News you should know tonight: Top 5 stories you may have missed on June 30, 2025
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It's Monday, June 30, 2025, and it's time for a wrap of the biggest headlines making waves in South Africa and beyond. Don't forget to join the IOL WhatsApp Channel to stay in tune, informed, and in the know
Malema calls for DA to leave the GNU, paving the way for EFF's entry
EFF president Julius Malema has again called on the DA to leave the Government of National Unity (GNU), effectively making way for his party to join the government. To read on, click here.
Former Transnet executives granted R50,000 bail over Gupta-linked corruption charges
Four former Transnet executives, Brian Molefe, Siyabonga Gama, Anoj Singh, and Thamsanqa Jiyane, have been granted R50,000 bail each following alleged corruption linked to the Guptas. To read on, click here.
DA to lay criminal charges against Nkabane for lying to Parliament
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has announced plans to lay criminal charges against Higher Education Minister Nobuhle Nkabane for allegedly lying to Parliament. To read on, click here.
MTN South Africa faces backlash over misleading 'free' router advertising
MTN South Africa has been ordered to either remove or amend its 'free-to-use' router advertising, after it has emerged that it is not actually free, the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) ruled. To read on, click here.
Another tragic shack fire in Ekurhuleni claims lives of two people, including a toddler
Two people, including a two-year-old baby, have perished in Ekurhuleni, after an inferno engulfed their home in Snake Park, Nigel. To read on, click here.
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Eyewitness News
2 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
From arrest to conviction? OUTA hopeful Brian Molefe et all will face justice
Sara-Jayne Makwala King 1 July 2025 | 6:46 Transnet Brian Molefe Good Morning Cape Town with Lester Kiewit Former Transnet executives (from left to right), Anoj Singh, Brian Molefe, Siyabonga Gama and Thamsanqa Jiyane appeared in the Palm Ridge Magistrates Court on 30 June 2025 on corruption, fraud and money laundering charges. Picture: Alpha Ramushwana/EWN John Maytham (in for CapeTalk's Lester Kiewit) speaks to Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) CEO Wayne Duvenage about the arrest of Brian Molefe, Anoj Singh, Thamsanqa Jiyane and Siyabonga Gama. Listen below: From arrest to conviction? Former Transnet CEOs Brian Molefe and Siyabonga Gama have been released on R50,000 bail after appearing in court on Monday on charges of fraud and corruption. They appeared alongside fellow accused Anoj Singh and Thamsanqa Jiyane in the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crime Court on charges stemming from their time at the state-owned entity. The arrests were executed by the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) and relate to a dodgy 2015 tender for hundreds of locomotives. But will this be the case that finally sees public officials brought to justice for corruption? Duvenage is hopeful. "The evidence here is quite strong, and we don't believe, after the few hiccups they've had, that they would be going down this road on a flimsy or weak case." - Wayne Duvenage, CEO - Outa "This will have legs, and we are confident that justice will be served." - Wayne Duvenage, CEO - Outa The commission of inquiry into allegations of state capture recommended that Molefe, Gama and Singh be investigated for allegedly diverting state funds to the controversial Gupta family. It's understood that a contract to supply the locomotives to Transnet was originally awarded to another company, but this was later cancelled and given to Trillian Capital, which is linked to the Guptas. While the former Transnet execs are claiming their innocence, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) insists there is substantial evidence linking them to the crimes. "The NPA has dropped the ball, due to infiltration, in the past." - Wayne Duvenage, CEO - Outa "There are some concerns, but in this case, the prosecutors have done their homework." - Wayne Duvenage, CEO - Outa Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the full conversation.
Daily Maverick
2 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Exclusive: Transnet State Capture Big Four face 32 charges of corruption, fraud and of being delinquent directors
The charge sheet details how contracts were inflated by at least R18-billion, revealing how and where bribes were paid. Fourteen years ago, there was no stopping the Transnet Big Four executives – CEO Brian Molefe, his CFO Anoj Singh, the head of freight rail Siyabonga Gama and chief engineer Thamsanqa Jiyane. As the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture heard, the four were all powerful mandarins of the state corporation. They did not defer to the board, nor Transnet's treasury, nor to its bid adjudication committees, as they rushed through a locomotive acquisition that would ultimately cost South Africa billions of rands in inflated costs and multiple times more in lost opportunities as rail went to the wall. Now the four face 32 charges contained in a charge sheet brought against them by the Independent Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) as it gets to grips with prosecuting the State Capture cases at the rail utility. The charge sheet reveals that the Idac has alleged fraud, corruption and violations of the Public Finance Management Act and the Companies Act against the four, with a trial set to begin in October. Arrested this week, all four are out on bail of R50,000 each and have surrendered their passports. All four pleaded poverty and said they could not afford the original bail request of R200,000 each when they appeared in the Palm Ridge Court on Monday, 30 June. Two, Molefe and Gama, are MPs in former President Jacob Zuma's MK party. The charges brought under a quartet of laws seek to prosecute them from four angles, including dereliction of corporate and constitutional duty (charges under the Public Finance Management Act and the Companies Act) as well as fraud and corruption under the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act (Precca). Here are the numbers of charges each faces, comprising variations of contraventions of the four laws. Anoj Singh (13); Molefe (10); Gama (6); and Jiyane (3). The four are accused of acting in concert (using a common purpose prosecution) to defraud Transnet and are alleged to have benefited through bribes detailed in the charge sheet and also ventilated in hearings at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture. It all started in 2011, two years after President Jacob Zuma took office, as State Capture extended its claws into the parastatals Eskom, Transnet and Denel. Also involved were their SA acolytes, the businessmen Salim Essa and Iqbal Meer (who chaired Transnet's acquisitions board committee), and the Gupta family that later installed Molefe as CEO and had Singh and Gama in their pockets, the State Capture inquiry heard. The criminal charges against the four traverse the same ground as the Commission, but it has taken time to formulate the package of charges each now faces. Rolling stock bonanza In 2011, Transnet decided to boost rail freight demand by re-kitting its rolling stock. Over the next four years, the four allegedly conspired to favour the Chinese Rail Corporation (CRC), which was then divided into the China South Rail and China North Rail divisions. Essa earned handsome commissions for putting together this deal, the commission heard. Molefe, for example, was found by the commission to have ensured that the company did not have to meet the BEE conditions required of other suppliers. The Transnet whistle-blower, Francis Callard, detailed to the State Capture commission how the Japanese supplier, Mitsui, was elbowed aside in a series of corporate manoeuvres, and he was often kept in the dark. In 2014, Molefe and Singh signed off on contracts without board or government approval, and soon the costs ballooned from an initial R38.6-billion to R54.5-billion. The charge sheet details how, in each tranche of the three-phase transaction, payments exceeded agreed costs by almost R20-billion. The charge sheet details these as follows: in the first 95 locomotive transactions, a payment of R3.4-billion overshot the approved contract value by R231-million. In the 100-locomotive transaction, a payment of R5.18-billion exceeded the approved value by R348-million. In the big-ticket purchase of 1,064 locomotives, Transnet suffered a prejudice (loss) of R18.7-billion. Transnet is also alleged to have lost an additional R368-million in a botched relocation of an assembly line to Durban. Transnet is being steadily repaired by a combination of a new executive team led by CEO Michelle Philips, the Operation Vula team in the Presidency, and the secondment of seasoned rail and logistics executives from business through the B4SA partnership. However, it remains hobbled because many of the trains at the centre of the State Capture case are not operational, resulting in rail volumes that are significantly lower than they should be to transport the freight company to its desired destination. Between 2012 and 2015, the four are alleged to have benefited from cash and benefits from the Gupta family, including trips to Dubai and cash payments from Saxonwold. The family's mansion complex (3, 5, and 7 Saxonwold Drive) is being auctioned through Park Village Auctions on 24 July. Molefe, Singh, and Gama were also arrested in August 2022 in connection with a R93-million payment to Trillian Capital (a Gupta company run by the flamboyant businessman Eric Wood) for one of the locomotive transactions. That case is scheduled to come to court in February 2026, while the proceedings against the Big Four have been postponed to October 2025. DM
The Citizen
7 hours ago
- The Citizen
24 hours in pictures, 1 July 2025
24 hours in pictures, 1 July 2025 Through the lens: The Citizen's Picture Editors select the best news photographs from South Africa and around the world. A robotic police dog and a K9 police dog work together in a crime-handling skill demonstration during the 79th anniversary celebration of the Indonesian National Police held at the National Monument (known as Monas) in Jakarta on July 1, 2025. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO / AFP) Water shoots into the air, up to 20 metres high, from a field alongside the N1 near the Diepkloof interchange, near Soweto, 1 July 2025, as Joburg residents experience water cuts due to maintenance. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen A young fan of Italy's Jannik Sinner dressed as a carrot poses for photographs as he stands on the stairs of Centre Court ahead of the men's singles first round tennis match between Italy's Jannik Sinner and Italy's Luca Nardi on the second day of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 1, 2025. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP) DA Deputy Chief Whip, Baxolile Nodada and DA Federal Council Chairperson, Helen Zille speak to the media before laying criminal charges against Minister Nobuhle Nkabane for allegedly lying to Parliament at Cape Town Central Police Station on July 01, 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa. The move comes just days after President Cyril Ramaphosa fired DA Deputy Minister, Andrew Whitfield, for not following protocol and asking permission for an overseas trip. (Photo by Gallo Images/Brenton Geach) A dog walks in a sewage-flooded street at Snake Park in Soweto, 30 June 2025. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/The Citizen Workers install a new 'Point Zero' marker on the forecourt of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, 01 July 2025. Installed on April 22, 1786, by order of French King Louis XV, the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral serves as a reference for calculating distances to other French cities. Picture: EPA/TERESA SUAREZ Cllr Kenny Kunene during an inspection of dilapidated buildings and illegal water and electricity connections in the inner city on July 01, 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The City is collaborating with various stakeholders to ensure the effective enforcement of by-laws, which is a critical component of the Mayor's High Impact Service Delivery Program. (Photo by Gallo Images/Sharon Seretlo) An artist dressed as Hindu deity Kali gestures during a religious procession on occasion of 'Bonalu' celebrations in New Delhi on July 1, 2025. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP) Participants celebrate a Christian service during the National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving at the Forecourt of the State House in Accra, Ghana, 01 July 2025. Ghana marked its first National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving, an interfaith event featuring both Christian and Muslim services. The concept of a national prayer day was first proposed by President Mahama during his 2024 election campaign as a way to unify Ghanians. Picture: EPA/FRANK KPORFOR Britain's King Charles III inspects a Guard of Honour formed by Members of Royal Company of Archers during the traditional Ceremony of the Keys in the Gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland on July 1, 2025, on the first day of their Majesties The King and Queen's visit to Scotland. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP) An aerial picture shows a swimmers enjoying the water at the Faversham Pools complex in Faversham, southern England on July 1, 2025. Britain's Met Office weather service upped the number of amber heat alerts on Monday to seven regions, as temperatures hit 34C in London and southeast England. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP) A man cools off at the water jets of a public fountain as outside temperatures reach 37 degrees celsius in Brussels on July 1, 2025. Withering conditions that have baked southern Europe for days crept northward, shutting some schools and daycare centres in France and the Netherlands, and sparking health warnings. (Photo by Nicolas TUCAT / AFP) MORE: 24 hours in pictures, 30 June 2025
