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Fraud

latest news & developments

Collective action needed to rebuild trust in digital communication

South Africa ranks among the world's most spam-targeted markets, with 17.47 billion spam calls recorded in early 2026. Industry leaders and regulators discuss how technology,…

South Africans fight back as spam calls surge past 17bn

Despite a massive surge in AI-driven scam calls exceeding 17 billion in South Africa, citizens are fighting back by answering fewer unknown numbers as new regulations and opt-out…

Lindile Mhlungu, the former mayor of eMadlangeni local municipality

Former KZN municipal mayor and accomplice appear in court for an alleged R2m ‘fictitious’ shopping mall feasibility study

Former eMadlangeni local municipality mayor, Lindile Mhlungu, and former municipal manager, Musawenkosi Thwala, appeared in the Pietermaritzburg High Court for allegedly…

Authorisation: Idac investigator Brian Padayachee said the decision to probe Lt Gen Dumisani Khumalo had been taken by an internal evaluation committee. Photo: Timothy Bernard/IO

Idac charged Khumalo on sparse facts

The Madlanga Commission has heard that Crime Intelligence head Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo was arrested and charged with fraud and corruption in June 2024, despite…

KZN Hawks under fire for allegedly ‘protecting’ bogus doctor unduly paid R600k worth of salary 

The Hawks in KwaZulu-Natal face scrutiny for allegedly protecting Rashal Dayanand, a bogus doctor who defrauded the provincial Department of Health of over R600,000. Dayanand,…

Sweetheart deal: Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala agreed to be called by the  state to testify in subsequent cases, including against his co-accused. Photo: File

Matlala secures eight-year plea deal as state witness

Businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala has pleaded guilty to fraud, corruption and money laundering charges linked to the R360 million South African Police Service (SAPS) healthcare…

Mkhwanazi admits Matlala police clearance certificate was fraudulent

Suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi has admitted to the Madlanga Commission that a police clearance certificate submitted for…

Greed has cost nearly 8 000 workers in Tongaat’s sugar division and its milling operations their jobs when the company moved to sell off assets and reduce its debt, while the firm and its suppliers sustained huge losses.
 (Dean Hutton/Bloomberg/Getty)

Tongaat bidder appears in court over alleged fraudulent funding letter

The case was postponed to 10 June, when Rajahussen is expected to respond to allegations that RGS fraudulently submitted a R2 billion proof-of-funding bank letter as part of its…

National Coloured Congress leader Fadiel Adams. (X/ @JustSecuCluster)

MP Fadiel Adams fails to surface as an arrest warrant is issued in the Sindiso Magaqa case

The SAPS wants the Cape Coloured Congress leader to hand himself over on fraud and obstruction charges linked to the Magaqa murder probe

Authentic: Bad Influencer creator Kudi Maradzika. Photo: Andre Berry

Kudi Maradzika’s Bad Influencer captures Joburg’s counterfeit glamour

With an all-star cast, the seven-part Netflix series unpacks fame, fraud and female empowerment in the modern African cityscape

Graphic: John McCann

Fighting corruption in local government needs systems, not saints

Condemning fraud and trying to inculcate ethics won’t change things; it requires redesigning the very systems that enable malfeasance

The technology’s unalterable digital trail would reduce fiscal leaks and prevent large-scale corruption draining the public purse. Photo: Supplied

How blockchain could end public sector fraud

The technology’s unalterable digital trail would reduce fiscal leaks and prevent large-scale corruption draining the public purse

The government must address the corruption surrounding the management of undocumented migrants, asylum seekers and refugees by home affairs officials, the police and the defence force

The dark underbelly of immigration fraud in state institutions

The government must address the corruption surrounding the management of undocumented migrants, asylum seekers and refugees by home affairs officials, the police and the defence…

Restraints: The banking sector adheres to global benchmarks regarding credit card security but still the system remains vulnerable because its foundational IBM architecture limits this and there is no instantaneous payment system. Photo: Supplied

How safe are South African banks from cyber attacks?

Experts say the banking system is as advanced as that in Europe but its antiquated infrastructure is difficult to modernise

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi.

Lesufi ‘sat on’ dignity pack fraud report

The project was meant to supply dignity packs to girls and women at no-fee schools and colleges