Catch up on the biggest stories of Wednesday, 15 July 2026 that you may have missed, in our simple daily news update.
President Cyril Ramaphosa. Picture: Gallo Images/ER Lombard
In the news today, President Cyril Ramaphosa insists that he will suffer irreparable harm should parliament’s Section 89 impeachment proceedings proceed before his review application is heard.
Meanwhile, the Madlanga commission seeks CCTV footage after ‘hospitalised’ Suliman Carrim was allegedly seen in public in Cape Town.
Furthermore, late rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes’ father Tony has explained his reluctant decision to release private WhatsApp messages involving his son, his son’s late fiancée Anele Tembe and the Tembe family lawyer.
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Will Ramaphosa be ‘humiliated’ by impeachment committee proceedings?
President Cyril Ramaphosa insists that he will suffer irreparable harm should Parliament’s Section 89 impeachment proceedings proceed before his review application is heard.
On Wednesday, Advocate Wim Trengove SC argued the president’s case in the Western Cape High Court before judges André le Grange, Matthew Francis, and Diane Davis.
The president has filed an urgent application to halt the Section 89 impeachment proceedings pending the review of the Section 89 Independent Panel report.
This, after the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) ruled in May that the Section 89 panel’s report on the Phala Phala scandal be sent back to parliament, paving the way for an impeachment process against Ramaphosa to proceed.
CONTINUE READING: Will Ramaphosa be ‘humiliated’ by impeachment committee proceedings?
Madlanga commission seeks CCTV footage after ‘hospitalised’ Suliman Carrim seen at Woolies
Questions over the credibility of North West businessman Suliman Carrim’s reported ill-health have intensified after allegations surfaced at the Madlanga commission that he was seen in public despite being declared medically unfit to testify.
Carrim had been expected to appear before the commission, which is probing alleged criminality, political interference and corruption within South Africa’s justice system, on Wednesday, 15 July 2026, at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria.
His testimony, which began took place on 9 and 10 March, was interrupted after Carrim allegedly suffered a heart attack while at a gym – two days before he was set to resume his evidence at the commission.
CONTINUE READING: Madlanga commission seeks CCTV footage after ‘hospitalised’ Suliman Carrim seen at Woolies
Tony Forbes defends release of AKA WhatsApp texts to protect son’s legacy
Tony Forbes, father of the late South African rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes, has publicly explained his reluctant decision to release private WhatsApp messages involving his son, his late fiancée Anele “Nelli” Tembe, and the Tembe family lawyer.
The texts, exchanged during and after a distressing incident at the Hilton Hotel in Durban in December 2020, have reignited public debate ahead of the postponed inquest into Anele’s death.
In a detailed statement shared on social media, Forbes addressed the ongoing speculation and allegations surrounding his son’s involvement in the events leading to Anele Tembe’s tragic death in April 2021 at Cape Town’s Pepperclub Hotel. He emphasised that he acted solely as AKA’s father to defend his name and memory.
CONTINUE READING: Tony Forbes defends release of AKA WhatsApp texts to protect son’s legacy
NPA gets good news in Timothy Omotoso case
The legal battle involving Nigerian televangelist Timothy Omotoso has been revived after the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) successfully obtained leave to appeal his acquittal.
The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) granted the NPA’s application on Wednesday, 15 July 2026,, effectively reopening a case that had previously concluded last year.
Omotoso, along with Lusanda Solani and Zukiswa Sitho, was acquitted of 32 charges in April 2025 after an eight-year legal battle.
These charges included racketeering, human trafficking, rape and sexual assault.
CONTINUE READING: NPA gets good news in Timothy Omotoso case
Here’s how much of its R1bn crimefighting war chest the police ministry has spent
The ministry of police has only spent a fraction of the funds it has been given to combat organised crime in the country.
Finance minister Enoch Godongwana in February confirmed that R1 billion would be made available each to the police and army to fight crime, with the war chest open until March 2027.
While hundreds of millions have gone unspent nationally, provincial legislatures argue that not enough is being invested into community-based interventions.
“To date, an amount of R15.001 million has been spent, while R984.999 million remains unspent,” the police ministry stated in a response dated 26 June.
CONTINUE READING: Here’s how much of its R1bn crimefighting war chest the police ministry has spent
