Catch up on the biggest stories this Friday, 13 March 2026, in our simple daily news update.
SANDF units deployed to residential areas near Johannesburg. Picture: Facebook / SANDF
News today includes KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has been accused of personally taking part in the torture of a suspended police officer while he was in custody.
Meanwhile, former president Thabo Mbeki has warned that global conflicts, including the escalating Middle East war, show that the world is failing to protect children.
Furthermore, new details have emerged, alleging how Real Housewives of Pretoria star Mel Viljoen and her husband, Peet, went on a crime spree in America.
Weather tomorrow: 14 March, 2026
Flooding is expected in Limpopo and Mpumalanga on Saturday, 14 March due to disruptive rain, while parts of the Eastern Cape continue to battle a heatwave that is expected to last until Monday. Full weather forecast here.
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‘Mkhwanazi told me I should’ve committed suicide’: Police officer details KZN top cop’s role in torture
KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has been accused of personally taking part in the torture of a suspended police officer while he was in custody.
The allegations were made by former South African Police Service (Saps) sergeant Samkeliso Honest Mlotshwa during testimony before parliament’s ad hoc committee in Cape Town on Friday, 13 March.
The committee is probing claims of corruption, criminal conduct and political interference within South Africa’s justice system.
CONTINUE READING: ‘Mkhwanazi told me I should’ve committed suicide’: Police officer details KZN top cop’s role in torture
ANC’s Lindiwe Zulu slams US: Trump can’t dictate who Iran chooses as leader
ANC NEC member Lindiwe Zulu says it’s “unfortunate” that the United States administration under President Donald Trump believes that it has the “right” to tell other nations what to do or who to elect as their leader.
Mojtaba Khamenei was named Iran’s new supreme leader, succeeding his father just more than a week after he was killed in US-Israeli strikes.
The 56-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is widely viewed as a hard-line figure with close ties to the powerful Revolutionary Guard.
CONTINUE READING: ANC’s Lindiwe Zulu slams US: Trump can’t dictate who Iran chooses as leader
Mbeki on Middle East war: The world is in a systemic failure to protect children
Former president Thabo Mbeki has warned that global conflicts, including the escalating Middle East war, show that the world is failing to protect children.
Speaking at the 30th anniversary gala dinner of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund in Johannesburg on Thursday, Mbeki said the international community had collectively failed its youngest citizens.
“The failure to realise children’s rights is not a crisis limited to this country; from Gaza to the displacement camps in South Sudan, and to the 150 Iranian school girls who died on the very first day of the current war between the US and Israel on one hand, and Iran on the other, the world is engaged in a systematic failure to protect its youngest citizens,” he said.
CONTINUE READING: Mbeki on Middle East war: The world is in a systemic failure to protect children
Ramaphosa deploys 2 200 soldiers to fight crime in five provinces
President Cyril Ramaphosa has formally deployed more than 2 000 South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members to combat crime across five provinces, with a budget of R823 million, to bolster law and order.
The president has informed the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces of his decision. He will deploy 2 200 soldiers for service in cooperation with the South African Police Service (Saps).
This is in line with sections 201(3) (a), (a)(b)(c) and (d) of the Constitution of South Africa.
CONTINUE READING: Ramaphosa deploys 2 200 soldiers to fight crime in five provinces
REVEALED: How Peet and Mel Viljoen allegedly managed to shoplift over R87K worth of goods in the US
New details have emerged, alleging how Real Housewives of Pretoria star Mel Viljoen and her husband, Peet, went on a crime spree in America.
The Viljoens, who fled South Africa last year amid fraud accusations and a disbarment hanging over their heads, were reportedly arrested this week after shoplifting goods worth more than $5 300 (about R87 800).
A police report detailing their alleged crimes has since circulated online.
CONTINUE READING: REVEALED: How Peet and Mel Viljoen allegedly managed to shoplift over R87K worth of goods in the US
Yesterday’s News recap
READ HERE: Mel and Peet Viljoen arrested | Madlanga commission gets heated | Joburg water outages
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