HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY

Fri 08 May 2026:

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

◼️ Airlink looking for passengers over deadly virus: Airlink has initiated contact tracing and informed the public that a passenger on one of its flights had passed away from Hantavirus. Anyone who was on the flight is advised to contact the health department. The airline noted that the passenger on Airlink flight 4Z132, which departed St. Helena Island on 25 April 2026, had passed away. The suspected cause of death is Hantavirus.
https://businesstech.co.za/news/lifestyle/859669/airlink-issues-important-message-after-passenger-passes-away-from-new-virus-in-south-africa/

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◼️ African countries ask citizens in SA to be cautious: The South African government, however, said on Wednesday that the recent incidents in South Africa are unfairly being branded “xenophobic.” South Africa has seen a wave of protests against illegal immigration, especially by citizens of other Sub-Saharan African countries. South Africa’s immigrant population has seen a steady rise over the past few decades, increasing from 2% of the total population in 1996 to 4% in 2022, according to a report from the national statistics agency Stats SA.
https://independentpress.cc/kenya-malawi-lesotho-zimbabwe-ask-citizens-in-south-africa-to-be-cautious-remain-indoors/2026/05/08/

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◼️ Wits University, Stadio, and Spark Schools hit by global hack: Universities and schools in South Africa, including the University of the Witwatersrand and the Stadio private higher education institution, have been struck by a hack of their learning management platform. International cyber-extortion group Shinyhunters claimed responsibility for the hack and takeover of the Canvas learning platform, which supports over 9,000 educational institutions worldwide.
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/security/646188-south-african-schools-and-universities-hit-by-global-hack.html

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◼️ ConCourt rules Phala Phala report must go back to parliament: The Constitutional Court (ConCourt) has sent the Section 89 panel’s report on the Phala Phala scandal back to parliament, allowing an impeachment process against President Cyril Ramaphosa to go ahead. The panel concluded that there was sufficient basis for Ramaphosa to answer questions about the theft of approximately $580 000 (about R9.6 million) allegedly stolen from his Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo in February 2020.
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/courts/concourt-phala-phala-judgment-cyril-ramaphosa/

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◼️ Cape Town’s invisible crisis: A staggering 40% of Cape Town’s population faces an invisible yet dire crisis. According to a study, led by Dr Meryl Jagarnath of UCT’s Division of Environmental Health and published in the GeoHealth journal, approximately 1.9 million people face a high to very high risk of air pollution. This means that a massive portion of the metropolitan area is facing a daily, but invisible threat.
https://iol.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-05-08-cape-towns-invisible-crisis-1-in-3-residents-breathing-unsafe-air-study-shows/

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