Gauteng government to launch Tswa Daar, a massive anti- substance abuse campaign

KASIBC_AFRICA ONLINE EDITOR

Gauteng government to launch Tswa Daar, a massive anti- substance abuse campaign

The Gauteng Provincial Government led by Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Members of Executive Council (MECs), will on Monday 27 October 2025, launch Tswa Daar!, a massive campaign to combat substance and alcohol abuse in communities across all five regions in the province. 

This initiative is part of a broader effort to save lives, restore dignity and build a healthier, safer Gauteng. It reflects the provincial government’s commitment to tackling substance and alcohol abuse head-on, with care and urgency.

During the launch, at all sites there will be multidisciplinary teams of nurses, social workers, doctors, police officers, and government officials will be deployed to provide immediate support to substance users and their families. A central database will be created to understand the scale of substance abuse and ensure fair allocation of resources.

While rehabilitation centres have limited capacity, the Gauteng government is working with Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) and other institutions to meet the demand. 

Services available on all sites will include medical assessments, affidavits for rehabilitation admission, identity document applications, profiling for job and training opportunities and outpatient treatment. 

Parents, community and religious leaders, businesses, and all Gauteng residents are urged to join government in breaking the cycle of substance 

and alcohol abuse.

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THE MASS SHOOTING IN WESTBURY AND ONGOING MASS SHOOTINGS RELATED TO GANG AND EXTORTION VIOLENCE IN THE WESTERN CAPE

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ONLINE EDITOR @KASIBC_AFRICA 

THE MASS SHOOTING IN WESTBURY AND ONGOING MASS SHOOTINGS RELATED TO GANG AND EXTORTION VIOLENCE IN THE WESTERN CAPE 

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) expresses its deep concern and pain to the victims and families of those whose lives were lost in mass shootings in Westbury, Johannesburg this afternoon. In what reflects continued lawlessness and bloodshed in our country, two teenagers were shot dead in Westbury, while five additional teenagers have been left wounded. It is of greater concern that the individuals who have been harmed with two fatalities in this incident, are said to have been involved in gang-related activity, and the attack on them was from a rival gang. 

It reflects the moral and social decay in our society, where teenagers as young as 14-years old, are engaged in violent activity wherein firearms are involved. This simply means that the culture of violence, crime and murder in South Africa has now been inherited by children and has embedded itself in our communities. Further to this, the ease of access to what is undoubtedly illegal firearms which is at the center of gang-violence in this country is a cause for concern which is not being appropriately addressed, especially considering that in some instances it is firearms which belong to SAPS which are involved in violent crime. 

These gang-related shootings in Westbury, follow what has become almost daily reports of mass shootings in the City of Cape Town, and recently in Philippi East, where seven people were shot dead in what is suspected to be related to ongoing gang and extortion related activities in the area.  

As the nation confronts the allegations of the capture of law enforcement agencies which are being unraveled in the Ad Hoc Committee of the Parliament of South Africa and the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, the streets of South Africa continue to be riddled by organized crime and violence. The release of individuals who are involved in these activities as repeat offenders on bail through our courts, further encourages an attitude of impunity, and cripple communities and whistle-blowers into silence. 

The EFF calls on law enforcement agencies in South Africa, including the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the South African Police Services (SAPS) and all its units and the Judiciary to use the opportunity presented by the exposure of corruption in our system to rise to the occasion and intensify the fight against drug cartels, criminal syndicates and organized crime. The criminal underworld ought not to find an opportunity in the collective reflection that the nation is undergoing regarding lawlessness, to increase their illegal activity and operations. Organized crime and violence by gangs and syndicates ought to at this stage wherein our law enforcement agencies are under scrutiny, be characterized as acts of domestic terrorism. 

Our nation should be on high alert and criminals should be more afraid now more ever, rather than continue their operations. 

Further to this, there must be complete transparency and constant updates regarding the apprehension of individuals involved in organized crime which include extortion rings and gangs. 

The EFF will continue to raise sharply all methods that can be utilized to track and uncover organized crime which has infiltrated law enforcement agencies in South Africa and will revive efforts to fight organized crime particularly that of extortion and gangsterism. 

We encourage all citizens to approach their police stations and their public representatives in municipal councils, provincial legislatures and in Parliament to report any member of SAPS who they suspect to be in collusion with criminal syndicates. 

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SANDF Starvation Scandal Highlights Systemic Rot in Defence Leadership

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ONLINE EDITOR @KASIBC_AFRICA

SANDF Starvation Scandal Highlights Systemic Rot in Defence Leadership

130 naval recruits at SAS Saldanha have suffered starvation and poor accommodation.

The DA condemns systemic neglect and lack of accountability in Defence leadership.

Parliamentary questions will probe provisioning, planning, and budget for the recruits.

The DA condemns in the strongest terms the inhumane treatment of approximately 130 naval recruits who have, according to media reports, been stranded at SAS Saldanha since July, surviving on minimal food rations and living without proper accommodation as a result of ongoing construction delays at the Simon’s Town Naval Base.

For nearly three months the young recruits, who have completed their basic military training, have endured conditions that families have rightly described as “inhumane”. Confined to the base without day passes, denied sufficient food and prohibited from receiving parcels from home, they have effectively been punished for the Department of Defence’s own logistical failures.

This is not an isolated incident. Earlier this year, SANDF members deployed to the DRC faced chronic ration shortages and delayed deployment allowances, forcing soldiers to buy their own food in a foreign operational theatre. 

In both cases, whether on home soil or in active deployment, the pattern is clear:

Budgetary and logistical failures lead to rationing and deprivation;

Command and leadership deflect responsibility by blaming discipline rather than fixing the system;

Action is only taken after media exposure, not through proactive leadership or internal accountability.

The military’s rank and file are being forced to shoulder the cost of institutional neglect. This is a disgraceful betrayal of the very people who volunteered to serve their country - all whilst the top brass are constantly playing golf at SANDF hosted golf days.

The DA will be submitting urgent parliamentary questions to Minister Angie Motshekga to establish:

Why proper accommodation and provisioning were not secured before recruiting and training these naval members;

Why no contingency plan was put in place when construction delays at Simonstown became known;

How much has been budgeted - and actually spent - on rations and accommodation for these recruits.

The Defence Force is meant to embody discipline, professionalism and service to the nation. It cannot do so while starving its own personnel and relying on newspaper headlines to take action.

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Minister Mchunu’s decision to halt Crime Intelligence appointments hampers crime-fighting efforts

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ONLINE EDITOR @KASIBC_AFRICA

Minister Mchunu’s decision to halt Crime Intelligence appointments hampers crime-fighting efforts

Earlier this year, RISE Mzansi quizzed Police Minister Senzo Mchunu’s political directive to halt the filling of vacancies at the South African Police Service (SAPS) Crime Intelligence Division (CID).

This decision, which has become central to both the Ad Hoc Committee and Madlanga Commission, affected a total of 18 posts, which include six Senior Managers and 12 Social Media Specialists.

RISE Mzansi further asked what impact this political decision had on the safety and security of South Africans, to which Minister Mchunu responded, “there is an impact [on crime fighting]”, given that among the posts affected are the CID Provincial Heads of KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Western Cape. Provinces which are besieged by political killings, taxi violence, extortion, gang violence, cross-border crimes and drugs.

Moreover, according to an analysis of SAPS annual reports, the CID has seen its workforce reduced from 8,453 in 2020/21 to 7,903 employees in 2024/25. The annual reports also show that SAPS aims to reduce the size of the unit even further.

It is worth noting that the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Western Cape accounted for 60% of contact crimes; 60% of murders; 91% of gang-related murders; and 29% of all kidnappings across South Africa in 2024/25.

In essence, the SAPS unit mandated to “manage crime intelligence and analyse crime information, and provide technical support for investigations and crime prevention operations”, particularly when it comes to serious corruption and organised crime, is weak and corrupt. This was emphasised in testimonies emanating from the two probes, as well as the report by the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council (NACAC) published in August 2025. The NACAC report goes as far as stating that the Division should be “disbanded and reconstructed afresh”.

The Ad Hoc Committee and Madlanga Commission must interrogate the impact that the corruption and governance failures at the SAPS and its CID have had on crime in the country, and present remedies in their final reports.

South Africans deserve to live in a safe country – free from fear.

MAKEKASIGREAT©®™ @KASIBC_AFRICA

SEVEN SAPS OFFICERS ARRESTED BY JMPD TACTICAL REACTION UNIT FOR EXTORTION AND KIDNAPPING

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ONLINE EDITOR @KASIBC_AFRICA 

SEVEN SAPS OFFICERS ARRESTED BY JMPD TACTICAL REACTION UNIT FOR EXTORTION AND KIDNAPPING

The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) @JoburgMPD Tactical Reaction Unit (TRU) has arrested seven South African Police Service (SAPS) @SAPoliceService officers on charges of extortion and kidnapping following an incident involving an illegal miner, commonly referred to as a “Zama Zama,” in possession of material used to refine gold.

The incident unfolded when the SAPS officers allegedly demanded R5,000 from the Zama Zama, later escalating their demand to R30,000. The officers are said to have transported the individual to a loaning facility to secure the payment. While awaiting the funds, the JMPD TRU intervened, apprehending the officers on the scene.

The Zama Zama is currently providing a statement to authorities. The arrested officers are being detained at Booysens Police Station, where a case of extortion and kidnapping has been opened.

The JMPD remains committed to upholding the rule of law and rooting out corruption. Investigations are ongoing, and further details will be provided as they become available.

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