It was around 11pm when a frail young woman was led into one of the docks at the Nanterre criminal court in Paris. With her hands cuffed behind her back, Ines* desperately looked for relatives in the courtroom after spending two days in police custody. She nervously twisted and untwisted a bun of light-coloured hair, banned from wearing her hijab in court. "She's very afraid of going to prison," her […]
LOCAL A year ago, KwaZulu-Natal was plunged into chaos by riots that spread to Gauteng, leaving about 354 people dead - a shocking 237 of them murdered during the unprecedented post-apartheid unrest. KwaZulu-Natal accounted for 199 of those murders, with 38 reported in Gauteng. The protests followed the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma for 15 months for contempt of court after he defied an order by the Constitutional Court […]
This week will mark the first anniversary of the July unrest that swept through KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. The unrest, believed to have been sparked by the imprisonment of the former president Jacob Zuma, for contempt of court, caused widespread looting of shops and businesses. It also led to the deaths of over 300 people. KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala says the events bring back sad memories, especially of the people who […]
EFF leader Julius Malema says alleged killers in Phoenix, north of Durban, are being handled with kid gloves by authorities at the expense of the poor and defenceless. Malema told the SABC on Sunday he was shocked by the alleged conduct of the military in the area. “Murder has been committed. We know where the guns are. The army should go where the guns are. The army should look for […]
President Cyril Ramaphosa says over 130 murder cases are being investigated following the violent looting and vandalism incidents in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. Ramaphosa addressed the nation on Friday night, saying that the unrest was pre-planned and orchestrated by individuals seeking to destroy the nation’s constitutional order. The SANDF has been deployed to assist the police in ensuring calm remains across the two affected provinces. Ramaphosa says inquest dockets have also […]
Tens of thousands of people protested across the United States and in major world cities for a sixth night as outrage over police brutality intensified over the death of George Floyd. Floyd, 46, an unarmed black man, died last Monday after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck as he pleaded "I can't breathe", sparking outrage that has swept across a politically and racially divided nation. In Minneapolis […]
VOC became the first Muslim radio station in South Africa when a special events license was granted to the station in Ramadan/January 1995. Subsequent temporary broadcast licenses were granted, permitting the station to broadcast for 24 hours.
