
Hawks raid Prasa HQ; US congressman slams anti-SA Bill: Today's top 7 stories in 7 minutes
Graphic: Sharlene Rood/News24
News24 brings you the top stories of the day, summarised into neat little packages. Read through quickly or listen to the articles via our customised text-to-speech feature.
Hawks raid Prasa HQ, seize executives' laptops, phones in R18bn tender probe
- The Hawks seized laptops and mobile phones from Prasa's top executives as part of an ongoing investigation.
- The investigation is related to allegations of corruption in connection with two R18 billion train signalling equipment tenders.
- The operation follows reports that Prasa awarded contracts to companies that allegedly did not meet mandatory requirements.
Shock twist in Nada-Jane murder, accused now admits to crime
- Amber Lee Hughes admitted to murdering 4-year-old Nada-Jane Challita, who was found raped and drowned in January 2023.
- Hughes initially pleaded not guilty but changed her legal team and made the admission in court on Thursday.
- She maintains that she did not rape the child.
Phando Jikelo/RSA Parliament
Crisis averted: National Assembly passes Appropriation Bill
- The National Assembly passed the Appropriation Bill, averting a potential fiscal crisis where government funds would have run out by October 2025.
- The DA initially threatened to block the bill but changed course after President Cyril Ramaphosa fired the minister of higher education, securing the bill's passage.
- Despite objections from some parties, the bill is expected to be approved by the National Council of Provinces, allowing the government to fund critical priorities.
Jacoline Schoonees/DIRCO
US lawmaker slams SA sanctions bill as threat to decades of diplomacy
- US congressman Jonathan Jackson criticised the "MAGA-driven" US-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act of 2025, which proposes sanctions on South African government officials and ANC members.
- The bill, authored by Ronny Jackson, aims to punish South Africa for its foreign policies, including its stance on Israel and ties with countries like Russia and China.
- Tensions between the US and South Africa are high due to tariffs, refugee status granted to Afrikaners and differing views on international conflicts.
Phando Jikelo/RSA Parliament
Godongwana announces big reforms after budget nightmare
- The National Treasury is implementing reforms to the budget process due to fiscal and political challenges, including wider consultation and a focus on spending efficiencies.
- A new mechanism called Targeted and Responsible Savings will rank programmes by importance to identify potential savings through spending reviews and phased "de-implementation."
- Departments must utilise previous spending reviews to find savings and efficiency gains, with departmental savings being used to reduce debt or fund temporary expenditures.
Supplied/MultiChoice
DStv shake-up: New MultiChoice CEO promises major changes to win back subscribers
- MultiChoice South Africa CEO Byron du Plessis plans to overhaul DStv packages to better meet customer needs and win back subscribers lost to streaming services and piracy.
- Key strategies include focusing on local content, sports offerings, making kids' content more accessible and simplifying subscription structures by potentially removing reconnection and access fees.
- The company acknowledges past missteps and aims to reinvent itself by addressing the disconnect with younger audiences and combating piracy, while also exploring the possibility of unbundling SuperSport.
Lloyd Burnard | First signs of Rassie drawing a line on 'golden' Boks?
- This generation of Springboks, considered the greatest in South African rugby history, is aiming for an unprecedented "three-peat" at the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
- Despite their dominance, the recent squad selection for the Rugby Championship indicates a shift, with some older stars like Makazole Mapimpi and Lukhanyo Am facing increased competition and the potential passing of the baton to younger players.
- While the transition may be bittersweet, it's a natural part of the sport, creating opportunities for new legends to emerge and continue the Springboks' legacy.
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Two-time killer who targeted Calgary street sex workers to be sentenced
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The DOJ to Ghislaine Maxwell: ‘Pardon me, do you mind lying and denying for Donald Trump?'
If you ever needed proof that we've fallen down a moral garbage chute into a flaming dumpster of corruption and good old-fashioned sleazeballness, look no further than the fact that Donald Trump's Department of Justice has been meeting with someone the department convicted of being a sex trafficker, Ghislaine Maxwell. Keep up with the latest in + news and politics. This is one giant tangled mess of a stench-laden landfill. Because it wasn't just another DOJ official. It was Todd Blanche, second in command and Trump's former personal attorney. A stinky landfill doesn't even begin to describe it. The DOJ is supposedly meeting with her about the Epstein files. Right. Just a little discussion about something Maxwell already gave a deposition for, that trials were held about, that newspapers and television reported on, and where victims bravely came forward. So what 'newness' does Maxwell bring to this sordid scandal? If you think that the DOJ is meeting with her to discuss the 'files,' then you forgot about this moment of sleazeballness we're in the thick of right now. They are surely negotiating a quid pro quo. If you say that you never saw Donald with Jeffrey, we'll slide a 'get out of jail for free' card under your cell door soon. The mysterious DOJ meeting follows the action of the House Republicans who brazenly recessed early without acting on a bill to force the release of those very files. Gee, wonder why they'd do that? Oh, right, because Donald called his measly little House speaker and said, 'Save me, or I'll ride your ass hard.' Or words to that effect. DOJ officials made time to huddle with a woman serving 20 years in federal prison for helping Jeffrey Epstein rape and abuse underage girls. And House Republicans are slimily protecting one of the people in those files, the dictatorial leader, Donald Trump. Yes, House Republicans subpoenaed Maxwell for a congressional hearing in the fall, but so much more sliminess can happen between now and then. Like, for example, Maxwell mysteriously disappearing? Who really knows at this point? Let's call this what it is: pure old-fashioned state-sanctioned witness tampering and narrative laundering. The DOJ and the House GOP aren't seeking the truth. They're looking for an alibi and deniability, and they've chosen the most crooked source possible to manufacture one. Ghislaine Maxwell is not just a convicted felon. She's a convicted pedophile. She orchestrated an international child sex ring alongside one of the most notorious predators of the 21st century. And now, according to multiple reports, she's meeting with officials at the highest levels of the federal government, the DOJ, to discuss the Epstein list and what she might know about Trump's connection to it. Why? Because Trump's name reportedly appears in the files. And because the truth is closing in on him, and he's scared shitless, so he's pulling out all the stops. Of course Maxwell is going to say whatever she thinks will save her. She's a caged co-conspirator with a long history of privilege, manipulation, and perversion. If a pardon is dangling within reach, she'll craft whatever fairy tale the Trump team needs. "Trump had nothing to do with Epstein." Boom. Done. Expect that line to headline Fox News before the summer is out. She is a proven liar. A child abuser. A felon. Would you believe her? A lying, disgusting pedophile? After the DOJ's meeting with Maxwell, House Republicans quickly subpoenaed her to testify. Publicly. As if she's suddenly a credible source. As if her criminal background somehow makes her more trustworthy than the brave survivors who've been silenced for decades. And don't insult our intelligence by claiming this isn't pre-scripted political theater. These hearings, like every other MAGA-led charade, are choreographed to the last syllable by Republican staffers whose loyalty to Trump overrides any allegiance to the truth. Why Maxwell? Why not the women who were brutalized as children? Why are survivors once again being ignored while the enablers get a platform and potentially a pardon? And don't tell me the DOJ is just "doing its job." This is Trump's DOJ, and it's acting exactly how you'd expect it by whispering with Trump one day, shuttling into prison to meet with Maxwell the next, then leaking just enough to seed a new propaganda cycle. Trump shouldn't be meeting with the DOJ to begin with. This borders on being illegal, but hey, in his first term, Trump pleaded for his own Roy Cohn, instead he got a bleached bomb conspiracy-theorist in Pam Bondi, the next best thing. And yet the Republican Party, the self-proclaimed protector of children and moral values, is letting it happen. Worse, the party is enabling it. Instead of using their power to uncover what really happened, members fled Washington without even taking up a vote that would have forced the release of Epstein's files. They had the chance to shine a light. They chose darkness and vacation. We should be hearing from the survivors. We should be reading the unredacted files. We should be demanding transparency from a government that claims to represent us. Instead, we're being fed Ghislaine Maxwell, polished up and propped on a pedestal, as if she holds some sacred truth, instead of the key to her own freedom. You can't tell me that a pardon is likely already being whispered in her ear. Trump has the audacity, the motive, and the track record. This is a man who pardoned political cronies, war criminals, and corrupt loyalists without a second thought. You think he won't throw a lifeline to the woman who could erase him from the Epstein story? As my grandfather used to say, Trump must think we're dumber than an oyster. But we're not. We know what this is. And we know the damage it's doing, not just to our politics but to our sense of justice. Because here's what can't be spun, sealed, or silenced: Girls were raped. Children were trafficked. Epstein did it. Maxwell enabled it. And there is every reason to believe Donald Trump, the man whose name is in those files, who socialized with Epstein, who has bragged about walking in on teenage girls in dressing rooms, was involved too. I, of course, have to say 'allegedly' here. But I digress. This is not a 'witch hunt.' It's a reckoning. And no amount of slick choreography from DOJ fixers or GOP sycophants is going to stop the truth from getting out. Somehow, someway, in this day and age of cameras everywhere, of whistleblowers (someone gave The Wall Street Journal the birthday book), and no secrets, we can only hope that someone knows the truth. Because the truth is the only thing that's going to clean up all the garbage that is Trump, the DOJ, and the GOP. Voices is dedicated to featuring a wide range of inspiring personal stories and impactful opinions from the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. Visit to learn more about submission guidelines. Views expressed in Voices stories are those of the guest writers, columnists, and editors, and do not directly represent the views of The Advocate or our parent company, equalpride. This article originally appeared on Advocate: The DOJ to Ghislaine Maxwell: 'Pardon me, do you mind lying and denying for Donald Trump?'
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Teenager accused of murdering 12-year-old remanded in custody until October
A teenager charged with stabbing to death Birmingham schoolboy Leo Ross has made a five-minute video-link appearance at a hearing before a High Court judge. The 15-year-old boy, who cannot be identified because of his age, spoke only to confirm his name during legal discussions ahead of a trial planned to take place in February next year. Prosecutors allege the youth murdered 12-year-old Leo, who was stabbed in the stomach on a riverside path in the Hall Green area, on January 21 this year. Leo, a pupil at the Christ Church, Church of England Secondary Academy in Yardley Wood, died after being taken to hospital from the Shire Country Park, where members of the public had called emergency services. Mr Justice Wall, sitting at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday, extended the custody time limits in the case after hearing submissions from prosecutor Rachel Brand KC and defence lawyer Alistair Webster KC. The defendant has yet to enter pleas to charges of murder, assault, causing grievous bodily harm and having a knife in a public place relating to dates between October 22 last year and January 21. Adjourning the case for a pre-trial review hearing to be held on October 6, the judge told the youth: 'That's the end of today's hearing. 'You are going to have another hearing in the autumn. Until that time you are remanded in custody.'