South African opposition politician Julius Malema, leader of Economic Freedom Fighters, looks on after he was granted leave to appeal a five-year prison sentence by the East London Magistrates’ Court on 16 April. (Photo: Esa Alexander / Reuters ) Justice department moves to shield court officials after Malema’s post-sentencing outburst
/file/attachments/orphans/ED_604247_877236.jpg "EFF leader Julius Malema chats to his lawyers at East London Magistrates’ Court during his sentencing proceedings on 16 April 2026. Malema was convicted of contravening firearm laws, after he was captured on video firing shots into the air with what appeared to be a rifle at a EFF rally in Mdantsane, in 2018. (Photo: Randell Roskruge / Gallo Images)")
By Riaan Marais. Whether his comments and insults were meant as threats or not, judicial authorities are not taking them lightly, and EFF leader Julius Malema’s remarks following his sentencing could have a lasting impact on court proceedings. Read more.
Police finance boss Puleng Dimpane ‘replaces’ Fannie Masemola
/file/attachments/orphans/caryn-dimpane_162534.jpg "Illustrative Image: Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane. (Photo: Frennie Shivambu / Gallo Images) | SAPS logo. (Image: Wikicommons) | (By Daniella Lee Ming Yesca)")
By Caryn Dolley. President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed the police’s chief financial officer, Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, to stand in for suspended cop boss Fannie Masemola. She has previously warned that there is “a culture” of senior police managers not seriously dealing with irregular expenditure. Read more.
Madlanga inquiry helps uncover fresh Ekurhuleni scandal
/file/attachments/orphans/IMG_8754_785591.jpeg "Suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department chief Julius Mkhwanazi and Ekurhuleni City Manager Kagiso Michael Lerutla appear at the Boksburg Magistrates’ Court on 20 April 2026. (Photo: Nonkululeko Njilo)")
By Nonkululeko Njilo. Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department boss Julius Mkhwanazi has been implicated at the Madlanga Commission, but the charges he faced on Monday, along with City Manager Kagiso Lerutla, arise from a 2019 speeding case involving an alleged stand-in and R400,000. Read more.
The fashion icon, her husband, the NSF and the SIU
/file/attachments/2991/Rubicon-Headercopy_1431971_858979.jpg "Rubicon Clothing designer Hangwani Nengovhela (right) and her husband, Tshamano Nengovhela. (Photo: Google Maps, Instagram, Facebook; Graphic: AmaBhungane)")
By Buyeleni Sibanyoni. Rubicon Clothing designer Hangwani Nengovhela left 100 learners in the lurch in a R2.7-million National Skills Fund scandal that has finally caught up with her – but she’s still trying to shift the blame. Read more.
Creecy calls for calm – can the dragons snapping at SAA’s heels be tamed?
/file/attachments/2988/2026-02-26_21-10-05_326090.jpg "An South African Airways flight takes off. (Photo: SAA)")
By Lindsey Schutters. You know the story about the state-owned national carrier that was turning a corner in its finances, and then the CEO who steered the company away from business rescue resigned before he could present to the parliamentary portfolio committee? Buckle up for the turbulent times. Watch more.
Watch — Minister Sisisi Tolashe’s Undeclared Luxury SUVs
/file/attachments/2991/Tolasheheader_280148_871847.jpg "Minister Sisisi Tolashe. (Illustration: Daily Maverick / Multimedia)")
By Rebecca Davis. Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe told Parliament in February that she received two luxury SUVs as donations for the ANC Women’s League. Just one problem: the ANC doesn’t seem to know what she’s talking about. Daily Maverick’s Rebecca Davis explains. Read more.
Domestic workers won in court but the real test now sits with their employers
By Sipho Mthathi. A right is only as real as the distance it can travel from judgment to daily life – and for domestic workers, that distance has long been a chasm where dignity disappears. South Africa has crossed it on paper; what remains is whether ordinary employers will close it in practice. Read more.
Meet the pastor running a rural clinic that treats more than illness
/file/attachments/orphans/Image-1-Bukhosi-Mdletshe_405154.jpg "Bukhosi Mdletshe, operational manager of the Ensingweni Clinic in KwaZulu-Natal, oversees care for a widely dispersed rural community. (Photo: Thom Pierce / Spotlight)
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By Sue Segar. Bukhosi Mdletshe is clinic manager at the Ensingweni Clinic, and in his words, paying his dues to the community that raised him. Spotlight spent some time with the nurse, who is also a pastor. Read more.
Meals and books worth waiting for
/file/attachments/2991/ChefatLesGrandsBuffetspreparingdishes_EricCatarina_GettyImages_510779.jpg "A chef hard at work at Les Grands Buffets. (Photo: Eric Catarina / Getty Images)")
By Marita Van der Vyver. Tasting a famous traditional meal for the first time can thrill me as much as reading a classic novel for the first time. You know, those dishes you always hear about and yearn to eat if you’re serious about food? I like to compare them to the books I’ve been meaning to read for as long as I can remember, because I love reading even more than I love food. Read more.
The year’s most notable international portrait photography
/file/attachments/orphans/3955_10927_Hans-JuergenBurkard_Germany_Professional_Portraiture_2026_145295.jpg "For about 30,000 years, dogs have been closer to mankind than any other animal. For the photographer of this series, it sometimes seemed that it was not humans who tamed dogs, but dogs who domesticated humans — and both became mirrors of the other. Dog Beach consists of portraits of dogs and their humans, taken on the North Sea coast in Germany. To create his portraits, the photographer asked his human subjects to tell him about their ‘love for dogs’ and then photographed them and their often revealing and humorous interactions with their canine companions. (Photo: Hans-Juergen Burkard, Germany, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Portraiture, Sony World Photography Awards 2026)")
By Sony World Photography Awards. The awards spotlight photographers telling the stories of our time. Here is the selection of images from the professional competition in the portraiture category. Read more.