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Philani Nombembe

The Akkerkloof Dam, a key water source for Knysna, is at critically low levels amid the town’s ongoing water crisis.

Holidaymakers forced to take short showers as Knysna scrambles to avert ‘Day Zero’

Knysna’s peak holiday season has been overshadowed by a deepening water crisis, forcing visitors to trade long baths for short showers.

  • Philani Nombembe
A firefighter battles flames burning dangerously close to a house in Pearly Beach during the recent fires.

Fires leave trail of loss from Mossel Bay to Dunoon

Overstrand communities rally as veld fires threaten lives and homes

  • Philani Nombembe
The Cape Town Minstrels Carnival Association is appealing to the public for funds to continue with the legal challenge with the City of Cape Town. File photo.

Minstrels seek public funds as court battle with city over venues continues

The Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) has launched a fundraising drive to support its legal fight against the City of Cape Town, seeking to compel it to provide a venue for minstrel competition events.

  • Philani Nombembe
Rethink Your Drink called for stronger pricing and trading rules on alcohol.

South Africans spent R1bn a day on alcohol before New Year; campaign warns of predictable harm

South Africans spent about R1bn a day on alcohol in the days leading up to New Year’s Eve, according to the Rethink Your Drink campaign.

  • Philani Nombembe
Some taxis were reduced to ashes at the Nyanga taxi rank earlier this year in a suspected arson attack.

Two women killed in Nyanga taxi rank shooting

Two women were killed on Wednesday after gunmen armed with high-calibre weapons opened fire on 10 women at the Nyanga taxi rank in Cape Town.

  • Philani Nombembe
The litigation escalated after an unfavourable ruling from an arbitrator regarding the Expanded Public Works Programme. Stock photo.

Court reins in serial litigant after five-year battle with Garden Route municipality

The Cape Town high court has slammed the brakes on a serial litigator who has for five years unsuccessfully sued a municipality on the Garden Route. The court declared Thabang Motjamela a vexatious litigant on Monday after George…

  • Philani Nombembe
Deveney Nel was 16 years old when she was murdered.

‘The pain is unimaginable’: Teen jailed for killing classmate Deveney Nel

“The pain is unimaginable; I will never be able to fully describe or express it.” These are the words of Lida Nel, whose grade 10 daughter Deveney was murdered by a teenage classmate at Overberg High School in August 2024. On Friday, the…

  • Philani Nombembe
Sandiso Faku was sentenced to 25 years’ direct imprisonment for murder and a further seven years for defeating and obstructing the administration of justice. Stock photo.

Parolee jailed for girlfriend’s gruesome murder in Knysna

A parolee who killed his girlfriend in a fit of jealousy on the Garden Route has been sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment. The Western Cape High Court, sitting in Knysna, sentenced Sandiso Faku on Thursday for the murder of Ntombizodwa…

  • Philani Nombembe
Jerome Booysen (centre) flanked by Mark Lifman and Andre Naude (both since killed) in court. File photo.

Prosecution pins hope on ex-28s gangster to decode prison lingo in ‘Steroid King’ trial

The prosecution is hoping that a former 28s gang member will help to decipher prison gang language in the ongoing murder trial of slain “Steroid King” Brian Wainstein. Alleged Sexy Boys gang leader Jerome “Donkie” Booysen and 11 others…

  • Philani Nombembe
Correctional services commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale at Pollsmoor prison.

Top officials probe Pollsmoor after inmates mistakenly freed

Correctional services national commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale is taking steps to plug security gaps at Pollsmoor prison in Cape Town after three inmates were erroneously released due to administrative bungles.

  • Philani Nombembe
Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis. File photo.

Cape Town mayor Hill-Lewis urges Godongwana to protect municipal funding

As finance minister Enoch Godongwana prepares to deliver the national budget on Wednesday, Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has urged him not to cut municipal funding.

  • Philani Nombembe
The South African government has done far too little to ensure that the basic human right of access to water is progressively realised.

Extortionists stoop to new low: forcing poor to pay for water, use of toilets

Extortionists have taken their tactics to a ruthless new level in parts of Cape Town.

  • Philani Nombembe

Nasief Morris takes the helm as UCT women’s football coach

Former Bafana Bafana defender Nasief Morris has been named head coach of the University of Cape Town women’s football team.

  • Philani Nombembe
The National Sea Rescue Institute is continuing to search for a university student believed to have drowned while swimming in Coffee Bay.

Missing teen's body washes ashore at Cape Town beach

A teenager who was reported missing at one of Cape Town’s beaches has been found dead.

  • Philani Nombembe
Cape Town's recreation and parks department has unveiled more than 500 additional burial spaces to meet demand.

Cape Town adds more than 500 burial sites to address post-pandemic challenges

The surge in Covid-19-related deaths during the peak of the pandemic taught Cape Town lessons about managing burials.

  • Philani Nombembe