The Weekend View

Mozambique's Constitutional Council is TOMORROW ( Monday 23rd Dec.) set to officially proclaim the outcome of the country's October presidential election results following a validation process. Mozambicans are calling for transparency after the Frelimo party, which has governed the country since its independence in 1975, retained power with a 71% majority vote. Civil unrest swept across parts of t...

As families across South Africa embrace the festive season, cherishing time with loved ones, many in the Eastern Cape are grappling with heartbreak. The ongoing 2024 summer initiation season, now in its fourth week since launching on 15 November, has tragically claimed the lives of 20 young boys an increase from 17 earlier in the season. The Eastern Cape Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affa...

Each year South Africa records an average of close to 1 thousand 500 fatal drownings with children under 5 in the highest risk group. These incidents occur in various settings, from swimming pools to rivers and coastal areas. KwaZulu-Natal province is reportedly the epicentre of drowning cases, owing to its warm climate, abundant water bodies, and high population density. With the festive season n...

The South African Banking Risk Information Centre -- SABRIC -- says there's been a significant spike in online shopping scams during the holiday season. And, while families and friends gear up for the holidays, scammers and criminals are getting ready to pounce. In 2023, South Africans lost almost 3.3 billion Rand due to financial crime, with fraudulent banking applications accounting for 60 perce...

Heavy traffic is being reported on Gauteng's major highways and arterial routes as motorists leave the province for various holiday destinations ahead of Christmas. Most of the pressure is along the NI, N3 and N4 highways. Traffic authorities are urging motorists to adhere to road rules and reduce speed - particularly at night and during adverse weather conditions. To check on the the situation on...

As the festive season peaks, traffic officers are on the frontlines ensuring road safety. The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union - POPCRU - has raised  concerns about poor working conditions and severe understaffing, calling for immediate government support. With the Department of Transport's 46-day Festive Road Safety Campaign underway, the union says last year's grim toll of 1,285 holida...

South Africa's borders experienced the busiest day of the festive season YESTERDAY with tens of thousands of people leaving and entering the country. The surge in numbers corresponds with the festive season, a time typically marked by increased travel pressure and heightened passenger volumes. The Border Management Authority (BMA) says its systems at the Lebombo border post are running efficiently...

President Cyril Ramaphosa YESTERDAY instructed the Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube to fully implement the BELA Act. This after he signed a Presidential Proclamation bringing the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act into operation without changes to two contentious sections of the Act.  The two clauses relate to the provincial department becoming responsible for admitting pupils into...

New research from Discovery Insure on holiday driving trends has highlighted a worrying 26% increase in speeding during the festive season, with many drivers exceeding speed limits by at least 10km/h. The study focuses on key routes in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and the Western Cape, revealing that January 2 sees peak traffic as travelers return to Johannesburg from Durban. The Insure warns that spee...

There has been very little contestation for the Top 6 positions of the EFF at the party's 3rd National People's Assembly taking place at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Soweto. EFF Julius Malema has overwhelming been elected to serve a third term as the party's President and will lead a top 6 team of officials that have all been nominated uncontested and duly elected. Jon Gericke spoke to analyst, Sandi...

The SACP's 5th Special National Congress ended in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg, yesterday with the ANC agreeing to not stand in the way of their alliance partner's wish to contest the 2026 elections independently.  In an address to congress, ANC deputy president Paul Mashatile said they had agreed that even if they differ sharply on some of the issues, the ANC and SACP must work to strength...

EFF leader, Julius Malema, yesterday warned delegates at the party's 3rd National People's Assembly that with the decline in the party's support suffered at the May polls, the promise of economic freedom could be delayed for generations to come. Malema addressed approximately three thousand branch delegates, guests, and observers attending the first day of the party's elective conference. The EFF...

The second day of the EFF's  National People's Assembly gets underway this morning here at the Nasrec Expo Centre in the south of JHB with the highlight of the day being the nomination and election of the party's new TOP 6 leadership. Jon Gericke spoke to our reporter Sibahle Motha who is covering the assembly and analyst, Sandile Swana

Yesterday marked the deadline for parties within the government of national unity to resolve their impasse over clauses 4 and 5 of the BELA Act. These clauses concern the authority to determine school language policies and the procedures governing school admissions. The South African Democratic Teachers' Union - SADTU - believes President Cyril Ramaphosa's decision to postpone the implementation o...

The festive season is a time for celebration, but for current students, and Matrics preparing to start their studies next year, it's also a time to prepare for the year ahead. This includes registering with a higher education institution or college, securing accommodation and transport, sourcing textbooks, purchasing educational tech such as laptops, and more. Unfortunately, the student journey sp...

Black Muslims from different countries across Africa have gathered at the first mosque in Soweto to talk about the different challenges their communities face. The weekend meeting also witnessed the inaugural South African Townships Madrasah Competition, an event that celebrates the rich diversity and Islamic education within township communities. For more Bongiwe Zwane spoke to  Soweto Muslims As...

Former SACP leader Chris Hani's killer Janusz Walus has been deported back to his home country, in Poland. In November 2022, the Constitutional Court found that then Justice minister Ronald Lamola's decision at the time , to refuse to grant Walus parole in 2020 had been irrational. The court then set the decision aside paving the way for the release of  Walus from prison, after 28 years in prison....

Syria's armed opposition is THIS MORNING saying they have captured the capital, Damascus, and that President Bashar al-Assad has fled the country. The announcement comes after rebels seized the city of Homs in a lightning offensive hours earlier. Before that rebels announced they had gained full control of the key city of Homs after only a day of fighting, leaving Assad's 24-year rule dangling by...

Close to 19 million voters in Ghana are TODAY heading to the polls to elect a new president. The current vice-president, Mahamudu Bawumia, and a former head of state, John Mahama, are the two leading candidates in contention to win the poll. Economic issues have topped people's concerns in the build-up to the election, especially the rising cost of living. At the end of 2022, the annual inflation...

Police say they will collect evidence from an abandoned mine in Sabie, Mpumalanga, before its closure. All the illegal miners who were underground have been brought to the surface, with the last one brought out last night. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Motsebi Monareng

Its is still not yet known how many illegal miners remain underground in Stilfontein. But calls are being made to accelerate the retrieval operations. On Friday morning six illegal miners from Mozambique resurfaced from Shaft 10 of the old, abandoned Buffelsfontein gold mine in Stilfontein and seven bodies have been recovered from the mine this week. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to North West police spokes...

Chris Hani's convicted murderer Janusz Walus is expected to arrive in his country of origin, Poland, this morning. He left South Africa on a flight from the O.R. Tambo International Airport last night following government's announcement of his deportation. Hani's 1993 murder shook the country, with fears that his death would plunge South Africa into civil war.  At the time of his assassination Han...

The National Consumer Commission - NCC - has withdrawn it's precautionary product safety recall for Top Score instant porridge  after laboratory test results revealed no observable contamination of the batches tested. In October, the Commission advised South African consumers who purchased Top Score instant porridge to stop consuming the product and immediately return it to their retailer for a fu...

Despite high levels of poverty, 10 million tonnes of food is wasted in South Africa each year. As a way of taking a stand against this waste, students at the University of Pretoria have demonstrated their ability to shape the future and promote a more sustainable food system. Final-year students from the Department of Consumer and Food Sciences recently transformed rescued food ingredients into hi...

South Africa TODAY assumes the presidency of the G20. This is seen as a historic opportunity for South Africa to reshape global governance in a way that reflects the aspirations and challenges of the Global South. The Group of Twenty or G20 is an intergovernmental economic forum comprising Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Tu...