For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Lumkile Nkomfe.

Making headlines: DA calls for prosecutions following asset seizure in Tembisa Hospital case; South Africa is on track to meet key fiscal targets, Treasury head says; And, South Africa investigates how it made a part for Russian drones

DA calls for prosecutions following asset seizure in Tembisa Hospital case

The Democratic Alliance has welcomed the seizure of luxury vehicles and other assets from businessman Hangwani Maumela, one of the central figures in the R2-billion Tembisa Hospital corruption case, and the party is calling for urgency relating to arrests and convictions by the National Prosecuting Authority.

The Special Investigation Unit raided Maumela’s home in Sandton in connection with corruption at the Tembisa Hospital.

In its interim report last month, the SIU revealed that syndicates, including the Maumela Syndicate, linked to Maumela, who is the nephew of President Cyril Ramaphosa, through a previous marriage, were responsible for looting over R2-billion from the hospital coffers.

DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health Dr Jack Bloom said while the SIU deserves credit for the progress made, its findings are only an interim report.

He said while asset seizures are a “good and necessary” step by the SIU, it cannot stop there.

South Africa is on track to meet key fiscal targets, Treasury head says

South Africa is on track to meet its two main fiscal targets this year, stabilising its public debt and increasing the size of its primary budget surplus, the head of the National Treasury said.

Africa's biggest economy has struggled to curb rising public debt after more than a decade of runaway spending that outpaced revenue growth.

But this year the fiscal picture looks much better, with Treasury data for the first five months of the 2025/26 financial year showing revenue is up more than 10% and spending only about 4%.

Director-General Duncan Pieterse said spending had slowed in part because of the protracted approval of this year's main budget, which was held up for months by political wrangling between the two main coalition partners, the African National Congress and the Democratic Alliance.

And, South Africa investigates how it made a part for Russian drones

South African authorities said they are investigating how electronic equipment made in the country ended up in Russian drones used to attack Ukraine.

The part in question is a laser range finder made by Lightware Optoelectronics, which is based on the outskirts of Pretoria. It can be used to measure distances and trigger detonation, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Ukraine’s special envoy for sanctions, said in a social media post.

It’s unclear how Russia obtained the equipment, which isn’t designed for military use, Lightware said in a response to questions this week. It blamed “unscrupulous” purchasers. The range finder was named among components that Ukraine’s intelligence services said on their Telegram channel were discovered in Russian drones.

Under South African law a company is prohibited from exporting arms to a country engaged in active conflict without the permission of the government’s National Conventional Arms Control Committee, or NCACC.

The technology built into Lightware’s sensors is used in driverless cars and in applications ranging from monitoring ore movements at mines to counting endangered wildlife. The company has reduced the size and weight of the sensors, making it easier to deploy in drones.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

Don’t forget to follow us on the X platform, at the handle @PolityZA