Latest news with #Makhubele
The Herald
9 hours ago
- The Herald
Teen addict tells of assault at illegal drug 'rehab' that killed his brother
A 17-year-old who was allegedly tortured at an illegal drug rehabilitation centre with his brother, who later died, has told of how they were assaulted and starved for days. The teen, who cannot be named as he is under age, and his 28-year-old sibling, Jacob Sekgotla, were taken to the Appreciate Disciplinary Camp on July 2 after they were assaulted by Appreciate Makhubele in front of their mother, Maggie, at their home in Motjeketla village in Limpopo. He recalled how he and his brother were beaten up and not given food over the next few days. Their mother paid R2,000 for them to be taken to the camp. 'Our mother called Appreciate [Makhubele] to come fetch us and take us to his camp. He was very furious and beat us in front of my mother. He told us to apologise to her. The beatings continued at the camp,' said the teen. 'At some stage, I just stood and watched my brother being severely beaten like a hardened criminal with a chain and pipe. We were defenceless, hungry and thirsty, but nothing was offered to us. 'Jacob was stomped on and was bleeding profusely. There were other boys at the camp, but there was no way they could intervene,' he said. The teen said Makhubele called their mother on July 10 when he realised that Jacob was unwell. Sekgotla said Makhubele suggested that they take Jacob to a traditional healer, but she took him to hospital due to the severity of his injuries. He died at Mankweng hospital two days later. Limpopo police spokesperson Col Malesela Ledwaba said Makhubele was arrested on July 22 and has been charged with murder. 'Forensic postmortem analysis was conducted on July 18 2025, and a pathologist confirmed that the deceased had sustained severe injuries. A case of an inquest [which was initially opened] was then changed to murder on July 21 and [the matter] transferred to Modjadjiskloof police for further investigations.' Makhubele is expected to apply for bail in the Modjadjiskloof magistrate's court on Thursday. Sekgotla said her sons started using drugs in 2007 at a time when she had been admitted to hospital with lung complications. When she was discharged, she said she battled for years to get them to stop using drugs. 'I was so sick I had no choice but to leave my sons alone, as their elder sister had just got married. Every month, I made sure that I sent them money. Little did I know that they were using it to buy drugs,' she said.
TimesLIVE
20 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Teen addict tells of assault at illegal drug 'rehab' that killed his brother
A 17-year-old who was allegedly tortured at an illegal drug rehabilitation centre with his brother, who later died, has told of how they were assaulted and starved for days. The teen, who cannot be named as he is under age, and his 28-year-old sibling, Jacob Sekgotla, were taken to the Appreciate Disciplinary Camp on July 2 after they were assaulted by Appreciate Makhubele in front of their mother, Maggie, at their home in Motjeketla village in Limpopo. He recalled how he and his brother were beaten up and not given food over the next few days. Their mother paid R2,000 for them to be taken to the camp. 'Our mother called Appreciate [Makhubele] to come fetch us and take us to his camp. He was very furious and beat us in front of my mother. He told us to apologise to her. The beatings continued at the camp,' said the teen. 'At some stage, I just stood and watched my brother being severely beaten like a hardened criminal with a chain and pipe. We were defenceless, hungry and thirsty, but nothing was offered to us. 'Jacob was stomped on and was bleeding profusely. There were other boys at the camp, but there was no way they could intervene,' he said. The teen said Makhubele called their mother on July 10 when he realised that Jacob was unwell. Sekgotla said Makhubele suggested that they take Jacob to a traditional healer, but she took him to hospital due to the severity of his injuries. He died at Mankweng hospital two days later. Limpopo police spokesperson Col Malesela Ledwaba said Makhubele was arrested on July 22 and has been charged with murder. 'Forensic postmortem analysis was conducted on July 18 2025, and a pathologist confirmed that the deceased had sustained severe injuries. A case of an inquest [which was initially opened] was then changed to murder on July 21 and [the matter] transferred to Modjadjiskloof police for further investigations.' Makhubele is expected to apply for bail in the Modjadjiskloof magistrate's court on Thursday. Sekgotla said her sons started using drugs in 2007 at a time when she had been admitted to hospital with lung complications. When she was discharged, she said she battled for years to get them to stop using drugs. 'I was so sick I had no choice but to leave my sons alone, as their elder sister had just got married. Every month, I made sure that I sent them money. Little did I know that they were using it to buy drugs,' she said.
TimesLIVE
5 days ago
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
'I'm a new chief whip': MK Party's Makhubele plays down 'yes' vote blunder in Appropriation Bill
MK Party chief whip Colleen Makhubele has played down confusion about the Appropriation Bill in parliament where she mistakenly voted 'yes' for the bill the party maintained it would reject. During the budget vote on Wednesday, Makhubele announced the party was voting in favour of the bill, claiming 49 votes in support. However, after the house chair asked her to verify, she did a swift U-turn, declaring they were voting against the bill. Makhubele said she thought they were voting for the ad hoc committee to investigate the allegations by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. 'We are rejecting this. We are changing our vote. I thought we were dealing with the ad hoc committee. We will support it when it comes, that was the confusion,' Makhubele said. 'I'm just a new chief whip, I will make errors, so relax. We are voting against the bill.' Makhubele, who was appointed chief whip last month replacing Mzwanele Manyi, faced severe backlash from other MPs who mocked her in parliament. EFF leader Julius Malema criticised Makhubele's blunder during a media briefing on Thursday. 'It was a mess, a mess in action,' Malema said. 'That's what you elected South Africa. You are asked twice and you're saying, 'I'm voting in support'. That MK Party caucus almost collapsed yesterday [Wednesday]. You elect people who do not understand. The chairperson allows that. It's not principled. Once the voting is closed it's done. He undermined the decorum and the integrity of that process. MK Party will never reduce us in numbers anywhere else including in thinking.' The National Assembly approved the Appropriation Bill by 262 votes to 90. All 10 parties in the government of national unity voted in favour, while the MK Party, EFF, African Transformation Movement, United Africans Transformation and National Coloured Congress opposed the bill.
IOL News
6 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Appropriation Bill Finally Passed After Late-Night Confusion in Parliament
One of the biggest surprises came when MK Party Chief Whip Colleen Makhubele voted "yes" to the bill, even though her party had clearly said it would vote against it. This led to confusion in the National Assembly, with MPs looking around, unsure if they had heard her correctly. Image: ARCHIVES After a long day of debates and delays, Parliament finally passed the 2025 and 2026 Appropriation Bill late on Wednesday night. The bill, which allows the government to spend money on services like schools, hospitals and roads, was approved with enough votes from members of the new Government of National Unity. But the night did not go smoothly. One of the biggest surprises came when MK Party Chief Whip Colleen Makhubele voted "yes" to the bill, even though her party had clearly said it would vote against it. This led to confusion in the National Assembly, with MPs looking around, unsure if they had heard her correctly Next Stay Close ✕ . Makhubele later said she thought the vote was for something else. She quickly changed her vote to 'no' after realising her mistake. But by then, MPs from other parties had already started heckling her. Some laughed. Others shouted. A few told her she was not ready for the job. But Makhubele stood up and explained herself. 'I am new in this role,' she said. 'Mistakes do happen.' She added that she did not mean to vote in favour of the bill and had simply misunderstood what was being voted on at the time. Even with the confusion, the Appropriation Bill passed. Members of the African National Congress, the Democratic Alliance and other coalition partners voted in favour. This helped the new Government of National Unity show that it can work together to pass important laws, even with all the noise and disagreements. Many South Africans were watching closely. This was the first big test for the new Parliament after the national elections. The bill is important because it tells the government how much money it can spend and where that money will go. Without it, many departments would not be able to function properly. Some people say the mistake by Makhubele was not a big deal. Others believe it shows there is still a lot of confusion in this new Parliament, especially with so many different parties involved. One MP, who asked not to be named, said after the vote, 'This is going to happen a lot. There are too many new faces, and not everyone is on the same page.' So far, the MK Party has not said whether it will take any action against Makhubele. She is still quite new to the position of chief whip, and some say it would be unfair to punish her for what looked like an honest mistake. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said he was happy the bill had passed. He said it was a sign that, despite the disagreements, Parliament was still able to do its job. 'This is an important moment,' he said. 'Now we can focus on getting services to the people.'
Eyewitness News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
MK Party downplays Makhubele blunder during Appropriation Bill's voting
JOHANNESBURG - The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party has downplayed a blunder by its chief whip during the voting of the Appropriation Bill, which saw the official opposition giving the budget a thumbs up. Colleen Makhubele's confusion – after a day spent rejecting the respective budgets presented for the various government departments – mistakenly supported the Government of National Unity (GNU) Appropriation Bill in the National Assembly on Wednesday. ALSO READ: - GNU passing national budget allows unhindered spending for rest of financial year - GNU finally passes ultimate test of collaboration by getting national budget approved The marathon sitting brought to an end 2025's sticky budget process. Makhubele was seemingly tripped up by processes in the House and accidently cast a vote on behalf of the MK Party in favour of the Appropriation Bill. The official opposition was allowed to change its vote at a later stage – a move other parties said sets a bad precedent because it was allowed after the voting window had closed. Speaking to journalists after the session, the MK Party's Des van Rooyen dismissed the faux pas. 'From vote 1 to vote 42, the MK has been very clear – we have objected all these votes. I think there was a confusion from the table when the House chairperson announced order 5 and he was corrected by his table but by then, our chief whip had already channelled order 5. That was the confusion. But it's just logic, simple sense. You can't vote no for all budgets 1 to 42 and then at the final stage you vote yes - it doesn't make sense.'
