Top Stories
AD HOC COMMITTEE: Ramaphosa effectively blocks IGI from testifying on criminal claims against top cops Masemola, Khumalo
Suspended Inspector General of Intelligence Imtiaz Fazel recommended that national police commissioner Fannie Masemola and Crime Intelligence boss Dumisani Khumalo be criminally charged over R120m property deals. The President is seeking a legal opinion on whether he can testify, but the ad hoc committee is wrapping up proceedings.
DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS: No ambassador, no problem — SA’s unorthodox approach to the US
It’s been a year since SA’s ambassador was expelled from Washington. President Ramaphosa appears to have decided to do without one.
BIOSECURITY: Vaccination delays expose inefficiencies in SA’s FMD response system
More than 2.5 million foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine doses have landed on South African soil since late February, with millions more scheduled. The government is footing the bill, the storage facilities are prepared and the roll-out is under way. Yet on farms across the country, frustration is mounting because the distance between a dose in a warehouse and a needle in an animal turns out...
PATIENT CARE: National Health Laboratory Service system out of action, causing ‘massive disruptions’ to health facilities
On Tuesday, the NHLS reported an ongoing system failure affecting its information service. The outage, which started late on Monday, affects laboratory results for South African public health facilities.
CYBERSECURITY: Gauteng was lucky with latest 3.8TB data breach, but the luck will run out
The Gauteng Provincial Government’s latest cybersecurity disaster exposes a critical failure of basic infrastructure. Yet, as experts warn of escalating human and systemic risks, this breach was merely a warning shot. How long can its luck hold?
Trump says NATO’s refusal to help on Iran is “very foolish mistake”
WASHINGTON, March 17 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the United States had been informed by most of its NATO allies that they did not want to get involved with the country’s military operation in Iran, a move he described as a “very foolish mistake.”
BUSINESS REFLECTION: After the Bell: Is this the moment to drill, baby, drill?
Given the state of our industry, and that we are dependent on a Middle East conflict we have nothing to do with, you could argue that we must go hard-renewable, but equally that we should produce our own oil. My gut says one thing and my head another.
YouTube, FIFA reach World Cup live broadcast deal
FIFA announced an agreement Tuesday making YouTube a “preferred platform” for this summer’s World Cup.
News24 | SARS cracks down on customs corruption: Searches, seizures target bribery scheme
The SA Revenue Service on Tuesday executed search-and-seizure operations as part of its investigation into a scheme involving some of its employees to manipulate physical inspections in exchange for cash bribes.
EDUCATION: Reading lifeline for Eastern Cape schools, but SA’s literacy crisis runs deep
A 26-year partnership between Rally to Read and Ford Motor Company Africa brings books, training and digital tools to eight under-resourced schools in Nelson Mandela Bay and the Sarah Baartman region — however, national data shows 15% of Grade 3 learners still cannot decode a single word.
RETAIL SECTOR: Woolworths bets in2food can unlock offshore growth where David Jones could not
Woolworths is making a fresh offshore play, but this time it is not buying a foreign retail brand and hoping the strategy catches fire. Instead, it is buying deeper control of its biggest food business supplier and with it, a ready-made set of international customer relationships that could prove a far better launchpad.
News24 | Here are the Powerball and Powerball Plus results
Here are the Powerball and Powerball Plus results.
CONSERVATION CLASH: Scientists challenge shark-net plan at Club Med’s huge Tinley Manor resort
A R2-billion beach resort promising jobs and tourism growth has triggered a scientific backlash over plans to deploy shark nets that critics say could harm endangered marine life.
STRATEGIC SHIFT: From life office to bank app, here’s why insurers want your main account
Insurers are no longer content to wait for your annual premium review. With Old Mutual and Discovery pushing deeper into banking, the real fight is for your daily financial life, because the institution that owns your transaction stream increasingly owns the relationship too.
US MIDTERMS ANALYSIS: The Iranian election and what it means for Trump’s Republicans
The Iranian conflict and the resulting price rises for fuel present a challenge for Republicans’ continued control of the US Congress. Mix in issues such as the Epstein Files, among others, and that may spell trouble for Donald Trump as well.

WEATHER: Heavy rain and strong winds expected in FIVE provinces
Curious about what the skies hold? Discover the latest outlook for all nine provinces across South Africa this Wednesday, 18 March 2026.
PROPERTY STANDOFF: Grogro land price talks continue amid ongoing electricity dispute in Nelson Mandela Bay
The municipality and a Nelson Mandela Bay landowner have completed independent valuations as negotiations continue over the possible sale of land where residents have been protesting after the removal of illegal electricity connections. The community was initially promised electricity by the municipality, but later learned that the metro cannot legally install connections on privately owned land.
DRY TAPS: Two months without water: Tiryville crisis triggers rights probe
For nearly two months, residents of Tiryville in Kariega have had no running water — walking kilometres daily to fetch buckets from neighbouring communities while the municipality struggles to restore supply. Now, the Human Rights Commission wants answers.