TAX INCREASES NOT THE ANSWER, SARS
SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter has raised serious concerns about the proposed tax hike, suggesting it may not be the best approach.
Instead, he advocates for investing in SARS to help recover an estimated R800-billion in uncollected taxes.
Kieswetter points out that the last VAT increase in 2018 failed to significantly boost revenue. He believes modernising SARS will enhance tax collection, broaden the tax base, and improve compliance.
The uncollected taxes include around R450-billion from theoretical modelling and over R300-billion from outstanding returns. Meanwhile, National Treasury has revised its tax revenue expectations downward, highlighting the ongoing challenges in South Africa’s fiscal landscape.
Full story https://t.co/cp6AuoOW5f
(Pictured - SARS Commissioner, Edward Kieswetter)
Four Men Including Mozambican and Zimbabwean Nationals Sentenced To Life Imprisonment Plus More Than 100 Years Each For Deadly CIT Robbery That Killed G4S Escort Driver
Four men have been sentenced to life imprisonment, with additional prison terms exceeding 100 years each, for their involvement in a cash-in-transit (CIT) robbery that claimed the life of a G4S escort driver in Limpopo. The Polokwane High Court handed down the sentences on 20 October 2026 following an investigation by the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team in Phalaborwa.
Victor Mhlanga (31), David Matola (55) and Solomon Moyo (31) were each sentenced to life imprisonment plus 116 years, while Fannie Blessing Maselela (36) received life imprisonment plus 115 years. The additional sentences will run concurrently with their life sentences for murder. All four men were also declared unfit to possess firearms.
The robbery occurred on 20 September 2023 in the Klaasier area, within the Hoedspruit policing precinct in the Mopani District. Approximately 12 armed suspects allegedly attacked a G4S armoured vehicle, a truck and a Toyota bakkie. The escort driver was shot dead, his firearm was stolen and an undisclosed amount of cash was taken. Four suspects were killed during the incident, while another was injured and arrested at the scene. Mhlanga and Matola are Mozambican nationals, Moyo is Zimbabwean and Maselela is South African. They faced multiple charges, including murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, attempted murder, unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, possession of explosives and malicious property damage.
Limpopo Hawks Provincial Head Major General (Adv.) Gobz Govender commended the investigators and other role-players for helping secure the convictions. He said the sentences could not bring back the deceased driver but affirmed that his life mattered and those responsible had been held accountable. Govender also expressed hope that the outcome would bring some comfort to the bereaved family.
Zimbabwean National Tatenda Sithole Sentenced To Life Imprisonment For Murder Of 17-Year-Old Motjatji Thoka, Whose Headless Body Was Discovered In A Deserted House In Botlokwa
Zimbabwean national Tatenda Sithole, 30, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of 17-year-old Motjatji Thoka, whose headless body was discovered in a deserted house in Botlokwa, Limpopo, in January 2024. The sentence was handed down on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, with Sithole also receiving additional prison terms for defeating the ends of justice and violating a corpse.
Thoka went missing on 5 January 2024 after informing others that she was going to a local shop in Mokomene Village, within the Botlokwa policing area. Five days later, on 10 January, her body was discovered in a deserted house with her head severed and some internal organs missing.
Following an intensive investigation, two Zimbabwean nationals were arrested in connection with the murder. The accused pointed out the crime scene and led police to a location approximately five kilometres from where the body was found, where Thoka’s head and internal organs had been buried. Sithole received five years for defeating the ends of justice and eight years for violating a corpse, with both sentences running concurrently with his life sentence.
Sithole was the second accused in the case, while his co-accused, Brian Mugweira, 22, pleaded guilty in the Polokwane High Court in 2025 and was sentenced to 22 years’ imprisonment. The investigation was conducted by Sergeant Themba Sindane of the Provincial Harmful Occult Related Practices and Missing Persons Unit. Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant General Scheepers commended Sindane and the other officers involved, reiterating the SAPS’s commitment to holding violent crime perpetrators accountable and securing justice for victims and their families.
WAR does not exist in Bangladesh or Pakistan. Why are there refugees and asylum seekers from those nations? Why did they travel to South Africa instead of more than 46 safe nations?
The message of the people is loud and clear. Government is pretending to be deaf. The next thing, South African cities will be in flames like happened in France, and then they will be looking for scapegoats to blame.
Patriot tells Pakistani to remove his flag as only one flag flies in South Africa... This is the kind of president we fkn need right now before it's too late...