# The National Arts Festival has unveiled its 2026 music programme, promising two weekends of Afro-pop, gospel, jazz and pan-African performances in Makhanda in the Eastern Cape. The festival will run from 25 June to 5 July and will feature artists including Nomfundo Moh, Nontokozo Mkhize, Msaki, the Soweto String Quartet, as well as Standard […]
# Mineral and Petroleum Resources minister Gwede Mantashe says South Africa will not face fuel shortages despite rising global oil prices linked to tensions at the Strait of Hormuz. However, opposition parties have criticised the government’s handling of fuel pricing. During a budget debate, Mantashe told members of Parliament that a government visit to the […]
# Trade union Solidarity has criticised president Cyril Ramaphosa’s defence of black economic empowerment in the mining sector. The union’s new report indicates the mining sector has shrunk significantly since 1994, with reduced output and job losses. It argues current transformation policies are restricting growth and investment. Solidarity’s Theuns du Buisson claims the benefits of […]
# University of Cape Town’s academics support the National Treasury’s plan to introduce a 20-percent tax on online betting to help reduce gambling and its social harms. According to researchers, gambling has grown rapidly in South Africa, with people wagering about 1.5-trillion-rand in the 2024/2025 financial year. They warn that gambling is increasingly linked to […]
# The South African Private Practitioners Forum says a Constitutional Court ruling striking down the certificate of need provisions in the National Health Act is a major victory for healthcare professionals and patients. The court has declared the provisions unconstitutional. The forum’s Simon Strachan says the judgment protects medical professionals’ independence and improves patient access […]
# The City of Johannesburg has set up water quality task teams to help reduce waste and sewer spillages in its rivers and catchment areas. The city says the teams will improve coordination between departments and speed up repairs in problem areas. Work is already underway in places like Bruma, Kaalspruit and Diepsloot, where ageing […]
# The DA in Gauteng says more than three-thousand surgeries have been cancelled at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital since January last year. According to the party, one in four scheduled operations were called off, leaving patients facing long delays and growing backlogs. The DA’s Jack Bloom says Orthopaedics has the biggest backlog, with more […]
# The DA in the Western Cape urges communities to remain vigilant and report criminal activity at schools. This follows a rise in vandalism and theft at schools across the province, including a recent break-in at Sir Lowry’s Pass Primary School, which caused about 72-thousand-rand in damage and resulted in equipment being stolen. The DA’s […]
# Chaotic scenes unfolded today outside the Durban Central Police Station in KwaZulu-Natal as police attempted to disperse a large group of foreign nationals who had gathered at the premises seeking safety. Police moved in after the crowd refused to leave the station area. The group gathered at the station seeking protection, claiming they are […]
