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As gang violence wreaks havoc in South Africa, we explore the transformative strategies of El Salvador, what can we learn, and what must we avoid, to reclaim our communities and protect our citizens?

The South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) has joined the growing chorus of tributes to actor Mfana Jones Hlophe, who died on Wednesday, 7 October, aged 55. According to TV With Thinus, when Hlophe’s partner returned home on Wednesday evening, she found him in a bad condition. She got him Coca-Cola to try and “stabilise his sugar levels” but told the reporter it didn’t help.They travelled to Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in Johannesburg in an e-hailing vehicle, where Hlophe was pronounced dead upon arrival. It is believed he died on the way there. The actor struggled with health complications from Type 1 Diabetes for years, but it has not yet been established as the cause of death. In a statement shared on X and Instagram, the SAFTAs extended condolences “to the family, friends and colleagues of legendary actor, Mfana-Jones Hlophe”. The awards body also highlighted the breadth of his résumé, naming Sarafina!, Soul City, Generations: The Legacy, Uzalo, Imbewu: The Seed and, most recently, Kwa Baba. From Sarafina! to Bra Nimrod That list reads like a map of South African storytelling over nearly four decades. According to TVSA, Hlophe matriculated in 1987 and joined the Mbongeni Ngema School of Art; he was then chosen for the second company of Sarafina!, which toured Europe in 1989. Theatre remained central to his work, with stints at the Market Theatre and a lead role in Ipi Ntombi in 1997. Television audiences knew him best as Jabu in Soul City, a role TVSA said he played from 2006 to 2007, and later as the scheming Bra Nimrod Thabede in Generations: The Legacy, to which he returned in December 2025. He was also seen as Uncle Mkhize in Kwa Baba earlier this year. An industry in mourning The SAFTAs’ message follows an outpouring from colleagues. Fellow actor Zola Hashatsi announced the news on X on Thursday night, writing that Hlophe “practically raised us”. On Friday, the Generations: The Legacy account said the producers, cast and crew were “deeply saddened by the untimely passing” of Hlophe and sent condolences to his family. TV with Thinus reports that Enjay Productions said his “passion for the arts and the people around him will always live on”.

The High Court in Johannesburg has dismissed an application by a sister seeking permission to exhume her late brother’s body for a forensic post-mortem and inquest investigation. The brother died on 17 August 2026 at the mission house of the Holy Cross Anglican Church, Orlando West, Soweto. He lived there with his surviving spouse, who is a respondent in the case. His death was certified as being due to natural causes by Dr Kenosi Mosalakae on 18 August 2026. He was buried at Westpark Cemetery on 25 August 2026. The sister approached the court with the support of their siblings. The wife had the primary right to determine matters pertaining to her husband’s burial and final resting place. Sister’s case The sister’s case is that her brother’s death was not due to natural causes and that there are reasonable grounds to suspect foul play. In court papers, she claimed signs of a struggle were observed in the house on the night her brother was found dead. These included a broken pot plant in the dining area, another broken pot plant outside near the garage and broken glasses and crockery in the kitchen. Multiple family members independently observed injuries on the deceased’s body inconsistent with a peaceful natural death. The injuries included bruising below the right knee; a red mark/bruise on the forehead; bruising in the area of the knuckles; an indentation on the wrist consistent with force having been applied, “such as from something being tied around it”; and scratches on the abdomen. When the family washed the deceased’s body at the mortuary on 24 August 2026, they observed further bruises and scratches, described as “fresh” and resembling recent injuries, across his upper body, hands and forehead, which they photographed. The sister also claimed the wife’s responses when the deceased was found were “evasive” and “inconsistent”. The sister further claimed her brother had reported ongoing physical and verbal abuse at the hands of his wife. She further claimed her brother’s death was certified as due to “natural causes” the day after his death without any autopsy or post-mortem examination. Wife’s case The wife’s case is that her husband died of natural causes and that her sister-in-law’s application is an abuse of court process. She said her husband was in good health and showed no signs of illness beyond his chronic illnesses, specifically type 2 diabetes and severe hypertension. The wife said on Sunday, 16 August 2026, a church counsellor witnessed her husband suffer what seemed to be an accidental fall in his office. He was sitting down, and when he got up from the chair to leave, he fell, grazing his right knee and bumping his arm on a table and a cupboard in his office. The counsellor helped pick him up and assisted him back onto the chair. Later that day, during a power outage, her husband knocked over and broke a ceramic vase/pot plant in the dark. The wife said she told him to leave the broken vase and that they would attend to it the following day. That was their last interaction before going to sleep. Late on the evening of 17 August 2026, the wife heard a knock at the main door. The churchwardens and church personnel arrived at the premises, and one of the churchwardens unlocked the main gate with their own set of keys. The wife woke up and immediately turned to her late husband in their bed to awaken him. At that specific moment, she did not realise that he had already passed away. She then opened the front door to let the churchwardens and church personnel in. It was only upon returning to the bedroom together with them that it was established that her late husband had passed away in his sleep. ‘Natural causes’ Shortly thereafter, an independent registered emergency care practitioner permanently employed by the City of Johannesburg Emergency Medical Services attended the scene at the house. He was contacted by a church member. The practitioner examined the deceased, and his declaration records a head-to-toe examination. It records no injury of any kind. It records that he declared the deceased dead at the scene at 8:40pm, that the deceased had diabetes and hypertension, and that the body did not sustain any injury while in his care. Members of the South African Police Service (Saps) attended the premises later on the evening of 17 August 2026. Upon their arrival, the Saps members assessed the scene, observed the premises, and were informed that an emergency care practitioner had already formally pronounced the deceased. The police officers found no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances and therefore did not open an inquest docket or register a criminal case at the time. The following day, a medical practitioner practising in Orlando East examined the deceased’s body and certified that he died of natural causes. After viewing the photographs of the deceased, the doctor further observed that the appearance of the deceased’s face, and particularly the drooping of his mouth to one side, may be consistent with a stroke. He also observed that the deceased’s hypertension and diabetes placed him at a significantly higher risk of a stroke or other sudden natural death. ‘Concerns’ The wife argued that neither family members nor the attending undertaker raised any concerns regarding bruises, scratches, or any physical marks on the deceased’s wrists or body. The deceased’s body was viewed by the attending mourners on 24 August 2026; none of them raised any concerns regarding the condition of the body. The wife further denied abusing her late husband, whether physically, verbally, emotionally, financially, or in any other manner. Like any long-standing married couple, they experienced normal, routine domestic disagreements, she said. Judge’s analysis of sister’s case In his analysis, Judge Thifhelimbilu Mudau said the sister’s case consists of lay inferences drawn from photographs taken a week after death. She did not cite any expert medical, forensic, or pathological evidence to contradict the doctor’s or emergency care practitioner’s professional opinions. She also failed to demonstrate that the injuries observed were inconsistent with a natural death or with the accidental fall witnessed by the church counsellor. Her submission that the certification of death was done hastily lacks factual support and is inadmissible hearsay and speculation. Further, the sister did not report her suspicions to Saps. Instead, she commissioned a private investigation, conducted interviews, and only later engaged with Saps. She also did not present expert evidence before the court that a post-mortem examination conducted more than a month after burial would yield any reliable finding. “An order for the exhumation of a buried person is a grave intrusion upon the dignity of the deceased and of his surviving spouse, who holds the primary right to determine matters pertaining to his burial and final resting place. Such an order should not be granted lightly, and certainly not because of speculation and lay opinion alone,” said Judge Mudau. The sister’s application was dismissed. She was also ordered to pay the wife’s costs.

Orlando Pirates will be home team but not at the Orlando Amstel Arena but the FNB Stadium. The club has confirmed tickets are available ahead of the match on Saturday 31 October. SOWETO DERBY TICKETS AND PRICES REVEALED It has been confirmed ticket prices, available on MyTickets, start at R140 per adult. The price for kids is R50 each. In an attempt to manage traffic, fans can purchase packages that include return transport through Gautrain bus services or Rea Vaya. The ticket options are as follows: Level 1: R140 for a match ticket, R165 with Gautrain return bus transport or R200 with Rea Vaya return transport. Level 2: R200 for a match ticket, R225 with Gautrain return bus transport or R260 with Rea Vaya return transport. Level 5: R140 for a match ticket, R165 with Gautrain return bus transport or R200 with Rea Vaya return transport. Children: R50 for a match ticket, R75 with Gautrain return bus transport or R110 with Rea Vaya return transport. These transport packages offer supporters more convenient options for travelling to and from FNB Stadium on derby day, where fans have historically stuck in traffic for up to three hours. HOSPITALITY PACKAGES FOR THE SOWETO DERBY Pirates and Chiefs supporters can only enjoy available hospitality packages. There is a Premiium Viewing Lounge package for R5, 795 for person. It comes with a Soweto derby match ticket, bar service and a three-course buffet. One parking ticket is provided for every four hospitality tickets purchased. The Goldrush Dome non-viewing hospitality package costs R5,395 per person, excluding VAT. It includes reserved stadium seating for watching the match, access to the indoor Goldrush Dome venue, a buffet meal and premium bar service before and after the game. The venue opens at 12:30 and reopens after the match from 17:30 to 19:30. Supporters are encouraged to purchase their tickets online through MyTicket and make their arrangements early to avoid missing out on another chapter in the historic rivalry between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs. WHO DO YOU EXPECT TO WIN THE GAME? Share your thoughts by clicking on the red comments block below.

Two young victims who have accused former deputy national police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya of sexual offences have pleaded with the court to keep him behind bars, fearing for their lives if he secures bail. The Randburg Magistrate’s Court heard their statements on Wednesday, 14 October, after the magistrate ordered investigators to obtain their views on Sibiya’s possible release. The 18-year-old woman who accused Sibiya of rape told the court that she lives in constant fear and has experienced suicidal thoughts since the alleged attack. The 16-year-old girl he allegedly sexually groomed also fears that Sibiya could harm her or her father. RAPE ACCUSER FEARS FOR HER LIFE State prosecutor Velile Makasana read the 18-year-old complainant’s affidavit into the court record. The woman said she feared Sibiya could subject her to further harm if the court released him. “Day in and day out, I’m living under constant fear to the extent of being suicidal,” she said. She told investigators that the alleged incident had changed her life and forced her family to take additional security precautions. The complainant also questioned whether the justice system could protect her if Sibiya returned to the community. She said granting him bail would leave her feeling exposed to further danger. Her affidavit also raised fresh allegations of possible witness interference. The woman claimed that someone associated with Sibiya’s defence had approached one of her friends to obtain a statement contradicting her account. According to the complainant, her friend refused. He admitted having sex with the older complainant but insisted that she had consented. 16-YEAR-OLD FEARS SIBIYA COULD HARM HER FATHER The court also heard from the 16-year-old complainant, who accused Sibiya of sexually grooming her. She said she feared for her safety and that of her father if the former police boss secured bail. “I’m very scared. But if he’s released on bail, he may do harm to my father and or to myself,” she said in her affidavit. The teenager referred to alleged threats Sibiya made against her father after she disclosed the alleged grooming. Her statement follows an affidavit from her father, who told the court on Tuesday that Sibiya had threatened to harm his family. The father alleged that Sibiya became angry when confronted about the allegations involving his daughter. He claimed the former senior police officer warned that he knew his family and could harm them. Sibiya disputes the allegations against him. WHY THE MAGISTRATE DEMANDED THE STATEMENTS The South African previously reported that Magistrate Hleziphi Mkhasibe ordered investigators to obtain statements from both complainants during Tuesday’s proceedings. The magistrate wanted to establish whether the women believed Sibiya could interfere with the investigation or threaten their safety if granted bail. Investigating officer Sergeant Nokukhanya Ndlovu subsequently obtained the statements, which prosecutors presented on Wednesday. The State opposes Sibiya’s release, arguing that he could interfere with witnesses. WHAT CHARGES DOES SHADRACK SIBIYA FACE? Prosecutors accuse Sibiya of raping the 18-year-old woman at a Sandton hotel in May 2026. The State alleges that the woman was intoxicated and unable to consent. Sibiya acknowledges having sex with her but maintains that the encounter was consensual. He also faces allegations that he sexually groomed the 16-year-old through WhatsApp messages and other communications. Prosecutors allege that he requested explicit material from the teenager and instructed her to keep their conversations secret. Sibiya denies grooming the girl and disputes the State’s version of events. He also faces a human trafficking charge and a charge relating to the Firearms Control Act. The former police boss has not been convicted of any of the charges. His bail application continues in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court.

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