Five children lost their lives in a devastating shack fire in the Sonderwater informal settlement in Ikageng late on Sunday night, July 19, marking the second fatal shack fire involving children in the area in less than two weeks. According to North West police spokesperson Colonel Adéle Myburgh, police in Ikageng are investigating an inquest after the bodies of three girls and two boys, aged between one and nine years old, were discovered inside a shack that had been completely destroyed by fire. Preliminary investigations indicate that the children’s mothers, who are sisters, had allegedly left the children alone at home while visiting a nearby location. They were alerted by community members that the shack was on fire and rushed back to the scene. According to Myburgh, the women, assisted by members of the community, attempted to extinguish the fire using buckets of water. However, access challenges within the informal settlement severely hampered firefighting effort...

The North West MEC responsible for the Department of Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels Morweng has congratulated an elite Eagles Unit for the arrest of two foreign nationals with 13 bags of dagga of a value still to be determined. The Eagles traffic officers received an information of two Eswatini nationals travelling from Mpumalanga through Gauteng on N12 heading towards Klerksdorp with drugs. Working with the South African Police Service (SAPS) Flying Squad Unit, the Eagles successfully intercepted the vehicle smuggling the dagga and two men were immediately arrested.  The Eagles were on a routine visible patrol duties when they received an information about the vehicle traveling westwards. “Whilst an exact value of the confiscated drugs is still being calculated by our experts, the sheer volume of the haul represents a significant blow to interprovincial drug trafficking networks. We commend The Eagles for their vigilance, quick response and s...

The City of Matlosana Law Enforcement team continued its operation against illegal trading in the Klerksdorp CBD on Wednesday, 22 July 2026 clearing illegal trading activities along OR Tambo Street.  Goods found displayed on sidewalks in contravention of municipal by-laws were confiscated. During the operation, two individuals were apprehended by South African Police Services for obstructing law enforcement officials in the execution of their duties. One of the individuals is a foreign national. The City of Matlosana has urged residents and traders to support and respect the work of law enforcement officers as they continue to enforce municipal by-laws and ensure that public spaces remain safe, clean, and accessible for all. Wolmaransstad Link proud partner of Learners Classroom Wolmaransstad To book a Learners Driver spot, contact them on: 072 303 1918 or visit them at: Rood Street NR 9 Wolmaransstad  2630 Updated: July 2026 #WolmaransstadLinkNews

Political parties represented on the Parliament's Impeachment Committee have sparred over whether President Cyril Ramaphosa should be compelled to give oral evidence to the Section 89 inquiry. While the MK Party is of the view the inquiry should start with his testimony, the ANC wants the committee first to consider the reports of other institutions which have probed the Phala Phala matter, to determine whether there is even a need for what it’s termed a “full-blown inquiry”. Debating the terms of reference for the inquiry at a meeting on Wednesday, the Patriotic Alliance came to Ramaphosa’s defence, saying he could not be compelled to appear. The MK Party's John Hlophe said President Ramaphosa should be setting the stage for his impeachment inquiry by giving testimony first. Failing to deliver evidence, Hlophe said, would invoke the rule of law to draw adverse inferences from the omissions. "The information is peculiarly within the knowledge of the presi...

A State witness in the trial of alleged underworld boss Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala and four others confirmed on Thursday that he was shown a video before deposing to a statement in Ga-Rankuwa. Mzamo Cele is facing a third day of cross-examination, where Matlala’s lawyer, advocate Anneline van den Heever, began her cross-examination by focusing on when he first viewed a video of the 2022 shooting that the State unsuccessfully tried to introduce as evidence. On the first day of the trial, the State sought to hand in video footage, which it said captured the shooting. The defence objected, arguing the footage had not been properly authenticated, and the court refused to admit it. The defence was trying to poke holes in Mzamo's testimony and credibility. Van den Heever asked Cele: "According to you, you were shown this video, you had a discussion with these police officers, you and them analysed the video, and then after that, this statement was typed up, cor...

The head of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), Andrea Johnson, has pointed the finger at one of her subordinates for a major blunder in the unit’s probe into senior Crime Intelligence officers. It's been established at the Madlanga Commission that Johnson authorised an investigation into eight senior Crime Intelligence officers and a civilian without any basis. Testifying at the commission on Thursday, Johnson said IDAC’s chief investigator, Dylan Perumal, is the one who gave her the names. IDAC’s investigation into Crime Intelligence is based solely on a complaint laid by National Coloured Congress (NCC) Member of Parliament (MP) Fadiel Adams. In his complaint, Adams names and accuses only three senior Crime Intelligence officers of corruption. However, when Johnson signed off on the unit to begin its investigation, the names increased from three to 12. Johnson said the additional names were added by Perumal. She said that she will be look...

The state in the case against the former National Assembly Speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, said it will produce evidence to show that she used code words linked to her ancestral calling to solicit bribes. The former National Assembly Speaker is on trial in the Pretoria High Court on corruption charges. She is accused of soliciting and accepting bribes of R4.5 million from a South African National Defence Force (SANDF) contractor. At the time, between 2016 and 2019, Mapisa-Nqakula was Minister of Defence. During its opening address on Wednesday, the State spotlighted a PowerPoint presentation wherein images were used to demonstrate the alleged criminality. According to the State, the WhatsApp messages between Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndlhovu, the sole director of Umkhombe Marine, and Mapisa-Nqakula will reveal that the former minister would call the contractor to her home under the guise of having an ancestral message for her before requesting a bribe. The State also claims ...

Maquassi Hills is among 11 other municipalities in the North West that had it's July Equitable Share Funding withheld by the National Treasury According to the department, the move is aimed at ensuring public money is properly managed It also seeks to curb unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure, while holding municipal office-bearers accountable where required by law Maquassi Hills Municipality has been dealing with various cases of irregular and wasteful expenditure, unable to account for financial mismanagement in recent years. The municipality has been financially constraint failing to cover other financial expenses of service providers such as Magalies Water Board and others The municipality has also failed to provide residents with services such as water  citing financial difficulties The municipality has been delivering water to various community areas through tankering The Treasury says, this move to withhold the...

Maquassi Hills Council went back to meet with the North West Provincial Legislature's SCOPA committee to account on the 2024/25 financial year audit outcomes and implementation of the post audit action on Tuesday, 07 July 2026 The council was thrown out the meeting for failing to deliver the required financial report and to report on the progress of the municipality The African National Congress (ANC) member, Sarah Nkatlo who says she is still the legitimate Speaker of the Council, confirmed that they went to the North West Provicial Legislature's SCOPA meeting unprepared "Honestly Speaking went to the meeting unprepared and the report we had, wasn't the one the committee asked for" - Sarah Nkatlo The council was sent home to make thorough preparations that will allow them to account on how public funds were used in provision of service delivery within the municipality The municipality has been battling maladministration ...

A Community and Education Activist, Matong Mothupi is on the journey for Maquassi Hills to have a first ever TVET College in Wolmaransstad Mothupi says, the request to have a Vuselela Campus in Wolmaransstad is still on the cards "Request to have a Vuselela campus in Wolmaransstad will continue and a delegation team will be established to deal with the process" - Community and Education Activist, Matong Mothupi The process that was underway was delayed for some time, Matong says, the process to have the first ever built TVET Campus in Wolmaransstad was almost hijacked, Matong says a delegation that will lead the talks will be established in the process. The delegation that will be implemented is expected to be represented by respective areas of Maquassi Hills which include Witpoort, Boskuil, nearby farms amonst others "The reason the process stopped previously is because someone tried to steal the idea and hijack the process to hav...

The Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality has officially launched its World Environment Day Clean-Up Campaign in Wolmaransstad, showing its commitment to creating cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable communities The campaign, led by the Municipality's Environmental Management Services in collaboration with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), brought together stakeholders to promote environmental awareness while actively cleaning public spaces within the municipality The initiative sought to educate residents about the harmful effects of illegal dumping, littering, and the burning of waste These practices not only pollute the environment but also contribute to climate change, resulting in changing weather patterns and increasing environmental challenges that affect communities across the district During the campaign, Environmental Management Services engaged with community members, encouraging everyone to pl...

Mahikeng residents have marched to the local Department of Home Affairs and the municipality to demand stricter immigration law enforcement. The protest was sparked by the arrest of a 29-year-old Ethiopian national in connection with the deadly incident. A fatal stabbing claimed the life of a 26-year-old North West man. The victim, identified as Obakeng Santo, was discovered by his brother, who saw him suffering from a severe stab wound. Santo was rushed to a nearby health facility but was tragically declared dead upon arrival. His grieving family expressed their devastation, noting that they had high hopes and expectations for the young man and are struggling to come to terms with the sudden loss. Police arrested a 29-year-old Ethiopian national who appeared in court facing a murder charge. Authorities are currently processing the suspect and investigating his documentation status, as it remains unconfirmed whether he is in the country legally or undocumented. Outra...