DA councillor shot dead; MaMkhize fails to block sale of properties: Today’s top 7 stories - News24

News24 brings you the top stories of the day, summarised into neat little packages. Read through quickly or listen to the articles via our customised text-to-speech feature.

- Dimpho Senong created a fake graduation video and a forged PhD certificate falsely claiming a Wits University doctorate, while also publicly representing herself as a PwC board member.

- Senong, who was associated with Marketing Science Consulting Group, Inc, described the fabricated credential as “tongue in cheek” when challenged.

- The matter has drawn public scrutiny and media attention, though no formal disciplinary or legal consequences are confirmed.

- Reality TV personality and businesswoman Shauwn “MaMkhize” Mkhize failed in a KwaZulu-Natal High Court application to halt the sale of five Sandown properties estimated at R35 million.

- SARS is pursuing millions in unpaid taxes against Mkhize and sought the sale to recover those outstanding tax liabilities.

- The court refused to halt the sale, ordering the properties to be sold – with proceeds directed at settling SARS’s claims.

- Michael Thulani Mbana, the DA caucus leader and councillor in the Metsimaholo Local Municipality, was shot and killed on Monday night.

- The killing occurred approximately a week before South Africa’s local government elections scheduled for 4 November 2026.

- The DA said it was mourning Mbana’s death; the police are investigating, with no suspects or confirmed motive yet reported.

- The Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) barred 13 construction contractors from the state contractors’ register, removing their ability to work on government projects.

- Moriel Infrastructure Group, linked to Lawrence Mudzinganyama, is among those barred; the grounds cited include misrepresentation in CIDB registration applications and breaches of registration conditions.

- The SA National Roads Agency subsequently moved to terminate its contract with Moriel, signalling broader state action against blacklisted firms.

- Two Gupta-linked mansions in Saxonwold, Johannesburg – a seven-bedroom and an 11-bedroom property – are back on the market, asking R7 million and R8 million, respectively, with lower offers considered.

- The homes are being sold by business rescue practitioners Manci Knoop Financial Services on behalf of Gupta-linked company Confident Concept, to settle creditors’ claims.

- A previous private sale fell through, and the properties – which featured in Zondo Commission testimony about alleged state-capture meetings – were previously sold at about 46% below municipal value.

- The Stormers have signed Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi, who is expected to join the Cape side on Wednesday.

- The 35-year-old World Cup winner previously played for the Stormers and Western Province from 2015 to 2021 before joining the Sharks.

- Mbonambi’s arrival comes amid a hooker injury crisis at the Stormers, with three players injured and JJ Kotze suspended ahead of Saturday’s clash against Ulster.

- With record petrol prices on the horizon, News24 Motoring contributor Jarryd Neves examines whether buying a hybrid vehicle makes financial sense by comparing hybrid and petrol variants of the Omoda C7 SHS, Mini Countryman C and Lexus NX.

- The analysis finds that when a hybrid carries a substantial price premium over its petrol equivalent, fuel savings alone can take many years to recover the difference.

- The article concludes that hybrids make clearer financial sense only when the purchase premium over the petrol model is small, making the fuel-savings payback period reasonable.

These summaries were written with the support of Toqan AI.

News24 surveyed 5,001 registered voters to reveal who leads, what voters want fixed, and which coalitions South Africans could support.

News24’s free audiobook for subscribers this month is ‘Checkmate: How Shoprite Checkers rewrote the rules and won’ by Steven Boykey Sidley.

From Babita Deokaran to Mpho Mafole, whistleblowers remain at the forefront of News24’s intensive investigative work.

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.