Update@Noon

Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says load reduction has been eliminated in seven of South Africa's nine provinces, with Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal still facing challenges. Ramokgopa briefed the media saying government is working with municipalities to expand electricity infrastructure and ensure there is enough capacity to meet growing demand. He says addressing illegal connec...

Trade union federation COSATU is staging marches and pickets across the country today to mark International Day for Decent Work. In Gauteng, workers will march to the mayor's offices and Massmart stores in Johannesburg and Tshwane, where they will deliver memorandums of demands. COSATU says workers are facing rising living costs, unstable incomes, retrenchments, non-compliance with the minimum wag...

Anti-illegal immigration activists are threatening to halt asylum application processing at the Department of Home Affairs' Refugee Reception Centre on Che Guevara Road in Durban. This follows a Constitutional Court ruling that South Africa's asylum system must reopen to new applicants. In light of the ruling, Home Affairs says Refugee Reception Offices  are now accepting applications from ev...

The political contest for control of Sol Plaatje Municipality in Kimberley is heating up, with parties like the Sol Plaatje Service Delivery Forum positioning themselves as serious players ahead of the local government elections. The party, led by councillor Dennis Pienaar, will contest 33 wards in the Sol Plaatje Municipality. Keith Sayster filed this report...

Police say the owner of a house where they uncovered what they believe is a drug laboratory during a raid in Scheerpoort, near Hartbeespoort Dam in the North West, is part of the investigation. The owner had apparently leased the property to the suspects. Four suspects have been arrested and four firearms — including a rifle and three handguns — have been seized. The suspects are a 39-...

Democratic Alliance Eastern Cape leader, Andrew Whitfield, has announced the party's mayoral candidates in the four municipalities in the Eastern Cape, where the ANC failed to submit their Ward candidate and PR candidate list to the IEC on time. The announcement of candidates in Ngquza Hill, Sundays Rver Valley, Port St Johns and Walter Sisulu municipalities is the party's strategic move to topple...

The South African Reserve Bank's Monetary Policy Review notes that the destruction of oil refineries amid the ongoing geopolitical tensions will keep fuel prices elevated long after peace is restored.  Its comments come as South Africans contend with higher fuel prices which have seen a litre of petrol climbing to around 30-rands today (Wednesday 7 October).  The bank has noted – w...

Police say investigations are continuing after a suspected drug laboratory was uncovered at a plot in Scheerpoort, near Hartbeespoort Dam, in the North West. Four suspects, including a 39-year-old Zimbabwean national and three women aged between 23 and 29, were arrested. Police seized four firearms, including a rifle and three handguns, as well as ammunition. Officers also found processed drugs, a...

Bail has been denied for accused number one, Regan Collis, and accused number two, Jamal Meyer, in the Boksburg Magistrate's Court in Ekurhuleni. Accused number three, Elvino Crafford, and accused number four, McFoolen Ford, have each been granted five-thousand-rand bail. The four are facing charges linked to the killing of two anti-gang police officers and two women in Reiger Park in August. They...

For the first time in years, all asylum seekers, including people who entered South Africa unlawfully or have no visa, are being given access to the asylum system. The Department of Home Affairs will no longer turn away people seeking asylum simply because they entered South Africa illegally or do not have the required immigration documents. To discuss this further Bongiwe Zwane spoke to  &nb...

The 1st test between South Africa and Australia starts on Friday in Durban. The backroom staff have been working hard on their analysis of the Ozzie bowlers as batting coach, Ashwell Prince. SAfm's Sports Anchor Jon Gericke has more 

The National Taxi Alliance (NTA) is locked in an escalating crisis with the government over record-breaking fuel price hikes. Motorists are set to pay more at the pump from midnight.  According to the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources the price of petrol is set to rise between 3-rand-12-cent and 3-rand-33-cents per litre depending on the grade. The price of diesel is expected to i...

The in-camera testimony of Feroz Khan scheduled for today, has been postponed. The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry says Khan is not in a position to testify following the shooting involving his family member last night. The Madlanga Commission spokesperson Jeremy Michaels says Khan's testimony will be rescheduled, although a new date has not yet been determined. For the latest Bongiwe Zwane spoke t...

Life insurers in South Africa have flagged a sharp increase in cases where people are allegedly killed so beneficiaries can collect insurance payouts. This is the feedback from the National Financial Ombud Scheme (NFO), which has warned about so-called "money for murder" cases. In these cases, beneficiaries are accused of orchestrating or participating in the deaths of policyholders to gain access...

Republicans are increasingly vulnerable to losing control of both chambers of the U.S. Congress as President Donald Trump's unpopularity threatens their narrow majorities ahead of November's midterm elections. As Democrats target gains in the House of Representatives and an expanding Senate battleground, Trump has promised every adult American citizen five thousand dollars if Republicans retained...

in KwaZulu-Natal The police in Newcastle, The gang violence that has terrorised and overpowered communities since 2020 in Newcastle, including Osizweni and Blaauwbosch has significantly died down, according to the police in KwaZulu Natal. Several people lost their lives due to violence amongst rival gangsters including gangs like the Last Warnings and Juveniles. The problem resurfaced in Sept...

Bad news as motorists are set to pay more at the pump from midnight tomorrow.  According to the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources the price of petrol is set to rise between 3-rand-12-cent and 3-rand-33-cents per litre depending on the grade. The price of diesel is expected to increase by between 2-rand-84-cent and 3-rand-24-cents per litre, while the price of illuminating paraffin...

The University of Fort Hare Student Representative Council has welcomed the intervention by Deputy Higher Education Minister, Yusuf Cassim. Cassim visited the Eastern Cape University's kuGompo City campus to assess lingering infrastructure and maintenance problems at student residences amongst other challenges. The students raised the issues with him as as a last resort after previous engagem...

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has appealed to voters to give it a decisive victory in all 54 municipalities in the province, arguing it's the only party with plans to fix municipalities. The party slammed its detractors who have written it off after its poor performance in the 2024 general elections.  Party leaders addressed volunteers at an event marking the 30-day countdown to the local polls in...

Police are investigating a murder and attempted murder following a shooting on the R21 towards OR Tambo International Airport on Monday evening. Police say a driver whose Fiat had broken down was shot at while receiving assistance from a friend and two others. The driver died at the scene after crashing into a jersey barrier. Authorities say one passenger was wounded and taken to hospital, while a...

Following South Africa's 1-0 victory over Egypt at the Cairo International Stadium on Sunday, Bafana Bafana head coach Pitso Mosimane expressed immense satisfaction with his experimental side.  The win marked a perfect three-for-three start to Mosimane's second stint as national team coach, following earlier 2027 AFCON qualification wins over Guinea and Eritrea. 

This Monday, SAfm anchor Bongiwe Zwane once again spoke to  Khumbulani Kunene, FNB Wealth and Investments analyst, for the latest market update.

Judicial Service Commission interviews begin this morning* in Sandton Johannesburg, with five candidates vying for three vacancies at South Africa's second-highest court, the Supreme Court of Appeal. The SCA hears appeals from the High Courts, and its judgments play an important role in the development and interpretation of South African law. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Judges Matters Research and Advo...

The cost of putting food on the table dipped slightly in August, but South African households remain under pressure. The Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group says the average food basket fell by 0.9% to R5,479.80, but was still 1.8% more expensive than a year ago. Food inflation rose to 1.1%. The group says families are cutting back on nutritious foods while prioritising transport,...

Motorists are bracing for another steep fuel price increase this week. The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources is expected to announce the new fuel prices, with the increases taking effect from midnight tomorrow and reflecting at the pumps on Wednesday, 7 October. Based on the latest Central Energy Fund data, 95 unleaded petrol could rise by around R3 a litre, pushing the price above R30...