eMalahleni has been at the center of dramatic headlines this year. From environmental rulings to shocking criminal cases.

Some of the five moments inked in eMalahleni during the current year have defined the city’s struggles and turning points.

The five stories include the slamming of the Emalahleni Local Municipality with a landmark R650 million fine by the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court for years of severe environmental violations, specifically allowing untreated sewage to pollute major water systems.

Following investigations revealing a failure to comply with prior notices, the municipality pleaded guilty to violating environmental laws.

The court issued a R650 million fine, with R150 million suspended for five years if no further pollution offenses occur.

The remaining R500 million is designated for the urgent repair and rehabilitation of wastewater infrastructure by April 2031. The fine defines accountability in eMalahleni.

Pastor and family were sentenced for a brutal attack.

In one of the most shocking cases, the Emalahleni Regional Court sentenced Pastor Solomon Mahlangu and his son Enock to life imprisonment for attempted murder after they kidnapped and mutilated a young man accused of theft.

The victim’s hands were hacked off in a vigilante attack, while the pastor’s daughter-in-law received three years for kidnapping. The magistrate said the ruling must “send a clear message” against vigilante justice.

The incident occurred on March 27, 2024, after the victim was accused of theft. He was assaulted, kidnapped, and driven to a remote location where his hands were severed. He was later found by a passerby.

Justice was noted in the definition of eMalahleni.

Four men killed in one week

In the third moment, ‘Bloodshed Week,’ eMalahleni can be defined as the ‘land of blood,’ which comes after the city has reported a concerning number of incidents in which blood was shed through firearms.

During the ‘Bloodshed Week,’ four men were killed in a string of separate shootings across Vosman, Masakhane, Kwa-Guqa, and Klipfontein in eMalahleni during the last week of October and the first week of November 2025. Specifically, in a space of a week.

Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/mrfyd5mt

GBV shock

The city reported a concerning number of GBV incidents in the year. In some of the incidents, women fell victim to what turned out to be murder-suicide.

However, two GBV incidents in which three women died left the city in shock. In the first incident that involved two young women, Nompumelelo Gamede (21) and Antoinette Hill (23), after a heated argument Gamede had with her boyfriend on July 23, he allegedly doused her with petrol, together with his sister, Hill, who tried to intervene.

The two were set alight and left to burn in a locked room.

The duo later died in the hospital.

eMalahleni is a hijacking hotspot

In November, Mpumalanga became South Africa’s new vehicle hijacking hotspot, with numbers indicating that more vehicles are being hijacked in the City of Coal, with incidents now three times more likely than vehicle thefts.

The report showed that business-owned vehicles are 48% more likely to be targeted than personally owned vehicles, with hijackings largely driving this increase.

In conclusion, eMalahleni is defined by accountability, justice, the city of blood, GBV hotspot, and carjacking spot.

However, eMalahleni’s defining moments in 2025 are rooted in accountability and justice. From environmental rulings to life sentences for violent crimes.

Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/mrfyd5mt

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