A 62-year-old teacher employed at Teto Secondary School in Thabong, Welkom, in the Free State is recovering in hospital after she was allegedly stabbed multiple times at her private residence in the Dagbreek suburb.
The incident took place on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, after school hours. According to reports from the Free State Department of Education and police, the teacher returned home at approximately 12:40 and noticed that her door had been tampered with and was slightly open. It is alleged that a Grade 11 learner from Teto Secondary School was involved. Accounts indicate the learner had been hiding inside the property or confronted her outside the home while wearing a balaclava or similar covering.
The attacker is reported to have used a sharp object, described in some police and departmental statements as a panga, and stabbed the teacher several times in the head and hands. During the struggle, the teacher managed to see the attacker’s face before the person fled the scene. The attacker allegedly demanded money, and funds were later withdrawn multiple times from her bank account using her bank card.
Police have opened cases of attempted murder, robbery with a weapon other than a firearm, and residential burglary. Officers seized the panga used in the attack. As of the most recent updates, no arrest had been made. Free State SAPS spokesperson Sergeant Palesa Thabana confirmed that the teacher provided a statement while in hospital and that a pointing-out of the alleged suspect would take place in due course. Investigations remain ongoing.
The teacher, who has worked at Teto Secondary School for nearly four decades (approximately 38 years), sustained multiple serious injuries. Departmental spokesperson Howard Ndaba stated that she was later transferred to a surgical ward in a stable condition and continues to receive medical treatment in hospital.
Free State Education MEC Dr Mamiki Maboya condemned the attack in strong terms. She described it as a cowardly and barbaric assault on a seasoned educator who is a mother and grandmother and who has dedicated almost four decades to education in the province. Maboya characterised an attack on an educator as an attack on the education system and the future of children. She instructed the Lejweleputswa Education District to provide support to the teacher and her family. The school management team has visited them. The department has framed the incident within the context of gender-based violence and femicide and called on law enforcement to act swiftly to bring the perpetrator to book.
Ndaba confirmed that the alleged learner had not been arrested at the time of the statements and that the department would await the outcome of the South African Police Service investigation before considering any internal disciplinary steps. The identity of the alleged perpetrator has not been publicly disclosed while the investigation continues.
MEC Maboya was scheduled to visit the teacher to check on her recovery and offer further support to the family. The department continues to monitor the situation. No further details on a discharge date or additional medical updates have been released in the available reports.
WATCH: Alleged abduction of a woman in Germiston CBD captured on video
A video that began circulating on social media on 29 September 2026 appears to show an incident involving a woman in the Germiston central business district in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng. Captions accompanying the footage describe the events as an alleged kidnapping or abduction attempt.
The video was filmed from an elevated position overlooking a street. It shows a white car with its door open and a person visible near or partially inside the vehicle. Other vehicles are present in the immediate area. The clip is approximately 14 seconds long and does not provide a complete view of the full sequence of events from multiple angles.
Versions of the same or closely matching footage have been shared by multiple accounts on 29 and 30 September 2026. Some posts accompanying the video claimed the woman was the owner of a hotel in Germiston. No independent confirmation of the woman’s identity or any other personal details has been established.
As of the afternoon of 30 September 2026, the South African Police Service and other official law-enforcement bodies have not issued any public statement confirming the incident, identifying a victim, reporting arrests, or providing further details. No verified reports matching this specific video have appeared in mainstream South African news outlets.
The video remains an unverified social media recording. No additional confirmed information regarding the outcome of the apparent incident, the individuals involved, or any related police action is available from official sources at this time.
Alleged abduction of a woman in Germiston CBD captured on video pic.twitter.com/eyf7pyAddJ
— PrimeTime News (@PrimeTimeNewsZA) September 30, 2026
Anyone with relevant information is encouraged to report it to their nearest police station or the SAPS Crime Stop line.
Eighteen killed in Wedela tavern massacre near Carletonville as police hunt eight gunmen
On the night of Saturday 26 September 2026, at approximately 21:30, eight unidentified men armed with AK-47 rifles and pistols opened fire on patrons at Dora’s Tavern in Extension 3, Wedela, near Carletonville on Gauteng’s West Rand, about 80 kilometres from Johannesburg.
The attackers first shot people gathered outside the tavern. They then entered the building and continued firing at those inside. According to police accounts, the gunmen searched some patrons and took cellphones before setting two vehicles alight and fleeing the scene in two unidentified vehicles.
Seventeen people—thirteen men and four women—were declared dead at the scene. Fifteen others were injured. One of the wounded later died in hospital, raising the death toll to 18. Five of the injured were reported to be in critical condition after being shot in the upper body; the remainder were in a stable condition. Victims included South African and Lesotho nationals, with at least one Ethiopian among the wounded. Only a limited number of the deceased had been formally identified in the days immediately after the attack.
Police opened dockets for multiple counts of murder, attempted murder, malicious damage to property and armed robbery. A multidisciplinary investigation involving specialised units is under way. Authorities stated they possess images of the suspects, including material from CCTV at the tavern, and launched a manhunt. No arrests of the eight primary suspects had been publicly confirmed in the immediate aftermath.
Gauteng police indicated two main lines of inquiry: robbery, based on the theft of cellphones and other belongings, and a possible turf conflict linked to illegal mining activity in the area. The provincial police commissioner noted that a shooting had occurred at the same tavern roughly a month earlier and that the latest attack could represent retaliation.
Illegal miners, known locally as zama zamas, operate in and around Wedela, where abandoned mine shafts form part of an illicit gold extraction network. Some zama zamas based in the area stated that a rival group from a nearby informal settlement near Carletonville was responsible. They said the two groups had clashed previously, that two of their own members had been killed the previous month, and that the Saturday attack reduced their numbers. They claimed the gunmen had been tipped off that some of their leaders were inside the tavern and expressed concern that further violence could follow. These claims have not been independently verified by police.
A resident whose home stands adjacent to the tavern reported that armed men forced their way into the house during the attack. He hid under a bed while the gunmen entered the property three times to reload their rifles between periods of shooting at the tavern. A person working at the tavern described the assault as lasting more than 40 minutes.
The South African National Defence Force and specialised South African Police Service units were deployed to the area under operations aimed at intensifying security in Wedela and surrounding communities. Bullet casings consistent with AK-47 fire were recovered at the scene. Residents in the township reported living in heightened fear in the days that followed, citing the presence of armed illegal mining groups and a history of gun violence linked to competition over mining territory.
Police continue to urge anyone with information to come forward through official channels. The investigation remains active, with the motive still under determination and the eight suspects at large.
Man admits beating two-year-old to death; toddler had 20 injuries
Carel Pieter Daniel Fouché, 35, admitted in the Stilfontein regional court in North West that he repeatedly struck a two-year-old boy, causing the child’s death from blunt force trauma to the head.
The victim was Kelvin Bart Nieuwenhuizen. The incident took place on the night of 14–15 May 2025 at a house in Clubview Street, Stilfontein. Several families lived in the house. Court records and Fouché’s own plea description described the property as a place of regular drug use, including crystal meth and “goof.”
Fouché was in a relationship with the child’s grandmother, Marietjie Niewenhuizen. The toddler was staying in the grandmother’s room because of the mother’s drug addiction. On the evening of 14 May 2025, Fouché and the grandmother used drugs. She fell asleep soon afterwards. During the night the child began crying. Fouché, still under the influence, became irritated because the crying continued and the grandmother did not wake. He then repeatedly hit the two-year-old with open hands and fists.
The grandmother later woke and took the child from Fouché. The full extent of the injuries only became clear the next morning. Fouché said he woke to find the child lying on the floor, wrapped in a blanket and not breathing.
A post-mortem examination by Dr Ruweida Moorad established that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. Court-related reporting confirmed the child had sustained 20 injuries.
Fouché and the grandmother were arrested shortly after the body was found. The grandmother was initially also charged with murder. That charge was later withdrawn and she was released in November following the 2025 arrest. Fouché remained in custody.
On 7 July 2026 Fouché pleaded guilty to murder in the Stilfontein regional court. In a written plea explanation signed that day he stated that he knew the assault on the small child could cause death, that he acted intentionally and unlawfully in taking the child’s life, and that drug use did not amount to a defence. He expressed remorse and said he was deeply sorry for his conduct.
The case was postponed for pre-sentence reports. An appearance on 20 August 2026 was further postponed to 29 September 2026 for sentencing after the regional magistrate was on sick leave and the necessary reports were not yet ready. Fouché remained in custody pending the sentencing decision.
Community members in Stilfontein followed the case from the time of the child’s death. The house was known locally as a drug den. The child’s body was discovered under a blanket in a bedroom. Funeral arrangements and community support took place in the weeks after the death in May 2025.
These details are drawn from the court record, Fouché’s plea explanation, the post-mortem finding, and contemporaneous local reporting of the arrests, charges, guilty plea and postponements.
Two Abandoned Hand Grenades Recovered in Wilro Park, Roodepoort
Police in Roodepoort recovered two abandoned hand grenades from an open field in the Wilro Park area on 24 September 2026.
The explosives were discovered at approximately 20:00 by a passer-by, who immediately alerted the South African Police Service (SAPS). Members of the SAPS Explosives Unit responded to the scene and safely removed both devices.
No arrests have been made. Police investigations continue to determine the circumstances under which the grenades were left in the field.
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is urged to contact the nearest police station, the Crime Stop number 08600 10111, or submit an anonymous tip via the MySAPS App.
Members of the public are reminded that if they encounter any suspected explosive device, they should not touch, move or approach it. They should move away from the area and contact SAPS immediately.
This account is based solely on the official SAPS statement issued on 30 September 2026. No further verified details regarding the origin of the grenades, any linked suspects, or additional recoveries have been released at this stage.
- Flydubai Flight FZ1073 Diverted to Saudi Arabia After Cockpit Altercation Involving Stabbing
- Welkom teacher recovering in hospital after alleged stabbing by Grade 11 learner at her home
- Alleged abduction of a woman in Germiston CBD captured on video
- Eighteen killed in Wedela tavern massacre near Carletonville as police hunt eight gunmen
- Victor Matome Rampedi appears in Thembisa court for murder of Ntombifuthi Nxumalo as case postponed for bail application
