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IOL News
3 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
General Masemola, Lesotho police chief, holds talks amid claims of military training camps in SA
Lesotho Police Chief, Advocate Borotho Matsoso, and SAPS National Police Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola. Image: SAPS The National Police Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), General Fannie Masemola, is in Lesotho, meeting the Police Chief, Advocate Borotho Matsoso, after claims of Basotho-styled military training camps in South Africa. The one-day meeting is under way in Maseru and follows claims by Lesotho authorities in who insisted they had credible information about Basotho undergoing military-style training in certain farms within South Africa, as part of the growing campaign to fight for the contentious land in South Africa's provinces. The claimed land included parts of the Free State, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. General Masemola is leading a delegation of senior officials from various government departments under the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure(NATJOINTS). The talks come amid claims of Basotho-style military training camps in SA. Image: SAPS Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The delegation of senior officials from South Africa includes the Deputy National Commissioner of Policing and co-chair of the NATJOINTS, Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, the head of Interpol in SA, a senior officer from SAPS Crime Intelligence, and a senior officer from the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). The Lesotho Mounted Police Service delegation is led by Advocate Matsoso and consists of the Deputy Commissioner of police responsible for operations, Deputy Commissioner Likhama Moqhebi, senior officers from the Lesotho Mounted Police Service Crime Intelligence unit, specialised operations, and the detectives unit. General Masemola will also be engaging with Advocate Matsoso on what the SAPS crime intelligence-driven operations have yielded so far. Advocate Matsoso and his delegation are also expected to present a report on what the Lesotho Mounted Police have uncovered this far. Thereafter, a joint statement on the findings will be released, and a way forward will be established. Lesotho and South Africa each brought along a delegation of senior officials for this meeting. Image: SAPS Last week, the SAPS confirmed it had not uncovered any Basotho camps within its borders. Lieutenant General Mosikili previously told the media that investigations were conducted in different parts of South Africa, but nothing was found to back the Lesotho authorities' information. "Yes, we did receive an alert following the revelations made by the police commissioner of Lesotho. We were alerted by the statement that was on his social media account, and we did not rest from the time that we received such. We have deployed all our operatives on the ground to establish the facts, including our bilaterals that we are having, because we do have bilaterals with Lesotho," Mosikili said to Newzroom Afrika. IOL previously reported that a Lesotho member of parliament, Dr Tshepo Lipholo, leader of the Basotho Covenant Movement, a political party that has been leading the charge in demanding the return of Lesotho's "stolen land" which is part of current-day South Africa, was arrested and charged in the mountain kingdom. Lipholo faces charges including sedition and incitement, and is also accused of violating the dignity and reputation of Lesotho's royal family by allegedly declaring himself the 'paramount chief of Basotholand' and encouraging young Basotho to prepare for armed struggle. It is alleged that audio clips circulating on social media platforms prove these claims. Lipholo has been leading the charge, calling for certain sections of South Africa to be declared Lesotho's territory. Limpholo wants the land to be returned to the governance of Lesotho. Earlier this year, Lipholo travelled to the United Nations (UN), where he submitted a claim that sought to reclaim land lost during the colonial era. Lesotho's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Relations distanced itself from Lipholo, stating he was acting on his own agenda, and the UN trip was not sanctioned by the Maseru government. IOL
TimesLIVE
03-07-2025
- TimesLIVE
Sars warns on fuel contamination scams that cost fiscus R3.6bn a year
The SA Revenue Service (Sars) has issued a strong warning about the growing threat of fuel adulteration and illicit trade in the country, revealing that the fiscus loses about R3.6bn a year from these illegal activities. According to Sars, some diesel samples analysed during recent investigations were found to contain up to 68% paraffin, highlighting the severity of fuel tampering. A joint-intelligence team comprising Sars and police officials has so far identified 23 targets across Gauteng, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal as part of a crackdown on the illicit fuel economy. This operation led to the discovery of 953,515 litres of contaminated diesel and six fuel depots that were operating in contravention of section 37 of the Customs and Excise Act 91 of 1964 as amended. Sars revealed that assets and contaminated fuel worth R367m were seized, leading to further investigations and possible criminal and civil liabilities. 'Two so-called fuel 'washrooms' were uncovered — one of which is a rare mobile washroom fitted on to a transport truck. These were used to remove paraffin markers,' Sars said. In addition, 12 fuel-transport trucks were flagged for suspected false declarations, whereby tankers claiming to import an average of 15,000 litres of fuel were found to be carrying significantly more. So far, 13 criminal cases have been registered with the police, supported by Sars trade investigators for customs and excise contraventions and fraud. In the past four months, the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) has conducted multiple interventions to combat the illegal trade. Sars said the Maputo Corridor linking South Africa, Eswatini and Mozambique has over the past decade become a hotbed for fuel smuggling and adulteration driven by organised criminal networks. 'Some importers declare fuel volumes of 40,000 litres or less, whereas investigations reveal that up to 60,000 litres are actually being brought into the country,' said Sars. The agency warned that illegal mixing of diesel with paraffin has become a national trend, often carried out by fuel storage and distribution depots. Fuel adulteration refers to the practice of mixing petroleum products, particularly diesel, with cheaper substances such as paraffin or even water. This is done to inflate the volume of fuel sold, enabling illicit profits at the expense of quality and safety. Adulterated fuel can severely damage engines and machinery, leading to increased maintenance costs and shorter vehicle lifespans. This comes as South Africans were hit with steep fuel price hikes on Wednesday. Diesel 0.05% increased by 82c/litre Diesel 0.005% increased by 84c/litre Illuminating paraffin went up by 67c/litre. Sars stressed that this activity is part of a broader illicit economy that poses a serious risk to the country. 'The illicit economy is a global phenomenon that threatens South Africa's society, economy and national security. Tax evasion, smuggling, illegal transactions, illicit manufacturing and fraud undermine the rule of law, erode public trust, distort markets, deprive governments of revenue, and enable corruption and organised crime,' said Sars. The agency called for a whole-of-government approach involving public entities, the private sector, civil society and international partners to effectively dismantle these networks. Sars commissioner Edward Kieswetter praised the joint efforts of enforcement agencies. 'These syndicates can only underestimate our resolve to eradicate this criminality at their peril. These acts threaten the very foundation of our society. Our message is clear: we will spare no efforts to crush them,' said Kieswetter.
The South African
17-05-2025
- Health
- The South African
Police bust sellers of expired goods
On 17 May 2025, The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) Priority Committee on Food borne Illness and Illicit Trade set up operations in Pretoria West. They visited multiple warehouses to inspect whether any illicit sale of expired consumable goods was taking place. The multi-disciplinary NATJOINTS team comprised of members of the South African Police Service and Department of Home Affairs officials. Labour inspectors, municipal health inspectors, Tshwane Emergency Management Services and Crime Prevention Wardens were also part of the operation. 'The operation led to the arrest of twelve suspects for contravention of the Immigration Act. Two business owners were fined for employing these undocumented foreign nationals', said SAPS spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Amanda van Wyk. During the operation, municipal health inspectors identified warehouses that were in contravention of health and safety regulations. 'The team closed down four warehouses and seized a large consignment of illicit goods and expired consumables', said van Wyk. According to van Wyk, fines and notices were also issued to the owners of the warehouses. They were for non-compliance of health and safety regulations. In 2024, more than 23 children of primary school-going age died after consuming snacks and food they had bought at local spaza shops. Many others were hospitalised, also from food poisoning related illnesses. The deaths caused national outcry and the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, identified Terbufos (an organophosphate) as the cause of death. According to a report by the Health Department, Terbufos is normally used by farmers as a soil insecticide. They use it to control various pests in crops like corn, sorghum, and sugar beets. The insecticide mostly kills soil insects such as corn rootworm, wireworms, and white grubs. Spaza shops were also on the receiving end of public scrutiny, as many claimed the deaths were as a result of the sale of expired and poisoned goods. van Wyk said SAPS are doing their best to keep citizens safe and avoid what happened last year. She urged South African's to also play their part. 'SAPS encourages all community members to form part of the fight against food borne illness and illicit trade by reporting suspected non-compliance to relevant authorities', said van Wyk. She said the operation that took place in Pretoria today, is part of an ongoing multi-disciplinary law enforcement operation. She said police are pouncing at various places across the country daily. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
