Across major cities, political entrepreneurs like Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma and Zandile Dabula are staging increasingly bold anti-migrant marches, with little pushback from authorities. As António Guterres condemns the surge in threats and violence, South Africa faces mounting pressure to act before rhetoric turns fully combustible.

eThekwini (Durban) and Mangaung (Bloemfontein) have the dubious honour of being the two leakiest cities in South Africa, with more than 40% of their purified tap water supplies going to waste.

For voters whose faith in the ANC is wavering, there can perhaps be no greater symbol of all that is rotten in the party than the behaviour of Sisisi Tolashe and Maropene Ramokgopa. So far, there has been no proper explanation. And certainly no repentance.

Despite some injury setbacks, South Africa are in high spirits ahead of the 2026 World Athletics Relays, which will take place in Botswana on 2 and 3 May. The South Africans are the defending champions in the 100m and 400m men’s team events.

The United States Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana’s electoral map was unconstitutionally drawn to create two black-majority districts.

With crude oil prices potentially reaching historical highs due to unprecedented market shocks, analysts forecast demand destruction as a response to soaring costs and dwindling supplies.

South Africa’s draft AI policy, withdrawn amid scandals, reflects enduring vulnerabilities that could facilitate State Capture, emphasising the need for robust governance before the integration of AI systems.

In late April, when South African literary giant JM Coetzee declined an invitation to a writers’ festival in Jerusalem, it meant a lot more than another throwaway tweet from a Hollywood celebrity. What it meant, whether people admitted it or not, was that one of the world’s greatest living authors was standing by the themes of his most important masterworks.

Incentives or credits based on the downstream environmental benefits from products such as green metals remain scant.

A growing share of South Africans are using AI to guide purchases, compare prices and avoid unnecessary spending altogether. New data shows digital tools are reshaping consumer behaviour, turning shoppers into more deliberate, value-driven decision-makers in a still-constrained economy.

The long-term effects on energy and commodity markets of the strait being closed for the past two months will be profound, but the most alarming dimension of this crisis is not energy, but food.

President Donald Trump warned Tehran on Wednesday that it should “get smart soon” and capitulate to Washington’s demands for tight controls on its nuclear programme, as a US naval blockade turned the screws on Iran’s economy.

Makhudu Sefara has denied wrongdoing and temporarily stepped aside as the editor of the Sunday Times and chairperson of Sanef.

Moving, tragic, surprising, inspiring, terrifying, shocking… This is a selection of images from our planet, over the past seven days.