HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY

Fri 12 June 2026:

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

◼️ United States’ plan to punish SA is backfiring: The imposition of tariffs on South African exports to the United States has not resulted in a decline in the value of local products sent to the world’s largest consumer market. Rather, the value of South African exports to the United States has risen by 11% in nominal terms since the tariffs came into effect in August 2025, according to data from Codera Analytics.
Read more here:
https://dailyinvestor.com/south-africa/137843/united-states-plan-to-punish-south-africa-is-backfiring/

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◼️ We banned corporal punishment but haven’t taught teachers what to replace it with: In a few weeks, thousands of student teachers will walk into South African classrooms for their teaching practicals and find themselves caught between two competing pressures related to discipline in the classroom: on the one hand, the well-established legal framework regarding their responsibilities towards children, and on the other, the normalisation of violence towards children in our society.
Read more here:
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-06-11-we-banned-corporal-punishment-but-havent-taught-teachers-what-to-replace-it-with/

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◼️ Why SA’s mental health crisis is getting worse: “The drivers of mental ill health in young people are driven by a lot of stuff happening in the smartphone space,” she said at the post-event discussion. “Smartphones are keeping you busy, you’re not sleeping enough, you’re comparing yourselves to others.” She noted that financial strain is another significant factor, one that intersects with social comparison in particularly harmful ways.
Read more here:
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/young-stressed-and-struggling-why-sas-mental-health-crisis-is-getting-worse/

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◼️ Anti-migrant march organiser urges peaceful conduct: “I want you to do only one thing on June 30, or even two: there is no one I am asking to loot. There is no one who will come and you have to beat him or her,” Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma said. She warned against violence and theft, saying such behaviour would undermine the movement’s message. “The minute you beat them, they will look at us and say, ‘Oh my God, your children were beaten,’ and shame South Africans are vigilantes. They will say you were hungry and wanted an opportunity to steal,” she said.
Read more here:
https://iol.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-06-10-anti-migrant-march-organiser-urges-peaceful-conduct-ahead-of-june-30-shutdown/

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◼️ Message to people who don’t want digital IDs: Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber has defended the rollout of digital IDs in South Africa, stating that the proposed system is designed to empower South Africans, not surveil them. “A centralised digital identity system controlled by the Department of Home Affairs would create the infrastructure for surveillance and exclusion,” said Roets. “In the hands of a government with South Africa’s record and ideological convictions, this is not neutral administrative reform. It is a serious threat to basic freedoms.”
Read more here:
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/government/653122-message-to-people-who-dont-want-digital-ids-in-south-africa.html

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