The headlines of the leading newspapers on 21 October 2025:
NATIONAL:
# Business Day:
Is one of the first newspapers to report on the evidence at the Madlanga Commission today. A detective who testified anonymously says that a police detective, Michael Pule Tau, was found with 15 empty cartridge casings two hours after engineer Armand Swart was murdered in April 2024, but a ballistics report from the Gauteng police omitted important information about the cartridge casings.
# And the Netwerk24 website:
Also reports on the secret witness before the commission. He told the commission that he, a colleague and the magistrate in the bail hearing of the accused were allegedly offered bribes. A senior police officer also did everything in his power to obtain information about the case.
Then the website writes experts are of the opinion that contingency plans should be drawn up for all marathons. This follows the cancellation of the Cape Town Marathon at the last minute due to weather conditions. They say a marathon cannot be cancelled impulsively.
And finally, it is reported that British MPs have demanded that all royal titles be stripped from Prince Andrew after more information about his alleged relationship with a minor Virginia Giuffre came to light.
GAUTENG:
# The Star:
Writes the class of 2025 is preparing for their final matric exams today, amid concerns about South Africa’s persistent school dropout problem. While more than 715-thousand learners are registered for this year’s exams, almost 450-thousand have already left the system since they started Grade 1 in 2014.
# Sowetan:
Also reports on the detective who remained anonymous. He told the Madlanga Commission that a senior police officer offered bribes to the investigators, and of one suspect who has ties to the Hawks and a taxi boss.
# And The Citizen:
Writes about an incident in Bekkersdal on the West Rand where metro police officers wanted to seize the stolen vehicle of a suspected illegal mining boss. However, the police arrested the metro police officers and detained them for a week.
WESTERN CAPE:
# Die Burger:
Also leads with the secret witness’s testimony. The paper also reports about the so-called three envelopes that were prepared for the investigators and magistrate.
And secondly, the paper writes Stellenbosch University will put the rector’s residence that it bought in 2023 for more than 30-million-rand back on the market.
EASTERN CAPE:
# Daily Despatch in East London:
Reports Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane says the war raging in the police service shows a moral rift in the soul of the ANC.
And secondly, the paper writes members of Parliament who had an oversight visit to the Eastern Cape were told there is a huge backlog in the school building programme.
KWAZULU-NATAL:
# The Witness in Pietermaritzburg:
Writes KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli says he wants to make it mandatory for every municipality to budget for possible disasters.
And secondly, the paper wishes the province’s matrics good luck with the exams that start today.
And finally from NAMIBIA:
# Republikein in Windhoek:
Reports Namibian teachers will no longer be able to teach on a single qualification. The government is proposing a bill for teachers that aims to professionalise the education sector, bring it into line with global standards and enforce accountability.
And secondly, the newspaper writes the City of Windhoek says the current salaries of the striking cleaners of just over five-thousand-rand per month are fair.