News

Three people have died after a bus they were travelling in overturned on the N1 south, between Edenburg and Bloemfontein, in the early hours of Monday.

Following the accident, 71 passengers were transported to hospitals in the area for treatment.

Emergency services responded quickly to assist those affected.

Sipho Towa, Chairperson of the Road Accident Management Systems, confirmed the casualties and the response, saying, “The accident, unfortunately, claimed three lives.”

''We offer our condolences to the families affected.''

The Road Traffic Management Corporation has also urged festive season travellers to reduce high speeds and respect all road regulations, following a series of deadly head-on collisions in KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State.

“An unacceptably high number of head-on collisions involving speed and reckless driving have been recorded since the start of the festive season,” the RTMC said.

Eleven people have died in the latest crashes, which occurred in KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State.

The KwaZulu-Natal crash occurred in KwaMbonambi on Friday, December 19.

It is alleged that “a driver of a light delivery vehicle was overtaking and went onto the path of an oncoming vehicle.”

The driver of the oncoming vehicle tried to avoid the LDV but lost control and overturned.

The delivery vehicle then collided head-on with another vehicle, resulting in “five people killed, eight with serious injuries and six with light injuries,'' said the RTM. 

In the Free State, five people died and three were injured when two vehicles collided head-on outside Heilbron on Saturday, December 20. The collision occurred “on a blind rise.” The causes of both crashes are under investigation.

Data collected by the RTMC shows that “head-on collisions are responsible for twelve percent of crashes on South African roads this festive season.”

Speeding is the leading traffic law violation, with close to 50,000 traffic fines issued for speeding and 255 drivers arrested for driving at high speeds and exceeding the speed limit by 40 kilometres an hour.

Motorists are called upon to “desist from overtaking over solid lanes, on blind rises and when the view ahead is not clear,” the RTMC said. 

*This article was first published by IOL News

Gauteng police have charged two people with the murder of DJ Warras. 

The duo is set to appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, December 24, 2025.

The suspects were taken in for questioning on Monday morning. 

DJ Warras was fatally shot on Tuesday, December 16, in front of the Zambezi Building in Johannesburg Central.

Gauteng police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said the two people of interest were picked up from a hostel in Soweto at around 2 am on Monday morning. 

The arrests follow a public commitment last Friday by National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola, who, during an oversight visit to Pretoria, said that a “known suspect” had been identified and predicted a breakthrough by the end of the weekend.

Police previously said three unknown suspects approached the victim after he parked his vehicle and opened fire before fleeing on foot. 

The motive for the shooting remains unknown.

Stock, a director at Imperium Security, had been working to secure the Zambezi Building and had recently obtained five protection orders due to threats linked to his work. 

CCTV footage from the scene, showing a suspect with dreadlocks, remains a key piece of evidence.

Meanwhile, the Gauteng provincial government has welcomed the arrest of two suspects who were taken in for questioning in relation to the case of the media personality.

*This article was first published by IOL News

Many South African teachers are feeling severely burned out as a result of their workloads, a national study has found.

The Teacher Preferences and Job Satisfaction in South Africa report, released by Stellenbosch University, reveals that 50% of teachers want to leave the profession in the next 10 years.

The primary reasons for their stress are an excessive workload as well as administrative burdens, with the latter being the primary source of stress for 70% of respondents.

Many feel burdened by excessive paperwork, which they largely perceive as being redundant and irrelevant to their actual teaching needs.

The survey also found that teachers in better-resourced schools were more stressed than those in low-fee and no-fee schools. This is largely due to the increased pressure from parents and school management, at affluent schools, who put them under pressure to deliver top results.

When it comes to preferred locations, the study highlighted a lack of willingness to work outside of the major urban centres, with 40% stating that nothing would convince them to take a job in a rural area.

This, interviews showed, was due to poor infrastructure, a lack of resources and limited career development opportunities.

The Western Cape and Gauteng were named as the most desirable locations for teachers, while predominantly rural provinces such as Limpopo and the Eastern Cape were lowest on the list, indicating their higher likelihood of Urgent need for mental health support

The study highlights the need for greater mental health support for teachers, many of whom feel emotionally drained, particularly because their roles often extend to counseling, caregiving and social work.

Furthermore, teachers at less affluent schools said they felt overwhelmed by the emotional and social challenges faced by their learners, such as poverty, neglect and violence.

Lacking access to school psychologists, these teachers are left to manage these mental health issues alone.

“While we don’t expect pre-retirement attrition rates to reach 50%, these findings highlight an urgent need to address teacher burnout and mental health,” said Dr Heleen Hofmeyr, who is one of the report’s authors.

“Through follow-up interviews, we found that high stress levels, excessive administrative tasks, and inadequate support systems are driving factors for teachers wanting to leave the profession.”

The authors of the study made the following five recommendations:

Expand mental health support for teachers and learners.

Reduce the administrative burden on teachers.

Introduce incentives to attract teachers to rural areas.

Equip teachers with remedial teaching strategies.

Enhance classroom management training.

The Teacher Preferences and Job Satisfaction report was led by Stellenbosch University, and supported by Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropies, the FEM Education Foundation as well as national and provincial education departments.

Its findings are based on a nationwide survey of more than 1,500 teachers, as well as follow-up telephonic interviews with 80 of these respondents.

*This article was first published by IOL News

By Lerato Mutlanyane

Joy rippled through Botshabelo on Friday, 19 December 2025, as MEC for Public Works and Infrastructure Dibolelo Mance delivered 100 grocery food parcels to some of the township’s most vulnerable residents.

Smiles and excitement lit up the faces of beneficiaries as the MEC set aside her demanding schedule to lead a hands-on festive outreach, turning compassion into action.

As part of the government’s commitment to giving back, three centres were selected during the 2024/25 financial year to benefit from the initiative: Tokoloho Disabled Care Centre in Ward 36, Tiisetso Mental Health Centre in Ward K, and Mohau Old Age Centre in Ward 34. The programme targets people living with disabilities, mental health patients, and the elderly.

Mance said the initiative is deeply personal to her, as a parent of two autistic children.

“Supporting people living with disabilities requires courage and love,” she said, praising Tokoloho Centre manager Mary Mbewu for her dedication.

The MEC confirmed the programme will rotate annually. “Last year we were in Bloemfontein, this year Botshabelo, and next year Thaba Nchu. We want to reach every centre,” she said.

She stressed that the festive season is a particularly difficult period for many families. “This is when support matters most. These food parcels allow families to celebrate Christmas with dignity.”

The centres, which face ongoing financial strain, welcomed the intervention, implemented in partnership with the Department of Social Development.

Ward 37 councillor Mmota Simon Ramolelle said the Tokoloho Centre plays a critical role, serving residents in the U, V, W, S and R sections of Wards 36 and 37.

Beyond festive cheer, Mance used the event to raise alarm over gender-based violence and femicide in Mangaung.

“Christmas should be a time of joy, yet we continue to see women killed and children violated. We must remain vigilant and act together to stop this,” she said.

Mance concluded by wishing communities a safe, joyful Christmas and a prosperous 2026.

Lerato Mutlanyane

The National Treasury has withheld equitable share allocations to 15 financially distressed municipalities in the North West, citing persistent failures to comply with financial management and accountability requirements.

The move follows the invocation of Section 216 of the Constitution, which empowers Treasury to stop transfers to any organ of state that commits serious or ongoing breaches of prescribed financial controls.

Equitable share is an unconditional grant drawn from national taxes and allocated to municipalities to fund basic services such as water, sanitation and refuse removal.

According to a South African Local Government Association (SALGA) circular dated 9 December and issued to provincial executive committee members, the affected municipalities were flagged for multiple failures.

These include the non-submission of funded budgets, failure to address irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure, outstanding payments, and non-compliance with payment arrangements involving entities such as the South African Revenue Service (SARS), pension funds and water boards.

The municipalities listed are Kgetlengrivier, Lekwa-Teemane, Mamusa, Maquassi Hills, Naledi, Madibeng, JB Marks, Matlosana, Tswaing, Modiri Molema District, Rustenburg, Mahikeng, Moses Kotane, Moretele and Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District.

SALGA warned that the withholding of funds—used to pay salaries, maintain basic services and support indigent households - could push already struggling municipalities into deeper financial and operational crises.

The circular notes that equitable share payments will only be reinstated once municipalities demonstrate significant progress in meeting Treasury requirements, stabilising finances and ensuring uninterrupted service delivery, to avert what it describes as the risk of a national municipal crisis.

By Matshidio Selebeleng

A suspected drug dealer was arrested after initially evading police when an unruly crowd disrupted an intelligence-driven operation in the Hillcrest and De Vries streets area in Ashbury, within the Heidedal policing precinct.

Police said officers were forced to temporarily withdraw after community members threw stones and set dogs on police during the operation. The suspect managed to flee the scene amid the chaos but was later traced and arrested.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Thabo Covane said members from the Bloemfontein Public Order Police Unit’s Information Team had planned the operation after receiving intelligence. The suspect was observed on the corner of Hillcrest and De Vries streets, where officers attempted to arrest him over the weekend.

“During the operation, a potential buyer approached the house and called out from the gate: ‘Gee tien daar, Rieckie.’ Police reacted to the signal, disrupted the transaction and identified themselves to the suspect. The suspect became violent and assaulted one of the constables with an open hand,” said Covane.

He added that police searched the suspect and found 152 Mandrax tablets in his possession.

Covane said community members living around the house then gathered, throwing stones and setting dogs on police officers.

“The members were outnumbered and the principle of situational appropriateness was applied. The suspect, known to police as ‘Rickie’, was freed from arrest by the unruly community members,” he said.

A case docket of assault on a police officer and possession of drugs was opened at Heidedal Police Station. Covane confirmed that the suspect was later traced and arrested and will face the full might of the law.

The Mandrax tablets, weighing 248 grams and estimated to have a street value of R4 600, were confiscated and booked into the Evidence Management System at the police station.