The headlines of the leading newspapers on 08 August 2025:
NATIONAL:
# Business Day:
Reports president Cyril Ramaphosa spoke by telephone with US President Donald Trump. The presidency says the presidents agreed to further talks, acknowledging the various trade negotiations the countries are currently involved in.
# Mail & Guardian on Fridays:
Writes about the pressure from Finance minister Enoch Godongwana on Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero to fix the city’s financial management.
# And the Netwerk24 website:
Reports the education organisation, Fedsas, says the regulations on the Bela Act that have now been issued are clear, transparent, and fair. The latest regulations relate to learner admission and the determination of school capacity.
Then the website writes the minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean McPherson, says the incident at the Independent Development Trust, about which he filed a bribery complaint with the police yesterday, is not isolated. He has asked the police to expand their investigation further.
And finally, there is news about kykNET’s latest edition of Boer soek ‘n Vrou, which started last night.
GAUTENG:
# The Star:
Writes the #RacistBanksMustFall movement in South Africa has called for immediate legislative intervention following a US order that prevents banks from closing accounts based on political or religious beliefs.
And secondly, the Gauteng Department of Health is reportedly under fire after revelations that the province’s public hospitals only have 751 intensive care unit nurses, less than half of the one-thousand-760 needed.
# Sowetan:
Reports security guards deployed at Gauteng’s most dangerous schools have not been paid for months now. The Gauteng Department of Education says the fault lies with service providers who submit incorrect invoices.
# And The Citizen:
Writes it looks like South Africa is losing the battle against gender-based violence. Campaign after campaign is being waged, but when you look back on Women’s Day tomorrow, it seems as if we have lost the battle.
WESTERN CAPE:
# Die Burger:
Leads with the ongoing uproar over the Open Chats podcast in which they allegedly insulted coloured people. Political parties are now insisting that podcasts should be regulated.
And secondly, there is news about a springbok with record horns that has now been relocated to the Kalahari.
EASTERN CAPE:
# Daily Despatch in East London:
Reports a survivor of the Lusikisiki massacre testified in court how his wife saved his life.
And secondly, the paper writes a new early childhood education centre has been opened at Fort Hare.
KWAZULU-NATAL:
# The Witness in Pietermaritzburg:
Writes South African negotiators are making a last-ditch effort to negotiate better tariffs for the country.
And secondly, it is reported that an unbearable stench still hangs in the air in Howick.
And finally from NAMIBIA:
# Republikein in Windhoek:
Reports farmers in the Helmeringhausen area are concerned about drones that are increasingly flying over their farms without their permission.
Then the paper writes the City of Windhoek has a 2.67-billion-rand backlog with the maintenance of the capital’s roads.
And finally, it is reported that more than 90 people, most of them allegedly illegal, are staying in the government hostel at the Windhoek Technical High School.