By Angel No Lie | KPD Online | September 30, 2026

Nigerian dancer Benjamin Daniel Gabriel, popularly known as Ben Dancer, has completed his seven-day dance marathon in Lagos, ending an endurance challenge aimed at securing a new Guinness World Records title.

Daniel began the challenge at Freedom Park in Lagos and set an initial target of 168 hours. He reached the seven-day mark at about 3 a.m. on Tuesday, September 29, before continuing for several more hours. His team said the final timer recorded 7 days, 8 hours, 32 minutes and 59 seconds, equivalent to more than 176 hours.

The 33-year-old dancer was attempting to surpass the existing Guinness World Records mark for the longest dance marathon by an individual, which is listed at 127 hours, achieved by Indian dancer Srushti Sudhir Jagtap in 2023.

Guinness verdict still pending

Despite completing the marathon, Daniel has not yet been officially declared a Guinness World Records holder.

Guinness World Records has confirmed that his application is active and that evidence from the attempt must go through its review and verification process before a record can be officially recognised.

This means the completion of the physical challenge and the official recognition of a new record are separate stages.

A celebration of Nigerian dance and culture

Throughout the marathon, Daniel incorporated different Nigerian dance styles and musical genres, including Afrobeats, Fuji, jazz and zouk.

He also wore traditional Nigerian clothing during portions of the performance as part of an effort to highlight the country’s cultural diversity. Supporters gathered at Freedom Park to watch the marathon, while videos of the challenge circulated widely online.

Daniel has reportedly spent about 18 years working professionally in dance and has worked as a dancer, choreographer, creative director, dance consultant and fitness instructor. He is also associated with Bendancer Academy International, which focuses on developing dancers.

Medical check-up after the challenge

Following the demanding performance, Daniel was taken to hospital for a medical check-up, according to reports. His team had incorporated rest periods, hydration, food and medical support into the challenge as he attempted to sustain the prolonged performance.

For now, the record remains subject to Guinness World Records’ verification process. If the evidence satisfies the organisation’s requirements, Daniel’s attempt could result in a new official record.

By Angel No Lie | KPD Online | September 30, 2026

South Africa is launching a nationwide response to violence against women after 12 women were killed or found dead in Ekurhuleni and surrounding areas since July, prompting renewed concern over gender-based violence and femicide.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the measures in a national address on September 29, saying municipalities must begin identifying locations where women face heightened safety risks. The announcement followed the discovery of another woman’s body in Springs, east of Johannesburg.

Ramaphosa orders nationwide safety audits after women’s killings

Under the new measures, municipalities are expected to conduct women’s safety audits and identify problems including broken streetlights, abandoned buildings, overgrown public spaces, unsafe transport routes and poorly secured parks.

The government has also ordered a national case-recovery operation focusing on unresolved murders, attempted murders, rape and serious sexual offences involving women and children. Authorities have been given deadlines to identify stalled investigations and establish plans for progressing priority cases.

Ekurhuleni killings spark renewed concern over women’s safety

Police investigations into the deaths in Ekurhuleni remain ongoing. Authorities have cautioned against assuming that all the cases are connected. Earlier reports raised fears that a single perpetrator could be responsible, but police have said there is currently no evidence establishing that the killings were committed by one person.

Several arrests have been made in connection with some of the cases, although authorities have not established a link between those suspects and all of the deaths.

Women’s safety takes centre stage as South Africa responds to Ekurhuleni killings

The latest developments have renewed scrutiny of South Africa’s longstanding gender-based violence crisis. The South African government has previously classified gender-based violence and femicide as a national disaster and has established measures aimed at improving prevention, policing, prosecution and support for survivors.

Ramaphosa also called for greater involvement by men and boys in efforts to prevent violence against women, arguing that women should not have to restrict their movements or change their daily lives because of the threat of violence.

The government says the latest interventions will combine policing, forensic work, municipal safety improvements and community-level prevention. A key focus will be determining why cases become stalled and improving the speed with which evidence and investigations are processed.

For families affected by the killings, however, the immediate priority remains finding answers and bringing those responsible to justice.

The Ghana Police Service has rescheduled the full implementation of its automated traffic law enforcement programme, TRAFFITECH-GH, from October 1 to November 1, 2026.

The Police Service, through the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), announced the change in a press release dated September 29, 2026, signed on behalf of the Director-General of Public Affairs by Deputy Superintendent of Police Richmond Mensah, Staff Officer at the Public Affairs Directorate.

According to the Police, the decision to postpone the full rollout is intended to allow for more extensive public awareness and education on the TRAFFITECH-GH programme before its implementation.

The additional period will be used to educate motorists and other road users on how the system operates, the types of traffic offences it is designed to detect, and the Electronic Notices of Violation (ENV) that will be issued to motorists who are found to have committed offences.

TRAFFITECH-GH forms part of the Ghana Police Service’s broader efforts to address indiscipline on the country’s roads and improve compliance with road traffic laws and regulations.

The automated enforcement system is expected to support the Police in detecting traffic violations and enforcing road safety regulations through technology.

The Police Service has therefore urged motorists, drivers and vehicle owners to use the additional period before the November 1 rollout to familiarise themselves with the programme and understand its operations.

The Service said the extension would provide road users with more time to understand the offences that could be detected under the system and the procedures surrounding the issuance of Electronic Notices of Violation.

The Ghana Police Service also expressed appreciation to the media for what it described as its unflinching support throughout the introduction of the TRAFFITECH-GH project.

It reaffirmed its commitment to working with the media and other stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the programme as part of efforts to improve road safety in Ghana.

The Police Service said the full implementation of TRAFFITECH-GH will now commence on November 1, 2026, rather than the previously announced October 1 date.

A motorist who commits more than one traffic offence during the same incident could receive separate Electronic Notices of Violation under Ghana’s Traffitech-GH system.

The Ghana Police Service states that where more than one offence is recorded at the same time—for example, speeding and running a red light at the same intersection—each offence is recorded and processed separately.

The motorist would therefore receive a separate ENV and ticket number for each offence.

This means a single driving episode can potentially result in multiple enforcement records rather than one combined violation.

Traffitech-GH was developed by the Ghana Police Service as an automated road traffic enforcement system. It uses cameras and sensors to identify violations and automatically capture pictures and/or videos of offending vehicles.

The system is intended to increase compliance with road traffic laws and reduce road crashes, deaths and injuries.

The offences being monitored go beyond speeding and red-light violations.

The Police list expired roadworthiness certificates, wrongful overtaking, failure to use seatbelts, expired licences, driving uninsured vehicles and misuse of sirens among the offences that can be enforced under the system.

For insurance offences, drivers have a specific responsibility. The brochure says a driver is responsible for ensuring that the vehicle being driven has valid motor insurance, even if the driver does not own the vehicle.

Motorists can check insurance status by dialling 92057# followed by the vehicle registration number.

The system also applies broadly to vehicles using Ghana’s public roads.

The Police say Traffitech-GH covers private cars, motorcycles, tricycles such as aboboyaa, taxis, trotros, ride-hailing vehicles, haulage trucks and commercial buses.

However, the brochure says the system applies to Ghanaian-licensed drivers and locally registered vehicles, while offences involving foreign-registered vehicles are handled through separate procedures.

Company vehicles are also covered.

Where a vehicle is registered to a company, employer or organisation, the ENV is issued to the registered owner, with the company responsible for paying or contesting the violation within the stipulated period.

The enforcement process gives motorists 14 days to either settle a violation or begin a contest.

Those who choose to contest must start the process online. They cannot begin the contest procedure by simply walking into a GPS-MTTD or Judicial Service office.

After submitting the contest and selecting a preferred MTTD police station, the motorist will be contacted to arrange an appointment. Following the police-station stage, a court hearing will be scheduled.

If the motorist changes their mind during the contest process, they can pay the outstanding fine plus any accumulated late-payment penalty, which ends the contest process.

The multiple-ticket rule could therefore become particularly significant for motorists who commit several offences during a single journey, because each recorded offence is treated independently under the Traffitech-GH framework.

Motorists who assume that a traffic enforcement camera must be preceded by a warning sign before a violation can be enforced have been given a clear answer under the Traffitech-GH guidelines: the absence of a warning sign does not invalidate a traffic offence.

The Ghana Police Service’s Traffitech-GH brochure states that some road stretches and intersections have warning signs announcing enforcement activities or equipment, while others do not.

More significantly, the guidance says there is no legal obligation to announce MTTD-related traffic enforcement operations or equipment intended to improve road safety in Ghana.

This means motorists could encounter automated enforcement equipment without necessarily seeing a prior warning sign and still receive an Electronic Notice of Violation if they breach traffic regulations.

Traffitech-GH uses fixed, mobile or in-vehicle devices and laser speed-measurement equipment to detect offences. The system can capture speeding and red-light violations, with images and/or videos transmitted for validation before an ENV is issued.

The system also covers a wider range of offences, including expired roadworthiness certificates, wrongful overtaking, non-use of seatbelts, expired driving licences, driving uninsured vehicles and misuse of sirens.

Speed limits are also clearly outlined in the guidance.

The brochure states that, generally, highways have a speed limit of 90 km/h, motorways 100 km/h, urban or built-up areas 50 km/h, while a 30 km/h limit applies within areas such as schools, playgrounds, health facilities, churches, mosques, markets, shopping centres, processions and locations where human activity is predominant.

The Police guidance says licensed drivers are expected to know these limits whether or not a speed-limit sign is posted.

The red-light enforcement rule is equally strict.

According to the brochure, if the tyres of a vehicle cross the stop line after the traffic signal has turned red, the driver has committed a red-light offence.

A driver who believes the signal was still yellow at the precise moment the tyres crossed the stop line can review the video evidence and contest the violation within 14 days.

The controversial aspect is that motorists cannot rely simply on the absence of a camera-warning sign as a defence.

Instead, the Police direct drivers to use the evidence attached to their ticket. Motorists can enter their ticket number on Ghana.gov.gh and access the photo or video evidence and other violation data.

Access to the evidence is restricted to the vehicle owner or driver, authorised MTTD officers, back-office validation staff and the courts.

The enforcement system therefore places greater responsibility on drivers to know the applicable traffic rules rather than relying on warnings about enforcement equipment.