Top Stories
JUMBO PROBLEM: Bureaucratic delays could lead to ‘last-resort’ culling of SA elephants, Parliament is warned
As South Africa wrestles with elephant management, delays and a lack of accountability could push culling from a last resort to an all-too-possible outcome.
TRC ROULETTE: Secret tape protected ‘integrity of the state’, Mbeki’s spy boss tells TRC inquiry
General Ray Lalla, former national head of Crime Intelligence during President Thabo Mbeki’s tenure, secretly recorded a meeting with officials from the Priority Crimes Litigation Unit (PLCU) ‘to protect the integrity of the state’, the Khampepe Commission was told.
MUNICIPAL FAILURES: SAHRC probe finds Gauteng’s water crisis is a man-made disaster
The SAHRC inquiry into Gauteng’s water crisis exposes municipal mismanagement and systemic failures, revealing the human rights violations faced by vulnerable residents.
ENLIT AFRICA: There’s a positive story to tell about booming data centres energising SA’s economic landscape
Data centres in South Africa are not just energy consumers; they are catalysts for economic growth, infrastructure development and job creation across cities.
BUDGET BATTLE: Free State education department defends financial clampdown on schools, citing governance breakdowns
Following a last-minute decision to freeze school textbook budgets just days before a statutory deadline, the Free State Department of Education has strongly defended its centralised takeover, citing chronic administrative failures and unlawful photocopying by school administrators. However, the South African Democratic Teachers Union and Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools...
BORDER CONTROL: Home Affairs lifts pastor Omotoso ban, clearing way for NPA appeal and extradition
Minister of Justice Mmamoloko Kubayi has said in a written answer to Parliament that the Department of Home Affairs has agreed to waive a five-year ban on Nigerian evangelist Timothy Omotoso for the National Prosecuting Authority to apply for his extradition. The NPA is awaiting the outcome of its petition to the Supreme Court of Appeal, where it has asked for leave to appeal against his...
WINTER SHOCK: Yeoville, Bellevue residents call for compensation after Egoli Gas terminates supply
Residents in Yeoville, Bellevue, Berea and Observatory say Egoli Gas terminated supply with little notice and no compensation.
ONLINE HATE: Principal allegedly behind bigoted Facebook posts moves to new Cape Town school
The Western Cape Education Department has confirmed that George Gueorguiev, the Kommetjie Primary School principal at the centre of a 2025 hate speech controversy, has been transferred to a deputy principal post at Simon’s Town School.
TRANSITIONAL DILEMMAS: Responsible investing shapeshifts SA portfolios from mere ESG slogans to climate change data reality
Responsible investing has entered a more demanding phase for South African asset managers, where the work is shifting from policy statements and emissions measurement to harder questions about carbon costs, portfolio targets, proxy voting and the environmental price tag of artificial intelligence.
CLIMATE SHOCK: US forecaster issues chilling El Niño warning with 82% chance by July
The timing of this El Niño event – unfolding at a rapid pace after the fading of its polar opposite La Niña, which typically drenches this region – could hardly be worse as it is looming against the backdrop of surging fuel and fertiliser prices triggered by the almost three-month long Iran conflict.
BUSINESS REFLECTION: After the Bell: Insurance and irrationality
I am aware of the benefit of exercise and the inherent danger in driving and dietary overindulgences, and that my insurance company really does have my safety at heart – but I’m not always rational.

News24 | Two life terms for man who raped and murdered girl, 11, in Kliptown
A man who lured a vulnerable 11-year-old girl with the promise of sweets before raping and murdering her was sentenced to two life terms by the Lenasia Regional Court.
SECURITY BLUEPRINT: Metro Police at the forefront of DA mayoral candidate’s safety plans for NMB
Tripling the Metro Police’s boots on the ground and placing a vehicle in every ward forms just one part of DA mayoral candidate Retief Odendaal’s plan to improve safety and security in Nelson Mandela Bay.
AGE OF ACCOUNTABILITY: Nelson Mandela Bay burns through R10m streetlight budget with little to show for it
Committee reports reveal a municipality caught between exhausted budgets, contractor pricing chaos and a growing streetlight backlog — with no fix in sight.
News24 | Starbucks kills AI tool in stores after counting errors
Starbucks terminated a worker-facing AI programme for automating inventory counts this week, nine months after deploying it across its North American stores, according to an internal newsletter reviewed by Reuters and two people with direct knowledge of the situation.

News24 | Who gets convicted in Nigeria’s anti-corruption war?
The recent conviction of ex-power minister Saleh Mamman has rekindled debate over who is held accountable in Nigeria.
Cape Town tariff case was not ‘irresponsible’ — here’s why we did it.
In the wake of the ruling that the new fixed tariffs are unlawful and invalid, a concerning mischaracterisation of the case has emerged. The ratepayers now offer their account – and an open door to the mayor and mayoral committee.

WEATHER: Rain and cold expected in parts of the country
Curious about what the skies hold? Discover the latest outlook for all nine provinces across South Africa this Friday, 22 May 2026.