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South African creative Liesl Lategan selected for Cannes Lions See It Be It program
via The Citizen14 min read
Joburg-based South African creative Liesl Lategan has been chosen to represent the country at the 2026 See It Be It talent program, part of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in France. The festival, scheduled for June, is recognized as a leading global event in the creative industry. The See It Be It program offers mentorship, private masterclasses with industry leaders, backstage access, and sessions tailored to participants' career objectives. Lategan, founder and executive director of Spitfire Films, previously interned at a film company in Atlanta, Georgia, and worked as a waitress and promotions girl to fund her studies at the Natal Technikon, now Durban University of Technology. Driven by a desire for creative freedom, she established Ace Up Post Production and later co-founded Spitfire Films with her husband, Andrew Kyriakou. Spitfire Films has become South Africa's first 360-degree content company under her leadership. As an executive producer, Lategan focuses on problem-solving, managing productions, and collaborating with directors. A significant career highlight for her was producing the Investec Pororoca project in the Amazon jungle. Lategan emphasizes the importance of mentorship, viewing it as a responsibility to help young creatives enter the industry. She and her partner, Baleseng Makola, mentor young creatives at Spitfire Films. Lategan looks forward to learning global communication skills at the festival and inspiring other women and LGBT
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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.