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Six arrested for manufacturing counterfeit liquor in Eastern Cape, R500,000 in illicit alcohol seized
via The Citizen2 min read
The South African Police Service SAPS arrested six suspects in Stutterheim, Eastern Cape, on Wednesday night, April 22, 2026, for allegedly manufacturing and distributing counterfeit alcoholic beverages. Police received a tip-off about suspicious activities involving a white Nissan panel van. A vehicle checkpoint on the N6 led to the interception of the van, which contained empty bottles. Further investigation led officers to a house in Entilini, Lower Khologha, where five additional suspects were found producing and packaging various brands of counterfeit alcoholic spirits. Police confiscated illicit liquor valued at over R500,000 and R6,570 in cash. The site is believed to have operated as a manufacturing factory since 2025. The six suspects, aged between 22 and 36, face charges under the Counterfeit Goods Act 31 of 1997 and the Liquor Act. Acting Amathole District Commissioner, Brigadier Zinikele Freddie, commended the arrests and urged communities to report unlawful factories due to the health hazards posed by illicit alcohol. Separately, the Durban High Court granted a forfeiture order worth approximately R15 million against a commercial property in Newlands East, Durban, which had been used as a clandestine drug laboratory. This KwaZulu-Natal property, valued at about R32 million, was forfeited to the state on Wednesday. In March 2024, police discovered drug manufacturing equipment and chemicals at the premises, leading to the arrest of a foreign national for being in t
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Former National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of corruption and money laundering as her trial began before the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. The state alleges she solicited R4.55 million in bribes from South African National Defence Force SANDF contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu between December 2016 and July 2019, during her tenure as minister of defence and military veterans. The case was initiated after a criminal complaint by United Democratic Movement UDM leader and current Deputy Defence Minister Bantu Holomisa. Mapisa-Nqakula, who stepped down from Parliament after her arrest in April 2024, acknowledged that construction and upgrades were carried out at her home while she was minister but denied soliciting or accepting bribes. Advocate Paul Louw, presenting the state's case, outlined alleged payments through a detailed PowerPoint presentation, stating that Mapisa-Nqakula made 12 separate cash requests after contracts were awarded to Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu鈥檚 company, Umkhombe Marine. These requests allegedly resulted in payments totaling R2.15 million, with a further R2.4 million in requested payments unfulfilled. The prosecution detailed a timeline of contracts awarded to Umkhombe Marine, including a R1.5 million tender in 2013, a R24 million contract in 2016, and a R79 million contract in the same year. The state argued that the awarding of the third contract coincided with the first alleged payment r
The South African Union of Students Saus has called for an independent assessor to investigate governance issues at the University of Venda. This follows Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela's announcement that he would appoint an assessor after the precautionary suspension of the university鈥檚 vice-chancellor and principal, Prof Bernard Nthambeleni, and chief operating officer, Botwe Kraziya. The suspensions occurred amid corruption allegations and after a 16 July council meeting failed to resolve the matter internally, leading to fears of litigation. Saus emphasized the importance of the independent assessor approaching the responsibility with impartiality, professional integrity, and a commitment to evidence-based findings.
The trial for the 1985 murder of anti-apartheid activist Bathandwa Ndondo has been postponed again after the presiding judge, Judge Buyiswa Majiki, recused herself. The Mthatha High Court, sitting in Cacadu, postponed the matter until Monday, 27 July, to allow for the appointment of a new judge. National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Luxolo Tyali confirmed that Judge Majiki agreed to step aside after the defense for former Transkei Security Branch officer Gcinisiko Dandala, 68, raised concerns about her impartiality. The defense argued that Judge Majiki had been a student activist at the University of Transkei and participated in protests calling for the arrest of those responsible for Ndondo鈥檚 murder. Ndondo was also a student activist at the institution at the time. Judge Majiki stated she arranged for another judicial officer to preside to avoid delays from a protracted recusal application. Ndondo was abducted from his home in Cala by members of the Transkei Security Branch and Vlakplaas askaris, then shot and fatally wounded. Dandala鈥檚 previous application for amnesty before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was refused, with the TRC ruling the killing was politically motivated. The case is one of several unresolved apartheid-era murders being prosecuted under the TRC legacy framework, with Dandala arrested as the only surviving suspect after an extensive investigation.