Catch up on the biggest stories of Thursday, 13 August 2026, that you may have missed, in our simple daily news update.
Gauteng department of health. Picture: X
In the news today, a reliable source has painted a picture of a far longer and more troubled history than the department of health’s account suggested regarding a stoma bag shortage at Tambo Memorial Hospital.
Meanwhile, a Brakpan court has heard that the group implicated in Emmanuel Mbense’s killing reportedly held a meeting at Carnival City where they swore to secrecy about the events that had just happened.
Furthermore, Durban-born dancer and choreographer Thobeka Maphumulo shares how she ended up choreographing US rapper Swae Lee’s music video.
Weather tomorrow: 14 August 2026
The South African Weather Service (Saws) has issued a yellow level 2 warning for damaging interior winds in the Northern Cape; meanwhile, Gauteng and the Free State will have frost in places, the Eastern Cape will be fine and warm, and KwaZulu-Natal will have isolated showers. Full weather forecast here.
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Tambo Memorial stoma bag shortage ‘traced back to 2023’, despite health department’s assurances
Gauteng Health says a stoma bag shortage at Tambo Memorial Hospital was resolved in July, but a reliable source and years of correspondence suggest the problem is far older and more complicated than the department has admitted.
The Gauteng department of health said this week that a stoma bag shortage at Tambo Memorial Hospital in Boksburg had been fully resolved, insisting that no patient went without supplies and that stock was now sufficient.
However, correspondence reviewed by The Citizen, spanning from 2023 to August 2026, along with an account from a reliable source, painted a picture of a far longer and more troubled history than the department’s account suggested.
CONTINUE READING: Tambo Memorial stoma bag shortage ‘traced back to 2023’, despite health department’s assurances
‘Betray us and die’: Court hears of alleged group’s deadly pact following Mbense murder
The Brakpan Magistrate’s Court has heard of an agreement among the group allegedly involved in the killing of Emmanuel Mbense.
On Thursday, suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department’s (EMPD) Deputy Chief Julius Mkhwanazi (accused five), EMPD officers Keisha-Leigh Stols (accused four), Adrian MacKenzie (accused three), former South African Police Service (Saps) officer Bhekokwakhe Sibande (accused two) and Cobus Janse van Rensburg (accused one) appeared in the Brakpan Magistrate’s Court for a formal bail application.
They are all facing charges including murder and defeating the ends of justice.
On Thursday, the state said that after the disposal of the body, the group held a meeting at Carnival City where they swore to secrecy about the events that had just happened.
CONTINUE READING: ‘Betray us and die’: Court hears of alleged group’s deadly pact following Mbense murder
How a Durban dancer went from Instagram vent to choreographing for Swae Lee
When American rapper Swae Lee touched down in South Africa in July to headline The Ascots at the Hollywoodbets Durban July, he didn’t just come for the stage. He also linked up with a local dancer for a shoot that ended up meaning a lot more to her than a day’s work.
Durban-born dancer and choreographer Thobeka Maphumulo, a Krump-trained performer with 14 years in the game, choreographed the movement for Swae Lee’s video shoot in Durban, blending amapiano with Zulu dance references.
Maphumulo says the opportunity felt almost too well-timed to be a coincidence. A month before Swae Lee’s trip, she’d been venting on her Instagram Stories about wanting people to believe in her ability as a dancer and choreographer.
CONTINUE READING: How a Durban dancer went from Instagram vent to choreographing for Swae Lee
Ex-cop denies son killed by police was involved in drugs after alleged R2.5m hit
A former police detective has given the Madlanga commission a detailed account of the events he believes culminated in the killing of his son, Bevan Loftus, and four others in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) three years ago.
Gregory Loftus appeared before the commission at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria on Thursday, where he alleged that his son had been targeted after a rival businessman and alleged drug dealer placed a R2.5 million hit on his life.
Loftus’s testimony comes a day after KZN Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) deputy director for investigations, Len John, implicated specialised police task teams in alleged extrajudicial killings in the province.
John had told the commission that one of the alleged cases involved Bevan’s death.
CONTINUE READING: Ex-cop denies son killed by police was involved in drugs after alleged R2.5m hit
Election on health: Kimberley mortuary project standing idle as state facility overflows [Video & Pics]
The site of a new state mortuary in the Northern Cape is still sitting idle two years after the construction project was halted.
Part of a wider forensic pathology upgrade for the Frances Baard district, the project had stalled due to complications with the initial contractor.
During The Citizen‘s visit to the area as part of its election coverage, the structure, visible from Green Street in the Kimberley suburb of Galeshewe, was merely a brick shell protruding from the sand.
Located a short distance from the Northern Cape legislature and next door to the West End Hospital, the deserted construction site is a microcosm of failing infrastructure throughout the sewerage-lined streets of the province’s capital.
CONTINUE READING: Election on health: Kimberley mortuary project standing idle as state facility overflows [Video & Pics]
