HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY

Fri 17 April 2026:

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

◼️ What now for Malema and EFF? Parliamentary rules state any custodial sentence without the option of a fine in excess of 12 months means an MP loses their seat for a period of five years after the sentence is served. But Malema’s political future is still safe for now, according to an expert. “Beyond parliamentary consequences, the judgment introduces a layer of uncertainty into the EFF’s leadership at a particularly sensitive political moment,” Theo Neethling, a research fellow in political studies said.
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/politics/what-now-for-malema-and-eff/

————-
◼️ Musk calls for sanctions against SA: Billionaire Elon Musk said that if South Africa doesn’t change its super racist Apartheid 2.0 laws, the country must be sanctioned. Elon Musk is a vocal critic of South Africa’s Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) laws, particularly as they relate to the licensing of his satellite internet service, Starlink. Musk even alleged that he was offered opportunities to bribe his way into a license and launch Starlink in South Africa.
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadband/641540-elon-musk-calls-for-sanctions-against-south-africa-due-to-racist-laws.html

————-
◼️ DignitySA to challenge prohibition on physician-assisted suicide: Willem Landman, director of DignitySA, made it clear in court papers that medical assistance in dying should only be afforded to qualifying patients who suffer a terminal condition, whose suffering is unbearable and who is capable of making an informed request and giving voluntary consent to this. As the law stands, health practitioners who assist patients in dying will face the consequences before the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) as this is regarded as unethical.
https://iol.co.za/thepost/news/2026-04-17-dignitysa-to-challenge-prohibition-on-physician-assisted-suicide-in-south-africa/

————-
◼️ Government will come after South Africans’ offshore money: The trends show that the South African government continually looks for new tax revenue to fund its excessive spending. Heystek predicted that the state would increase taxes. “We are up against the wall, but a government can always increase taxes, which they will,” he said. “I predict that South Africans’ offshore investments will become a target. One way or the other, the government will target that money.”
https://dailyinvestor.com/investing/129917/magnus-heystek-warns-that-the-government-will-come-after-south-africans-offshore-money/

————-
◼️ After 134 years, Tongaat Hulett is on the brink of liquidation: Tongaat Hulett Limited remains liquidity-constrained, reliant on post-commencement finance that has been extended but not fully secured, and awaiting a court decision on provisional liquidation. On Thursday, 16 April 2026, it was granted a R200-million lifeline from the Industrial Development Corporation, that will carry the company to the end of June. The next court hearing will take place on Thursday, 17 June.
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-17-the-tongaat-hulett-collapse-threatening-sas-sugar-industry-master-plan/

__________________________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

WhatsApp CHANNEL
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22