TrendySA Online

NELSPRUIT - The Police in Mhala arrested a man (31) who allegedly torched a Police bakkie in Thulamahashe on Saturday, 18 January 2025 at about 15h30. A report indicates that the Police marked Toyota Double Cab bakkie was set alight in brought day light. According to information, the Police driver and his crew were coming from a routine patrol at Thulamahashe Shopping Complex to Mhala Police Station. On their arrival, they parked the motor vehicle outside the station gate, closed the windows, locked the doors, and entered the Station. All of a sudden, they heard some noise about the said Police bakkie being on fire. As they came out, the said man was running from the torched motor vehicle. The members then gave chase and caught him, a few metres from the scene. It was during this time when the suspect was arrested and charged with malicious damage to state property. Preliminary investigation by the Police revealed that he is a repeat offender as he committed a similar offen...

JOHANNESBURG - National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) says it will be laying criminal charges against an individual seen in a recent viral video pouring an alcoholic beverage, suspected to be beer, down the mouth of a common carp.  The individual, publishing as 'Lethabo_Sebapo' on TikTok, has been tracked, and contacted, and the compilation of a docket is in its final stages. In the video, the individual is seen holding the fish in one hand while pouring the beverage into its mouth. He is heard laughing and appears entertained throughout the video. The individual admitted to the act and stated that his motivation was “fun”. The publisher, who describes himself on TikTok as “fun,” “entrepreneur,” “CEO,” and “innovative,” will face criminal charges under the Animals Protection Act 71 of 1962. Specific charges are in relation to sections 2(1)(a), (n), (q), and (r). Since the rise of social media platforms like TikTok, the NSPCA has seen an alarming increase in videos depic...

JOHANNESBURG - Gauteng Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni led a multidisciplinary Safer Festive Season Operation in the area of Honeydew and Cosmo City last night, Saturday, 18 January. The operation consisted of the search for stolen/ hijacked vehicles, illegal firearms, illicit goods transported on the road and compliance inspections. According to the SAPS, the first phase of the operation started with a tracing of wanted suspects throughout the province and the detectives managed to arrest 397 wanted suspects for various crimes and 123 is crimes committed against women and children. At a roadblock conducted at Hendrik Potgieter Road, the team arrested over 70 illegal immigrants and six suspects for possession of drugs and 21 for drunk and driving.

NELSPRUIT - The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Major General (Dr) Zeph Mkhwanazi has welcomed the arrest of five suspects, aged between 29 and 40 believed to be linked to the killing of an on-duty Police Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Piet Pretorius on Thursday, 16 January 2025 in Ermelo in less than 24 hours. Yesterday, Friday, 17 January, Acting Provincial Commissioner visited the bereaved family of the late, Lt Col Pretorius.  A vehicle believed to have been used in the commission of the crime has also been found torched this morning next to Extension 7 in Ermelo. A multi-disciplinary team established by the Acting Provincial Commissioner, consisting of Hawks, Detectives, Intelligence, and a security company, has managed to track and trace the suspects in Nelspruit. As promised, the Acting Provincial Commissioner has highlighted that they will leave no stone unturned in finding these police killers.

PIETERMARITZBURG - Mountain bike rider collapsed during a ride in the forest in Karkloof in KwaZulu-Natal this morning, Saturday, 18 January. Midlands EMS K9 Search and Rescue Unit, with K9 Hunter, alongside Midlands EMS Advanced Life Support paramedics and a local Howick ambulance, were dispatched to a forest in Karkloof after a mountain bike rider collapsed during a ride. Upon arrival, resuscitation efforts were being performed by another rider. Midlands EMS Advanced Life Support paramedic took over and initiated advanced resuscitation efforts, including the use of a manual defibrillator. Despite all efforts, the patient was sadly declared deceased on scene by the Midlands EMS Advanced Life Support paramedic. Authorities were in attendance.

GAUTENG - The Correctional Services matric Class of 2024 has raised the bar higher with a pass rate of 96.2%. That's an increase of 3% from the previous year.  Correctional Services Minister, Pieter Groenewald, provided a briefing on the inmates' performance on Friday, 17 January. Out of 171 candidates who wrote the exams in correctional facilities, 165 passed, with 104 obtaining bachelor passes.  Notably, 13 out of 17 correctional facility schools achieved a 100% pass rate.

MIDRAND - The South African Police Service (SAPS) conducted a takedown operation in Midrand on Friday, 17 January 2025, leading to the arrest of a 35-year-old suspect for possession, accessing, downloading and distribution of child pornography as well as possession of drugs, and fraud. In the last two years, police arrested 21 suspects on charges related to child pornography countrywide. A team of investigators attached to the national and Gauteng provincial Serial and Electronic Crime Investigations (SECI) units led by the Component Head for Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS), Major General Mmantsheke Lekhele executed a search-and-seizure warrant at a residence in Midrand. During the operation, a number of electronic devices suspected to contain child sexual abuse material (child pornography) were confiscated. A forensic analysis of these devices was conducted on scene by cyber-crime experts, an estimated number of 10 million child pornography imag...

 NORTH WEST - The Congress of the People (COPE) has decided to rally behind the growing calls for a commission of inquiry into the Stilfontein tragedy, which has led to injuries and loss of life.    "The gruesome and horrific pictures and information surfacing now show a government hellbent on using starvation, dehumanisation, and other forms of violence, which have led to the slow and painful death of desperate people trying to eke out a living in the deepest pits of the earth.    The current government miserably fails to grow an inclusive economy that creates decent jobs. It has failed to restructure the inherited structural colonial economy of mineral extraction and exploitation by using cheap local labour and those sourced from neighbouring countries. The GNU shamelessly perpetuates neocolonialism at "the expense of the majority of people," party spokesperson Pakes Dikgetsi blasted the government.    He added, "The SAPS motto of 'We Ser...

SOUTH AFRICA - The Department of Basic Education has released a list of higher education institutions that are still accepting late applicants in the country. The institutions are listed as follows: 1. DUT www.dut.ac.za- Now open 2. MUT www.mut.ac.za - Now open 3. UMP www.ump.ac.za - Now open 4. TUT www.tut.ac.za - 20-24 January 2025 5. VUT www.vut.ac.za - opening next week  6. WSU www.wsu.ac.za - won’t open  7. UJ www.uj.ac.za - Now open 8. UNISA www.unisa.ac.za - Now open 9. CPUT www.cput.ac.za - now open  "If you need assistance with applications, please contact Global Internet Cafe 0719924410. You will be assisted," the education department advised.

JOHANNESBURG - The 2025 Top Employers have been announced and Eskom has been recognised as a Top Employer in South Africa.  This prestigious accolade places the entity among an elite group of organisations globally acknowledged for their dedication to creating an exceptional workplace, by developing and embedding Human Resources (HR) policies and people practices. ABOUT TOP EMPLOYERS   The Top Employers Institute is the No.1 global authority on HR strategies and certification is based on a rigorous benchmarking process, which evaluates organisations across six key HR domains, covering 20 topics such as People Strategy, Work Environment, Talent Acquisition, Learning, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Wellbeing and many more. The Top Employers Institute has certified more than 2300 organisations across 121 countries/regions. These certified Top Employers positively impact the lives of millions of employees globally. MESSAGE FROM THE CEO Eskom’s Group Chief Executive...