Nine correctional officers accused of inmate's murder granted bail
Victor Ramoroka, 52, Victor Seakamela, 59, Lutendo Vele, 41, Christopher Mafela, 33, Michael Ramabu, 42, Anna Shai, 41, Josephine Mphela, 49, Obed Selolo, 53, and Lucas Phihlela, 54, appeared in the Polokwane magistrate's court on Tuesday facing a charge of murder.
The group is accused of assaulting a male inmate in July 2024 who later succumbed to his injuries while in custody.
Limpopo police spokesperson Col Malesela Ledwaba confirmed the incident.
'Subsequent to police investigations, it is alleged that during July 2024, the Correctional Services members assaulted a male inmate and he later died,' said Ledwaba.
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IOL News
7 hours ago
- IOL News
Leaked affidavit exposing Landiwe Ntlokwana's involvement in a multi-million rand scheme
According to the affidavit, Ntlokwana managed investor data, tracked payments, and even used her company's bank account — GTT Wealth (Pty) Ltd — to receive millions of rands from individuals drawn into Bushiri's now-notorious commodities investment platform. Image: Supplied A leaked affidavit has exposed Landiwe Ntlokwana, a former auditor and financial coordinator for Prophet Shepherd Bushiri, as a key figure in a multi-million rand investment scheme — and strongly suggests she is using her testimony under Section 204 of the Criminal Procedure Act in a strategic bid to escape prosecution. According to the affidavit, Ntlokwana managed investor data, tracked payments, and even used her company's bank account — GTT Wealth (Pty) Ltd — to receive millions of rands from individuals drawn into Bushiri's now-notorious commodities investment platform. Her phone, she claims, was used by multiple committee members as the central point of contact for investor communication. 'The committee and I continued our administrative duties as described previously. My phone continued being passed around for whoever wanted to focus on that function,' she said. With a strong background in Microsoft Excel, Ntlokwana took responsibility for consolidating all investor information into a single master file, which she says was used by the IT team for internal reporting and to generate investor statements. The affidavit details the rapid expansion of the scheme and growing unrest within the church community. Ntlokwana describes how popularity surged beyond South Africa's borders, leading to complaints from international followers of Bushiri's Enlightened Christian Gathering Church who felt excluded from the opportunity. 'They started saying what was the point of belonging to a community where only a select few can participate in empowerment initiatives,' she said. These concerns, she claims, were taken directly to response, Ntlokwana says Bushiri called a closed-door meeting with her and five other women in his inner circle — Gladness, Rosemary, Shirley, Jumoke, and Memory. During the meeting, Bushiri announced the launch of a new investment round: Commodities Trade Cycle 3. This phase, however, was exclusive to high-net-worth individuals, with a minimum investment of R1 million. Despite her corporate background at firms like Grant Thornton and Allan Gray, Ntlokwana admits there were no formal contracts governing her role. Legal experts find this highly questionable. 'She's not an amateur. She knows how finance works,' said a senior investigator. 'The absence of contracts and the use of her company account are not rookie mistakes — they point to direct involvement.'Under Section 204, an accused may be granted immunity in exchange for full and truthful testimony. ''But such a deal hinges on credibility — something that could be Ntlokwana's biggest hurdle.'She handled the money, the records, and the investor lists,' the investigator continued. 'Now she's trying to claim she was just assisting — but this affidavit proves she was in control.' With Bushiri still in Malawi and his extradition proceedings stalled, Ntlokwana's testimony could close the case but she if found to be self-serving or unreliable, the prosecution could be left with little to stand on
The Citizen
18 hours ago
- The Citizen
Zondo blasts Ramaphosa over state capture and corrupt ministers
Zondo speaks of his 'pain' in swearing in corrupt ministers. Chief Justice Raymond Zondo (L) hands over the state capture report to President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Union Building in Pretoria. Picture: Twitter/@PresidencyZA Former chief justice Raymond Zondo has expressed the pain he had to ensure to swear in corrupt cabinet ministers who had serious state capture findings against them Zondo made the remarks on the sidelines of a South African Council of Churches (SACC) anti-corruption summit on Wednesday. State capture commission Rampant corruption was revealed during the hearings before the commission chaired by Zondo that was established in January 2018. The commission, which cost close to R1 billion, wrapped up its proceedings with Zondo handing his final report to President Cyril Ramaphosa in June 2022. About 1,400 individuals were implicated during the commission. It exposed corruption at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa), State Security Agency (SSA), Eskom and SABC, and called for prosecutions, further probes, and systemic reforms. ALSO READ: 'Ramaphosa will go down in history as one of the most useless presidents' – analyst Corruption Zondo said that more than 30 years after democracy, corruption had reached crippling levels. He delivered a scathing rebuke to Ramaphosa about the ministers he had appointed to be part of his Cabinet, 'It was like the president was saying, 'I don't care what you have found about these people. I think they are good enough to be promoted,'' Zondo told the Sunday Times. 'The recommendations that were made were based on evidence that was led transparently, when the whole nation was watching… We are defending the report because we believe it is sound. 'But yes, I had to swear them in, remembering what I found against them,' Zondo said in an unprecedented attack by such a senior judicial officer on a sitting president. Ramaphosa response While The Citizen has contacted Ramaphosa's spokesperson for comment, he told the paper the president would not be drawn into a public spat with Zondo. 'The former chief justice has had access to the president whenever there were matters of concern to be discussed. 'The president will respond directly to the former chief justice should [he] seek an opportunity to raise his issues through a direct and constructive engagement,' he said. Presidency report In 2023, the Presidency published a detailed report on the implementation of the actions on Ramaphosa's response to the recommendations of the state capture report. It followed Ramaphosa's own 76-page state capture implementation plan, which he submitted to Parliament in October 2022. The president's response to the recommendations of the state capture inquiry outlined his plan of action, as well as his stance and commitment to fighting corruption within the government. ALSO READ: Ramaphosa's actions on state capture are 'major reforms that will take years' – Presidency report Recommendations In its 16 main recommendations, the Zondo commission found that Parliament failed in its oversight role to hold the executive to account after several state institutions were captured, costing the state billions. It said the recommendations by Zondo were mainly in relation to the national legislature's oversight mandate. Mchunu inquiry Referring to the latest inquiry ordered by Ramaphosa, in which acting deputy chief justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga will probe the allegations of KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, Zondo said the way the government had responded to the state capture commission did not bode well. 'My feelings are that people in South Africa have seen how slow the progress is with the implementation of the commission's recommendations, even regarding those recommendations that are being implemented.' '[Will] the same not happen to the [Madlanga] commission … because this commission is also important.' National dialogue Zondo also expressed doubts over the upcoming national dialogue, saying he was concerned about basic failings in the country that should be fixed without having to convene such a forum. 'I don't want to say it's a bad thing … [but] I'm concerned about simple things that don't need a national dialogue. I'm concerned about making sure that in municipalities we have competent people who are doing their job, people who have integrity'. ALSO READ: D-Day for Ramaphosa's plan of action on state capture report 'Ramaphosa inconsistent Zondo told the SACC event on Wednesday that Ramaphosa had been 'inconsistent' in disciplining cabinet ministers implicated in wrongdoing, citing the recent scandals involving the minister of human settlements, Thembi Simelane, embattled police minister Senzo Mchunu, who has been placed on special leave, and the now-fired higher education minister Nobuhle Nkabane. 'So the question arises, what is the rule? As a minister, when do you get shifted to another department and continue to be a minister and enjoy your position and benefits even though there are allegations against you? When do you get out on special leave, and when do you get removed? 'The president is the No. 1 citizen in the country. It is very important that the message he sends, through what he does and through what he says, must be consistent,' Zondo said. Swearing in ministers Zondo said this is similar to what happened two years ago. 'I found myself having to swear in ministers against whom I had made adverse findings in the commission. One was a deputy minister who was now promoted to a full minister, and I had to swear them in, knowing the findings I had made. 'Another one was the deputy minister who was a chairperson of the portfolio committee who had previously been minister of transport, and I had made findings against them, and the president was promoting them despite the findings of the commission. What does that do to our fight against corruption?' Zondo said. Ridding SA of corruption Zondo said for the country to effectively rid itself of corruption, it needs to hold the executive to account and not compromise on those who serve in the highest offices of the land. He said that those facing corruption allegations should not be appointed to any positions. 'There are many people who have no allegations of fraud or corruption hanging over their heads who qualify to be ministers,' said Zondo. 'Even in the same party, there is no reason why somebody should be appointed before they clear themselves of such allegations. But also, there are people in public service who are allowed to continue with their work as usual even when there are findings of wrongdoing against them. The state simply allows them to continue. This is not the kind of leadership we need if we are going to fight corruption.' 'Consequences' In November 2022 in his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa said there must be consequences for those who had plundered South Africa and involved in state capture. He also said the country had learnt its lesson in plundering money over the years of state capture 'As we recover from state capture, we must ensure there are consequences for the perpetrators of state capture. We also need to make sure that public institutions can never be weakened in this way again,' Ramaphosa said. Ramaphosa said South Africa needed to build a public service that is professional, ethical and driven by merit. ALSO READ: WATCH: Moeletsi Mbeki criticises Ramaphosa: 'He's been a very weak president'
IOL News
2 days ago
- IOL News
Zandile Mafe's second psychiatric evaluation for Parliament fire set for September
The Directorate of Priority Crime says it will follow up on the new information or leads should there be information that gets to their attention in connection with the gutting of Parliament. Zandila Mafe, pictured, continues to be a state patient at Valkenberg Psychiatric Hospital. Image: Chevon Booysen The man accused of starting the fire that gutted Parliament, Zandile Christmas Mafe, is scheduled to receive a second periodical assessment in September. This is according to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (DPCI) when it briefed the Joint Standing Committee on Financial Management of Parliament on Friday on the status of its investigation. Brigadier Mushavhaduvha Ramovha said Mafe continued to be a state patient at Valkenberg Psychiatric Hospital, where he receives treatment. Mafe was admitted to the hospital in February 2024 for a psychiatric evaluation after the Western Cape High Court declared he was unfit to stand trial in December 2023. Video Player is loading. 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Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Ramovha said the first evaluation on Mafe was conducted in September 2024, following his admission in February 2024. He also said his diagnosis at this stage included severe Schizophrenia with early remission. 'Mr Mafe is scheduled to receive the second periodical assessment in September 2025 again. The Director of Public Prosecutions advised that Mr Mafe's progress be monitored to establish whether he will be able and willing to cooperate with the investigation when he is well enough to do so,' Ramovha said. Mafe was arrested by the police on January 2, 2022, and charged with housebreaking, theft, and arson following the fire incident while busy climbing through a window from inside the Old Assembly. He allegedly confessed to starting the fire to the investigating officer and demanded that President Cyril Ramaphosa resign, assassin Janusz Waluz be released, and a R1,500 grant be paid to unemployed people. After the case was referred to the DPCI for investigation, the National Director of Public Prosecutions had authorised the prosecution of Mafe under the Protection of Constitutional Democracy against Terrorist and Related Activities Act. During the meeting, MPs wanted to know the status of the investigation and whether it had been widened. DA MP Frederik Jacobus Badenhorst wanted to know why the case was referred to the DPCI, considering it dealt with serious cases of corruption, organised crime, and commercial crimes, among others. ANC MP Bheki Radebe said the issue of focusing only on Mafe was misdirected. 'When Parliament was burnt down, it was during the period when the Zondo Commission was to present its report and when there were riots in 2021,' Radebe said. He also said there was no way he was acting alone in light of the demands Mafe made. 'We know very well even people used to commit these heinous crimes can be pumped with drugs so that by the time they appear in court, they appear as if they are deranged,' he said, before asking if the investigation had been widened beyond Mafe. DPCI's acting head, Lieutenant-General Siphesihle Nkosi, explained that the case was referred to the DPCI because it was a national priority offence, which included a crime against the state 'If there is an attack or commission of a crime related to Parliament, it is a matter classified as a national priority offence,' he said. Nkosi confirmed that their investigation had focused on Mafe but that they obtained several statements and interviewed several individuals suspected of the fire incident. He indicated that they obtained 56 affidavits, including from their forensic digital forensic investigation team that worked on Mafe's phone. 'Contact numbers of individuals found in the gadget were approached and interviewed to get an understanding of how they are linked to Mr Mafe.' In its report to the committee, the DPCI stated that the Director of Public Prosecutions had requested that further statements be obtained from two potential witnesses who allegedly had telephonic communication with Mafe before the fire incident. 'The required statements were obtained and presented to the Director of Public Prosecutions on 3 February 2025 for consideration; however, they did not present any new leads for further investigation.' Nkosi said that in the event they establish new leads or obtain new information to be actioned, they will follow the leads. 'The investigation is conducted in collaboration with all critical stakeholders. The information made available to us will be shared with Crime Intelligence to ask them to enhance that information in ensuring we leave no stone unturned in this matter. As of now, the matter is waiting for the report that will come whether the individual is fit to stand trial,' Nkosi added. He clarified that the current information at their disposal did not add any other individual, but emphasised that the search for the truth never ends. 'Should there be information that gets to our attention, we obviously will follow that,' Nkosi said.
