting on behalf of the company.

He further accused Xamesi of being aggressive towards him; he treated him like a commoner ranking below him; and he had lost all respect for Xamesi and could not rely on his judgement.

Despite arguments raised by Vilakazi, Xamesi didn't recuse himself and ruled against him.

Vilakazi took Xamesi's decision on review at the Labour Court in Johannesburg where the matter was heard by acting judge L Erasmus who noted that the first commissioner had to recuse himself because Vilakazi was unhappy with him. The second commissioner was also subjected to a recusal application from Vilakazi.

Judge Erasmus said it was clear Vilakazi was not going to accept any commissioner that made any findings against him and that all commissioners that ruled against him ran the very real risk of facing recusal applications.

Furthermore, he said Vilakazi received a simultaneous notification of the inquiry and suspension, with the inquiry scheduled for 10 calendar days later. However, he chose not to participate in the inquiry, which proceeded as planned, and a dismissal outcome was issued two days later.

As a result, the suspension's duration was not excessive and therefore cannot be the basis for a claim of unfair suspension.

''The commissioner’s award is reasonable in relation to the evidence that served before him and the reasons given," said judge Erasmus.

*This article was first published by IOL News

By: Mpho Sekharume

Danny Jordaan’s iron grip at the helm of the South African Football Association (SAFA) has consistently brought the organisation, as well as his leadership under intense scrutiny for just over a decade now.

From theft and rape charges to financial mismanagement and reported repressive leadership, the 73-year-old SAFA president’s tainted image continues to plunder SAFA deep into a dark abyss that might see his successors inherit an irreversible calamity - should he step down.

While several internal attempts to remove him have fallen through, SAFA has continued to bear the brunt of his leadership - considering the constant eruption of spontaneous controversies that continue to blemish his reign at the summit of South Africa’s football.

This was sufficiently reflected in the outcomes of parliament's sports portfolio committee where a SAFA delegation, including Jordaan and SAFA Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Gronie Hluyo, where grilled about the organisation’s state of governance, particularly its current financial standing.

When asked whether SAFA was in a strong financial position, Hluyo retorted with a concession that the organisation was indeed in dire straits.

“No, SAFA is not in a strong financial position,” said a very timid Hluyo in response to a burning question by parliamentary committee member, Liam Jacobs.

While ineffectively attempting to give assurance that the situation was being remedied, Jacobs followed up with another frank question where he sought to find out who was responsible for the decline of SAFA as an organisation.

“It is the whole organisation,” Hluyo responded, “It is the executive management, it is the NEC, it is the whole organisation.”

Hluyo’s admission and implication painted a grim picture of an organisation that is aware of its financial shortcomings but still fails to manage its reserves efficiently.

With evidence tabled in front of him, Jacobs further put it firmly to SAFA that the organisation had, in fact doubled its financial deficit due to prevalent financial unaccountability.

“Your current liabilities severely outweigh your current assets.

“This means your ability to meet your financial expectations is severely hampered by the fact that your financial expectations are more than your ability to account for them,” said Jacobs.

Before his ascension to the presidency of SAFA, Jordaan served as CEO of the football authority for just over a decade and was duly recognised for significantly increasing the organisation's revenue during this tenure. It makes it more perplexing that SAFA now finds itself mismanaging funds under his presidency.

In January this year, Jordaan, Hluyo and former journalist turned businessman, Trevor Neethling, were arrested on charges of fraud, theft and conspiracy to commit fraud and theft. Neethling owns Grit Communications, which was allegedly appointed by Jordaan personally to provide public relations services without following the due SAFA process, according to the charges levelled by the State.

The three were granted R20 000 bail each, and the trial has been postponed to 15 August 2025 to allow for the “ventilation of all outstanding matters, which includes a review application filed by the trio’s defence after the magistrate dismissed their application to have the case struck off the roll. The theft charges have also since been withdrawn.

SAFA’s financial difficulties were further cast into the spotlight once again recently by Banyana Banyana’s training boycott saga, leading up to their opening fixture of the Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) tournament, which took place in Morocco last month.

The women’s national team staged a stay-in protest decrying the non-payment of salaries and outstanding bonuses for their national team camps in April and June this year.

Although the boycott was somewhat resolved, with SAFA committing to make the due payments and Banyana Banyana ultimately playing to a fourth-place finish in the tournament, this incessant issue was once again brought to life by stalwart Jermaine Seoposenwe in a radio interview with Robert Marawa on Marawa Sports Worldwide.

The talented striker, who had initially announced her retirement from national football after WAFCON on her social media platforms on 16 June 2025, candidly told Marawa that the “ill treatment” they were getting from SAFA was one of the main reasons she threw in the towel.

“I haven’t been happy in the national team for a long time but obviously continuing to push through those emotions and those feelings has been tough,” Seoposenwe revealed.

She continued: “It’s definitely the association and treatment of us in many instances. I think I tried to wrap my head around it but it's difficult as a player, especially being overseas and in an environment where our directors and the club try to make everything as equal as possible.”

Financial disputes and poor communication channels have become an inherent part of governance at SAFA. A similar incident happened back in July 2023 when Banyana boycotted their send-off match against Botswana ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup which was co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

The stayaway forced SAFA to put together a makeshift team to honour the scheduled Botswana fixture.

“Every time we go to a major tournament, we have to fight about money and basically everything. Why do we have to fight? Why can’t you plan out for the year? FIFA gives you a calendar of what we are going to do…why can’t you budget for those FIFA dates? Why is it so impossible for you to do well by us?” Seoposenwe queried.

From being a visionary leader who once turned SAFA into a profitable football entity to now being accused of all sorts of crimes that have brought nothing but disgrace to the organisation, it is quite clear that Jordaan's leadership is catastrophic.

Jordaan’s list of controversies since becoming SAFA president in 2013:

2015: 

•         The 2008 FIFA corruption case comes back to haunt Jordaan. While he was head of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee, South Africa allegedly made a $10 million payment to a football body led by Jack Warner, which was later investigated as a possible bribe for the 2010 FIFA World Cup bid. Jordaan has admitted to the payment but denied it was a bribe.
• He is also criticized for holding dual roles as SAFA president and mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay.

2017:

• Former ANC MP and singer Jennifer Ferguson publicly accuses Jordaan of raping her in 1993. Jordaan denies the allegations, claiming they are part of a political campaign against him.
• The State alleges that Jordaan hired a public relations firm (Grit Communications) in December to protect his image following the rape allegations.

2020:

•         Damning reports from former SAFA executives Gay Mokoena and Dennis Mumble are made public. They allege that Jordaan had turned SAFA into his “personal fiefdom” and made decisions without consulting the National Executive Committee. One NEC Member opened a criminal case against him,

2024:

•         SAFA's headquarters get raided by the Hawks as part of an investigation into financial misconduct, with Jordaan identified as a main suspect. Jordaan, Hluyo and Neethling, are subsequently arrested. The three get charged with fraud and theft related to the alleged misuse of SAFA funds between 2014 and 2018. The charges of theft are later withdrawn, but the fraud charges remain.

Mayibuye national convenor, Floyd Shivambu, said he predicts a bleak future for the MK Party despite refusing to resign from the party after internal battles during his short stint in its engine room.

Mayibuye national convenor, Floyd Shivambu, said he predicts a bleak future for the MK Party despite refusing to resign from the party after internal battles during his short stint in its engine room.

Shivambu was removed as the MK Party’s secretary-general earlier this year after an unsanctioned trip to visit fugitive Shephard Bushiri’s church in Malawi.

He later began a consultation process to determine if there was an appetite for a new political party.

At the time of the announcement, more than a month ago, Shivambu reiterated that he would not quit the MK Party despite his political ambitions at Mayibuye.

"I will not resign, and I said I will never resign from the MK Party, and I still stick with the decision and communication I made that it was the best decision to join the MK Party."

But speaking in the Western Cape during an open meeting with Mayibuye volunteers at the weekend, Shivambu had strong words about what he still considered his current political home.

"What I know is that in 10 years’ time, uMkhonto weSizwe will not be existing. It does not have the capacity, the fortitude – ideologically, spiritually, organisationally - to outlive its current problems."

*This article was first published by Eye Witness News