One of the casualties from this past week’s storm havoc is being laid to rest today. Twelve-year-old Otsile Sere died after being swept away by raging floods in the North West exactly a week ago.
Following the widespread destruction, the government has officially classified the adverse weather as a national disaster across six provinces, including the North West.
The North West provincial government confirmed that officials have been on the ground assessing storm-related damage and providing emergency relief. On Friday, a delegation led by Premier Lazarus Mokgosi visited Taung, one of the hardest-hit areas, where several villages were left isolated by the rising waters.
Premier Mokgosi, alongside the aid organisation Gift of the Givers, has pledged ongoing support for the flood-hit communities.
North West Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) MEC, Gaoage Molapisi, stated that government interventions include providing temporary housing to residents who have lost their homes.
"There are mud houses that have collapsed; the National Department of Human Settlements is doing an assessment of those houses and necessary intervention will be done in terms of providing them with the temporary residential units," said Molapisi.
The North West is not alone in its grief. Other provinces, including the Western Cape, are also mourning the loss of life related to the severe weather systems that have battered the country over the last seven days.
This article was originally posted by EWN
The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) is calling on the public to comment on the reviewed Draft White Paper on Local Government before the May 28 deadline.
According to the organisation, the review aims to improve local governance through practical reforms designed to strengthen accountability, professionalise municipal administration, enhance community participation, and improve financial sustainability.
The draft—published by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa on Thursday—includes several proposals submitted by SALGA. Key recommendations include simplifying municipal structures and granting municipalities powers commensurate with their specific capacities and local needs.
SALGA spokesperson Motalatale Modiba emphasised the importance of public engagement during this process.
"Collectively, we have a window of opportunity to shape the next phase of local governance. This is even more critical as we approach the local government elections towards the end of this year. We, therefore, call on everyone who is able to make an input—the various stakeholders who have been on this journey of reviewing the 1998 White Paper," said Modiba.
This article was originally posted by EWN
Mpho Sekharume
The Constitutional Court’s judgment on 8 May 2026, has fundamentally altered the trajectory of South African politics. By declaring the National Assembly’s previous handling of the Phala Phala report unconstitutional, the apex court has stripped away the procedural armour that once shielded President Cyril Ramaphosa post the 2020 burglary at his farm.
The core of this judicial intervention lies in its critique of legislative and party gatekeeping which occasionally amounted to the subversion of transparency.
In late 2022, the ANC used its then-commanding majority to vote down the Section 89 Independent Panel report. That report had found prima facie evidence of serious misconduct regarding foreign currency concealed within the President's private furniture.
Now the African Transformation Movement (ATM), which originally instituted the impeachment process, has scored a very important victory and subsequently hailed the recent ruling as a victory for the country's founding principles.
“By declaring Rule 129 (i)(b) inconsistent with the Constitution, setting aside the National Assembly vote on December 13, 2022, and directing that the independent panel’s report be referred to an impeachment committee, the Court has restored the accountability process required by our constitutional order,” ATM national spokesperson, Zama Ntshona, said.
Chief Justice Mandisa Maya’s ruling has now struck down Rule 129I for being unconstitutional. The court found that Parliament cannot simply vote away a finding of substance without a public ventilation of the facts.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) - co-litigants in the application - described the judgment as a definitive end to the use of parliamentary numbers to bypass the law.
“The EFF correctly argued before the Constitutional Court that this discretion was unconstitutional because it allowed Parliament to arbitrarily override the findings of an independent panel and frustrate the constitutional purpose of the impeachment process,” the party stated in a statement.
In the previous administration, the ANC acted as a protective shield for Ramaphosa. However, in the current 2026 Parliament, that protective barrier has effectively shattered. The most significant threat to the Ramaphosa is the loss of the ANC’s outright majority.
Without the 201 seats required to unilaterally block proceedings, the Ramaphosa is left without a numerical buffer.
The EFF further contended that the ruling validates their long-standing position that state institutions were manipulated to protect the executive.
“This judgment is a decisive victory for constitutional accountability and confirms what the EFF has maintained from the onset of this scandal: that the institutions of the state, including Parliament, were manipulated to protect Cyril Ramaphosa,” the statement continued.
ATM, on the other hand, remains steadily on the offensive against Ramaphosa, whilst emphasising that the revival of the case transcends partisan interests to focus on the integrity of the state.
“For ATM, the Phala Phala matter has never been about personalities, factions, or political theatre. It has always been about moral governance, the rule of law, and the protection of the people’s trust,” Ntshona said.
Government of National Unity (GNU) dynamics have further increased this political exposure, with senior coalition partners like the Democratic Alliance (DA) having indicated that they will not shield the Ramaphosa from accountability.
Meanwhile, the Presidency has responded by reiterating a commitment to the legal frameworks governing the republic. Spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, noted that the Ramaphosa remains ready to engage with the revived proceedings.
“The president has been consistent in providing his full assistance to the various enquiries into this matter. President Ramaphosa maintains that no person is above the law and that any allegations should be subjected to due process without fear, favour or prejudice,” said Magwenya.
The revived impeachment process will follow a rigorous, three-stage constitutional path. Parliament must first amend its internal rules to allow for an automatic referral to an inquiry.
An ad hoc impeachment committee will then be established to lead the investigation. Unlike previous panels, this body has the power to summon witnesses under oath and prioritise the examination of financial records.
This process, which will probably be televised, will strip away the privacy Ramaphosa has maintained since the scandal broke. It forces a level of public scrutiny that was previously avoided through parliamentary manoeuvring.
Once the committee completes its investigation, the National Assembly will vote on a final motion of removal. While a two-thirds majority is required for removal, the political damage may prove fatal for the ANC leading to the local government elections on 4 November 2026.
The North West Provincial Legislature’s Ad Hoc Committee investigating allegations of interference involving Clifton J Groep has recommended that possible cases of perjury uncovered during its hearings be referred to the National Director of Public Prosecutions for further consideration.
Addressing the media in Mahikeng on Thursday, committee chairperson Nathan Oliphant confirmed that the committee had entered the deliberation phase of its investigation after concluding months of public hearings into allegations involving members of the North West Provincial Legislature and the Naledi Local Municipality mayor.
The Ad Hoc Committee was established under Rule 186 of the Standing Rules of the North West Provincial Legislature to investigate allegations of interference against members of the legislature by Groep.
Oliphant said the committee received an analysis report from its legal team, led by senior counsel Pule Seleka, outlining “multiple contradictions” in witness testimonies presented during the hearings process.
According to the committee, the legal report identified possible instances of perjury arising from conflicting evidence provided by several witnesses who testified before the inquiry.
“Following deliberations on the contents of the report, the Committee adopted the report with recommended amendments arising from its deliberative processes,” Oliphant said.
The investigation, which began in November 2025, heard testimony from a wide range of witnesses, including current and former municipal officials, provincial government representatives and political figures connected to the matter.
Those who appeared before the committee included former Naledi Local Municipality municipal manager Modisenyane Thompson Segapo, former director of corporate services Thabo Appolus and North West Premier Lazarus Kagiso Mokgosi.
The hearings were held at the Sun City Convention Centre and streamed publicly on the legislature’s Facebook platform as part of efforts to ensure transparency and public participation.
Oliphant stressed that the committee’s work had been guided by principles of fairness, impartiality and natural justice, adding that the next phase of proceedings would focus on finalising procedural processes and recommendations before reporting back to the House.
This was originally posted on The North West Provincial Legislature Facebook page
A convicted murderer serving a life term behind bars for allegedly shooting his ex-girlfriend, walks away a free man after he successfully appealed to the High Court in Mahikeng.
Johannes Demcy Dielele was convicted of the murder of his former girlfriend and mother of his child, and sentenced to life imprisonment by a lower court; however, the High Court of South Africa, North West Division, Mahikeng, found that the State had not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
It was the State’s case that Dielele, who was sentenced in October 2023, shot and killed his ex-girlfriend at an outside toilet in the presence of her cousin, who accompanied her.
The cousin - being the only other eye witness of the alleged shooting incident - died before the commencement of trial in an unrelated accident.
The State’s version was that Dielele, after contacting the deceased’s mother and sister when she broke contact with him due to their relationship having broken down, drove to their home on the evening of August 4, 2018, in Verdwaal, Itsoseng.
The deceased and her cousin had gone to the outdoor toilet on his arrival, and Dielele followed them outside.
“Shortly thereafter, (the deceased’s mother and sister) heard the cousin screaming. They ran outside. The deceased’s mother saw Dielele walking backwards from the direction of the toilet towards his vehicle. She asked him what had happened; he did not respond.
“He drove off, colliding with the gate as he left. The deceased was found near the toilet with a gunshot wound to the right side of her head. She was declared dead by paramedics. The post-mortem report by Dr Maleka Samuel Letebele confirmed the cause of death as penetrating head trauma due to a gunshot to the head. The fatal projectile was discharged from a 7.65mm calibre firearm,” court documents read.
No eyewitness observed the actual shooting. Neither the deceased’s mother nor the sister saw Dielele in possession of a firearm at any time.
He was arrested some days after the incident. A 9mm pistol and three rounds of 9mm ammunition, different to the ballistic evidence of the murder weapon, were found in a school bag in the vehicle in which he was travelling.
During the trial, Dielele did not testify and called no witnesses in his defence.
The State sought to introduce the cousin’s account through hearsay evidence.
The High Court held that the balancing exercise conducted in the hearsay ruling was insufficient in that the cousin’s oral statements to the mother and sister were not contemporaneously recorded and that the cousin was under emotional stress.
Acting Deputy Judge President Andre Petersen said: “The circumstances attending the making of these statements do not provide the hallmarks of trustworthiness that would warrant their reception over the objection of an accused who cannot cross-examine the declarant… the prejudice to Dielele is severe.
“Her statement, if accurate, is the only eyewitness account placing the appellant as the shooter. The accused is unable to challenge her perception, test her proximity to the events, probe her state of mind, or expose any motive to falsify… the court a quo found that the hearsay was ‘corroborated’ by the evidence of the deceased’s mother and sister. That finding misdirected the enquiry. Corroboration must be independent evidence going to the critical fact that Dielele was the person who fired the weapon.”
Petersen, arriving at the acquittal decision, said with the hearsay excluded and the ballistic evidence positively disconnecting Dielele from the murder weapon, other inferences remain reasonably possible.
“While this evidence creates a strong suspicion, however grave, is not proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” said Petersen.
Dielele was acquitted of murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition.
This article was originally posted by IOL
