A 35-year-old man is facing a murder charge for the death of his 67-year-old mother-in-law in Atlantis, following a brutal attack allegedly carried out with an axe. 

According to Western Cape police, the incident took place in the early hours of 26 January at Pearl Mansion in Avondale.  

“This office hereby confirms that Atlantis SAPS has opened a murder case on Monday, 26 January at 01:20 against a 35-year-old male suspect who assaulted his 67-year-old mother-in-law to death with an axe in Pearl Mansion, Avondale,” confirmed Western Cape SAPS spokesperson, Thembakazi Mpendukana. 

The suspect was arrested nearly two weeks later, on 9 February.  

Mpendukana stated that “once charged, he will appear at Atlantis Magistrate Court.” 

However, police later indicated that the man has not yet appeared in court as he remains in hospital. On 13 February 2026, Western Cape SAPS spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg said the suspect was still hospitalised. 

Community Policing Forum spokesperson Noel Cloete provided further details of the events leading up to the alleged murder. Cloete claims that the man was assaulting his wife, and his mother-in-law intervened, after which the suspect allegedly “went to his vehicle, got an axe from the car, came back, hacked his mother-in-law to death with it”. 

Cloete further claimed that members of the community assaulted the suspect following the incident, which he said led to his hospitalisation and subsequent arrest.  

“As a result of [the alleged incident], the community took action there, the law into their own hands,” said Cloete. 

Atlantis Ward Councillor Allistair Lightburn condemned the incident, describing it as “a heinous crime”.  

“I am concerned at the rate of, especially these types of acts but also gender based violence, that is increasing in our community… I want to also do a plea on to the community‘s residents to be an ear and eye for the law enforcement agencies and to speak out against these violent acts,” said Lightburn. 

There are conflicting accounts regarding the court matter, with the exact details on whether the suspect has been discharged and whether he has made a court appearance being murky at this stage. Lightburn, however, suggests that the suspect will appear in court on Monday. 

A 56-year-old man is set to appear before the Mookgophong Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo today following his arrest on Wednesday.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) says they received a tip-off about a vehicle allegedly transporting illicit cigarettes from Musina to the Gauteng Province.

“Acting swiftly on the intelligence, the operational team intercepted the identified vehicle along the R516 road in the Tuinplaas policing area.”

SAPS confirmed that 36 master boxes of Remington Gold cigarettes, worth over R300 000 were found inside the vehicle.

“The suspect, who was driving a white Ford Ranger single cab, was immediately arrested at the scene for possession of illicit cigarettes. The confiscated cigarettes have an estimated street value of R360 000.00.”

Limpopo Provincial Commissioner of Police, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has since commended officers for their swift action and dedication to fighting illicit trade and related crimes in the province.

The Rethink Your Drink campaign has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s call for stronger alcohol regulations in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday evening.

The President linked excessive alcohol use to child stunting, violence, crime, and road accidents, and proposed measures to address the scourge.

“We call on provincial governments to strengthen the regulation of alcohol by limiting the density of liquor outlets, restricting trading hours and ending the sale of alcohol in large containers. As national government, we have proposed measures to curb excessive alcohol use, including minimum unit pricing or higher excise duties and greater restrictions on alcohol advertising, which we are consulting on with stakeholders.”

Zimasa Mpemnyama, Project Lead for Rethink Your Drink, says the address sends a clear signal that alcohol-related harm is preventable and urges urgent progress on alcohol law reform.

“This is the clearest national signal we have heard in years that alcohol harm is not inevitable. If we reduce availability, lower affordability, and stop aggressive marketing, we can reduce violence, injuries, and long-term harm to children.”

Mpemnyama adds that the next step is for government to follow through on its commitment.

“What we do need now is follow through. We need urgent progress on alcohol reforms to further protect children and avoid preventable harm”

Scores of people across several communities in the Overstrand region gathered in protest on Thursday to highlight their grievances over service delivery and other concerns at their respective municipal offices. 

Residents in Kleinmond, Gansbaai, Stanford and Hermanus marched to municipal offices as part of what has been described as a five-day protest set to conclude on Monday. 

The Overstrand Municipality recorded around 600 protesters in Gansbaai alone, with further demonstrations taking place simultaneously in the other towns. 

Among the protesters’ demands are lower municipal costs, reliable basic services for informal settlements, land allocation for small-scale farmers and for taxis to operate as sole providers of school transport. 

In a notice issued on 11 February, the municipality said it was aware of planned marches from 12 to 16 February. 

“Security Cluster agencies will be working closely together to minimise any disruption.” 

The municipality also cautioned participants in the protest action to remain calm.  

“A protest is only protected if it remains peaceful and unarmed; however, if protesters block roads, intimidate workers, prevent people from going to work, or damage property, they are interfering with others’ constitutional rights, and at that point, the protest is no longer fully protected, allowing law enforcement to intervene.” 

Road closures were reported in parts of Kleinmond, including the R44 and several local streets, while one lane was temporarily closed in Gansbaai as protesters moved from Masakhane towards the central business district. SAPS and municipal law enforcement were deployed to monitor the situation. 

The protest was organised by The Land Party, which on Friday thanked all the communities in the Overstrand that came together for the demonstration.