NSPCA welcomes long-awaited reform for lion captivity breeding ban

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CAPE TOWN - The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) has  welcomed the announcement by Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, on the imminent publication of the Lion Prohibition Notice banning new captive lion breeding facilities.   This long-awaited reform marks a pivotal milestone in dismantling an industry built on systemic cruelty, reflecting years of legal action, public advocacy, and inspections by the NSPCA. The prohibition confirms what the NSPCA has long exposed: the captive lion industry has operated largely unabated for decades, inflicting severe animal welfare violations, damaging South Africa’s conservation reputation, and flouting constitutional obligations to protect sentient beings. While limited to new facilities, this ban sends a clear signal that the commodification of lions for tourism, hunting, and the bone trade is no longer defensible. The NSPCA’s decade-long investigations have laid bare the industry’s brutality. O...
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Musa Khawula appears in court for attempted murder

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FOCHVILLE - Musawenkosi Khawula (32) appeared briefly in the Fochville Magistrates’ Court today. He faces charges of attempted murder, alternatively reckless driving, as well as an additional charge of failing to render assistance and/or report an accident to the police.

These charges allegedly arise from an incident that took place on 20 February 2021, around 18:00 near Mponeng Mine. It is alleged that the complainant and his wife were driving home on a narrow road when they noticed a Volkswagen Polo parked along the roadway. The accused was standing next to the vehicle naked on his lower body.

 

The couple approached the accused, informing him that he was trespassing on private property. Upon looking inside the vehicle, the complainant allegedly saw another man moving from the back seat to the front seat while getting dressed.

After an exchange of words between the complainant and the accused, the accused allegedly returned to his car, drove away, when he reached a dead-end he executed a U-turn. He then allegedly bumped the complainant, who was standing beside the driver’s side of his vehicle, before fleeing the scene, leaving the complainant injured on the ground.

 

A member of the Community Policing Forum (CPF) driving on the same road later found the injured complainant and alerted the police. The accused was arrested shortly thereafter at a nearby tavern at Mponeng Mine, making his first court appearance on 22 February 2021, where he was granted R1,000 bail.

 
However, after failing to appear in court on two occasions, a warrant for his arrest was authorised, and his bail was forfeited to the state on 17 June 2021. The accused was re-arrested and appeared in court again on 16 January 2025. The court has since added a charge of attempted murder, with reckless driving as an alternative, along with the charge of failing to render assistance and/or report the accident.

 
The matter has been postponed to 05 February 2025 for a formal bail application.
 
The accused is remanded in custody. The celebrity blogger also faces charges of crimen injuria and Contravention of Section 19 of the Cyber Crimes Act of 2020 and Hate Speech.

This is a developing story.

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