HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY

Fri 02 October 2026:

Here’s what’s happening in South Africa today: 👇🏼

◼️ SA risks ‘enormous loss’ as US rift deepens: He criticised the ANC government for clinging to ideological positions that alienate Washington while failing to deliver tangible benefits at home. “South Africa is not getting the same kind of offers from its favourite international partner, Iran. Iran is not even giving South Africa a discount on oil and diesel. So, it’s bizarre that the ANC is digging their heels in over something that cannot fix the problems of South Africa,” he said. Thomashausen urged the South African government to adopt a mature foreign policy guided by rational analysis rather than emotion.
Read more here:
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/south-africa-risks-enormous-loss-as-us-rift-deepens-analyst-warns/

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◼️ Massive social grant crackdown: SASSA spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi said 105,600 beneficiaries were placed under review during the first three months of the 2026/27 financial year, with 56,807 ultimately having their grants suspended. He said problems arise when beneficiaries provide bank statements showing little or no income when applying for grants, but subsequently submit different financial information when applying for credit. “You present something which says you are earning zero, but there you went to borrow money, and you present something which shows that there’s a flow of income into the account,” Letsatsi said.
Read more here:
https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/877359/massive-social-grant-crackdown-in-south-africa/

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◼️ Over 8,000 SAPS funded posts vacant amid calls for recruitment and accountability: The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) security expert Willem Els blamed poor governance and lack of consequence management for the 8,000 vacant posts in the SAPS. Els was responding to a National Treasury (NT) report that the SAPS spent R2.7 billion, approximately 8.3% lower than projected, on compensation of employees and goods and services because of the vacancies.
Read more here:
https://iol.co.za/news/south-africa/kwazulu-natal/2026-09-30-over-8000-saps-funded-posts-vacant-amid-calls-for-recruitment-and-accountability/

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◼️Online schools are growing faster than SA’s rules: Daily Maverick spoke to a family that had opted for online schooling after looking for an alternative to the traditional education system. The family, who asked to remain anonymous, said they wanted the quality and structure associated with a top private school at a fraction of the cost. They were also concerned about what they viewed as declining education standards in some schools and wanted greater flexibility to adapt to their child’s learning pace.
Read more here:
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-10-01-online-schools-in-south-africa/

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◼️ ICASA launches new investigation into high mobile data prices: “The Service Provider will produce a comprehensive report detailing the policy and strategic choices required to address the high cost of communications in South Africa,” the department said. It added that it must include an analysis of current and future costs for mobile, fixed data, voice call, and SMS services, as well as device costs and consumer behaviour. The department said South Africans pay excessive data costs compared with global standards, necessitating policy interventions to address them.
Read more here:
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/telecoms/670117-icasa-launches-new-investigation-into-high-mobile-data-prices-in-south-africa.html

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