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By Nick Said South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe have bid to co-host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations finals in what would be a first for the continent with four countries staging a single event, though it would not be without precedent. Botswana Football Association president Tariq Babitseng confirmed the bid had been submitted …

Malcolm Libera  ·19 May 2026 South Africa’s government is preparing to crack down on households with boreholes amid growing concerns about the unchecked use of groundwater by homeowners, businesses, and other users across the country. The Department of Water and Sanitation has published draft regulations to monitor and regulate borehole drilling and groundwater extraction, warning …

Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe once again moved to assure South Africans that the country won’t run out of fuel despite geopolitical instability that has caused the fuel price to skyrocket.  Delivering his budget vote address in the National Assembly on Tuesday, Mantashe said restoring and expanding the country’s refining capabilities is key to protecting …

19 May 2026By Staff Writer Dam levels according to the 19 May 2026 update: Free State Total – 106.7%North West Total – 103.4%Gauteng Total – 101.5%Limpopo Total – 101.4%Mpumalanga Total – 100.6%Northern Cape Total – 97.4%KwaZulu-Natal Total – 91.2%Eastern Cape Total – 90.5%Western Cape Total – 70.7% Lesotho Total – 98%Eswatini Total – 100.2% Visit …

Offered a solitary model, the bZ4X is set to have a range “over 500 km” and with drive going to all four wheels as standard. With its twin, the Lexus RZ, having gone on-sale in March, Toyota has finally released pricing of its version, the bZ4X as its first ever electric vehicle in South Africa …

Malcolm Libera  ·19 May 2026 The rand strengthened against a weaker dollar on Monday as domestic investors awaited inflation data that is expected to reflect the pressures stemming from the war in the Middle East.  The rand traded at 16.6050 against the dollar, which is an increase of about 0.6% from its previous close.  Stats …

President Cyril Ramaphosa has hailed the recipients of the 2026 National Orders as men and women whose contributions have helped shape a democratic South Africa founded on equality, justice and dignity for all. Jubilation, applause and a celebratory atmosphere marked the occasion at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Tshwane on Tuesday, as recipients, …

The Government of South Africa notes with grave concern reports that following the illegal seizure of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) bound for Gaza, South African nationals have been abducted in international waters and may now be facing detention/imprisonment in Israel. It must be underscored that the Flotilla, a civilian-led initiative, embarked upon a peaceful …

South Africa’s path to the next Africa Cup of Nations finals will go through their leading goalscorer as Bafana Bafana were on Tuesday paired with Benni McCarthy’s Kenya in their qualifying group. They will also play in Group D against Guinea and Eritrea, who saw seven of their footballers disappear following their victory in Eswatini …

Staff Writer  ·18 May 2026 The Constitutional Court of South Africa has axed Sections 36 to 40 of the National Health Act, declaring them unconstitutional. The sections in question deal with the government’s “Certificate of Need”, which is a licensing system for healthcare providers in the country. At its core, the certificate acted as a …

Tickets for next year’s Test between South Africa and England at Newlands were sold out before the advertised time of sale on Monday, 18 May 2026. Cricket South Africa advertised the tickets sale start time as 9:30am. While tickets for other matches in the series and the rest of South Africa’s 2026-27 home fixtures remained available, …

The court declared the sections invalid and ordered the health minister and director-general to pay the applicants’ costs. South Africa’s highest court has dealt a significant blow to the National Health Insurance (NHI) framework, declaring unconstitutional the provisions that allowed the state to dictate where healthcare professionals could practise. Certificate of need provisions ruled unconstitutional …

No matter the award we received, we are honoured and grateful. But when 17 of your wines have been included in the South African Wine Index (SAWi) Grand Wines Collection, one of the most credible, data-driven wine rankings in the country, it leaves you amazed. Of the 17 wines, 10 received Platinum status, and 7 …

South Africa is making measurable progress in advancing sustainable urbanisation, despite the dual challenge of expanding infrastructure to meet growing population demands, while maintaining ageing systems under financial strain. Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane made the remarks at the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) under the Ministerial Meeting on the New Urban …

In a meeting held on Monday, 11 May 2026, the National Dialogue Steering Committee formally adopted the National Dialogue Pilot Dialogue Implementation Framework as a working guide toward the rollout phase of the National Dialogue pilot process. This follows the adoption of the National Dialogue Roadmap during the March 2026 Strategic Planning Week, which laid …

Reform of our logistics sector is critical to our future economic success. We cannot be a competitive exporting nation without efficient ports and efficient access to them. Our farms, factories and mines need to be able to get their output to markets around the world at prices that are competitive with other producers. That is …

South Africans are drilling boreholes at a pace not seen in years as households look for alternatives to unreliable municipal supply, rising tariffs and infrastructure failures, but many homeowners are doing so without meeting the legal requirements – and in some cases, without realising they are breaking the law. This is according to law expert …

South Africa’s Starlink drama is heating up.  Communications Minister Solly Malatsi wants to change the black economic empowerment (BEE) rules to allow Starlink to launch in the country, whether the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) likes it or not. On Tuesday, Malatsi said his department was instead looking at equity equivalent investment programmes …

Malcolm Libera  ·18 May 2026 The future of South Africa’s National Health Insurance (NHI) Act could be ruled invalid in two Constitutional Court challenges by the Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) and the Premier of the Western Cape. The challenges argue that Parliament failed to properly involve the public before adopting the NHI legislation. This …

FILE PHOTO: Customers walk beneath a company logo for the South African supermarket chain SPAR Group as they arrive at a supermarket in Johannesburg, South Africa, June 7, 2022. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo JOHANNESBURG, May 18 (Reuters) – South African grocery retailer SPAR Group said on Monday it will exit the UK by selling its South West England business …

Higher Education and Training (DHET) Deputy Minister Nomusa Dube-Ncube has undertaken an official working visit to London, United Kingdom, to represent South Africa at the Education World Forum (EWF). Taking place from 17 – 20 May 2026, this year’s forum will bring together education and training ministers from over 130 countries around the world, alongside …

Price Forbes today announces three appointments – Alvin Dye, Paul Jacobs, and Kagiso Sephiphi – to its newly formed construction team in South Africa, with immediate effect. The appointments form part of a joint venture with Price Forbes’ London construction team, structured around three areas of focus: a retail offering serving Africa-centric clients across the …

 ·18 May 2026 The emerging-market carry trade has bounced back from its Iran war losses as surging crude oil prices reinforce expectations that interest rates will stay elevated and bolster the currencies of commodity exporters.  An index tracking this trading strategy has jumped more than 3% from its March low, and gained about 1.7% since …

SPOTLIGHT: Former BlitzBok Werner Kok is one of 11 Ulster players to depart the Northern Ireland side at the conclusion of the current United Rugby Championship season, the club confirmed on Friday. Kok joined Ulster from the Sharks in 2024 and scored 12 tries in all competitions. Now the question is, where to next for …