Latest news with #NobuntuGantana
The South African
7 hours ago
- The South African
Walter Sisulu University staff member shot dead outside campus
Police launched an urgent investigation after gunmen shot and killed a Walter Sisulu University staff member outside the Nkululekweni gate of the Mthatha campus in the Eastern Cape on Thursday, 19 June. Police found the victim, believed to be a senior faculty member, inside a parked vehicle shortly before 6pm. A fellow staff member who passed the scene alerted authorities. Eastern Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana said preliminary forensic analysis confirmed the victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds while seated in the driver's position. Police have not released the victim's identity, citing respect for the family and allowing the university to make a formal announcement. Eastern Cape provincial commissioner Major General Thandiswa Kupiso said detectives and forensic experts are actively processing the crime scene and warned against public speculation. She said police had deployed maximum resources to pursue all leads and were working to preserve the integrity of the investigation. Authorities urged anyone with information to come forward. Chairperson of the parliamentary portfolio committee on higher education, Tebogo Letsie, condemned the killing and described it as a brutal and inhumane act. 'We are devastated to learn that an official of Walter Sisulu University has been murdered so callously. Violence has no place in our institutions of learning,' he said. Letsie note that this is the second fatal shooting on the campus in three months. He called on the university to urgently strengthen security to protect staff and students. 'The latest tragedy is deeply concerning and raises serious questions about safety on campus. Our thoughts are with the family, colleagues and students,' he added. 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.
News24
a day ago
- News24
Four arrested in connection with murder of 2 teenage girls in KwaNobuhle
Four people have been arrested in connection with the murder of two teenage girls whose burnt bodies were found in KwaNobuhle, the Eastern Cape, on Wednesday. The men, aged between 16 and 23, were arrested on Thursday. The bodies, believed to be those of girls aged 17 and 19, were found in a bush by a cattle herder. Police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana said investigations into the circumstances surrounding the murders were continuing. 'Further details regarding the suspects and the charges they face will be communicated in due course as the legal process unfolds,' she added. The murders have sparked concern and outrage in the community, with locals on Wednesday calling for the blood of those involved. Acting Eastern Cape police commissioner Major General Thandiswa Kupiso assured the public the police were treating the case with the utmost seriousness. The police have urged anyone with additional information about the case to come forward and assist with the investigation.
The South African
a day ago
- The South African
Five burnt bodies found in torched car in Eastern Cape
Police opened five murder dockets after discovering five charred bodies in a burnt-out vehicle along the R345 outside Peddie in the Eastern Cape. SAPS Officers found the vehicle near Crossroads at around 12:30 on Tuesday, 17 June. Fire had completely destroyed it. According to SAPS provincial spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana, police discovered the remains of five people inside the car. The bodies were burnt beyond recognition. The make, model and registration of the car are Vehicle Crime Investigation Unit is tracing the vehicle's ownership. Because of the case's brutality, police handed it over to the Serious Violent Crime Investigation Unit. Police are appealing for help in identifying the victims and anyone with knowledge of what led to the killings. Eastern Cape police have taken a 37-year-old woman into custody in connection with the murder of a 50-year-old off-duty officer. According to SAPS provincial spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana, the woman allegedly assaulted the officer with a knobkierrie following an argument. The attack occurred on Sunday, 15 June 2025, in Khwenxurha near Mooiplaas. Police found the victim unresponsive the next morning. The suspect surrendered to authorities on Monday, 16 June, admitting to the argument and claiming she found the officer unresponsive the following day. Police have handed the case over to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI). 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.
Daily Maverick
4 days ago
- Daily Maverick
Two men arrested for smuggling 10 children into SA from Lesotho after tipoff
The Eastern Cape Police confirmed on Monday that they had arrested two Lesotho nationals after they were caught smuggling ten children, some as young as four, into South Africa (SA). The suspects are due to appear in court on Tuesday, 17 June. The police in Matatiele arrested two male suspects (aged 40 and 20) on Saturday for human trafficking and illegal immigration involving 10 children. The arrests followed a swift response to a tipoff received by the police about an adult male with 10 children who was seen near a fuel station in Matatiele. Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana said that when confronted by the police, the 40-year-old suspect — a Lesotho national without valid documentation — claimed he was transporting the children to their mothers in Pietermaritzburg. 'However, the children contradicted this, stating they did not know the man, and that he had taken them from Qacha's Nek, Lesotho, under false pretences of reuniting them with their mothers. They confirmed illegal entry into South Africa via an unofficial crossing near Paqama,' she said. She added that the children were between the ages of four and 14. Qacha's Nek, about 35km from Matatiele, is the closest legal border crossing between SA and Lesotho. But the Paqama Crossing is a well-known illegal crossing point into SA, and is close by. 'Cases of Human Trafficking (Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act) and Illegal Immigration (Immigration Act) were registered. Both suspects are in custody and will appear before the Matatiele Magistrate's Court soon,' Gantana added. Children in 'safe location' She added that the 10 children had been placed in a safe location by the Department of Social Development and are receiving care. 'The investigation continues to uncover the full extent of the trafficking operation,' she said. Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Thandiswa Kupiso, commended the vigilant person who tipped off the police. 'This intervention potentially saved these children from further harm,' he said. Matatiele recently made headlines when a seven-year old, nicknamed Cwecwe, was brutally raped in the town. The attack on Cwecwe and the subsequent outcry when nobody was arrested led to protests countrywide calling for justice for the young child. Raymond Mayekisa, representing a child protection NGO in Matatiele, said it looked like all the children were from Lesotho, but indicated that they would help where they could to reunite them with their families. The US Department of State's annual report into the fight against human trafficking last year stated that the country 'does not fully meet the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking, but is making significant efforts to do so'. In 2024, four cases of human trafficking were brought in Lesotho, and 14 others were still ongoing. Lesotho's government formally launched the Bi-National Commission of Cooperation (BNC) with SA in 2024 to increase law enforcement coordination to combat trafficking crimes. Describing Lesotho's Trafficking Profile, the report states as follows: 'As reported over the past five years, human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Lesotho, and traffickers exploit victims from Lesotho abroad. Limited economic opportunities, exacerbated by the [Covid19] pandemic and inflation, resulted in vulnerable populations — including women and orphaned children, enticed by traffickers with false promises of legitimate employment or educational opportunities — to migrate from rural into urban areas and to SA or the Middle East. 'Traffickers, including in religious institutions, fraudulently advertise scholarships or lucrative jobs in hospitality on social media to recruit victims into forced labour and sex trafficking, increasingly in the Middle East. Traffickers in Lesotho 'In Lesotho, traffickers exploit Basotho children, especially orphans, in forced labour in domestic servitude and animal herding and in sex trafficking. Young girls employed in domestic work in exchange for room and board are vulnerable to forced labour and abuse. In previous years, there were anecdotal reports that 'workshop masters' forced children to produce and sell arts and crafts in market vending. 'There were reports of sexual harassment in Taiwan, People's Republic of China (PRC), and South Asian-owned textile factories in Lesotho, including widespread reports managers and supervisors coerced female workers into sexual relationships in exchange for maintaining employment, receiving better working conditions, and avoiding further harassment. Pandemic-induced layoffs increased vulnerabilities of the predominantly female textile workforce, resulting in some engaging in commercial sex,' the report continued. hardship and hunger in the area. DM
The South African
4 days ago
- The South African
Woman hands herself in after killing EC cop with knobkierrie
The woman claimed that the two had argued the night before. Image: SAPS/Facebook Police have taken a 37-year-old woman into custody in connection with the murder of a 50-year-old off-duty Eastern Cape police officer. According to a media statement by SAPS Provincial Police Spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana, the woman allegedly beat the officer with a knobkierrie following an argument. The incident unfolded on Sunday, 15 June 2025, in Khwenxurha near Mooiplaas in the Easter Cape. The victim, who was not on duty at the time, was found unresponsive the following morning. WOMAN TURN HERSELF IN AFTER KILLING EC COP The suspect turned herself in to local authorities on Monday 16 June 2025. She claimed that the two had argued the night before and that she discovered him unresponsive the next day. Gantana confirmed that the woman will appear in court soon. Police have handed over the case docket to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) for further investigation. EASTERN CAPE TEEN KILLED BY STEPFATHER A 52-year-old man was arrested on Sunday night, 25 May 2025, for the murder of his 18-year-old stepson, Leewin Solomon, following a domestic dispute in Rosedale, Kariega. According to Eastern Cape police, the incident took place at around 21:28 at a house on Parkiet Street. Police say Solomon and his stepfather got into an argument, during which Solomon allegedly stabbed the older man in the shoulder. The stepfather then drew his firearm and shot Solomon. Paramedics rushed Solomon to the hospital, but doctors declared him dead on arrival. Police recovered a 9mm Glock pistol at the scene and sent it for ballistic testing. The stepfather has been charged with murder and remains in custody. What does this brazen attack say about rising violence and safety? 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.
