South Africa
NPA to prosecute Life Esidimeni officials after nearly a decade
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The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has announced criminal prosecutions against individuals implicated in the Life Esidimeni tragedy, where at least 141 mental healthcare users died in 2015 and 2016. The patients had been transferred from licensed facilities to unregistered and ill-equipped NGOs. Families and activists hail the decision as a vital step toward accountability.
A draft environmental scoping report has recommended Thyspunt on the Eastern Cape coast as the preferred site for Eskom’s proposed 5,200-megawatt nuclear power station. Further specialist studies should focus on this location, while limiting work at the alternative Bantamsklip site. The report is open for public comment until 5 May.
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The fraud case against South African Football Association president Danny Jordaan and co-accused Gronie Hluyo has been postponed to 25 May after they sought another Section 342A application on trial delays. Co-accused Trevor Neethling and Russell Paul will decide later whether to join. The case remains in pre-trial at Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court.
In response to diesel shortages triggered by Middle East conflicts including recent attacks on Iran, South Africa's Department of Mineral Resources and Petroleum has begun a comprehensive review of the fuel pricing mechanism. Reforms to industry margins are targeted for March 2027, with a temporary R3 per litre fuel levy cut providing short-term relief amid rising global oil prices.
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At the Democratic Alliance's Federal Congress 2026 in Johannesburg, delegates elected Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis as the party's new federal leader on Sunday, following pitches from candidates the day before. The 39-year-old secured over 90% of the vote against Sibusiso Dyonase and unveiled a four-point plan to expand the DA into South Africa's largest party by 2029, while installing a youthful new leadership team.
A man believed to be in his forties was shot and killed on the M1 Higginson Highway in the Marianhill area outside Pinetown on Saturday afternoon. Emergency services found him with multiple gunshot wounds in a luxury vehicle. He was declared dead at the scene.
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Four members of the Maswanganyi family who died in a crash on the N1 highway last week were buried in Xikundu, Limpopo, on Friday. Hundreds of mourners and officials attended the service at Mayeke Primary School. One child survived and is receiving treatment.
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