In case you missed it: SAA CEO, directors quit | Hijacked station rooms rented | Viljoens plead not guilty

News today includes South African Airways (SAA) is facing renewed uncertainty after Group CEO Professor John Lamola and three non-executive directors announced their resignations on Friday afternoon. Now, analysts are warning that the airline’s recovery narrative may not be as solid as it has been portrayed.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) is cracking down on the hijacking of a former community key point.

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Furthermore, South African reality TV stars Melany “Mel” Viljoen and her husband Petrus “Peet” Jacobus Viljoen, known from The Real Housewives of Pretoria, have pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated grand retail theft in Palm Beach County, Florida, in the United States.

Weather tomorrow: 11 April, 2026

Expect partly cloudy to warm conditions across the country on Saturday, 11 April, with thunderstorms likely in parts of the Northern Cape. Full weather forecast here.

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SAA CEO Lamola and directors quit as airline accused of purge

An SAA plane at OR Tambo International Airport. Picture: Gallo Images

South African Airways (SAA) is facing renewed uncertainty after Group CEO Professor John Lamola and three non-executive directors announced their resignations on Friday afternoon. Now, analysts are warning that the airline’s recovery narrative may not be as solid as it has been portrayed.

Lamola will step down at the end of April 2026, four years after leading the airline from business rescue. During his tenure, the Auditor-General’s website lists qualified audits for each of the reporting periods under his watch, while the 2025 annual report was severely disclaimed and widely criticised by analysts.

Aviation analyst Guy Leitch said the cluster of departures suggested deeper structural problems within the airline. He said that even when a brave face was put on the situation, including the claim of a profit in the 2025 annual report, the problems appeared to run deeper than initially suspected.

CONTINUE READING: SAA CEO Lamola and directors quit as airline accused of purge

MK party MP Reddy fined after threatening ‘civil war’ at rally

MK party leader Visvin Reddy. Photo: X/@DKNMOHAMMED

uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Party MP Visvin Reddy has been sentenced to a R30 000 fine or 10 months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to incitement for threatening “civil war” if his party wasn’t on the ballots.

The 55-year-old pleaded guilty in the Durban Regional Court to a charge of incitement to commit public violence.

Reddy’s guilty plea relates to an incident on 5 March 2024. He addressed a political gathering in Shallcross, Durban, in the run-up to the 2024 national and provincial elections.

CONTINUE READING: MK party MP Reddy fined after threatening ‘civil war’ at rally

Rooms in hijacked police station being rented out for R500 [VIDEO]

The shell of a room rented out for R500 at the old Carletonville Police Station. Picture: Nigel Sibanda

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) is cracking down on the hijacking of a former community key point.

Dean Macpherson, on Friday, was in Carletonville to conduct an oversight visit of the Carletonville police station.

The police station was abandoned almost 20 years ago after a sinkhole left the building structurally unsound.

CONTINUE READING: Rooms in hijacked police station being rented out for R500 [VIDEO]

Here’s how many Home Affairs officials were accused of assisting illegal foreigners last year

Image for illustrative purposes. Picture: iStock

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is attempting to plug any gaps that could be exploited by foreign nationals seeking to enter South Africa illegally.

One of the gaps identified exists within the personnel employed by the department to process the documentation of incoming visitors.

DHA has made significant strides in digitising the permit and visa processes, yet manual processes remain commonplace.

CONTINUE READING: Here’s how many Home Affairs officials were accused of assisting illegal foreigners last year

RHOP’s Mel and Peet Viljoen plead ‘not guilty’ in Florida retail theft case

Peet and Mel Viljoen’s mugshots. Picture: X/BiancavanWyk16

South African reality TV stars Melany “Mel” Viljoen and her husband Petrus “Peet” Jacobus Viljoen, known from The Real Housewives of Pretoria, have pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated grand retail theft in Palm Beach County, Florida, in the United States.

According to court records and updates shared by South African journalist Bianca van Wyk, the couple appeared remotely via Zoom for their 9 April 2026 hearing, during which their attorney entered pleas of not guilty on their behalf.

The Viljoens face one count each of aggravated grand retail theft (Florida Statute 812.015(9)(a)), involving alleged theft of more than $3 000 (R49 000) worth of groceries from a Publix store in Boca Raton.

CONTINUE READING: RHOP’s Mel and Peet Viljoen plead ‘not guilty’ in Florida retail theft case

Yesterday’s News recap

READ HERE: Would you blow the whistle for cash? | Assisted dying battle | Midwife guilty of babies’ deaths

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