How the US-Israel-Iran conflict is reshaping South Africa’s coal exports
Middle East tension has pushed up energy prices and boosted demand for South African coal, raising questions about climate commitments and exports
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Why storms that used to happen every 50 years are hitting more often
Climate scientists agree that intense downpours and heavy storms will probably happen more often and become more unpredictable. But can every extreme weather event be pinned on climate change? We look at what past data and future predictions say
Can Safa fix Bafana’s World Cup admin mess?
Safa’s latest Bafana blunder has been tackled. Now comes the harder question: can it actually stop the next one?
The evolution of glory: Soccer boots and brand battles at the 2026 Fifa World Cup
The 2026 boot wars echo innovation races in marathon running and basketball. The boots blend heritage, technology and personal stories, from Jordan’s influence to Maradona’s untied laces and Khumalo’s Puma legacy, helping propel athletes towards glory
SAPS head of organised crime Richard Shibiri axed
Shibiri was found guilty of misconduct that brought the SAPS into disrepute, including associating with known criminal Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala
The cost of living does not reward breaks
It does not pause because you have given birth. It does not soften because you are tired. It demands that you keep moving, bruised and battered if necessary.
AI’s hidden environmental cost: UN report flags massive water, energy and land footprint
AI’s rapid growth is driving major water, energy, land and e-waste impacts, raising environmental justice concerns worldwide
Peabo Bryson, the voice behind Disney’s greatest love songs, dies at 75
Two-time Grammy winner Peabo Bryson, whose voice graced Disney classics and R&B charts for five decades, has died after a stroke
SA launches first climate and health surveillance platform
The tool allows researchers and policymakers to track links between extreme weather, heatwaves, flooding and health outcomes
KZN Public Works slashes wasteful expenditure to zero, invests R20m to go paperless
The second-smallest provincial department by budget allocation is leveraging its savings to bankroll a R20 million digital overhaul aimed at eradicating paper-based bureaucracy, stamping out tender corruption and multiplying productivity in the next three years.
Blue-footed baboon spider targeted by exotic pet trade despite low public profile
The blue-footed baboon spider, a rare species found only in South Africa, is appearing in the international exotic pet trade, raising concerns about wildlife trafficking and conservation
Fort Hare serves misconduct charges on vice-chancellor Sakhela Buhlungu
Buhlungu is further accused of damaging the University’s reputation through public comments made during a media interview, which Council claims undermined its integrity
What years of war, cyclones and displacement have wrought upon the people of northern Mozambique
Northern Mozambique has been absorbing what humanitarian groups call “multiple shocks” for years. Conflict, cyclones, cholera, displacement; each arriving before the last has been processed, each landing on a health system already buckling. What happens to people’s minds in conditions like these? And who is there to help?
Malawi first lady’s charity faces transparency questions after multimillion-rand donations
Contributions from controversial regional figures revive scrutiny over governance and political influence
Working on Fire sues over tender
Working on Fire seeks to halt the award of the national wildfire management contract to Tefla, while the department and Tefla oppose the urgent relief
Foreigners seek UN intervention after Durban police station standoff
About 200 foreigners who say they are fleeing attacks linked to anti-immigrant groups have called for United Nations intervention after spending two days outside Durban Central Police Station, where police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse them following a tense standoff
Defunct Malawian Bank seeks $552m compensation
A bank that ceased operations more than two decades ago is seeking compensation from Malawi that could approach a 10th of the country’s annual budget, following a court ruling that regulators illegally revoked its licence
Solar powers Malawi’s mobile money boom but leaves the poorest behind
New research links rural solar adoption to mobile money use, while raising concerns about inequality
‘Chaos’ at police drug theft attempt
Lt-Colonel Sebola told the Madlanga commission that under instruction from Warrant Officer Rikhotso, Colonel Maluleke and General Kadwa, he was to seize the bakkie carrying the cocaine bricks from Magane so that the Hawks narcotics unit could take over the scene
Malawi’s century-old witchcraft law leaves door open to mob killings
Seven deaths in southern Malawi expose legal gaps, weak prosecutions and a colonial law that authorities say is no longer fit to manage modern waves of panic-driven violence
Universities South Africa sounds alarm on rising campus governance risks
Several universities are facing deepening governance crises marked by institutional capture, leadership instability and weakened accountability systems, say higher education leaders and a Universities South Africa report
DA leadership contest in KZN pits Ngema against Billy before 2026 polls
The Democratic Alliance is set to elect new leadership in KwaZulu-Natal this weekend, in a closely watched provincial congress that will shape the party’s strategy before the 2026 municipal elections amid rising coalition politics and the growing influence of the MK Party
Parliament intensifies scrutiny of Sasol
Parliament’s portfolio committee on forestry, fisheries and environment is widening its oversight into Sasol after receiving protected disclosures from environmental whistleblower Ian Erasmus
Nine lessons to make SA’s anti-HIV jab rollout work
In less than a month, South Africa will start rolling out the most potent HIV prevention medication the world has seen. But that alone doesn’t guarantee that HIV-negative people who need this twice-a-year injection — called lenacapavir — will use it
It’s burning down there: How shame is keeping SA girls from looking after their sexual health
Shame, silence and incomplete sex ed are stopping South African girls from getting treated for sexually transmitted infections — even as rates remain stubbornly high
IFP factional tension flares as leaked voice note sparks allegations of violence
Leaked voice note allegedly involving IFP Youth Brigade leader Mncedisi Maphisa fuels factional tension before the party’s elective conference, prompting an internal investigation
Big fuel price rise from Wednesday
The department of mineral and petroleum resources has confirmed that petrol will increase by R3.27 a litre, while diesel will increase by R6.19a litre, depending on the sulphur grade
Misa celebrates Jetour’s announcement to produce vehicles locally from 2027
At Auto China 2026, the president of Jetour International, Ke Chuandeng, announced that from 2027, Jetour would be producing some of its models locally in South Africa
Minerals boom but benefits bypass communities
South Africa is positioning itself as a key player in the global race for critical minerals but new research and warnings suggest those closest to extraction might lose out, echoing long-standing inequalities in the mining sector
Teen pregnancies are dramatically dropping. But researchers aren’t sure why
New research shows a steep decline in adolescent pregnancy rates across all nine provinces from 2021 to 2025, reversing course from previous years. It’s good news, even if it’s not clear why it’s happening
No freedom without water
Across South Africa, communities are marking Freedom Day under the weight of an escalating water crisis, where unreliable supply, contamination and ageing infrastructure continue to undermine basic rights and deepen inequality
Tanzania inquiry finds 2025 election unrest was organised and financed
Presenting the report, the commission’s chairperson Judge Chande Othman said the inquiry drew on extensive evidence from both primary and secondary sources, including face-to-face interviews, public and private hearings and documentary reviews