
Top Stories
Household debt crisis deepens as betting drains stretched budgets
Rising betting activity adds to debt pressures among consumers seeking counselling
THURSDAY, 05 FEBRUARY 2026, 10:35

Top Stories
Rising betting activity adds to debt pressures among consumers seeking counselling
Top Stories
Moving, tragic, surprising, inspiring, terrifying, shocking… This is a selection of images from our planet, over the past seven days.

Top Stories
The Bank of England meets on Thursday to decide the fate of the base rate, with most experts predicting borrowers will face disappointment.

Top Stories
South Africa is proposing major BEE reforms, including a central Transformation Fund for compliance contributions and stricter procurement targets favouring 100% black-owned businesses.
South Africa
Concern over Senteeko Dam safety risks
The Department of Water and Sanitation has issued a dam safety directive to address serious and ongoing safety risks at My Own Dam, publicly known as Senteeko Dam, in Mpumalanga.The directive, issued in terms of Section 118 of the National Water Act, was served on the dam owner, Shamile Communal Property Association (CPA), on Tuesday, 3...
South Africa
NAC opens applications to fund arts projects
The National Arts Council of South Africa (NAC) has encouraged individual arts practitioners, registered arts organisations and community art centres to apply for funding for the 2026-2027 financial year.“This call appeals to arts practitioners to present projects that can continue to educate, entertain, and enlighten audiences....

South Africa
The Nkabinde Enquiry is assessing suspended South GP DPP Adv Andrew Chauke’s fitness to hold office.

South Africa
The state alleges that Molefe orchestrated the murder of DJ Sumbody in November 2022.
World
Taiwan welcomed US President Donald Trump’s call with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, saying it would help “stabilise” the region as China increases military pressure on the island.

World
Gus Lamont was last seen playing outside his home on a remote sheep station on 27 September.

World
A rare phantom jellyfish has been spotted by scientists exploring the deep sea in the South Atlantic.
World
Israel has killed at least 23 Palestinians in attacks across the Gaza Strip in one of the deadliest days since an October ceasefire began, according to medical sources.

Africa
Epstein considered approaching Mugabe about a new currency in 2015 – the latest batch of files show.

Africa
Shops and homes were torched in an attack on two villages in the western state of Kwara, a lawmaker says.

Africa
Ahmed Muharram is among several suspects arrested in a major crackdown on marijuana trafficking.

Africa
The surprise move that may threaten the stability of the coalition government of which the DA is a key partner.

Business
Prepping for the 2026 Mining Indaba.

Business
South Africa has dodged a bullet—for now—with AGOA, but new BEE policies and government red tape are choking the country’s biggest employers.

Business
Boxer is rolling out new stores across South Africa, as the company sees double-digit revenue growth.

Business
The charity’s founder says the supermarket also aims to help users get support from other services.

Politics
Political parties set to attend the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of Lily Mine tragedy

Politics
The Madlanga Commission is probing criminality, political interference in the justice system.

Politics
Parly’s Ad Hoc Committee asked Xolile Mashukuca to apply for security clearance from the SSA.

Politics
Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has alleged that Kohler Barnard shared classified intelligence information.

Sport
Tensions boiled over at the DHL Stadium as Brandon Petersen confronted a supporter following Chiefs’ Nedbank Cup exit.

Sport
With the T20 World Cup beginning on Saturday, BBC Sport looks at the trends and tactics from the global game that may play a part in India and Sri Lanka.

Sport
The tragic death of former Bulls, Boland and Ulster flank Russell Nelson has been confirmed just weeks before his 53rd birthday.

Sport
Cross-country skier Matthew Smith and skeleton athlete Nicole Burger will carry the South African flag at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
Education
[GroundUp] Parents say they were not consulted before 75 learners were transferred from Elshaddai Learning Academy to Lee Rand High School
Education
[GroundUp] Overcrowded school in Limpopo has waited years for new classrooms

Education
Surrey County Council puts forward proposals to reduce the speed limit near schools.
Education
[Capital FM] Nairobi — President William Ruto has awarded a charter to Bomet University, elevating it to the status of Kenya’s 36th fully chartered public university.

Lifestyle
The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) will pay out its March 2026 social grants on the following dates.

Lifestyle
Melinda French Gates, the former wife of philanthropist Bill Gates, is finding herself having to address the latest revelations of the Epstein files.

Lifestyle
Celeb blogger Musa Khawula was name-dropped in the Madlanga Commission. Here’s what we know about the infamous internet personality…
Lifestyle

Entertainment
The regulations, under the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act, 2024, outlined that the maximum amount of cannabis that may be possessed by an adult in private and public areas may not exceed 750g.

Entertainment
A new witness, Brigadier Rachel Matjeng, will take the stand in Pretoria today, the Madlanga Commission has decided to name witnesses at the last moment due to safety concerns.
Entertainment

Entertainment
The SA Sevens team will be seeking a better all-round performance in Australia this weekend.

Science/Tech
With Clickatell, agentic AI shifts from experimentation to owned, governed and accountable customer journeys.

Science/Tech
MSB allows enterprises to scale connectivity faster by partnering instead of building or buying infrastructure.

Science/Tech
You must earn at least R2.5 million per year or R208,334 per month to qualify for South Africa’s most exclusive bank card.
Science/Tech
alternative_right writes: The city of Munich has developed its own measurement instrument to assess the digital sovereignty of its IT infrastructure. The so-called Digital Sovereignty Score (SDS) visually resembles the Nutri-Score and identifies IT systems based on their independence from individual providers and ‘foreign’ legal spheres. The Technical University of Munich was involved in the...

Motoring
Two European automakers have teamed up to push back against the rise of Chinese imports.

Motoring
The City of Cape Town is partnering with the University of Cape Town to upgrade the MyCiti bus service.

Motoring
South Africa is increasingly reliant on older, high-mileage cars as the cost of new models continues to soar.

Motoring
Municipalities across South Africa are replacing traffic lights with stop signs as a result of constant cable theft and vandalism.

Health
Joe founded Dad’s War Room to support men struggling with mental health through tabletop gaming.
Health
The company’s data will be essential for many states to comply with new work requirements for the health insurance program that take effect next year.
Health
The announcement followed a similar recommendation from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. But other medical groups argued for a more personalized approach.
Health
The Trump administration announced that the company, a pharmacy benefit manager, had agreed to make significant changes to its practices.