The headlines of the leading newspapers on 08 September 2026:
NATIONAL:
# Business Day:
Reports the Electoral Court has rejected the United Democratic Front’s application to extend the deadline for candidate registration for the local government elections. The court ruled that the Electoral Commission does not have the power to exempt individual parties.
# And the Netwerk24 website:
Reports president Cyril Ramaphosa admitted in his weekly newsletter that public trust in the SAPS is so low that citizens do not bother to report crime.
And secondly, the paper writes the 84-year-old country singer, Tommy Dell, who was seriously injured in a car accident near Mbombela on Saturday, is still in the intensive care unit, but his condition has improved.
GAUTENG:
# The Star:
Writes the first deputy president of the trade union COSATU, Mike Shingange, has criticised Western countries for what he calls their predatory behaviour on the continent. He says the current migration patterns are a direct result of the unlimited exploitation of natural resources by European and American companies that is leaving most African countries poorer.
# Sowetan:
Leads with: “SCHOOL THAT EXISTS ONLY ON PAPER”. The paper reports on the Soshanguve Secondary School which has been housed in temporary classrooms on the grounds of another school for the past three years. The learners of the host school, the Umkhumbane Secondary School, are now picketing because the grounds cannot handle the large number of learners.
# And The Citizen:
Writes Eskom’s electricity price will increase by 8.83-percent next year. This is three times the prevailing inflation rate and puts affordability beyond the reach of the consumer.
WESTERN CAPE:
# Die Burger:
Reports a 30-year-old South African mechanic from Limpopo is reportedly part of a group of civilians taken hostage after an armed group attacked a hunting lodge near the Niassa Special Reserve in Mozambique. The group is believed to be linked to an Islamic State-affiliated insurgency that has been occurring in the region since 2017. The paper writes two abandoned bakkies were found in the search for the group.
And secondly, it is reported at least 12 schools in Beaufort West were closed after the Gamka River overflowed its banks and the main water pipeline was washed away.
EASTERN CAPE:
# The Herald in Gqeberha:
Reports Zwide residents have accused police of heavy-handed action and theft during a raid carried out in the township in Nelson Mandela Bay.
And secondly, the paper writes the so-called disciplinary boot camp in Gqeberha is still in the news with new stories of abuse and other shocking events.
KWAZULU-NATAL:
# The Witness in Pietermaritzburg:
Writes AmaZulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini has sharply criticised the government for allegedly excluding him from the Southern African Development Community summit. The king has reportedly threatened to send the Zulu regiment to stop the meeting.
And finally from NAMIBIA:
# Republikein in Windhoek:
Reports the Namibian ministry of Health says 54-percent of maternal deaths could have been prevented with better clinical care. There has been a sharp decline in deaths over two decades, but it still does not meet global targets.
And secondly, paper again writes about the dire conditions at the Otjiwarongo State Hospital caused by a massive staff shortage.