Celani Sikhakhane brings you KwaZulu-Natal’s latest news.
Durban: The IFP has taken the tough decision to support the eThekwini Municipality’s 2026/27 budget despite fierce opposition from the DA, which claims the ANC-IFP-EFF coalition has demonstrated its inability to manage public funds responsibly.
IFP Caucus leader in eThekwini, Mdu Nkosi, said the party fully understands the financial pressures facing households, businesses and communities across the city.
“We recognise that any increase in tariffs impacts residents who are already dealing with rising living costs, unemployment and economic uncertainty. However, as a responsible political party, we were required to make a decision based not on political expediency, but on what is in the best long-term interests of the people of eThekwini. There was appropriate consultation on the budget, and it was adequately assessed by National Treasury,” said Nkosi.
uThukela: The Democratic Alliance in uThukela District has strongly condemned the looting and destruction of property that took place in Estcourt on Friday.
Constituency leader Maliyakhe Shelembe said no grievance, disagreement or court ruling can ever justify criminality, violence, intimidation or the destruction of property.
He said the scenes witnessed in Estcourt were deeply concerning and caused unnecessary harm to business owners, employees and the broader community. The unrest followed a looting spree targeting shops owned by foreign nationals in the rural town.
The looting came after foreign national business owners approached the Pietermaritzburg High Court to instruct the Mayor of Inkosi Langalibalele Dube Municipality to provide them with security protection against locals.
Port Shepstone: The National Prosecuting Authority has welcomed the sentencing of Aphiwe Deyi (33) to life imprisonment plus 15 years by the Port Shepstone Regional Court, following his conviction for the rape and murder of a 52-year-old woman in Marburg in June 2022.
The body of the deceased was discovered on 18 June 2022 with multiple stab wounds. Investigations revealed she had been raped before being murdered. DNA evidence from a sexual assault evidence collection kit sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory positively linked Deyi to the offence. He was arrested while already in custody for an unrelated matter.
Deyi was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and 15 years for rape, in terms of the prescribed minimum sentences for the offences. He was declared unfit to possess a firearm and his name was entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.
Pictured above: The IFP eThekwini Caucus took the tough decision to support the eThekwini budget despite DA protests.
Image source: IFP eThekwini
