Daily news update: Fort Hare investigation; Magudumana claims unlawful arrest; Ramaphosa urged to fire top cop

By Citizen Reporter

Here’s your morning news update: An easy-to-read selection of our top stories. Stay up to date with The Citizen – More News, Your Way.

Daily news update: 2 June 2023

‘The president made an error’ – Mabuyane challenges SIU’s Fort Hare investigation

Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane has approached the Eastern Cape High Court in a bid to challenge President Cyril Ramaphosa’s proclamations authorising the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to investigate allegations of corruption and maladministration at the University of Fort Hare.

The proclamation, signed in August 2022, seeks to investigate any unlawful or improper conduct by the officials, employees, service providers, suppliers to the university, and also Mabuyane’s admission at the university.

Saps and NPA deny Magudumana’s claims of unlawful arrest, arguing her application is abuse of court process

^{Picture File: Dr Nandipha Magudumana (dressed in a white hoodie) appears before the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court along with her co-accused in the Thabo Bester prison escape saga. Picture: Twitter/ @tshepisolelakah}

The Free State High Court in Bloemfontein has heard that Dr Nandipha Magudumana’s urgent application to declare her arrest in Tanzania and subsequent deportation to South Africa as unlawful and an abuse of the court process.

Advocate Neil Snellenburg, the lawyer for the South African Police Service (Saps) and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the Free State, argued on Thursday that Magudumana’s application should be struck off the court roll because the matter is not urgent.

Crime stats: Police union demands Ramaphosa fires police commissioner

^{National Commisioner of the SAPS, General Fannie Masemola during a passout parade for 21 newly qualified SAPS Special Task Force members at the SAPS Academy Tshwane in Pretoria, 12 January 2023. Picture: Neil McCartney / The Citizen}

The South African Policing Union (Sapu) has called for President Cyril Ramaphosa to fire national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola over his “inability to fight the high levels of crime” in South Africa.

This comes after the latest crime statistics were released this week. The stats, for the period of January to March 2023, showed that 6 289 people were murdered. This is a 3.4% increase compared to the same period in 2022.

Case against driver postponed after crash where 5 children died

*The bakkie at the scene of the accident in Mitchells Plain on 30 May 2023. The crash led to the deaths of five children. Picture: Gallo Images/Brenton Geach*

A man who was driving the bakkie involved in a car crash in Mitchells Plain on Tuesday morning appeared in court on Thursday. The accident led to the deaths of five school children.

The children were between the ages of seven and 11. They were travelling in the bakkie on the way to school.

‘Skeem Saam’ – Hungani Ndlovu replaces Cornet Mamabolo as Tbose

Hungani Ndlovu and Cornet Mamabolo. Pictures: Instagram/ @hunganindlovu @cornetmamabolo

Former Scandal! star Hungani Ndlovu has joined the popular SABC 1 youth soapie, Skeem Saam, as the new Thabo ‘Tbose’ Maputla.

He replaces Cornet Mamabolo who left the show in 2021, to focus on his business ventures. The show has announced its decision to recast the character and rope Hungani in.