The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on the Public Protector to investigate what it describes as systemic maladministration in the City of Johannesburg, arguing that persistent governance failures, deteriorating municipal infrastructure and weak accountability have severely undermined service delivery.

Speaking during a media briefing in Eldorado Park, Johannesburg, on Friday, DA Federal Leader and Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said years of political neglect, irregular expenditure and inadequate infrastructure maintenance had left residents and businesses bearing the consequences.

“Firstly, what I have seen here today is absolutely shocking. I also know that it is fixable. What we have seen here today is caused by years of neglect, failure to prioritise investment in basic infrastructure and failure to spend money properly,” he said.

“The consequences are plain for all to see, and not just in the smell and the huge river of sewage that we saw, but also

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eThekwini Municipality has welcomed Toyota South Africa Motors’ R10.4 billion investment in the production of the ninth-generation Toyota Hilux, saying it will strengthen Durban’s position as South Africa’s leading automotive manufacturing hub and provide a significant boost to the local economy.

The investment was announced during the launch of the new-generation Hilux at Toyota South Africa Motors’ Prospecton manufacturing plant in Durban on Thursday.

Mayor Cyril Xaba said the investment reflected growing confidence in Durban’s economy and the municipality’s efforts to improve the business environment.

“We welcome this investment as a strong endorsement of Durban’s economic potential. It reflects the progress we have made in creating a stable and enabling environment for investment, supported by continued improvements in service delivery. We remain committed to partnering with industry to drive economic growth and create sustainable employment opportunities for our residents,” Xaba said.

The municipality said the investment is

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The case against Sipho Mahlangu, who is accused of murdering Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Tshwane Region 2 secretary Monicca Dube, has been postponed to 23 July for a formal bail application after he appeared in the Cullinan Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

Mahlangu, 35, faces charges of murder and robbery in connection with the fatal shooting of the 44-year-old EFF regional leader and election coordinator, who was gunned down at her Wallmannsthal home on 13 June.

ALSO READ: Carrim’s postponement application deferred to next week and possibly behind closed doors

Police allege that Dube’s cellphone was stolen during the attack.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) said investigators are still searching for a second suspect and are working to identify those who allegedly ordered the killing.

Speaking outside court, SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the Gauteng Political Killings Task Team was confident it had arrested the correct

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ALSO READ: Madlanga Commission accuses Padayachee of ‘making up’ corruption charges against Mokwele and Lt-Gen Khumalo

The video footage highlights ongoing growing unease about undocumented migration and the perception that the system is failing to hold offenders accountable.

In the days following the video’s release, police announced nationwide operations in a statement.

Over 8,896 foreign nationals were arrested in just two weeks for contravening the Immigration Act.

Some

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The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) says it is making progress in reclaiming hijacked and neglected state-owned buildings as it intensifies its Operation Bring Back (OBB) campaign to recover properties that have been unlawfully occupied or transferred.

Deputy Minister Sihle Zikalala addressed residents in Mogale City, Gauteng, on Thursday as part of the nationwide initiative to identify and recover state properties that were illegally occupied or transferred after 1994.

“Many of these properties became vacant following the post-1994 restructuring of government departments and were subsequently occupied,” Zikalala said.

He said government intends to reclaim and repurpose the properties for community facilities, development centres, shelters for victims of gender-based violence and femicide, social or commercial housing, and government offices to reduce the state’s rental costs.

The campaign has already been rolled out in KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and North West before reaching Mogale

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eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba has deployed a multidisciplinary technical team to oversee all construction projects at the Nazareth Baptist Church in eBuhleni Village, Inanda, following the collapse of a retaining wall that injured eight congregants earlier this week.

The eThekwini Municipality said the team was deployed on Wednesday evening after Xaba visited the church with Deputy Mayor Zandile Myeni, municipal councillors and senior officials.

The intervention follows the collapse of an approximately 18-metre retaining wall shortly before midday on Monday while congregants were seated near the structure during a church gathering.

ALSO READ: In Pictures: Lesufi to deliver keynote address at Gauteng Automotive Learning Centre

The wall collapsed without warning, trapping worshippers beneath rubble and soil and triggering a major rescue operation involving eThekwini Fire and Emergency Services and other emergency response agencies.

All eight injured congregants were rescued and transported to hospital for treatment. Rescue teams

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The centre is designed to equip current and future talent with relevant skills.

ALSO READ: Ramaphosa seeks to halt impeachment inquiry pending court review

This relaunch represents an upgrade to South Africa’s automotive skills development pipeline, transitioning a decade-old artisan training facility into a high-tech manufacturing centre of excellence.

The revamped Manufacturing Center is now tailored to modernise the workforce so South Africa can compete in the highly digitised global automotive market.

ALSO READ: Madlanga seeks to subpoena Carrim’s medical records after reports of Cape outing

Lesufi will deliver a keynote on how the centre will be designed to equip current and future talent with industry-relevant skills.

This revamped center is tailored to modernise the workforce.

INSIDE METROS

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eThekwini mayor Cyril Xaba on Tuesday officially unveiled the R71 million Blundell Bridge and Road infrastructure project, marking a key milestone in the city’s efforts to rebuild and strengthen infrastructure damaged during the devastating 2022 KwaZulu-Natal floods.

The project includes about 450 metres of newly constructed roadway and a 90-metre-long, 14-metre-wide bridge featuring two traffic lanes and dedicated pedestrian walkways.

The municipality said the bridge provides a vital link between the communities of Shallcross and Queensburgh and forms part of Durban’s southern road network.

The previous low-level crossing was destroyed during the April 2022 floods when the uMhlathuzana River burst its banks, cutting off access for residents and forcing motorists to use alternative routes.

“We will ensure that all infrastructure can withstand future flooding and severe weather conditions. We are building climate-resilient infrastructure. This bridge has been designed to withstand storms with a one-in-100-year return period,” Xaba

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Democratic Alliance leader and Cape Town mayoral candidate Geordin Hill-Lewis has pledged to establish South Africa’s first Metro Police Detective Unit if re-elected, saying the move will strengthen criminal investigations and improve conviction rates.

Hill-Lewis was addressing hundreds of DA members and supporters in Delft, Cape Town, on Wednesday, where he launched the party’s “Stronger Policing Pledge” ahead of the 2026 local government elections.

ALSO READ: Taps dry as Northern Cape municipality drowns in R1bn debt

“We are going to take Cape Town forward by building South Africa’s first Metro Police Detective Unit. This has never been done anywhere in South Africa,” Hill-Lewis said.

“For four years I have worked with three police ministers and they all tell me the same thing: ‘We will think about it. We will get back to you.’

“We are not going to wait for you to do the right thing

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The order, which is being taken under a transportation authority known as Title 49, will place US citizens in Congo or those who have recently left on a “do-not-board” list until they have spent at least 21 days in a third country, the person said.

The new restrictions come amid a widening Ebola outbreak, which has spread to a number of provinces within Congo. The number of confirmed Ebola cases across the country had risen to 1 926, including 702 deaths, official data showed late on Sunday.

The often fatal viral disease spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids from infected people or animals and causes symptoms that can include high fever, vomiting and internal ⁠and external bleeding.

Some two dozen Americans were set to board flights

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