HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY

Fri 15 May 2026:

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

◼️ New US bill proposes sanctions against former SA President’s daughter: The proposed piece of United States legislation is titled ‘The Countering Russia’s Forced Recruitment and Kidnapping in Africa Act’. The proposed piece of United States legislation is designed to penalise entities involved in the deceptive enlistment of African citizens for the conflict in Ukraine. The bill specifically mentions former South African President Jacob Zuma’s daughter, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, as a target.
https://dailyinvestor.com/south-africa/134382/new-united-states-bill-proposes-sanctions-against-former-south-african-presidents-daughter/

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◼️ Ramaphosa defends BEE: He rejected the claim that BEE was an impediment to growth, saying it was “false”, “lies” and “just a slogan”. Ramaphosa said the mining industry had previously been controlled by six large companies and that democratic-era changes to mineral rights had opened the sector to black ownership.
https://www.businessday.co.za/news/2026-05-14-ramaphosa-defends-bee-as-investment-pledges-expected-to-create-230000-jobs/

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◼️ Eskom has declared war on houses with solar power in SA: The solar rental company highlighted that average electricity tariffs had increased by more than 1,100% in the last two decades, making South Africa the 7th most expensive for power among G20 countries. Gosolr also lamented the differing and confusing electricity tariffs implemented by municipal distributors, especially Johannesburg’s City Power.
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/energy/647355-eskom-has-declared-war-on-houses-with-solar-power-in-south-africans.html

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◼️ New mafia emerging in SA: Speaking in an interview with 702, Ramothopo said the association has seen mounting complaints from communities about counterfeit and duplicated products being sold through informal retail channels. He said the association established a national hotline after the deaths of children in Soweto last year to better understand complaints from the public. “A lot of calls came in flooding, talking about all these complaints of duplicate products, looking the same as FMC products that we know and love,” he said.
https://businesstech.co.za/news/business/860331/another-new-mafia-emerging-in-south-africa/

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◼️ Feeling the pinch?: Bread, perhaps one of the clearest indicators of pressure on household affordability, has also climbed sharply. A branded loaf of white bread that sold for R13.99 in 2021 now sells for R20, representing an increase of 43%. Retailers said suppliers are already warning of upcoming price increases and that higher inflation is likely to return despite efforts to keep prices stable. They said the sharp diesel price hikes introduced last month have not yet fully filtered through the supply chain, meaning consumers are likely to see further increases at supermarket tills in the coming months.
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/feeling-the-pinch-how-sa-grocery-prices-exploded-in-five-years/

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