Top Stories

Theatre touring ‘in crisis’ as performances of plays drop 70%
The steep decline “is likely to reach a critical level without intervention”, a report warns.

Madonna announces sequel to Confessions On A Dancefloor album
The pop star confirms the follow-up to her classic 2005 album will be released in July.

Man arrested climbing into Israeli embassy had arrived on small boat twice, court hears
Abdullah Albadri denies charges preparing terrorist acts and being in possession of two knives.

GB’s Cairess out of London Marathon with injury
Emile Cairess is ruled out of this year’s London Marathon – where he was expected to challenge Sir Mo Farah’s British record – because of a calf issue.
News24 | PODCAST | The Lead: What will it take for Roelf Meyer to bend Donald Trump’s ear?
Seasoned broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer brings you The Lead, News24’s definitive podcast for in-depth reporting.

Mkhwanazi denies refusing to submit warning statement: 5 things to know
Ekurhuleni metro police deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi appeared at the Madlanga commission on Wednesday where he denied having refused to submit a warning statement in a case of theft of precious stones in 2023.

Prominent Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti assaulted three times in a month, family says
The Israeli Prison Service says the allegation that Barghouti was subjected to physical violence by prison guards are “false and baseless”.

125 Ekurhuleni metro cops found to have chequered criminal history
Mayor drives vetting process in wake of allegations at Madlanga commission

Maguire gets extra ban and will miss Chelsea trip
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire will miss Saturday’s trip to Chelsea after receiving an additional one-match ban.

BBC to cut almost one in 10 staff to make £500m savings
Interim Director General Rhodri Talfan Davies revealed the news to staff on Wednesday,
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: Bad, ugly, and WTF? IMF outlines three global economic scenarios from Iran war
The report underscores the stark fact that the current trajectory of the global economy hinges on the conflict unleashed on 28 February by the US and Israel. Few wars have ever had such an earth-shaking impact on markets worldwide in such a short span of time.

Graskop Gorge Lift wins silver tourism award at WTM Africa – Video
Graskop Gorge Lift earns silver at WTM Africa 2026 for responsible tourism and conservation in Mpumalanga. Watch video of descent.
News24 | Thursday’s weather: Thundershowers across SA, with hail and strong winds in 3 provinces
Thundershowers are expected in most parts of the country, with lightning, hail and strong winds in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape, according to the South African Weather Service.

eThekwini pushes back as Macpherson halts EPWP funding over corruption claims
eThekwini says it is cooperating with investigations into EPWP corruption, including claims of “jobs for sex” and ghost workers
News24 | State wants jail time for Malema; eThekwini’s EPWP suspended: Today’s top 7 stories
News24 brings you the top stories of the day, summarised into neat little packages. Read through quickly or listen to the articles via our customised text-to-speech feature.

Fuel prices set for steep increase in May
Latest data shows growing under-recoveries across all fuel grades

The South African municipality where residents have had no electricity for 10 years
Long-term electricity outages in Emfuleni are emblematic of severe municipal failure driven by debt, mismanagement, and weak administrative capacity that is increasingly being seen across South Africa.

VW China boss Brandstaetter warns of stiff competition in stalling market
He says there might be a decline in the Chinese market for the first time since 2018