By: Abigail Visagie
Mercy Phetla’s prospects are increasingly becoming bleak as her fight-back strategy and support wane
Dark clouds seem to be gathering swiftly around the former City of Matlosana Local Municipality Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Mercy Phetla, who is fighting tooth and nail to ward off several criminal charges she is currently facing. Phetla, who is entangled in two distinct criminal cases comprising alleged corruption, fraud, and money laundering, has her back against the wall as she faces imminent dismissal from her municipal role, while the legal net is also slowly but surely closing in on her. A council sitting that was convened yesterday, 22 January 2026, to deliberate on a scathing disciplinary report that recommended Phetla’s immediate dismissal degenerated into political theatre. The sitting failed to reach a quorum due to ANC council members staging walkouts, while the Democratic Alliance (DA) accused the City’s Executive Mayor and Speaker, Stella Mondlane-Ngwenya, of deliberately withholding the original report from the council’s agenda. Mondlane-Ngwenya stated that the postponement was crucial as the Municipal Manager was not present, and a legal team had to be available to reveal the findings against Phetla. There is some speculation, however, that the walkouts were staged to “shield” Phetla from being held to account for the allegations she is facing. This politically driven tactic came as a shock since the provincial chairperson of the party, Nono Maloyi, previously indicated that the ANC would act against councillors who fail to comply with the law - yet the exact opposite transpired in the council meeting. Maloyi was quoted as warning that adherence to the constitution and legislative framework remains the only legitimate basis for resolving municipal matters. He further stressed that any attempt to bypass or dilute these processes has the potential to weaken local government rather than strengthening it. This stance originally pleased the opposition party, the DA, and for a rare moment, it seemed that the two parties were in accordance. In another instance, the DA has already welcomed a significant decision taken at the Mahikeng High Court in September last year, to dismiss an urgent application brought by Phetla to halt disciplinary action against her. It is believed Phetla attempted to stop the hearings, claiming they were a political method used to weaponise the law and discard her. However, the disciplinary inquiry was finalised late last year, leading to the CFO being charged with gross misconduct, dishonesty, and dereliction of duty. Although Phetla pleaded not guilty to all five charges, she was found guilty on every count. Among the findings, Phetla was held responsible for an unauthorised payment of R2.9 million to a company called Variegated (Pty) Ltd for electrical materials that were ultimately never delivered. She was further pertinently charged with going beyond her delegated authority. While it is established that a municipal manager can only authorise up to R1.5 million, Phetla bypassed these regulations to authorise the R2.9 million payment. The third charge involved wasteful expenditure amounting to R528 000, which caused significant financial turmoil and loss to the Matlosana Municipality. Furthermore, Phetla was found to have received and accepted gratification in the form of a Volkswagen Amarok worth R1.4 million from a municipal service provider, GMHM Construction and Projects. This led to her being found guilty of bringing the municipality into disrepute. Although Phetla claimed she purchased the vehicle herself, she failed dismally to back this unsolicited claim with evidence. To add more fuel to the fire, it was alleged that the CFO’s bail was paid by the son of a director at GMHM. Besides this gift, Phetla has been linked to various other luxurious assets, such as a Porsche, a Range Rover, and a Maserati, allegedly bought with municipal funds. The Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) has already attained preservation orders for these vehicles, yet the embattled CFO continues to deny she owns them. AFU communications officer, Kelebogile Moleko, confirmed that the council has not yet sat to finalise the matter and could not comment further by the time of print.
By Lerato Mutlanyane and Abigail Visagie
The newly elected leadership of the uMkhonto weSizwe Liberation War Veterans (MKLWV) has come out in defence of former president Thabo Mbeki’s controversial remarks about a so-called “counter-revolution”, dismissing criticism of his comments as coming from “expelled individuals or those facing disciplinary processes within the ANC”.
Speaking at the inaugural MKLWV conference in Bloemfontein over the weekend, Mbeki told delegates that counter-revolutionaries had deliberately misrepresented former president Jacob Zuma’s imprisonment and the July 2021 unrest as expressions of public anger. His remarks drew criticism from various quarters, with some accusing him of inflaming divisions in South African society.
“You have a mayhem that happened in 2021. It was said that people were angry with the ANC … because the ANC had allowed the Constitutional Court to sentence Jacob Zuma, and he was going to go to jail … that was a complete lie; it was the counter-revolutionary testing its strength to see if it could destabilise the country,” Mbeki said, adding that the narrative was “a lie, a complete lie”.
According to Mbeki, the unrest was a deliberate intervention by what he termed the “counter-revolution”, aimed at testing its capacity to destabilise and paralyse South Africa.
In response, MK Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela accused Mbeki of portraying MK Party support as illegitimate and externally engineered.
“This reckless language places lives at risk. The MK Party rejects, as politically reckless, socially dangerous and intellectually dishonest, the narrative advanced by former president Thabo Mbeki,” Ndhlela said.
He called on Mbeki to withdraw the statements unconditionally and apologise to the people of KwaZulu-Natal, hostel communities and MK Party supporters.
Defending Mbeki’s remarks in response to an enquiry from this publication, newly elected MKLWV chairperson Dan Hatto said the organisation fully concurred with the former president’s analysis.
“Reflections by President Mbeki have drawn responses from a political formation whose leadership includes individuals expelled or facing disciplinary processes within the ANC for conduct that undermined the organisation. Some among them have been criminally charged and convicted for cash-in-transit-related offences during the democratic period, yet continue to occupy seats in Parliament,” Hatto said.
He added that those who disputed Mbeki’s views had recourse to the courts.
“The MKLWV will not expend further organisational time responding to individuals or formations that rely on provocation rather than political substance. This statement closes our engagement on the matter,” Hatto said.
The Conference was also addressed by senior leadership of the African National Congress, including the Deputy President, Paul Mashatile, the Secretary General, Fikile Mbalula, and the National Chairperson, Gwede Mantashe, among others.
President Cyril Ramaphosa plans to issue an instruction for the Department of Basic Education to find ways to make scholar transport safer.
This is on the back of a tragic accident in Vanderbijlpark earlier this week that claimed the lives of 12 learners.
It’s understood that a minibus scholar transport vehicle was attempting to overtake on a narrow road when it collided with a truck.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Basic Education Lekgotla in Boksburg on Wednesday, Ramaphosa stressed the urgent need to improve scholar transport safety.
The Gauteng government said the driver involved in the fatal scholar transport crash was operating with an expired Professional Driving Permit (PDP).
Dashcam footage shows the minibus driving on the oncoming section of a narrow road before attempting to move aside, but it was struck by a truck.
Ramaphosa said he is deeply pained by the loss of the children’s lives in what appears to be a case of negligent driving.
“I am going to be directing the minister [of basic education] and [the] transport [department] to look at how we can save the lives of our children. Our children are the future, and they are the most prized possession that we have as a nation.”
Meanwhile, the 22-year-old driver of the scholar transport has been arrested and charged with culpable homicide and negligent driving.
*This article was first published by Eye Witness News
Former Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) head Robert McBride said the Crime Intelligence slush fund has always been abused by the unit to control politicians and generals.
He said the multi-million-rand fund is used by Crime Intelligence to do anything from paying off politicians to paying for a particular criminal investigation to disappear.
McBride was providing evidence before the Parliament Ad Hoc Committee investigating police corruption on Wednesday before concluding his testimony.
McBride said the fight over the control of the Crime Intelligence slush fund millions is all about control.
He said at no point was the fund never not abused.
“The scramble is for control of that - you control people, you control other policemen, you control generals, you control politicians with that.”
He said the fund should not be used to buy properties and buildings, but rather to protect sources or to set up what he calls “blind companies”.
McBride was referring to how Crime Intelligence spent R22.7 million from secret funds on a boutique luxury hotel in Pretoria, sparking outrage.
“You also don’t buy buildings because what if your agent gets blown? What are you going to sell the whole building?”
But McBride said that he doesn’t have any evidence linking the current head of Crime Intelligence, Dumisani Khumalo, of abusing secret funds.
*This article was first published by Eye Witness News
EFF leader Julius Malema will return to the East London Magistrate's Court on Friday for a pre-sentencing hearing following his conviction on multiple firearms-related charges.
These include unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, firing a gun in public, and reckless endangerment.
Some of these offences carry a minimum sentence of up to 15 years.
Legal expert Ulrich Roux says the court will weigh aggravating and mitigating factors before deciding on an appropriate sentence.
"The three main factors that the court will consider are the personal circumstances of the accused. Then, secondly, the severity of the offence. And then, thirdly, the message that is sent out to society.
"Is a strong message sent out to deter people from committing similar offences in future, or is the court going to send out a message that it is lenient, that he has shown remorse?
"One can expect Julius Malema to present what we refer to as a pre-sentence report that is submitted by either a social worker in private practice or a person from the Department of Correctional Services to try and convince the court that he should not be sent to a custodial sentence. In other words, he should not serve jail time for these offences that he has committed.
"So, certainly a lot of evidence that will still be led before a sentence is finally handed down in this matter."
The outcome could have major political consequences.
Any MP sentenced to more than 12 months in prison without the option of a fine loses their seat in Parliament.
Roux says Malema’s willingness to show remorse may be key, warning that continued claims of political persecution could count against him at sentencing.
"If he does show remorse, it's going to play a big role. But if he refuses to accept responsibility and he shows no remorse, then he could very well be receiving more than 12 months imprisonment in my view."
*This article was first published by Eye Witness News
The DA's former Federal Finance Chairperson and former Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, has accused Helen Zille of making false allegations against him, that include irregular staff appointments to his ministerial office and inflated salaries at public expense.
George said the party had never brought these charges against him, describing it as a smear campaign after he announce his resignation from the DA.
George announced his resignation last week following the report of the DA’s Federal Legal Commission (FLC), which cleared the party’s leader, John Steenhuisen, of allegations regarding the misappropriation of DA funds via a party-issued credit card.
George had pushed the party to investigate Steenhuisen and he claims that this led to his recall as a Minister and the party issuing charges against him.
In the statement issued shortly after George resigned, the DA’s federal Council Chairperson, Zille, described his resignation as “unfortunate”, adding that he left before the internal disciplinary processes against him could conclude.
Zille said the allegations faced by George included irregular staff appointments to his ministerial office and inflated salaries at public expense.
He also faced accusations that staff in his ministry sought departmental information to pursue internal party political matters, bringing the party into disrepute through the media, Zille said.
Zille said it would have been preferable for George to go through the Federal Legal Commission (FLC) process to test the veracity of these allegations.
The statement was released on January 15, shortly after George’s announcement that he was leaving the DA.
However, in his response to the DA through his lawyers, Gittins Attorneys INC, George said 'there was never a disciplinary, ethical, or investigatory process initiated in accordance with the DA’s own rules, the principles of natural justice, or constitutional standards of fairness, as alluded to by Zille in this regard'.
The current Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFF), Willie Aucamp, in December 2025, lodged a complaint with the Public Protector against George, alleging that he misused state resources to investigate his private business affairs, including links to the lion breeding industry, after he took office.
The party also accused George of leaking internal financial information and airing internal grievances through the media.
His attorneys said these allegations have never been formally put to George in writing, to date.
“And the who, what, where, and when intricacies of the various smear campaigns against our client’s character have never been justified,” read the statement released on Monday.
DA spokesperson Jan de Villiers insisted that the FLC investigation found a number of grounds to charge George in terms of the DA constitution and established FLC practices.
“Unfortunately, Dr George decided to leave the party rather than face disciplinary proceedings, where he or his attorneys would have had all the opportunity to state his case,” he said.
George was fired as minister in November after Steenhuisen’s request to President Cyril Ramaphosa to remove him from his position, citing poor performance.
George claimed he was targeted because, as the DA's Federal Finance Chairperson, he had blocked Steenhuisen’s party credit card due to “serious financial irregularities” and “unreconciled personal expenses”, such as Uber Eats and family household expenses.
He claimed that he was "purged" for refusing to favour the captive lion breeding and hunting industry. He claimed Steenhuisen replaced him with Aucamp, an ally of the wildlife-ranching lobby, to protect specific commercial interests.
He claimed that Aucamp failed to disclose personal commercial interests and potential conflicts of interest, as he and his family have direct ties to the lion breeding and hunting industry.
He also characterised his removal as a "purge" of independent voices within the DA who opposed to Steenhuisen's leadership style and his perceived "capture" by the ANC.
George's legal team said that while the allegations (against George) require formal notice, an opportunity to respond and present evidence, none of this has been pursued by the DA.
The law firm added that the DA has also adopted the stance that 'these wild, unsubstantiated allegations can be pursued by the party, without formal notice, without documentation and without affording our client a right to reply'.
The lawyers added that George has systematically been denied information and documentation, including the “secret part report” conveniently exonerating Steenhuisen from the abuse of the party’s credit card.
“The latter is no trivial matter; the implications are that Minister Steenhuisen has viewed the funds from donors as his own, open to personal abuse. Again, in a corporate setting this would attract sanction, not a whitewash,” said the attorneys, adding that George’s resignation from Parliament and from the DA was a principled decision taken to remove political distractions and does not constitute an admission of wrongdoing."
In his resignation letter, George said the report was his final straw.
He dismissed the report as a “whitewash” and accused the party of "cooking the books" to protect its leader.
*This article was first published by IOL News
