Catch up on the biggest stories this Friday, 17 October 2025, in our simple daily news update.
News today includes Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has accused KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi of making threats in response to his decision to dismantle the political killings task team (PKTT), while emphasising that President Cyril Ramaphosa supported the disbandment.
Meanwhile, one of South Africa’s most controversial rehabs has been shut down.
Furthermore, a comprehensive investigation into the devastating bus accident on the N1 has revealed multiple critical failures that contributed to the tragedy.
Weather tomorrow: 18 October 2025
Thundershowers are forecast over all provinces except the Western Cape, while severe thunderstorms and large amounts of hail are expected in parts of the Free State, North West, KwaZulu-Natal and the Northern Cape. Full weather forecast here.
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Mchunu claims threats from Mkhwanazi, says KZN top cop’s ‘anger’ can’t dictate policy
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has accused KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi of making threats in response to his decision to dismantle the political killings task team (PKTT), while emphasising that President Cyril Ramaphosa supported the disbandment.
On Friday, Mchunu appeared for the second day before Parliament’s ad hoc committee at the Good Hope Chamber in Cape Town.
The inquiry is investigating allegations made by Mkhwanazi in July about criminal infiltration, corruption, and political interference in the justice system.
CONTINUE READING: Mchunu claims threats from Mkhwanazi, says KZN top cop’s ‘anger’ can’t dictate policy
Ramaphosa blames food prices on the ‘high margins’ of supermarket retailers
In declaring food a universal right, President Cyril Ramaphosa has challenged supermarket chains to place humanity before profit.
Ramaphosa was speaking on Friday at the Seventh Social Justice Summit hosted by the University of Stellenbosch at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
The theme of this year’s summit was the fight against food insecurity and how governments, academia, industry and civil society can play their role.
CONTINUE READING: Ramaphosa blames food prices on the ‘high margins’ of supermarket retailers
‘Rehab from hell’ shut down after patient deaths
One of South Africa’s most controversial rehabs has been shut down. The KwaZulu-Natal department of social development has cancelled the registration of Tetelestai Recovery Centre, an in-patient treatment facility in Winklespruit on the South Coast.
The decision followed an investigation into the deaths of two patients at the centre, the alleged murder of Luke Edwards and an apparent suicide within 10 days of the former.
The department found serious violations of the conditions attached to its registration and said Tetelestai did not meet the minimum standards required to ensure the safety and dignity of its residents.
CONTINUE READING: ‘Rehab from hell’ shut down after patient deaths
Has Soweto really improved in 10 years, Mr President? We asked residents
President Cyril Ramaphosa claims that Johannesburg has worked hard to upgrade Soweto over the past decade, spotlighting it as a beacon of progress. But, according to many who actually live there, nothing could be further from the truth.
“Johannesburg, in the past 10 years or so, has really made a great effort to upscale Soweto, where I grew up, which was really, really horrible. But now Soweto, in the main, has been largely upgraded because of the attention that the City of Johannesburg paid [to the area],” Ramaphosa stated in Parliament this week.
However, when The Citizen visited Soweto in the days following his claim, it found a region struggling to arrest a slide in service delivery. New housing developments under construction shared space with informal structures erected by the homeless. Rubble and litter painted pavements, and roads had degraded to merely strips of tar between large potholes. Power cuts are common, whether through load reduction or frequent unplanned outages, and water is scarce in some parts.
CONTINUE READING: Has Soweto really improved in 10 years, Mr President? We asked residents
Overloaded deadly N1 bus carried 29 more passengers than allowed
A comprehensive investigation into the devastating bus accident on the N1 has revealed multiple critical failures that contributed to the tragedy.
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) investigation found that the vehicle was operating significantly over capacity and had severely compromised braking systems when it veered off the Zoutpansberg mountain between Musina and Makhado on Sunday, 12 October 2025, claiming 43 lives.
The RTMC’s mechanical investigation exposed a dangerous pattern of disrepair affecting core safety systems.
CONTINUE READING: Overloaded deadly N1 bus carried 29 more passengers than allowed
